Page 20 of Hiss and Make Up
Marc shook his head and realized he’d been staring in disbelief ata snake. He shuddered and refocused. “But it looks exactly like the other one. Are you sure?”
“Trust me,” said Sierra. “This is not a water moccasin. But someone went to the trouble of putting snakes in there that looked an awful lot like them.”
“Why would someone do that?”
Dale stared at the tank, fascinated with the animal and giddy to add another species to his collection. Sierra, however, had lost her fascination with it.
“Maybe they wanted you to think these were the babies of the one you killed. Even though that one wasn’t much more of a baby itself. But why would someone want you to think Denise had snakes nesting in her deck box?”
Marc ran his hand through his hair. “I have no idea. None of this makes any sense. Are you sure those things couldn’t have slithered in there on their own?”
“Positive. One hundred percent. I knew that yesterday. I just figured one of the kids left the box open.”
It was possible. But after the other incident, Denise hadn’t even let the kids outside the rest of the day, much less near that box. “Not today. It was closed.”
Sierra bit her lip. “Marc, someone had to have put these snakes in there.”
“What the heck for?” He threw his arms up in exasperation. It didn’t make sense. Denise didn’t have time to shower much less get into any trouble or piss anyone off.
But Josh…
When Josh was home from work, he still wasn’t home. Denise had made it clear that her relationship was not up for discussion, so Marc had no idea what his brother-in-law might be up to. But he couldn’t shake the weird vibe that told him something wasn’t right. Maybe he was being overly defensive of his sister, but what if all this snake business had something to do with him?
Or maybe Marc watched too many cop shows.
“Do you want me to bring the rest of them in or call animal control?” Sierra asked.
“Oh, do bring them in,” Dale said. “I can make room for them for a while. Then I’m sure we can find more permanent homes for them.”
After shaking Dale’s hand, Marc thanked him and rushed out the door. He inhaled fresh air like he’d been drowning in that building and hurried down the stairs.
“I don’t know how you can stand to work in there.”
“I’m fine up there. Totally at home,” Sierra said. “It’s people I’m not so great with.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
She gave him a playful punch in the arm, and he wanted to grab her arm and pull her against him. Now that she was pillowcase and snake-free.
But this wasSierra.
He took his phone out and called Denise. When she didn’t answer, he sent a text. This was the kind of thing that needed an actual conversation, but she needed to know what he found out.
“Denise?” Sierra asked.
Nodding, he typed more after she sent her freaked-out reply. He told her to get out of the house, pack up the kids and go to his house, a friend’s house, anywhere else.
“Crap,” he muttered at her response. “She’s refusing to leave the house. I said it would be just for a couple of days, but she’s stubborn.”
Sierra frowned. “Well, I guess it’s a lot to pack up those kids. Personally, I’d take my chances with the snakes.”
“That does not surprise me. But it doesn’t make me feel any better about her staying there.”
“Her choice.”
Right. But his big sister had shown him exactly how to be a good protector. She’d watched out for him when they were kids, and now it was his turn to look after her and her kids. He couldn’t stand the idea of something happening to them on his watch. Especially with Josh out of town.
“I told her to at least go to my place, but she said they have plans, and it’ll be late when they get back. So at least the kids won’t be outside.”
