“So I started a new game with some of the same players and some new ones. I asked Sarah if she wanted to play. She was all for it, but I thought she’d want to be a hunter, not a werewolf. Most of the time, the women want to be the hunters and not the prey. You never know people very well until something like that happens, you know?” Tears spilled down Zeta’s cheeks, and she hastily brushed them away.
“I’m so sorry. I’ve had friends like that before—you know, one minute they’re your best girlfriend, doing everything with you, and the next thing you know, they’re stuck to some guy like peanut butter. And that’s the end of the all-girl activities. So I was annoyed with her because she dumped me like I was no one of importance after we’d been really close.”
Before Debbie could ask Zeta any more questions, Allan queried, “So what was she like? What did she like?”
Zeta stared morosely at the table. “I thought she would have a falling-out with Lloyd and come back.” Then she frowned at Debbie and Allan. “Not that I’d just take right back up with her. How she’d acted was not the way to treat friends.”
“Why did you think she might have a falling-out with Lloyd?” Debbie asked.
“He wasn’t right for her. I don’t know. Something was off with both him and his friend. They said they were actors, and they really acted their parts, but they just seemed—intense. Too intense. Like they were getting into their roles a little too much. They had one of the women in tears because they thought she was the wolf and really bullied her. I had to put a stop to it and told them if they didn’t obey the rules, they had to leave the group. They were fine after that. I really thought they should have been the wolves.”
* * *
Why? Because the wolves were always growly, aggressive, and needed to be put down? Allan hadn’t heard of any Vaughn Greystoke, but many lupus garous used “Grey,” “Gray,” or “Silver” in their names to portray their gray wolf heritage, so that immediately caught his attention. Particularly if Sarah had been in this man’s pack and he was trying to track her down.
Allan had heard of a Devlyn Greystoke, a gray wolf pack leader in Colorado who had mated a red wolf. He’d been in Portland, Oregon, where she had been incarcerated at a zoo and the incident had made national news. Naked woman in the Oregon Zoo penned up with a real red wolf in freezing weather? Then she disappears from a hospital?
Even Allan and his pack members had heard the news and knew the two had to be wolves, though the media thought that Devlyn and Bella were animal advocates, intent on releasing the red wolf into the wild.
Debbie asked, “So what was Sarah like?”
“She was really different from me. She loved to stay out really late, and she was raring to go early in the morning. Who can burn the candle at both ends and still function? Not me. Anyway, she loved the woods. We went camping one night, not really my thing, but she was so enthusiastic about it. So I thought maybe going with her would make a difference. But then she left the tent in the middle of the night. She had me worried sick because she took so long to return. I thought something had gotten her. A wolf or bear or cougar.
“Anyway, she finally returned and I gave her hell for leaving me all alone for so long, well, in a sleepy way. She looked worn out but really happy and climbed back into her sleeping bag. I asked her where the hell she’d gone. For a run, she told me. I knew she was just teasing me. I figured she had to go to the bathroom. But sheesh, I’m not a camper. It scared the tar out of me to be alone in the woods with all the wolves howling, bugs making their racket, and owls hooting.”
“Wolves howling?” Allan asked.
“Well, maybe just one. All it takes is one to send shivers up your spine.”
“Did she have a passion for anything in particular?” Allan asked.
“She ate barely cooked steaks. We’d go out and she’d say she wanted them rare. Not medium rare. But just seared for a couple of seconds on the outside. Yuck. I’m vegan, so it was really hard for me to watch her eat something that was bleeding all over the plate.”
“Did she have family?” Allan asked.
“No. She said she was an only child and her parents had died. So she was footloose and fancy free. Me? I’ve got four sisters and tons of cousins, but I’m not close to any of them. Not like I was with Sarah. We just, I don’t know, had fun together. Kind of an odd pairing, I know. But we still had fun. She used to play her wolf role to the hilt. With me. She couldn’t with the others.
“She’d mention how she’d behave if she were a werewolf. Like she was trying to convince me they could be good, and if it wasn’t for the villagers trying to kill her, she wouldn’t have to kill them. She really wanted to change the villagers’ minds, convince them werewolves were really good guys, not creatures to fear.” Zeta sniffled. “I just laughed it off and told her that wasn’t what everyone signed up to play. No one would believe it. It wouldn’t be any fun. Someone had to be the villain. She said the hunters were.”
Allan disagreed. Some lupus garous were just as evil as humans could be.
Then Zeta sobered. “I can’t believe she’s dead. And Lloyd too. What happened? A home invasion? His home? I checked at hers, but she was never there, so I figured she was at his place. But I didn’t know where it was. The address he gave to play the game was false. It didn’t exist at all. I checked when she just disappeared. That had me worried he was a criminal. And Sarah was no longer answering her phone.
“When I told the police, they said they needed more to go on than what I had. Which was nothing. She had gone off with her lover. They thought the game we were playing wasn’t important enough to keep her here if the two of them wanted to go off somewhere else. I checked to see about Otis’s house, but it was the same way. Bad address. So I told the police. Since it was just for a game, no evidence of any crime, they couldn’t do anything about it. She wasn’t working at the time, so she hadn’t left a job behind.” Zeta took a deep breath. “How did they die?”
