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Ididn’thavelongto wait before the pack started arriving on foot. Archie came with Liam and Marissa. Seren trailed behind them, her eyes still red and her face puffy. From what I’d learnt of Mark, he didn’t seem worthy of the grief she seemed to be expressing, but what did I know? Maybe he was a cute and fluffy kitten when he was with her.
Marissa was whispering with Liam and Archie, and I could just make out her words. ‘Steve says both of their alibis check out. Manners was getting some, and Lucy never left Rosie’s.’
I tried hard to keep my face neutral. Steve had made quick work of confirming our alibis and leaking it to Marissa, for which I was grateful. So why did I suddenly feel so damn miserable?
Brian, Noah and Ethan strolled in together, giving me looks that were both cautious and curious. David and Elena walked in with Mrs Dawes, and I smiled warmly at the housekeeper. Tristan slunk along at the back.
Triumph rose within me, lifting me out of my funk, and Esme crowed with delight. I had an actual full house. Everyone who’d been asked to the hunt had turned up. It felt like progress.
Bringing up the rear was Manners, together with Ace and Lauren. His face was carefully neutral – too neutral. I couldn’t tell if his annoyance was directed at me or at our esteemed council members.
‘Archie!’ I called. ‘Lead the way while I talk to our guests.’ I dropped back to smile at Ace and Lauren. As an accountant I’d done a lot of schmoozing in my fledgling career, and it is one of my strong points. I needed to do some damage control after dismissing Ace earlier.
‘How are you getting on?’ I asked him.
‘I managed to speak to some of the pack about your turning,’ he said lightly.
Panic seized me. My turning had been anything but normal. Esme took over our body for a split second so I didn’t miss a step.Thanks.
‘Oh?’ I said lightly. ‘It’s really not an interesting story.’
‘Mrs Dawes saw you that night, but other than that you were sequestered. With Lord Samuel having passed, it makes it difficult to dig into what happened.’
I smiled winningly. ‘I guess it will just have to remain a mystery.’
‘The report said you had no recollection of the event or the circumstances of your turning.’ It was a statement, but I could hear the question in his voice.
‘That’s right,’ I said easily. ‘I was very ill.’
‘And then an unknown third party stabbed you?’
‘Exactly,’ I lied.
‘Any idea why someone would want to stab you?’
‘Nope. None. I’m a very lovable person.’ I gave him a winsome smile.
Manners snorted and Ace smiled. ‘You are,’ he agreed with a wink. Ugh.
As we walked on through the undergrowth, I noticed that Ace was watching me with cool, assessing eyes. All hint of flirtation was gone but, when he saw me looking at him, he gave me a warm smile. His dimples flashed in his ridiculously chiselled jawline. I might not have trusted him, but yum.
Lauren appeared openly scornful; she clearly wasn’t buying the BS that I was peddling. That made it pretty likely that Ace wasn’t, either. Never mind. I didn’t need them to believe it, I just needed them to rubber stamp it and leave. With Lord Samuel dead, there really wasn’t much investigating for them to do. They’d been ordered here weeks earlier whilst he was still alive. The bureaucratic red tape just hadn’t caught up yet.
‘Since we’re here,’ Ace said, ‘I’d like to offer our services in investigating the recent death of Mr Oates.’
My smile in return was a little more strained. Refusing might not be an option, but I was going to try. ‘How kind of you. Luckily, my own investigations are underway, and I doubt it will be long before the culprit is found. We can discuss it further after the hunt.’
‘Still, I insist. We’re trained pack investigators. I’m sure we can help by dividing the interviews between us.’
‘Let’s discuss it later,’ I reiterated. If in doubt, delay, delay, delay. ‘For tonight, let’s just enjoy the hunt.’
‘Of course,’ Ace agreed. ‘I can’t think of better company for it.’ He flashed me another smile, which made my insides warm despite myself. Damn him for knowing how attractive he was.
Archie led us all to a small clearing with a wooden lodge. He unlocked the pine door and the first five of the pack went in to change, not out of any sense of modesty but because it was a convenient place to store our clothes and ensure they stayed dry regardless of any inclement weather.
I watched as they stripped and changed. They left the hut door open; there was no modesty in the pack. As Elena stripped, I struggled to keep my face neutral. She had a ragged scar across the back of her shoulder that was puckered and silvered – an old scar and a nasty one. It must have happened when she was young, before she’d moved packs. It looked horrific, poor girl. I wondered what she’d gone through.
Ace was standing near me and he was also watching Elena, but his gaze was dark and predatory. I swallowed a little; he was far more dangerous than his dimples and smiles portrayed. He used his good looks like I did, as a shield and a smoke screen. That was something to remember.
