Animal Attraction

by Patricia Rosemoor

  “Looks like he’s not here,” Ethan said, turning to Luc, who seemed to be concentrating on something. “What?”

  “Not good.” Luc shook his head.

  “What isn’t good?”

  Rather than explaining himself, Luc blinked out, leaving Ethan pissed. What the hell? Before he could decide what to do next, the front door opened. Luc stood aside to let him enter, saying, “You’ll find him in the dining room.”

  Frowning at that, Ethan left the living room to see a body crumpled up on the dining room floor. Then he rushed to the man whose eyes were opened wide in death. He looked for a wound. Anything that would tell him how the victim had died.

  “He wasn’t shot or knifed. And his throat’s intact,” Ethan muttered as he pulled out the man’s wallet and checked his ID. “Yep. Marc Madera. Where the hell is the hybrid?”

  “If it’s still here, it’s not alive, either. I can’t feel its pulse.”

  Feel its pulse? TMI!

  “I need to call this in.”

  “Not until we see what we can find first,” Luc said. “You can’t do anything for a man who is already dead.”

  “Okay. Five minutes.”

  Luc was already canvassing the room. Ethan moved into the kitchen, looking for signs of an animal. No dishes of food or water anywhere. Maybe in the basement? He found the stairs and flipped the light switch before descending. A fool’s errand. Nothing indicating the wolf hybrid had been kept down here, either.

  He rejoined Luc. “No sign of any animal. Maybe Kelly got bad intel.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.” Luc held a small wad of animal fur that looked suspiciously like that found near Booker’s body.

  “Where did that come from?”

  “It was under that radiator.” Luc pointed toward the one under the windows. “Whoever killed him, removed the wolf hybrid and cleaned up must have been in a hurry and missed it.”

  Ethan couldn’t have said it better himself. Luc would have made a good cop if he was human. No, wrong. He would have made a good cop. Period.

  He pulled out his cell phone. “Time to call this in.”

  “How are you going to explain why you were here?”

  “I find the truth is usually the best course. I got a tip from Kelly that this guy had a wolf dog, and of course I had to check it out.” He thought about it for a moment and added, “And this is stretching it a bit, but I came inside because the door just happened to be open.” He nodded at Luc’s hand. “I’ll need that chunk of fur to connect the two murders. And then you need to leave before someone questions your reason for being here.”

  Handing over the only evidence they’d found, Luc said, “Go ahead and call. Time for me to disappear.”

  With that, Luc blinked out.

  Chapter Nineteen

  It didn’t seem likely that Ethan would have an opportunity to check on Nuala in person any time soon, so he called Skye on the way back to the office hours later, after the crime scene was secured, the techs were finished and the body was removed.

  “I’m really tied up with the case,” he said. “It just got more complicated when Luc and I found another body.”

  “How did Luc get involved?”

  “I asked him to come with me.”

  “Wow, you’re evolving, asking for Kindred help.”

  “He’s only half Kindred.”

  “So, you called to tell me about the case? Or was there something else on your mind?”

  Intuitive as always. “Just wondering how Nuala and Maeve are doing since I didn’t have a chance to see for myself.”

  “Ah. They’re doing just fine. And coming home tomorrow. I’m picking them up at noon. Maybe you can find time to stop by.”

  “Maybe.” He purposely made himself sound noncommittal lest Skye get more ideas about him and Nuala. “I just entered the Area North parking lot, so I need to sign off.”

  “See you tomorrow.”

  Undoubtedly she would. Skye sounded pleased with herself. Anticipation teased him. He wanted to see Nuala right now, but he was forcing himself to focus on the new turn in the case. Surely he could take a few minutes to stop by tomorrow.

  And then what?

  He wanted what he would never have.

  After parking, Ethan went inside and headed straight for the bullpen where he found Isabeau on her computer. He filled her in on the new murder.

  “There’s no doubt in my mind that this is connected to Booker. Now we need to find a connection between Madera and Peterson.”

  “And we need to do it fast,” she agreed.

  Her expression unsettled him. “Something I’m missing?”