“Lloyd was found dead in a stolen vehicle, and Sarah was shot in the forest, both up north,” Debbie said.
Zeta frowned. “Did Otis do it?”
“Why would you think he had anything to do with it?” Allan asked, interested.
“Because he hated Sarah and he was furious that Lloyd had started seeing her. I overheard them in back of the park restrooms where we used to meet to begin our game. We would sit at one of the tables under a pavilion and discuss where we were in the game, trying to figure out who the wolves were. Then armed with whatever evidence we thought we had—or the players had, since I was just the observer—they would go off and hunt werewolves. Anyway, the restrooms were a few hundred feet away, but I heard this argument between the two men.
“Lloyd and Otis were trying to talk softly, but it got really heated and their voices began to rise. Otis said that if Sarah was a wolf, she was dead meat. And if Lloyd got bitten, he was too. I thought they were playing the game a little too seriously again, but they sounded too angry to be playing. The police assumed they were just actors who really got into their roles. But I checked their applications and the places they said they’d acted in theater and couldn’t find that they’d been in the plays either.”
She motioned to the walls. “You can see my name on all the playbills. So false addresses and they lied about the plays they were in? And then they all vanish at one time? Something had to be wrong with the two men. Then here comes this private investigator out of the blue.”
“Could we have a look at their applications?” Allan asked.
“Sure. The local police weren’t interested.” She pointed to the table. “I got them ready for you just in case.”
“Thanks,” Allan said and took a look at Otis’s, while Debbie looked over Lloyd’s and then Sarah’s. “Can we have the photos? We’ll turn them over to the homicide detective in charge of the case.”
“So he’s making you do
all his legwork and he gets all the credit?” Zeta asked. “Sure, take them. They’re duplicates.”
“Were their phone numbers bad too?” Debbie asked.
“They were disconnected once the men left the area. Those are copies for you. I”—Zeta choked on the words—“I thought you might be able to find Sarah. I didn’t think she’d be… Well, I worried about it, but I thought she might just be with Lloyd. Not that I really liked it; he wasn’t good for her. But I wish she was with him rather than dead.” Zeta wiped away fresh tears. “Otis’s unaccounted for, right?”
“He’s not dead, as far as we know,” Allan said, although if Otis was responsible for Sarah’s death and turned up in Cunningham pack territory again intending to kill, Allan sure wanted to end the man’s career as a werewolf hunter.
“You said the car Lloyd was driving was stolen? The blue Impala?” Zeta asked.
“Yeah. Do you know what he was driving before that?”
“A blue Ford pickup. He apparently liked blue vehicles.”
“So what happened to it?” Debbie asked.
Zeta shrugged. “The day before the three of them vanished, he was driving the Impala. I figured he traded in his truck for the car.”
Another stolen vehicle?
“Do you know what Otis was driving?” Allan asked, hoping they’d get another good lead.
“A red Camaro.”
Immediately, Allan thought of Franny. But the guy she knew had a different name. Still, Allan didn’t like the coincidence.
“He had this hunter look about him. He wore camo gear a lot, except when it got snowy. Then he was wearing a white parka. So I’m thinking—to fit the look—pickup truck, antlers in the back or a rifle hanging in the window. But a red Camaro?” Zeta shook her head. “It didn’t fit the picture.”
She glanced at her watch and continued, “Listen, I’m so sorry about what happened to Sarah. I wish the police could have saved her. Or that I could have convinced her the two men were bad news. But I’m glad you’re looking into this. If you ask me, Otis did it. I’ve got an audition in half an hour, so I need to get going. If you need to ask me any other questions, feel free. I’ll help any way I can to bring him to justice.”
“You’ve been a great help,” Debbie said.
“Yes, we couldn’t have asked for more,” Allan agreed, “although I have one last question. What did the PI drive?”
“A black sedan.”
The investigator had to be a wolf working for Devlyn Greystoke, another wolf from Colorado, leader of the pack, and his cousin. Allan didn’t have his number, but Tessa, his SEAL team leader’s mate, was distantly related to Devlyn, so she should have the information. Allan would have to call her when Debbie wasn’t around. At least he was glad to know that the driver of the black sedan was on their side.
“If you learn Otis did it, will you let me know?” Zeta asked.
“Sure.” Debbie and Allan rose from the couch and said their good-byes, then headed out.
“What do you think?” Allan asked as they got into the hatchback.
“I wonder if Otis ditched that car. It would be easy to spot if he was following anyone. If the one Lloyd was driving was stolen, maybe the red Camaro is too. We’re in the area where these guys lived. Can we check out Sarah’s place? Even though the men gave false addresses, we know she didn’t.”
“It’s worth a shot.”
“Okay. Here’s Sarah’s address. What did you think about this Vaughn Greystoke, PI? Think he is for real?”
“Sounds like it. I’ll see if Paul can run him down.”
“You looked like you might know of him.”
“I might know of Devlyn, but I’ll have to let Paul check into it. We both would know of him if he’s the man I’m thinking of.”
“But you don’t know Vaughn?”
“No.”
