“I don’t know, but I’m sure Mallory and Sam are going to find out come morning.”
“You’re hiding something from me.” Sydney’s stare was assessing, but Mica didn’t shrink beneath it.
“Nothing to hide,” Mica told her. “Why aren’t you out at the den?”
“I wanted to talk to you. I sent Cam home with Sam.”
She nodded. “Well, I don’t need any help here, so you can go rub Cam’s feet or something,” Mica said.
“I will later, but first I want to know why you’re being so closemouthed,” Sydney commanded.
“I bet, but there’s nothing to tell, Syd,” Mica said tiredly. “Beat it. Anyway, if the killer is smart, he or she will keep their distance from us and the club.”
“Yeah. It just seems damned strange that someone turns up dead right after Jericho makes his threat.”
“Agreed, but there’s no proof he has anything to do with it.”
“Let me know when that changes?”
“If it does,” Mica said. She wouldn’t hide everything from her old friend, just any Jericho involvement.
Chapter Seven
Kamari was out of her home early and on her way to the Mystic storage facility. She’d checked the phone book while she had her tea and found there was one located here in town. She’d have to bike, but didn’t mind despite the chill in the air.
Kamari checked the streets as she rode along keeping a steady pace to give herself some exercise. No one seemed to be following her, but she didn’t go straight to the facility just in case.
Kamari didn’t really have the time to waste since she had no idea what waited in the unit. Could be nothing more than a notebook or a DVD with nothing concrete leaving her with more questions than answers.
When Kamari arrived, she found the gate surrounding the place was already open. Kamari drove through into the deserted lot and peddled slowly until she located number fourteen.
She got off her bike and used the key to unlock the door. Stepping inside, lights came on automatically, illuminating the small square space. There was a box on the floor and Kamari crossed the room to it, glad she’d slung her backpack onto her back.
She lifted the lid and found two smaller boxes inside. She removed one of the boxes and lifted the lid to a medium-sized envelope. Kamari opened it for a peek inside. On top, was a stack of pictures, but beneath it was a cell phone.
The cell phone had a cute little pink and white case with artsy drawn flowers. With a frown, she turned it on wondering if there was any juice on it. As she waited for it to power up, Kamari went through the pictures. There were several of Isa and Mallory along with a note. There were also shots of an attractive woman with short hair talking to a man. In a few of them, the woman looked irritated.
Kamari checked the phone, learning it had a little juice. She went through it, not sure what she was looking for, but stumbled on video footage. She watched a simple conversation about an attack at Coyote Closet turn into an argument before devolving into a bloody murder.
She recognized only one of the people in the video and the haze of confusion drifted over her, causing her to wonder what in the hell kind of town this was.
Snow Fur seemed like a peaceful little place on first glance, but there was obviously a very dangerous underbelly.
The phone went dead before the video ended and Kamari set it aside and opened the other box curious as to what was going on. And how had Isa gotten mixed up in secrets and murder?
She found a small scrapbook with glossy eight by tens of scenery. Beneath each was jewelry in plastic along with a lock of hair. She frowned, confused, but near the end she found a picture of a park in Hartsland where her sister used to jog, where she’d been killed.
The memory locket she’d given Arleigh for her birthday last year was there with a smudge of red on the rose gold chain.
“Oh, my God,” Kamari murmured. She stroked her fingers over the locket next to which was a lock of thick curly black hair. Tears sprang to her eyes and her stomach knotted.
Only a serial killer would keep mementoes of his kills.
Arleigh’s death had hit her hard despite the fact they hadn’t been close in years. Kamari hadn’t lived in Hartsland on a regular basis in three years as she and her sister began to find equilibrium in their lives apart.
Arleigh had said she’d met someone six months ago, but there had been no sign that was true. Her murder had been a fluke, killed while jogging in the park one morning, and as hard as it had been for her to accept, Kamari had been trying to move forward.
But last night and now this—she didn’t know if she could let it go.
The sound of a car and then voices from outside, had Kamari quickly shoving the items into her backpack. Then, she put the boxes back into the larger one and hurried out of the room.
She closed and re-locked the door before covering her head with the hood of her sweater and getting on her bike and riding away.
****
“Another one of my people killed by them,” Jericho said coldly to Jenner, the chief of detectives as he studied him from behind the desk in his office. “How? And what did they have to say this time?”
“They weren’t exactly responsible, directly,” Jenner replied quietly. “Isa was killed by someone at the club, and it looks to have been by another customer.”
“That’s what they want you to think,” he snarled.
“Maybe, but there’s no need for them to kill any wolf especially since there’s an alliance in place and relations are brittle at best. What would that have accomplished?” Jenner demanded. “I’m looking at this as an acquaintance murder.”
“Why? I know you’re friendly with those coyotes, but this is just plain wrong—you taking their side against your own pack.”
Jenner sighed roughly. “I’m not doing that, and none of the evidence I have on Connie’s murder and activities prior to the hours of her death lead me to believe Sydney is her killer. Syd does have an alibi.”
“Connie’s family isn’t going to continue to wait while you sit on your hands.”
“They better stay out of the investigation,” Jenner snapped.
