by Geonn Cannon
Dale forced herself not to blink. Ari’s skin turned dark as her face twisted and shifted. She was witnessing a miracle, basically, her girlfriend transforming into another creature. It was an act that the majority of people would deem impossible, and yet. Ari opened her mouth wider than any human should’ve been able to and Dale saw a narrow set of wolf teeth. When she closed her mouth, her jaw had reshaped to fit those teeth, and Ari flipped over onto her hands and knees. Or rather, she flipped over onto her folded forelegs.
Just like that, it was over. Ari’s ribs bellowed out with each breath as she turned her head and fixed now-golden eyes on her. She and the wolf stared at each other. Its eyes shined and reflected light Dale couldn’t see. Its snout was brown and white and wide between the eyes like Ari’s nose, but exaggerated to the current shape of her head. The muzzle led down to a shining black nose that twitched impatiently. Her skull was more pyramid-shaped now, with a flat mesa between the ears. Not technically human, she wasn’t technically a wolf, either. She was canidae, a special creature that only a few knew existed. She was a myth, one of the most amazing creatures Dale had ever encountered, and against all odds, she was in love with Dale. Dale kissed her mythological girlfriend between the eyes and rubbed her neck.
“Be safe, Ariadne. I’ll be waiting for you at home.”
Ari licked Dale’s face. Dale reached for the door and pulled the handle, pushing it open so the wolf could squirm out onto the pavement. She braced her legs and shook violently, flexing her muscles before she turned to look back at the car. Dale smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, and the wolf turned and began running.
Dale watched until Ari was out of sight before she reversed out of the parking spot. She thought her headlights caught a glimpse of brown fur through the trees, but she couldn’t be certain. A part of her wanted to pace the drive home, an attempt to keep up with Ari on her journey through the city, but she knew it would be a fool’s errand. Ari was quick and clever about the paths she took. She also didn’t want the wolf to think she was spying or being overprotective.
She took the bridge home, parked next to Neka’s car, and went downstairs to their apartment. She could have gone to bed, opened her book again, taken a shower, any number of things, but she thought about the night earlier in the year when she undressed and stood outside in the cold to see what it was like for Ari.
She left the apartment lights off, drew the curtains, and undressed. She stretched and then began to jog in place. After a few minutes she dropped down and did some pushups. She didn’t count; it wasn’t about an exercise regimen. She kept her breathing steady as she got up and started jogging again. She went around the coffee table, she did lunges, she held a plank position for almost a minute before her arms gave out. Sweat was shining on her forehead and trickling down her chest when she starting doing jumping jacks.
Her thighs burned. Her feet were sore. But she kept moving, going past the point when she wanted to stop. She was panting, shaky on her feet, sure that she would fall over if she stopped moving. At one point she leaned forward with her palms flat against the wall to catch her breath. She didn’t look at the clock. She just kept moving. She did burpees. She did planks again. She did everything she could think of to keep her body moving.
Then at long last, she heard a scratch at the door. She was panting when she went to answer, legs rubbery and hands shaky as she twisted the knob and pushed it open. Ari brushed past her and the cool fur felt like magic against her calves. Dale closed and locked the door and watched as the miracle reversed itself and Ariadne Willow took the place of the wild creature in the middle of the living room. Ari stood up and popped her back, turned to look at Dale, and frowned. Ari was equally sweaty, just as breathless, and it took her a long moment before she could manage words.
“What…?”
Dale said, “I can’t… run with you…” She blew out a lungful of air. “So I thought I’d… y’know… run… with you.”
Ari’s confusion cleared and she took a step forward. “Because you’re my pack?”
“I’m your pack,” Dale said. “I may not be a wolf, but maybe I’m a good substitute.”
Ari said, “You’re not a wolf.” She reached up and twisted a sweat-darkened strand of Dale’s hair around her finger. “With this red hair? You’re definitely a fox.”
