Blame It on the Moon

by Shara Lanel

  He raked a hand through his hair. “Why did you come here? Didn’t you stop to think it was dangerous?”

  “Why would I think that? You’re my lover. I’ve been here before. You had my car.”

  “It was damn dangerous. You just don’t know how close…God, how close you were to being ripped up by a wolf.”

  “I was perfectly safe.”

  “Only because I ran back here to put the cuffs on.”

  She rose and touched his arms where they were crossed over his chest. “You wouldn’t have hurt me even without the cuffs.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I do.”

  “You could read the wolf’s mind?”

  “Nope, not at all, just like Fergie.”

  “Then you don’t know that! I could’ve killed you!”

  “I was not your prey and never will be.”

  He grabbed onto her shoulders. “How do you know that?”

  “I was with you just now. I felt the moon’s power. I saw your memories, the shared memories of your kind. I know.”

  He pushed her back and stalked over to the window. He brushed back the heavy drapes and peered out into his heavily wooded backyard. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  She laughed. “Like any of this does? Like my power to read minds does? Like you being a shape shifter does?”

  The phone ringing startled both of them, the sound as loud as a bullet in the room. Haden snatched up the receiver on his bedside table. He pictured Daniel the minute he heard the voice, so Kitty guessed it was the sheriff checking up on her.

  “No, I’m pretty sure she’s not going to press charges for car theft. Do you want to talk to her?” Haden abruptly handed her the phone.

  “Hey, Sheriff. Yes, he’s a scoundrel, but no, I’m not going to press charges. Yes, I’ll kill him if he jumps bail. Seriously. No worries. Thanks.” She hung up, a bit of a smile on her face. Daniel was one funny man.

  “Like you could stop me,” Haden huffed.

  She put on her best don’t-try-me-boy expression and finally drew a smile out of Mr. Grump.

  “I’m beyond starving. Breakfast?”

  She nodded and followed him to the kitchen. He cracked a dozen eggs into a huge skillet, added a touch of milk, and scrambled them before shredding some aged cheese on top. “What do you want to ask me?”

  Kitty bit her thumbnail. “What makes you think I want to ask you anything?”

  “Because it’s like you’re drilling a hole in my back.”

  She sighed and gave in to her curiosity. “How long have you been this way?”

  “Since I was a teen.” He once again pictured the mirror before him as he sprouted fur and fangs. “But I think I was born with it. The changes started with puberty. I didn’t catch it or get bitten or anything like that.”

  “But you were adopted, right?”

  “Right.”

  “So are there others like you?”

  Haden sighed heavily as he deposited a portion of the eggs onto Kitty’s plate while keeping most of them for himself. He poured them each some OJ and set the coffee pot to percolating. “Not that I know of.”

  “There have to be. Wolves have packs.”

  “I don’t.”

  “I bet you do somewhere.” She dug into the eggs.

  “I’ve looked.” He tried to maintain the veneer of civility, but he was ravenous. He practically inhaled the eggs, then threw half a pound of bacon onto the skillet. He always ate a lot on the days in between changes, usually raw or very rare meat like pork, venison, or lamb. That was part of the reason he couldn’t go into work even in his human form. The animal was too close to the surface.

  He went on with his story. “I’ve researched as much as I could on the Net and in the old libraries of Europe. There are lots of references, lots of myth and legends, plenty of pure fiction, but nothing that said, ‘Here we are, your pack.’ Maybe I just don’t have the knowledge to delve deep enough, but I couldn’t hire a private detective with my background.”

  “We’ll find them, right after we solve Leslie’s murder. No problem.”

  He shook his head at the insanely naïve and very confident woman. “You always amaze me.”

  She smiled. “Give me some bacon, and let me see if I got this straight.” He dumped a couple of slices onto her plate. “You change on the nights of the full moon. How many nights?”

  “Three.”

  “Why three?”

  He shrugged. “The pull seems strongest.”

  “And you lock yourself up. Have you always done that?”