  “The DNA report came in while you were gone. The lieutenant sent uniforms to make the arrest. I was just waiting for you to come in to take the lead. He’s in an interview room now.”

  Uh-oh, he had a bad feeling about this. “Who?”

  “Tyrone Moody.”

  Ethan’s mind whirled as they left the bullpen and headed down the hall together. How had Moody’s do-rag ended up at the crime scene?

  Jim Conti and a couple of uniformed officers gathered outside the interview room to watch through the glass—a one-way mirror on the other side—and listen via a speaker as Ethan and Isabeau would interview Moody. Once inside, they took seats opposite the gang leader. Moody’s face might be wiped of expression, but his body was rife with tension.

  Isabeau started the recording and informed Moody of his right to have a lawyer.

  “I be doin’ the talkin’…” Moody said. “For now.”

  “You know why you were brought in?” Ethan asked.

  “Apparently, I offed DeAndre Booker then forgot I did his ass.”

  “Your DNA is on the do-rag found at the scene,” Isabeau told him.

  “You see my name embroidered on the edge?”

  Ethan glanced at Isabeau who appeared as surprised as he felt. “I don’t remember seeing your name myself, and no one mentioned it, or you would have been brought in days ago.”

  Moody bowed his head to his shackled hands and pulled off the do-rag he was wearing, then tossed it across the table.

  Sure enough, his name Tyrone Moody was embroidered along the bottom edge.

  “My mama has a ritual so the Loa will protect me.”

  Reminding Ethan of the voodoo Diablo had talked about. He’d done a little reading. Loa were the intermediaries between the Creator and humans. And he’d seen signs of voodoo when they’d found Moody in the greystone. Still, he asked, “How do we know that’s true?”

  “More where that come from,” Moody said. “I know yo’ boys be tearin’ my place up now. Tell ’em to check the top right drawer of my dresser.”

  Isabeau got to her feet. “I’ll let the lieutenant know to get the word to them.” She left the room.

  “Not that it would clear you,” Ethan said, “though it would cast some doubt.”

  He hadn’t seen the report, so he didn’t know if other DNA had been found, as well. If so, that would help Moody, who might be a criminal, but might not have been responsible for murdering Booker or Diablo. Or Madera. But would the DNA be Peterson’s?

  “You know I was set the fuck up, right?” Moody asked, leaning forward. “Someone planted that DNA.”

  “You’re saying one of your boys turned on you?”

  “I know the Lords wanna crucify me, and looks like they just did with the help of a traitor. I swear I didn’t do DeAndre. He had my respect.”

  Ethan believed him.

  Isabeau chose that moment to reenter the room. She didn’t look happy.

  “What’s wrong now?” Ethan asked.

  “The wolf hybrid? They found it. Dead.”

  “Where?”

  She nodded at Moody. “In his greystone building’s basement.”

  Moody swore and threw himself back against his chair. “I want my fuckin’ lawyer. Now!”

  Nodding, Ethan rose and left the room with Isabeau following. Still standing near the gla
ss, Jim Conti said, “I know his lawyer. I’ll get him over here.”

  “Thanks.” Ethan could use some breathing room.

  Not that he was going to get it. Isabeau followed him back to his desk.

  “What are we going to do?” she asked.

  “Wait for his lawyer to show.”

  “That’s not what I mean. Do you believe the DNA?”

  Ethan slid into his chair. “Moody believes he was set up by a rival gang.”

  “What do you think?”

  “That he’s been given a reason to go to war with the Humboldt Lords again. And if Moody had it right when he put us on to Peterson…”

  “Fits his MO.” Isabeau wedged herself on the corner of his desk. “Which means he really is the one good for the murders. If only he didn’t have alibis.”

  “Something new?” Ethan asked.

  “This morning, I tracked down his whereabouts at the time of Diablo’s death. Peterson was giving a speech to a local citizen’s action group at the library in his ward.”

  “Which only means he didn’t do it himself. It doesn’t mean he wasn’t behind the murders. All three of them.”

  “But how to prove it.”

