“No. It is not.”
“So give me names. Who have you made angry who might also have access to the ichor techne?”
Old Rossi sighed, and rubbed one hand over his hair, the most human gesture I’d seen out of him since I had walked into the room. He stared at Sven as if unable to look anywhere else. “I don’t know. There is no one who comes to mind.”
“Really?”
“Despite what you must think of me, I am a fan of peace and non-violent conflict resolution.”
“Okay. So what do we do next?”
“We’ll bury him. Hold a memorial service.”
“I meant about his killer. About the invitation. The war.”
“I don’t know yet.”
“We need a plan. Is there anything here we can go on? Anything that could be a lead? This town has resources we can call on, both mundane and godly.”
“Let’s keep the gods out of it. The only ones who might do me any good would be carrying their power, and when they carry power they do not listen to the needs of the undead.”
“The gods in town could help even without their powers.”
“I’d rather snip my left nut off than owe any of them a favor.”
I could see he felt strongly about this.
“You might not have a choice in that. But I’ll start with police records. See if there have been any unusual deaths in the area, things involving blood markings or shots between the eyes.”
He was still staring at Sven, but grunted. I took that as an agreement and stood. I still hadn’t dried out from the rain and the back of my thighs and butt felt cold.
“We’re collecting information from the folks at the gas station and the people in the area who might have seen or heard something. I’ll let you know if I find anything. If there’s anything else you need, let me know.”
Just before I opened the door, he spoke.
“How much do you know about Ryder?”
That sent chills over my chills. “Ryder Bailey?” At least I hadn’t said: the guy I still can’t stop loving even though he dumped me?
“Ryder Bailey.”
“Um...well, we grew up together. His Dad retired to Florida and left him the cabin on Easy Lake that they remodeled together from the floor up. High school athlete, popular guy.”
Handsome, funny. Kind. Always helping anyone who needs a hand.
“Came back to town just over a year ago with a fancy degree and clients and set up his own architecture business.”
Folds origami, hangs his own art in his living room. Sexy as hell in bed. Gentle. Tastes like something deeper than caramel, something all his own. Something I wake up in the middle of the night craving.
“Hates rhubarb. Why?”
“That is Ryder’s blood.”
My stomach knotted and I glanced down at Sven. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.”
“Just his?”
