“The deputy.” Her eyes drifted back to the body. “Make that the sheriff. Major pain in the ass.”
I waited, and when she didn’t explain, Will did.
“He’s one of those who still think Indians aren’t worth the bullet it takes to shoot them.”
“Is he lost in a John Wayne movie?”
Will’s lips twitched. “Maybe.”
“Basil’s bringing the ME?” I asked.
“No,” Jessie said. “G-man is.”
I gaped. “Nic’s still here?”
“Apparently, and this is now his problem.”
“Huh?”
“Try to keep up, Doc. Dead by knife wound.” She indicated the body with the tip of her shotgun. “No werewolves but you, and you’re off the hook. G-man’s here, and he isn’t in any hurry to leave.”
Which was almost as big of a shock as the murder itself.
“He may as well make himself useful. To someone other than you.”
“We’re just going to leave and let the FBI handle this?”
“We are; you aren’t.”
“Huh?” I repeated. I was so witty lately.
“Slick and I need to hightail it north. Werewolf outbreak in upper Minnesota.”
“What a shock,” he said.
“And Edward?”
“He’s going to retrieve your research.”
“Where?”
“Got me. You’re supposed to wait here for the ME and G-man, then get out of Fairhaven.”
“But . . . where am I going to go?”
“Mandenauer didn’t say. Call him when you’re done with the body.”
Without another word, she and Will disappeared into the trees. Seconds later the sound of their car starting, then leaving, drifted on the breeze.
Within half an hour, another car arrived. Moments later Nic and a second man broke through the trees and into the clearing.
Nic’s gaze widened at the sight of me. Either he hadn’t expected to find me here at all, or he’d expected to find me furry. His face hardened, his eyes cooled; his only greeting was a nod.
I swallowed the thickness at the back of my throat. How could he act as if we’d shared nothing, as if we barely knew each other at all?
And they called me a beast.
I forced my attention to Nic’s companion, an elderly man, at least seventy-five, perhaps more, who peered at me with eyes both dark and sad enough to belong on a basset hound.
His hair was snow white—but at least he had some—his face weathered from age and the elements. He appeared as if he spent hours on various lakes pulling fish from both warm water and ice. Lord knows why.
“Hello,” he greeted. “I’m Dr. Watchry.”
“Sir, I’m with the—” I broke off. I’d almost said Jager-Suchers, but how much did the man know?
Dr. Watchry glanced at Nic, then back at me. “FBI?”
I merely smiled, unable to give voice to that lie. Nic didn’t correct me, instead introducing me. “This is Dr. Hanover. Research scientist.”
“How interesting. I’ve always been fascinated with research, but I haven’t had time to pursue any. I’ve been the only physician in Fairhaven for nearly fifty years. Also the medical examiner for this county.”
No wonder he was sad.
“Shouldn’t you have retired by now?”
“If there’d been anyone willing to take my place, I would have.”
“No one wants the job? Seems like a nice enough place.”
Hey, I’d seen worse.
“Sweet child.” He patted my arm. “To me it is. But to a youngster, fresh out of college, with a spanking new degree and money at last, the appeal of work, work, and then some fishing isn’t very appealing. Now, what do we have here?”
I was still stuck on sweet child. No one had ever called me that before. I liked it.
Nic cleared his throat.
“Oh! The sheriff. We found him like this.”
Dr. Watchry tsk-tsked as he stood over the body. “There’s never been a murder in Fairhaven.”
“Never?”
I might live in the wilderness, but I watched television. Even I knew the lack of murder was a big lack—and an extremely pleasant one.
“Not here. I did investigate a few in my tenure, but nothing on this scale. Hunting ‘accident.’” He made quotes around the word with his fingers. “Happens a lot. People hold grudges, then they’re set free in the woods with guns. Usually the alcohol consumed before the season opens—as well as during—is the culprit.”
“And the other incidents?” Nic asked.
“Crimes of passion mostly. Husband. Wife. A lover or two.”
“Happens.”
“Not here.”
“What about the disappearances?” I asked, and Nic cut me a sharp glance.
I fought the urge to smack myself in the head. Nic didn’t know about the people who had gone missing. Now I’d have to tell him.
“No bodies, no crime,” the ME answered, then got out his equipment: gloves, a mask, disposable tools. The man knew his job.
“The coroner’s van will be here shortly,” he continued. “Of course, we don’t have a coroner, just me. I’ll do some preliminary testing, then have the attendants take the body to my clinic.”
“Not the morgue?”
“We don’t have one of those, either. With most deaths, the corpse is delivered directly to the funeral home. But if there’s a need for further investigation, my clinic has to suffice. I’ve been provided with equipment and a storage facility.”
Nic tugged a portable spotlight out of a case, setting it up so the doctor could see. The garish beam lit not only the sheriff’s body but half the forest. Then we stood around helplessly as he gathered evidence. Since the possibility of contamination was high, we kept back and let Dr. Watchry work.
“What disappearances?” Nic whispered.
Quickly I explained why the Jager-Suchers had been called to Fairhaven.
