by Erin Wade
“Where’s Caz?” Lori asked.
“Watching over Eden. Tell me about your headless body.”
“It’s a body dump. I’m guessing it’s the fellow you and Caz killed when he attacked you and Eden on the road last week. It looks like someone collected the pieces and dumped them on the other side of town so it wouldn’t trace back to the country club.”
“Blood type?”
“Same as the others,” Lori murmured.
“There must be a pack in the area.”
Lori nodded without saying a word.
“Why are they killing off the Daye family?” Darke wondered out loud.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Lori rolled her eyes. “You’re the expert on nightmares.”
“Please do an in-depth background check on Carter Winthrop,” Darke said.
“He’s a spoiled rich guy,” Lori said.
“That’s not a crime,” Darke pointed out, “but I think he may be up to something. I’ve cautioned Eden about him, but she refuses to listen.”
“She’s drop-dead gorgeous and very immature,” Lori said. “She’s been catered to all her life. After losing her father and sister, I’m sure she’s scared to death.”
“She’s also stubborn as hell,” Darke added.
“We still haven’t found Sharon Daye … or what’s left of her,” Lori said. “Maybe you and Caz could do some sniffing around. No pun intended.”
“Hmm.” Darke chortled. “Can you take Eden into police headquarters while Caz and I hunt for Sharon? I’m afraid to leave her unprotected.”
“Sure, I’ll think of some reason to drag her in.”
“Find out all you can about Michael Abram. Eden said he’s her family accountant. It seems the Daye fortune disappeared after the death of her father. I want to know why.
“Get a subpoena and be standing by Monday,” Darke instructed. “We’re unleashing everything we have in our arsenal.”
Lori raised a surprised eyebrow. “Even the wolf?”
“Especially the wolf.” If Darke’s twisted smile was any indication, they’d need to break out extra body bags.
##
Darke walked Lori to her car and closed the car door as Carter skidded his Maserati to a stop. Lori rolled down her window.
“I’m glad to see you have a woman in your life besides mine,” Carter snarled as he walked past.
“Snotty little prick,” Darke said under her breath.
“Temper,” Lori warned her. “We both know what happens when you lose your temper.”
“That hasn’t happened in a long time,” Darke said.
“It’s been a long time since you’ve been attracted to a woman,” Lori said as she put her car in gear.
Caz tugged at Darke’s hand. “Trouble inside?” Darke scowled.
She entered the house to hear an angry argument going on between Eden and Carter.
“Carter, I told you I don’t want to get married until I finish college,” Eden said, her voice an octave higher than usual.
“Eden, you could go to college here. There’s no good reason for you to return to Austin. We could be together.”
Eden’s stubbornness kicked in. “It’s what I want! I want to graduate from the University of Texas in Austin, not Arlington. My entire family has graduated from UT Austin.”
“Whatever makes you happy,” Carter mumbled. “Let’s not argue. Let’s go boating.”
“I’m not sure my stomach could take a day of boating. Can we plan it for next Sunday?”
“Sure.” Carter shrugged. “Myron and I might go out anyway.”
Eden nodded her approval.
##
The door chimes echoed throughout the house. “Who could be visiting us so early on a Monday morning?” Margaret grumbled as she placed the coffee carafe on the table next to Darke and walked toward the front of the house. She returned a minute later with Lori in tow.
“They’re having breakfast,” Margaret said. “May I set a place for you?”
“No, just coffee, please.” Lori took the seat next to Darke.
“Are you the bearer of bad news?” Eden asked.
“Not really,” Lori said with a grimace. “I just need you to come down to the station to look at some photos we’ve assembled.”
“Photos?” Eden said, wide-eyed. “I doubt you’ll have any photos of the monster that abducted my sister.”
“You might be surprised at what we have in our repertoire,” Lori said as she poured cream into her cup. “We have things that will amaze and terrify you.”
“Just what I need,” Eden grumbled. “Darke, are you coming with me?”