Dale bit her bottom lip, eyes shining in the dark. Their bodies were both trembling from the adrenaline coursing through their bodies. Ari cupped Dale’s face and kissed her. Dale whimpered and slipped her hands under Ari’s arms. They clung to each other, the endorphins from their mutual exertion transforming into something else as they pressed against each other. Dale felt like her senses were on fire. She was incredibly aware of the natural odor of Ari’s sweat, the dirt that had remained under her fingernails when she went back to human form, and the taste of Ari’s tongue in her mouth.
“Let me take you to bed…”
Dale said, “No. Floor.”
“Wall?”
Dale whimpered in response and dragged Ari across the room. When Ari hit the wall, Dale stepped back and let her hands skim over the smooth lines of Ari’s body. Running five or ten or fifteen miles every few nights as the wolf kept Ari lean and fit, and Dale swept her fingers over the sweat that had beaded on her flat stomach. Her thumb pressed into the tight dip of Ari’s navel before moving down to the hair that had remained between her legs when she resumed human form. Ari breathed in through her nose and let it out through her teeth. Her eyes were half-closed, but Dale could see them shining as they focused on her.
“Growl for me, puppy.”
“You first, foxy lady.”
Dale peeled her lips back and gave her best growl, flaring her nostrils and adding a quiet yip to the end. Ari shivered and tensed against the wall. She put her hands on Dale’s shoulders and pushed her down, moving her feet apart. Dale wet her lips, angling her head so she wouldn’t lose eye contact as she got onto her hands and knees. Ari pushed the lank hair away from Dale’s face and looked down at her, smiling as Dale bent her neck and pressed her mouth against Ari’s sex. Ari grunted at the first contact, her fingers tightening as Dale began to stroke with the flat of her tongue. She gasped in pleasure and urged Dale on, arching her back to press her hips forward.
“Good girl… good girl, Dale…”
Dale growled and moved her head, kissing Ari’s thighs before she stood up and pressed tight against her. Ari bent her knee and guided Dale onto her thigh. She gripped Dale’s ass with both hands as Dale put her hands in Ari’s hair and pulled her in for another kiss. Ari moaned as their tongues met. She began guiding Dale’s hips in a slow and steady rhythm, letting her ride her thigh. Dale’s aches and pains from the workout had faded, although she was still dripping with sweat. Ari was in the same situation, beads of moisture dripping down the side of her face when she pulled back from the kiss and swept her tongue across Dale’s lips.
Dale came with a quiet cry, her hand dropping to the back of Ari’s neck and gripping it tight enough to hurt. Ari leaned forward and Dale let herself be carried down onto the floor. With Ari on top of her, Dale moved her hand down and worked it between Ari’s legs. Ari sighed and repositioned her body, then gasped when Dale’s fingers found her.
“You never growled for me,” Dale reminded her. “Now. Do it now, puppy.”
Ari moved her lips next to Dale’s ear and growled low in her throat as she came. She moved her head down and pressed kisses against Dale’s skin.
“That was damned amazing.” She sank onto Dale, who took her weight without trouble.
Dale’s face was covered by Ari’s hair. “I can be a fox whenever you want me to be.”
“As long as you’re my Dale the rest of the time.”
“Always,” Dale said.
Ari lifted her head and kissed Dale’s lips. “We should probably go to bed.”
“In a few minutes. I seriously don’t think I can move.”
Ari laughed and kissed Dale’s chin.
“In a few minutes, then.”
She put her head on Dale’s shoulder and closed her eyes until they were able to relocate.
Chapter Seventeen
The next morning, Ari called Diana to outline what she wanted to do. Diana got back to her after lunch and told her to be downtown at three o’clock. The DA was willing to cooperate if it did lead to a bigger fish. She couldn’t promise a meeting with either of the Murphys, but she would see what she could do. Ari found Diana outside the common area where prisoners could meet with visitors or their attorneys. She was dressed in a Liz Claiborne pantsuit over a peach shirt, and Ari was again struck by how much better it looked on her than the formless uniform she’d been wearing when they met. It also made her feel self-conscious about her own blouse and slacks, even though she’d put a bit of effort into dressing professionally for the meeting.
