Werewolf PI (Paranormal Private Detective)

by Tim Myers

  Bowen said, “It was enough. She saw you come in with Belle tonight and it crushed her.”

  “Belle and I are just friends,” I said.

  “You know that, and so do I, but my sister thinks otherwise. You need to make this right, Trask. There’s a lot at stake.”

  I couldn’t believe I was even having this conversation. “What am I supposed to do, just walk up to her and tell her that Belle and I aren’t involved?”

  Bowen nodded. “And then you tell Jasmine you can’t see her, and you’d better come up with something good, something that won’t make her cry any more.”

  I’d once seen him stare down four werewolves bigger than he was-with no backup but me-and he hadn’t even flinched. Right now, though, he looked like he was ready to go off on me. “Bowen, this isn’t like you.”

  He nodded sadly. “Don’t you think I realize that? When it comes to the rest of the world, I don’t mind the dirtiest job-if I think it needs to be done-but my sister’s heart is something else altogether.”

  “You can’t keep shielding her forever,” I said softly. “She has the right to a life of her own.”

  “Hers has been hard enough without you adding to it. Let’s go.”

  I couldn’t believe how fast this was going bad. “You mean right now? I don’t even know what I’m going to say to her.”

  “You’ll think of something on the way,” Bowen said. “You’re quick like that.”

  “Just let me tell them I’m leaving,” I said.

  Bowen nodded, and I stuck my head back in through the door. “Bowen and I have something to take care of.” As Belle started to get up, I said, “We’re good. Stay here and enjoy the company.”

  “I want to come with you,” she said.

  “Believe me when I say that’s exactly what you shouldn’t do, as much as I usually love your company.”

  She scowled at me. “You’re going after Harkins, aren’t you? Bowen found him.”

  “Not even close,” I said. “This is something personal between the two of us.”

  Bailey asked, “Are you coming back tonight?”

  “I’m not sure how long it’s going to take. In case I don’t make it back, I’ll touch base tomorrow.”

  I left them a little bewildered, but how could I explain what I was going to attempt without sounding like a fool?

  As I stepped back outside, Bowen asked, “You come up with anything yet?”

  “No, but I’ve got four blocks until we get to the diner, so there’s no pressure. Let’s walk, okay?”

  “You’re not stalling, are you?” he said with no laughter at all.

  “Maybe just a little,” I admitted. If I was being honest with him, I didn’t have a clue what I was going to say to his sister, especially with her brother looming over us.

  By the time we got Jasmine’s, I still hadn’t come up with anything. Maybe I’d hatch a plan at the last second. Sometimes it worked, but just sometimes.

  Bowen stayed back in the shadows as we neared the diner. “Aren’t you coming?”

  “No, she doesn’t need to know I made you come here tonight by force.”

  I stopped. “Let’s get something straight. You didn’t make me do anything I wasn’t willing to do myself. I’m not afraid of you, Bowen. You might be able to take me, but then again, I might just surprise you. Either way, I don’t mind finding out if you don’t.”

  He was quiet for nearly a minute, then said, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s going on in my head. You’re a good man, I know that more than most, but when it comes to Jasmine, I kind of lose all sense of what’s right and wrong, you know?”

  “That’s why I’m here,” I said. “I value your friendship, if that’s what we are to each other. Sometimes I’m not so sure.”

  “I’ve always got your back,” he said.

  “And I’ve got yours.”

  He paused, then asked softly, “Do you really think you could take me?”

  “Maybe not after all that Chinese takeout I just ate,” I said, trying to add a smile that failed. “But catch me on a good day, and who knows?”

  “If you think I’m tough, wait until you go in there.” He gestured inside, and I could see Jasmine sitting at one the booths, her back to us.

  “So, that’s the real reason you’re not going in. You’re afraid of your sister.”

  Bowen just laughed. “You would be too, if you had any idea what you were going up against. See you around.”

  I turned toward the diner, then back to Bowen, but he was already gone.

  It appeared that I was going into the lioness’s den alone and unarmed.

  I just hoped I survived it.

  When I tapped on the front door, Jasmine looked up, and I could see that she’d been crying.

  “Go away. We’re closed,” she said as she dabbed at tears in her eyes.

  “I don’t want something to eat,” I snapped. Knowing that wasn’t the right tone of voice I needed, I added, “We need to talk.”

  She hesitated, then finally got up and opened the door. “I’m not much in the mood to talk.”

  I brushed past her. “Then you can just sit there and listen, and I’ll do the talking.”

  She glared at me a second, then locked the door behind us. “Fine, but make it quick. I’m tired. It’s been a long day.”

  Jasmine slipped into the end booth, and I sat across from her. “I hear you’re pissed at me.”

  “Did Bowen tell you that?”

  “No, a little bird whispered it in my ear. Of course he told me. I’m here to straighten some things out.” Bowen had asked me to keep his name out of the conversation, but I hadn’t made any promises. It was going to be hard enough dealing with this without bringing his name up.

