Chris looked torn. “I’m afraid.”
I understood that. “I’m sure she is too. Just … give it some thought.”
Chris nodded, reticent. “Yeah. Maybe.”
I slapped Jack upside the head with the meanest glare in my repertoire. “And you need to stop being such a killjoy. Some people are okay with falling in love. Just because you’re cold hearted doesn’t mean everybody is.”
“Whatever.” Jack avoided my gaze. “I wasn’t trying to be difficult.”
“Well, if that’s true you failed miserably at whatever you were trying to do,” I argued. “Maybe you should try working on that.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
This time the silence that settled over us was uncomfortable. I was grateful when Hannah appeared and headed in our direction. She looked serious, which I thought was probably a bad omen.
“I didn’t get anything,” Hannah announced as Chris scrambled to his feet. “The doctor is being tightlipped. He looks concerned, maybe even a little overly worried. He wouldn’t share information, but suggested I stop by later – maybe tomorrow – for an update.”
“That’s disappointing,” Chris grumbled. “I thought for sure you’d get something.”
“I did my best.”
“Yeah.” Chris exhaled heavily. “I guess there’s no reason to hang around if we can’t see her.”
“No,” Hannah agreed. “We can try again later. What about you guys? What did I miss down here? Was it anything good?”
Now that was a loaded question if ever I’d heard one.
14
Fourteen
We headed back to the inn, Chris and Hannah in one vehicle and Jack and me in another. The drive was uncomfortable – at least for me – and I considered letting the conversation die.
Sadly, that’s not how I’m built.
“Did you really mean what you said?”
Jack stirred, briefly tearing his eyes from the road long enough to grace me with an unreadable glance. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
“What you said to Chris,” I prodded. “The thing about love never being worth the effort.”
“Oh, geez.” Jack made a clucking sound with his tongue. “I’m pretty sure that’s not what I said.”
“That’s what I heard.”
“That’s because your mind is a terrifying place to visit.”
“Yeah, well, it’s basically what you said.” I wasn’t in the mood to let it go. “I don’t understand how you can believe something like that.”
“You heard what you wanted to hear because that’s not what I said,” Jack shot back. “Still, I happen to believe that it’s a bad idea to mix work and personal relationships. There’s a lot of room for things to go wrong when that happens.”
“There’s also a lot of room for it to go right.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t outweigh the bad.”
Ugh. He was such a Grinch sometimes. “So, you think there’s no hope for Chris and Hannah. That’s what you’re saying, right? Even though it’s almost painful to watch them pine for one another, you think it’s better they pretend they don’t have feelings for each other.”
“I didn’t say that.” Jack’s effect was flat. “In fact, as far as Chris and Hannah are concerned, I think they’re the type to beat the odds.”
The change in his stance threw me. “Now, all of a sudden, you’re for their relationship?”
“I think that Hannah and Chris are both socially awkward individuals who are unlikely to find love outside of a work environment.” Jack chose his words carefully. “They both thrive on the science and enthusiasm of this job. That makes them different.”
“If you think they’re the exception to the rule, why did you try to dissuade Chris from asking her out?”
“I want him to be sure. I really do think Chris and Hannah could make it work. They’re both easygoing and rarely cause drama in the workplace. I see them going on one date, realizing they’re hopelessly in love, and showing up married the next day. It will be simple and easy with them because that’s who they are.”
“Oh, so it’s everyone else you have a problem with,” I muttered. “I’m guessing that’s why you’ve spent the better part of the last few days hiding from Laura. You know any relationship you have with her is bound to end in drama.”
“That is not why I’ve been dodging Laura. I want nothing to do with Laura because she’s Laura.”
“But you dated her before.”
“We’ve already talked about this,” Jack growled. “We didn’t date. She showed interest, I turned her down. She decided that was the same as me declaring war. She then spent what felt like forever trying to torture me. I have no idea why she’s back to playing the innocent ingénue.”
I had an idea. “She was thrown by what happened with Zach. She thought she was a good judge of character, but it turned out she isn’t. That made her re-think everything else, including the bad feelings she was harboring about you.
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” I continued. “She’s easily distracted, as you witnessed when she saw the photograph of Aric Winters. She doesn’t really want you. She just doesn’t want to be alone.”
“I figured that out myself.”
“I wish she would figure it out so I wouldn’t have to put up with another conversation in which she threatens to make me pay for spending time with you,” I groused.
Jack’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “What?”
It was too late to take it back, like always. “I just meant … um … she wants to make sure I don’t try to throw myself at you because she’s ready to make her move. She’s worried that your protective nature and my propensity for trouble will ruin things.”
“Laura ruins things on her own,” Jack pointed out. “As for the rest … you do you and don’t worry about Laura. She’s not your boss. If she gives you grief, tell me and I’ll handle it.”
His reaction was surprising. “You’ll handle it?”
Jack bobbed his head. “She’s obviously not ready to pick up on hints, so I have no choice but to handle it. She doesn’t do subtle, which means I’ll have to be overt.”
