by Raven Snow
He smiled gently. "You hope that, but you're not sure." Tapping his nose, he said, "It's hard to lie to a werewolf."
"I don't know; I'm a pretty good liar." Wyatt would have rolled his eyes and told me that was nothing to be proud of.
"Can you account for the wolf's whereabouts?" When I was silent, he continued, "Do you even know anything about him?"
"I know he's my dog."
With a sniff, I held Biscuit tighter and started slowly back towards the car. Daniel didn't do anything to stop me, but he trailed us all the way back to the car. The feeling of him at my back wasn't a pleasant one, but I'd wager it was one hundred times better than the feeling of having Boone at it.
When I got into the car with Biscuit, Daniel stopped me before I could close the door. His hand on the frame was gentle but persistent, so I paused, the set of my chin as stubborn as it got.
"Just give me a couple days to prove to you that Biscuit is innocent," I said. "I'll keep him out of trouble in the meantime. Please."
Daniel sighed and stepped back. "Be careful, Harper. You're alright—for a witch."
"I'll be quick, and that'll have to do."
Chapter Four
After everyone had gone to bed that night, Biscuit and I were still up, curled up by the fireplace we rarely used. After I was sure Wyatt was asleep, I stood, brushing the heaps of dog hair off my clothes. Biscuit was still slumped at my feet, so I nudged him a bit forcefully until he woke up.
"Here's how it's gonna go," I said. "Since you can't remember where you go at night, I'm going to follow you around until dawn. Try and eat me, and you'll regret it. I'm tough and bitter."
Biscuit gave off a soft woof and headed for the door. Hopping around on either foot, I forced on my tennis shoes. A dark jacket with a hood went on next, though it wasn't cold. I didn't want anyone—particularly Kosher or Kline—to see me sneaking around in the woods at night. It was all I needed to be locked up for the murder of some tourist.
As soon as we were in the trees, Biscuit started to change. And not back to human. His eyes seemed to glow yellow, and his movements were less awkward. He prowled through the dark like he belonged there. Overall, it was not encouraging for a woman trying to prove his innocence.
I followed him for awhile, setting an easy pace. He seemed content to just walk through the forest, smelling the trees and growling at woodland creatures. Then, about a mile into our walk, a particularly large rabbit stumbled across our path.
The bunny froze, its big eyes looking up at us for a moment. Biscuit rumbled low in his throat, sinking slightly into a crouch. The next second, the bunny was off, and Biscuit was running after it at full throttle.
I sprinted after the two, but I was soon left behind, panting. The woods didn't seem as quaint when I was alone, and I felt a shudder go through me as an owl hooted in the distance. Trying to stick to the direction Biscuit had taken off in, I tried calling for him. The sound of my voice was too loud, though, and I stopped almost immediately after I'd started.
A stick cracked behind me, and I spun, hand going to my throat. An eerie since of deja vu overcame me, almost making it impossible to speak.
"Bi—biscuit?" I croaked out.
A wolf emerged from the shadows, but it wasn't Biscuit. This wolf had flat grey hair, a large, muscular body, and a killer's gaze. He was carrying a mutilated piece of deer in his mouth, but his eyes were squarely on me.
Like with Biscuit, a bunny shot by the wolf. Unlike with Biscuit, the wolf caught the animal in its mighty jaw before it could go more than a few feet. Then, without taking its large, yellow eyes off of me, he tore into the animal. The bunny squealed and screeched, and I kept waiting for it to die, but the wolf seemed to know exactly where to attack to keep that from happening.
Cold sweat ran down my back as I watched. I tried to will myself to run, to scream, to do anything, but I was frozen where I was. It was all I could do to watch what the wolf was doing to that bunny, keep its eye contact. I wasn't sure how, but I knew looking away would spell death.
Finally, the wolf seemed to grow bored with the poor animal, and it took its head off with one, vicious bite, making me flinch. Its eyes followed that movement, relishing in it. Dropping the rest of the animal, it stood, doing the same crouch that Biscuit had.
