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sorry--"
    Nick cut her off before she could finish. "Oh, don't worry about it. You're not half as bad as our last patient."
    "What happened to him?" Jodie asked, realizing maybe the EMTs had enough of dealing with her drama for one day.
    "Got shot in the groin by his oven," Nick    responded.
    "What do you mean, his oven shot him?" Jodie asked.  Confused, she looked at Mei, who was grinning.
    "Kept his loaded Glock in the oven for safekeeping. Came home inebriated at three in the morning and turned on the stove to make a pizza. Right about the time he was gonna put the pizza in the oven, the gun heated up and discharged ... shot him in the groin. Dumb ass," Nick said, laughing.
    "Don't talk about our patients that way," Mei said, looking like she was trying hard to appear serious.
    Jodie glanced back and forth between the two EMTs and burst out laughing. "Wow, you must have some tales to tell from this job. I hope my little breakdown doesn’t make it into your storybook."
    Nick laughed, his shoulders shaking. "Breakdown? What breakdown? Can’t imagine what you’re talking about."
    "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing around here in the middle of the night, driving around with a trunk full of wine?" Mei said.
    "When you say it that way, it sounds kind of suspicious or something, but I was really headed up to my cabin because I needed some time off."
    "Not such a great start to your vacation, huh?" Mei asked. "Not really," Jodie answered, thinking she may never get a vacation. It looked like her work followed her.
    "We're home sweet home," Nick said as they pulled into the police station parking lot.
    "Do you think you can sit up now?" Mei asked.
    Jodie pushed herself to a sitting position. She didn't exactly feel like running a marathon, but there was really no reason she could delay further, so she stood up as Mei opened the back door of the ambulance.
    Mei pressed a piece of paper into Jodie's hand as she helped her down the step. "That's my number. Give me a call sometime. Nick and I go to this wine bar north of Crescent City. If you run out of what's in your trunk, maybe you'll want to join us," Mei said.
    Jodie gave Mei's hand a squeeze, got out of the ambulance, and waved at Nick as she wobbled toward the station. She wondered what kind of nightmare was ahead of her and whether or not she'd be able to convince the rude cop of the urgency of the situation. If John Nelson really followed her up here, she would need to move fast. Jodie wasn't about to let anyone else die at his hand. Never again.

Chapter 5
     
     
    Noah walked over the First Street Bridge toward Fester's house and stared into the river below. The flowing water reminded him of the day before at their fishing spot, miles away. Flashes of the corpse, eyeless, with its hair floating in the water, made Noah's stomach turn. He could still see images of the dead man, who looked like a businessman from the city, dressed in a suit, with his tie waving in the river current. Noah guessed he probably wore expensive cologne, and tried to conjure up that smell in his mind to replace what he remembered from the river. He recalled flashes of metal from the corpse, now realizing those flashes were likely jewelry - a ring and watch - both of no use to a dead man. No one knew who he was yet. Noah hoped they would find out soon, so someone could let the dead guy's family know. He left the bridge and continued on, leaving his troubled thoughts by the river.
    After the lecture he got from his mom about going on the old dam, he guessed it would be about a million years before she or Fester's parents would ever let them go fishing again. So, he brought some baseball cards and his glove in case Fester was up for some catch. When he got to Fester's house, no one was outside and the house appeared dark. As he walked toward the door, he thought he saw movement behind the curtains in the front window and waved. He was about to ring the bell when the door flew open