to agree to attend some anger-management classes. Or something. The finer details are still being negotiated.”
“By Cash?”
“No, Cash is working on Hank. Callum has his people…finessing your agreement.”
“So much for not calling in the big guns.”
We both got into the car, and I turned in my seat towards him. “I told you I would do whatever it took to help bring Hank home. That’s what I’m doing.”
He smiled, though it seemed to hurt him. “I know. I think we might be out of our depth. You did the right thing.”
That went a lot easier than I’d anticipated. “You’re not going to yell at me?”
“Would it make you feel better if I did?”
“Not really.”
“Then no, I don’t plan to.”
One small relief in a mountain of stress and uncertainty. “I told Callum I needed more time to investigate what was happening. He wanted to send Ben to drag me back to St. Francisville, but we settled in the middle. You and I have forty-eight hours to find a way to prove Deerling is the nutjob we know he is.”
“This will go public before then. I’m surprised they haven’t invited the media in yet. This is totally the sort of thing CNN likes to throw Nancy Grace at.”
I snorted. “It does make you wonder, doesn’t it? If their goal was to make werewolves look like villains, why haven’t they acted on this yet? Isn’t that the whole point? I’m worried they might be up to something else.”
“Or maybe they’re waiting until the sheriff has hard evidence on Hank so there’s no room for reasonable doubt.”
I started the car and headed towards the drive thru. I didn’t need to ask if Wilder was hungry. A werewolf living on county jail rations for a day? I’m surprised he wasn’t gnawing on the faux-leather interior.
“Reasonable doubt becomes trickier if Hank actually killed her. I mean, you and I know he wasn’t in his right mind, but I don’t expect a grand jury to grasp the distinction.”
We ordered several burgers, and I got a strawberry milkshake. At the last minute I decided to order something for Cash in case he felt left out when we got back with food. It wasn’t exactly fine dining, but the burgers were delicious.
Wilder tucked into his double cheeseburger with the zeal of a man coming off a life raft. For a minute there was nothing but the sound of chewing, both of us mulling over what to do next.
“So, Veronica Mars, what’s your plan?” Wilder asked.
“You’re in?”
“Well, I was informed leaving town might look bad for me while we wait for a settlement arrangement. Plus I don’t want to go anywhere while Hank is still inside. Just because he’s alive now doesn’t mean he’s going to stay that way. You know how charming he can be.”
“Honestly, jail is probably the safest place for him right now.”
We exited town onto the highway, making the short jaunt back to the motel just past the city limits. Wilder’s chewing slowed, and he became thoughtful. “We can’t dive into this without a plan. That didn’t go swimmingly for us last time.”
“I have no intention of us getting arrested again, if that’s what you’re asking. Nothing illegal.”
Wilder gave a humorless laugh. “The way I see it, we don’t need to do anything illegal to get arrested. That trespassing charge was bullshit.”
“The assault charge wasn’t.”
“Meh.” He shrugged. “I barely scratched the guy. He’s pitching a fit because he figured out we’re wolves, and now he’s pissing his pants because he thinks he’s going to turn furry at the next full moon. You know how it goes.”
“That wouldn’t even make sense if the change did work that way. You punched him, you didn’t bite him.”
“If I could explain the inner workings of the redneck mind to you, sweetheart, I would. But thankfully I have never plumbed those depths.”
“Don’t call me sweetheart.” I parked in front of the motel. I’d arranged with Callum to have a room booked for Wilder next to mine and Cash’s. Now I was regretting the proximity.
“All right, Princess.”
I wanted to scold him, but that particular nickname didn’t bother me.
“Your boyfriend is sort of the jealous type, is he?” He got out of the car before I could answer, and I was forced to scuttle out the driver’s door to make my response heard.
“No, but I don’t think any guy is going to be happy when he finds out his girlfriend got arrested with another man.”
Wilder tossed the bag of burgers to me and grinned.