You Had Me at Wolf

by Terry Spear

  “I was just glad she hadn’t gotten out of the lodge and we found her quickly.”

  “Well, they’re grateful. We’ll contact you as soon as we know anything, good or bad, about the evidence.” CJ left the office with the cup and gun fingerprints tucked away in a bag.

  Nicole went up front with Landon to fill out the paperwork on her loaner car and thanked the body-shop owner.

  “Are you ready for lunch?”

  “Yeah. Are you all right here without me?” Blake asked Landon.

  “Yeah, I already ate. I think Kayla went home to eat lunch. I left a hamburger and chips with Roxie in your room,” Landon told Nicole. “I hope you don’t mind. She says Eli just went up to his room with his lunch takeout from the restaurant.”

  “Maybe he’ll leave more evidence behind and I can snag it,” Nicole said. “It’s possible his brother has been making sure the trash is taken out, but once Eli was on his own, he got careless or figured there really wasn’t any threat.”

  Blake agreed. “Which there might not have been if it hadn’t been for Mittens.” Then he escorted Nicole to lunch and saw the cousins sitting together waiting at a table for their lunch, drinking bottled water.

  “How much do you want to bet they’re getting takeout,” Nicole said, sounding resigned. Then she saw Clay at another table watching the cousins. He smiled at Nicole as if he thought he’d found them first. “Wait until they get takeout and deflate his balloon.” She sat with Blake at a booth that had a view of the deck so that when the men moved to that, they could watch them.

  Clay would have to move to another spot to see them.

  Blake and Nicole ordered mushroom-topped burgers and water. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this obsessed with trash on a mission before. Though I often find myself digging through it to help solve a case, but usually, it’s an easy deal. Not like this where I have to keep following the suspects around, waiting for them to ditch their trash. I was thinking the snow might have melted off the cars still sitting in the parking lot, and we could see if we can find DNA evidence in Rhys’s car. Hair, trash, fingerprints, et cetera. But it would be tricky not getting caught. I’m not sure we could break into it without alerting them. Anyone from one of the rooms could see us down there trying to get into the vehicle, including Rhys and his companions.”

  “Yeah, it’s too bad we couldn’t tow it away. We could wait until there’s an open spot between their vehicle and the hotel and park a tall truck there to block the view. We can just take a casual walk out there at night and see if there’s anything in the car that we could use to obtain DNA evidence from.”

  “They could still see us peering into the windows if they’re looking out and suspect the worst.”

  “Then we try to get a tall vehicle in there to block the view first.” Blake texted his brother about it.

  Landon: A lot of the cars are still snow-covered. But the windows should be clear and the license plates should be visible. We need to locate the car. Wait, Kayla said she’s on it. She’s taking Rosco for a walk.

  Blake: Okay, thanks.

  Blake told Nicole what Landon had said.

  “Oh, good. By the way, I never would resort to getting into his car to obtain DNA samples if it wasn’t for my concern that he’s going to leave and get away with this.”

  “I understand.” And Blake knew Kayla had wanted to help somehow, but she’d been busy creating marketing materials for the lodge. Though he’d seen her watching the security monitors a few times and pointing out where the men had gone. He loved his family.

  They watched the cousins move to the deck with their takeout meals.

  Nicole took another bite of her burger. “Clay didn’t look happy that the cousins went outside to eat their lunches.”

  Blake smiled. “I knew he would be surprised. But even more so when he sees they’re going to stuff their trash in their backpacks.”

  She chuckled. “I can’t wait to see the look on his face. What does he think? I don’t know what I’m doing?”

  Blake shook his head. “He’d be an idiot to believe that. I’m sure the insurance company wouldn’t have hired you if they didn’t know your track record.”

  They finished their hamburgers and saw the cousins stuff their trash in their backpacks, then head inside to use the restroom. Same old routine. They would go skiing after that.

  “Bathroom break?” Blake asked.

  “Yeah, sure.” They used the one for the staff so they didn’t have to run into the cousins.

  Afterward, they left the lodge to go skiing and saw Clay watching the cousins head for the ski lift.

  “You’re not going skiing?” Nicole asked Clay.

  “I have a job to do.”

  “Good luck.” Nicole smiled at him.

  Blake and she skied off to the lift. But then she got a text message and stopped to check it. Blake waited to see what it was.

  “Kayla says she didn’t see anything in the car. No trash. But we can still find hair and fingerprints probably,” Nicole said.

  “Okay, Landon’s going to try to get a vehicle in the spot next to their car, once the car that’s already there moves.”

  Blake and Nicole continued to the chairlift and stood in line. He wrapped his arm around her. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking of being with her tonight, and he wasn’t planning to sleep in the bed with her, though he’d love to, but still, the idea of having her in his arms tonight certainly appealed.

  Chapter 12

  Nicole was having so much fun skiing with Blake, deciding different runs they would take, as if they were really on vacation here and just enjoying themselves.

  When they headed back to the lodge, Landon called them with good news. “The car sitting next to Rhys’s car finally moved, and we borrowed one of the wolf member’s vans to place in the empty parking space. We’ve looked from one of the second-floor rooms and third-floor rooms to see if the car is visible on the other side of the van, and it isn’t.”

