Blood Trail

road. "The older man's upset by something, probably the younger - pity you can't choose your relatives. Given what you told me over breakfast and what I observed just now, my brilliant powers of deduction conclude you like Mr. Biehn, who I admit seems to be a decent sort, but you don't like Mr. Williams."

    Vicki snorted. "Don't tell me you do?"

    "He didn't seem so bad. Hey! Don't assault the driver."

    "Then don't bullshit me."

    Celluci grinned. "What? You want your opinion confirmed? That's gotta be a first."

    Vicki waited. She knew he wouldn't miss an opportunity to tell her what he thought.

    "I think," he continued right on cue, "that Mark Williams would sell his own mother if he figured he could make a profit from the deal. I guarantee he's up to something else; his kind always are."

    Vicki shoved at her glasses even though they were sitting firmly at the top of her nose. It'd be a cold day in hell before Mark Williams had the discipline to become the kind of marksman who was picking off the wer.

    Carl Biehn turned away the moment the car left the drive. He'd always been able to find peace in the garden but this morning it had eluded him. He kept hearing, over and over, the cry of the creature he had wounded in the night. It was not one of God's creatures so its pain should have no power to move him but he couldn't block the cry from his mind or his heart.

    The Lord tested him, to see if his resolve was strong.

    Evil must not be pitied, it must be cast out.

    "Two cops." Mark Williams pursed his lips thoughtfully. "She seems to have brought in reinforcements." It was too bad yesterday's accident hadn't removed the problem but, as he always said, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Even if Ms. Nelson's friend was here to investigate the crash, he'd been very careful to leave nothing on the car that would incriminate him.

    On the other hand, with the two of them rummaging about, he'd better get a move on or between the police and his trigger-happy uncle, there'd be nothing left of his lovely little plan.

    "Are you going to fight with my father again?"

    "Not unless he fights with me."

    Daniel turned and looked up at Stuart, who had risen as Vicki and Celluci came in and was now standing behind his chair growling low in his throat. "Daddy?"

    Stuart ignored him. The two men locked eyes.

    "Daddy? Can I bite him for you?"

    Stuart started and glanced down at his son. "Can you what?"

    "Can I bite him for you?" Daniel bared small white teeth.

    "Daniel, you don't just go around biting people. You've been taught better than that."

    The youngest wer narrowed his eyes. "You were going to," he pointed out.

    "That's different."

    "Why?"

    "You'll understand when you're older."

    "Understand what?"

    "Well. ..." He shot a helpless look at Celluci who spread his hands, equally at a loss for an answer. "It's a ... man thing."

    Daniel snorted. "I never get to bite anybody," he complained, kicked the screen door open, and stomped out into the yard.

    Although laughter might be the spark in the tinder, Vicki couldn't help herself. She collapsed back onto the sagging couch, holding her sides and gasping for breath. "A man thing," she managed to wheeze finally, and started up harder than ever.

    The two men looked down at her and then at each other, expressions identical.

    "Stuart Heerkens-Wells."

    "Michael Celluci."

    "Is she with you?"

    "Never saw her before in my life."

    When Vicki came downstairs from changing her clothes, only Nadine was in the kitchen.
    "Where is everyone?" she asked, shoving her glasses up her nose and setting her bag on the floor.

    "Well, my daughters are out in the barn chasing rats, my son is hopefully wearing himself out chasing that frisbee. ..."

    Vicki peered out the kitchen window and saw, to her surprise, Celluci throwing the frisbee for Shadow. "What's he still doing here?"

    "I think he's waiting for you."

    Vicki sighed. "You know, when we turned in the lane, I thanked him for his help and told him to get lost. I wonder what made me think he'd listen?"

    "He's a man. I think you're expecting too much of him. Anyway, Rose and Peter are getting dressed to take you back into town and Tag's gone to check the flock."

    Which reminded Vicki of something she'd meant to ask. "Tag? He doesn't look much like a Tag."

    "Maybe not now," Nadine agreed, "but he was the youngest and the smallest in a set of triplets and I guess it suited him then."

    "The smallest?"

    Nadine grinned. "Yes,