A Tiger's Tale (A Call of the Wilde Mystery)

by Laura Morrigan

  She absently stroked one of Moss’s ears. My dog looked up at her, then at me.

  Nice.

  Yeah, she’s a nice kid.

  Okay?

  She’s tough. She’ll be fine.

  “For what it’s worth,” I said, “I think your mom was trying to stand up for you.” Brooke looked up and met my eyes. “I saw the video you took on your phone.”

  I explained the discovery of her purse, the trek through the woods, and how I’d only remembered I had her phone that morning.

  “Your stepdad was mad because your mom hadn’t gotten the key back from you. She didn’t want to take away the only thing you’d gotten from your father. She refused to give Ligner that.”

  “It was my birthday. That night, I mean. I’d snuck out to meet my boyfriend, Stefan, and when I got home, I went around back to go through my window. But the light was on. I heard Bob yelling at my mom . . .” She trailed off.

  “I know—you don’t have to go into that.”

  She shook her head. “But that’s why I did it. I had my phone and I thought maybe if I got him on video I could make him stop, you know? Tell him I’d call the cops if he touched her again or something. So I got as close as I could but he’d already hit her, I think. And then, well, you heard what he said. I knew I’d have to get out of there until my dad was released.”

  “Your dad’s worried about you.”

  “I know. I wanted to send him a message. Let him know I was okay. But I couldn’t trust anyone.”

  That made me wonder.

  “Brooke, do you remember someone named Logan from when you were younger?”

  “Yeah.” She cocked her head. “Why?”

  “How did you know him?”

  “I don’t know. He was around a lot when I was a kid. I think he went off to fight in some war or something. I haven’t seen him since.”

  “Yes, you have.”

  I told her about Yard Guy.

  “No way! He like, grew up. I mean, majorly. And he’s, like, smoking hot.”

  At least it confirmed part of Logan’s story but I still wasn’t sure I completely trusted him. As much as I wanted to let Sartori know Brooke was safe, I had no way to deliver that message.

  Another question popped into my head, though I didn’t expect an answer.

  “Does the word hide mean anything to you?”

  “Hide?”

  “One of the times I was talking to Boris, he showed me you and said the word hide.”

  “Did you give him catnip?”

  I blinked at her, surprised. “Yeah.”

  “The woman who used to own him trained Boris to do all sorts of stuff. You know, tricks.”

  “Hugh mentioned Boris was being trained for film production.”

  “Right. Ozeal told me he’d learned how to act, too, sort of. With hand signals and certain words. Not like you tell a dog to sit or roll over. Different words.”

  “And hide was one of them?”

  “Yeah. I got a list from his old owner.”

  “What’s he supposed to do?”

  “Lie down and put his paws over his face. Like this.” She set the drink on the counter and covered her eyes with her hands.

  “I don’t get it. Why would he tell me that?”

  “It was the trick we’d been working on. I’d give him his catnip if he did it.”

  Now it made sense. “So you rewarded Boris with catnip if he responded to the command to hide. I gave him catnip. Which reminded him of both you and the trick you were working on with him.”

  Emma arrived a moment later, calling out something about running late as she came through the door. She stopped when she reached the kitchen and saw Brooke.

  “Oh! Hey.” Emma gave the girl a friendly smile. “Sorry, I didn’t expect Grace to have company.”

  My sister looked from me to Brooke and sudden recognition widened her eyes. “Oh my God! You found her.”

  “Hiding in the bushes.”

  “It was corn.”

  “Corn?” Emma asked.

  “It’s a long story. What were you saying about being late?”

  “I have to meet clients and I haven’t had time to plan dinner. Do you want to order pizza?”

  “I’m always up for pizza.”

  Pizza. Moss wagged his tail and let out a low woof.

  “Moss is in favor of pizza, too,” I told her.

  “That is so cool,” Brooke said, grinning.

  My sister’s brows rose in surprise. “Okay, I am going to have to hear this story. Order food while I hop in the shower and then you guys can fill me in.”

