The Eagle and the Fox (A Snowy Range Mystery, #1) by Nya Rawlyns

off the cement slab and hug him. He quickly extinguished the one vice he’d been desperate to kick. Most days he got by without lighting up. This wasn’t one of them.
    Fully expecting Josh to sneer or make a remark about smoking being bad for his health, he jammed the pack of cigarettes into his pocket, but Josh waggled his fingers and said, “I’ll take one of those, if you don’t mind.”
    Josh mounted the steps, his movements stiff and sluggish. When he joined Marcus, he accepted the cigarette and the light.
    Marcus asked, “Everything okay back at Polly’s?”
    He’d been pacing frantically, waiting for Josh and for whatever illumination he could shed on the strange sequence of events in the parking lot. He’d hustled Petilune away before knowing how it had all played out. Now that Josh was there, his back braced against the wall, the smoke curling from his nose and mouth, all Marcus felt was relief.
    Josh stretched his neck side-to-side, the popping noise loud in the still evening air. He grimaced and said, “It’s as good as can be for now. The state cops will call in somebody from Laramie to look into it.” At Marcus’ raised eyebrows, Josh explained, “Seems like this ain’t the only incident of random attacks.”
    “What about the Barnes kid, he gonna be all right?”
    “Yeah, his dad hauled him off to the clinic. Broken nose. Cuts from rolling on the ground where the glass was. Bruised ribs. Kid’s a linebacker on the football team so he can take some punishment.”
    “Did you get to talk to him?”
    Josh inhaled, then flicked the stub over the edge of the dock. He looked annoyed. “No. I was on my way to their place, but Sorenson stopped me.”
    “Why?”
    The question made Josh squirm. He took his time answering, as if there was something going on that wasn’t Marcus’ business, but when the man spoke he seemed casual enough.
    “Ted and I go back. We were in community college together, graduated same time. He, uh, knows my history.”
    “And that gives him the right to stop you... how?” Marcus felt his tail feathers ruffle. He wasn’t sure what Josh meant by being stopped, but irrationally he jumped to the conclusion that the cop had put up keep out, only professionals allowed at this crime scene tape... virtually speaking.
    Grinning, Josh said, “He ain’t wrong, Marcus. Last I looked, I wasn’t wearing a badge, so me interviewing a witness? Not happening.” There was a glint in Josh’s eye that told Marcus it wasn’t going to be the end of the matter.
    Taking a chance that Josh trusted him enough to share his thoughts, Marcus asked, “So, what’s the plan?”
    “Well, since I’m not able to do anything in an official capacity don’t mean a concerned citizen can’t stop by and inquire after the health of a friend’s kid who happened to get the crap beat out of him.”
    “Would that concerned citizen like some company when he visits?”
    That was a stab in the dark. Marcus held his breath as the tall man considered the idea, then exhaled when Josh asked, “You any good at remembering stuff?”
    “You mean am I senile yet or just having the occasional senior moment?”
    Barking a laugh, Josh said, “Concerned citizens don’t come round poking sticks at wasp nests and writing stuff down. Might give folks the wrong impression. Besides, some days I can’t remember what I had for breakfast. I could use an extra set of eyes and ears.”
    Marcus took that as a yes. “Sounds good. Maybe we could practice on Petilune? She’s upstairs sleeping on the couch.” Ruefully Marcus added, “All I got out of her was a shitload of snot on my shirt sleeve and a headache. Dear Lord, that child can out-wail a fire siren.”
    “Before we go in, do you mind running through how you saw it go down? After a couple hours with the staties doing due diligence, I’m clear enough on what I know. Or at least what I think I know.”
    Coming from anyone else, it might have sounded like Josh