by Terry Spear
“Go to hell,” Angelina spat.
“Whoever your mastermind is will kill you. Seems a shame you’ll die and the murderer will get away with not only eliminating your spiteful hide, but abscond with the money.”
Angelina glowered at her, the flecks of gold in her amber eyes like burning embers.
“Who’s your accomplice? Who tried to kill you?”
Angelina crinkled the bed linens in her good hand. “I don’t know who it is. Ritka dealt with him.”
Lelandi’s heart missed a beat. “But it’s a he?”
“Yes. He orchestrated the whole setup. At least I’m pretty sure it’s a he.” Angelina glowered. “Your sister was despicably weak. We all knew it. She should never have been the pack leader’s bitch.”
Lelandi opened her mouth to retort, but Darien entered the room and shook his head at her, his look dark, but sympathetic. “Let my men and me question her, Lelandi.” He ran his hand over her shoulder and down her arm, taking hold of her hand and kissing it. “Silva wants to talk to you at the nurse’s station.”
Lelandi kissed Darien’s cheek, and quickly wiped away a tear rolling down hers. “She admitted to blackmailing Larissa. Another orchestrated the whole sorry affair. She said Joe stole the silver from the mine.” Before she gave in to her darker wolf instincts and broke Angelina’s other arm for good measure, Lelandi stormed out of the room.
Standing beside Peter, Sam growled. “I was supposed to be watching you.”
“Peter had the job. I’m going to speak to Silva. Right down there. All right?” She glanced down the hall at Carol’s room. Tom guarded her now. “Where did Trevor go?”
“He’s helping the sheriff with the train derailment,” Sam said. “This town’s never going to be the same.”
“You didn’t get any flak, did you?” Lelandi asked Peter.
“No, ma’am.”
Sam ground his teeth. “I did, for not knowing where you were when I called Darien.”
Lelandi smiled at the rough and tumble bartender and patted his shoulder. “You can handle it.” Then she joined Silva at the unmanned nurse’s desk. “Did you find out anything?”
“Nurse Grey said no one was brought in for injuries sustained in a mudslide during the night of the shootings.”
“Which could mean none of the injuries were severe enough to require hospital care.”
“Right. So I checked with the Silver Town Express staff. None were aware of the mudslide, but because of the shootings they had concentrated on that news.”
“What about the guys who have to clear the roads during a storm?”
“My next thought exactly.” Silva waved a slip of paper, showing each of the points she’d checked off. “I called the road-clearing crew supervisor. On the night the gunman shot you, no mudslides had been reported, but several of his crew were searching for you in the woods. All were on call, so if a mudslide had occurred, they would have been notified.”
“What about when Trevor was supposed to be with the sheriff at Hastings Bed and Breakfast and didn’t show up to help in the fight against my red pack?”
“One way to find out.” Silva grabbed the phone off the nurse’s desk and punched in some numbers. She handed the phone to Lelandi.
“Hastings Bed and Breakfast. This is Bertha Hastings. How may I help you?”
“Mrs. Hastings? This is Lelandi. Was Trevor there when the reds came to take me home?”
“The sheriff sent him on an errand. When he didn’t return, Sheridan left some men to watch the reds, and he searched for the deputy. He found him and had him guard the prisoner at the jailhouse.” Mrs. Hastings paused, then added, “Many thought Darien would take Trevor’s sister as his mate, but then he made it clear he was looking for someone outside the pack. Rumors began to circulate that Darien had a dream and the visions changed his mind. Trevor’s sister left Silver Town, joined another pack, and mated with a beta male. Too loyal to the pack, Trevor won’t leave, but he resented Larissa because his sister didn’t share the bed of the alpha pack leader. His position would have been elevated if Darien had taken his sister as his mate. Trevor figured he’d be sheriff when Sheridan retired.”
“Do you think he could have masterminded blackmailing my sister?”
“I doubt it. He might not like that your sister stole Darien’s affections, but he’s not that underhanded. He huffs and puffs and can be disagreeable, but that’s as far as it goes.”