"Good doggie," I said, trying to stop my trembling. "What would your alpha say if you ate me, Boone?"
He made a show of looking around as if to say, "is he here now?"
"I'm sure Daniel will appreciate that logic."
He gave me a wolfish grin that I was sure was the last thing I'd even seen. Then, he lied down, shocking me to my core. Boone was still watching me, hungrily too, but as I edged away, he made no movements to follow me.
Turning on my heel, I ran out of the forest as fast as my long legs could take me, not looking back even when I was sure I could feel hot breath on the back of my neck. When I finally did glance back as I broke the tree line, no one was there. I couldn't see another soul for miles, not even Biscuit.
Heaving, I sat down on a rock, my body shaking. "Glad I promised to be quick."
______
"Bad dog," I told Biscuit, letting him in after my men folk had left for work and school. "Very bad dog. Now, change into a very bad human."
I decided not to watch this time, though the sight of it would be forever burned into my memory anyway. After getting Biscuit some clothes, we sat at the table, drinking tea. It was so ridiculously normal that I found myself giggling at odd moments. I was having tea with my dog.
"Do you remember what you did last night?"
He shook his head. "I did wake up with the taste of rabbit in my mouth, though."
"Better bunny than people, I guess. Anything else?"
"You weren't there." Shifting uncomfortably, Biscuit said, "I guess I lost you last night."
"Hey, maybe you should be the detective." I leaned forward, experiencing a rare moment of seriousness. "You didn't run into any other werewolves last night, did you?"
His eyes widened. "I don't think so. There's no unexplained holes in me, anyway."
I sat back. "Well, that's something, anyway."
"Did you?"
I explained to him about the pack that had rolled into town. He'd already met Daniel, but I gave him a brief description of everyone in the pack and a detailed one of Boone. He got paler with every word I spoke, so I guessed I wasn't wrong about packs being territorial.
"Stay away from Boone—the grey wolf," I said. "I don't think Daniel has complete control over him."
He thrust his chin out stubbornly, which surprised me. Biscuit hadn't stood up to me in the entire time I'd known him.
"I'll stay away from him if he stays away from you." He growled low in his throat like when he went after that bunny.
I patted him on the head, ruining his intimidation factor. "That's sweet, but you're my dog. It's my job to protect you."
Frowning, he shook his head. "No, you are one of my humans—my pack. I'll do the protecting."
"Maybe I ought to send you after my mother-in-law."
I told Biscuit to change back, and we headed out to meet Vic at one of the Chinese buffets for lunch. We loaded up on the wantons and eggrolls, but I wasn't brave enough to touch the rice. It was the color and consistency of cement.
"You've got another handsome man in your house," Vic screeched after I told her about Biscuit, sounding a lot like the rabbit from last night. "Nothing about my life is fair."
"Pipe down," I said, looking around to make sure we weren't overhead. "I wouldn't exactly call him handsome."
"But he's a werewolf, right?"
"Right."
"Then, he's hot."
I put my head down on the faintly sticky table, resisting the urge to bang it. "This case has got me stumped, Vic."
"Maybe because it's werewolves," she said, food falling from her open mouth. "Take that away, and what have we got?"
"Victim in the woods," I said slowly. “N
aked—"
"And covered in trace elements of motor oil," Vic said.
"Since when?"
"Since Kosher told me five minutes ago when he got the report back from the M.E."
My best friend seemed to be getting a lot out of Kosher. I let that go for a moment. "Fine. Covered in motor oil and missing his credit cards."
"Money seems to be the motivator," Vic said.
"And money brings us back to werewolves." We feel silent for a moment while the waitress refilled our drinks. "Who else in town can kill like a wild animal, is covered in motor oil, and needs the money?"
"That actually describes a lot of Waresville."
She got a laugh out of me, which had probably been her intention. "Daniel already confirmed that it was a werewolf kill."
"Where does that leave us?"
I sat back, putting my hands on my full belly. "My best guess is Boone. He's about as homicidal as it gets. But I don't have jack on him. Except for the fur found on the victim being the same color as his, and that's hardly convicting evidence."