“No, you’ll be safe with Lori,” Darke said. “It’ll give me a chance to check on things at my place and take care of some personal business.”
Eden pierced Darke with a suspicious gaze. “I’m sure you have several personal things that need your attention.”
“Why don’t you ride to the station with Lori, and I’ll pick you up when you’re finished? Maybe we can go out to dinner.”
Eden agreed.
##
Darke stroked Caz’s fur as she watched Lori’s car pull out of sight. “Come on, girl. Let’s see if we can pick up a scent.”
Caz followed her into the garden, and the two of them began to sniff around the area where Sharon had been when the thing jumped the wall and carried her away.
It wasn’t long before Caz began to whine. “I smell it too,” Darke whispered. They circled the wall and walked to the point where the thing would have landed. Whimpering, Caz set off across the open meadow toward the forest with Darke on her heels.
Once they reached the wooded area, Caz ran faster, her nose to the ground, weaving in and out among the trees. Darke stayed right beside her. The scent was getting stronger.
They exited the woods and looked around. They were in a huge landfill. It had been covered with dirt and worked until it almost looked like a mountain. The smells emanating from the landfill overpowered the scent they had followed for two hours.
Darke looked around her as Caz ran back and forth in search of the scent they needed to follow. Suddenly, the wolf growled and took off.
“Good girl,” Darke said as she caught up with the animal.
Darke motioned for Caz to slow down as the scent became overpowering. “It’s here,” she whispered. “Its lair is close.”
Darke dropped to her knees as she searched the landfill for evidence of a cave. She saw nothing. She crawled forward, sniffing the air. A movement caught her eye.
“Over there, Caz,” she whispered.
They watched in silence as an enormous wolf dragged a calf toward a mound and disappeared into the bowels of the landfill. The hair stood up on the back of Darke and Caz’s necks.
She’s a monster, Darke thought. She knew from Caz’s low growl that the wolf was attuned to her thoughts. We need to get a look in that cave. There may be more of them. She’s probably dragging that calf to a litter of pups.
Caz licked her hand and began to back away from the landfill. Of course, you’re right, Darke thought. We shouldn’t engage them until we know what we’re dealing with. We’ll return tonight. There will be a full moon.
##
Darke clicked the landfill’s location into her phone’s GPS. Just in case something happens to us.
Margaret met them as they entered the back door of the house. “Agent Knight … My God, what is that smell? Where have you been?”
“We got lost,” Darke said. “I don’t know where we were. We ended up in a foul-smelling place. I’m going to shower and give Caz a bath. Come on, girl”
“I’ll leave a trash bag outside your door. Put your clothes in it. I’ll wash them.” Margaret walked away mumbling and shaking her head.
Darke turned on the shower and stripped. “Come on, Caz. You can shower with me.”
Caz stood patiently as Darke lathered her and then rinsed her. She pulled a towel from the rack and dried Caz, wrest
ling with her as they played. “Go now,” she whispered. “I’ve got to shower. Don’t go near that landfill without me. Understand?”
Caz licked her hand and trotted out of the room.
Darke’s worst suspicions had been confirmed. She closed her eyes as the hot stream of water washed away all evidence of the landfill.
##
“Call Lori,” Darke instructed Tess as they cruised toward the police station.
“Lori, I’ve found their lair,” Darke said when the CSI agent answered the phone. “I’m not certain how many there are, but Caz and I will find out tonight.”
Lori’s voice was low and cautious. “Let me take a tactical team in there, Darke.”
“We can’t,” Darke said. “I’m not being stubborn. It’s all about self-preservation.”
“Damn,” Lori huffed. “Come to my office as soon as you get here.”
“Coming in now,” Darke said.
Lori met Darke as she came through the door. “We need to discuss this with Chief Canton,” she said as they headed for the elevator.
“How’s Eden?” Darke asked. “Did she identify anything?”