  “Pretty much. I woke up in the middle of the woods once, naked, and that was enough.” He didn’t want to think about that embarrassing scene since Kitty would likely pick up on it, so he shoved some bacon in his mouth and thought of the first place he’d used as his hideout. It was in the woods outside of Wolf’s Crossing in an area that he thought was technically owned by the Langtree family, but that everyone used during hunting season and for hiking and picnics. There was an old cabin, which had proved to be the perfect spot.

  “Does anyone else know?”

  “No.” Geez, he’d said that a little more brusquely than he’d meant to.

  “You didn’t even tell Leslie?”

  “No one knows…except you.”

  Kitty sat back. “You make that sound a bit ominous. Planning to eat me to eliminate the witness?”

  “Jesus Christ.” He jumped up, really upset that she might think that about him, but then he saw her lip tremble. She was laughing. “Goddamnit!” He sat back down, relaxed a little, and pretended to think about it. “You know, that might be a damn good idea. Then I won’t feel so damn hungry anymore. Two birds with one stone.”

  Her eyes twinkled. “What else do you have to eat?”

  He threw on some sausages in the pan next and poured them each a cup of coffee.

  “So you need to be here for two more nights, right?” He nodded. “Then we should go back up to Wolf’s Crossing, so we can interview people. We’ve got a killer to catch.”

  “Kitty…”

  “I can read minds, remember? You’re not banging your head against the same wall, trying to find evidence. We’ll figure it out, and we’ll prove it, I guarantee.”

  “But you have your own life to lead.” And she’d be safer all around if she didn’t involve herself in his mess.

  “My life’s not very exciting, anyway.”

  * * * * *

  Kitty spent the next day getting her store back in shipshape. Marsha had been a lifesaver, but she wasn’t management material. She’d fallen for Gina’s “picture Roger swelling” excuse out of camaraderie and had let Matt call in sick one day, without reminding him that he’d already had the chicken pox once that year, so the shelves were in chaos, and the receipts and paperwork would take days to organize. She’d also promised to look in on the pub. Haden had glossed over his reasons for avoiding work when he didn’t change until nightfall, so it was definitely something she’d have to grill him on later. She wanted to know all about this were thing since she had one for a boyfriend.

  She was really looking forward to tonight, though, going home to Fergie, spending some time completely alone. She needed to think, and she couldn’t seem to manage that anywhere else. Sometimes her life just seemed to get sucked up in other people’s issues. Was she doing that with Haden, too? Even if she was, she couldn’t desert him now. He needed someone on his side.

  With that thought, she ambled into the pub and sat down at the bar.

  “It’s a bit early for a drink,” Emilio said pleasantly. “How’s the boss man?”

  “He’s okay. I’ll just have a Coke, then I have to get back to work. How is everything going here?”

  Between what he actually said and what he thought, things were running fairly smoothly, but he had the feeling deposits were piling up. Angelica was competent, but she was also a basket case. He really didn’t know what was up with her, but something was
n’t quite right.

  When Kitty finished her drink, she decided to ask to see Angelica, see if she needed any messages passed onto Haden. Emilio let her into the back, and she met the assistant manager halfway down the hall.

  “Why would I need you to pass on a message? I hear he’s out, and I’m perfectly capable of picking up the phone.”

  Does she know what I did? I’ll be fired. I can’t be fired. I like this job, and I’m good at it. Why did Richard have to use me like this? I wouldn’t have done it if I’d known. And when is he coming back to town, anyway? He didn’t even call today. I need him to punish me for doubting him. I need him to make this all make sense again. And the face she pictured sitting across from her pouring wine was Richie Rich. That explained a lot.

  Back at her store, she called Gina and Matt both in.

  “Okay, either you two don’t want your jobs anymore, or you’re going to fix this mess the way you know it’s supposed to be done.” She gestured at the shelves and knew from their thoughts and their expressions that they understood exactly what she referred to. “I’ve got to go out again. I’ll be back before close, and I expect to see a spotless store.” She rarely used her “boss” persona, but when she did, the teens knew she meant business.

  And now she knew who to investigate for Haden’s case. But where to begin?