"Do you have something on anybody?"
I hesitated. "Butch works at the local garage."
Vic sprang from her seat, ready to go. "The motor oil!"
After that, it was either tag along or get left behind. Vic pushed her little sedan to speeds I didn't know it could reach. I held onto the handle the whole time, praying to gods I didn't believe in.
When we got to the garage, it was mostly deserted. The owner's car was missing, and a couple of bikes were the only vehicles to be found in the parking lot. We snuck around back where we found an open door into the garage. The two of us hunkered down by it, listening.
"What am I supposed to do? Walk around this sorry town?" a female voice asked.
Vic looked at me, and I mouthed "Felly."
"Put in more hours at that bar you're waitressing at," Butch grunted. He sounded like he was working on something. "You'll get no sympathy from me."
"The replacement piece is overpriced. We can't all have your limitless cash flow."
The rest of their conversation faded out for a few minutes. I was starting to get bored when I heard footsteps coming towards us. Vic and I sprang up, trying to look inconspicuous while Felly walked through the door.
She stopped short, staring at the two of us in surprise. "Er—hello."
"Just here to see about my grandma's car," I said, breezing past her.
"Yeah, me too," Vic squeaked as she ran after me. I rolled my eyes. Felly was the least of our worries.
Butch stiffened when he saw her, tightening a bolt on an old engine so tightly it snapped clean off. "You brought another one with you," he said distastefully, eyeing Vic. "This is a garage, not a beauty parlor."
"I'm going to let that go," I said, "because you seem like you've had a hard day."
"You could make it better by leaving."
"No can do," I said. "I need a quote on my grandmother's car."
He shot me a perceptive glance. "More than you can afford."
I sighed. Add that to the list of worries I was making. Gran didn't leave the house much, but when she did, she hardly ever went by broom. If the car was a lost cause, she was going to fry me on a skillet and then bake me in an oven for good measure. Gran likes her victim's meat to be tender.
"How much to fix it? Seriously."
He told me, and Vic almost had to give me CPR. After that, I wasn't much interested in interrogating him on where he got all his money. I knew Tony didn't pay worth a damn—Jeb used to work for him before I made him quit, telling him he was worth more.
Vic dropped me off at the restaurant, so I could get my bug and swing by Cooper's school in time to pick him up. Well, almost. By the time I got there, Cooper was the lone student in the parking lot, and he'd finished almost all of his history report while waiting for me.
"I'm a crappy guardian," I told him.
"You're alright. Maybe if you fed me something besides pizza every now and again."
"It'll never happen."
Wyatt wasn't at home and neither was Biscuit. Their disappearance had me tapping my foot in aggravation. Didn't these people realize I needed to be fed every three hours? I was a growing girl, after all.
Deciding to distract Cooper a bit to feel better, I shut his bedroom door loudly behind me and asked, "Where's your father?"
He shot me a look over the encyclopedia he was reading. "Shouldn't you know?"
"I should've asked for a tracking chip instead of a ring."
He went back to reading. "If you don't mind, I'm trying to learn about the constellations."
"Oh, that'll get you hired," I said, pulling the blanket off him and throwing one of his shoes at his book. "And as a matter of fact, I do mind. We're going out."
"Out where?"
"Out there." I pointed out the window to the beautiful sunny day outside. There were birds chirping, children playing in their front lawns, and the sky was an unending shade of blue.
Cooper raised his eyebrows skeptically. He knew me so well.
"Okay, so not out there. The out I was thinking of is really just an in somewhere else. Say, the Funky Wheel. But it's still getting you out of the house, which is good for your health."
"You want me to do manual labor, don't you?"
"That's also good for your health."
Chapter Five
Since we still couldn't find Biscuit, Cooper and I went to the Wheel alone after stopping for cleaning supplies on the way. The lady at the cashier stand just stared at me, dumb stricken, during the purchase. Apparently, the whole town thought I never cleaned the place.
They'd be right, but still.