“But you found no evidence of . . .” Nic paused but the doctor was well occupied and too far away to hear us, even if he’d been a spring chicken. “Paranormal activity?”
I snorted at the euphemism. “As far as we can tell we’ve got standard disappearances and plain old-fashioned murder. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have left an amateur like me behind.”
“Something weird’s going on. Blood but no bodies is not a good thing.”
Since he was right, I didn’t bother to comment. “Where’s the deputy?”
“Wasn’t in. I left a message at the station.”
“No dispatcher? No radio? No cell phone?”
“No. Maybe. I don’t have the number,” he snapped. “This isn’t New York. Around here, decades go by without the slightest need for emergency services.”
“That’s odd,” the doctor murmured.
Both Nic’s and my ears perked up. We moved forward.
“What?” Nic asked.
“There’s a bite mark.”
My gaze automatically went to the forest, searching for the telltale shine of werewolf eyes.
“Where?” Nic leaned closer.
“Back of the arm, under the shirt. Didn’t see it at first. Barely broke the skin. But as the blood settles, the bruise becomes livid.”
The doctor shifted the sheriff and tugged up his left sleeve. A strangled sound escaped my lips.
The bite had been made by human teeth.
Chapter 19
“You can get a DNA sample from that, right?” Nic asked.
“Definitely.”
Dr. Watchry went to his bag, changed his gloves, and removed the swabs and other necessary items. Silence reigned, broken only by the click and shuffle of the job being done.
“What’s going on?” I whispered.
“Murder.”
“The bite. That’s just weird.”
Nic lifted a brow. “Says someone who shouldn’t throw stones.”
If he was going to be snotty, I was going to leave. As soon as someone
gave me a ride. I could shift into a werewolf and run back to town, but why should I when I had nowhere to go and nothing pressing to do?
“There are a lot of cases like this,” Nic continued. “Not only defensive, where the victim bites the murderer, but offensive, where an attacker gets off on inflicting pain, exerting control, or marking the victim as his own.”
“I guess we can’t expect normal behavior out of a killer.”
“Or anyone else, for that matter.”
My fingers clenched, but I refrained from flattening him. I was so proud of myself.
“The bite will help you catch the guy, right?”
Nic shrugged. “Bite-mark evidence is more often used for conviction than apprehension.”
In response to my frown, he explained further. “In order to match that bite we’d have to check the impression against everyone’s dental records in Fairhaven. And if the culprit isn’t from here, or hasn’t been to a dentist—”
“You’ve got nothing but worthless information,” I finished.
“On the other hand, once a suspect’s in custody, a match can be used to issue charges, maybe even result in a conviction.”
“I’ve never dealt with bite-mark evidence before.” Dr. Watchry continued working. “But I have an acquaintance who’s a forensic odontologist out of Madison. We’ve discussed the best way to record the evidence. Photos. Measurements.”
“Is it better to get him here?” Nic asked. “The window for collecting saliva in a DNA test is very small. Plus, the skin slides on a corpse if you leave it too long. Shifts the tissue underneath, alters everything.”
I refrained from making gagging noises. I was, after all, a scientist. I’d seen more disgusting things than a corpse. Remember Billy?
“Sooner the better with this kind of evidence,” Dr. Watchry said. “But I’ll call and ask him for help. Odontology is a very specific science.”
“That would be great,” Nic said. “I suppose forensic dentists are few and far between out here.”
“He’s the only one to be had.” Dr. Watchry got to his feet. “Thought the transport would be along by now. I should get this to the clinic.”
“We’ll wait for them.” Nic helped the doctor pack the lights and gear, then escorted him to his car.
He returned with a phone to his ear. I wondered for a minute where he’d gotten it, since his had blown up along with mine in Montana, then decided where didn’t matter. At least he had one.
Nic disconnected the call. “Still no deputy.”
Silence settled between us, heavy with things neither one of us wanted to say. Or I didn’t want to. Nic didn’t seem to have a problem.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“What good would it have done?”
“I loved you.”
Past tense. I wasn’t surprised. He hadn’t spoken of love before he’d known of my affliction. Now, I was just shocked he hadn’t declared his everlasting hate and blown my head off with silver. If he had any.
“Elise, what happened?”
“Edward didn’t tell you?”
“Demons, Nazis, incurable blood lust. I think he was trying to scare me.”
“Did he succeed?”
“Enough for me to put the silver bullets he gave me into my gun.”
Well, that answered one question, anyway.
“I’m not like the others,” I felt compelled to point out; I’m not sure why.
“You’ve never killed innocent people?”
I swallowed thickly. “I didn’t say that.”
And I wasn’t going to say any more. If Edward had told him everything, Nic would be arresting me—or at least trying to. I’m sure my boss thought showing him I was werewolf would be enough to make Nic stay out of my life forever. Edward was no doubt right.
“There’s a whole world out here no one knows about,” Nic said.
“It’s the Jager-Suchers’ job to make sure one world stays separate from the other.”
Forty-eight hours ago Nic hadn’t believed in magic, power, the supernatural. Of course, seeing goes a long way toward believing.