  * * * * *

  Richard couldn’t believe his eyes. The woman sat under a tree talking to his roommate. He watched her lips and imagined that he had the super hearing of a wolf, but he still couldn’t make out what she said. The moon made him weak. Of course it did. Every month, he needed to remind himself of that, but he’d been so shocked to see Brother’s woman here on campus. He studied her profile and imagined her as a blonde. She might do, but he preferred Angelica. She looked more like precious Leslie, and she was so obedient and so beautiful twined with ropes. Pure art. The purest.

  He followed the woman as she left his roommate. She walked along a familiar path to one of his classrooms, but instead of going in, she waited for the professor to appear. She spoke to him as well. Why was she here? Why was she talking to his colleagues?

  Brother had sent her! Of course.

  Richard played with the short length of cord in his pocket. It was the end piece of the design he’d created on his angel last night. He needed to do something, but what?

  * * * * *

  The wolf stared at her sleeping form. This was the third night she’d waited for daybreak with him. She didn’t mind curling up on the floor with a pillow in the small room. He sniffed the air and smelled the dog. He was familiar too. Why did she come to see the wolf? She could wait until morning and be with the man instead, but she spent time with both of them.

  * * * * *

  “I’m sorry. I think Richie’s gone to Roanoke for the day,” Mrs. Baker said with a friendly receptionist smile.

  Mayor Langtree’s receptionist sat behind a large wood desk topped with a blotter, neatly stacked papers, and a notebook computer, her mind multitasking at a frenetic pace. Kitty tried to match the impersonal friendliness of the professional, but was sure she failed miserably. At least she’d talked Haden into staying with the car. Two weeks had passed since his release, so the town seemed a bit calmer about the whole thing, but better to not risk making the interviewees nervous.

  Two frustrating weeks of getting no closer to proving Haden’s innocence had passed, though Kitty had learned far more about Angelica and Richard’s love life than she ever wanted to know. The two were into Dominance and submission with some bondage, and Kitty was pretty certain Richard had used Angelica to plant the evidence against Haden ‑‑ a lock of Leslie’s hair ‑‑ but they had no way of proving that. So now they were back in Wolf’s Crossing, because Richard had supposedly returned home for a bit.

  “Mrs. Baker, is that…?” Mayor Langtree peeked his head out of his office, spotted Kitty, and stopped speaking. Apparently, seeing Kitty answered his question. He walked up to her, arms held stiffly at his sides. “And what may I do for you, young lady?”

  That man has put Ellie through hell. Doesn’t he realize that? He should’ve stayed hidden. Seeing him convicted’s going to kill her. The mayor was picturing Haden sitting in the car out front. He’d obviously spotted him before coming out here.

  “I was looking for Richard, actually,” Kitty said.

  “And what has he to do with you? Are you one of his friends from U of R?” I doubt it. She’s not dressed well enough, and she’s hanging out with him.

  “Oh, is that where he goes? University of Richmond? That must be why he looked familiar. He probably comes into my store.” She pasted a friendly, innocent smile on her face. She’d spoken to his roommate at the university and learned that Richard tended to party hard and that he was popular because he often provided the alcohol. His professors found him a little conceited, with a tendency to take the lazy way out, but he got his work done and kept his grades up.

  “He’s a grad student there,” Mrs. Baker supplied, obviously proud of him. She pictured him as a little boy with a scraped knee and a tear-stained face, comparing that with the image of him receiving his bachelor’s degree.

  The mayor glared at his employee. He didn’t trust this young lady because of who she associated with, pure and simple. “Your store?” he asked politely.

  “I own a movie rental store right down the road from UR.”

  “Is that how you know the Blackthorne boy?” He again pictured Haden’s mother, but at a much younger age. She wore a leotard and leg warmers and carried a bag on her shoulder, like she was heading to a workout.

  “Yes, his pub just opened next to my store.”

  “Aren’t you leaving your store unattended?”

  “Oh, it’s in good hands. Thanks for your concern.”

  “What do you want with Richard?”

