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Officer Mansfield’s mustache twitched. “I’m really sorry to hear that,” he said, and I actually believed him. He looked genuinely apologetic. “Have you spoken to the detective assigned to her case?”
I gave a wistful sigh and nodded, allowing myself a little pout. “I scheduled a meeting and everything,” I lamented, looking back over my shoulder. I decided to take a little gamble, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially. “Detective Hightower told me this wasn’t a ‘murder-mystery game and I should stop playing around, but like… no one’s said Cyn’s dead. They’d tell us if they found her, wouldn’t they? Even if it was bad?”
The officer’s expression turned pained. “Did she seriously—” He cut himself off and shook his head, reaching over to squeeze one of my hands. “I’m sorry she said that, she… She has no bedside manner. I can check for you, but someone would have told you and your family if your missing person was found, deceased or otherwise.”
I smiled and didn’t bother correcting him. “Can you? Oh, that would be amazing. I’d really appreciate it. I feel like my heart hasn’t stopped racing since she said those words.”
He just nodded, turning back to his paperwork and computer. It took him a few moments, and I craned my neck to watch but he was scrolling through tabs so quickly that I couldn’t make much out. “Ah, here she is. Still an active case, I’m afraid — not exactly what you were hoping for, but… Well, I hope that helps more than what the detective said.”
“Oh, it does. I so appreciate it,” I gushed, feeling a bit buoyed when the man offered me a tentative smile.Maybe I’m getting better at this, though I’m starting to suspect Detective Highbitch isn’t very nice to her coworkers either.“Before, they told us she was probably back on drugs, or maybe had gotten into some bad dope, and they haven’t found her yet, but…” I trailed off.
Mansfield looked pained again, muttering under his breath. I strained to hear him; my wolf was abnormally weak, but I still possessed the senses of a shifter. They simply weren’t as sharp. All I managed to catch was ‘nobody uses tact around here,’ but then he was looking at me, and I reached up to touch my hair idly while trying not to look like I was attempting to listen.
After looking around, he leaned back in. “Look, I’m not supposed to talk about this, but frankly, neither were they, so…” He glanced around again, but no one was paying attention. “It is true that there was a batch of bad dope on the streets a few months ago. There were several missing person reports filed around that time, and two of those people were later found deceased as a result, but…” He trailed off with a shrug. “The other cases have gone cold, and there’s no evidence of a large-scale death. It’s either a scare tactic or lazy detective work on th—”
The officer seemed to realize what he was saying and finally cut himself off, looking a bit abashed. He glanced up at me, his green eyes pleading. “You didn’t hear any of that, okay?”
“Hear what?” I asked, flashing him a bright smile. “Thank you. I feel a lot better. I appreciate you taking the time to speak to me — I wish more of the officers were like you.” That was probably as much as I’d get out of the man —frankly, I wasn’t lying. It would be easier to work with them if they were as forthcoming — or even as friendly — as Officer Mansfield. I took a step back and bobbed my head. “Well, have a good day,” I said, giving him a little wave.
He gave me a little wave in return, and I left the building without looking back, feeling a bit triumphant for once.
Once I’d ambledto my car, I sat inside — I still had time on the meter, and I was in no great hurry to get anywhere. Admittedly, it was a bit hot, but I’d been wise enough to replace the air conditioner and water pump at the beginning of spring. I’d completed a job for an older mechanic in Arizona, and he was so grateful I’d taken him seriously in the first place that he replaced both parts for me, free of charge.
I’d been planning on using some of the fee to pay for a vehicle inspection and check the rattle I had, but he’d sent me on my way rattle-free with new parts, plus a few hundred bucks in my pocket. There was no way the case was worth that much. I’d tried explaining that to him, but he said it was priceless to finally know what had happened to his son when he was adopted.
I smiled at the memory; it wasn’t often I got to work on such wholesome cases, nor were the outcomes usuallythatgood. The man met the son he’d only become aware of five years before and could not track down, plus he also found a daughter-in-law and two lively granddaughters. His son had been delighted to meet his biological father. It was… well, those were the cases I lived for.
I leaned back, my smile fading as my mind turned back to the case at hand. The trip to the police station had providedsomethingat least — now I knew there was some truth behind the ‘bad dope’ bullshit Demi had been getting, but there was no way all the missing folks I’d uncovered had all been involved with drugs. Nor had they all arrived in Austin at the same time and all taken something from the same batch. There was just no way.
There were coincidences, and then there was ‘you’re trying way too hard.’
Or, in Detective Hightower’s case, not nearly hard enough. I was pretty sure anyone from my high school forensics class could have seen the dots simply didn’t line up.
I still needed to confirm that they were all shifters, but I felt confident that they were. The Moonmate ceremony was in a few days, and I could tie up those loose ends. Besides, none of the names I’d written down as possible wolves had come up as those found to have died of the bad batch —noneof them had been found at all, and if it was drugs, well. There’d be more bodies.
I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel, turning this over in my mind. It was just too coincidental.It sounds like…My skin prickled. I didn’t want to consider that this might be bigger than one missing girl, but…
What if someone is hunting the hunters?
ELI
Silverstreak Ranch Home
Travis County, Texas
The Moonmate ceremony came all too quickly. It brought Harry Ríos to the area, but after that… all I had was dread. Sure, my father hadn’t made any specific comments about me finding a mate today or even trying, but I still felt like the expectation was hanging overhead anyway. After all, why would I even be asked to attend if no one expected me to find a mate? Hooking up with someone you met at a Moonmate ceremony was discouraged, even if it did happen.
Despite my dread and my wishes otherwise, the afternoon of the ceremony arrived, and the afternoon soon shifted into evening. I found myself at Remus’ ranch home about an hour outside of Austin; I’d traveled separately from my father to have a bit of space, but I’d run into him immediately after arriving.
Well, him and Fiona Silverstreak.
I had nothing against Remus’ mother — really, I didn’t. The woman had been nothing less than cordial on all occasions and usually bordered on kind, but… It bothered me. I was a grown-ass man. Whatever went on between her and Nicholas Archer was their own business, and while I appreciated she wasn’t directly trying to eject me from his life or something, it just feltweird. As if I had any say over who my father dated. It wasn’t like he’d stop simply because I didn’t like his chosen partner. After all, how many times had I told my mother that Brock was a—
I cut the thought off and migrated towards the bar, tearing my eyes away from where Fiona and Nic were dancing like no one was watching. Remus’ expression was hard to read as he watched them, but I looked away before he turned in my direction. Tonight, I wasn’t in the mood to engage with him. I had no idea how he felt about our parents getting back together, even if they wouldn’t say as much to either of us. Honestly, I didn’t care and didn’t want to commiserate about it.
I wish Myles were here.
Myles and I were opposites in many ways, but we both agreed on the absolute futility of ‘fated mates.’ Uncle Gage would likely force him to attend if they were in the States. He was someone I could actually gripe with, who understood me better than anyone else.