Suddenly he cursed. I moved forward, putting myself between him and the trees. No matter what everyone said—that this was a regular murder, no werewolves, nothing strange but a killer—I was still jumpy. This place wasn’t right. Something was out there. Or maybe, as Damien said, something was coming. Something always was.
“What did you see?” I asked.
“My own stupidity. I didn’t use a condom. What does that mean? Puppies? Cubs?”
I shook my head. “I can’t.”
He grabbed me by the arms, shook me once, hard. “You will. Tell me. I have the right to know.”
“Let. Me. Go,” I said, prepared to make him if he didn’t.
I had to cut the man some slack, though not for much longer. There was only so much manhandling I would accept.
“I didn’t mean I can’t tell you; I meant I can’t have children.”
“Explain.”
“I would have if you hadn’t been so bent on mauling me. Do you get off on that now?”
“You know what I get off on. Or at least I did until I found out she wasn’t human.”
His voice was chilly and distant. I remembered the dreams we’d shared—the picket fence, the little kids, the life. Had he still been dreaming those things? Had he been dreaming of having them with me?
I doubted that. Nevertheless, I did owe him an explanation.
“Cross-species impregnation is impossible.”
“Cross-species?” His lip curled.
“I’m not human; I’m not a wolf. I’m both.”
“That’s a load off my mind. Am I going to get furry now that we’ve swapped spit and various other bodily fluids?”
“Could you be more graphic?” My voice had gone cool and prim. Ice queen was back. I’d missed her.
“Yes.”
I should just tell him what he wanted to know, then leave him in the woods. He wouldn’t mind.
“Lycanthropy is a virus, passed only through saliva while in wolf form. You can’t catch it from me. Unless I bite you. And just to set your mind at ease, since a werewolf can cure anything but silver, you don’t have to worry about STDs.”
“Gee, a technicality I’d completely forgotten about amid all the others.”
Had I once considered him funny and smart? I couldn’t fathom it.
“Your pals fled town. Why are you still here?”
“Batting cleanup.” I pointed at the sheriff, then froze.
“Well, there’s nothing supernatural about this, so you can get lost.” Nic turned and saw what I had.
The sheriff’s body was gone.
Chapter 20
“Uh-oh,” I murmured, staring at the empty grass where a body used to be.
The ground was still dark with blood. Otherwise I might have thought we were in the middle of a shared delusion, and there’d never been any dead sheriff at all.
“Where? What?” Nic drew his gun and turned in a slow circle, eyes searching the forest. “Who?”
“There’s no one.”
“But—” He stalked around the body, took a few steps into the woods. “There aren’t any drag marks. I didn’t hear anything.”
He was still thinking in human terms. I could hardly blame him.
“That’s because no one dragged him away.”
“They had to—”
“No, they didn’t.”
My insistence finally penetrated his confusion. He put away his gun. “What happened?”
“I have no idea, but I’m thinking supernatural. Can I use your phone?”
He stared at the empty space as if the body might appear as miraculously as it had disappeared. No such luck.
“Nic?” I pressed. “The phone?”
He handed it to me, then went back to staring.
I dialed Edward, got voice mail, left a message. “Call me at—” I frowned, then snapped my fingers in front
of Nic’s nose. “Number?”
He recited it and I did the same, then called Jessie and relayed the news.
“Guess that explains where the dead bodies have gone,” she said.
“Where?”
“Well, maybe it doesn’t explain it, but— Hell, I don’t know.”
“Are you coming back?” I asked.
“Can’t. According to the authorities I’ve talked to in Minnesota, they’ve got a major wolf problem only we can solve, if you get my drift.”
“Leigh and Damien?”
“Serious shit going on in Washington, too. They’ve got their hands full. I’d swear there was a full moon.”
I glanced at the sky where the silver orb wavered, appearing slightly off balance, not at all full.
“Did you call Edward?” she asked.
“Voice mail.”
“Figures.”
“What should I do?”
“Deal with it. You’re a Jager-Sucher.”
“Not really. I’ve never had to handle a case.”
“You do now. Just wing it.”
“I’m not the winging-it type.”
“Change.” Jessie hung up.
“Hell,” I muttered.
“What did she say?”
“Wing it?”
“Hell,” Nic repeated. “I’d better contact the ME, tell him to call off the coroner’s wagon. Although how I’m going to explain a missing body I have no idea.”
I handed Nic his phone, then stared at the blood-drenched ground. I hadn’t a clue where to start. A few minutes later, Nic joined me.
“What did you tell him?” I asked.
“The truth.”
“What!”
“Not the whole truth. Take a breath.” Nic shook his head. “I said the body was missing. Since that appears to be an epidemic around here, the doctor wasn’t surprised.”
Silence settled over the clearing, broken only by the sounds of the night.
“You can go,” I said. “Nothing natural here.”
“No.”
“Why would you stay?”
“I don’t leave the scene of a murder, even if the body does. That’s not how we do things in the FBI.”
“You come across a lot of disappearing bodies in the FBI?”
“That’s beside the point.”
“You can’t tell them what’s going on here.”
Dark Moon Page 13
