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He shook his head no. “Well, he might,” he amended that. “But he would need someone else to do the paperwork. He never bothered to stay current. I’m surprised he didn’t try to pay his taxes with three mules and a goat.”
“And you didn’t know about any of this,” Benny said, struggling not to sound accusatory.
Duncan was silent for a moment. “You have to understand how old I am,” he said finally. “John and I came here among the fur trappers. We were part of a Scottish pack. He got banished and decided to head west — to this new land he’d been hearing about. He asked if I would come along. I had an itch to see the New World, and so we headed to the eastern seaboard, and then made our way west. We got here, and this area resonated. So we settled in.”
Benny frowned. His history knowledge wasn’t up to this conversation. “When was that? 1500s?”
Duncan half-shrugged, half-nodded. “Something like that? We weren’t here with Cabot, but not long after that. And then, of course, we reinvented ourselves with every push westward. So, John and I got bored with each other a long time ago. He’d still be eating with his fingers and wearing fur-skin hats if he’d had his way. But I liked all these new people who kept coming into this region. I became the person who interacted with humans. He disappeared up to the lodge with the retrograde crowd regularly.”
Duncan paused, sorrow crossing his face. “I lost two sons, and three grandsons in that retribution,” he said quietly. “But actually I lost them a long time before to John. They found him more in alignment with their own personalities. Fair enough. One of the advantages of extended families, actually. I inherited some of John’s offspring — including Dennis, in there. Dennis was forced to live at the pack house, but he visited me frequently. We probably have lunch once a week. After the retribution, I also took in the families of some of my offspring. And that included Miles.”
He smiled, and it changed his whole demeanor. “Miles has been the joy of my life,” he said seriously. “I think he’s most like me — if I had been born in this time and place. He likes books. He’s going to college. He’s curious, and he likes people.”
“So how often did you see John?” Benny asked.
“Pinochle night,” Duncan said promptly. “I could hang out with the senior leaders of the pack without actually having to have a conversation with any of them. So I was there when John came up with the harebrained notion to take over the Last Chance. I called ahead, talked to Joe about a birthday party for John McKenzie, III, and asked if we could take over the bar. On a Tuesday? He was delighted. Made more money than he probably did all of last week.”
“I don’t know about that,” Benny joked. “We were there on Sunday. So he probably did pretty well then too.”
Duncan smiled briefly. “But other than that? I hadn’t been out to the pack house since last Christmas. And I was already starting to dread Thanksgiving coming up. My two visits a year. And I hated them. Hated what I saw out there. And hated being helpless to do a damn thing about it, except offer what refuge I could.”
“But you handled real estate?”
Duncan nodded. “I’m licensed. And I go to all the meetings — the Chamber, the Rotary, the Board of Realtors — damn me, humans do like to form groups and join things! I wonder why that is?”
“No pack,” Benny said absently.
“Maybe,” Duncan agreed. He shrugged. “They voted me best realtor under 30 last February.”
Benny snorted. “How many times have you made that list?”
Duncan chuckled. “It was noted that my father and my grandfather had also had that distinction,” he agreed.
“So you really don’t know much at all about what was going on in the pack?” Benny mused.
“Only what made its way into my kitchen and was confided in me,” Duncan said. “My wife died a century ago. I’ve had some liaisons since then, but I haven’t remarried. I suspect there are rumors in town right now that I’m gay. But I just haven’t had the heart for it —she’d become a hostage to my compliance, right? So I live alone in this big rambling house that I ‘inherited’ from my father when he was killed in a car accident five years ago. I’m happy to offer the house up to these women, and I’ll move out — might go to the pack house. Marta might need someone out there. Or stay in one of my guest cottages.”
Guest cottages? Benny thought maybe they needed to run past Duncan McKenzie’s place as well. He considered the options. “You need to do something about Bjorn Hansen’s house,” he said absently.
Duncan just waited. Finally Benny sighed. “Let’s get Trevor and Clueless,” he said. “And we’ll go looking for the other dorm.”
“One of those others might know where it is,” Duncan pointed out.
Benny wasn’t ready to tell Duncan about the Pied Piper. He thought Duncan was being honest with him, but there was still a lot Benny didn’t understand here. “Reasons,” he said briefly. “Get Clueless out of the bedroom there. I’ll collect Trevor and tell Ryder we’re leaving.”
“I’ll tell Dennis to take the women to my place,” Duncan agreed. “Meet you out front.”
