Her maid, Lillian, was still standing behind her and Mrs. Bundy turned to look at her. When she asked her what she was wanting, April turned back to them, sipping her tea, eating a tart like nothing was insanely wrong.
“Mrs. Bundy, I’m a shifter too. Do you wish me dead?”
Instead of answering her, April Bundy pulled out a gun from the side of her chair and shot her maid right in the head. As she fell to the floor, brain and other matter spraying out behind her, April turned to her husband.
“You’ll have to put an ad in the paper, dear. I need a maid that can be trusted, and one that isn’t one of those shifter monsters.” No one moved. Mayor Bundy finally slid to the floor, his face as white as the snowy covered blanket that rested on the back of the couch. “Why are you all just standing around? We need to plan. We need to get busy. My God, gentlemen, do I have to do this all on my own?”
“Mrs. Bundy, you are under arrest for the murder of Lillian Parker. There are other charges too, but right now I’m so shocked that I can barely believe you just did that. And in front of the police.” She asked him what was it he felt like she’d done. “You pulled out a gun and murdered her. No reason at all, you just killed her.”
“So I did. And you should be thanking me, not treating me like I’m some sort of—I don’t know—criminal. Once I get this mess taken care of, we’ll talk. Let me call Lillian— No, no, can’t do that. She’s moved on. How about I just throw something over her for now and we’ll plan?”
Andrew moved forward slowly, telling April her rights as he did so. Mayor Bundy stood up but stayed out of the way. Nothing like having your own wife kill someone in front of you to make you aware of what she’d been doing. April pulled out her gun again and fired.
“Are you all right?” Thatcher looked up, and it took him a moment to realize it was his mom. He leapt to his feet and hugged her tightly. The morning hadn’t gone well, he told her, and she held him while he poured out the entire story.
“She pulled out her gun the second time and fired at Andrew. Just like it was her duty to do so. And had the mayor not moved in front of her gun, she would have killed him. As it was, she shot her husband in the head and he just dropped to the floor with Lillian. She had two children, Mom. Who is going to look after them now?”
“There, there, son. It’s all right. I have you now.” He nodded, watching the first body bag coming out of the house. He didn’t know who it was—it could have been any of the three of them. “Where is April now, son? I do hope she’s getting taken care of too.”
“She’s dead as well. When she shot her husband, she simply put the gun to her head and killed herself. It was a bloody nightmare. All that death over a group of beings that meant her no harm.” Mom looked him in the face. He knew that he was covered in blood, and she asked him if he’d been hurt too. “No, this is from the mayor. When he stood in front of Andrew.”
“I want you to listen to me. I’ve spoken to Andrew too. You clean yourself up and then get to the hospital with your mate. She knows that you’re upset, and she can’t reach you.” He said he’d talk to her. “It won’t do her a bit of good just to hear from you, Thatcher. You get to her. Do you hear me, Thatche
r? She’ll need to know that you are physically all right. Clean up. Dad has clothing in the car for you. I’m sorry it’s not a suit, but you go now.”
He did. Cleaning up was harder than he thought it would be, and he had to be hosed down with the coldest water he could stand. Then after dressing in a pair of tear-away pants and a shirt, Dad gave him his jacket and Thatcher got a police escort to the hospital where Rogen was. Running up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, he met her on the stairs.
“You bastard.” She hit him between kisses. “You said you’d not get hurt if you went with them. You promised me that.”
“I didn’t get hurt, honey. I promise. But I did scare you, and for that I’m so sorry. And I’m going to do some things to make it up to you. As soon as possible. I’ve decided that I’m taking a long vacation with you. Just us three going to places unknown for a month.” He kissed her again. “I’m so sorry, love. I’ve been gone more than here in the last few weeks. I was late coming home last night, then had to go out early this morning for another surgery. Then this. I need some downtime with you and Jamie.”
“Yes, all right. Anything. But not with Jamie. He’s decided to live with Mom for a while. The two of them are going to take a trip. But not in a camper. This is to get to know her, help her with her studies.” Thatcher knew that Jamie was going to ask his mom if he could; he was just surprised that Lisha was going to want it. “I think they’ll be all right, don’t you?”
“Yes, more than all right. Not just for him, but for her too. I think—no, I believe that she’s changed since driving here. Her and your father both. It’s only too bad that you didn’t get to hear it from him. Did you read the letter yet?”
“Not yet. I was going to when I get home today.” Good, he thought. He also wanted to ask her about the thumb drive but decided that he could do that too when they got home. Climbing the stairs to the fourth floor, he certainly hoped this went much better than his meeting. Of course, he thought, they were at a hospital this time.
There were several people in the room that he knew—a lot more that he didn’t. His father was there, but he wasn’t sure why until he asked him to fix his tie.
“You sure made good time, Dad.” He flushed brightly. “What are you all dressed up for? You headed someplace after this?”
“No, I’ve got it in my head that I can do a damned sight better running this place than they did. You think I can do it?” Thatcher told him he’d be a shoe in. “Yes, well, I might need you to vote or something for me. Dawson said he might, but he’d have to think on it. I swear, that boy gets more smart assed every time I see him.” They both laughed. “But son, I really think I can do this. I have the smarts for it.”
“You do. Never doubt that, Dad. You’re the only person I know, besides Mom, that can raise six boys on what little you made each week, and still have some money left over for important things, like life with us.” Dad smiled at him. “I love you, old man.”
“And I love you very much, dick head.”
They’d been saying the same thing to each other since Dad and he had watched a movie about this sheltered young man. It was the first time he’d heard his dad laugh so hard that he had tears in his eyes afterwards. But he never said anything like that around Mom.
The door opened behind him and he turned when everyone else did. It was the three board members. They had planned a meeting this afternoon, but it wasn’t going to go as they had thought it might. The man in charge, Agent Carl Jamison, asked Elizabeth Slone, Cartwright Phillips, and Donald Wind to have a seat.
“I’m sorry, but we’ve booked this room for a conference call out of state. You’ll have to wait until we’re finished here.” Elizabeth looked at him. “Thatcher? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be cutting costs in your department? I would think that a man with time on his hands would be better served in trying to keep his job.”
“Are you threatening me?” She just waved him off. “I asked you a question, Elizabeth. Are you threatening me about my job?”
“While I don’t know who any of these other people are, I won’t air out dirty laundry here. So, if you’d like to set up a meeting with me tomorrow, I’ll talk to you. Until then, be on your way and take your little friends with you.” She sat down, fully expecting, Thatcher thought, for him to comply with her wishes. “Well?”
“Well, what?” She huffed. It was cute really, but only because he knew what was coming next. “I think I’ll stick around for the show.”