I sent Cooper to work on the men's bathroom, the one that smelled like weed. It was the same one we'd cleaned together when we'd first met. Back then, Wyatt and I hadn't been dating, and I didn't know he was Wyatt's son. Cooper had just been a dorky kid on a field trip, who followed me around so much I put him to work.
"You know," Cooper said from the bathroom. "My dad says that marijuana will turn your brain to mush."
Almost two years later, and he was still a smart ass.
"Your father shouldn't knock it ‘til he tries it. Besides, Stoner Stan is responsible for that bathroom."
I went to work on moving the equipment out of the concession area. The filth on the machines was unbelievable, but the filth of the floor was truly disgusting. Almost gag worthy, and I grew up in the not-so-nice part of Miami.
"Is that a waffle?" Cooper asked over my shoulder. "I didn't think you sold waffles. Why is it green? Did it just move?"
"Maybe. We don't. Nature. And yes, yes it did." I stood, inching back from the moving, green waffle. "Let's go a couple blocks down for dinner. We should be safe there."
The two of us made a hasty retreat from the Funky Wheel. We'd lost the battle but not the war, so we headed down to a noodle place for a brief intermission. On the way there, I saw a familiar face coming down the street, and I pulled Cooper into a dark alley.
"What's this?" he asked, looking around wildly.
My lips twitched, but my eyes were still on Felly's advancing form. "What, never spent any time in an alley? This is my childhood right here."
Instead of walking right past us, so I could see where she was going like I planned, Felly stopped right in front of our hiding spot, raising her eyebrows. It was then that I remembered about werewolf hearing and smell. Cheeks heating, Cooper and I came out of hiding.
"Nice weather we're having," I said, scuffing my shoe against the cement.
Felly actually laughed, her eyes watering. "Subtle. It's actually pretty warm for me; it's colder where I'm from." A bunch of giggling teenagers passed us on the sidewalk. "Less people, too."
"Siberia?"
"Close. Any reason why you were trying to sneak up on me?" Her hands went to her diamond necklace.
"Mostly just habit," I said honestly. "Sorry."
She shrugged and was on her way, leaving Cooper an
d I still standing in the alley.
"I'm hungry," he said after a silent moment.
And that was that.
______
I rolled off the bed in the middle of the night, the fall waking me from a frightful sleep. In my dreams, yellow eyes had followed me no matter where I ran. A shudder went through me, and I fought the urge to turn on the light. Wyatt was still asleep, after all. No need to ruin it for him.
Knowing sleep wasn't in the cards for me, I wrapped one of Wyatt's robes around me and went down to the kitchen. Waresville was still silent and dark in the hours right before dawn. Up and down the street, not a creature was stirring, not even an accountant. Just me, the sudden insomniac.
If sleuthing was going to cost me my beauty sleep, I might have to rethink the profession.
Helping myself to a bowl of the chocolate cereal I never eat, I peered out the window, trying to spot Biscuit's bulking figure outside. I knew without looking that he'd gotten out of the bathroom and somehow out of the house again. Though I tried to hold on to my anger about it in the morning, he always seemed too sincerely sorry for that to work. Call me a sucker, but I don't think Biscuit knew how he was doing it.
We could add it to the long list of things Biscuit didn't know. If this kept up, I might have to get a binder.
The cereal did nothing to wake me up and just served to upset my stomach. Grimacing, I grabbed for my tea bags at the back of the cupboard and came up empty. Heading into the laundry room, I didn't turn on the light. I could find where we kept the tea blindfolded.
Unfortunately, the lay of the land had changed since we got a dog. I tripped over something soft and went plummeting head first into the supplies. Canisters and boxes and jars crashed to the ground—some hitting my head before reaching their final destination. After everything was silent again, I lied there, swearing a blue streak so long that it could have made the most experienced prostitute blush.
After I was done with my power words, I sat up, reaching blindly for the thing that had tripped me. My fingers collided with something fuzzy and plush. Rolling my eyes, I realized I'd tripped over a dog bed. If that didn't perfectly describe my luck, I didn't know what would.
