Werewolf PI (Paranormal Private Detective)

by Tim Myers

  “That makes two of us,” I said. “Did you find anything else while you were hiding in the shadows, something that might help me find them?”

  She shook her head. “There aren’t any clues here, at least none that I could find. What happens now?”

  I glanced at my watch. “I’m not really sure. I need to check on Jim. We got in a bit of a scuffle while you were gone, but he’s healing nicely.”

  “You boys need a fulltime chaperone,” she said. “Who looks out for you when I’m gone?”

  “Evidently nobody,” I said. “You want a ride?”

  “That’d be nice. My car’s at my place, so you can chauffeur me around for a change of pace.”

  As I headed toward Jasmine’s, Belle said, “Hey, where are you going? Jim’s place is back there.”

  “He’s not home,” I explained. “Bowen and I took him to his sister’s diner, and she’s been taking care of him.”

  Belle said, “I didn’t realize Bowen was such a Good Samaritan, or his sister, either.”

  “Jim was hurt helping me, and Bowen was with us, too. That gave him a stake in Jim’s healing, and his sister’s pretty amazing. Taking care of Jim, that is.”

  Bell smiled at me. “There’s more to it than that, though, isn’t there? What else is going on between you and his little sis?”

  Had she picked up on some kind of vibe already? “What? You’re crazy. Bowen’s already threatened to kill me if I do anything with Jasmine. I’m good, but I’m not sure I’m good enough to take him on and win, and to tell you the truth, I hope I never find out. Jasmine’s off limits, there’s no debate about that.”

  I could tell Belle wasn’t buying my explanation, but at least she kept her doubts to herself.

  When we walked into the diner, Jasmine’s smile when she saw me quickly disappeared the second she realized that Belle was with me.

  “He’s not here,” she said flatly when I looked around for my friend.

  “What happened? Did he get worse?” I couldn’t handle it if something happened to Jim while he was helping me.

  She shook her head. “That’s not it. He’s fine, and we were both driving each other nuts, so I sent him away.”

  “You did a good thing, taking care of him like that,” Belle told Jasmine.

  She didn’t answer, just shrugging instead in reply.

  “Do you have any idea where he went?” I asked.

  Jasmine looked at me harshly. “I helped him heal, I didn’t take him to raise. Now if you’ll both excuse me, I’ve got customers to wait on,” she said as she turned her back on us both.

  “Thanks again,” I said as we left, but Jasmine didn’t even acknowledge me.

  We were outside in front of the diner when I said, “I wonder what got into her?”

  “You don’t know? You honestly didn’t see it?”

  “See what?” I asked as we got back into my car. “I didn’t see anything.”

  “Some private detective you are. You can spot a clue from a hundred yards, but you can’t see a woman interested in you from an inch away.”

  “What are babbling on about now? You’re not talking about Jasmine, are you? How many times do I have to tell you? Nothing happened between us.”

  “Nothing you know about,” Belle said. “But I saw her face when she saw you, and then I watched her eyes go dead when she spotted me behind you. You’d better do something about that before it gets ugly.”

  “How can I deal with something I don’t understand?” I asked. “You and I are friends, and that’s it. I can’t keep anybody from jumping to the wrong conclusions about us.”

  “No, but you can clear things up when there’s a misunderstanding. Do you want to go back in and explain it to her? I don’t mind waiting out here.”

  “There’s nothing to explain,” I said as I drove to Jim’s place.

  “Sometimes I think you’re a cut above the other men around here,” Belle said.

  “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

  “I’m not talking about right now, you idiot. Just sometimes.”

  “Wow, I can feel the love,” I said.

  She snorted. “I don’t know how, I’m not giving any.”

  We got to Jim’s apartment, but he wasn’t there. Belle asked, “Any other bright ideas?”

  “Let’s try Bailey. Maybe Jim’s hitting him up for more of those super vitamins.”

  “If he is, I want some myself. It sounds like some kind of miracle drug.”