  “Terrific! So that means we’ll be able to try to collect evidence from the car when they go to sleep tonight,” Nicole said.

  “Yeah, but just don’t get caught. We have the tools for getting into the car without breaking the lock or window, since we’ve had to help a few people who have locked their keys in their cars while getting all their ski gear out. We’ll have to have someone watching the security monitors so you can be alerted if anyone goes out into the parking lot. Most of the time, it’s quiet all night long,” Landon said. “There’s no real nightlife except for the Silver Town Tavern, and that’s for wolves only. If you go out to search the car after the Silver Town Tavern is closed and any guests have returned to the lodge and their beds, you shouldn’t run into anyone in the parking lot.”

  “Okay. I’ll have to come up with a plan. We can talk about it over dinner,” Nicole said, thrilled.

  “Sounds like a good idea. We’re all ready to help you however you need us.”

  “Thanks, Landon.”

  * * *

  Later that evening, after the cousins had retired to their room for the night, Blake and Nicole headed over to his house. The rest of the family was there already, cooking dinner. Roxie was glad to eat with them tonight. Kayla had fixed fried chicken. Roxie had made mashed potatoes and salads, and even Nicole got involved, making the gravy while the guys set the table and brought out glasses of water.

  “White wine?” Blake asked.

  “Yeah, sure.” Nicole noticed everyone was waiting for her okay first, since she was still on a mission no matter the time of day or night. But a glass of wine wasn’t going to affect her ability to do her job.

  “I was watching that Clay guy on the security videos as much as I was observing the suspects.” Roxie served up the salads. “Clay must not ski. He never once went out in the snow. He just went up to their room and stared at the doo
r, then sat by the fire, watching for them.”

  “I wonder if he tried to take fingerprints off the door.” Nicole brought over the bowl of mashed potatoes, and Landon set the gravy server on the table.

  “It wouldn’t matter.” Kayla placed the platter of fried chicken on the table. “I watched them enter the room a number of times, but every time, they were wearing glove liners, so I doubt he’d find anything on the outside of the door. But I was making sure Clay didn’t try to sneak into the room. I don’t know if he realized there are three of them, not just two.”

  They all took their seats, Nicole sitting next to Blake as if they truly were courting, and everyone began serving up their food.

  “Well, Clay is an expert investigator. He’s supposed to be smart enough to figure that out on his own.” Nicole ate a bite of her chicken drumstick.

  “But he could blow it if he tries to get into the room and the younger brother is in there.” Roxie spooned up some of her mashed potatoes and gravy.

  Nicole blew out her breath. “I figured Clay would know right away. But if Eli isn’t hanging out with his brother while Clay’s watching, he might not realize they’re all together. Then again, I’ve got a great team of superspies.”

  Blake and his sisters and brother laughed, raising their wineglasses to her. “To supersleuths,” Blake said.

  Nicole drank to the toast. “You all are the best.” Then she got on her phone and called Clay. “Hey, it’s Nicole. I just wanted to let you know there are three men rooming together. Not just Rhys and William.” She put the call on speakerphone.

  “I’ve only seen the two men together.”

  “The other man had been staying in the room. He might have had high-altitude sickness to begin with. In any event, just be careful. If he comes down and you’re watching the cousins, he might see you and get the idea that you’re on to them. And then they’ll run.”

  “Hell, how long have you known that?”

  “Not right away because he never left the room until yesterday.” She wasn’t about to tell Clay she’d gone inside the room and realized the guy was in the bathroom. “But I figured you would already know. Still, better to be safe than sorry.”

  “Thanks for the heads-up.” Clay didn’t sound grateful in the least, more sarcastic than anything.

  “You’re welcome. Good night.”

  “Night.”

  Nicole set her phone on the dining room table, glad she’d told Clay there were three men staying in the room. But if Clay wanted to figure out who the third man was, he’d have to do it on his own.

  “This is sure the best fried chicken.” Nicole picked up a wing off her plate.

  “That’s one of my favorite meals to make,” Kayla said. “Everyone loves it no matter what time of year we have it.”

  “We’d have it a lot more often if she’d agree to it.” Landon winked at his sister.

  Kayla laughed. “You’d have it every day if you could.”

  “Okay, so how are we going to work the surveillance situation while you’re trying to break into Rhys’s car and gather evidence?” Landon asked.

  “I thought Blake could watch from my lodge room and give me warning if he sees anyone leaving the building,” Nicole said.

  “You’ll get more done if two of us are there, trying to gather evidence,” Blake said.

  She got the impression Blake wanted to be with her for more than just the evidence gathering. He wanted to protect her if things went haywire. She was glad he did.

  “We can monitor the security videos at the house. Blake can go with you in case you need some assistance,” Roxie said. “I can’t even imagine how unnerving that could be—trying to break into someone’s vehicle and gather the evidence without anyone catching you. I was a nervous wreck when you went into their room, looking for anything we could test for DNA. And then when you brought the gun back in to fingerprint.”

