“Boss, do you think Shannon is going to be alright?” Kenney asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
The same question had been on all their minds.
“I don’t know. All we can do is hope that we catch the bastard that is trying to kill her,” Gary answered.
“I know that, but what about us? I mean, do you think she’ll accept what we told her tonight? About the shifting and all?”
“She saw the man, and then the wolf. We know she saw me shift,” Gary explained, “and I think she’ll eventually get her head around it. Frank said to give it time. If she has any questions, answer as best you can.”
Kenney gave him a nod.
“What worries me, is, she has seen him before. Sooner or later, she is going to remember who he is and what he did. When she does, she’s going to remember the man, and the beast, and it’s going to scare her to death. That is when she will need us the most.”
No one said so, but they all worried for their teammate. They cleaned up and went to bed. Gary looked in on Shannon before going to his room, she was sound asleep.
*****
The next morning, the team woke to find it had snowed during the night, and it continued to snow. The road crews had already run the snowplows over the runway and up to their door.
First order of business, turn the heaters on in the shop. The helicopter was fine but keeping the cold at bay made working in the shop, and the hangar, a little more comfortable. They still had to repair the storage rack.
After breakfast, Gary made some calls. He wanted to have an alarm and surveillance system installed as soon as possible. The fact that someone walked into their place of business, as well as their home, uninvited, was a wakeup call.
Stan and Kenney checked the measurements of the storage rack that had been damaged.
“I think Gary should order a whole new rack. When the bottom rack collapsed, it twisted the end supports,” Stan told Kenney.
“I agree, we can’t reuse this mess. We’d better give him the bad news.”
As they headed for the office, the alarm sounded.
“Time to go to work,” Kenney remarked.
“Yup.” They both went to collect their gear. The helicopter was dollied out of the hangar. Stan had designed a track so the chopper could be easily moved in and out.
Gary fired off the engine and did his pre-check while things warmed up. Shannon was the last to join the group, she had a special carrier with four extra-large coffees.
“What’s this?” Stan asked.
“I’m tired of cold coffee, so I ordered these special travel cups. Guaranteed to keep your coffee hot almost all day. I got one for each one of us. Consider them an early Christmas gift.”
“Wow, thanks Shannon. I’ve seen these, do they work?”
“We’re going to find out.”
“Buckle up, everyone, time to go to work,” Gary announced. The engines wound up and they lifted off.
“What do we have, boss?” Kenney asked.
“A car hit black ice and went off the road. Ground rescue and paramedics are cutting him out of the car as we speak. He should be ready to be picked up by the time we get there. Stay sharp, everyone.”
They had no problem finding the paramedics or a place to land, the road was empty. They could see the wreck, but the car was resting precariously on the edge of the Boise river next to the interstate.
“Yikes. Looks like they're still trying to get the victim out of the vehicle.”
Down they went to land on the roadway. As Stan and Kenney grabbed the gear, Shannon went to the ground crew to inquire about the victim.
“Have you been able to assess his injuries?” Shannon asked one of the EMT’s. “I'm Dr. Shannon Stevens, I'm with Air Rescue.”
“Her injuries appear to be extensive,” was the reply. “Broken bones and severe lacerations. As soon as we have her free of the wreckage, she's all yours.”
“It's a woman?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“I need to get in there.” Shannon started for the wreck.
“Not yet, ma'am. That vehicle could slip into the river any moment.”
“Why haven't you secured the wreck?” Stan asked as he joined them.
“Tow truck hasn't arrived yet, sir,” the paramedic replied.
“Well, we can't wait. We need to secure that vehicle before it goes in the river. Do you have any rope or chain?”
“No, sir.”
Stan ran back to the chopper to get a cable. Kenney intercepted him.
“Stan, where are you going?”
“To find something to tie off the wreck. They haven’t secured the vehicle and it’s about to go into the river.”
“Oh, shit. Get the cable out of number two storage,” Kenney yelled.
The two of them ran back to the wreck and quickly went to work. They tied the cable to the guardrail and secured it to the car. Stan and Kenney immediately went to work and helped the paramedics extract the driver from her car.
The victim was placed on a stretcher and carried to the road. Shannon took one look at the woman and knew this was much more than a car accident.
*****
“You don’t remember anything?” She gave him a look that was obvious she didn’t know what he was talking about.
“Your neighbor found you. If it hadn’t been for her, you would have bled out before the EMT’s got to you. Someone gave you one hell of a beating. Don’t worry about it, sometimes the mind can do us a favor by not letting us remember.” The doctor flipped open her chart. “You are an ER doctor, so I won’t play games with you. Do you want to know the damages?”
“Yes.” Was all she could say.
“We had to reattach half your scalp; we rebuilt your cheekbone with a carbon fiber plate. You’ll never know it’s there. We saved your eye, but I recommend wearing a patch until your retina is completely healed. You had six broken ribs and you were raped and sodomized with a foreign object. I’m sorry to have to tell you this, there was a lot of damage, you may not be able to conceive if you decide you want to have children. It will depend on how well you heal.”
