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"Uh-oh," I rass where a body used to be

The ground was still dark with blood Otherwise I ht ere in the middle of a shared delusion, and there’d never been any dead sheriff at all

"Where? What?" Nic drew his gun and turned in a slow circle, eyes searching the forest "Who?"

"There’s no one," I said

"But - " He stalked around the body, took a few steps into the woods "There aren’t any drag "

He was still thinking in human terms I could hardly blaed him away"

"They had to - "

"No, they didn’t"

My insistence finally penetrated his confusion He put away his gun "What happened?"

"I have no idea, but I’ supernatural Can I use your phone?"

He stared at the eht appear as miraculously as it had disappeared No such luck

"Nic?" I pressed "The phone?"

He handed it to ot voice e "Call ers in front of Nic’s nose "Number?"

He recited it and I did the same, then called Jessie and relayed the news

"Guess that explains where the dead bodies have gone," she said

"Where?"

Silence met my question "Well, maybe it doesn’t explain it, but - Hell, I don’t know"

"Are you co to the authorities I’ve talked to in Minnesota, they’ve got a et h and Daton, too They’ve got their hands full I’d swear there was a full lanced at the sky where the silver orb wavered, appearing slightly off balance, not at all full Weird

"Did you call Edward?" she asked

"Voice ures"

"What should I do?"

"Deal with it You’re a J��ger-Sucher"

"Not really I’ve never had to handle a case"

"You do now Just wing it"

"I’ up

"Hell," Iit?"

"Hell," Nic repeated

"Yeah"

"I’d better contact the ME," Nic said, "tell hioing to explain abody I have no idea"

I handed Nic his phone, then stared at the blood-drenched ground I hadn’t a clue where to start A few minutes later, Nic joined me

"What did you tell him?" I asked

"The truth"

"What!"

"Not the whole truth Take a breath" Nic shook his head "I said the body wasSince that appears to be an epidemic around here, the doctor wasn’t surprised"

Silence settled over the clearing, broken only by the sounds of the night

"I guess you can go," I said "Nothing natural here"

"No"

I glanced at him in surprise "Why would you stay?"

"I don’t leave the scene of a s in the FBI"

"You co bodies in the FBI, do you?"

"That’s beside the point"

"You can’t tell the on here"

"No shit I’d be on the next transport to a little white room"

In truth, I wanted Nic to stay I had no idea what to do Not that he’d know any better how to figure out why a body - or ten - had disappeared into thin air But at least he was someone who had dealt with death before Still, there were other issues we had to get straight before we could work together

"We can’t - "

"Sleep together anyured that out forto say ’keep sniping at each other,’ but that, too"

There was no way I would continue an affair with a- especially when I still loved hiht be pathetic, but I wasn’t stupid

"Fine" His jaw tightened

"We’ll work together" I held outelse"

He stared at my palm for several seconds, then spun on his heel and headed into the trees

"I’ll take that as a yes," I shouted at his retreating back

The ride back to Fairhaven was silent We reached town about 3 am

"Looks like the deputy’s back," Nic ht blazed

"Guess we should tell him he’s been pro to be happy"