Page 17 of A Dead End Fourth of July (Tiger’s Eye Mysteries #14)

Jack

Friday, the Fourth of July, dawned with blue skies and scorching sun. Since the shop was closed for the day, Tess was taking the rare opportunity to sleep in. Lou and I got up and went for a run.

Well, Lou sunbathed on a lounge chair by the pool.

I ran for a while in my shorts and T-shirt, and then I ran for a while in my fur, stretching out my tiger's powerful muscles.

I realized I hadn't been spending much time in my tiger shape lately and resolved to keep a balance.

My shapeshifter side got restless when I didn't let the tiger out to play for too long.

So, when my beautiful wife ambled outside in her PJs, mug of coffee in her hand, I was swimming in the pool.

She grinned at me. "Hey, kitty. Want some coffee? Or would you prefer a saucer of milk?"

I smacked the surface of the water with one giant paw, splashing her legs, and then let my tongue loll out in a tiger laugh when she shrieked.

"Just for that, you can get your own coffee." She stretched out on a chair next to Lou's, put her mug on the little side table, and closed her eyes. "I love mornings off."

I loved seeing her look so peaceful after the restless night she'd had. There had been nightmares and tossing and turning until I'd wrapped her up in my arms and held her tight. Then she'd snuggled against me, sighed, and dropped off into a less troubled sleep.

I swam a while longer because I was a tiger, and we loved water. Lou, who did not love water for anything but drinking, sneered at me from the dry comfort of her chair. She was still holding a grudge against the pool for the Oscar incident.

When my stomach reminded me it was time for breakfast, I climbed out, shook the excess water out of my fur on the opposite side of the pool from Tess, and shifted back to human me.

Opposable thumbs are pretty helpful for cooking.

"Do you want help?" Tess asked, her eyes still closed.

"Nope." I bent to kiss her and was happy to feel her lips curve into a smile.

"You smell good," she murmured. "Like sunshine and Jack. Two of my favorite scents."

I was contemplating carrying her into the house to pursue that line of thinking when my phone rang. I'd brought it outside with me and left it on a table, just in case Sam called with news of Katie.

But when I scooped up my phone, the screen told me it was the sheriff.

"It's Susan," I told Tess.

She groaned but sat up. "What now?"

I put the call on speaker. "Hey, Susan. Happy Fourth. What's up?"

"Yeah, happy Fourth. I just love holidays in Dead End these days." Her voice was flat, without a hint of amusement.

"Susan, I think you need a vacation," Tess said. She and Suan were becoming close friends, and I could see the concern in Tess's lovely blue eyes.

"I definitely need a vacation. I was even looking at flights last week. But then Cletus McKee brought trouble to town, and now people are threatening my brother."

Susan's brother Carlos was the vampire being threatened. He'd never told us how he'd become a vampire, but we knew he was high in the ranks of power. The Vampire Council was particularly bloodthirsty.

Pun intended.

"We'll watch out for him," Tess said grimly. "When they take one of us on, they take all of us on."

I sighed, but had to agree. Carlos was okay. And since he bought the house just down the road from Tess, we were neighbors. Which meant he was in my territory.

Nobody was going after my neighbor in my territory. I might have retired from the rebel army, but once a soldier, always a soldier.

Plus, tiger.

"Anyway, the license plates were reported stolen last week, as well as the car they were on, no surprise. I just heard they ditched the car at a gas station an hour from here. Video footage shows them climbing into the back of a limo, but no angle caught the plates on the limo."

"Of course they didn't." If the Fox brothers were in charge of security everywhere, life would be easier. You can bet they'd have mini cameras on the pumps at license plate level.

"How about today? Do things look good for the Fourth Festival?"

As usual in Dead End, the holiday came complete with a festival. Food booths, artisan stands, and carnival rides. By the time Cletus set the fireworks off at dusk, everybody in Dead End would be stuffed full of sausage sandwiches and funnel cakes, and their pockets would be considerably lightened.

"Mostly. I know you're out of the law-enforcement business, Jack, but you still have good eyes and a better sense for impending trouble than Lizzie. She's still green. Just … keep an eye out, will you?"

Lizzie was the new deputy. Susan didn't know that I'd anonymously funded her salary for completely self-serving reasons. Mostly so I could stay out of the law-enforcement business.

"Fine," I said, resigned.

"And let me or Andy know if you see or hear anything. Skeeter Hatfield has been drinking a lot and making threats to anybody who will listen. Plus, the McKee family anger is bound to blow up sometime, especially after Tess broke up the fight at her place."

"Okay. I'll keep an eye out. I would anyway, after those goons yesterday said they wanted Tess to come to New York to meet their boss."

"The hard way or the easy way," Tess added, rolling her eyes. "I can't believe he said that. Too many movies. That's what's wrong with criminals today."

"Carlos is back tonight," Susan said. "He's coming to the fireworks. So, we'll have an extra pair of eyes."

"And Carlos can see in the dark as well as Jack can," Tess said. "It will be fine. And then you can get back to planning your vacation. Where did you say you're going?"

Susan laughed. "I didn't. Maybe if nobody knows, I can spend a week without urgent phone calls about trouble in Dead End."

"Good luck," I said sincerely. "Two weeks in Atlantis with no phones was wonderful."

After we hung up, we made a big breakfast and took our time over the meal and the washing up. I gave Lou a piece of bacon, even though she'd already eaten a hearty breakfast, and caught Tess's disapproving look aimed at both of us.

"She's looking chunky, and too much weight isn’t good for cats. Maybe we should take her to Charithra for a checkup?"

Dr. Charithra Kumari, Dead End's new veterinarian, was quickly becoming a friend. She was dating Andy Kelly, who was completely gone over her.

"I've never had so many friends in my life," I said slowly, the realization giving me a weird feeling.

Tess blinked. "I'm glad for you? But you had friends in high school. And then your army buddies. And … Quinn."

Quinn, my co-rebel leader, and I were very close during the vampire wars. I'd even thought I was in love with her until Tess hit me like a tornado and I realized what actually being in love felt like.

Apparently, it was turning me into somebody who thought about his feelings all the time.

I made a face.

Feelings. If my army buddies could see me now …

I grinned and kissed my gorgeous wife. "They'd be jealous."

"What? Who would be jealous? Of what?"

"Never mind. Lou is fine. We just had her in for her annual visit. She's just wearing her 'it's summer in Dead End and too hot to race around the yard annoying the squirrels' extra pound or two. I know how she feels."

Tess leaned past me to put the clean plates back into the cupboard. "You want to annoy the squirrels?"

"Not usually."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Okay. Tiger me thinks it's funny sometimes. But not when it's a hundred degrees. Speaking of which, do we have to go downtown particularly early? I was thinking we could wait until dinnertime to avoid the worst of the heat."

Tess's phone rang, and she sighed. "Hold that thought."