  Thirty minutes later we were seated at the dining room table, munching on pizza.

  “So she did the bird thing, huh?” Emma asked.

  “Yeah, it was wild.”

  Emma leaned back and took a sip of red wine. “So, you don’t even know what’s in the safe deposit box?”

  “No,” Brooke said. “My mom just gave me the key and said there was something from my dad in it for me.”

  “I don’t get it,” I said, looking at Brooke. “Ferretto’s goal is to do a hostile takeover of your dad’s organization. So whatever’s in the box has to help him achieve that—it can’t just be a gift for you.”

  “Maybe it’s something that will keep Sartori in jail. Evidence,” Emma said.

  “What kind of evidence? He’s not going to keep a bloody knife next to something he’s saving as a gift for his daughter, is he?”

  We both looked at Brooke.

  “No! And my dad might be a criminal but he is not a murderer.”

  Emma and I shared a dubious glance.

  “I mean it,” Brooke said, affronted. “He isn’t like Frank and those other guys. He has principles.”

  “I still don’t get how Ligner figures into this.” Emma changed the subject, setting her pizza on her plate and brushing her fingers on a napkin.

  “I’ve been wondering about him, too,” I said. “Even if he found out there was something incriminating in the box, he would have to have known about Ferretto’s plans to betray Sartori for it to have been useful.”

  “Maybe not,” she mused. “Ferretto might have approached Ligner. Asked him to get the key.”

  “True. But why not just take it from Brooke? Plan a mugging—something they’re obviously more than capable of arranging.”

  “You’re right. It would be pretty easy to steal it.”

  “Too risky,” Brooke said. “Word would get back to my dad if I was mugged and the key was stolen. He’d know something was up for sure.”

  “And he’d know what they were after,” Emma said. “Assuming there is more in the box than a birthday gift.”

  “The important thing is that Ferretto doesn’t have the key,” I said. “Which means Sartori will be released and Brooke will be safe.”

  “So, we’ve just got to keep you on lockdown for another day,” Emma told Brooke.

  The girl gave my sister an appraising look. “Grace said you were some sort of kung fu master.”

  “Something like that. Between me and fluff butt over there we got you covered.”

  “Hey, what about me?” I said. “I’m a certified haiku, remember?”

  “Rokyu,” Emma said.

  “Whatever. I kicked butt on my aikido test.”

  “Yeah, you’re so scary you had to ruin my boots running away from the crazy guy following Stefan. I will be expecting you to replace them, by the way. Try not to have a heart attack when you get the bill.”

  “Wait!” Brooke said. “Someone was following Stefan?”

  “Mancini.”

  Her face paled and she grabbed my phone. “I need to call him and make sure he’s okay.”

  “No”—I plucked the phone from her hands—“you don’t. Brooke, listen to me, they were following Stefan because they were hoping you’d contact him. Doing that will only put him at risk.”

  She slumped her shoulders, completely dejected for a moment, then her face
brightened.

  “What if you call?”

  I shook my head.

  “Please? All you have to do is ask him if he’s okay. You said you’d met him, right?”

  “I did.”

  “Well, just call him. Ask if he’s heard from me or something. You can even tell him that you saw some people around that could be dangerous. You could warn him.”

  I looked at my sister, silently pleading for backup.

  “It can’t hurt,” Emma said. “Even if Ferretto’s got eyes on Stefan, they don’t know Brooke is with you and as long as you’re sure to make it sound like you’re still looking for her, it may even keep them off the right track.”

  “Right! Exactly.”

  I gave in and called Stefan, reminded him who I was, and asked if he’d heard from Brooke.

  “How did you get my number?” he asked, voice heavy with wangster attitude.

  “Devine intervention.”

  “Huh?”

  “Listen, Stefan—”

  “What the—” There was a sharp intake of breath. “No.”

  Something in the tone of his voice made me ask, “Stefan, is there something wrong?”

