Page 27 of Dead & Breakfast
“I’m sure you do.”
Before things could devolve further into outright insults, Lore cleared her throat and stood. “Okay. I gotta get back to work.”
Arthur, who was now trying to hold his umbrella, Rumble, and the inane business card, stood to see her off. Managing the cat proved difficult, and she began to squirm. Theodore gave him a searching look before reaching out to adjust Arthur’s grip so that heheld her from beneath, palm cradling her chest, her hind quarters tucked into the crook of his arm.
“There we go, little one,” Theodore said gently.
“No need to condescend,” Arthur grumbled before realizing Theodore meant the ten-pound cat, not the vampire of a perfectly respectable stature.
“You two play nice,” Lore said, then strolled off through the bright spring morning.
“So,” Arthur began, turning to face Theodore once more. “You’re a lawyeranda barista?”
“I contain multitudes.” Theodore tucked his hands into his pockets. “The lawyer lifestyle was never really my jam. Lots of meetings and long hours. And after I got bitten—”
“They fired you for being a werewolf?” Arthur couldn’t decide what was worse—that Theodore’s firm was clearly bigoted or that the lawyer he was about to align himself with had been fired in the first place.
“No, no, nothing like that.” Theodore waved him off. “They actually offered to make me partner, but I realized if I was going to have my name on a door, I’d rather it be for something I actually enjoy, like coffee. I quit the firm and opened up shop here. It just seemed so clear to me all of a sudden that the city life wasn’t for me, and when I saw this place—well, what can I say? I fell in love.”
“Understandable enough,” Arthur grunted. He could begrudge Theodore many things, but Trident Fallswashis favorite place on earth. At least the werewolf lawyer/barista had good taste.
“Knew you’d get it—you and Sal did the same thing, reopening the Iris Inn, right?”
“Suppose so.” It didn’t sit well with Arthur how similar their stories were, if only because he preferred not to have anything incommon with Theodore. They’d both left corporate jobs for a country lifestyle, they’d both opened a small business in this town, and they both wanted Sal out of jail. It had to be enough. “Funny how sometimes it takes dying to realize how you want to spend your life.”
“Exactly!” Theodore gave a hearty laugh that was almost a bark, then slapped Arthur on the arm that wasn’t currently holding an unruly cat. “Anyway, I’m still barred in Oregon.”
“And you think you can help Sal?” Arthur didn’t want to pin his hopes on Theodore if he could help it, but circumstances were such that, well, hecouldn’thelp it. “Lore mentioned something about Miranda rights?”
Theodore deflated. “I wish it was that easy.Vega v. Tekohmade that pretty much moot, though.”
Arthur, who knew as much about legal proceedings as the averageLaw & Orderviewer, nodded with the air of someone much better informed. “I see. Yes. Of course.”
“Still, I think we have a decent shot of convincing the sheriff to let him go. If he had enough evidence to make the arrest, he would have done so already, and it doesn’t sound like he has probable cause to keep Salvatore once his questioning is complete.”
“I knew that already.” Arthur hadn’t, as such, known that.
Theodore’s vague expression of confident ease gave way to a slight frown. “Well, I can get in touch with a law firm, and they can send an order to—”
“Fine. Yes, do what you need to do.” Arthur should’ve been happy at this turn of events. He should’ve felt grateful to Lore for contacting Theodore, and fortunate that he had such good connections and was willing to help. But did it have to be Theodore, of all people, to swoop in to rescue Salvatore? First the werewolf’s coffeeshop outperformed the inn, and now Theodore was going to do what Arthur could not.
“Do you…” Theodore began slowly, “…have a problem with me?”
“Why on earth would we have a problem? I don’t even really know you. Today was the first time I’ve been inside your shop.”
“That’s what I thought, too.” Theodore kept that infuriating little frown on his symmetrical face. Really, what kind of person outside of the movies had a symmetrical face? “If this is about my curse, and yours—”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Arthur said, hugging Rumble closer to his chest as if to use her as a shield. “I have no issue with werewolves. I’m a very modern vampire.”
If he’d been there, Sal would have laughed ruthlessly at that statement, citing the last time he tried to teach Arthur about TikTok as incontrovertible evidence to the contrary.
“Then what’s the issue?” Theodore stared into Arthur’s eyes, not blinking.
Whatwasthe issue, really? Arthur’s pride, perhaps. He would be a poor excuse for a husband indeed if he let something as silly as that get in the way of freeing Salvatore. He sighed and dropped his shoulders. “No issue at all. I’m afraid this is a very stressful time for me, so forgive me for not being at my most cordial.” It was like pulling teeth, but Arthur forced his lips to turn upward into a smile as though he were greeting a guest at the Iris Inn.
“Sure. I understand.” Theodore gave Arthur a look that said all too clearly that he did not, in fact, understand. “Let’s focus on getting Sal out, okay? Common goal and everything.”
“Yes, of course.” And because Arthur really was a spectacularly gracious and modern vampire, he added, “Thank you for your help.”
