Dead Ever After: A True Blood Novel

knocked on the back door in ten minutes. He was alone.
    I let him in, and I’m sure I looked as exasperated as I felt.
    “I’m so sorry, Sookie,” he said. “I didn’t know any of this: that Harp had been fired, that he’d developed this fixation on vampires, that you had been arrested. I’m going to have a talk with Danny about keeping me better informed on local matters. What can I do to help you?”
    “If you could find out who killed Arlene, it would really help.” I may have sounded a little sarcastic. “It was my scarf around her neck, Bill.”
    “How did you get out, accused of such a crime?”
    “Not only was there no absolutely damning evidence tying me to the murder, Eric sent Mustapha to bail me out, which I can’t figure. We’re not married anymore and he’s leaving with Freyda. Why does he care? I mean, I don’t think he hates me, but putting up bail money . . .”
    Bill said, “Of course he doesn’t hate you,” but he said it a little abstractedly, as if he’d had a sudden thought. “Though I’m in communication with others at Fangtasia, I’m surprised he hasn’t summoned me. It seems I should pay my sheriff a visit . . . and find out when he’s leaving us.” Bill sat sunk in thought for a long moment. “Who will be the next sheriff?” he said, and his whole body was tense.
    Understandably, I hadn’t gotten that far in my thinking. What with the losing-my-boyfriend heartache and the murder charge.
    “That’s a good question,” I said, without much interest. “Be sure and let me know when you find out. I guess Felipe will bring in one of his people.” I’d worry about that later, when I had the energy. A henchperson of Felipe’s could sure make my life more difficult, but I couldn’t think about it now.
    “Good night, sweetheart,” Bill said, to my surprise. “I’m glad to see Karin is earning her keep, though I didn’t expect Eric would put her outside your house perpetually.”
    “Neither did I, but I think it’s wonderful.”
    “I thought Harp was a gentleman. I was wrong.”
    “Think nothing of it.” My eyelids were sagging shut.
    He kissed me on the lips. My eyelids were suddenly wide apart. He stepped back, and I caught my breath. Bill had always kissed like a champion. If there’d been a kissing Olympics, he’d have advanced to the finals. But I wasn’t starting anything up. I stepped back, too, and let the screen door close between us.
    “Sleep well.” And Bill was gone, across the yard and into the woods, moving so swiftly and silently that I expected to see “zoom” marks behind him.
    But he stopped dead just inside the tree line.
    Someone had stepped out in front of him.
    I caught the flowing movement of long pale hair. Karin and Bill were in conversation. I hoped Harp Powell didn’t try to return to my woods and “interview” Karin. The last human male I’d known who’d been hooked on a vampire female had had a sad end.
    And then I yawned and forgot all about the reporter. I locked every lock on every door and window, and crawled into bed.

Chapter 11
    When I got up the next morning, it was pouring rain again—yay, no watering!—and I was still tired. I discovered that I didn’t know when I’d scheduled myself to work, I didn’t have any clean uniforms, and I was almost out of coffee. Also, I stubbed my toe on the kitchen table. All of it was annoying, for sure, but still better than being arrested for murder or waking up in jail.
    I decided to pluck my eyebrows while the uniforms were tumbling in the dryer. One of the hairs was suspiciously light. I yanked it out and examined it. Was it gray?
    I put on extra makeup, and when I thought I could sound calm, I called my co-boss.
    “Sam,” I said, when he answered the phone. “I can’t remember when I need to be there.”
    “Sookie,” he said, sounding simply weird. “Listen, you stay home today. You were a real trooper yesterday, but give yourself a break.”
    “But I want to work,” I said, speaking very slowly, while I scrambled to figure out what was happening with my friend.
    “Sook . . . today, no, don’t come in.” And he hung up.
    Had the whole world gone crazy? Or was it just me? While I stood there holding my phone, doubtless looking like an idiot (which was okay, since there was no one to see me), the phone vibrated in my hand. I shrieked and almost threw it across the room, then gathered myself together and held it to my ear.
    “Sookie,” said Amelia