  “Oh, no. No!” he cried.

  “What is it?”

  “Somebody trashed my car.”

  “Trashed?”

  I had a feeling that he wasn’t talking about simple vandalism.

  “Yeah, trashed. They ripped the seats out and tore open the cushions. They even ripped off the inside door panel. I can’t believe this! My mom is going to kill me.”

  Not if someone else did it first. “Stefan,” I said, “I want you to listen to me. Wherever you are, find a big crowd of people and call the police. Stay in a group until they get there.”

  “I’m not calling the damn po-po.”

  “If you’re smart, you will.”

  Stefan made a derisive sound.

  “You know the people Brooke was so afraid of? They’re the ones who did that to your car and if they find you, you’ll look like one of your cushions.” There was a long pause.

  Brooke’s face had gone utterly white as she listened to my end of the conversation. She’d fisted her hand in the fur of Moss’s ruff.

  Finally, Stefan said, “Okay, I’ll call.”

  I hung up and turned to Brooke.

  “What happened? Is he okay?” she asked.

  “Stefan’s fine. Someone tossed his car.”

  “They must have been looking for the key,” Emma said.

  “Why would they think it was in Stefan’s car?”

  “You left home the night you took the video. Where did you go?”

  “Nowhere. I wanted to clear my head and think. So I sat at the Krispy Kreme by my house for a while.”

  “How did you get to Happy Asses the next day?”

  “Stefan—” Her eyes went wide.

  “They already searched your house,” Emma said. “Then they hit Stefan’s car. They’re retracing your steps.”

  “Ozeal.” Brooke and I said the name in tandem.

  Brooke leapt to her feet. “We have to warn her.”

  I was already pulling up her number on my phone. I called, my trepidation growing with every unanswered ring. Ozeal’s voice mail clicked on and I left a message for her to return my call as soon as possible.

  “Feeding time is over, right?” I asked Brooke, knowing Ozeal didn’t always answer her phone when she was tending to the meals and putting everyone up for the night.

  “She should be finished by now,” Brooke said with a nod.

  “Maybe she’s in the shower,” Emma said.

  We all exchanged a look.

  “Okay. Let’s not panic. Ozeal locks the gate at night, doesn’t she?”

  “As soon as it gets dark,” Brooke said.

  “So she should be all right.”

  “Unless they forced their way in,” Emma said.

  “We have to go make sure Ozeal’s okay.” Brooke looked from me to my sister.

  “The only thing you have to do is stay here,” I told her as I stood. “I’ll go to Happy Asses.”

  “Not going to happen,” Emma said. She got up and reached for the phone. “We call the police and have them check on Ozeal.”

  “There isn’t time,” Brooke said. “It will take too long to explain. I have the security code. We can get in.”

  “Okay, we can call Jake and Kai on the way,” Emma said. “Tell them to meet us there.”

  “Emma—” She raised a finger to cut me off.

  “I’m going with you. End of discussion.”

  If anyone other than my big sister had pointed their finger at me and spoken to me like I was five, there would have been more than a discussion. But it was Emma, so I nodded, then turned to Brooke.

  “What’s the code?”

  “I’m coming with you,” Brooke said.

  I shook my head.

  She raised her chin. “I’m not giving you the code unless you take me.”

  “I must be losing my mind,” I muttered. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  We started toward the door but Brooke paused.

  “Aren’t we taking Moss?”

  I turned and looked at my dog.

  “No. I can’t always control him. If somebody is threatening me, he’ll try to take them out.”

  “Why is that a problem?”

  “Usually, it isn’t. But these guys have guns. I won’t risk it.”

  Emma and Brooke headed out the door. When Moss moved to follow, I knelt in front of him to block the way.

  Go.

  I shook my head. No. You have to stay.

  Go.

  “Stay here and take care of your kitten.” I gave him a quick hug. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

  At least I hoped I would.

