Page 53 of Dead & Breakfast
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Young stomped forward, towering over Salvatore, the only one shorter than him.
Arthur shoved down his instinct to get Young out of hishusband’s space. The man was scared and desperate. He deserved some sympathy. Arthur didn’t have to reach very far to find some, pain twisting in his chest at the very thought of Dr.Young’s circumstances.
“We didn’t hurt your son,” Salvatore said without any trace of sarcasm or enmity in his tone.
“In fact,” Theodore added, taking a step forward, “Brody’s got some chance of living thanks to Arthur and Salvatore’s quick action.”
Arthur nodded. “He’ll be at the ER by now. Maybe you should be there with him. If there is any update—”
“Don’t you dare.” Young’s complexion bloomed even redder as he moved his accusatory finger into Sal’s face. “You tried to kill him.”
“Please, I’ve nevertriedto kill anyone,” Sal replied, putting a smidge too much emphasis on the wordtried. “And Arthur’s too soft for that sort of thing—do you know, he won’t even kill spiders? Takes them outside to the garden in little jars. It’s adorable, honestly.”
Arthur could see things derailing quickly, so he stepped in, holding Sal by the shoulders and gently pulling him back a few steps. “The point is, we’re all worried about Brody,” he said. “And we want to find who hurt him.”
“Find someone else to pin it on, you mean? Like you were trying to pin George Roth’s murder on my son? And you.” Young turned his furious gaze to the sheriff. “You’ve been letting these vamps roam free around our town. If Brody…” He swallowed audibly, as though the words were stuck in his throat. “If Brody doesn’t make it, his blood’s on your hands, too.”
“I assure you, I’ll get to the bottom of all this,” McMartin said, face stony. “Let me take care of things. Go be with your kid.”
“Yeah. I will.” Young glanced at Arthur, eyes wild. “You bloodsuckers won’t get away with this. Not again. I’ll make sure of it.”
With that, McMartin finally managed to corral Young out the door. Hopefully, the sheriff would escort him all the way to the ER so there wouldn’t be any surprise visits from the dentist. After the night’s events, Arthur was rather done with shocking twists. Oh, how he hated a jump scare.
“Well, that was a bit much,” Salvatore said, shaking himself like a large barn owl ruffling its feathers.
“His son’s in critical condition, Sal. I think he has every right to be irrational.” Arthur’s words rang hollow in the wake of Dr.Young’s outburst, however. He wanted to be understanding. He wanted to be compassionate. But those were things neither the dentist nor the sheriff had been toward him and Sal. Perhaps he was being too generous. “Could’ve done without the bloodsucker comment, though.”
Salvatore nodded furiously. “And he did seem awfully serious about pinning all this on us.”
Arthur sighed and looped his arm through Sal’s. “I’d love to have just one day where no one suspects us of murder.”
“It does seem to come with the territory, doesn’t it.” Sal bared his fangs, a hint of resignation in his throaty tone. He patted Arthur’s hand and straightened his shoulders. “Now, did I ever tell you the story of when I was mistaken for the Countess Báthory and had to go on the run?”
“You certainly did, but I suspect you’ll tell me again anyway.” Arthur didn’t mind so much. It was a bit like watching a favorite movie or reading a beloved novel. Perhaps it was the familiarity of Sal’s voice or the way Arthur knew how the story would end, as all his stories did, with the two of them married and dying happily ever after. In the midst of all the uncertainty they found themselvesembroiled in now, the predictable nature of Sal’s story would be a comfort.
Sal didn’t tell it, though. Instead, he tightened his grip on Arthur’s arm and pressed a kiss to his jaw. “Well, darling, what should we do now?”
The knot in Arthur’s stomach loosened just a little. “There’s only one thing we can do.” Arthur met Salvatore’s gaze, a pang hitting him square in the chest. He wouldn’t let this town ruin what they’d worked so hard to make. “We’re going to solve this case.”
Chapter 15
Untangling the messthey were in was easier said than done. Arthur peered at his notebook with blurred vision. He couldn’t focus on the words, not while his brain was buzzing so loudly.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m about ready to fall asleep standing up,” Theodore said, crossing to the door, keys in hand.
Arthur ushered Sal onto the street as Theodore locked up behind them.
“I’ve done that,” Sal said. “You know, it’s not quite so unpleasant when you don’t have to worry about circulation and so on. No blood pooling in your feet or anything.”
“Right…” Theodore gave them an exhausted smile. “Well. Bedtime. You two get home safe, all right?”
Arthur nodded as Theodore headed in the direction opposite the Iris Inn, but Arthur had no intention of going home. Instead, he grabbed Sal’s hand and pulled him to a halt just outside the café.
“Not yet,” he whispered, eyes trained on Theodore’s retreating back.
Sal eyed Arthur with interest. “What’s going on in that gorgeous head of yours?”
“I’m not…I’m not sure yet…” Arthur could feel an epiphany just out of reach, like the threat of a phantom sneeze. “Something’s bothering me about all this.”