  “It’s good, but the miracle drug is what Harkins is hopped up on now, and believe me, you don’t want any part of that.”

  “Why not? I could stand being a super werewolf.”

  I shook my head. “You’re dangerous enough to the world just as you are. I’m not sure any of us would survive an enhanced version of you.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” she said.

  When we got to Bailey’s, I had a sudden, sick feeling in my gut that something was wrong inside. I pulled my gun out and asked, “Is there any chance you’ll wait out here until I see what’s going on?”

  “When are you going to stop treating me like some kind of girlie girl?” Belle asked. “If there’s going to be a fight, I want in on it. I’m already pissed I missed the one where Jim got hurt.”

  “Doesn’t that tell you something right there? Jim was wounded trying to help me.”

  “So, I’ll be more careful than he was.” Belle looked at me with disgust, then asked, “Now, are we going to go inside, or are we going to have a debate club meeting about it? I’m ready if you are.”

  And without waiting for me, Belle charged the door. There was nothing I could do but follow along behind her, cursing my friend’s rashness with each step, and hoping that whatever, or whoever, was waiting for us on the other side of that door wasn’t going to try to kill us.

  Chapter 7

  “Don’t shoot,” Jim said as he held up his hands and smiled when we burst into the room. “I wasn’t doing anything, I promise.”

  “Where’s Bailey?” I asked as I put my gun back. Had I really felt there was a problem outside, or were my senses wound a little too tightly? I had to admit, the near-miss shot Harkins had taken at me had shaken me, and I wondered if it was going to keep clouding my judgment. I had to be ready for an attack at any time, but I also had to have a gut feeling when things were safe. I’d wear myself out if I jumped at every shadow, and if I didn’t stay fresh, I’d lose the slightest bit of edge I had.

  “I’m right here,” he said as he came out of his lab with a small beaker. “I made another batch of super vitamin, and Jim wanted a shot of it.”

  “Aren’t you worried about giving him too much? He looks healed to me, and we don’t know if there are any long term worries with that stuff yet, do we?”

  Jim laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to get addicted. I just needed one last boost to get me over the hump.” He hefted the beaker, then killed it in one swallow. “See? No harm, no foul. What have you two been up to?”

  Before I could answer, Belle said, “Let’s see, our friend Trask here was shot at by a rogue werewolf and then almost locked up in jail for being who he is.”

  “In other words, a pretty typical day, then,” Jim said. His color had come back almost immediately, and if I didn’t know better, I could swear he was whistling under his breath. Maybe the stuff was addictive after all.

  Bailey turned to Belle. “How rude of me. Would you like a bit yourself? It’s perfectly harmless.”

  “No, I’m good,” she said. “But give some to Trask if you made extra. He’s kind of on edge.”

  “I’m fine,” I said. I’d already had a dose of the stuff, and I wasn’t sure I wanted any more of it. The appetite it had given me had been ferocious, and I didn’t like feeling that out of control.

  “Are you hungry yet, Jim?” I asked.

  “No, but I will be in two minutes.”

  “Then let’s get you something to eat,” Bailey said. “Why don’
t we all have dinner together?”

  Belle said, “No offense, but I’ve eaten your cooking, and I’d rather go hungry.”

  “How could I take offense to something like that? I was thinking more along the lines of sending Jacob out for takeout at the Chinese restaurant down the block.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll pick up a little bit of everything,” I said.

  Belle asked, “You want some company?”

  I shook my head. “No, I think I’ll be safe walking around Dogtown by myself. It’s not even dark yet.”

  “Fine, go get your tail singed, see if I care.”

  I grinned at her. “Oh, you care, all right, I know you do. You can’t help yourself.”

  “I don’t, but I know somebody who does.”

  Jim saw Belle’s grin and asked, “Is this a private joke, or can anyone jump in?”

  Before Belle could say anything, I said, “It’s nothing. I’ll be right back.”

  Bailey reached for his wallet, but I said, “Put your money away. Tonight it’s my treat.”

  “In that case, I’d rather have steak,” Belle said.

