“Why aren’t you in the hospital?”
I lifted my eyes and studied her heart-shaped face. She was pretty in the way all deities were, her power shining in her like a quiet, single chord of sound humming. Dad had once told me she was the colors of peacock feathers, all blues and greens and indigo. I wondered if her power would sound like the blues too, or something soft and lilting.
“I’m the chief of police and I know my rights. I have the right to leave the hospital if I want.”
She raised an eyebrow, disapproving. “All right. Tell me who might not have shot you.”
“Dan Perkin.”
She didn’t look surprised. “Why do you think he didn’t?”
“It just doesn’t line up. He’s angry, but he’s not violent. If Dan Perkin shot someone every time he was mad about something, there wouldn’t be anyone left alive in Ordinary.”
“Granted,” she agreed. “So who in town wants you dead, Delaney? Who else could have held a gun and squeezed the trigger? And do they want Dan to take the fall for it?”
I chewed on my bottom lip and thought it over. Those were good questions. I wish I had good answers. “Could be someone who doesn’t want me to rehouse Heim’s power. Maybe the same person who killed him?”
“Which would be deities and creatures, since they are the only ones who know about god power.”
“Have you heard of anyone who might want to settle their problem with me via bullet?”
“Other than maybe the guy you just decked—nice hit, by the way—no.”
“Do you think it could have been Cooper?”
She held my gaze. “Do you?”
He had come back into town right when this entire mess had begun. Was probably even in town when Dan’s rhubarb patch had blown sky high. I pushed aside my personal feelings and focused on Cooper’s personality, his actions in the past, his behavior.
“No,” I finally admitted. “Cooper’s more of the get-drunk-and-yell-at-your-ex-girlfriend kind of guy.”
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, Delaney,” she said. “Someone killed Heim. Someone shot at you, possibly intending to kill you. Maybe what you have on your hands is a mortal serial killer.”
“Terrific. That’s so much better.”
Cooper groaned, and then cussed while Sven asked how many fingers he was waving around much too quickly for the mortal eye to track. “Sorry about that.”
She patted my hand gently. “Don’t you let it bother you. Any time you feel like laying someone out, you come on down. Beer’s on me.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“Good. Now do you need a ride home?”
I felt eyes on me and turned to look at the door.
Myra was striding my way, her hair a little mussed and her sweat jacket pulled over what was clearly a pajama top. She did not look happy.
“No need. I think the cavalry just arrived.”
“What the hell are you doing out of the hospital?” Myra demanded when she was close enough.
“Getting a drink?” I said.
She narrowed her eyes. “I’m taking you back.”
“I already checked out.”
“You can’t check out of a hospital to go to a bar. What were you thinking?”
