The Tell-Fang Heart by Burke Elle Wren

Author:Burke, Elle Wren
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Our bungalow was quiet until half past nine the next morning, none of us moving quickly after our late-night tiny heart attacks and the wine we glugged to get back to sleep.

Dawk flew out the door after chugging a way-too-hot cup of coffee so he could open the store at ten. Me? I took my time with my coffee, enjoying the bitter taste with hints of walnuts.

Lynnae poured a bit of coconut milk in her coffee and joined me at the table. “You look like you haven’t slept in a month,” she told me.

“Oh, thanks, bestie. I appreciate your kind words. Especially considering you look perfect, as always.” Her raven twists were shiny, her skin was bright, and she wore a bright-pink cropped cardigan with high-waisted, wide-legged black pants.

My hair was sticking up in eight places and I wore a huge, holey T-shirt that said “Vampires do it in the dark.”

“Aww, and I appreciate your kind words,” she echoed.

Her face grew serious. “Look, I know Dawk wants you to solve this ASAP, but you aren’t any use as an investigator or a business owner if you burn yourself out. Your body needs rest. You’ve been doing too much.”

“Ughhhhh,” I said. “You’re right. I know you are.” My body knew too. Little needles had inserted themselves in all my joints, all over my back, and inside my neck. Every movement knocked against the needles.

Matilda flew through her doggy door, full of energy after her morning backyard exploration time. She lapped up some water before barreling straight at Lynnae.

“Oh no!” my roommate told her. “Get those muddy paws away from me.”

Laughing, I leaned over to corral my goofy pup.

Standing up and backing away from the table, my roomie downed her coffee and set the mug on the granite countertop. “That’s my signal to go to work.”

“Tell Calder I’ll see him promptly at 5:00 p.m. to start baking.” I narrowed my eyes jokingly. “You too. No getting caught up in your research.”

“Yes, yes. We’ll all be there.”

It was Monday, the day before Valentine’s Day. The time had come to start baking a million dog cakes. I’d scheduled myself the day off, knowing I would need to rest if I was going to help in the bakery all night.

You might be thinking, Josie, why didn’t Isa just bake the cakes over the past few days instead of all at once? One word: freshness. The cakes might be canine in nature, but they needed to be soft with crisp icing. If the cakes were dry and cracked, we were likely to have a host of upset customers tomorrow.

I tried to pull myself together, but I couldn’t do it. My body needed rest, so I crawled back into bed and pulled my four blankets over me. My little Scottie pushed into my armpit, her head on my shoulder. Despite the coffee, I dropped right into sleep.

Every ninety minutes or so, I’d shoot awake, covered in sweat, images dancing through my mind of Maggie with a

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