“The monsters … but we knew she would. I’ve kept her away from everyone. I don’t want them trying to commit her.”
Darke snorted. “Yeah.”
Darke spent the next hour with Chief Canton, describing where the landfill was and what the wolf looked like. “I’m certain it’s what took Sharon. I’m sure we’ll find her bones in its lair. I don’t know how many there are, but I’m positive it’s from the same pack that killed Eden’s father. I don’t understand why they’re trying to annihilate the entire Daye family.”
“You’ll probably find the answer to that question when you visit with Michael Abram,” Lori said. “He has served time for fraud. He ‘misplaced’ millions of dollars he was handling for various families in New York. When he was released from prison ten years ago, he moved his practice to Texas.
“Let me add my two cents worth to this discussion. I think we should send in a team to wipe them out. We don’t know how many there are, and it’s suicide for Darke and Caz to take them on alone.”
Chief Canton frowned. “Can you and Caz handle this? The fewer people we involve the better off we’ll be.”
“Yeah, we can handle it,” Darke said.
“Darke,”—Canton caught her arm—“please be careful. You’re not just our first line of defense; you’re our only line of defense.”
“We can handle it, Chief.” Darke’s smile wasn’t the confident one Canton was used to seeing.
“Where’s Eden? I promised her dinner tonight.”
##
Darke waited until Eden was seated and then settled into her own place at the table.
“I love rounded booths,” Eden said, scooting close to Darke. “They’re so intimate.”
“Yes, I suppose they can be.” Darke looked at her menu, trying to ignore the effect Eden’s closeness was having on her.
“I’ll have the grilled chicken salad,” Eden said as she handed the waitress her menu. Her other hand rested on Darke’s thigh.
Darke smiled at the waitress. “Prime rib, rare, and a glass of red wine, please.”
“I’ll have wine too.” Eden giggled as if wine were a forbidden fruit.
Darke waited until the waitress walked away before admonishing Eden. “You know you’re too young to order alcohol.”
“Yes, but they never card me.” Eden smirked. “It’s because I’m so mature.”
“Humph!” Darke hid her smile and changed the subject. “Did you find anything in the photos?”
“You knew I would,” Eden said. “If your police photos are any indication, there is a lot to fear in this world. Awful, twisted, malformed humans that look more like animals then people.
“Where did they come from, Darke?”
“No one knows,” Darke whispered.
Eden shuddered. “They showed me photos of grotesque, deformed people. At least I think they were people.”
“Did you see anyone who looked like Sharon’s abductor?”
“Yes. There were several, but I identified the one that took Sharon. I’ll probably have nightmares tonight.” Eden scooted closer to the agent. “What’s going on, Darke? Who are those … what are those things?”
“There are things in the universe that are best left alone.” Darke squinted and shook her head as if trying to dislodge a terrible vision. “Sometimes they surface in our world and we must deal with them.”
“That’s when they call you.” Eden’s voice was flat. “You save us from ‘ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night.’”
##
Darke listened at Eden’s door. If the girl’s shallow, rhythmic breathing was any indication, Eden was sleeping soundly. She padded down the stairs with Caz at her heels. She armed the security system and locked the door behind her.
Once they were away from the house, they picked up the pace. Darke had no problem keeping up with Caz’s long, loping strides.
They stopped when they reached the other side of the woods and surveyed the landfill. A full moon emerged from behind a dark cloud, bathing everything in blue shadows.
We must stay upwind from them. Over there, Darke thought, and Caz swung her muzzle in the direction Darke indicated. Woman and wolf sniffed the air, taking in the scent of their enemy. Darke dropped to the ground and lay on her stomach. Caz did the same. From their vantage point behind a mound of garbage, they watched as a dozen wolves streamed from the cave in the landfill.
An entire pack. Darke read Caz’s thoughts and nodded at the animal. She placed her hand on the dark wolf’s back. They waited as the pack romped and growled. A distant, mournful howl silenced the pack, and they turned their snouts in the direction of the sound.