“A life for a life,” Jericho told him icily. “I’m even more convinced of that after hearing about Isa.”
Jenner glared at him. “It’s too soon to start putting a name to Isa’s killer. As it is, I’ve asked them to close the club for a few days so I can finish going over the scene.”
“It’s not enough,” Jericho snarled.
Jenner studied him, eyes snapping with irritation. He wasn’t an omega wolf to be ordered around, but he was a wolf who’d never challenge his alpha.
“Isa was seen with Mallory a few times at the Wolf Trap. There had to have been some evidence in that room where she was killed.”
Jenner wiped a hand through his hair. “Just don’t do anything that will taint these cases and make it impossible for me to get any conviction.”
“Don’t let me or the pack down, Jenner,” he said coldly.
A rap at the door had Jenner turning his gaze from him. “Come in,” he barked and the door opened.
“Jenner, thank goodness you’re in.” A lanky man burst in waving a sheet of paper. “You won’t believe this. I traced those cuff links I found under the bed to the jewelry store, and the clerk remembers who bought them.”
“Who?” Jenner demanded with a frown.
“She said there was only one pair like it sold six months ago and that was to Mallory Blacklaw.”
****
“Isa Mann’s car keys were missing from her purse,” Delany Austin told Mica. “Jenner’s already chewed my ass about it as if I stole them or something. And he wants the security footage.”
“I know,” Mica said. “I’ve got the copies all ready. Can you take them over? I’m going to pay our sort of witness a visit.”
“No problem,” she said. “He hinted that he thinks she took them and Isa’s phone if you or Samarra didn’t.
He also mentioned wanting to get DNA from you, Mallory, Samarra and Sydney to compare to the blood samples he found.”
She hadn’t had time to go through the purse as she’d planned and neither had Sam. “Did he give you an inventory of the items?”
“He said he wasn’t doing any sharing on this case given what’s going on,” Delany said.
Mica looked up from the file on the computer she was reading. It had come in from a contact in the Arizona police department. “Of course not,” she muttered.
“Uh-huh,” she said. “I’ve been hearing rumors that Mallory had been hanging out with Isa so this isn’t going to be a case.”
“So, what if she was? I doubted she’d kill her,” Mica snapped in irritation.
“You don’t have to convince me,” Delany told her with a twist of her lips. “I support my alpha to end. Since that isn’t today, I’m going to Mystic to check something out.”
“What?” Mica asked with a frown.
“Isa’s sister told me Isa rented storage space at Mystic Storage.”
“We’ll meet up at Sam’s place here in town when you get back. Do you know where it is?” Mica asked.
“Text me the address. She does accounting work there, right?”
“Yeah. Be careful. I have no idea what the hell is up,” Mica said.
“I know, and I’m more worried about stepping on Jenner’s toes here. He tried to bust my ass for not having a PI’s license. Thank goodness I still do a little work now and then despite Syd closing her doors.”
Delany had a degree in criminal justice and had worked in the crime lab for the local police for four years. She’d gone to work for Syd for a year before Syd closed her private security business to work security for the pack.
“I know. We need to make sure all our Is are dotted and our Ts are crossed. There is just too much at stake,” Mica said quietly. “If Isa’s murder here wasn’t a setup, then the person who did it needs to be caught before they make the club their killing grounds.”
“I’m more worried about the reflection this will have on our pack than the club,” Delaney said. “Coyote Closet will bounce back, but a stain on our pack as murderers will be hard to overcome.”
Mica closed her computer’s lid with a slow nod of agreement.
“Later.” Delany headed for the door.
“Yeah.” Mica got to her feet, mulling over the information she’d gathered on Arleigh Sang from the Hartsland Gazette, the town’s tiny paper. What intrigued her the most about it was that two other women had been killed within the same very short time span along with a deputy.
She saw a conspiracy to cover up murder in a town where Jericho’s brother lived. That was way too coincidental for her and screamed at her to get a few answers from Amy’s family. But how was she going to do that without alerting Jericho?
Chapter Eight
Kamari put the finishing touches on the meal she was serving for lunch. Butterflies in her stomach as she thought of the gold of Mica’s eyes. She liked it better than the gray.
It was the animal, the coyote she liked. She wanted it to play with her, to want her as much as she wanted it.
Her heart beat faster, she growled, the fire of hormones rushing through her, filling her system with the chemical of animal attraction. The kind that formed bonds and made mates, but Kamari shoved the wolf’s suggestion aside.
She wasn’t here for a mate. She was just trying to live again, she thought as her mind drifted to the information she’d retrieved from Isa’s storage locker. The scrapbook only produced more questions about Jerry’s identity than answers.
Kamari had begun a search for the places hoping to find something connected with them, and she’d found twelves murders had occurred, one in each place. Kamari was even more intrigued, but had decided not to contact her old boss at the FBI, not yet.
The pictures of Isa and Mallory puzzled her a little, along with the note she’d found. It was clear the shots hadn’t been taken by Isa, but she suspected Isa had written the note since it mentioned Amy, Isa’s best friend and Isa’s developing feelings for her.
