by Geonn Cannon
Dale nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.” She held out her fist. “For Ari.”
Milo bumped her knuckles. “For Ari.”
She crossed the lawn, which was so sloped that it was almost a climb, and entered the building. The “lobby” was technically just a small foyer leading into a spacious living room. A desk had been placed directly in front of the door, not blocking the stairs but situated so no one could pass it would being seen. Fortunately no one was stationed there as Dale walked past. The ground floor seemed to be a common area: living room with a media center, kitchen, laundry room. Beyond the kitchen she could see a second flight of stairs leading directly to the back door.
She headed upstairs and immediately saw a police officer sitting in front of the first room. He was already looking at her, obviously alerted to her arrival by the sound of the door opening. Dale froze and returned his gaze.
“Uh. Hello.”
“You can’t be here, ma’am.”
“I’m just... my boss sent me to find one of my coworkers? She lives here and didn’t show up for work today? So... uh... she lives on the third floor...?”
The officer shook his head. “Sorry, ma’am, but I can’t let you go up.”
“Okay. Uh.” She smiled apologetically. “Sorry. Hope everything’s, uh, okay. Bye.”
She tried not to hurry as she went back downstairs. She took out her phone and pretended to dial. “Leese, you’re not going to believe this. Well, I just got to her apartment, and there’s a cop here...” She put the phone back in her pocket when she got outside. The back door of her car was open and Milo was sitting on the parking lot asphalt waiting for her. The Brit’s wolf was gorgeous, dappled white and grey fur and golden eyes. Dale jogged over to her and passed a hand over the top of her head.
“I forgot how pretty your wolf is.”
Milo chuffed proudly.
Dale shut the car door and crouched down. She nodded toward the house. “Second floor, the window to the right of the entrance.” There was a bush just underneath the window, and from there was a clear path into the woods. “There was a cop, so I’m afraid I can’t sneak you into the apartment itself. Whoever killed Shannon could have gone out the window, or through the front door, or out the back.”
Milo stood and hurried across the parking lot. Dale stayed where she was and watched Milo sniff the grass and front walk. It didn’t take long before she lifted her head and made a quiet whimpering noise. She tossed her head to the left and took off at a slow trot so she could keep her nose to the ground. Dale glanced at the house to make sure the cop wasn’t watching them and hurried after her.
When Milo stopped at the edge of the property, Dale knelt beside her and waited. Eventually Milo found the thread again and was back on the move. She weaved between the trees, stepping carefully. Dale was worried about destroying evidence the killer might have left behind, but time was of the essence. They couldn’t be delicate while Cecily Parrish was probably, at that very moment, working to keep Ari in prison for the rest of her life.
They quickly passed through the wooded area, passing over a weed-choked walking trail that Milo took a moment to examine before continuing on, and arrived at a one-lane road which fed into a huge parking lot shaped like a kidney. Milo stepped onto the asphalt, moved in a circle, and then looked both ways. She lifted her head and faced Dale with her ears and tail held high.
Years of working with Ari had taught Dale how to interpret a wolf’s behavior. “The trail ends here?” Milo dipped her head. Dale put her hands on her hips. “So whoever the real killer is ran through the woods and most likely got into a car that was waiting here for her. But did she park and leave the car, or did someone pick her up?”
Milo moved in a wide circle.
“What would Ari do?” Dale asked herself.
The lot hugged the edge of a park. There were swing sets and picnic tables, a little cinderblock structure that housed the restrooms, and map of the peninsula posted on a squat wooden sign. Dale tapped her foot on the pavement and tried to force herself to think like Ari. She was never good at the fieldwork part. Give her a computer and an account number, and she could find out what someone had for breakfast. But looking for puzzle pieces out in the real world often just left her feeling frustrated.
“What would you see, puppy?”
They were in a park, a very secluded place with more trees than buildings. There weren’t any security cameras around, no homes nearby with a helpful insomniac sitting by a window watching the street. Milo waited patiently, sitting on her haunches, alternating between staring at Dale and looking around the area.