“Are you going to be mean to her?”
“If it becomes necessary.”
“Can I watch?”
Jack cracked a grin. “I’ll text you before it happens.”
“That’s the best offer I’ve had all day.”
I SPENT SOME TIME in my room screwing around on my computer. That was expected, although the information I searched for had nothing to do with mid-Michigan lycanthropes and everything to do with Zoe Lake-Winters.
She wouldn’t answer the question about dying, so that meant there might be something to what I saw in our shared visions. I didn’t grasp everything – I mean, how could I, right? – but that didn’t mean I couldn’t put pieces of the puzzle together. She mentioned Covenant College, so that’s what I searched. What I found was … unbelievable. I mean absolutely unbelievable.
A knock on my door jolted me so that I was irritated enough to open it with a scowl. When I found Millie standing there, my agitation evaporated and I jerked her into the room. “You’re never going to guess what I found.”
“Well, hello to you too.” Millie looked me up and down, taking in my messy hair and rumpled clothing. “Were you napping?”
“No. I was researching the school that Zoe used to attend. It’s quite the story.”
“Oh, well, do tell.” Millie settled at the small chair in the corner of the room and watched as I planted myself on the bed and reclaimed my laptop. “So, up until last year, Covenant College was a relatively small university that boasted students from all across the state.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. What happened last year?”
“Every building on the campus burned to the ground. It’s all very vague how it happened – or why – but it’s no longer there. The university board decided not to rebuild. Now it’s just a piece of flat land, and you c
an’t tell anything ever stood on it.”
Millie furrowed her brow. “How is that possible?”
“How indeed.”
“There has to be more than you’re telling me,” Millie prodded. “I mean … a college campus is more than one building.”
“According to what I can find, Covenant College was more than fifty buildings. We’re talking dorms, library, the university center, the book store, classroom buildings, a sports activity center and even a football stadium.”
Millie merely sat there, her mouth open. Finally, all she could come up with was “Huh.”
“I have a theory, if you’re interested.”
“Oh, well, I love a good theory.” Millie smirked. “Something tells me your theory is going to involve a certain mouthy blonde and her absolutely beautiful husband.”
I thought about the image I saw, the one in which I was certain Zoe was dying. “I think that Zoe Lake-Winters died on that campus and was somehow brought back to life.”
“Oh, I can’t even.” Millie slapped her hand to her forehead. “Kid, I like you a lot and love your enthusiasm, but I think you’re going a bit nutty here. I know what you think you saw, but there’s a very good chance that Zoe was badly hurt. Her husband seemed awfully protective of her, after all. Maybe he almost lost her and that’s why he wants to stay close.”
“I think he almost lost her a number of times – and maybe she’s almost lost him too – but this was different. I swear she was dead.”
“And yet she’s alive and running around,” Millie argued. “I’m not saying you’re full of crap or anything.”
“Good.”
“But you are full of crap.” Millie made a face when I glared. “What? That woman is alive. She might very well have been hurt. I can see that. She’s alive now. She didn’t die.”
“That doesn’t explain what happened at Covenant College,” I persisted. “All remnants of those buildings are gone. There aren’t even burned-out husks left behind. From what I can find, no cleanup crew ever went in there. It simply turned into a field.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible. Just because the news stories don’t mention cleanup efforts, that doesn’t mean they didn’t happen. Construction crews aren’t the stuff of titillating journalism.”
She had a point … which I hated. “Well … .”
“You need to stop obsessing about this.” Millie raised a finger to still me. “I get that you’re all geeked about this woman because you linked minds or whatever – and that truly must be freaky and fantastical because you’re different – but I don’t think she is what you think she is.”
“And what do you think I believe her to be?”
“I think you’re looking at her as some sort of messiah. She’s just a woman. Sure, she might be a woman with powers, but she’s still a woman. She’s a woman with the hottest husband I’ve ever seen and a mouthy kid who acts just like her. Did I tell you what happened with the kid when I was upstairs?”
I shook my head.
“She was whining about the batteries and Aric finally got irritated and found some and switched them out for her. Then he kissed the top of her head, told her she was just like her mother and then he left her and the dog to watch television.”
“What kind of dog?”
Millie was taken aback. “What does that matter?”
“I’m just curious. Does it look like a wolf? Like maybe a wolf shifter or something? Maybe they have more than one kid and hide it as a dog.”
“Oh, good grief! It was a German shepherd. Its name was Trouble and it sat on the floor with the kid and waited for her to drop potato chips. He licked her face, listened when Aric told him to sit and basically acted like a dog.”
“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t an act.”
Millie practically exploded with frustration. “They’re a simple family.”
“There’s something different about Zoe.” I couldn’t let it go. “I need to know what that is.”
“Why?”
“Because I hate being alone.” I wanted to draw back the words the instant they escaped. The sympathetic look on Millie’s face made me realize I should’ve kept my mouth shut and quit while I was ahead.
