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As Nic drove back to town, I placed another call to Jessie

"What?" she snapped "A little busy here!"

Gunshots punctuated her words

"If you’re that damn busy, why’d you answer the phone?"

"What do you want?"

"Will"

"Can’t have him Mine"

"I need to ask a question Is he there?"

Her put-upon sigh was followed by Will’s voice "Hey! Do not throw the phone at my head unless you warn me first Hello?"

I didn’t bother with niceties I figured he had places to go, olves to kill - or at least he needed to hold Jessie’s a about the beaver moon?"

"It’s in a few days Why? Did you talk to Cora?"

"No" I hesitated, not wanting to impart bad news over the phone, but what choice did I have? "Cora’s dead, Will"

He sighed "Damn"

"What?" I heard Jessie ask Either- one," Will answered

"Got on her broouessed the two of them hadn’t been pals

"Cora took Jessie’s voice away once," Will explained

"Took away?"

"Purple powder Bam Jessie couldn’t talk"

"Really? Can I buy that stuff?"

"Not for sale I already asked"

"Funny Har-har," Jessie said loudly "Old bat"

"Have some respect for the dead, Jess"

"She’s dead?"

"What does gone mean to you?"

"Left town Took a trip Not dead Jeez, who taught you how to break bad news?" Her voice softened

"I’m sorry, Will I kno much you liked her"

"Yeah I did And every tie"

"Cora appears to have been teaching Lydia the old ways," I said

"Who’s Lydia?"

Quickly I filled Will in on what had happened at the cottage in the woods

"No Weendigo this time," Will h we do kno to kill one of those"

"Returning to our present proble any bells?"

"Not offhand I’ll check around"

Gunshots broke out on their side of the line

"Gotta go," Will said "I’ll get back to you"

"Well?" Nic said

He stopped the car in front of Dr Watchry’s clinic and shut off the engine

"He’ll get back to me"

"Okay In thein front of us - "shall we?"

Together we got out of the car and headed for the door, but before we reached the clinic a tiny, elderly woman tottered out of Murphy’s - the tavern that was always open, or had been before the disappearances Right now it appeared to be not only open but full

The woman didn’t waste any ti about our dilemma?" She waved a paper-white, heavily veined hand toward the bar "We’re concerned"

Fro with the rest of the population

I peered up and down the street All the other businesses had closed signs in the s; the road was deserted except for Nic, me, and the little old lady Maybe everyone was in the bar

"People disappearing?" Her voice became more loud and shrill with every word "Sheriff Stephenson murdered What kind of person would steal a body?"

Basil had been busy soothing the populace with our lie, or h it didn’t appear as if they were very calers in town, lanced at Nic Good idea He really was very handy to have around

"Besides the FBI?"

"Yes"

"My eyes ain’t what they used to be There was a h" She frowned "Reminded lass inside the bar and the woasped, then put a palm to her chest She was spooked I could hardly blame her

The town had never seen acitizens, probably dead, and a dead sheriff, nowto do about the latest murder?" she demanded

"All that we can, uide her back into the bar, but she didn’t want to go

"Two in one night What is the world co to?"

Nic paused "That?"

"Two lanced at ed "Sheriff Stephenson and ?"

"Susie Gerant The doctor’s receptionist"

Nic and I left the elderly lady on the street as we ran for the doctor’s office

"He isn’t there," she called

We stopped, turned

"He went to exaht "Not sure where"

"Sheriff Moore?" Nic asked