  “You can call it whatever you want, but it’s still going to be Chinese.”

  I bought enough food for eight people, and with Jim’s hyperactive appetite, I just hoped it was enough.

  “Delivery boy,” I said when I walked back into Bailey’s place.

  They were ready for me. Instead of eating in his small living space, they’d arranged a buffet table on one of Bailey’s workbenches, and an odd assortment of chairs and stools were gathered around it.

  “Why don’t you put it all down in the middle and we’ll fight over it,” Jim said.

  Belle looked at all of the bags. “Are we expecting anybody else?”

  “I think we can handle it,” I said, though looking at the array of food displayed, I wasn’t sure anymore.

  As we dished up our plates, Belle said, “I’ve been giving Harkins some thought today.”

  “He’s kind of been on my mind, too,” I said as I scooped out some rice.

  “He’s got to be in Dogtown, right?” she asked.

  “Not necessarily. There are seedy places in the city besides where we live, and he could be holed up in any one of them. I’ve got a hunch he’s not staying in the same place two nights in a row.”

  Jim said, “Sure, but what’s he doing for money? Harkins has always been a hand-to-mouth kind of guy. Can he afford to keep staying in motels? I don’t care how cheap they are, the bills still add up.”

  I thought about it, then said, “Maybe Jennifer had some money when he took her.”

  Belle replied, “I’ve been thinking about that, too. How sure are we he actually kidnapped her? I know it looks like that now,” she said as she waved a fork in the air, “But her parents claimed they were dating. Maybe they were planning to run away together from the very beginning, and she wanted to take the money with them.”

  “It’s a possibility I’ve played with,” I admitted.

  Bailey shook his head. “What would a norm teenaged girl see in a man like Harkins? One look at the guy should cause alarms and sirens to go off for anybody who’s the least bit sane.”

  “Trust me, some girls like bad boys,” Belle said.

  “Are you one of them?” I asked, then took another bite.

  She grinned, showing elongated canines. “No, I figure I’m bad enough for both of us, so that never bothered me. You should know, we’ve been around each other all our lives.”

  “Yeah, but I was never crazy enough to date you.”

  “You never had the balls,” Belle said.

  Jim snorted. “Do me a favor. Go someplace else if you’re going to stroll down memory lane, would you? I’m trying to eat here.”

  His plate was heaped with food for the second time, and he was digging in with no signs of wavering.

  “I can’t imagine anything putting you off your feed tonight,” I said.

  Bailey replied, “I admit that it’s an unexpected side affect of the vitamin combination I came up with. I’ll have to see what I can do to correct that.”

  Between bites, Jim said, “It makes perfect sense to me. I’m asking my body to heal ten times faster than it’s used to. That’s bound to burn up calories, for the effort and the raw materials. It’s made me whole again.” Then in a voice almost too soft to hear, he added, “at least on the outside.”

  Jim was quiet again, and his fork faltered over his plate, even though it was loaded with a bite. My friend had been near death in that abandoned house, and he knew it. Jim had always prided himself on being able to take care of himself, and being played with like a child-with his life in the balance-had broken something inside him. I could see it in his eyes.

  I patted him gently on the back. “You’ll bounce back. I promise.”

  “I don’t see how,” he said, his voice croaking out barely above a whisper. “Excuse me.”

  He left the room, and I was relieved to see that he went to the bathroom and not the front door.

  After a moment’s silence, Belle asked, “Was it really that bad?”

  I nodded. “He has to come to terms with what happened. Until he does, I’m afraid Jim’s not going to be the same guy we’re used to.”

  Bailey looked as though he wanted to cry. “And it’s all my fault.”

  I snapped, “Really? I didn’t see your claws at his throat, but maybe I missed something. I was busy dealing with a super-wolf myself.”

  Bailey snapped out, “You know what I mean. Without my potion, those three werewolves wouldn’t have had the strength to take you all on.”

  I wasn’t about to let him get away with that. “Did you pour it down their throats?”

