MoonRise
Page 24
Chapter 23
“Still no dreams or visions, huh?” I asked Amber the first morning of the Homecoming Week festivities. The Knightsbridge high schools always held theirs later than anyone else, right after Halloween. I’m not sure why. Maybe it was because being in the western foothills of the Sierra extended our autumn weather and people liked to have something between the end of October and Thanksgiving.
“I can’t manufacture them, Ashlee. They come when I don’t want them, they don’t when I do.” She changed the subject. “So, I guess you’re playing in the game tonight.”
I laced up my high-tops, and the smell of leather hit me. I inhaled and relaxed. I was actually looking forward to getting rid of some of my feeling of helplessness, anxiety and aggravation on the basketball court at the alumni games that night.
“Yeah,” I replied. “I figured as long as I’m here, it’s a good enough reason to slam some backboards.”
“Yes, well, don’t be alone, and don’t take any drinks from strange water bottles.”
I looked at her, alarmed. “Will and the team will be with me the whole time. But do I really need to worry about getting roofy’d?”
“Just…be cautious.” She pulled me into her arms.
“Yeah, well. You too.” I hugged her back then stepped out of Elle’s way as she poked me in the side.
“Besides, I’ll be there and packing,” Elle said.
“Why doesn’t that make me feel better?” I teased. But I really did. Feel better, I mean. In a big place like that, surrounded by lots of people.
What could happen?
Shit, I so did not think that, did I?
The women’s varsity versus alumni game was like a Powder Puff match on steroids. I’d forgotten how good it felt to work as a team and my former classmates seemed to take it all in stride. I still had my jump shot, and my hang time was legendary. But what these girls didn’t know was that I had a lupine ace up my sleeve…I could dunk, at least on a regulation high school basket. Like I said, my monthly wolf run seemed to put my body into top physical condition.
Lucky me.
It was late in the fourth quarter when the scent came to my nostrils. I stood at the free throw line after sinking the first of two when I smelled him. Smelled Spanky. At least I thought it was Spanky. But there was a stale aspect to the spoor, as if the vitality of the dog was layered in an olfactory residue of other canines, some of them dead. My lip turned up at the thought of the violation of my pack.
Yeah, somehow, with the scent came the reminder that Spanky was just that. A pack mate.
I nailed the second free throw. As soon after as I could, I ferreted out the location of the Spanky smell.
Sean Gottlieb was wearing the uniform of the Animal Rescue Clinic and stood on the sidelines behind the other basket, holding a covered pet carrier. That was where it came from.
We took up defensive positions around the key and I waited to make my move. Cassandra Jenkins, wiry hotshot and point guard, took a dribble past me when I snatched the ball right out of her hands. Before I could even think, I had loped down the court and, after hitting my layup, I sent my body flying into Sean Gottlieb, knocking the carrier to the floor.
On the ground, I rolled over to look into the crate. Inside I could see a frightened miniature Schnauzer.
It wasn’t Spanky.
Sean paled as I looked into his eyes.
“Ashlee, isn’t it?” He smirked nervously. “Just couldn’t pass up a good game of B-Ball, could you?” It sounded like a line he had memorized.
I snarled and left him standing there. The bastard was taunting me, but his heart wasn’t in it, so I knew who had put him up to it.
Amber looked over from the sidelines. She and some of the other alumni cheerleaders had squeezed back into their old outfits and were doing a creditable job of rallying our fans. I shook my head and shrugged.
Time to finish this basketball game, and then we needed to finish the other game that someone was playing. Because I had smelled Spanky on Sean, even though our dog hadn’t been in the carrier. His scent had been fresher than the three weeks it had been since he’d gone missing, so the little weasel had to know where he was, had to have been in contact with him at some point.
I hate to gloat, but we toasted those kids. I knew when I was in high school that alumni games were about celebrating the ones who’d gone before. Why not let us bask in being a big shot for one night, even if I’m only reliving the fading dreams of my childhood? Back then I’d thought about going and playing college ball, even maybe working my way to a women’s pro league, before the Incident sidetracked me.
I even had a standing offer to assistant coach if I was willing to move back to town. It wouldn’t have been hard. I had to admit, it made me feel pretty good to know I wasn’t a total pariah as I collected quite a few pats on the back or the ass as I headed back to the locker room. I took a shower with the rest of the team and then hurried back out to the bleachers to watch Amber announcing the year’s nominees for Homecoming Court.
Standing there on the sidelines with Will at my back, feeling guilty for feeling so good, I asked myself what kind of person I was and what did I really want? Lonely but glamorous travel all over the world, or coming home to deal with real life and, oh by the way, no more free spa trips and an expense account.
What a quandary.
Then my hackles started to rise.
Jeanetta Macdonald stood behind the platform, next to the stage, and I realized that she was waiting to make an announcement, as she wore that Animal Rescue Clinic uniform and carried a pet crate. If she hadn’t come here for something official, she would have been dressed to the nines as she usually was.
I grabbed Will’s arm and pointed.
Will turned to where I was looking and said, “Stick close to me,” as he pulled me through the crowd.
Elle got there first. “And may I ask what you have there, Ms. Macdonald?” she was saying as we rounded the back of the bandstand where they were waiting.
“Well, since you know the Animal Rights Commission and the Animal Rescue Clinic has long been a supporter of the community, we thought we’d drum up some compassion for the animal shelter by showing one of our adoptees. Hopefully, we can find him a good home.”
“Him, eh?”
“Oh, yes. He’s just the cutest little thing. A couple of kids turned him in a few weeks ago and even though he was in pretty bad shape, we nursed him back to health and now he’s better than before.”
“May I?” Elle said. Amber was watching out of the corner of her eye and I shrugged my shoulders. I already knew it wasn’t Spanky.
But Amber didn’t know that and I could see her disappointment as Elle removed the animal. He looked like Spanky, but up close Amber could see he wasn’t.
I looked into Jeanetta’s eyes and saw a flash of victory there. Her pulse rate sped up and I gaped at her. She was actually getting off on this. I was so going to terminate that bitch.
“Let’s go,” I said to Will. “I don’t think I can stomach this anymore.” He walked me back to the locker room.
“I’ll just get my things,” I told him and I slipped inside to retrieve my gym gear from the locker, ignoring the “Cleaning in Progress” floor sign.
The place was a haze of moisture as I maneuvered around the wet patches yet to be mopped up by the janitor. The man shoved his mop here and there as his head bobbed and he hummed to himself beneath long hair and a ball cap, his shoulders hunched. My sense of smell got overwhelmed by perfumes, deodorants and cleaning fluid scents, or maybe I could have avoided what happened next.
My bag was right where I left it on top of the lockers and as I climbed up on a bench to retrieve it, I felt a sharp pain in my ass overlaid right on top of the still-healing scar. Instinctively stepping down, I slipped in soapy water and landed on my back.
I smelled blood and rolled over, reaching down to where the pain had bit me. M
y hand came away bloody and in my palm was a smashed tranquilizer dart.
Seriously? In the ass again?
Those were my last thoughts before darkness took me.