When Thomas turned her back to raise the weapon, Pat had no choice. She fired the .40 caliber handgun. The round passed inches from Brenda’s head, driving into the granite wall of Devil’s Peak. Rock and dirt flew from the bullet hole and Brenda recoiled from the spray. Before anyone had a chance to react further, the huge jungle cat rounded the trail and raced toward Brenda at breakneck speed. A roar of triumph issued from her throat at the same time that her body coiled for a massive leap.
Brenda turned and saw the cat. Terror gripped her visage and she raised the rifle once again. Pat heard the echo of a hammer falling on an empty chamber. Ranger Thomas had run out of ammunition. The cat’s paws took Brenda high in the shoulders, pushing the woman backward. As Thomas fell to the ground, Lee Grayson raced forward. She paused long enough to kick the rifle from Brenda’s hand. The weapon sailed over the edge of the cliff and shattered as if made of china when it hit the canyon floor.
Grayson grabbed the midnight colored feline around her thick neck and Pat expected the animal to turn on her. Rather than rip Lee to shreds, the animal paused with razor-sharp fangs so close to Thomas’s neck that from where Pat stood it looked ready to rip the helpless woman’s throat out. She didn’t know what Grayson said and doubted that she ever would, but the black jaguar slowly backed up until Thomas could stand. Brenda regained her feet and cowered back away from Lee and the jungle cat.
“Keep it away from me,” Brenda shouted in fear. Her hands were up in a defensive position as she backed up even farther.
“Thomas, freeze,” Sheriff Macke shouted up at her. “You’re close to the edge.”
Although not far up the side of the mountain, Pat knew a thirty-foot drop would still do some damage. Whether Brenda heard the Sheriff or not it didn’t matter. Her foot slipped in the ice near the edge of the trail. She fought for balance, casting a terrified look over her shoulder. Brenda fell forward and tried to grab at anything to stop her slide over the edge, but came away with a handful of dead grass. Pat closed her eyes when Brenda fell but she couldn’t shut out the sound of her scream.
Macke was already running toward the injured woman. Brenda lay moaning when Pat arrived. Her eyes were open, but Pat could tell by her expression that nobody was home. Shock, she thought.
“Stay still,” Sheriff Macke said. Pat heard the authority in her voice but detected little compassion. Considering Ranger Thomas was responsible for the death of two women and had kidnapped a couple of teenagers, Pat didn’t blame her. In fact, she had to give Sam points for being so professional.
A noise from behind made Pat spin around. She found herself face to face with Lee Grayson and a feline Jamison Kessler. The only thing familiar in the cat’s face were the intense green eyes that studied her with unsettling intelligence.
“I think...,” Brenda Thomas rasped thickly. “I think my back is broken.”
Lee Grayson fixed eyes as hard as flint on Thomas. She lacked the compassion that Sheriff Macke had displayed. “That’s impossible. First you’d have to have a spine.”
Still a little freaked by Jamison Kessler’s alternate nature, Hex chuckled at the comment. Then the jaguar took a step forward and Pat raised her Glock. If anyone asked, Pat would swear she did so instinctively. Sam quickly stopped her from shooting by placing a hand across the top of the pistol.
“Easy, Annie Oakley. Kessler, maybe you should change while we call for an ambulance.”
The green gaze fixed on Sam’s face and Kessler made a sound somewhere between a cough and a growl. She tossed her massive black head at the same time. Sam looked at Lee to translate.
“She says to radio Dinah for the chopper. It can’t take all of us, but it can get Brenda to the hospital. Oh, and you should ask her to bring a change of clothing for Jami. Hers are ruined.”
Pat shook her head to get the bangs out of her field of vision and to shake the cobwebs loose enough for her to speak. “You got all of that out of one growl?”
Lee shrugged and her cheeks flushed a little. “Most of it is mental projection.”
“Are you...?” Sam stopped her before Pat’s head exploded.
