“I went to her house, but she didn’t let me in.”
“Was she home?”
“Yeah. When I knocked, the curtains moved, and I saw her peeking out, but then she closed them and refused to answer.”
“That’s suspicious then. She doesn’t want to talk to you.”
“She may be afraid I’ll threaten her because she threw me to the wolves by telling the police all about my door knocker.”
“Maybe, but she may also be lying about what happened with the door knocker and her friend.”
Dimitri regarded me. “Do you actually think my door knocker is innocent? I mean, that nothing went wrong? I don’t see how it could have—Inga has been enchanting them, and she’s way better than I am—but it’s possible something could have gone wrong…”
“None of the stuff you make is deadly. Your most dangerous contraption hurls thorns into burglars’ butts. I have faith that your door knockers are innocuous, except perhaps to poofy eyebrow hair.”
He snorted. “Thanks. It means something that you don’t think my stuff is junk that doesn’t work right.”
I thumped him on the back and thought about going back to bed. Since the barrier extended all around the house, the detective wouldn’t get in. The driver of the police car had turned off the lights, gotten out, and joined him. They were patting their way along the front of the property, trying to find a hole in the barrier. One strayed too close to the corner topiary, and its eyes flared yellow, and fire streamed out of its snout.
The guy cursed and leaped back. Flames danced along the hem of his jacket, and he patted at it, then flung himself onto the grass on the other side of the sidewalk and rolled about.
“Zav’s stuff, on the other hand, I trust less not to turn deadly.” I shook my head.
“I shouldn’t be amused by that, right?” Dimitri pointed at the guy as he finished rolling, climbed to his feet, and patted at the charred fabric again.
“No, that would be immature.”
“I thought so. I just wanted to make sure.”
The detective made sure his partner was all right, then held up a hand and jogged down the sidewalk.
“He’s going to try the back,” Dimitri guessed.
“He won’t get in. You’re safe as long as you stay here.”
“What if they stake out the house, and I’m stuck here forever?”
“Maybe you can ask Nin to talk to the baker. Has she ever met Nin? If not, she might answer the door for her.”
“That’s a good idea. Do you think she’ll mind doing my dirty work?”
“Questioning suspicious people who are trying to get you thrown in jail isn’t dirty work. It’s smart work. Besides, she won’t want the majority owner of our business to be arrested. Who would run the shop and make the dragon door knockers if you were in jail?”
“Inga could.”
“She’s not an owner, and she’s busy raising a rowdy troll boy.”
“True.”
My phone buzzed. “Call her before she goes to the food truck for the day,” I suggested, then wandered back to the kitchen and peered out the back window as I answered the phone. “What’s going on, Mom?”
I almost asked what prompted her to call this early, but she was usually up by five, even this time of year when it was dark until seven. The detective had forced his way through the neighbor’s privacy bamboo, climbed our fence, perched atop it, and was trying to jump down. But the barrier bounced him back over the fence and into the bamboo. The tall stalks rattled and shed leaves as he tumbled down out of sight.
Even though I’d told Dimitri being amused was immature, I might have smirked.
“Is there anyone stalking you who might have an interest in me again?” Mom asked.
My smirk vanished. “It’s possible. Why? Did someone come to your house?”
I envisioned Dimitri’s police showing up there to question her, but she wasn’t tied in any way to the door knockers or the shop, except vaguely by being related to me. What if my thief had been there? It was probably too late to set a trap.
“I’m not sure, but Rocket started barking at around four this morning. He was positive something was out back. I never saw anyone, but I did hear a clattering at one point, and he went on for a good fifteen minutes. I didn’t let him out. I was worried it might be someone with a gun. I was also worried the elves were spying on me and that they would have unfavorable things to say to Eireth if I sicced Rocket on them.”
“Sicced Rocket? Mom, your dog runs up and leans on strangers’ legs. That’s not siccing.”
“He would do more than that if someone was threatening me.”
“Knock them over and stand on their chests while wagging everything?”
“I called you for advice,” Mom said tartly, “not to mock my dog.”
“Sorry. I’m just pointing out his affable good nature.”
“I haven’t gone out to look for tracks. It’s not light enough yet. I just wanted to see if I should take more than my Glock when I go.”
“What more do you have? No, wait. I don’t want to know. Stay inside, and I’ll come over to help you look around. Maybe Dimitri has a few of his defenses that I can bring over to install around your yard.”
“I’ve seen his yard art, Val. It’s hideous. I allowed it when he was paying rent because I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.”
“It’s not just decorative. It’s useful. Right now, I’m watching a barrier knock an intruder off our fence and into the neighbor’s aggressively growing bamboo. Oh, wait. Now he’s moved to the other neighbor’s yard, and, yes, he was just dumped into the rose garden. I hope the thorns tear his pants off.”
“I didn’t realize his yard art was that effective.”
I didn’t mention that Zav’s magic was responsible for the barrier I’d described. Dimitri had some useful stuff, after all. “It’s improving. There’s a troll enchanter schooling him in the ways.”
“Hm.”
That wasn’t a ringing endorsement, but I would see if Dimitri had anything I could take out to her place. It bothered me that this could be the second time in as many months that people had gone out to see her because of her association with me—the third if one counted the elf interrogating her about the wedding.
“I’ll grab something to eat and head out there now,” I said. “Don’t wander off until I get there, please.”
Her second hm was even less committal, and I had a feeling she and Rocket would be sniffing around out back as soon as it was fully light.
“Is everything all right?” Freysha walked in as I hung up and peered toward a different section of the fence, where the detective was trying again.
“Nothing that Zav’s magic can’t handle, but someone may be pestering my mom again.”
“My people?” Freysha touched a hand to her chest.
“I hope not. Last time, it sounded like they came to the door during the day instead of skulking around in the backyard at night like a raccoon ravaging garbage cans.”
Freysha frowned. “That doesn’t sound like my people.”