“Okay, what about the red Camaro? I’m sure it had no bearing on Franny’s accident, but still, if Otis was driving it, and he killed Sarah and then ran Franny off the road, that seems like a coincidence we can’t ignore.”
“Agreed. Lori can get with Franny on it. I’ll ask if she can check with her since they’re good friends.” Allan couldn’t help but be annoyed with Franny if she knew more than she had been letting on.
When they arrived at the apartment complex, the manager showed them in, complaining the whole while. “I have to steam clean the carpets. It was paid up for two months, so I didn’t know Sarah wasn’t coming back. Not until the private investigator came and wanted to look her stuff over. Don’t you guys talk to each other?”
“With PIs? No. Besides, even if he was with a police force, we each look at the investigations differently and ask different questions,” Debbie said.
“Well, this is a complex that doesn’t allow pets. No kids either. It’s a no-pet, no-kid place for adult living. Swinging singles, except no loud partying. Mainly young professional couples. Once they have kids, they’re out of here. And no pets,” she reminded them, as if pets were the bane of her existence. “But you know what I found? Tons of fur. Shed all over the place. On the furniture, tile floors, and carpet. Probably fleas all over the place. I’m going to have to have the carpet cleaned and a pest exterminator in here. She wasn’t going to get her deposit back.” Then the manager swallowed hard. “Well, I mean if she had been alive. So when are the police going to release the place so I can rent it again?”
Debbie and Allan put on gloves and began searching through things, but they didn’t find anything that would help them in the investigation. No laptop, cell phone, photos, or notes of any kind. When they left the place, Debbie asked Allan, “Fleas?”
“Luckily, if she had them, they don’t bother me. What about you?”
“No, thankfully.”
“Do you want to call Rowdy and let him know we learned who the two murder victims were?” Allan asked as they climbed into his vehicle.
“Sure, I’ll do that. But he’s not going to be happy.”
“Hell, we practically solved the case for him. He’d better be happy.”
She smiled at Allan, but he knew she dreaded calling Rowdy. He was sure to be mad about it, but Allan had to find out if this case involved pack business. The only way to do that was to learn what he could before the homicide detective arrived. Otis sounded like a werewolf hunter out for blood. Had he killed both Sarah and Lloyd? It was beginning to sound like he had. But they still didn’t know if the man who murdered Sarah had been turned.
“Hi, Rowdy. I’m putting this call on speakerphone. It’s me, Debbie. We’ve got some information pertaining to a Sarah Engle and Lloyd Bates. Sarah was the leg-trap murder victim, and Lloyd was the man found in the submerged car in the Van Lake murder.”
“And you know this how?” Rowdy sounded annoyed as hell.
After asking them a million questions, Rowdy told some of his team what to do to look for new evidence in the case. Then he dismissed them and chewed Allan out for investigating this on his own when he should have run it all over to Rowdy and let him handle it. He ended the call. Abruptly.
“Sorry,” Debbie said. “Rowdy seems to think it’s entirely your fault we went down there.”
“It is. I had the clue and I was going whether you wanted to join me or not. Besides, he still likes you, so he’s not going to hurt his chances with you.”
Debbie had thought the issue of who was dating whom was behind them. She wasn’t dating Rowdy. And now it seemed she really wasn’t dating Allan either. Somehow she thought that had changed between them last night.
Annoyed, she waffled between wanting Allan to stay the night and letting him know it was time for him to get on his way. Rowdy could help her get her car from the shop.
But halfway to Whitefish, she didn’t have a chance to decide either way when Allan got a call. “Ah, yeah, okay. I’ll be there as soon
as I can. I’m an hour and a half out. See you, Mom. Thanks. Give her my love.”
Debbie suspected what it was about right away, and she wished she hadn’t been annoyed with him. “Rose?”
“Yeah, she’s in labor.”
“Tell her I wish her all the best.”
“I was going to take you to dinner, but—”
Debbie smiled. “No problem. Being with your sister is way more important.”
“Thanks. If you don’t mind, we’ll do it another night. On the way home, we can stop at a drive-through and grab something to eat.”
She wanted to tell him she’d just fix herself something to eat when she got home, but he would probably have a long night at the hospital with his mom and sister. He needed to eat, so she agreed. “Sure.” She wanted to congratulate him on being a new uncle soon, but multiple births sometimes didn’t turn out well, so she reserved comment. “They’ll be fine,” she said instead.
But he didn’t say anything in response. She understood how he felt. She was feeling anxious about Rose, and she wasn’t even related.
Chapter 13
When he dropped Debbie off at her duplex, Allan gave her a light kiss on the lips, but she pulled away so quickly that he didn’t have a chance for more. After telling her good-bye, he headed to the clinic outside Bigfork. He knew Rose would have good care. If she got into too much trouble, she could shift into a wolf and have her babies as wolf pups, which was sometimes easier for one of their kind. He was still sick with worry though. He wondered how Everett was holding up if Allan felt this bad.
When he arrived at the clinic, at least half the wolf pack was there, which wasn’t good if the werewolf hunter was around and knew who some of them were.
Everett was in with Rose, and so was Allan’s mom. Allan met up with Lori, who looked anxious, rubbing her own belly.