“How long have I been here?”
“Four weeks. We thought it best to keep you in a medically induced coma. We wanted to give your body a chance to heal. The police will want to take your statement now that you’re awake.” The doctor noticed her heart started to race. Her monitor started beeping wildly.
*****
“Stevens, are you alright?” Gary asked as he came up next to her. She was just standing there. “Stevens!”
“Yes sir, I’m good.”
“What do we have?” He wanted her assessment of the injuries.
“In addition to her injuries from the accident, this woman was beaten. She was probably trying to flee her assailant.” Gary instantly understood why Shannon had spaced out.
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine. I’ll let you know as soon as I have a better idea, the extent of her injuries, and when she is stable enough to transport.”
“Good girl.” Gary patted her shoulder, he understood, he left her to do her work.
He went to check on the wreck. He wanted to look around for anything suspicious before the tow truck arrived. He walked some distance from the wreck. There were already too many footprints around the vehicle. He walked about a hundred yards to the north and found nothing. Retracing his steps, he did the same walking south of the wreckage. Just as he was about to give up, he found tracks; wolf tracks. He followed them until they stopped, and footprints began. The footprints ended next to the roadway and tire tracks.
“What happened, did we arrive before you could finish her off?” Gary thought to himself. What he found confirmed his suspicions. He would be sure to notify the hospital and local police of the danger this woman was in. It was also time to notify the Shifter Tribunal, they needed to get involved. He had to consider Shannon's safety; this maniac was after her. This poor woma
n was probably collateral damage. By the time he walked back to the wreck, the tow truck had finally arrived.
Once the car was pulled up onto the road, Gary looked for a purse or identification for the woman. Kenney helped him look, while Stan retrieved their cable and put it where it belonged.
“Here, I found a purse,” Kenney announced and handed it to his boss.
Gary opened the bag to find it was stuffed with cash. It appeared Stevens’ assessment was correct; this woman was on the run. Kenney snapped a picture of the vehicle’s registration and insurance card with his phone.
“I think we have everything we need,” Gary informed the tow truck driver. “Where will you take it?”
“Into Caldwell.” The driver gave him a business card and thanked him for his help.
When the victim was stable, she was loaded on to the helicopter. They checked out with the paramedics and headed to the hospital in Boise.
Chapter 11
Once they were in the air, Gary called to Shannon.
“Everything alright back there?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How’s the patient doing?”
“Not good, but she’s stable. In this cold, she wouldn't have lasted much longer in that car.”
He knew if they hadn't arrived when they did, the cold weather would have had nothing to do with her survival.
“I know I don’t usually allow it, but if you want to keep an eye on this one, it’s okay.”
“Thanks, boss, I think I will.”
Gary thought it might help Shannon get through her own trauma by helping this woman recover from a similar experience. If nothing else, it would be moral support for the woman, especially if the perpetrator was the same man involved with Shannon.
As soon as they landed, the woman was rushed to surgery. Shannon gave the ER staff her assessment, while Kenney gave them her name and few personal belongings. He also made a copy of the woman's ID for their report. Shannon got all the information she needed. The woman's name was Adrianna Colfax. When she returned to base, she would see what she could find on the internet, maybe a social media page.
Once the patient was being cared for by the hospital, Air Rescue headed for home.
“Hey, Shannon.” Stan called on the com-line.
“What?”
“These new cups you got us really do keep the coffee hot."
“Your welcome.”
*****
Gary Morris was worried. With a maniac on the loose, no one was safe. He had already killed a farm hand, and now he attacks this woman. Who was she? Was she an innocent bystander to become his latest victim?
When they returned to base, Kenney and Stan entered the hangar first to make sure the coast was clear. They didn't need any more surprises. After the security system is installed, they will be able to monitor everything inside the hangar on their smartphones. Everything looked okay.
“Coast is clear, boss.” Kenney yelled.
Everyone went inside. Shannon and her teammates cleaned up their gear and restocked their supplies. Once everything was done, the three men discussed what to do about the storage rack.
Shannon headed for the break room to make fresh coffee and start dinner. They had left so quickly, first thing in the morning, she hadn't had time to plan what she was going to fix.
“Hey, guys, I'm going to run to the market and get something for dinner. I forgot to leave something out to thaw.” She grabbed her keys and headed for the door.
“Shannon, do you want one of us to go with you?” Stan called to her.
“No, it's okay. I think I can manage; the roads are clear.”
Any thought of a threat was the furthest thing from their minds, it was business as usual. An hour had passed before Gary stopped and looked around. Something was missing.
“Where's Shannon?”
“She went to the market," Stan told him.
“When did she go?”
“I don't know, shortly after we got back. Why?”
“Shit.”
“What's up, boss? You look worried.”
“I didn't have a chance to tell you, that car wreck was no accident. I found wolf tracks that changed into human footprints down the road from the wreck. If the paramedics hadn't arrived when they did, I’m pretty sure that woman would have been found dead, and not by natural causes. We have to find Shannon, and fast."
