“Why isn’t it preferred? Seems like it would be the safest way to do it,” Duke said.
I shrugged. “I’m not saying I wouldn’t do it. I’m saying it’s never come up.”
“I thought they all passed out after they shift back to human,” Duke said.
We all shook our heads like planned choreography, and I said, “If it’s a new shapeshifter that’s too green to control their beast, then they’re so apeshit that you, the local police, usually have to shoot them to save lives, long before a marshal can be called in. They’re the ones most likely to pass out after changing back.”
“If a shapeshifter is weak enough to still pass out after they change back, they don’t usually kill anyone on purpose. We’re usually only called in after there are multiple bodies,” Edward said. His vocabulary sounded almost wrong with Ted’s accent.
“How’d we get honored with this many of you, then?” Duke asked.
“I invited Blake in for backup,” Newman said.
“But that doesn’t explain why we need four of you.”
Edward gave him a truly wonderful smile that warmed his face all the way to his blue eyes. I wondered if he knew that his eyes got bluer when he pretended to be Ted. “Now, Sheriff, you have three out of the Four Horsemen. There are cases all over the country that would be plum tickled to have us helping out.”
“If the three of you were as hot shit as you’re supposed to be, then he’d already be dead.” Duke threw a thumb in the direction of Bobby without actually looking at him. At least he’d used a pronoun rather than calling him the suspect, and he’d trusted him not to try to break out of the cell. Duke could say that he still saw Bobby as a monster, but he was beginning to treat him as more than that.
“I already explained the warrant system to you, Sheriff. It’s Newman’s warrant,” I said.
“I know, I know. It’s Win’s choice of how to do the execution until he’s too injured to do the job, and then one of you takes it over.”
“Yes,” I said.
“I thought you agreed that the footprint evidence meant we should look for other suspects, Duke,” Newman said.
“I didn’t exactly say that, Win. I just didn’t argue that it’s peculiar, that’s all.”
“You didn’t want to pull the trigger either, Duke,” I said.
“It’s not my job to pull the trigger, Blake.”
“No, it?
?s mine, and I don’t want to kill Bobby and then find out he’s innocent,” Newman said.
“Eventually the time limit will be over, Win, and then you’ll be out of options.”
“Not if we find other viable suspects first.”
“And if you can’t?”
“Then they can have my badge. I will not execute Bobby unless I’m sure.”
“Newman,” I said.
“No, Blake, no, this is wrong. It’s so fucking wrong. I’ve wondered before if the supernatural citizen I killed was the one that should have been executed, but at least I didn’t know them. I know Bobby, and I will not have his face added to my nightmares.”
I thought he’d say something else, but then I caught a shine in his eyes that might have been tears, or maybe it was just the lights in the cells. Either way he turned abruptly and pushed his way past Leduc and headed out. I heard the outer door open and close. There was a moment of silence while I debated whether to go after Newman or give him some room.
Edward surprised the hell out of me by saying, “I’ll go check on him.”
“I’m supposed to be his mentor,” I said.
He gripped my shoulder and smiled at me. “Think of it as tag-team wrestling. My turn.”
Was it cowardly to let Edward go after him? No, because I was running out of ways to comfort Newman.