A low rumble came from the pack as they ran pell-mell toward the howling. Several in the pack answered the howl that echoed from a distance.
Caz and Darke lay motionless until they were certain the pack had disappeared. Then they cautiously approached the lair. They entered the cave slowly, giving their eyes a chance to adjust to the darkness.
The cave was huge. It had passageways leading from the main cavern. A smaller alcove was hollowed out in the side of the spacious main room. Bones of all sizes and species were piled into the anteroom.
A human skull, Darke thought as they approached the bone bed. She picked it up but couldn’t tell if it was male or female. They searched through the bone pile and extracted a femur. A chain was fastened around it, but it slipped from the bone when Darke picked it up. The captive was alive when chained to the wall of the cave. Darke suppressed the fleeting thought that the pack had fed on a live body.
“Lori should be able to work with this,” Darke said out loud.
Caz took the femur and Darke clutched the skull to her as they exited the cave. “They’ll be able to follow our scent,” Darke said. “We must lead them away from Eden’s home.”
The pair ran across the landfill and down the other side. A stench filled Darke’s nostrils as they moved toward the forest. “What is that awful smell?”
Skunk. We need it , Caz thought.
“Let’s chase it down.”
The pair cornered the terrified skunk as it sprayed them profusely.
“Oh God, Caz, if this doesn’t kill our scent, nothing will.” Darke fought to keep from vomiting.
The pair ran through trees, crossed meadows, and swam for more than a mile in a deep stream they came to. “I’m certain nothing could track us,” Darke said, “but I’m also certain Eden will never understand why we smell like this.”
Caz whined and scrubbed her muzzle along the grass. “I know, girl,” Darke muttered, fighting the urge to do the same.
It was almost daylight when Darke pulled her cell phone from her pocket and turned it on to call Lori.
“I have what you need,” Darke said into the phone.
Lori c
huckled. “I never doubted that for a minute.”
“Evidence,” Darke said, almost choking as she caught a whiff of herself. “We have a human skull and a femur. Can you pick us up?”
“Yes. Where are you?” Lori asked as she slid into her jeans.
“We’re at the roadside park south of town on I-35. You should bring a couple of body bags.”
“Body bags? Oh Darke, you didn’t—”
“Kill someone? No, but we did have a close encounter with a skunk.”
“Oh God!” Lori snorted. “Why me?”
A short time later, Lori’s pickup pulled up to the hunters. “In the back,” she said, motioning toward the bed of the pickup. “You’re not sitting on my leather seats. You can clean up at the jail. I doubt Eden will welcome you into her home smelling like you do.”
Darke handed Lori the skull and femur and joined Caz in the bed of the pickup.
##
“I feel almost human,” Darke said as she zipped up the orange jumpsuit Lori had provided.
“That color looks good on you,” Lori teased. “You smell even better.”
“That soap you give prisoners would take their hide off if it stayed on their skin very long.”
Lori shrugged “Strongest antibacterial soap made. You do smell like a linebacker.”
“When will we know something on the bones we discovered?” Darke and Caz followed Lori to her pickup.
“Sometime after lunch. Why don’t I take you and Caz back to Eden’s? She should be awake, and you need to be there,” Lori said as she merged the pickup into traffic.
“Also, I thought you might want to meet with Michael Abram this afternoon. You’ll probably get some answers as to why the Daye family is being annihilated.”
“I thought I’d get some rest,” Darke said. “I’ve been up all night and have run all over the countryside.”
“No rest for the wicked,” Lori said, grinning.
A few minutes later, soft snoring from the back seat make them laugh. Caz was sleeping soundly. “I should’ve gotten into the back with her,” Darke mumbled.
Chapter 9
“Where have you been?” Eden said, hugging Darke the moment she walked in the door with Lori. “I’ve been worried sick about you. Where’s Caz?”