As they were about to grab their coats, Shannon walked in with her arms full of groceries. “Thank God,” Gary confessed under his breath.
“Hey, guys, where are you going?” Shannon asked.
“We thought we heard you pull up and we wanted to give you a hand, it's slippery out there.”
Kenney went to her and took the bags.
“Thank you. Has something happened since I left, you all look a little worried?” She walked into their kitchen. They looked around at each other.
“Nope, everything is fine,” Stan replied.
Kenney just shrugged when she looked his way.
“If you say so. I'm making spaghetti for dinner, is that okay?” She knew something was up, but she wasn't going to push it.
“I love your spaghetti,” Kenney told her.
“Give me an hour. Now get the hell out of here.” Shannon knew it would take twice as long to fix dinner if the guys continued to hang out in the kitchen.
“I'm sure you can find something to do.”
“Yup, we have work to do,” Gary announced, “let's go.”
The three team members retreated to the back of the shop.
“In the future, one of us needs to be with Shannon whenever she goes out.”
“She isn't going to like that,” Stan replied. “What if she refuses?”
“That's just too bad. Until we find this guy, I don't want her going anywhere alone. I'll tell her at dinner.”
“Are you going to tell her what you saw?”
“The prints? I don't think I have any choice. She needs to know that there is something out there.”
*****
An hour later, Shannon was calling them to come and eat.
“So, are you going to tell me what is going on, or do I have to play twenty questions?” Shannon inquired.
“The accident on the highway wasn't an accident." Gary looked her straight in the eye. “I found wolf tracks leaving the scene.”
“That doesn't mean anything, it could have been a local dog,” she replied, dismissing what he had claimed.
“Wolf tracks that turned into footprints,” he stated as a matter of fact.
“Oh,” she said quietly.
“Shannon, until we find this guy, I don't want you going anywhere alone. You were lucky this afternoon, he could have come after you. Please, promise me you won't go out alone, even if it's just to go outside, let one of us know.”
Shannon gave him a nod, “I promise.”
“Good.”
“Gary, do you think he attacked that woman?” Shannon asked.
“I do, and I think he was planning to finish her off, but the paramedics arrived before he had the chance.”
“But, why?”
“We are still trying to figure that out. Until you or Adrianna Colfax remember something, we can only guess.”
“I wish I could remember. I haven't even had any flashbacks.”
“Well, I guess that's a good thing,” Gary stated.
Chapter 12
It had been several weeks since the members of Air Rescue had encountered anymore wolf tracks.
Christmas and New Year’s had come and gone without incident. It had been business as usual and very busy. They didn't have time to think about anything other than saving lives.
“Do you think he has given up?” Stan asked his boss.
They had finally received the new pallet rack and were preparing to put it together.
“No, I think he has just taken a step back to regroup. He came close to being discovered when we rescued that woman. I'm sure we haven't seen the last o
f our unfriendly wolf."
“Maybe he's dead.”
“The Tribunal would have notified us of a wolf death.”
“So, you haven't heard from them, either?”
“Their hands are tied without a name.”
“What about that woman, Adrianna Colfax? Shannon has been to visit her several times.”
“Nothing. She has no recollection of what happened. She knows she was running from something, or someone, that is why she had all that cash with her. She doesn't remember anything after the accident.”
“WTF! What's this guy got, magical powers, he can block memories?”
“No, think about it. They both saw a man shift into a nasty, snarling monster. Just like Shannon, the doctors believe the memory loss is brought on due to shock and trauma.” Gary thought about that. “Next time you do any research, just for the hell of it, check out unusual shifter gifts, especially wolves.”
“What about something like a date rape drug?”
That remark got Gary thinking. The victim wouldn’t know it was happening, let alone who did it. But that didn't make sense, why leave Shannon alive. Maybe her attacker thought she was as good as dead when he left her to bleed out on the floor of her apartment. If her neighbor hadn't found her when she did, Shannon would have been dead.
Kenney yelled to the boss that he had a phone call.
“We'll talk more about this later. Excuse me.”
Gary jogged over to the stairs that lead up to his office, then ran up the stairs.
*****
“This is Captain Morris,” he stated after picking up the phone. It was Levi Lewis, his boss at Air Rescue HQ in Seattle.
“Captain Morris, we wanted to give you a heads up. Your new trainee, Bradley Fletcher, will be there in a few days.”
“We thought you had changed your mind about sending him to us.”
“I know that is what you would like me to do,” Levi laughed, “but afraid not. He should arrive by the end of the week.”
“No problem. Did he finish his EMT training?”
“Yes. He finished at the top of his class.”
“Am I going to have a smart ass on my hands, sir?”
“Let me tell you what little I know about Bradley Fletcher. His father was killed by a sniper in Iraq, he was special forces. Turns out, the sniper was the son of his father’s Commanding officer. That Commander imprisoned Bradley and a dozen others. They endured and survived unimaginable, vile atrocities. They were rescued by the FBI and a shifter by the name of Charles McCormack about a year ago.”
Haunted by the Wolf- Shannon Page 6
