by Terry Spear
“Sounds way too fantastic to me. Though she did say she wanted me on the job. No one else.” Gavin pulled out one of his fire logs, put it on top of the drier kindling, and used a battery-operated fire starter. A little curl of smoke appeared. He blew on it, protecting it with the tarp.
Amelia frowned at him. “Is that usual, a client asking specifically for one of you?”
“No. We work together or separately, anyone taking on the cases that come to the office. We’re all highly trained, and none of us have had any issues with clients before. She said she’d had me investigated and liked what she’d seen, but if I didn’t take the job, she’d get someone else to do it—someone not in our agency.” He shrugged.
“Okay, well, you might not think it’s enough to raise a red flag, but I think it’s important to rule out any other possibility.”
He poked at the fire for a moment and looked up at her. “I still don’t think she’d have anything to do with this, but she did ask if I’d have to take a plane.”
“You mean, that you wouldn’t have time enough to paddle out here?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Even if there’s only a slim chance that means anything, it’s still something to consider.”
“Which means we need to look into her background.” Gavin didn’t say anything for a moment, then poked at the fire again. “What if she’s having an affair and wants a divorce? Then she’s stuck with giving him money because that’s in the prenup agreement. If he’s not guilty of any infidelity and she’s the one at fault, she pays.”
“Wow, okay. So it’s still a possibility.”
The flames started licking at the kindling and the starter log. “We need to get word to the authorities. I’m afraid everyone’s hunkered down and no one’s coming here to drop off or pick up anyone because of the storm.”
“Gavin.” Amelia moved closer to him, concerned the perp might still be in the area and listening to them. She couldn’t help breathing in Gavin’s sexy male, wolf scent. “What if someone did sabotage the plane, and he came here to make sure the deed was done?”
“That’s…possible. As a cop, I watched for suspects who might be observing the scene of a crime. Some run, but some stick around, blend in, pretend to be a morbid spectator to see the reaction of the police and everyone else there. Sometimes to gloat. Sometimes to overhear if the police have any clues.” He took hold of her hand and squeezed it with reassurance. Then he released her, walked over to the cooler, and lifted the lid. “Eggs and sausage or bacon?”
“Eggs and bacon, please.”
“The bacon and sausage are precooked, so there’s no worry about cooking them thoroughly enough, though as wolf shifters we can manage what humans can’t. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.”
“I agree. What can I do?”
“If you want to get some water for the coffee, that would be great. Purification tablets are in that container over there.” Gavin pulled off his rain jacket.
“Are the eggs scrambled, shells and all?”
Smiling, he pulled the container from the cooler. “No shells. I remove them first and keep the eggs refrigerated.” He eyed them in the clear plastic container. “Amazingly, they weren’t scrambled, so your choice.”
“Whatever way is easiest.”
She set the coffeepot next to the fire and got a dish and filled it with water for Winston.
Gavin poured a little olive oil into the skillet, then added the eggs and bacon. “Lemon and pepper seasoning all right on the eggs?”
“Yeah. Sounds good.”
Gavin considered the eggs. “Well, how about scrambled eggs?”
She glanced at them, saw two of the four yolks had broken, and smiled. “Sure, that works.”
“I hadn’t expected to have breakfast with a pretty wolf on this mission.”
“I hadn’t imagined I’d be waking up with a wolf this morning either.” She set the coffeepot on the campfire, then brought over a couple of plastic plates for the food. “I would have been sitting out on my small porch, enjoying the flowers, butterflies, and birds… Well, I guess not, because of the storms. I might have been watching a show or reading a book. Never in a million years would I believe Winston would still be with me and I’d be having breakfast on an island in the middle of a lake with a white wolf and sharing a cozy hideaway with him.”
Gavin laughed. “At least you had protection.”
“Winston? He adores you. No protection there.”
“I meant from the wild beasts in the woods.”
She chuckled, her stomach beginning to rumble in anticipation of eating a good breakfast.
“You don’t have that Taser with you, do you?” Gavin served up the eggs and bacon, then made them cups of coffee.
“No. I had it in the plane.” She noticed how his face brightened a bit. “Don’t look so relieved. If there’s a bad guy nearby, I would have used it on him.” She sat down on the sleeping bag and took a bite of her eggs. “This is like a five-star camping trip. Thanks.” She began eating a slice of bacon. “Everything is delicious.”
“Thanks. My dad loved to cook. He always said if you starve everyone enough before you feed them, they’ll love anything you cook for them. He was right.” He sat down next to her on the sleeping bag.
Amelia ate another strip of bacon. “Your dad was. Not that what he had to say has anything to do with what you prepared. It’s great. We did a lot of camping in Alaska, super place to enjoy the wilderness. We usually didn’t have anything this fancy for breakfast, just hot oatmeal and coffee or cocoa to get us started in the morning.”
“Oatmeal works. I have that too.” He smiled at her, then finished his coffee.
After they ate, she fed Winston some eggs and bacon. “I’ll clean up things, but I need to run out to the woods for a minute.”
“Good idea. Mark your territory.”