“When the gunman shot Tom, Sam, and me, there had been no mudslide, no injured victims. He said he was taking care of that mess instead of searching for me.”
Mrs. Hastings took a deep breath and exhaled. “Obviously, he’s guilty of a dereliction of his duties. Ask him. Whatever I can do to shed any light on this, please, anytime, call me.”
“I will. Thanks.” Lelandi hung up the phone. “If Trevor was not doing his duty and tried to cover it up, what was he doing?”
The sound of footfalls headed in their direction and they turned. Darien stalked toward them with Jake at his side. Neither looked happy.
Darien slipped his hand around Lelandi’s arm, escorting her in the direction of the front doors while Jake shadowed them. “I’m taking you home.”
“What did Angelina say?”
“She doesn’t know who the mastermind is. Ritka knew, but wouldn’t say. Since Hosstene was my accountant at the factory, she cleared Larissa’s checks without a word to me.”
“If Ritka was the only one dealing with this guy, do you think they had sexual relations?”
“Doc Featherston conducted an autopsy and confirmed she wasn’t a virgin, yet officially, she’d never been mated.”
Lelandi let out her breath. “So he might have been her lover, too. But no male seems to be unduly upset at her passing.” She glanced back at Silva, looking abandoned. “Can Silva come with us?”
“Later. I want her to stay with Carol for now and keep her company. She needs someone to talk to until she can settle into her new life.”
“Hrumpf,” Lelandi said. “She’ll brainwash her.”
Darien stared down at Lelandi as he walked her to his new SUV. “Brainwash her?”
“Sure, tell her that the grays were the first lupus garous.”
Darien laughed. “I’m staying out of this one.”
“Can Trevor guard the house?”
“Carol thinks he’s involved. She told Tom all that she suspected. I have Uncle Sheridan checking Trevor’s story out, and in the meantime, he’s got jailhouse duty.”
“I think he’s being set up. Why not have him guard me, and you can have someone watch him just in case. When you’re not around.”
“What are you up to, Lelandi?” He helped her into the SUV.
“I just want to talk to him.”
Jake climbed into the backseat.
“I was seeing his sister,” Darien said, sounding tired.
“I know.” She took his hand and kissed it. “But then you had a vision. But not exactly a vision.”
“The dream where I first found you. I knew then I had to have you, no other. Trevor was angry, his sister heartbroken. He didn’t care so much about how his sister felt, but that he would have had more leverage with me had I mated her. When Larissa came to Silver Town and we were mated, Annie took off for Green Valley and mated with a gray there. I understand she’s happy and due to have twins in the spring.”
“Do you think Trevor could have been blackmailing Larissa?”
“Anything’s possible.”
Surprised Darien would permit it, Lelandi sat on one of the sofas, waiting for Trevor to join her in the sunroom, ready to question him about his mudslide story. The snow fell steadily outside the windows and a fire blazed in a rock fireplace centered in the room, giving it a homey, comfortable ambience—which didn’t fit the mood of what she was about to do. Trevor’s face couldn’t have been any stonier and his icy glare held her gaze when he stalked into the room. But she steeled her resolve while Jake remained outsid
e within earshot.
“Please, have a seat.”
Not removing his jacket, Trevor shoved his hands in his pockets and ignored her.
Fine. “You lied about the mudslide when Tom and I were shot. You said you were taking care of accident victims.”
Trevor continued to glower at her.
“Deputy, I don’t believe you did anything malicious to contribute to my sister’s death. I know you hated her. That you wanted Darien to marry your sister, hoping she could convince Darien to make you sheriff some day and not Peter.”
“You have no authority questioning me. You’re just Darien’s bitch.”
“Yes. And Larissa was my sister. You’re right. You don’t have to tell me anything. But how long do you think it’ll be before Darien discovers you lied about the mudslide? Do you want to die for someone else’s crime?”