  “Don’t bother,” she said as she stood. “You can just get your ass out of that seat and leave.”

  I didn’t budge, didn’t even glance up at her, though I could feel the heat from her glare. “I’m not finished.”

  “You think you’re not finished? Mister, you don’t have any idea how finished you are.”

  She disappeared, and I watched her go into the kitchen. When she came back, she had a butcher knife that was a foot long. “You want to rethink that stance now?”

  “I’m beginning to think that might be the prudent thing to do,” I said. “But no, I’m staying.”

  Jasmine said, “I’m not messing with you, Trask. I know how to use this.”

  “There’s no doubt in my mind that you do,” I said. “But you’re not going to bully me into doing anything I don’t want to do any more than your brother could.”

  “He got you here, didn’t he?”

  I shook my head. “I came because I like you, and I don’t want there to be any confusion about where I stand. I told Bowen that, and now I’m telling you.”

  She slammed the tip of the knife down into the tabletop, missing my fingers by at least an inch. To my credit, I didn’t flinch, though in hindsight, it might have been the smart thing to do.

  Jasmine stared at me, and I matched her glare.

  Finally, she said, “You think you’re tough.”

  “I have my moments. Now, if we’re done playing mummbly peg, maybe we can talk.”

  She pulled the knife out of the table, then said, “You’ve earned two minutes. Use them wisely.”

  “Okay, let’s get this out of the way first. Belladonna and I are friends, just friends, but if we were full blown lovers, it shouldn’t make you cry. You and I had a nice chat last night, but that was it. I don’t owe you anything, but I’d like you to be my friend. If that’s too tough, we can forget it and I can leave right now.” I glanced at my watch. “There, I did it in less than sixty seconds. What do you want to talk about with the minute we’ve got left?”

  She started crying again, and I did the only thing I could think of. I stood, wrapped my arms around her, and held her until the sobbing finally stopped.

  I pulled away and said, “Come on, I can ima
gine what a disappointment it must be not having me to yourself, but the tears won’t change my mind.”

  She started laughing, maybe a little too loudly for my taste, though it was the result I’d been hoping for. Sometimes, the ridiculous is the only option left to defuse a bad situation.

  “I’m not crying for you,” she said as she wiped an errant tear. “I’m upset about how foolish I’ve been.”

  “Hey, it’s okay to fall for my charms. It’s happened more times than I could count.”

  She smiled at me. “Try.”

  “Okay, let’s see, there was Mrs. Rosenthal from the third grade, and then Shelly Matthews. Now that I think about it, that was the third grade, too. Hey, I had quite a year back then.” I pretended to count, then said, “All told, it’s well over four. Maybe five if I pushed the definition a little.”

  “So you’re a real heartbreaker,” Jasmine said.

  “I’ve had my moments in the past,” I said. “Are we all right?”

  “Yeah, we’re fine. Let me buy you a cup of coffee. It’s the least I can do after almost taking a few of your fingers off with my knife.”

  I was tired, it was late and I’d had a big day, but it was an offer I couldn’t really refuse. I had to cement my friendship with Jasmine tonight, or it might never happen.

  “Coffee sounds great,” I said.

  I followed her into the kitchen, and she poured two cups. Instead of going back up front, we stayed there and took our seats from last night. Jasmine was comfortable there, fully in her element, and it made her softer somehow, though I knew there was a steel edge just below the surface that could rip through anything that got in her way.

  She took a sip, then Jasmine said, “You can’t blame me for what I was thinking. I couldn’t help wondering about you and Belle.”

  “Not that it matters, but nothing’s ever happened between us,” I said as I took a sip of coffee.

  “I’ve got a feeling she wouldn’t mind being with you, though,” Jasmine laughed.

  “Belle? No, there’s no way we could ever make it work as lovers. Friendship is just fine with me.”

  “Maybe I’m wrong,” she said, then added with a grin, “but I don’t think so.”

  It was time to change the subject. “Let’s talk about you. What’s your history with men like?”

  She frowned and stirred her coffee with a finger. “I’ve had my heart broken a few times.”

  “Did Bowen kill them both?”

  I’d been joking, but she looked as if she was ready to cry again. “No, just the one.”

  “What happened?” I knew Bowen was territorial when it came to his sister, but I didn’t think he was capable of murder because of it.

  “Greg hit me, just once, but I popped him in the head with a skillet, so I figured we were even. I didn’t want to tell my brother, but he guessed what had happened the second he saw me. Bowen was furious, but I never thought he’d kill Greg. My brother went to the Wolfbane looking for him, something I’m sure my ex boyfriend was expecting. He was phased, and if Bowen hadn’t been worked up into a lather himself, he wouldn’t have had a chance. Greg tried to kill him, three different people saw it, and Bowen didn’t have much choice. It was a bad situation that got worse really fast.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. What else could I really add?