  “No, of course not.” He looked at me with a glint of anger in his eyes. “Why are you being such an asshole about this?”

  I pointed toward the bathroom. “He gets to lick his wounds, he paid the admission price, but you don’t. You created something in your lab, and your assistant stole it from you. After that, nothing that’s happened is your fault. Grow up, Bailey. This is the real world, not some safe, enclosed haven built just for you where nobody ever gets hurt.”

  Belle touched me lightly on the arm. “Hey, take it easy on him.”

  I jerked it away. “Stay out of this, Belle. It’s none of your business.”

  I was lashing out at them all, and I knew it, but I couldn’t stop myself. Jim’s current condition was the fault of someone in that room, but it wasn’t Bailey’s. I was the one who’d drug my friend to that house, and I was the one who’d watched his torment. If anybody had the right to wallow in self recriminations, it was me, and if I couldn’t do it, I was damn sure Bailey wasn’t going to, either.

  After a few seconds, Bailey said, “You’re right, of course. It’s hard to realize there are ramifications to everything we do. My mistake was not guarding my samples better, and I’ve taken steps to see that it never happens again. Thanks for setting me straight, Jacob.”

  That seemed to infuriate Belle. “You’re going to let him get away with that? He’s not God, you know. The great Jacob Trask makes mistakes, too.”

  I nodded. “I make them all the time. I just hope none of them ever cause my friends to get hurt again.”

  Belle looked surprised by the admission, as if she’d been expecting me to put up a fight. When I caved in and showed her my weaknesses, it caught her off guard. “Fat chance. You’re a walking hazard sign all by yourself.”

  “What can I say? It’s a gift.”

  Jim came back in and looked around the room. “Why did everybody stop eating?”

  I smiled. “Because we don’t have an endless pit to fill like you do. You’d better watch yourself, if you keep eating like this, your jumpsuit isn’t going to fit anymore.”

  He patted his stomach. “You’d think so, wouldn’t you? I haven’t gained an ounce. Bailey, I think you’ve created a werewolf diet pill. Eat all you want and burn it all up.”

&
nbsp; “I think I’ll stick to my research in the lab,” he said, “and leave the rest to Madison Avenue.”

  “More like Stink Pot Road,” Belle said, naming a particularly odious section of Dogtown where the norms processed their raw sewage.

  After the food was gone, we batted around some ideas of where Harkins might be hiding, but we couldn’t come up with anywhere that had more merits than anyplace else.

  We were still debating it when there was a heavy knock at the door.

  I said, “I’ll get it,” as I thumbed back the safety on my gun and approached it.

  I eased it back on when I realized our visitor was Bowen, but as I studied the hard expression on his face, I began to regret the decision to put my weapon away. It appeared that my friend was looking for blood about something, and only mine would do.

  I held the door open for him and said, “What’s wrong? Come on in and we’ll talk about it.”

  “I don’t think so. I need you to step outside.”

  Belle called out, “Trask, is something wrong?”

  “Everything’s fine,” I called back over my shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

  I stepped out into the cool night air with Bowen, and in the shadows of the street light, I could see why so much of Dogtown was afraid of him. He wasn’t sculpted like Jim, but there was a quality to him nonetheless that looked dangerous, even if he was just standing there at full rest. It took me a second to figure about what it reminded me of, and I realized it was his ready and sudden potential for violence. He was like a spring coiled tightly and poised to explode at any second.

  Finally, Bowen said, “I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but I don’t have much choice. When my sister’s unhappy, I’m unhappy. I’ve told you a thousand times to stay the hell away from her, but you wouldn’t listen to me, would you?”

  Was he going to try something with me? I watched as his fists bunched up, then released. It was pretty clear that Bowen was fighting the impulse to zone into phase, and if there was anybody in Dogtown who was as fast as me, it was Bowen. Maybe, just maybe, he was a shade faster.

  “I don’t know what you think is going on,” I said as I surveyed the street, “but nothing happened between Jasmine and me. We talked for a while last night, but that’s it. I swear.”