Cassie suck in a harsh breath on seeing the pink skin. “Is that sore?”
“A little tender. I was lucky Jack applied the salve straightaway. It’s a dragon thing, I guess.”
“I’ve got a tunic top. Be back in a sec.” She hurried away, rifled through her wardrobe and picked out two different sleeveless tops. “Here you go. I found two that should work. So, a baby, huh? I’m gonna be a sort-of auntie. That is so exciting.”
Emma beamed. “Jack and I had just found out. We wanted to savor the secret for a few days.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine. The dragon medic said I’m in perfect health. Jack wants me to go back to see her today.”
“You should,” Cassie said. “That’s not the only secret you’ve been keeping from me.”
“Cass, I couldn’t tell you about dragons. I promised Jack. And you saw June. She is…was scary. No way I’d blab and have to face her wrath.”
“I won’t tell. Pinky swear.”
They grinned at each other.
“Want breakfast?” Cassie asked. “I’m going to cook for us all, but first, do you need help to get dressed?”
“No, I’m good.”
“I’ll send Jack just in case,” Cassie promised.
Jack appeared in the doorway. “We have company. Cops,” he said in a terse voice.
“What now?” She scowled at the thump on the front door and stomped down the passage to answer it. “Yes, can I help you?”
Another police officer stood with the community constable.
“Have you seen your neighbor Mr. Jamieson?” the community constable asked.
“No, not since the day before yesterday. He and his son were here for afternoon tea. What is this about?”
“I’m sorry. We can’t say,” the second cop said. “Did they say they were going on a holiday?”
“No, but nothing like that came up in our conversation. We talked about books and movies and the weather,” Cassie said. “We ate cookies. That’s it.”
The constable exchanged a skeptical glance with the cop. He turned back to Cassie. “If you hear from Mr. Jamieson, please tell him we’d like to speak with him.”
“Will do.” Cassie closed the door and returned to the kitchen where she found the others. “Did you hear? What do you suppose is happening?”
“At a guess, I’d say custody problems,” Jack said. “Of course, he might have had something to do with the drugs. I don’t believe his denials about the crop.”
“Agreed,” Hone said. “There’s no proof of the drugs belonging to him, but I noticed a newly planted area on his land. The seedlings hadn’t been in the ground for long.”
“Huh,” Cassie said. “You got all that? Must be why I’m a singer rather than an investigator.”
Her phone rang, and she snatched it off the counter. Excitement bubbled through her on seeing the identity of her caller. The manager at the top of her list. “I’ve got to take this. Won’t be a minute.”
Hone saw her exhilaration, the brightening of her eyes as she skipped away to find privacy. “She’s going to leave.”
“Have you told her how you feel?” Emma asked.
“She knows, but I can’t hold her back. New Zealand doesn’t have the same opportunities. She loves to sing and she’s good at it. If I told her I wanted her to stay, she’d come to resent me.”
“You can’t be sure—” Emma broke off when Cassie skipped back into the room.
