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"I don’t want to lie down"

"I’ll take you upstairs," he said

"Listen toto be found in the base," she said

"Jane--"

"Sloan"

He swore under his breath "Coo to bed"

"We’ll search the basement first," she said stubbornly

"I need to know exactly what happened down there," he said, winding his way through groups of people, one hand on Jane’s back

The crowd in the bar was rowdier and more cheerful--and much drunker Sloan’s mood was like a thundercloud, and Jennie had difficulty disentangling herself fro to stop her as she walked toward the door Most wanted pictures, and she promised to pose with the fiercely, would step between her and the tourists, and they’d back off

"I haven’t moved, Sloan," Chet said when they reached the door "Liz ht it to me No one’s been down there" He started to smile at Jane, but cleared his throat and shifted aardly away froed a brief, "Thank you, Chet"

He walked down the stairs, not turning back as she followed hi it as he went straight to the third section of the room--the place she’d forever think of as theover the mannequins, they seemed far less real

"So, relive every second of what happened," Sloan said

"I looked for Jennie upstairs She wasn’t there" Jennie hesitated "I saw Sage McCormick She led me to the basement door and then disappeared I checked every room until I reached this part--the roan I pushed over a few of the du "When I went to take outwhacked me and I went down"

"So someone was in here with you"

"Yes"

"One of the mannequins didn’t just fall?"

"I think it’s a little unlikely that a mannequin would fall and hit Jennie so hard that she’s still unconscious--and then fall onyou Because, apparently, no one saw anyone co when I came in Well, except for Jennie"

"Obviously, so--and in the baseht over the entire area Now half thefor?" she asked him

He pointed suddenly

She stared in that direction and sahat seemed to be a partial footprint on the dusty floor

"It could be anyone’s, Sloan"

"Not really Too big to be either yours or Jennie’s, and I’et the cri else"

She tried to search without touching while he went h the room

"Found it," Sloan said

"What?"

"The weapon" He pulled gloves from his pocket and reached into the fallen pile of mannequins near the spot where she’d discovered Jennie

He carefully lifted so cane with a snarling wolf for a handle

"Grab the light," he told her

She did, shining it on the cane On the handle, al wolf had just bitten flesh, was a bloodstain

"I i to be Jennie’s blood," he said tersely "You could have been hit a hell of a lot harder"

"Yes, and like the doctor said, I’ to get that to a lab?"

He took out his cell He spoke briefly but she could tell that he was speaking to Liam Newsome "Yeah, I’ll be here until you send so hiue with the body we found this ht the sensation Concussion She had to be careful

"You found someone--in the mine shaft?"

"Yes I didn’t want to talk about it earlier Not until we knew you were okay You didn’t need anything else to worry about"

"Whoas it?"

"Caleb Hough, the rancher His throat had been slit"