“You clean up nice,” Diana said, reading her mind when she saw Ari approaching.
“Any time I’m not wearing thrift show cast-offs.”
Diana said, “That reminds me. You and Lucy are about the same size. If you ever need some clothes donated for your stashes, I can just tell her I dropped them at Goodwill.”
“You’d lie to your wife?”
“I’m not lying. I’m just cutting out the middle man and saving you some cash. And I’m saving myself the trouble of explaining why you need it.”
Ari said, “True. You could just tell her I don’t make much as a private investigator. That’s definitely not a lie.”
“You don’t mind if she thinks you’re taking charity?”
“I mind it less than you lying to Lucy to cover up for me.”
“I appreciate that.”
A guard opened the door and waved them inside. Michael Murphy was just getting settled next to his lawyer, but he stood up again when he saw Ari.
“Forget it. I got nothing to say to this bitch.”
Ari said, “That’s hurtful language, Mike. After we got all dressed up and came down here just to talk with you.”
Mike said, “She beat the crap out of me!”
“While you were in the process of trying to kidnap an innocent woman,” Diana said as she took a seat. “Let’s skip the part where you try to take the moral high ground and sit your ass down.”
Murphy continued to glare as he sank back into the orange plastic seat. Ari sat down beside Diana and folded her arms in front of her.
“We’re here to talk to you about a deal.”
“You’re not going to give me a deal.”
Diana said, “Ordinarily you would be correct. You were caught in the act, and that’s not even your biggest problem at the moment. We found steroids in your car. That’s a Schedule III controlled substance, Mr. Murphy. You and your brother are looking at jail time for that alone. Add in what you were trying to do when Miss Willow stopped you, and I think we can say you’re not going to walk out of here any time soon.”
Murphy stared blankly at her. The lawyer said, “If you’re just here to gloat, Detective Macallan, we’re not interested.”
“No, there’s a purpose to this meeting. There’s a chance we could make the kidnapping go away. Miss Willow here says that she has it on good authority that your intention was not to harm Tiffany Knight. You were just going to take her for a ride and have a conversation, then let her go on her merry way. It sounds like bullshit to me, but I trust Ariadne’s word. If you help us, I might be willing to drop those charges.”
“I’m not going to flip on any of my friends.”
“We’re not going to ask you to.” Diana looked at Ari and motioned for her to go ahead.
Ari rested her elbows on the table. “I know you and your pals from the gym were following Clark Wilcox for three days before he died. You all had reason to want him out of the picture.”
Murphy frowned. “Are you asking me to confess to murder to get out of a kidnapping charge? That’s gotta be the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard of. Besides, none of us touched that guy.”
“I know. The ME confirmed it was suicide. I’m trying to find the person who drove Wilcox to pulling the trigger. I don’t think it was you or any of your bodybuilding pals. But if you were watching him for his final three days, you might have seen something that could lead us in the right direction. If you were to help us out, that could go a long way in getting that kidnapping charge dropped.”
Murphy narrowed his eyes at her as if trying to feel the edges of what she’d said for a trap. The lawyer asked for a moment to confer with his client, so Ari and Diana stood and stepped out of the room. Ari had spoken with Tiffany on the phone to get her blessing for their plan. It wasn’t ideal, but the fact was that the Creep Cousins never laid a hand on her and Ari believed they were smart enough to not try again. She felt confident Tiffany was safe, and getting the information was worth the price. She just had to hope Murphy agreed.
The lawyer came to the door and asked them back into the room. Murphy resumed glaring at Ari as soon as she came in. She chose not to respond.
“I want the deal even if I can’t be helpful.”
Diana laughed. “That’s not the way this goes, Mr. Murphy.”