She rose from their bedding and hesitated. “You’re right. I might as well go as a wolf—lots easier. And I won’t get wet all over again.” She stripped off her clothes and shifted into her wolf.
Amelia was a beautiful white wolf, all pure white as if she’d had a bleach job, with not a tinge of yellow to her fur like some Arctic wolves had. Gavin couldn’t believe she wanted to help him with his case. With all of the ideas she had, he thought she’d be a great help.
“Beautiful,” he said to her, and she wagged her tail. Then she ran out of their alcove and into the woods. “What about you, Winston?” Gavin asked. The dog had finished every scrap of his meal and was now eyeing the skillet. “Do you need to go for a walk?” Immediately, Winston stood and began wagging his tail. Gavin laughed. “You sure know that phrase.”
As soon as he left the alcove with Winston, the Saint Bernard ran into the woods.
“Winston!”
This was not what Gavin had been expecting. Their German shepherds had always minded commands and never run off. He tore after Winston, afraid that the dog would run into a wolf or a bear. Moose even. Any of which could injure him.
“Winston!”
Chapter 6
Amelia whipped past Gavin in her wolf form, chasing after Winston much faster than Gavin could run as a human. Figuring she’d chase the pup back to their camp, Gavin found a spot to relieve himself. Then he gathered more firewood and took it to the rock shelter to save for cooking meals later.
The rain had stopped and the wind had died down, but the sky was gray and still appeared threatening. Gavin washed his hands in the lake. Then he glanced in the direction of where the plane had gone down and saw something bobbing up and down in the water about an eighth of a mile out. Hot damn! It looked like…his lucky paddle!
Gavin quickly untied the canoe and readied it to take it out, hoping Amelia was doing all right with Winston. The dog had stayed with them in the alcove last night just fine, but they might
have to tie him up whenever they didn’t want him running off. Gavin hadn’t heard him bark once, so that was a good thing.
He remembered camping once when someone’s yappy dog barked for hours one night, two miles away. As a human, he still would have heard the dog. As a wolf, it had been worse. And the owner kept yelling at the dog periodically throughout the night to shut up.
After pulling on his rain gear in case it got bad again while he was out on the water, Gavin pushed the canoe out and climbed in, then started paddling out. A woof sounded behind him. He glanced back. Amelia was standing with her charge on the shore at their makeshift campsite, watching him. He was glad they had returned.
“Going after the paddle.” He pointed in the direction.
She woofed again in acknowledgment.
The early-morning sky was filled with dark-gray clouds, and Gavin knew he didn’t have a lot of time before he needed to be back under the safety of the shelter ledge so he didn’t get caught out in the storm.
He stroked hard and fast, glancing back to see Amelia and Winston still observing him. Then she and the dog disappeared into the alcove.
It seemed to take him forever, but he finally drew closer to the fluorescent paddle and saw something else floating in the water. At once, he recognized the large, blue plastic box. Hot damn, Winston’s kibble. Gavin was glad, not only because he’d worried that feeding Winston some of their food might upset his digestive tract, but also because he’d brought only enough food for himself for the time he’d be here and now he was sharing it with Amelia too. He just hoped he’d have good luck fishing. Though he could go fishing as a wolf too, and sometimes he was more successful that way.
Glad he’d retrieved his fluorescent paddle, Gavin paddled toward the box. When he was close enough, he lifted it into the canoe and looked around to see if anything else from the plane was floating nearby.
He didn’t see anything, but the wind was beginning to pick up, and he smelled the smoke from their campfire.
Turning toward shore, he figured they could have the homemade beef stew for lunch or dinner once it had thawed out enough. Between the hefty chunks of ice he’d made in aluminum pots for the cooler, and the fact that some of his food was also frozen—like the stew—the food should still be refrigerated.
On this mission, part of his cover was to appear prepared for camping for over a week in the wilderness. He was glad to have company. Though he knew that wouldn’t last long once someone picked Amelia and Winston up.
Fat raindrops suddenly fell from the sky. Great. Gavin paddled even faster, hoping he could help with the fire and keep it from going out so they could dry things out a bit. Amelia had shifted and dressed and was lifting a corner of the tarp high above the fire with tent poles, so she could keep it more sheltered from the rain.
But they’d need more kindling and hardwood.
When he reached the shore, he noticed she was wearing his rain jacket and the sweats as she ran out to greet him. She had laid out their wet clothes in the alcove near the fire to dry them. And she’d already cleaned up everything from breakfast. He appreciated that she was as hard a worker as he was. He’d camped with a woman years earlier, when he was still human, and he swore she’d thought it was supposed to be a five-star camping affair—maid service, room service, hot showers, restrooms, none of which they’d had at the campsite that was as primitive as the one they were making do with here. And man, did she complain the whole time she was out there with him! Which meant cutting his trip short, or suffering her complaints. Regrettably, he’d had to cut the trip short.
Then again, wolves were more used to their natural surroundings and comfortable in them, so he could see why this suited Amelia fine.
Amelia helped him haul the canoe back into the trees to secure it. “Oh, yay, you got Winston’s kibble.”
