Page 76 of Death and Do-Overs

Wendy:Previous neglect, Imogen. Don’t feel sorry for him. Our duty is to protect the animals, three-hundred-percent.

Imogen:Of course, but he seems sad. Life’s hard. Sympathy doesn’t hurt the animals.

Wendy:Okay, fine, you morally-superior woman. You’ve got me there.

Imogen wrinkled her nose.

Guy Jones’s melodramatic display had been complete with crocodile tears, leading me to question not only his stability as a human being, but his earnestness.

Me:Was denying his application enough motive to drive Guy to murder nearly a year later?

Wendy:¯\_(?)_/¯

Greta said, “Better to be safe and follow up on every lead.”

She wasn’t wrong, but we didn’t have any way to know where Guy Jones had gone once he’d arrived in Nevermore. Following up wouldn’t be easy.

Rose:Noodles is gone. Red alert. Noodles is not at my mom’s house and hasn’t been for a week.

Wendy:Your mom really should have told you.

Rose:Yes, well, you know how she is. She thinks there’s nothing to worry about. She thinks that kitsune is trustworthy now.

Wendy:She’s wrong. Ten thousand percent.

“Kitsune.Imogen, have you read anything about them?” I asked.

“Nope,” she said. “We have another lead to follow now though. And since there are four of us, that’s two teams.”

Her stomach growled.

“It’s late,” Greta said. “Mar and I haven’t slept in…I need sleep.”

Rose:Even though the flooding is over, Wendy still has lots to do at the shelter. But I can come help tomorrow.

Imogen:Awesome!

That would be incredibly helpful.

Me:If it’s possible, Wendy, could you hunt down a pic of Guy Jones or give Rose a description to go on? Then Rose, it’d be invaluable if you could check for him at the train station footage from the twenty-third.

Wendy:No problem.

Rose:Happy to.

“Okay, so maybe we talk everything out over a late dinner, then we crash, and tomorrow we split into two teams,” Imogen said.

“One to confront the reaper,” I said.

Imogen nodded. “That’s got to be me, because of my ability, and one of you Marnies.”

“So me, obviously,” Greta said.

“Why obviously?” I asked.

“Because if you’re the real Marnie, you have to deal with the real Marnie problems.” She glanced over at Levi, who I had kissed.

That was a real problem indeed.

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