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“But would a human even know how to kill a werewolf?”
“Someone did,” Benson said.
“Regardless of the method of death, if I were Paul Franklin, I’d put Trent at the top of the suspect list,” his uncle said.
“Let’s say we believe Ariel when she claimed her brother wasn’t a killer. Before you say she’s prejudiced, I had the sense Trent was gruff on the outside but not a killer on the inside.”
“If not Trent, then who?”
That was the big question. “Someone could have known about the overdue loan and taken advantage of the timing. We need more intel on Dave Franklin and the other members of the clan.”
His uncle nodded. “I’ll ask Mason to do a more in depth dive on them—at a distance of course.”
“How can he do that? It’s not like there is a list of who is in which werewolf clan.”
His uncle seemed to age right before his eyes. “I’m hoping Mason will find a way. We need to know more about these wolves. Of late, they’ve become bolder. We can’t expect Sheriff Hanson to stop them if he isn’t aware that shifters exist.”
“No, we can’t, but please don’t suggest someone needs to go undercover. Not even Noah would be safe.”
He shook his head. “No, that would be too dangerous.”
“Liam and Alex have been asking if they could do a little investigation. They can handle themselves, so I’m not too worried about them. Between Preston and myself, we could bankroll them for a little game of poker. I bet they’d pick up a bit of gossip. Considering their size, they might even be approached to join Franklin’s band of merry men.”
“I wouldn’t count on it. I imagine Paul Franklin is very picky about who he chooses to work for him.”
“You’re probably right.”
“As for learning something at the casino, I doubt anyone would spill the beans right away. That being said, it wouldn’t hurt for them to try, assuming they know enough about poker. If they go in as novices, they’ll be spotted right away.”
“I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Just be careful.”
“Always,” Benson said.
On the way home, Benson stopped at the grocery store. Since he was officially on vacation, it might be nice to prepare a meal for the group. Liam and Alex would drop Ariel back home, and when they did, he’d invite the two newcomers to dinner. If all five were at the house, it would be a good time to figure out how they were going to deal with protecting Ariel from here on out, as well as how to learn what really happened to Dave Franklin. His uncle wanted to take care of finding Anna, though Benson wasn’t all that hopeful he’d be successful. How much he’d ask for Sheriff Hanson’s help, Benson didn’t know. Since they were fairly certain werewolves were involved, it might be best to handle this werewolf to werewolf.
As for Ariel’s safety, it would be nice if either he or Preston could be Ariel’s bodyguard instead of tying up Alex and Liam. If the trainers were free, Benson or Preston could spend the time learning to fight, while the other could watch Ariel. Heavens only knew, they needed to improve their fighting skills and fast.
Once he finished buying the food, Benson headed home. A Granger family staple was spaghetti and meatballs. He could make that meal in his sleep. Add in some garlic bread and a bottle or two of nice wine, and everyone should be happy. Not only that, it would give Ariel one more reason to want to be with him and Preston. They weren’t looking for a woman to cook and clean for them. The two of them could take care of those chores. Benson merely wanted Ariel for the joy she could bring to their lives, and hopefully they could enhance hers.
It didn’t take long to finish the meal and store it in the refrigerator for later. In case Mason had learned something about the Franklin Clan or Hammer Schmidt, he gave him a call.
“Hey, Benson. If I cut you off, it’s because I am watching Hammer. No telling when he’ll be leaving.”
“Where are you?”
“At Midvale Hospital.”
That didn’t sound good. “Was Hammer hurt?”
“Not that I could tell. He must be visiting someone.”
Damn. “Is there any way to find out who?”
“We could contact Uncle Augustin and ask him, I suppose.”
He was the hospital administrator at Midvale who was married to his aunt Corrine. “I might have your dad ask him. Coming from him, it will sound more official.”