“I was seeing someone,” he mumbled under his breath, his gaze shifting to the fire.
Ohmigod, no wonder he hadn’t been interested in Silva. He was already hung up on someone else. But why keep it a secret? “Someone Darien didn’t approve of?”
Trevor refused to look at her.
“Someone who was already mated?”
He jerked his head around and cast her a chilling glare. “No, damn you. Just because your sister hooked up with three different mates, doesn’t mean any of the rest of us do.”
Needing his cooperation, Lelandi stamped down a hasty response. She hated the shameful way her sister had carried on with another male when she was mated to Darien, yet she couldn’t help feeling Larissa was the victim of her circumstances. If her people had allowed for divorce, she would have been fine. “Then who?”
“You don’t need to know who she is.”
“You’ll need her alibi.”
“Why? Silva was the shooter. Ritka and her friends were the blackmailers.”
“But Silva wasn’t the shooter.”
Trevor’s eyes widened.
“Who was the mastermind who killed Hosstene?”
“You can’t pin that on me. I had nothing to do with it.”
“What happened to you when you were supposed to aid Darien in his fight against my red pack?”
“He had me replace Wilkerson pulling guard duty at the jailhouse. Later, I heard Darien said I was supposed to be at the house protecting you. But no one ever told me. Then here come two blasted reds, taller than any I’ve ever seen. They knock me out, tie me up, and free the prisoner. I’ll tell you another thing, the sheriff told Darien he was looking for me as if he had no idea where I was. Hell, he sent me to the jailhouse.”
Miscommunication? Or was Trevor lying again? “You said there were only six males from the pack who arrived. But there were several more.”
“That’s all I saw. Apparently, more sneaked in without our knowledge.”
“Who told them about the guest room where I was staying? That’s where they entered the second floor.”
“I knew you were staying with Darien by then.”
Lelandi was beginning to wonder about Darien’s uncle. “Did the sheriff know I had moved to Darien’s bedroom?”
“You’d have to ask him.”
Trevor yanked his keys out of his pocket, but before he could leave, Lelandi asked, “What happened to you at the hospital when Ritka and Doc were shot? You were guarding Ural. Or supposed to be. Ritka screamed for you, but you never came.”
The tips of Trevor’s ears reddened. “I don’t need to explain anything more to you.” He stormed out of the sunroom.
Jake immediately peeked in on Lelandi. Assured she was all right, he lifted his phone from his belt and shut the door.
Lelandi took a deep breath. Next, she had to have a word with the sheriff. She was certain that would go over as well as the talk with his deputy. But she had to ask Darien if he knew what had happened to Trevor when Joe killed Doc and Ritka.
An hour later, Darien arrived home and Lelandi, anxious to get an audience with his uncle, dropped the salad fixings in the bowl and hurried to see her mate while Tom was preparing lasagna in the kitchen. She blurted, “Can you arrange for me to speak with Sheridan?”
Tom served up the lasagna and Jake finished the salad and set it on the table, both casting them a sideways glance. She assumed it was a sore subject.
Darien kissed Lelandi’s mouth, then smiled and hugged her tight. “Let’s eat.”
She frowned at the dismissal. “What about your uncle? He might be the key to knowing what Trevor was doing the night he said he was working a mudslide.”
Darien pulled out her chair. “We’ll discuss it later. This afternoon, we’ll have a memorial service for Doc.”
“What about for Ritka?” Tom asked.
Darien cast him an annoyed look like he shouldn’t have mentioned it. “Her family wants a private ceremony. Immediate family only.”
Jake and Tom exchanged glances but neither said a word.
Lelandi hated it when the brothers knew something she didn’t and were bent on keeping it from her. “Okay, so why do they want a private ceremony? Is this done regularly here?”
Back home pack members buried their kind. No one had a simple, family ceremony, although humans were excluded. She assumed humans would come to Doc’s funeral since his work had impacted so many in the community.
“That’s what the family agreed upon,” Darien said casually, giving her a look like he wanted her to leave it at that.