“No, I mean… I mean, I’ll tell you what we saw. I’ll tell you everything. But I don’t know how useful it’s going to be. I didn’t see anyone walk up and put a gun in Wilcox’s mouth. I never even saw him get roughed up. But I’m going to tell you as much as I can. I don’t want my deal coincident with results.”
“Coincident?” Diana said, looking at the lawyer.
“I think he meant contingent.”
Diana said, “Ah.” She looked at Ari, who shrugged and lifted her hand helplessly. She couldn’t think of a better resource than Murphy’s report. “I think the DA will agree to that.”
Murphy shifted in his seat. “Well. Okay. We had three different cars and we took shifts so we could watch him ‘round the clock. We were trying to figure out his schedule so we’d know the perfect time to…” His eyes darted from his lawyer to Diana. “To have a private conversation with him. It was usually me and Tommy, but sometimes Joel or Frank would take over if it looked like Wilcox was just going to be planted at his office for hours on end. They never reported much. He talked on the phone a lot. Spent most of the day on the computer. Around six o’clock he would go get something to eat and take it home to spend the rest of the night watching TV or whatever.”
Ari said, “He never met with anybody during the three days you were watching him? Not a single client?”
“None I saw. Maybe when Joel was following him. He never really ventured outside his regular route. Apartment, office, back and forth. Sometimes he went out of his way to eat somewhere, but other than that…” He shrugged and then held one hand up. “Wait. He did go up into Fremont once. It was the Thursday night. You know, all those warehouses along the canal? Supply stores, garages, equipment rentals… just a bunch of big ugly buildings and chain link fences around them. No real reason to be up there after dark, know what I’m saying? He drove around up there for a while, then he got out and started walking. Joel said he couldn’t follow without getting spotted, so he didn’t know where he went. We all just assumed he’d gotten a whore, you know?”
Diana said, “Language.”
“What is this, middle school?”
Diana aimed a finger at him and he rolled his eyes.
“Sorry. We assumed he’d paid a professional woman to do things to his pee-pee. Better, Detective?” He sighed and shook his head. “Anyways, he was up there for about ten minutes and then he came walking back out. Joel said he never saw who he met with, but another car pulled out behind him. Followed him across the bridge but turned off when they got back to downtown. Wilcox went back home and didn’t leave until the next morning.”
Ari said, “What did the other car look like?”
“It looked like a pair of headlights in the rearview mirror. We weren’t doing a dossier on the guy, we just wanted to know what his schedule was like. We di
dn’t care who he was meeting.”
“You have no idea who he was meeting?” Murphy shook his head. “And forty-eight hours later, Wilcox was dead in his office.”
Diana looked at Ari. “You think whoever he met up there put a scare into him?”
“Yeah.” To Murphy, Ari said, “What was Wilcox like the day after?”
“He stayed in his office all day. That secretary of his was there all day, or else we would’ve taken the chance to have our talk with him.” He made a fist with his left hand, closing his right around it to massage the knuckles. He looked at a point between Ari and Diana’s heads. “I mean… looking back, knowing what I know now? Yeah. It looked like he was hiding. But I don’t see how that’s going to help you find out who was scaring him.”
Ari said, “Maybe not. But you did help. Thank you.”
He grimaced and shifted his weight in his seat. “Yeah. Well. You’re actually a pretty tough chick. I would’ve been impressed if I hadn’t been on the receiving end of it.”
Ari and Diana left Murphy with the guard and stepped out of the room. Diana said, “That actually helped? It seemed like a lot of vague nonsense to me.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Now that I know there was a mysterious meeting by the canal, I can check Wilcox’s memoir for any mention of it.”
Diana said, “That clown has memoirs?”
“On his laptop. If he was hiding in his office all day after it happened, he might have tried to rewrite history. Make himself the dashing private investigator who saved the day instead of the hack who ran away and hid.” She thought about the timeline. “The day he spent hiding in his office… he never went home. And that was the night he called and complimented me.”
Diana said, “He must have been terrified.”
Ari nodded and held out her hand. “Thank you, Diana. This was a big help. I owe you one.”