  Ethan thought back to that last meeting with Diablo. He’d had that weird feeling of being followed. He remembered being thankful Peterson wasn’t Kindred. But Haider was Kindred, and there was a definite connection between the men.

  Only he couldn’t tell Isabeau about Haider. Could he? She’d read his mind more than once, but he didn’t know the significance. Maybe she was some kind of psychic with no knowledge of the supernatural underground in this city. She didn’t seem to be reading his thoughts at the moment.

  He’d run a check on her background in Milwaukee. She’d been a highly respected officer on the force there, and her family life had seemed normal. At least until her parents had been murdered. According to a desk sergeant he’d spoken to, that had been the reason Isabeau had made the move to Chicago, to get away from her personal, horrid memories.

  Or was that the real reason? Could be Isabeau was following evidence which led her here.

  For now, at least, until he could read her better, he was going to keep what he knew about Haider to himself.

  Chapter Twenty

  Wondering why Ethan hadn’t been around to see her, Nuala wasn’t surprised that it was Luc and Skye who showed up to take her and the baby home. Had the whole experience of her going into labor put Ethan off? She’d thought they’d made a connection. She certainly had, but maybe he hadn’t felt the same. Maybe her being Kindred meant he never would.

  Luc drove, Skye sat in the front passenger seat, and Nuala sat in back beside Maeve who was bundled up in a contraption that Luc had said was meant to safeguard her. Apparently all human babies had to be transported like this. Not that Maeve was a normal human.

  Nuala ran a finger along her daughter’s soft cheek and smiled when she woke long enough to yawn.

  “Enjoying motherhood?” Luc asked.

  Nuala met his gaze in the rearview mirror. “Why wouldn’t I? Because my mother didn’t? I’m nothing like her.”

  “I was thinking of your escape from The Ark the day after my niece was born.”

  “I wasn’t trying to escape. I’d just fed Maeve and she was asleep. I was just—” She was about to tell him what she’d discovered when she realized they were parking in front of the two-flat.

  “I’ll get her bag,” Skye told Luc. “You get the baby.”

  Leaving Nuala nothing to do but get out of the car. There hadn’t been time to bring anything with her, but to her surprise, a change of clothes for her and all the things the baby had needed had been there yesterday when she’d returned to The Ark. Like magic.

  She gave Luc a warm smile. “Thanks for getting together everything I needed for the last couple of days.”

  “You’re welcome, but it wasn’t me.” Luc picked up the infant car seat and slammed the rear door. “You can thank Ethan.”

  Something deep inside her stirred at the thought. “Ethan brought everything?”

  “He did. Yesterday morning.”

  Following her brother to the front steps, she was strangely a little out of breath. “Why didn’t he come to see me?”

  “He was going to, but his case took another weird turn.” Luc explained how they’d gone in search of information only to find yet another murder victim. “He couldn’t leave the scene of the crime.”

  “But you did?”

  “So he wouldn’t have to explain my presence. He wanted me to go.”

  Which made her realize Ethan had protected Luc by letting him leave. She only hoped no one had seen both men enter that house. If so, Ethan would be the one in trouble. He could even lose his job. But what else could he have done? They were Kindred. How was he supposed to explain them?

  She’d been so angry with Ethan for months after Shade’s death. She’d needed someone to blame, and he had been it. What a difference a week made. Ethan had proven himself as someone she could count on. A man who had earned her respect and endeared himself to her.

  She still felt love for Shade and always would… but it didn’t feel like romantic love anymore. That first flush of primal connection might have lasted and grown if he had lived. Now Shade was gone for good. Her memory of their time together faded a little more each day. As she entered her new home, she wondered if it was possible to care for two men at the same time.

  The surprise of seeing Elizabeth there to greet her put all other thoughts on hold.

  “Welcome home! And congratulations!” Luc’s mother hugged her, but Nuala’s gaze zeroed in on the man who stood in the shadows of the dining room. “Let me see that sweet little girl,” Elizabeth said, taking the carrier from her son, intent on the sleeping baby within.

