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I told Deret ready for his date, and by the ti room couch with a book, he came downstairs in navy slacks and a pale blue striped shirt with a button-down collar He looked arinned at me

"I hope she’ll think so," he said "I love the way she smells"

That was a very fairy coreat sense of huht of as conventionally pretty Her s points with Dermot I’d have to reot the bag containing Jannalynn’s jacket and went out the back door, on my way to Bill’s house I felt a little better after I’d dropped the other little bag, the one containing the se bin I turned on ht and strode to the woods There was a little path; Bill came over often, probably far round of the old cemetery, I heard a sound to my left I stopped in my tracks "Bill?" I said

"Sookie," he answered, and then he was right in front of me He had his own little plastic sack looped over his left hand We were all carrying bags around tonight

"I brought Jannalynn’s jacket," I said "For you and Heidi"

"You stole her jacket?" He sounded a I’d done today, I’d be a happy woh I could alht is excellent, of course He took rounds Even though there weren’t hts there, there were a few, and I could see (faintly) that Bill was excited about so, put it to his face, and inhaled "No, that’s not a scent I picked up at the gate in the backyard Of course, considering all the scents around there and the length of tiate, that can’t be a definite no" He handed it back

I felt almost disappointed Jannalynn uilty of so uncharitable I should be glad Saht?

"You look unhappy," Bill said We alking back to his house, and I’d tucked the plastic bag underof how I’d return Jannalynn’s jacket to Sam’s office I’d have to do it soon

"I am unhappy," I said Then, because I didn’t want to explain my every inner qualm, I told Bill, "I listened to the news on the radio while I was cutting up sweet potatoes That girl Ky to blame her murder on a vampire because she died in Eric’s front yard Sotasia, threhite paint all over the exterior Are Felipe and his crew still here? Why don’t they go home?"

Bill put his arm around me "Calm down," he said, his voice hard

I was so surprised that I actually held my breath for a htfully"

"What are you, Zen Master Fang?"

"Sookie" When he used that voice, he ain

"Okay, I’m better," I said

"Listen," Bill said, and I raised ain He shook his own bag "We’ve had all eyes open to try to track down Coltonor find his body Very early this past , Palomino called from her job at the Trifecta She’s seen Colton Felipe does have hiether, but I think it ht work If we can accomplish that,Warren If we find Warren and broadcast his whereabouts, Mustapha will come forward to tell what he knows When Mustapha tells us who suborned hie, then we’ll knoho killed Kym When we tell the police, the heat will be off Eric Then we can solve the problem of that asshole Appius’s posthumous betrothal of Eric to Freyda Felipe and his ’posse’ will go back to Nevada Eric will have his sheriff’s job, or a new title, but Felipe will not fire him or kill him"

"That’s a hell of lot of dominoes, Bill Colton to Warren to Mustapha to Kym’s murderer to the police to Appius to Freyda to Eric Anyway, isn’t it too late? We’re doo"

"He can’t have Colton was grieving so hard over Audrina that I wiped his memory of her death So he doesn’t reht, by any means"

"You didn’t tell Eric that, did you?"

Bill shrugged "I didn’t need his permission It doesn’t ht" He brandished the bag he’d brought

"Why?"

"Because you and I are going to kidnap hiuy, and he hadn’t had what anyone would think was an easy life I didn’t want to rescue him from Felipe only to find that Bill planned to remove Colton as a witness in a very final way

"I have it all planned But we have to act quickly I’ve texted Harp to tell him we have to reschedule I think this ishiree

"Say we get Colton out," I said, as we hustled toward Bill’s car "What about Ieles?" Iht, since Victor’s cruelty had led to his sister’s death

"He got work on the set of a television show Ironically, it’s about vaht Two members of the crew are actually vampires I put Iuarded"

"How’d you arrange that?"

"Coincidence It happens," Bill said "And you’re the other huet Colton away and find Warren "

"Since Warren never caht we killed Victor," I said, "I don’t believe his abduction has anything to do with Victor’s death I think Warren was snatched just to force Mustapha to let Kyhtbulbs popping overroom "What do you think?"