“Well,” she said, “not in the line of duty, though if you’re friends with Zach, it may be another story.” She smiled and concentrated on getting off the exam table.

“Thanks for your cooperation,” the policeman said. “Zach, later.”

“Sure, Phil,” Zach said as the guy left.

Clare let her shoulders droop and put on the clothes she’d throw away as soon as she got home. “Thank you for coming for me, Zach.” She looked him in the eyes. “I don’t know how you found me.”

“It wasn’t too hard. You weren’t at home and I had a hunch. . . . Anyway, the only two people I could think of who were associated with you now were Barclay and Mather. Barclay was clear. I looked into Mather’s whereabouts, learned he’d quit precipitously, and his car was found on your block. Your new block. Yours was missing. Just used logic after that.” He shrugged and took her hands. His mouth turned down. “I know we have to talk about—stuff. But not here, okay? Meanwhile, get used to the fact that I’ll be with you.”

He pressed her hands, his eyes going darker. “And you were right about . . . other things.”

The comment made her flush, hold tight to his hands, too. He didn’t show any stress at her hard grip. “You’re a hero. You saved me.”

“You saved yourself.”

“But I fell, and sprained my ankle. I might not have made it, been able to follow my plan.”

One side of his mouth quirked up. “You’d have thought of something.”

She sighed. “I suppose so. Can we really get out of here?”

“I’ll take you home.”

“And stay with me?” She hadn’t told him last night, but her bedroom had a low, masculine-looking dresser that she’d hoped would prompt him to leave more things at her place. She felt a little wary about mentioning it now, but perhaps soon.

“I’ll stay.” He remained stern-jawed until they reached the parking lot and a big black pickup truck.

He opened the door.

“This is yours?”

“Yeah. Leased it today. A patrolman will bring your car around to your new place when the cops are done with it. Might even be there before you get there.”

She shivered but didn’t want to mention her fears aloud.

He opened the door and helped her up. She stopped an instinctive comment about having such a vehicle with his hurt leg.

“Black’s not great in the summer heat,” she said instead, closing the door and pulling her seat belt on. The truck smelled new, too.

He grunted. “It’s good for nighttime, for, say, driving to a scene to trespass.”

There was that.

“It gleams,” she pointed out, then said, “Oh.”

He slanted her a grin. “Yeah, it won’t by the time we traverse a few dirt roads to Cold Springs.”

“It’s pretty big.”

“Tell me, Clare, you think a big black truck will stand out in Wyoming farm and ranch country?”

“Well, no. No, I don’t.”

“Didn’t think so.”

She waited until he was out of the parking lot to say, “Where’s the ear?”

“Jack Slade’s ear?”

“That’s the one.”

“We didn’t find it.”

“It was in the bottle that was shattered on my old driveway.”

“In the bottle?”

“I got the idea teenaged boys goofed around at some point in the past and stuffed the ear in a bottle.” She sniffed.

He kept his face bland. “Ah.” Then he said, “Did you see the ear?”

“Yes, but just for an instant. It made Ted scream and I took off. We’d better go back and find it.” How could she help Jack Slade move on with only one of Jules Beni’s ears? How would that affect the ghost, the procedure, the rules . . . her?

THIRTY-FIVE

ZACH SAID, “I don’t think we should do that. I think you should take a hot bath in that big spa tub of yours.”

She looked down at herself, flinching at the coating of sweat she felt, the dirt, and sniffed. She didn’t smell too bad, she didn’t think, but a bath sounded heavenly.

“You don’t smell like anything except your own sweet self,” Zach said, as if he’d read her mind.

Yet duty called. “I need to find the ear before we go to Cold Springs. The thing was sort of withered and leathery and brown; maybe it fell on my dried grass or something. Perhaps Ted kicked it during your scuffle. Or you did, or—”

I hid it from the sight of everyone! I’ve been keeping it safe until you could get it! All the people are gone now! Enzo yipped as he materialized on the front seat between Zach and her. He leaned into her and licked her cheek. You did fine. You did great. His cold tongue actually felt good.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Enzo’s here,” Zach said in a resigned tone.

“Yes. Enzo said he, uh, masked the ear from everyone’s vision.”

You talk right about stuff, Clare. You are learning how things work. Enzo approved.

Zach pulled into the drive of her new home. “Can Enzo point me to the ear?”

It is easy to see if I let it!

“He says it’s pretty visible.”

“All right.” Zach exited his side and weariness spun through Clare’s body and she slumped. The door opened and Zach released her seat belt and lifted her from the truck. Beneath her closed lashes, tears welled. Such a strong man, this man, in every way. So he ducked an issue or two. Which man didn’t? Which person didn’t?

On her feet, she leaned against him as he leaned against the truck and wrapped her arms around him, moved her head so she could hear the thump of his heart. It sounded a little fast to her.

“I’m so glad you came for me.”

“You said that before.”

She arched away to look him in the eyes, but their lower bodies still pressed together and she felt him harden. And she wanted him atop her, in her. She slid her fingers into his hair at the nape of his neck. “I like your hair. I like you, Zach.” She didn’t have to stretch far to find his mouth, and the taste of him jolted through her. She hadn’t even known she’d missed his taste . . . they’d only been apart for less than a day . . . but she’d thought they were over. Steeping herself in him and kissing him was so very necessary right now. An ethical man as well as a strong man. She nibbled on his bottom lip, swept her tongue across his mouth. His arms came around her and he angled his head, took control of the kiss, his hand going to her butt and pulling her closer.

Just plain wonderful after all she’d endured that day.

His hands trailed up her sides to her shoulders and he lifted his head, breaking the kiss. “You go soak.”

“My ankle’s wrapped.”

“I can rewrap it. I have to go get the ear,” he murmured, close to her own ear, giving it a tiny nip.

At that she drew back. “Ick.” Hefting a sigh, she nagged, “We need to go to Cold Springs for Jack Slade.”

Enzo barked. We need the ear!

“We can go to Cold Springs for Jack Slade tomorrow evening, leave after rush hour.”

She tensed. “Maybe we should leave tomorrow morning instead, stay over.”

“We’ll see.” He kissed her hard and briefly. “Go in. I’ll be right back and we can discuss it then.”

“And other things.”

He winced, manlike. “I said you were right, didn’t I? Isn’t that enough?”

“I suppose, for now.”

“For now,” he agreed. He gave her another quick kiss. “I’ll be right back, but since Mather is still out there and you now have mucho bucks to contribute to police charities—”

“Which I will!” she added stoutly.

“—there will be a couple of police cars driving by at intervals until we—they—catch the guy.” He glanced at his watch. “The first patrol check should be any minute, and a cop should be dropping your car off shortly, too. Now open the door, go upstairs, and don’t drown in the tub before I get back.”