“We’ll play twenty questions later. We still have a case to wrap up.”
“Right,” Pat muttered. Somehow, she just didn’t know how to say anything. If Kessler was a shape shifter, werewolf, or whatever, did that mean the rest of her family was too? What about Lee Grayson and the other town residents? Suddenly, Pat wasn’t so sure she wanted to know. “Right.”
“THIS WOMAN IS a threat!”
Marie Tristan’s shouted words reverberated around the Council of Elder’s closed chambers. The elder was on her feet, her hands fisted so hard on the tabletop that her knuckles were white. She leaned her weight on her fists, every line of her body tense. Jamison understood what wasn’t said, that Marie wanted Detective Patricia Hex eliminated. From Jamison’s perspective the woman might as well be saying “off with their heads!”.
“She saw you shift. Once she reports this Harmon will be filled with humans that want to exterminate the Panthera!”
“Elder, calm yourself.”
Darlene Kessler sounded almost bored and Jamison hid her smile by looking down at the table. As the Caber, or Elder in Charge, Darlene was the only one who could put Marie in her place. But that didn’t mean that Marie had to like it. Her eyes shot daggers in Jamison’s direction.
“This is your fault, Elder Kessler,” Marie spoke to Jamison. “I realize you are a junior elder, but you were a pieta for years. Your carelessness is criminal.”
Jamison felt her hackles rise. “My partner was in danger, by a human. I would think that you of all people could understand my reaction given that you hate humans so much.”
Marie ignored Jamison’s argument. “Since this is your mess, how do you propose that we clean it up? Clearly you don’t want the threat eliminated.”
“You mean killed. Stop sugarcoating it, Elder.”
So far, no other elders weighed in. Dominick Crane, Cole Verity, Gail Henson, Lydia Booker and Darlene kept silent as Marie and Jamison made their cases. Everyone knew that Marie had no use for humans and found them an abomination, a plague on the face of the earth. Conversely, Jamison saw their good points and had no problem with humans. She clearly saw the threat they could pose if the population at large discovered the Panthera’s existence, but didn’t think that possibility justified cold-blooded murder. Jamison believed the Council felt as she did and gave silent thanks that her mother was Caber rather than Marie, yet she knew she had enemies.
Lydia Booker still hadn’t forgiven Jamison for the fiasco last year that ended with Aaron Dalton’s death. Jamison thought it a distinct possibility the woman would side with Marie simply out of spite.
“Is there any other option?” Lydia asked, proving Jamison’s worst fears.
“If we have her killed, Sheriff Macke will expose us. Besides, who’s going to believe Detective Hex if she does tell someone?”
“All it takes is one person to believe her and our entire community will be at risk.” Elder Tristan drove home her point by slamming her fist into the table top.
Jamison immediately saw the flaw in her argument. “That would have to be one seriously well-placed person and if we do kill her we’ll have feds crawling all over Harmon investigating her death. Then we will be exposed. Hex has already given her word that she will keep our secret and I trust her.”
“How can you trust the word of a human?” Marie spat the word.
“Because she’s more concerned with looking insane in front of her colleagues. It’s the same with alien abduction stories and UFO sightings. Claiming she sees shape shifters would cast doubt on her sanity and hurt her career.”
“And what of this Ranger Thomas?” Lydia asked. “Should we just ignore her as a threat as well? After all, she saw you in your jaguar form up on the mountain.”
So now they wanted to murder two humans? Jamison felt a growl rumbling in her chest. If this was how the Council of Eld
ers operated, she wanted no part of it. “Thomas didn’t see me change, she just saw the aftermath. Then there’s the fact that she’s delusional to begin with. I’m sure Elder Kessler, as the hospital’s Chief Resident, can sign off on the fact that hitting your head after falling from a great height can cause people to see things.”
