“Never? But the cards are all jumbled up in the box. Maybe you’ve turned them right side up without thinking about it, and this time you were distracted?”

She shook her head. “The decks have different backs, and I recognize the nature deck from the cityscape deck, so I keep my eyes closed when I’m selecting the cards. I’ve never revealed an upside-down card until now.”

“Then it means something.” Merri Lee frowned. “The figure would have been pointing toward death, but turned that way, it’s pointing to the explosion.”

“Neither is a good thing.”

“No, but . . .”

“Meg.” Henry’s face suddenly appeared at the sorting room’s window. “There is trouble. You girls stay inside.”

He turned toward his studio, so Meg and Merri Lee rushed to the front counter, where they could look out the office’s big windows. Being a Grizzly, Henry didn’t vault over the brick wall with a Wolf’s grace, but the wall wasn’t much of a barrier. He went up and over, then headed for Main Street, turning right when he reached the sidewalk.

Merri pulled her mobile phone out of her pocket. “Eve is across the street. She’ll be able to see what’s going on.”

Growling, Nathan took up a position in front of the glass door.

Meg retreated to the sorting room, followed by Merri.

“Eve says there’s an altercation between Lieutenant Montgomery and his brother. Some shoving and lots of shouting,” Merri Lee reported. “Karl’s there, but he’s dealing with Sandee. Eve’s not sure where Michael is. He could be at the station. Simon, Vlad, and Henry are heading across the street.”

Meg stared at the cards and whispered, “They’re going the wrong way.” Hurrying to the Private doorway, she shouted at Nathan, “Tell Simon he’s going the wrong way!”

The watch Wolf turned toward her, distracted. In that moment, Meg saw a blond-haired man run across the delivery area and head up the access way.

• • •

<Meg says you’re going the wrong way!> Nathan shouted.

Simon leaped back to the sidewalk on the Courtyard side of Crowfield Avenue. He tried to grab Vlad’s arm, but the Sanguinati had changed to smoke and started to rise in order to flow across the street above the traffic. The attempted grab was enough to make Vlad stop, and it made Henry hesitate.

“Meg says . . .”

A female screamed.

Simon cocked his head toward the Market Square. He moved toward the customer parking lot, ignoring Montgomery’s fight with that Cyrus. He lengthened his stride to catch up to Henry, who was already turning into the parking lot.

The female screamed again, a sound full of hurt and fear.

Henry pushed open the wooden door leading to the employee parking lot, then stopped. The three of them stared at fog so thick they couldn’t see Henry’s hand when the Grizzly extended his arm.

Another scream, abruptly cut off. Male.

Then an odd and terrible silence filled the area around the Market Square.

Simon and Vlad backed away from the fog. Henry hesitated, then reached in and pulled the door closed before retreating.

<Nathan!> Simon called. <Keep Meg inside the Liaison’s Office.>

<Merri Lee too,> Nathan said. <We can’t see out the back window of the office, but there is no fog in the delivery area. Pete Denby is upstairs. I shouted at him to stay inside.>

That much settled, Simon turned to the next group. <Elliot!>

<We’re all right,> Elliot replied. <Agent O’Sullivan is watching the door. I have shifted to Wolf. Katherine Debany and Miss Twyla are here. Lorne at Three Ps called and said he locked the door and will wait for the all clear.>

“Mr. Wolfgard?” Ruth stood just inside the glass door that provided street-side access to the efficiency apartments above the seamstress/tailor’s shop.

“You and the pups stay inside,” Simon said at the same time Kowalski, who was across the street, shouted, “Ruthie, get back inside!”

“Wait!” Simon said. He and Vlad, who was still in smoke form, eased past Ruthie and rushed up the stairs, leaving Henry to nudge the female inside and guard the door. As they hurried to the back stairs that gave them access to the area behind Howling Good Reads and A Little Bite, Chris Fallacaro opened the door of his apartment and blinked at them.

“What’s going on?” Chris asked.

They didn’t answer him, but at least another human was accounted for. Nadine was in A Little Bite with Tess, and Eve Denby was across the street in her den. So that left . . .

Theral MacDonald alone in the medical office, since Emily Faire was visiting her family pack this morning and Elizabeth Bennefeld wasn’t scheduled to do any massages.

<Let me,> Vlad said when Simon opened the door to peek outside. <I should be safe in my smoke form.>

<You don’t know that.>

Vlad flowed partway out of the opening. <The fog is blowing apart and getting wispy. I think we’re safe now.>

<The Theral is hurt!> Jenni called. <Her face is bleeding. Can we go out and help?>

Simon hesitated. <Do you see a male near Theral?>

<No, but the pavement is dark near her. Might be blood.>

If Jenni could see the pavement, the fog was dispersing in the Market Square too. Of course, that didn’t mean it was safe to go out.

Then he heard the clomp, clomp, clomp of pony feet and watched the ponies trot over to the side door of the Liaison’s Office and line up, waiting for Meg to fill their mail baskets.