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My heartbeat doubled as realization jackhammered into me. I didn’t want to believe that I could’ve murdered the deputy, but it certainly was possible. My monster hated him and was still so fucking mad at him for the way he’d put his hands on me. Then there was the fact that I couldn’t remember what I’d done after I’d shifted. Of course, I could very well have killed the man. I had motive and opportunity, and since he’d obviously been killed by a shifter, I had the means. And worse, I’d woken up covered in blood—not that anyone else had seen it.
My stomach churned several times, threatening to expel its contents. This time, though, a headache hit me hard, and the mania that swept over me from time to time started building up under everyone’s horrified stares.
I dug into the deepest recesses of my mind, trying to remember the evening for any signs that my monster had done this. There had to be a way to figure it out, to prove that I didn’t kill anyone, that it wasn’t in my nature. Except it was in my wolf’s. It was why I had to keep such tight control over her. She was a rogue. Uncontrollable. Feral. And last night, I’d let her beat me. She’d won and blocked me out.
The front door slammed open, and Sheriff Birch Clawson and Ridge hurried into the bar.
“Gang’s all here,” I muttered.
Everybody gasped at the sight of Ridge. I did the same when I took in his disheveled appearance. He wasn’t as put together as I’d always seen him. He wore rumpled clothes, though his hair was freshly washed. Still, the sight was a shock to everybody around us, but more so to the humans, it seemed. He at least still had his suit on, even though it would probably need to be thrown out. No amount of dry-cleaning would get rid of those dirt stains.
Audrey pointed at me again and told the sheriff and Ridge that I had killed the deputy. I dropped my eyes. I didn’t have any way to fight this. I could be guilty. Hell, I certainly looked guilty.
Ridge stepped around the body and came to stand between Audrey, me, and her accusations.
“Tori did not kill Deputy Hill. We were together all night.”
Lifting my eyes to catch Ridge’s, shock zapped into me once again. I was certain my body was about to combust or something. I didn’t know how many more surprises I could take this morning.
He didn’t look at me. He looked around the room, so I followed his gaze. I took in the confusion and distrust on all the faces of the humans present. I was seen here alone, and Ridge had happened upon us after so many had already checked everything out. It was suspicious for him to alibi me. Adding to the mix that I was a stranger with the dead body before us, it would be hardnotto think the worst.
I did know, though, that Ridge didn’t kill the deputy. He wouldn’t do that and leave this kind of a mess behind. Because how in the world would an animal attack one person in an enclosed space such as this, not destroy anything else in the room, and get out? It’d leave too many questions, and Ridge wouldn’t leave questions, ever. He’d make sure the body could never be found or set it out in the woods or something to really showcase that it had been an animal attack.
Ridge was the mayor. He had other ways to control the deputy, too. He would have done things differently.
“A rabid animal in the woods went after Tori and me. It might have got in here and attacked the deputy, too.”
He was so nonchalant that I couldn’t believe how fast he came up with it. It didn’t do the trick, though. Everyone exchanged glances, stopping to gaze at the body for brief moments. It wasn’t easy to look at the deputy’s mangled corpse. The humans in the room looked like they were trying to piece everything together.
The looks they gave me were filled with suspicion and terror. They stood farther back from me and wouldn’t look me in the eye.
Audrey huffed. “No, Tori killed the deputy, and she needs to be put behind bars. She’s a murderer.”
One of the Magpies piped up after Audrey. “Now, it does look like an animal attack, and Tori certainly had some sort of bone to pick with the deputy yesterday.” She shrugged her bony, frail shoulders as she hefted me under the bus that was rolling past. “Maybe she’s hiding something and disguised his murder as an animal attack.”
Hurt pooled in my chest. I wasn’t a part of this town, that was certain, but I thought I’d surely havesomeof them on my side. Ridge had defended me, and I couldn’t help but be delighted by that despite the aching misery inside me. My wolf wanted to nuzzle him, to have him wrap his arms around us. I’d thought I got along with the Magpies, that they’d at least wait a momentbefore passing judgment.
Audrey, on the other hand, was no surprise at all. She wouldn’t have thrown a life preserver my way if she saw me drowning. No way would she risk her pretty Prada pumps getting damp.
With Audrey already casting aspersions, Mr. Greenthorne jumped in and couldn’t wait to point his stubby finger my way. He had his righteous gloating locked and loaded and a smug air about him. He wanted me gone, and there wasn’t much moregonethan prison.
People started murmuring, talking over each other. I subtly stepped toward Ridge, not entirely realizing what I was doing until he stepped closer, put his hand on my lower back, and stroked my skin with his thumb. My wolf whimpered and wanted me to burrow in closer to his heat, but it would have looked bad while I was listening to all the ways people thought I’d killed the deputy.
The sheriff stuck two fingers from each hand into the corners of his mouth and whistled loudly. All the wolves in the room cringed, while the humans only looked annoyed or angry or suspicious.
He walked to the center of the room. “All of you, stop shouting. This is a crime scene, and we need to investigate. Stop pointing fingers and get out. Let us do our work and gather the evidence.”
The crime scene was so contaminated now that it had to work in my favor.
Mrs. Marrow, the librarian who’d always smiled and waved at me, raised her hand before speaking softly. “Now I just want to say, just because Tori didn’t seem to get off on the right foot with the deputy doesn’t mean she’d attack the man.” She smiled and cocked her head at me. Such a sweet, little old lady. “After all, didn’t they just meet yesterday? Why would she have any reason to go after him? She has a very good alibi if both she and our mayor were attacked together in the woods. Far away from here.” She scanned the room. “That’s all I wanted to say.”
I gulped audibly at the emotions welling inside me. I wanted to hug the woman for making some sense, but I still didn’t trust my wolf. What if she’d done this? I had no idea. I could have killed someone, or I could have been with Ridge the whole time. Not knowing was killing me.
The room fell silent and everyone stared at me, waiting for an explanation. I stiffened, and Ridge stepped in front of me slightly, but it didn’t help. Nothing was going to change the fact that every single person in the tavern was staring at me in suspicion. His hand moved from my back to my arm, rubbing warmth into my skin in a motion that didn’t feel soothing. I desperately wanted to take his hand and keep it there.
The door opened, and Margo, Diana, and Lola raced into the bar. As soon as Lola witnessed the deputy’s body in the middle of the bloodshed, she stumbled forward and fainted. The sheriff caught her before she hit her head on the floor and softly set her down, tapping her cheeks to get her to wake up.
Margo ran around the gawkers and launched herself at me, hugging me with both arms in a tight embrace. Diana came around and started inspecting me up and down. She went into mother mode while they both jumped over each other with questions. I couldn’t have found words to convey how amazing it felt to have these two women worried about me.