The meeting went on for another hour with Marie vehemently arguing against allowing Hex and Thomas to live. Jamison countered with every logical argument she could think of. In the end, the Council decided against eliminating the two women but there were concessions. All but one agreed that Thomas was not a serious menace given her mental state, but someone would be assigned to surreptitiously keep tabs on Hex. The surveillance would continue until such time as the Council no longer considered her a risk.
Elder Tristan wasn’t happy with the decision but the Council operated on a democratic, majority rule basis. The final tally against the more bloodthirsty solution was 5-2. Only the final compromise appeased her. It was one Jamison happily made though she doubted it would be enough to satisfy the elder for long. Marie couldn’t suppress her dislike for humans anymore than a jaguar could become a vegetarian.
Finally it was over and she heaved a sigh of relief. Jamison left the Council chambers, closing the door behind her. She felt sure that the others still had issues to discuss, but whatever they were, they no longer concerned Jamison. Turning to walk away, Jamison froze in surprise. Lee’s presence wasn’t unexpected, but Jamison wasn’t prepared to face Sheriff Macke.
“What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you too, Kessler.”
“I mean, how are you here?”
“You mean how did I know that an abandoned concrete bunker barely on the edge of downtown Harmon is where your Council hangs out? I am an investigator. I found this place three weeks after moving here.”
Jamison nodded sagely. “I guess the giant sign saying ‘Bomb Shelter’ was hardly misleading.”
“Hardly. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, what have they decided?”
Jamison experienced another troublesome jolt. She knew exactly what Sheriff Macke was asking but felt inclined to do what she always did, protect the Panthera community. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t give me that,” Macke growled. “I’m not stupid. What are they planning for Hex because if they plan to knock her off, I’ll call everyone I can think of and tell them about your kind. Hell, I’ll call the damned White House.”
Jamison rolled her eyes at the melodrama. “They aren’t going to do anything. You have my word.”
“They aren’t? No unexplained auto accident on the way to Lake Placid?”
“No car accident.”
“No gargling with broken glass or staged suicide?”
Jamison heaved a tired sigh and wrapped one arm around Lee’s shoulders. “I told you, Sheriff, they won’t do anything.”
Sam nodded, clearly baffled but willing to accept Jamison’s word. “Okay for now, but if anything happens down the road, I’ll make your life hell.”
“If anything happens down the road, I’ll make the responsible party’s life hell,” Jamison promised. “Now if you don’t mind, it’s been a long day.”
“Actually, by my calculations it’s been two full days since anyone has had any sleep,” Lee pointed out, leaning her head against Jamison’s shoulder.
Sheriff Macke hesitated before she looked down at the floor. “Fine, I’ll let you go get some rest.” She looked back up and held her hand out. As Jamison shook hands with her, Sam said, “Thank you. I know this was your doing and I’m sure it wasn’t easy.”
Jamison merely nodded, too tired for anymore verbal sparring. “What about Thomas?”
“She’s been charged with double homicide and three counts of kidnapping, including Ms. Grayson here.” Sam looked at Lee. “I’m sure with your testimony, plus mine and Detective Hex’s there won’t be any reason to put Casey North on the stand.”
“Thank goodness for small miracles,” Lee responded.
“Agreed, the kid’s been through enough. Of course, if she pleads guilty to the charges it’ll save the state the cost of a trial.”
Jamison snorted. “What are the chances of that?”
“Slim. Any good lawyer would use the insanity defense, but it won’t matter. She’s off the street and she’s going away for a long time. How’s your pooch, by the way?”
Lee smiled. “Cleo’s at home and the dog door is locked. I’m not taking a chance on her disappearing again.”
“I’m sure you’ll be keeping a close eye on her for a while. It’s only natural, all things considered. Well, I’ll let you two get some rest. Thanks again, Kessler.”
Macke walked away without a backward glance and Jamison felt nothing but relief. The last thing she needed was for the other elders to see Sheriff Macke in the meeting hall. She turned to Lee and wrapped her protectively in the circle of her arms, resting her head on the top of Lee’s head. Jamison closed her eyes and allowed the tension to drain from her body.
