Within a week or so, the penguin would be absconded with and taken on an adventure. It was getting to be so well known around town that someone outside of Ordinary had started a blog about it, asking for pictures of the penguin in strange locations. The pictures had flooded in, and so had the page views.
The penguin was quickly becoming Ordinary’s most famous citizen.
“What happened? Where was Sven?” My brain had finally shaken off my initial shock. I strode to the station, Crow already ahead of me, umbrella hat flared over his shoulders.
Myra frowned, just as confused at his fashion choice as I was.
“We found his body about an hour ago.”
“Who called it in?”
“Apocalypse Pablo. Said he thought someone was breaking into the shed on the back of the gas station property. Thought it might be zombies and wanted to sell them a window washer? Not sure how that makes sense, but it’s what he said. I told him to keep an eye on the shed and stay away from it until I could get there. I didn’t...I didn’t think it would be anything more than maybe a nest of raccoons.”
Crow opened the door and held it as we walked in past him.
“Did you go out there alone?”
“Yes. Ryder’s been out of town for a couple days.”
“I didn’t know that.”
She shrugged off her coat and hung it on the hook where it could drip. Doing so made her sleeves ruck up to reveal dark bruises on her forearms.
Huh.
“He had a job to check on up in Washington. Said he’d be back later this week.”
I frowned. He had just called me this morning. “Did he say where, exactly?”
“No. Why?”
“No reason.” I pulled off my coat and hung it beside hers. I flicked my gaze toward her arm, then raised an eyebrow, silently asking what those bruises were about. She hurriedly pulled her sleeve down and ignored me.
Weird.
“Tell me about Sven. Crow, stay here in the lobby and don’t break any more of Ordinary’s rules. And take off that ridiculous hat.”
He popped a hash brown in his mouth. “This hat is going to catch on. I promise you that.”
“Don’t promise me that.”
“Umbrella hats are going to be all the rage.”
“Oh, I’m already feeling the rage.” I flipped my fingers in what I hoped was mime for “kill it with fire.”
Myra walked with me over to my desk. It was out of the way, but I still had a view of the lobby.
“Why is Crow here?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you after you fill me in on Sven. You found him in the shed?”
I sat at my desk, the take-out coffee cooling between my palms. She pulled a chair over so we could both keep an eye on the lobby and Crow, yet still lean in close enough we could keep our voices down.
“I went out there because Apocalypse Pablo said the door was open and he’d kept it locked. When I got there, the lock was broken off the shed door. Too much rain to see any footsteps—it’s practically a swamp back there behind the gas station. I didn’t see blood, no scuffs. Plenty of mud but it’s been raining non-stop.”
I took a gulp of coffee, nodded.
“The shed has an old tractor in it, some tools, but I could finally see a streak of mud through the dust on the floor that led to the back corner. I found him under a blanket. Shot.”