  “Just that, actually. He looked familiar, and I was trying to place him. Haden knew who he was, but not why I would know him.”

  The pub is near UR? Did Richie know? Did he call the police? If Ellie finds out…

  “You mean Aidan, don’t you? The murderer?” God, if Ellie heard him say that, she’d have his balls, but he needed this woman to leave his office.

  Kitty scowled. She wanted to preach about innocent until proven guilty, but in this town that didn’t matter, especially since Haden had run the first time, and he couldn’t exactly explain why. “Well, thank you for your time. Perhaps I’ll run into Richard later.”

  * * * * *

  Back in the car, Kitty turned to Haden and asked, “Did the mayor date your mom?”

  “Huh?” He hated waiting in the damn car, letting his lover do his dirty work. Unfortunately, no one in this town wanted to talk to him, and he needed the information. Still, it made him feel damned impotent.

  “Is your mom’s first name Ellie?”

  What did his mom have to do with anything? “Yeah, short for Eleanor. Why?”

  “And did she date the mayor?”

  His mom date Richie Rich’s dad? No way in hell. “No. Mom and Dad were high school sweethearts who married right after graduation.” Like he’d planned to do with Leslie, until he’d realized he couldn’t marry her because of his secret.

  Kitty’s scent had taken on a nervous quality. “What year did they marry?”

  Haden paused, mentally reviewing the calendar. “Nineteen sixty-seven…I think.”

  “Okay.” She paused. “No, not okay.”

  “What?” Maybe he didn’t want to know. “Spill it.”

  “It’s just that he was picturing your mom in clothes that had to be eighties. He kept referring to her as Ellie, and he was thinking about her a lot while I was standing in the office. And at the diner, your mom really noticed him when he came in, even with all the other stuff going on.”

  “He is the mayor. Mom doesn’t hang out with important people like that, so of course, she noticed him. And I can’t see how this has a thing to do with Leslie.”

 
“Nothing to do with Leslie as far as I can tell, but I don’t know…” Kit sighed. “Richard’s in Roanoke apparently. I doubt it would help our cause to follow him there.”

  “What next, Sherlock?”

  Kitty sat in silent contemplation for a few moments, while Haden scowled up at the mayor’s office.

  “Did Leslie have a best friend?”

  “Me.”

  “I mean a girlfriend, someone she would’ve confided in.”

  He wanted to say that she always confided in him, but he knew what Kit meant ‑‑ someone she might’ve told secrets to that she couldn’t tell him. He thought back to their high school gang. Daniel, Joe Claigan, and Bob Moran had been his best buds, but what about the girls? There was that mousy one…what was her name? Carol, that was it, but he doubted Leslie would’ve confided in her. Then there was Virginia Moran, Bob’s sister, who was two years younger. Would they have hung out after graduation, though? Probably not.

  Haden had disappointed Leslie by not asking her to marry him that summer after high school ended, but it was after he graduated from Northwestern and still didn’t offer her a ring that their relationship strained almost to breaking. He’d had the feeling she was keeping secrets from him, and he was keeping them from her, so why not? Neither one of them was working in the fields they’d studied. It was like they were holding each other back by hanging onto old patterns. She’d worked at the hair salon then, and there was one coworker she’d mentioned a lot.

  “Maybe Wanda Leg.”

  “Wanda Leg?”

  “Well, I think her last name was actually Legmueller, but she told all her clients at the salon to ask for Wanda Leg.”

  “So maybe we can still find her at this salon?”

  “It’s been a lot of years, but some people don’t change, do they?”

  “Nope, but that might work out in our favor.”

  * * * * *

  “Why here?” Angelica asked, a bit cranky from the long drive, especially when she found herself at a cheap motel that looked exactly the same as several motels in Richmond. She’d kind of hoped that he might invite her home with him to meet his parents.

  “My angel, I need to do something to put your boss in jail for good, something that will convince a jury absolutely that he is the guilty party.” He slipped on a pair of latex gloves. “I’ve been thinking about it for some time, and I finally came up with the perfect plan.”