  Leaving Nuala standing there, staring at Ethan. Her pulse fluttered as he moved closer, his gaze sweeping over her with what she interpreted as appreciation.

  “You’re looking… fully recovered.”

  Not exactly the compliment she’d expected. “We, um, recover fast.” Having expected a warmer greeting from him, she pulled her emotions in check.

  “Hey, Mom fixed brunch for your homecoming,” Luc said from the dining room.

  Indeed, a small feast covered the table there—eggs, bacon, potatoes, a coffee cake, a bowl of berries. Nuala realized she was starving. Her stomach growled in anticipation.

  “It all looks wonderful,” she said, “but I need to see to Maeve first.”

  “She’s sleeping soundly.” Elizabeth was staring down at the baby, her voice soft. “I’m going to put her in her room and hope she stays sleeping long enough for you to eat something.”

  Taking some time to eat and getting up-to-date with what was happening sounded reasonable, so Nuala said, “Thank you, Elizabeth. For all of this.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Already on the way to the kitchen, Skye said, “I’ll get the coffee.”

  Ethan had moved away from Nuala and was standing in the bay, looking out the windows rather than finding a way to annoy her. She’d retreated from the world after Shade’s death. His annoying her had brought her back.

  Leaving the baby’s room, Elizabeth said, “Let’s eat before everything is cold.”

  A few minutes later, they were all sitting in the living room, plates in hand. Rather than having his usual in-her-face attitude, Ethan was sitting by the windows as far away from her as he could.

  Ignoring him in return, she ate some of everything until the hunger pangs subsided. Then she decided to bring up something controversial that had been on her mind. She looked at her brother and his woman, now sharing a soft kiss. They both seemed to glow, as if they were lit by love. Luc had been so happy and relaxed, even with Nik, since he’d had Skye in his life. Though there still had been no announcements of an engagement, she was sure it was to come soon.

  “I plan to have Maeve christened. I know Shade was Catholic, and it’s my way of honori
ng him.” She’d scoured the internet for information about Catholic rituals. “Luc and Skye… would you be Maeve’s godparents?”

  “Yes, of course!” Skye said. “And thank you for thinking of what Shade would want for his child.”

  Nuala smiled and looked to Luc.

  “I would love to, you know that. But godfather or not, I would always see to Maeve’s welfare. You need to think about Nik. He needs to be asked. Even though the Kindred left their faith behind eons ago, I’m sure he’ll say yes for you, and if he’s Maeve’s godfather, Nik will have a stronger bond with our niece. You know he’ll do anything to make sure she’s happy.”

  Though as ornery as Nik could be at times, Nuala knew he would be there for her and Maeve no matter what, just as Luc would. But maybe asking him to do something special for her would soften him some. Though Pop would never admit it, he favored Luc and Nik was too aware of that. Luc being Maeve’s godfather might actually make Nik more resentful. Besides, Nik could use something positive to brighten his life.

  “Perhaps you’re right, Luc. I will ask our big brother.”

  “Good.” Then Luc suddenly said, “Back to what you were about to tell me when we arrived. Where were you off to yesterday?”

  “I got Haider’s address from Mother…” Nuala looked from her brother to Ethan. “And paid his home a visit.”

  Ethan’s visage darkened, and it looked like he clamped his jaw together, but he didn’t say a word. Why not? What was wrong with him today?

  “Oh, Nuala,” Skye said. “You just had a baby and you went off and did something dangerous?”

  “Yes, Haider is dangerous,” Nuala agreed. “That’s the point. Nik evaded me, so I found out what he was up to for myself. Well, at least partly.”

  “Which was?” Luc asked.

  She told him about the bag of objects belonging to the Lazares and how Nik found her in Haider’s house. “He stole your surveillance headset, Luc. I’ll give it to you before you leave.”

  Luc swore softly as his mother asked, “What would this Haider want with your personal possessions?”

  “Haider is a lion shifter who wants the recognition in The Company that Pop won’t give him,” Luc said. “He’s been around much longer than any of us, which means he has more power. Who knows what magic he has in his arsenal?”