“Damn good thing, or Winston would surely eat us out of house and home and still be hungry, as much exercise as he’s getting. I don’t think the eggs and bacon would have held him over until the next meal.”
“You’re right.” She carried Gavin’s paddle back to the camp while he carried the big container of dog food. “He was eyeing the skillet when I was cleaning it, looking for any scrap that might be left over. The container of kibble would be plenty to keep him going for a few weeks. I wanted Winston’s new family to have the food he’s used to. I often have to get a different kind, depending on the pet I’m fostering—different breed, age, size.”
“That’s just great.”
Amelia hauled the container into the shelter, and Winston started nosing at it. “Yes. That’s yours, but you have to wait. I figure I’ll feed him his regular food since he’s used to that. Otherwise, he doesn’t feel he’s had his real meal.”
“Like the eggs and bacon were a treat.”
“Exactly.” She poured some kibble for Winston into the lid of the container that could serve as a dog dish. “Sit… Down… Break…”
At hearing the final command, Winston, who was lying down on the ground in the alcove, scrambled to his feet to rush to eat his kibble.
Gavin admired the pup. “He’s well trained.”
“When he wants to be. Running off in the woods wasn’t part of the training.” She filled the dish she was using for Winston’s water. “But I didn’t have time to work on that before I found new owners for him. Well, had found.”
The lightning and thunder drew closer.
Gavin ran his hand over Winston’s back, seriously thinking of offering to take him in. “Did you see anyone while you were chasing Winston down?” Gavin assumed she would have told him if she had, but he’d smelled a man’s scent and still wondered if it was recent or from some time ago—long before they arrived and set up camp.
“No, I didn’t see anyone or hear any voices or smell any food. At least not where Winston ran to. I was able to turn him around fairly fast after he did his business.”
“You didn’t say why your dad canceled on me and took another party instead.”
She narrowed her eyes at him.
“I don’t mean he had anything to do with tampering with the plane. I don’t believe your dad had anything to do with you being targeted. You’re a wolf family. Most wolf families take care of each other. Though if you were all humans, the cop in me would consider family and friends as first suspects.”
“Heaton would fit the bill as a friend and employee. My father hired him to help fly for us because business has been so brisk this summer. And because Heaton was a wolf, Dad thought he’d be more reliable. If Heaton deliberately incapacitated the plane, he might have been after me, because I had dumped him. He knew my brother was already flying a sightseeing group out, and I was the only one who could switch with my dad.”
“Why did you switch with your dad?”
“One of the men who was supposed to be in my group refused to fly with a female pilot.”
“Ah.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You seemed ready to blow your top if I told you I didn’t want to fly with you. I was just surprised your dad wasn’t taking me. It had nothing to do with you flying the plane. I don’t blame you for being annoyed with the guy though. I think in this instance, the passenger not wanting you to pilot the plane worked out well for all concerned.”
She looked at Gavin like he was crazy. “I crashed the plane.”
“Not on purpose, and besides, you found a wolf you can’t live without.”
Amelia exhaled in a way that said Gavin might have to work harder at convincing her of that. “If someone did sabotage the plane, would he have used a remote controller?”
“That might have been too unpredictable. If he couldn’t get enough of a signal, he would have missed the opportunity. Your plane could be out of range, you might take enough of a detour, anything could happen to screw up his plans. More likely, he’d have a
timer set.”
“Which means he might have done it in anticipation of your arrival. Dad had a couple cancel his flight, which allowed you to take their place.”
“What reason did the passengers give for canceling?” It sounded like too far a stretch, but Gavin had learned years ago never to discount anything. He’d seen too many police cases where key evidence was ignored for too long because it seemed too far out to connect to the crime.
“The upcoming storms. We had more than one group cancel because of them.”
Which, in Gavin’s estimation, was reasonable. “Okay, so we have a couple that canceled: the group that didn’t want to go with you, and the disgruntled former employee.”
“And the guy you’re investigating.”
“And the companies you’re in competition with. You have a plane go down, it’s in the news, and suddenly your adventure tour company sounds too dangerous to fly with.”
“Correct. If we’re working on conspiracy theories, they’d all be tied in, right?”
Gavin smiled down at her. “Do you watch a lot of conspiracy thrillers?”
“Absolutely. What does the wife get out of it, if you prove her husband is being unfaithful?”
“A divorce. She’s worth millions. She has a prenuptial agreement that if he’s caught in an extramarital affair, she doesn’t have to give him a cent.”
“Okay, so let’s say he assumes she’s got a PI on his case. Getting rid of you wouldn’t help him at all. All she’d have to do is send another.”
“True, but maybe not soon enough to follow her husband at this point. I can’t think of anyone who has a vendetta against me.”
“Or your pack? Your PI agency? With the cases you’ve worked, you might have had issues with someone. Even a man or woman who you proved was cheating on your client? Someone you exposed who had committed a crime and was put in jail? Just all kinds of things.”
“I can’t imagine anyone going to that much trouble. And it’s got to be someone who did some work on the plane beforehand. You say the fired pilot is a wolf?”