“Where to?”

Pam thought for a moment, which was good, because I needed the recovery time. I was soaked through and shivering, and I felt awful.

“Won’t Victor know what’s happened?” I asked. I couldn’t seem to stop asking questions.

“Maybe. He wasn’t brave enough to do this himself, so he has to take the consequences. He’s lost his two best people, and he has nothing to show for it.” Pam was enjoying the hell out of that.

“I think we get out of here right now. Before some more of his people come to check, or whatever.” I sure wasn’t up for fighting again.

“It’s you who keeps asking questions. I think Eric will be here soon; I’d better call him to tell him to stay away,” Pam said. She looked faintly worried.

“Why?” I would have loved to have Eric appear to take charge of this situation, frankly.

“If someone is watching his house, and he leaps into his car and drives in this direction to come rescue you, it’ll be a pretty clear indication that we’re responsible for what happened to Bruno and Corinna,” Pam said, clearly exasperated. “Use your brain, Sookie!”

“My brain is all soggy,” I said, and if I sounded a little testy, I don’t think that’s any big, amazing thing. But Pam was already hitting a speed-dial number on her cell. I could hear Eric yelling when he answered the phone.

Pam said, “Shut up and I’ll explain. Of course, she lives.” There was silence.

Pam summed up the situation in a few pithy phrases, and she concluded with, “Go somewhere it’s reasonable to be going in a hurry. Back to the bar in answer to some crisis. To the all-night dry cleaners to pick up your suits. To the store to pick up some TrueBlood. Don’t lead them here.”

After a squawk or two, Eric apparently saw the sense in what Pam was saying. I couldn’t hear his voice clearly, though he was still talking to her.

“Her throat will be bruised,” Pam said impatiently. “Yes, she killed Bruno herself. All right, I’ll tell her.” Pam turned to me. “He’s proud of you,” she said with some disgust.

“Pam gave me the knife,” I croaked. I knew he could hear me.

“But it was Sookie’s idea to move the car,” Pam said, with the air of someone who’s going to be fair if it kills her. “I’m trying to think of where to put it. The truck stops will have security cameras. I think we’ll leave it on the shoulder well past the Bon Temps exit.”

That’s what we did. Pam had some towels in her trunk, and I put them down on the seat of Bruno’s car. Pam poked around in his ashes to retrieve the Lexus key, and after looking over the instrument panel, I figured I could drive it. I followed Pam for forty minutes, staring longingly at the Bon Temps sign as we sped past it. I pulled over to the shoulder right after Pam did. Following Pam’s instructions, I left the key in the car, wiped off the steering wheel with the towels (which were damp from their contact with me), and then scuttled to Pam’s car and climbed in. It was still raining, by the way.

Then we had to return to my house. By then I was aching in every joint and a little sick to my stomach. Finally, finally, we pulled up to my back door. To my amazement, Pam leaned over to give me a hug. “You did very well,” she said. “You did what had to be done.” For once, she didn’t look as if she were secretly laughing at me.

“I hope this all turns out to be worth it,” I said, sounding as gloomy and exhausted as I felt.

“We’re still alive, so it was worth it,” Pam said.

I couldn’t argue with that, though something within me wanted to. I climbed out of her car and trudged across the dripping backyard. The rain had finally stopped.

Claude opened the back door as I reached it. He had opened his mouth to say something, but when he took in my condition, he closed it again. He shut the door behind me, and I heard him lock it.

“I’m going to shower,” I said, “and then I’m going to bed. Good night, Claude.”

“Good night, Sookie,” he said, very quietly, and then he shut up. I appreciated that more than I could say.

When I got into work the next day at eleven, Sam was dusting all the bottles behind the bar.

“Good morning,” he said, staring at me. “You look like hell warmed over.”

“Thanks, Sam. Good to know I’m looking my best.”

Sam turned red. “Sorry, Sookie. You always look good. I was just thinking. ”

“About the big circles under my eyes?” I pulled down the skin of my cheeks, making a hideous face for his benefit. “I was real late getting in last night.” I had to kill someone and move his car. “I had to go over to Shreveport to see Eric.”

“Business or pleasure?” And he ducked his head, clearly not believing he’d said that, either. “I’m sorry, Sookie. My mom would say I got up on the tactless side of the bed today.”

I gave him a half hug. “Don’t worry. Every day is like that for me. And I have to apologize to you. I’m sorry I’ve been so ignorant about the legal trouble facing shifters and Weres right now.” It was definitely time for me to look at the big picture.

“You had some good reasons to concentrate on yourself the past few weeks,” Sam said. “I don’t know that I could have recovered the way you have. I’m real proud of you.”

I didn’t know what to say. I looked down at the bar, reached for a cloth to polish away a ring. “If you need me to start a petition or call my state representative, you just say the word,” I told him. “No one should make you register anywhere. You’re an American. Born and bred.”

“That’s the way I look at it. It’s not like I’m any different from the way I’ve always been. The only difference is that now people know about it. How did the pack run go?”

I’d almost forgotten about it. “They seemed to have a good time, far as I can tell,” I said cautiously. “I met Annabelle and the new guy, Basim. Why is Alcide beefing up the ranks? Have you heard anything about what’s been happening in the Long Tooth pack?”

“Well, I told you I’d been dating one of them,” he said, looking away at the bottles behind the bar as if he were trying to spot one that was still dusty. If this conversation continued in the same vein, the whole bar would be spanking clean.

“Who would that be?” Since this was the second time he’d mentioned it, I figured it was okay for me to ask.

His fascination with the bottles was transferred to the cash register. “Ah, Jannalynn. Jannalynn Hopper.”

“Oh,” I said, in a neutral way. I was trying to give myself a little time to make my face bland and receptive.

“She was there the night we fought the pack that was trying to take over. She, ah. took care of the wounded enemies.”

That was an extreme euphemism. She’d cracked their skulls with her clenched fists. Trying to prove that it wasn’t National Tactless Day at my house, I said, “Oh, yes. The, ah, very slim girl. The young one.”

“She’s not as young as she looks,” Sam said, bypassing the obvious fact that her age was not the first issue one could have with Jannalynn.

“Okeydokey. How old is she?”

“Twenty. One.”

“Oh, well, she’s quite a girl,” I said solemnly. I forced a smile to my lips. “Seriously, Sam, I’m not judging your choice.” Not much. “Jannalynn’s really, really. She’s dynamic.”

“Thanks,” he said, his face clearing. “She gave me a call after we fought in the pack war. She’s into lions.” Sam had changed into a lion that night, the better to fight. He’d made a magnificent king of beasts.

“So, how long have you two been dating?”

“We’ve been talking for a while, but we went out for the first time maybe three weeks ago.”

“Well, that’s great,” I said. I made myself relax and smile more naturally. “You sure you don’t need a note from her mom?”

Sam threw the dust cloth at me. I grabbed it and threw it back.

“Can you two quit playing? I got to talk to Sam,” Tanya said. She’d come in without my hearing her.