Moon - New Moon Part 44

"I'm always on the lookout for material I can use in a landscape design. These are perfect."

They pa.s.sed other cars and big vehicles he called trucks.

"If one of them hit us, they would smash us flat," she murmured.

"It doesn't happen very often."

"But sometimes?"

"Unfortunately."

She winced. "I thought coming here would make me safe, but your world is dangerous."

"I guess life is dangerous."

Trees and buildings sped past. Some were impossibly large and ugly. Then they came to an area with more trees than houses. Finally, he slowed.

"Here we are."

She craned her neck, watching for the house, then gasped as they rounded a curve, and she saw a car and a man inside.

LOGAN'S hands tightened on the steering wheel. He wasn't expecting company. And this probably wasn't a Fuller Brush salesman.

So he spoke to Rinna in a low voice. "Let me do the talking."

"What's happening?"

"I don't know. Try not to look scared."

"Is it the police?"

"I don't know," he answered, but he thought that might be the case when a tough-looking guy in a tweed sports jacket and gray slacks got out.

"They know we broke into the house," she whispered.

"Not necessarily," he said, hoping he spoke the truth.

Before he could give Rinna any more advice, the guy walked up beside the SUV. He looked to be in his early thirties with neatly trimmed dark hair and eyes hidden behind sungla.s.ses.

Logan rolled down his window.

"Detective Jake Cooper," the man said, opening his wallet and showing his ID.

"Logan Marshall."

"I want to ask you some questions."

"About what?" he asked, hoping his voice sounded steady.

Beside him, Rinna was sitting rigidly, and he was pretty sure she wished she had a knife in her hand.

"The Easy Shopper in Mount Airy."

Logan struggled to keep his expression neutral. He'd racked his brain to explain about the break-in last night. Now he realized that n.o.body was planning to arrest a wolf and a big white bird. Maybe they hadn't even seen the naked guy in woods. And even if the cops found fingerprints in the house, his weren't on file anywhere. And Rinna's certainly weren't.

"What about it?" he asked, hoping he sounded completely puzzled.

"You were identified as being in the store during an incident."

"What incident?"

"An attempted robbery."

"I think you're mistaken. It wasn't me."

Cooper flipped open a notebook and consulted a page. Leaning in the window, he looked Rinna up and down before focusing on Logan again.

"You were in that store on Tuesday, the twenty-second, and you signed a credit card slip."

He thought back over the previous week, which seemed like a lifetime ago. "Yes. I bought some flashlight batteries, but I haven't been back since."

"The clerk identified you."

"Sorry. He must be mistaken," Logan said, deliberately getting the p.r.o.noun wrong.

"She," the cop corrected.

"What did you say happened?"

"A robbery."

Logan shrugged. "Well, I'm sorry that I can't help you."

Cooper looked at Rinna again. "Were you in the Easy Shopper in Mount Airy yesterday evening?"

"No."

The cop kept his gaze on Rinna. "Can I have your name, please?"

She opened her mouth, but Logan reached to clasp her hand. "Rinna Marshall," he said. "My wife."

Beside him, she made a strangled sound.

"Are you all right, ma'am?" the detective asked.

"Actually, she's sick. She could be expecting. That's why we cut our camping trip short. She needs to get inside and lie down."

"Do you mind if I ask you some questions about the convenience store?" Cooper said politely but still persistently.