“You’re not alone, Charlie.” Millie lowered her voice. “You have us. You have me … and Bernard … and Hannah … and Chris. You have Jack.”
“I drive Jack nuts.”
Millie’s lips curved. “You do. I can’t wait to see how that plays out.”
What was that supposed to mean? “I don’t understand.”
“You will.” Millie slowly got to her feet and shuffled to the side of the bed. “Kid, you’re not alone. I know it has to feel that way because you’re different, but you’re not. You can’t chase around Zoe because you think you’re the same. I think you’ll find nothing but heartbreak if you continue down that path.”
“We joined for a reason.”
“You did. I think you’re both powerful, and it was probably an accident or something.”
Zoe said the same thing. I never told Millie about that part of the conversation. I didn’t want to say it aloud. “I still think there’s something there.”
“Then chase it.” Millie’s smile was kind. “Don’t chase it so hard you lose sight of everything else, though.”
“I won’t.”
“Let’s hope not.”
WE HAD DINNER IN THE inn’s dining room for the second night in a row. Even though I wasn’t keen on the animal heads staring at me while I ate my steak and potatoes, I had to admit the ease of eating on the premises far outweighed the discomfort.
“I’m going to call the hospital again,” Hannah announced as she wadded her napkin and left it on top of her plate. “I’m not ready to give up on an update just yet.”
“We’ll be waiting here,” Chris offered, his smile so wide it looked almost painful.
Hannah also found the smile a bit deranged, because she had an odd expression on her face when she walked away from the table. Chris didn’t relax his mouth until he was sure she was out of sight, and then exhaled heavily and slouched in his chair.
Laura clearly wasn’t in the mood to watch true love play out. She rolled her eyes and focused on Jack. “So, what is our next move?”
“I honestly don’t know.” Jack wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin and reached for his glass of wine. “We need information from the wife. We have no idea if she’s even conscious. We don’t know if she knows what happened. We don’t know if her memory is intact. Heck, we don’t know if she’s so traumatized she can’t speak.”
“You’d think she’d want to help the husband if she could,” Bernard pointed out. “Won’t the police put information like that in their files?”
“Yes, and I keep checking. There are small updates, but nothing substantial.”
“So, what should we do, Chris?” Laura’s eyes were expectant as she turned to our boss. “Should we head back out to the woods tomorrow? Maybe we should adjust our search grid and move closer to where the wife was found.”
“That’s an idea, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea,” Chris replied, his eyes focused on the distant hallway that Hannah disappeared down to use her phone. His mind was obviously elsewhere, which was impressive because he almost always fixated on the case above all else. “The police are bound to be taking over that area. They probably won’t like it if we tromp all over their evidence. We have clearance for the campsite and the surrounding area. I think we should stick close to there.”
“We’ve already been over it twice,” Laura complained. “It was a waste of time … and ridiculously hot.”
“And yet somehow you survived,” Jack noted.
“I wouldn’t get too full of yourself,” Laura sneered. “While you and Charlie were out doing … whatever it was you were doing … the rest of us were working hard.”
“We were working hard too.” Jack refused to be drawn into a fight. “We questioned a good thirty people. I
can’t help it if you were stuck doing something you disliked.”
“You could’ve taken me with you.”
“I thought Charlie would be more help.” Jack kept his eyes averted and followed Chris’s gaze, I’m sure to give himself a focal point. He watched as Hannah appeared at the end of the hallway, her phone in hand. She appeared to be talking to someone but it was impossible to make out what she said. “It turns out Charlie was a great deal of help, so it all worked out.”
“Hannah looks like she’s getting somewhere,” Millie said.
“I’ll ask her.” Chris hopped to his feet, throwing down his napkin as he pushed out his chair. “I’ll talk to her and … just talk to her.”
The second part of the statement seemed to be uttered more to himself than us, and I couldn’t help but watch, curiosity crawling along my neck, as he hurried toward Hannah. There was something heavy about the way he carried himself, as if he had a purpose that was different from what he said to us.
“Well, I still think that I should’ve gone with you,” Laura lamented, ignoring what was about to happen in the hallway. “It’s ridiculous that I was left behind while you took her. I have more seniority.”
“Shh,” I admonished, lifting a finger to my lips and staring at Chris. I sensed something was about to happen.
“Don’t shush me!”
“Just … watch.” I bit the inside of my cheek as Chris reached the end of the hallway. Hannah’s face registered surprise as she lowered her phone and looked at him. She said something – I had no idea what – and the next thing I knew Chris was cupping her chin in his hands and his lips were on hers.
I felt like a voyeur, my cheeks burning, and even though I knew I should look away I couldn’t make myself do it. I watched Chris make a move I never expected, and Hannah reciprocate … once she got over her shock.
I finally dragged my eyes from the new couple to Jack and found him grinning as he watched. He shook his head, pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead, and then grabbed his glass of wine. As if sensing me watching him, he flicked his eyes to me and didn’t move them until he’d drained the glass.
The Werewolf Whoops Page 13