Lee held her quietly for a long moment and then asked, “What did you have to give up for them to agree?”
“Can’t get anything by you, can I.” Jamison tried for sarcastic but succeeded in sounding amused, perhaps because what she gave up wasn’t much of a sacrifice.
“You’re stalling.”
Jamison took a deep breath. “You are looking at the Panthera’s newest, oldest pieta.”
“They demoted you?” Lee pulled away to look at her.
Jamison shook her head. “I willingly gave up being an elder. I’d rather be an investigator any day. The decision is one I would have chosen anyway and it made Marie Tristan happy. She felt like she scored a point against the Kesslers. Or something. I can never figure that woman out.”
Lee nipped Jamison’s chin. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
“It’s where I belong.”
“No, where you belong is with me.”
Jamison squeezed Lee and then released her. “You’re right about that. Now let’s go home. I feel like I could sleep for a week.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
For the first time in a long time, Lee’s questions didn’t seem like opposition. Jamison recognized the words as concern. Lee would never just accept things at face value. She would always question, not because she lacked faith in Jamison but because her active mind naturally sought answers. Lee was Jamison’s equal in all ways and Jamison welcomed that astuteness. She’d almost lost sight of that over the last few months and swore that she never would again.
“I’ll call in sick. Jeanie can run the office.”
“Good answer,” Lee responded. “I have plans for you for the rest of the day.”
“Do those plans include sleep?”
“A little, but I can promise that you won’t be getting out of bed.”
About the Author
S. Y. Thompson resides in Texas with her menagerie of animals. She fills her days with writing and playing with her Yorkie and six cats.
More S.Y. Thompson titles
Under the Midnight Cloak
Lee Grayson is a nature photographer whose father is a senator in New York. She’s never felt close to him and her faith in people as a whole is lacking. She moves to the town of Harmon deep in the Adirondack Mountains after inheriting her great aunt’s estate, but the local townspeople seem a little...off. Then she meets Ranger Jamison Kessler and learns there’s a killer running rampant around the area. Jamison seems to be hiding things from her and Lee is starting to become suspicious.
Lee discovers that her aunt was a central part of this community and that she possesses the woman’s unique abilities. She and Jamison are falling for each other, but things take a turn for the worse when the murderer sets his sights on Lee and a cure for his condition which he believes her to be harboring. Their situation is further complicated by the fact that the killer isn’t even human. Neither is Jamison
.
ISBN: 978-1-61929-094-5
eBooks 978-1-61929-095-2
Available From these e-tailers:
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Fractured Futures
Detective Ronan Lee has just solved the crime of the century, or has she? The case of the copycat killer plunges her into an ancient mystery, but solving the murders raises questions about the world government’s true objectives. An unexpected invention gives her the chance to travel to the past. Her target is the 21st century and her mission is to save the woman at the heart of issue. This same woman, Sidney Weaver, is a warm, personable and accomplished actress that Ronan would give her life to protect.
Unaware of what fate has in store, Sidney’s life is boringly predictable until a mysterious stranger comes out of the darkness of night to protect her. She knows there’s something unusual about Ronan, but despite her misgivings, she can’t deny the mutual attraction. All of this takes a backseat when she’s plunged into a harrowing game of cat and mouse that could destroy everything she holds dear.
ISBN: 978-1-61929-122-5
eBooks 978-1-61929-123-2
Available From these e-tailers:
Amazon
Bella Books
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Now You See Me
Corporate attorney Erin Donovan has nothing on her mind except representing her clients to the best of her abilities. One fateful day, she shows an irritating new client, Carson Tierney, around the tenth floor space of her own building and her life takes an unforeseen direction.
Carson is an awe-inspiring woman by anyone’s standards. Possessing genius-level intelligence that has allowed her to become a self-made millionaire of a computer software company, Carson still has a dark secret that could be her undoing.
Under Devil's Snare (Under Series Book 2) Page 24
