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The vine began to retreat, but only to the edge of the wood. We could stil see it. The dryad squatted on the rock, wrapping her arms around her knees. I wondered, briefly, how her flimsy gossamer dress--so sheer it was see-through--could keep her warm in this weather, but she didn't seem bothered by the chil , and I didn't want to chance insulting her with another question.
"Wolf Briar." Her voice was low. "Someone is using Wolf Briar. I smel ed it--close to the time you are talking about. It stank up my trees, and I remember trying to hunt down whoever left the trail, but they were quick and not easy to trace. I stopped when I came to the edge of the wood."
"We think the coyote shifters used it to attack our friend. He had a pregnant fiancee. We found her dead today, before she could talk to us. We know the coyote shifters--the Koyanni--kil ed her to shut her up. They didn't want her to tel us anything that might endanger their plans." I decided to take the chance. "Wil you help us? Wil you show us where you smel ed the Wolf Briar being used?"
She stared at us, unspeaking, for a moment. Then, with a single nod, she jumped off the boulder and motioned for us to fol ow her as the thick undergrowth next to her parted, revealing a hidden path.
The dryad led us through a winding trail until we came to a smal field with a track in the center of it. She pointed. "He was there. I was watching him because he seemed odd, not human, and I watch al who wander the paths. He was alone, by the way. No friend came with him."
"Nobody?"
She shook her head. "None. I was about to leave him be when a group of shifters came off that path across the way." Gesturing, she pointed to one of the sidewalks. "They raced over to him, and I heard a noise and smel ed the Wolf Briar. I hid, so I didn't see what happened. When I returned some time later, there was no sign of the werewolf nor the shifters. The Wolf Briar was stil drifting on the breeze."
Camil e and I headed over to the track. It didn't look wel -used, most likely due to the fact that we'd had rain for most of the past two weeks and the track was dirt. Most joggers seemed to prefer the city streets or park sidewalks when they ran in the rain, and Seattle joggers didn't let rainstorms stop them from getting out on the streets.
As we circled the quarter-mile path, I stopped and pointed off to the side nearest the walkway that the dryad had pointed out. Something shiny lay in the grass. We headed over and knelt beside whatever it was.
"A watch," Camil e said, lifting it up. She turned it over. "It's inexpensive, but look--an inscription. To Paulo, the love of my life." She paled. "This was Paulo's watch." Standing up, she shaded her eyes and looked to the opposite tree line. I fol owed suit.>I let out a long huff, wanting to maul the freak some more, but then backed off and--this time slowly--changed back into myself. I stil had blood on my face and the taste of it in my mouth, but by now it was part of who I was. Though I stil got queasy when I thought of Menol y and how she drank blood, I was losing my squeamishness.
Staring down at the body, I cleared my throat. "He kil ed her. I know it. I felt it--in my Death Maiden aspect." And even though I said it to soothe myself, in my heart I knew it was true. "The stench of death was on his breath. He kil ed her, and he enjoyed it."
Camil e stared at me for a moment, then nodded. "Stand guard. I've cal ed Chase. I'l go back and wait with Mary Mae's body." She turned to go.
"How did you avoid the Wolf Briar?"
"Thanks to you, I managed to duck out of the way before the vapor caught me. You saved me. That big of a dose could have knocked me out for a good long time. I think I'm going to have to be very careful when we final y go up against this group." She shrugged. "Either that or be prepared to take the consequences. Maybe Wilbur knows of a vaccine or something."
As she headed back to the house, I could hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance.
Chase knelt by the dead shifter. "What do I need to know?" The question was pointed. He did not ask me what happened.
"He attacked Mary Mae. We know that much. Her blood's on his hands, and I'm pretty sure the murder weapon wil have his prints on it. He must have dropped it in the house. And then he attacked us with Wolf Briar when we went after him. He's a coyote shifter, Chase. He's not human."
"Any way to prove it?" Chase glanced up at me.
Ask Sharah to do a DNA screen. She'l prove it. I chased him, and he turned to put up a fight. I shifted into panther form and . . ." I paused, realizing I could be in real trouble here if we couldn't link him to the murder. I'd basical y mowed him down.
Just then, Yugi joined us in the al ey, holding up a paper bag. "I've got the murder weapon. Found it just outside the back door. Bloody prints on it. Looks like the guy was doing something with her blood when Camil e and Delilah interrupted him."
"Probably harvesting it for something." I let out a long sigh. "These coyote shifters . . . Chase, they aren't like other Weres. They aren't like Marion and her group. They're dangerous and they're deadly and they have no remorse. They don't give a flying fuck about anybody else, and they're power hungry."
"Why did he kil her, do you think? What was his motive?"
"We were coming over to talk to her about Paulo's disappearance. He must have found out and decided to kil her before she could talk to us. We think we know why they kidnapped Amber, and what they want."
I motioned for him to edge away from Yugi. Chase told the FH-CSI team to clean up the scene, and we headed back to the house. Along the way I told him about the Koyanni, shortening it, but keeping the gist.
"So why are they after Amber?"
"Because . . . when Camil e did some scrying and Amber's image came up, both of us recognized what she's carrying around her neck. One of the spirit seals--and it must be the one that the Trickster first gave, then took away, from Nukpana's people. Somehow, Amber came across it, and they want it back."
"Crap. You mean a bunch of crazed coyote shifters possess one of the spirit seals? That's as bad as the demons getting hold of it." He leaned against the fence, sighing. "What the hel are we going to do?"
"We check out the magic shop. Meanwhile, you verify that this guy kil ed Mary Mae for me. I know he did . . . but I want your kind of proof."
"Al right. But tel me this: why is Amber stil alive if they got what they wanted?"
I shook my head. "That's as much your guess as mine. We have no idea. But we can't press our luck. We have to find her before they decide they don't need her anymore and kil her. And if the seal's truly stil around her neck, that means they can't use it right now. I hope."