  Nicole smiled at her. Roxie had seemed okay about it at the time, and Nicole hadn’t realized she’d been stressed out about it. “Okay, Blake can come with me. If we get lucky, maybe we’ll find some trash tucked under the seats or something.”

  “Can you use it as evidence?” Kayla asked. “I mean, if you didn’t get it through a search warrant or some other legal means, like he threw it out in the trash.”

  “We’ll make sure it appears as though he left it somewhere that I could easily pick it up. But really, all we need is proof he’s alive. It’s not evidence to use in a trial. They can take swabs of his mouth to learn if he’s the person who’s perpetrated the insurance fraud once I have proof he is who we know him to be—because of his scent. Once we have the DNA, it’s just a matter of turning the information over to the police and the insurance company and having the men arrested. William is an accomplice. We don’t know about Eli yet. He might have been involved in all of it. And the fire that was set in the family home? That’s something else that needs to be looked into further.”

  “Will the insurance company hire you for that?” Blake asked.

  “The company that insured the house and cars was a different insurance company. They have their own team of investigators.”

  “Sounds like they didn’t do a good job of investigating,” Kayla said.

  “Maybe, or maybe it really was just an accident. But it’s not something I would look into unless someone hired me to learn the truth. And then, I might find the same thing the insurance investigators found. Inconclusive evidence that anyone set the fire that claimed Rhys’s parents’ lives.”

  “If you were to give an educated guess, what would you say about the circumstances?” Landon asked.

  “That it was set on purpose, and the one who got all the proceeds from it was the one responsible. But that’s the problem with this work. Without evidence to support my theory or a confession from the culprit, it won’t matter. And I might be howling up the wrong tree in any event.”

  Roxie shook her head. “Sounds like a confession is what we need.”

  Nicole laughed. “As if that would be forthcoming.”

  After they finished eating and putting away leftovers and cleaned up the kitchen, they agreed it was time to run in the snow as wolves.

  “If Clay had been a nicer guy, he could have come with us,” Kayla said.

  Everyone agreed as they stripped off their clothes, then shifted.

  Landon went out the wolf door first, Kayla following, then Roxie, and Nicole ran out next. Blake followed her, and they all ran through the woods, exploring, marking territory, and telling other wolves in the pack they’d been there.

  Nicole wondered why Rosco didn’t join them on the runs. Not that they’d want to worry about him. He was a dog, after all, and that didn’t mean he’d stick with them. A rabbit could send him racing off to the moon. Maybe they had trained him to not use the wolf door.

  Before long, they saw a few other wolves out for a run. They barked at each other in greeting, and she knew they were lupus garous and figured they were part of the pack. Maybe not though. Some of the wolf guests at the lodge could be taking a run, just as she was. It must be nice being part of the pack and knowing most of the wolves by sight though.

  She was so focused on the other wolves that she didn’t see Blake come up beside her and lick her cheek, as if letting her know the wolves were safe. She nipped his ear in fun.

  He tackled her, which she hadn’t expected, but she delighted in it. She had never had a “boyfriend” wolf to play with, so this was a new and welcome experience for her. Even though she fully intended to get him back, his sisters ganged up on him, and she woofed at him in pure enjoyment.

  Landon was letting his brother get “whipped” by the three females this time, and Blake was so endearing, taking all of the play nips and bites in good measure. Nicole would really miss this time with Blake and his siblings when she finished up her assignment
here.

  When they let Blake up from the snowbank, she noticed other wolves of the pack watching, probably getting a kick out of the goings-on.

  Nicole and Blake and his family ran for a good stretch, then returned to their home. While she was getting dressed, Nicole said, “Rosco never leaves through the wolf door?”

  “He can’t. He wears an ultrasonic collar that opens the door only when it’s turned on.” Blake finished dressing.

  “Okay, I wondered. I thought he was one of the world’s best-trained dogs.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Not Rosco. He’s great at the lodge and won’t leave when everyone’s coming and going,” Kayla said, “and when he’s on a search mission. But to run with us when we’re wolves…we’re afraid he’d get sidetracked.”

  “I kind of wondered.”

  Blake took ahold of Nicole’s hand and squeezed. “I’m going upstairs to pack a bag. Be right back.” He went up to his room.

  “Do you really think Clay will cause problems for you at your room at the lodge?” Kayla asked.

  “Maybe. If he figures out I’m staying in the room adjoining the cousins’ room. He might want to have access to my room to get access to theirs. I wouldn’t let him into my room, but it will be nice to have Blake there to impress upon Clay that I’m not alone.”

  Roxie laughed. “You are so getting yourself in trouble with Blake.”

  Blake called down from the second story, “I heard that.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “We’ll be planning a move on Rhys’s car once they’re fast asleep.” Nicole hoped they didn’t get caught at it and the mission didn’t turn out to be a disaster.

  Chapter 13

  Blake wasn’t sure how much help he was going to be to Nicole once he broke into Rhys’s car later tonight. He’d had enough practice helping out folks who had accidentally locked their keys in the car. So that would be his job.

  But right now? He set his bags on the floor in Nicole’s room, pulled off his gloves, and set them on the desk while Nicole shut and bolted the door, then pulled off her gloves and set them next to his. Right now, they had some time to kill.