“What’s your next project?”

Gary let his gaze drift ever so slowly toward Wy. “I’m between projects at the moment.”

Wy felt heat rise up into her face. Tim looked from one to the other with a gathering frown. Jo grinned, and if she’d been part Yupik and forty years older you’d have sworn she was Moses Alakuyak’s twin sister.

At this auspicious moment, Liam walked in.

He didn’t see them at first, walking straight to the bar and pulling off the ball cap that seemed suddenly too tight for his head. “I need a warrant.”

“I’ll give you a warrant,” Bill said, “if you’ll move this lush out of my bar.”

Liam craned his head. “Oh. Eric.”

“Yes. Again.”

“Poor old bastard.”

“What is it with you guys,” Bill said, disgusted.

“I’m sorry?”

“Never mind. Who’s the warrant for?”

“I’m not sure, exactly.”

“Arrest?”

“Yes. At least I think so.”

“For what?”

“I’m not sure about that, either.”

“You’re not helping me much here, Liam.”

“I know. I’m sorry. The damnedest thing.”

“What?”

“I got something I need you to keep in your freezer until I can get it on a plane to the lab.” Liam opened up the white plastic garbage bag he’d carried into the bar with him.

Bill peered inside. “Sweet Jesus!” she yelled, turning heads all over the bar, which was when Wy saw Liam for the first time. “What the Sam Hill hell is that!”

Since Bill didn’t seem to be in any hurry to take custody of the bag, Liam, who was even less thrilled to be carrying it around, set it on the floor at his feet. “It’s exactly what you think it is.”

“Where the hell did you get it?”

“I first saw it coming out of John Kvichak’s house on a fly pitch that nearly brained me.” He shook his head. “At first I thought it was a prosthetic. That clenched fist looked like somebody’d forgotten to throw the switch on the circuits.”