  CHAPTER 23

  I cut Bluebell’s headlights as I turned into the drive leading to Happy Asses.

  “Stop here,” Emma said. “And turn off the engine. They’ll hear us coming if you get any closer.”

  “Hopefully they aren’t here,” I said as I shifted into park.

  The sudden absence of Bluebell’s rumbling engine was unsettling in the quiet.

  We all stared through the windshield. The nearly full moon washed the landscape in silver light. Everything looked normal. The office windows were dark and there was no discernible movement.

  The gate was illuminated by an overhead light, and I could see it was closed. There was no sign that anyone was there but us.

  “Try to call Ozeal again,” Brooke whispered from the backseat.

  Again, no answer.

  “Kai and Jake should be here soon,” I said.

  I hadn’t explained the whole situation to Kai. Brooke had insisted I leave her and any specifics regarding the key out of it. Despite my vagueness, he promised to get in touch with Jake and ride to the rescue.

  Another minute dragged by.

  “Grace, can you get anything from the animals? See if something unusual is going on,” Emma suggested.

  “You can do that?” Brooke asked.

  “In theory.”

  I sent out my mental feelers but only managed to pick up the faintest hum.

  I shook my head. “Out of range.”

  “Let’s walk closer,” Brooke said. “If we stick to the shadows we could make it almost to the gate. Will that be close enough?”

  “It’s worth a try.”

  We climbed out of Bluebell and tiptoed along the drive. All the while, I was stretching my mind as far as I could toward the donkey pen. I was hoping to connect with one donkey in particular. Eventually, I found what I was looking for. Jack-Jack began to come into focus.

  A hand snagged my arm.

  “Stop,” Emma said. “Any closer and you’ll be in the light.”

  “I’m still too far away.”

  We stood in the balmy night listening to the crickets for what seemed like an hour.

  Where the hell was Kai?

  “May
be we should go in,” I said. “So far, we haven’t heard anything. We may have beat Frank and his guys here.”

  “If they’re coming,” Emma whispered. “It looks like a pretty big place—they couldn’t hope to search it all.”

  “Then why isn’t Ozeal answering her phone?” Brooke asked, pointedly.

  “Who knows, she could’ve dropped it in a water trough or the battery could’ve died.”

  We stood in silence. I strained my ears, listening for Kai’s truck or, even better, police sirens.

  “We could ring the bell,” Brooke suggested.

  I’d forgotten that there was a buzzer at the gate.

  “Does it ring in Ozeal’s apartment?”

  “In the office, in her place, and in the commissary, too.”

  It was worth a try. I was sincerely hoping we’d ring the buzzer and a few minutes later an irritated Ozeal would appear, wearing a bathrobe, with her hair wrapped in a towel.

  We all walked forward. Brooke stepped up to push the buzzer and froze. She reached out, but rather than ringing the bell, she gently pushed on the gate’s rail.

  It eased open with a whisper.

  I’d promised Kai I’d wait for him, but it was looking like I was going to have to break that promise.

  A crash echoed through the night, followed by a muffled cry, and my decision was made.

  We shoved our way through the gate and sprinted over the grassy field toward the cover of a large oak tree. Before we reached the shadow an explosion of raw fear and panic struck me hard enough to make me stumble. Emma grabbed my arm to steady me.

  “Grace?” She hissed out my name on a breath.

  I swayed for a moment, then yanked my mental shields into place.

  Emma pulled me, still wobbling, into the darkness

  “I’m okay. I was too open and—” I waved off the explanation. “Something’s happening in the barn. The donkeys are freaking out.”

  The covered picnic tables partially obscured our view, but I could see a sliver of light outlining the door.

  Another crash sounded. “They must be tossing the barn.”

  “We might be able to get the drop on them,” Emma whispered.

  “And do what?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe we can lock them in or something.” She looked at Brooke for confirmation of her plan.

  “What about Ozeal?” Brooke asked. “We can’t lock her in there with them.”

  “Good point.”