For Whom the Smell Tolls by Renee George

Author:Renee George [George, Renee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barkside of the Moon Press
Published: 2020-05-27T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Ezra did a double take. “I would have heard about it. Did you see this in one of your scent-memory visions?”

I bit my lower lip. “That’s not how I know. Shawn told me.”

“Shawn?” He pulled a face. “You mean Chief Rafferty?”

“Yes,” I said. “You probably didn’t know about it because it happened in Rasfield, not here in Garden Cove.”

He was leaning forward in his seat now, and I could see him trying to wrap his brain around what I’d told him.

“Wait. I’m confused,” he said. “The chief called you to talk about Fiona McKay?”

“No, not for Fiona.” I sighed. I wanted to tell Ezra it wasn’t as bad as it sounded, but I think it was that bad, if not worse. Shawn had no business confiding in a civilian. “I ran into Leila, his wife, at the pharmacy a couple days ago when I went in for allergy medicine.”

Even with the pause, Ezra waited for me to finish. It was something I liked about him. He rarely talked over me or made big assumptions about what I was going to say next. He had so much patience. I guess having a kid at sixteen forced you to grow up quickly. Whatever made Ezra the man he was today, I was thankful.

“Shawn called because he was worried about Leila. She told him we were having lunch on Tuesday, and I think he hoped I would have some insight into her behavior. He said she’s not been acting herself. Calling me about her was so stupid on his part. She’s struggling with her recovery. She’s in between chemo treatments, and she’s not doing so good since the last one, and the doctors won’t give her any more rounds until her immune system bounces back. She’s probably going to need a bone marrow transplant. They’re having a donor drive at the hospital for her. On top of all that, cancer freaking sucks.” I didn’t realize I was crying until Ezra thumbed a tear from my cheek.

“She told you all that.”

“No.” I sniffed. “Shawn did. Which is why the call was pointless in the first place. He knows what’s going on with Leila. So, he knows better than anyone why she’d be having mood swings or personality changes. My mom was a kind woman, generous to a fault, but during the rough times, she would sometimes lash out at me. I didn’t take it personally, because I knew it was more about her feelings of helplessness. The total lack of control that happens when cancer takes over your world. Hell, I lashed out at times at Gilly. Thank heavens she loved me enough to not take it to heart.” I patted my cheeks. They were hot with emotion. “And that’s the reason he called. I think he hoped I would reassure him. Give him a prediction or something. But I don’t see the future. You know that.”

My eyes felt puffy and my nose had started to run again.

“Do you want to come up to the house?” he asked.

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