AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Iwantedtomovethe subject away from Manners because it made me uncomfortable to realise how naïve I’d been about his allegiances. ‘Anything else I need to know? About this room?’
I looked around the modest space. It had an en-suite bathroom, a small balcony, a double bed and a bookcase filled with DVDs and video games. The balcony door was slightly ajar. That was the site of ingress or exit. Or it was a red herring to make it look like it was an outside job. Next to the bookcase of DVDs there was a large flat-screen TV mounted on the wall with a games console attached. The DVDs had been pulled off the shelf, the cases opened and the discs flung around the room.
Steve shook his head. ‘Not really. It’s been tossed, but I don’t know if they found what they were looking for. The state of Mark’s body suggests not.’
‘So whatwerethey looking for?’
He shrugged. ‘That’s the million-dollar question. Find out that, and we’ll probably find out who killed Mr Oates.’
‘Surely the room being trashed like this rules out the ex?’
‘Not really. She could have been looking for his wedding ring, or some frozen sperm, or evidence he was shagging a new lady. The room could have been trashed as a red herring to make it look like it was something other than a personal grudge. I agree that it makes it less likely to have been the ex, but you have to keep an open mind and follow the evidence.’
Huh. He seemed to be keen to pin it on Cassie, and that didn’t seem especially open minded to me.
Steve interpreted my look. ‘I’m not saying it’s definitely the ex, I’m just saying it’s more common than you think. It’s a cliché for a reason. It’s a good place to start, and it’s also a good way for you to make it clear to the pack that you’re investigating.’
‘Did you find anything illicit in the room?’
‘Not really. I found a packet with some traces of Boost in it. Apart from that, just your usual porno mags and sex toys.’
I snorted. ‘Who uses porno mags in this day and age? That’s what the internet is for.’
Steve looked amused. ‘Some people just prefer a more … hands-on experience.’
I turned my attention back to him. He was tall and willowy. His dark hair was prematurely scattered with grey but it made him look distinguished rather than old. He looked good in uniform and it helped remind me thathisallegiance wasn’t to me, but to the Connection. ‘So, we’re what – going to information share?’
‘Exactly that,’ he agreed.
‘You’re going to tell me classified information?’ I tried to keep the disbelief out of my voice.
‘I’m going to share what I can when I can. I’ll give you what hints, tips and leads I can, I’ll bend the rules – but I won’t break them. Ultimately, we’re both working towards the same goal of finding and stopping Mr Oates’ killer.’
Before he strikes again. The unspoken words hung heavily between us. I wasn’t one to ignore the elephant in the room. ‘Do you think he’ll attack someone else?’
‘I think it’s a possibility, particularly if the killer thinks the pack is weak.’
‘The pack isn’t weak,’ I glared.
‘The pack is fragmented and everyone knows it. Half the pack wanted Mark as the leader and the other half wants Archie.’
‘And no one wants me,’ I muttered.
‘Not yet,’ he agreed. ‘But you were Miss Popular in high school. If you can win over bitchy teens, you can win over lunar lunatics. But until you do, it’s a dangerous time for you all. You can’t have them bitching about you at the usual watering holes. If you don’t consolidate your position and earn their respect, the pack will be perceived as weak.’
Earning the pack’s respect was already high on my to-do list. I even had a handy spreadsheet with ideas on how to do it. Now I had a new direction: I needed to find Mark’s killer and punish him. Hopefully that would go some way to reassuring the pack that I was here for the long haul and capable of protecting them. And hopefully our little demonstration with my ex had highlighted that I wasn’t squeamish.
I needed to address the immediate issue. Someone had walked right into our mansion – our stronghold – and killed our third without anyone batting an eyelid. That made an inside job seem even more likely, but I needed the pack to focus outwards for now. I also needed to examine our security and assess what improvements could be made. I had no doubt Manners could help me with that.
I felt better, even though I was standing in a room with a dead body. I had a plan of action; I always work better when I have a clear objective.
Although the body stank even to my human nose, I figured I’d better shift into my wolf form and see if our heightened senses could pick out anything that Steve might have missed. ‘I’m going to shift,’ I warned him.
He nodded like he had expected nothing less. He turned his back to give me some privacy and I appreciated the gesture, though I’d only recently stripped off in a room full of my werewolves. Modesty isn’t something I have a lot of.
I removed the plastic gloves, the booties and the shoes they covered. Then I unbuttoned my flamingo shirt and slid out of my jeans. My underwear followed, and I piled everything neatly on the floor next to me.
Let’s go,I said to Esme, and the change rippled over us, warm and pleasant. They say that a sneeze is an eighth of the pleasure of an orgasm; if that’s the case, then a shift is at least half. Shifting isgood. Pleasure rolled over me as Esme and I assumed four paws again.