Still, there was no reason for Mallory to have done anything other than walk away. Mallory didn’t even strike her as the type to get deeply involved with anyone.
Kamari finished up the meal and set the table which was a small dining set for four placed against the wall in the spacious kitchen. She went to change into the simple dress she’d selected and was checking her hair when a rap sounded on the door.
Kamari grabbed the datebook and pushed it under the edge of the dresser along with the tablet computer she’d inserted the SD card into, then headed for the door.
A second rap was an impatient sound that had her rolling her eyes as she glided to the door over the thick carpet.
“Some people are so impatient,” she muttered. A look out the peephole, and Kamari was pulling the door open to Mica who held a box in one hand and flowers in the other.
Kamari frowned, suspicion snaking through her.
Mica was just trying to soften her up. That was too bad, but nothing said this couldn’t still be a hot distraction while they both got what they wanted.
“Hi.”
“Hi, Kamari,” she said and held out the flowers.
“Thank you, Mica.” Kamari took the blooms before giving them a sniff. “They’re beautiful, colorful.” She smiled and stepped back as her gaze slid slowly down Mica’s button-down navy blouse tucked into black pants and belted with a black leather belt.
Mica looked perfect and not a hair out of place. Even her loafers shone.
“Come in.” Kamari motioned her inside.
“Did you sleep any?”
“I did. Anything new come up? I mean I assume you’ve talked to the police. Jenner seemed irritated and determined.”
“I imagine he is,” Mica drawled. “Isa lived in his community.”
“I see.” Code for pack, she well knew from when she lived in Arizona. Kamari led the way to the kitchen. “Nothing new?”
“Isa’s keys were missing from her purse and you were alone in the room after she died,” Mica said.
“Why would I take them? I didn’t kill her, Mica.” She laid the flowers on the counter in the kitchen and went to check beneath the sink for a vase.
“That’s what I asked myself,” Mica said. “Then Miranda told us the phone went dead during your conversation with Isa and I wondered what she might have said to you. Who killed her maybe?”
She arranged the flowers in the vase and then took them to the table. “Lunch is ready. Shall I serve?”
“We need to talk about last night,” Mica said. “I think you held things back.”
“You can wash up, and then we’ll eat.” Kamari joined Mica at the sink and washed up and Kamari grabbed a dishcloth for them to dry their hands.
Mica moved to the table, but didn’t sit, while Kamari placed two serving platters on the table. When she was done, Mica pulled out her chair for her.
The warmth of Mica reached out to Kamari, bringing with it that sandalwood and vanilla of Mica’s skin that excited her wolf, drew it like a moth to a flame no matter how hard Kamari tried to ignore it. Not that she tried that hard.
The allure of Mica wasn’t just sexual, and it left Kamari both wary and exhilarated.
She looked over her shoulder, catching sight of Mica’s profile. The intensity in her gray eyes was bright and took her breath away.
“First flowers, now this.” Her voice came out a little husky, yet her tone held a slight accusation.
“Problem with my manners?” Mica asked coolly.
The frost in her tone was annoying, but didn’t stop the wolf from wanting to rub up against her.
“Not at all. I was just saying.” Kamari sat down to keep her animal from acting on instinct.
Mica pushed her up to the table and bent, mouth close to her ear, warm breath a caress that made her heart race. “Why so skittish? I don’t bite, not on the first date anyway.�
��
Kamari laughed and looked up at her, but her wolf growled. She liked biting. “Maybe there’s something about you that’s quintessentially wild like a coyote.”
Mica cocked her brows as she slipped into the chair across from her, which gave Mica a view of the entire kitchen including the patio door. “Scared?”
“Not hardly,” Kamari murmured despite the clear challenge in Mica’s gaze. No, she wasn’t scared of this coyote. Her wolf was chomping at the bit to play with her.
“Good. I’d hate to think you were a coward beneath all that bravado you were throwing around last night or was that just defensive bullshit?”
Kamari grunted and reached for her cloth napkin and Mica did the same, tucking it into the collar of her blouse. Kamari bit back a smile and began piling food onto her plate.
“Should I be anything but defensive?”
“You tell me,” Mica invited. “Did the woman or man you were with take you through the wringer or are you just naturally distrustful?”
Kamari poured them each a glass of tea and then took a sip of hers as she considered the question. She wasn’t a normal wolf. Her ancestors were descended from Mayans, shadow walkers—wolves. They had been vicious and deadly creatures that had evolved from werewolves who could only turn during a full moon into true shifters.
Her animal nature made her far more dangerous because unlike normal shifters. The shadow walkers had three breed types. Though one was a hunter of humans, the other was what was a serial killing sexual cannibal.
“Are you?”
Kamari smiled. “I guess after losing my family, I never trusted easily.” Not humans and certainly not anything other than wolf. But after hearing what Isa’s pack must be like, she might have to rethink that, too.
“When was the last time you were in a relationship?” Mica asked lifting her fork to her mouth.
“It’s been a while.” After Randy, she’d stuck to her job. It didn’t keep her warm on cold Washington nights, but that’s what electric blankets, romance novels, and heaters were for. “And you?”
Getting Nawty With the Coyote Page 4