“But it’s not normal. Which means something. Care to speculate?”
“No.”
“It means,” Lelandi said, clenching her teeth, “since Ritka was involved in my sister’s death, her family’s too ashamed to have the pack witness the burial.”
None of them said anything.
“Right?”
“It means the family wanted it. Nothing more to it than that.” Darien’s voice had a warning edge to it.
“Sorry, if I don’t agree.”
Darien let out a harsh breath. “They feel your sister contributed to her death.”
Lelandi’s jaw tightened and she fought tears welling up deep inside.
“They know they can’t exclude you from the funeral without offending me, but they look at you and are reminded of Larissa. So they are having a private funeral. Most likely she was involved in the blackmail. But we have no hard evidence to support this theory.”
Lelandi got up abruptly from the table. “There’s no need. You and the rest of the pack can go. I wouldn’t want to deprive them of their leader’s presence.”
Darien seized her wrist and made her sit back down. “They made their decision. Under the circumstances, it’s best for all concerned.”
Because Ritka was involved in Larissa’s death.
“All right,” she said, “so tell me—when Ritka screamed for Trevor at the hospital, why didn’t he stop Joe?”
Jake and Tom concentrated on their lasagna while Darien placed his fork on his plate and leaned away from the table. “When Joe saw Trevor was guarding Ural, he knocked him out.”
“Really,” Lelandi said, rolling her eyes.
“He had a concussion, Lelandi. So yes, really.”
“And my brother and uncle conveniently got the better of him in the jail. Maybe Trevor needs a different job.”
“Uncle Sheridan counseled him.”
“Hmpf. He needs a heck of a lot more than counseling.”
“As to another matter,” Darien said, “we’ll have a Thanksgiving feast for the pack.”
She figured the feast was a tradition they’d always carried out like so many people did across the States until she saw the questioning glances on his brothers’ faces. “Why?” she asked, because Jake and Tom wouldn’t, and she figured something more had to be up.
“A feast to give thanks that I have a mate. Is that not reason enough?” Darien’s expression was lighthearted, but the façade didn’t hide the darkness brewing beneath the surface.
She offered a smile. “I’m sure everyon
e will enjoy a feast, no matter the reason. Free food puts everyone in good spirits.”
“Where did you want to have this feast?” Jake asked, his voice shadowed. “The civic auditorium? School gym? The tavern, perhaps?”
“Here.” Darien lifted his cup to his lips.
Lelandi suspected the worst. Darien knew who killed her sister, and he needed the majority of the pack together. The feast was the battleground. Or at least the beginning. The battle would take place in the woods, secluded from town, perfect for a fight between wolves.
Her eyes filling with tears, she sat back in her chair. Ever since she’d learned her sister had died, she’d had this overwhelming ache to right the wrong, to avenge her sister’s death. And now Darien knew who it was? But he would have told her right away if he’d planned to. Which meant he was keeping it a secret. Anger and upset bottled up inside threatened to spill out. She fought the emotions, trying to maintain a cool, alpha stance. “Who is it?”
“He’ll reveal himself when the time comes.”
She ground her teeth, attempting to stay calm, but her blood was running hot.
Jake scraped his empty wineglass across the oak table.
“What, Jake? You know how much doing that annoys me.”
“Does he know you suspect him?”
“Who?” Lelandi asked in exasperation. She quickly brushed away insolent tears that dared streak down her cheeks. She was not a wilting damn flower.
Darien looked torn between comforting her and being the indomitable pack leader and setting up the rules. “I’m not sure, but I won’t openly speculate. Too much of that has been going on of late. Several pack members have unduly ostracized Trevor because many think he had a hand in Larissa’s death. At the feast, the murderer will reveal himself. That’s all I’ll say.”
“I’ll organize the men to cook the turkeys beforehand at the school,” Jake offered.
“Tom, I want you to get the word out to the pack about the feast.”
“Will do, Darien. I can coordinate the efforts of those making the vegetables.”