Dale got down on her knees, placed her hands on the pavement, and lowered her head. She tried to imagine how Ari and Milo would see the park as wolves. Milo came up to stand beside her. Dale looked at Milo and was once again surprised by how she could see the person behind the wolf’s eyes. This was an animal, yes, but the mind was still completely human. The light shining there was a person. She couldn’t explain the difference except to say it was obvious and unmistakable once she realized what she was seeing.
“Don’t make fun of me,” she said to Milo. “Right now, all we know is someone left the crime scene, ran through the woods, and ended up here where a car was parked. Either it was waiting for them or the killer left it for the getaway. The car was right here.” She smacked the pavement with her hand. “But there’s no way to...”
She drifted off, staring past Milo at something which had just come into focus. Milo twisted to follow her gaze. The cinderblock restrooms, originally just a visual reminder of the cinderblock prison Ari was currently stuck in, had one wall completely covered with graffiti. The side of the structure facing the parking lot had a fresh coat of paint, but the spray-painted designs were still visible underneath the layer of pale tan.
“City Parks,” Dale muttered.
Milo made a curious noise. Dale got up and brushed the pebbles off her palms.
“C’mon.”
Milo followed Dale across the grass to the bathrooms. “Seattle Parks hate vandals,” Dale explained. “When I bury Ari’s stashes, I make sure I don’t put any of them near these places. Mainly because I don’t want her to run up against any taggers in the middle of the night, but also because the city takes vandalism seriously.”
The security camera was visible as soon as they were within a few feet of the building. Dale’s face spread into a wide, genuine smile as she pointed up at it.
“That’s how they catch them.” She turned, using her outstretched finger to trace the camera’s line of sight. When she stopped, she was pointing directly at the spot where Milo lost the scent. Her smile widened as she mimed firing a gun at the spot.
“Got ‘em.”
Chapter Eleven
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Yes, she’s as fantastic in bed as you imagine.” Segura was reclining on her bed, book open. They were biding their time until dinner.
Ari was lying on her own bed. “That’s not what I was going to ask.” She pushed herself up on her elbows. “Why the hell are you being so nice to me? Everything you’ve done since I got here, it’s been a godsend. I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I’m starting to get stressed out waiting for the other shoe to drop. Am I building up a debt it’s going to take murder to repay?”
Segura pressed her lips together, thought about the question, and then closed her book. “I suppose I owe you the truth. At first, yeah, being friendly was exactly what I said it was. We have to live together in this small-ass space, and I would prefer to cohabitate with someone I like than an enemy. But then you told me you were a private eye.”
“So?”
“So...” Segura was looking at her hands, avoiding eye contact. “So I have a sister. She was always the good one. Smart one. She went to college while I was scamming grocery money from poker games. We argued about which of us was taking the easy road. You know, she’s getting a salary at some lame office job she hate
s while I’m busting my ass and risking my safety for a couple hundred bucks. But we loved each other. Anyway, uh, her final year of college, she stops showing up to classes. Quits her job, doesn’t answer my emails. I finally get worried enough to come check on her, but I’m not quick enough. She jumped off a bridge three days before I got to town.”
Ari said, “I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah.” Segura sniffed and fixed an angry expression on her face. “I, uh, I looked into it as much as I could, but I don’t know the city. I didn’t know her life or her friends. I didn’t even know where to start looking. I had to let the trail go cold. I don’t know what happened to her or why. All I know is that someone else made her jump off that bridge, and I want to know who. So if I help you in here and you eventually get out...”
“I’ll look into it,” Ari promised. “Pro bono.”
Segura smiled. “You’re a pretty good cellmate, Willow.”
“You’re not so bad yourself.” She put her head back down on the pillow. “So... CO Vogel’s pretty wild in bed, huh?”
Segura laughed and went back to her book.
