Gwendy's Magic Feather

68

SHERIFF RIDGEWICK PICKS UP on the first ring. “Hello?”

“It’s Lucas Browne!” Gwendy nearly shouts. “Lucas Browne’s the Tooth Fairy!”

“Gwendy? Do you know what time it is?”

“Listen to me, Norris. Please. I think Deborah Parker’s still alive, but I don’t know how much time she has.”

“Okay, start over and tell me how you know this.”

“I just ran into Lucas Browne on Main Street and—”

“What were you doing on Main Street at this time of night?”

“I was walking to my car after the New Year’s Eve party,” she says, her frustration building, “but that’s not important. Lucas Browne went to dental school in Buffalo.”

“How exactly do you know that? For that matter, how do you know Lucas Browne?”

“I met him and his father when we were searching the field that day. His father told me Lucas went to college in Buffalo, but he came home early after he got into some kind of trouble.”

“And Lucas told you it was dental school when you saw him tonight?”

She doesn’t answer right away. “Something like that.” She takes a deep breath. “Norris, he was wearing cowboy boots. I think there was blood on them.”

Rustling in the background now. “Where are you?”

“I just turned on 117. Headed home.”

“Turn around,” he says, and she can hear a door opening and closing. “Meet me at the station. Don’t call anyone else.”

“Hurry, Norris.”