#
Milo clambered into the backseat when they got back to the car. Dale had spotted a sign with the number for the Parks Service, but that wasn’t who she was going to call. She dialed Diana’s number and ignored the commotion coming from behind her.
“Tell me what you need.”
Dale winced. “I’m sorry...”
“No,” Diana said. “I’m sorry. That came out sounding harsh. I was being sincere. Whatever you need, I’m here. I’m ready.”
“Thank you. I found a security camera in Seward Park which could possibly have caught Shannon Hardy’s real killer. I was hoping maybe you would be able to get your hands on that footage.”
“I know someone who knows someone in park security. I’ll see what I can do. Which camera?” Dale gave her the location. “I can’t promise to give you the footage, but I can watch it and tell you what I see. Is that enough?”
Dale said, “It’s perfect. Thank you, Diana.”
“Of course. How are you holding up?”
Milo, now bipedal and fully-dressed, crawled forward and dropped into the passenger seat.
“I’m doing well. Ari’s mom and the British wolves are keeping me from going insane.”
“If you need a change of scenery or dinner or whatever, our door is always open. Lucy would love to see you.”
“I’d love to see her, too. How is she doing?”
“She’s well. The chemo is going well and she’s feeling fine. We’re hopeful.” Someone spoke to her on the other end. “Just a second. Dale, I’m going to have to let you go.”
“Okay. I’m about to start driving anyway. Thank you for your help.”
“I’ll call when I’ve talked to park security. And I mean it, Dale. I’m here for whatever you need until Ari is a free woman again.”
“Thank you.” They said goodbye and Dale hung up. She looked at Milo. “Are you okay?”
Milo nodded. “Dandy. Love running through new greenery. It’s invigorating.” Her hair was a tangle, so she used her fingers to straighten it out. “Your cop friend gonna help out?”
“Yeah, she’s going to try.” She checked her phone for messages from Gwen or the rest of the pack. What she really wanted to do was call Ari, even though she doubted Ari would still be in the room even if the number accepted incoming calls. She closed her eyes and put the phone down on her thigh, struggling to return her breathing to normal so she wouldn’t cry.
Milo reached over and cupped the back of her head. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” She wiped at her cheeks. “If we hit a dead end, can I murder you so I get sent to prison and share a cell with Ari?”
“Sure,” Milo said.
“You’re a good friend.”
Milo said, “Let’s just be sure we exhaust all other options first, okay?”
“If you insist,” Dale said. “Let’s go see what else we can dig up.”
#
Ari skipped dinner despite Segura urging her not to miss any meals. “It’s not fine cuisine, but it’ll get you through the day.” Ari thanked her but opted to remain in their cell. Her stomach was doing something unusual. It wasn’t churning or nausea, but she still didn’t want to risk putting food in it. She hated being in the cell but she also didn’t feel comfortable just wandering around the prison. The prisoners and guards were equal threats in her eyes. She’d watched enough Orange is the New Black to be wary of offending the wrong person.
She focused on what was happening outside the jail. It was a huge relief to know Milo was there for Dale. Being friends with Milo was the closest she’d ever come to having a pack, and Ari trusted her to provide a shoulder for Dale if one was needed. Of course Milo would also be providing something else for Ari’s mother, something she still wasn’t entirely agreeable with. Yes, Milo made her mother happy. But the age difference... and the idea her mother was slee-- was dati-- was involved with someone who had once kissed Dale was a big hurdle to overcome. She also conveniently let herself forget that Milo had also come onto her when they first met. But that was a very complicated situation, and it was best to leave it in the past.
Segura came back from dinner and stood over her bed for a long minute. “You sure you’re okay, Willow? You’re looking a little peaked.”
“I’m fine. Just an upset stomach.”
“Really? What do you have to be stressed about?”
Ari smiled weakly and moved her hands over her stomach. Segura got onto her bed and opened a book. Ari managed to get up for the count. Vogel was back and Segura sadly said, “See you tomorrow” before the CO walked away from the cell door.
“Sorry to cockblock you like that.”
Segura said, “Lesbians don’t say cockblock.”
“What do we say?”
Segura placed her hands on her knees and considered the question. Finally she said, “Tongue-tied?”
Ari laughed, pressing one hand against her stomach. “I like it.”
“Can I ask you something personal?”
“Sure,” Ari grunted.
“The woman waiting for you out in the world. Dale. How did you know she was the one?”
Ari considered the question while looking at the corner where the wall met the ceiling. “Because one day I realized she was more important to me than anything else. My job or...” The wolf, she added silently. “I couldn’t imagine being without her. I could have lost everything else but it wasn’t worth imagining a life without Dale in it.”
“So you asked her out, wined her and dined her...”
“No.” Ari laughed again. “No, I didn’t want to risk the friendship by making a move on her, so I just kept quiet. I was fine loving her without being in love with her. She was the one who pulled us onto the next level. She confronted me about how we both had the same feelings and we were just being stupid ignoring it. We’ve never looked back.”
Segura said, “That’s sweet.”
Ari looked over at her. “Why do you ask?”
“Vogel’s a cop. Well, I mean, a guard... but close enough to be uncomfortable. When I get out of here, if I want to keep seeing her, it would mean I have to stop scamming people. I’ve never seriously considered that before. I’m good at it. I love the thrill of it. And I don’t have many other marketable skills, so quitting would mean I have to get a job making sandwiches at Arby’s or something. But I don’t know. Might be worth it.”
“Well,” Ari said, “three more years? If my agency is doing well enough to hire a consultant, I might throw some legit work your way.”
“Yeah? I’ll keep that in mind. What’s it called, Willow Detective Agency?”
Ari smiled. “That was pretty much the name before I hired Dale. She made me change it.”
“To what?”
“Bitches Investigations.”
Segura laughed. “Okay, that might be worth going straight for. So to speak.” She look
ed over and could see that Ari didn’t seem to feel any better. “Get some sleep, Willow. We don’t get sick days in here, so you have to be shipshape in the morning.”
Ari held up her thumb and closed her eyes. Once again, the sounds of the prison seemed so loud that she would never be able to drown it all out. But, just as she had the night before and thanks to her shift in the library, she drifted off to sleep due to sheer exhaustion.
Her next memory was panic. Her entire body was rigid, immobile, but her mind was sending frantic signals for her to flee. Heart pounding, skin clammy with sweat, eyes wide and searching for the threat which had sent her into this tailspin. Someone was next to her, no, on top of her, and hands were on her shoulders. She wanted to attack but couldn’t, and then was grateful because she recognized Segura.
“Willow, cut this shit out!” Segura growled.
Knowing who was holding her down didn’t help. Her brain kept flashing the same signal - Run, run, run, get out, run, flee, fight, escape, get away, RUN - but her body refused to cooperate. She was choking on her voice. “Guh-guh-guh.” Segura clapped a hand over her mouth to quiet her. Ari was aware that her cellmate had one knee on the bed, her body twisted so she could hold Ari down. Someone else was suddenly in the cell: Vogel.
“The hell did she take?”
“Nothing that I saw. She wasn’t feeling well earlier...”
“Goddamn it, Shae.”
“I didn’t do anything to her!”
Vogel said, “If she’s in withdrawal, I have to make a report.”
“Mel, don’t. Please, she’s not on anything. She’s innocent.”
“You’re all fucking innocent,” Vogel snarled.
Ari managed to say, “Not... drugs.”
“See?”
“Yeah, that was a fucking enthusiastic testimonial there.”
The seizure released its grip on Ari with agonizing slowness, but she could feel it lessening with each breath. Her hands unclenched and her body sagged into the mattress. Segura was able to relax her hold, moving her hand from Ari’s shoulder to her cheek.