  Jasmine frowned softly. “Do you want to know the funny thing about it? He was worried how I’d take it. I don’t think killing Greg ever weighed too that heavily on his mind.” As she started to tear up, she said, “I thought I was over it, but I guess it will never heal. Would you do me a favor and just hold me?”

  I couldn’t say no, so I stood as she did, and Jasmine melted into my arms. As her crying softened, I noticed a shift in the tenseness of her body as I held her. When she looked up at me, still fully in my embrace, she kissed me without warning.

  I should have stopped her. I should have run out of that place as fast as I could, even if I had to break the door down to do it.

  There were a thousand things I should have done, but I didn’t manage a single one of them.

  Instead, I kissed her back.

  Chapter 8

  “Wow,” she said an hour later as were curled up on the same cot Jim had used for his recovery.

  I kissed the top of her head. “Wow, right back at you.”

  “How did that happen?” she asked softly.

  “I can give you a detailed description of most of it if you’d like, but I’m pretty sure I blacked out at one point, so I can’t be entirely sure.”

  She nudged my chest. “I don’t mean the lovemaking. I’m talking about how we got here in bed together.”

  “One kiss led to another, I guess. What I want to know is, what are we going to tell your brother?”

  She frowned, and I noticed that her nose crinkled when she did it. “I vote we don’t say anything. This evening he warned me to stay away from you, and three hours later we’re in bed together. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think he’s going to be too pleased about it.”

  That certainly got my attention. “Wait a second. He warned you about me? What did he say?”

  She paused a second, then said, “Let me think. If I remember correctly, he said you were a good guy, but you weren’t boyfriend material. He said you’d get bored with me soon enough and break my heart.” She stretched and got on top of me as brushes of her hair lightly touching my cheek. “Is all of that true?”

  “The man knows what he’s talking about,” I said. “I’d deny any of it if I could, believe me.”

  “Are you bored yet?”

  I shook my head as I felt the weight of her breasts on my chest. “No, not yet.”

  “Good. Then we’re all right.”

  I held her shoulders and pushed her up. “You need to listen to me. Let’s be serious for one second. Bowen was right. I’m no good at relationships. It’s not going to work. I can’t be your boyfriend.”

  “That’s good, because I don’t want you as one. Despite what my brother thinks, I’m a grown woman, and I can handle my life without any of his help.”

  “Then what does that make us?” I asked.

  “I’d say we’re special friends now, wouldn’t you?”

  I looked deep into her eyes. “I don’t want to be the cause of any more of your tears.”

  She kissed the tip of my nose lightly. “You can’t break my heart if I don’t let you, okay? I have no expectations about you at all, all right?”

  “That’s what I like, a woman who believes in setting a low bar,” I said.

  She laughed, and started to roll off me.

  I grabbed her and said, “Hey, where are you going?”

  “I thought we were finished,” she said.

  “We are, at least when it comes to talking.”

  I got home at three AM, half expecting to find Bowen waiting in the shadows for me. I hoped I hadn’t irrevocably destroyed our friendship, but I hadn’t had much choice. There are times I think with my brain, and times I think with my heart, and tonight, I hadn’t been using either one. It was complicated, but I wasn’t about to make it any more than it had to be by involving Bowen. For now, Jasmine and I had agreed to keep what had happened between us. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but I didn’t need to know tonight.

  All I needed was sleep, and sweet dreams of brown haired girls with eyes as big as the stars.

  I woke up with a smile, but when I thought about Bowen, it quickly vanished. It wasn’t as if I’d just slept with his wife, if he’d had one. As a matter of fact, I’d probably done something worse in his mind.

  But all of that was going to have to be put on hold for now. I’d deal with it when I had to, and not a minute before. Jasmine, and whatever had developed between us last night, would have to wait, too. With the ransom drop off botched, I wasn’t sure what Harkins would do next, but I had to be prepared for the worst scenario.

  That meant visiting Scabber McGee first thing and
restocking my supply of silver bullets, a product that was highly illegal in Dogtown, and one I liked to keep in good supply.

  I found Scabber sitting at a desk in his laundry mat reading the city’s main paper. The place was dirty, and not another soul was there. I couldn’t imagine washing clothes, or anything else, there.

  “Keeping up with the times, McGee?” I said as I joined him and took a seat across from his desk.

  We’d known each other for years, and while I wouldn’t say we were friends, the slim, older man with barely a hair on his head had always been cordial to me.

  “Hello, Trask.”

  His words were flat, but his eyes were full of fear.

  “What happened?” I asked softly.

  “Nothing. Not a thing. Everything’s fine,” he said as he kept glancing outside through the plate glass windows.

  I smiled as I replied, “You’re lying to me. Is there somebody watching you right now?”

  “You mean like the cops? I wish. No, it’s a lot worse than that.”

  “Hey, if you’re in a jam, maybe I can help. Tell me how we can fix it.”

  McGee snorted. “Dammit Trask, why do you have to be such a decent guy? It just makes things a thousand times tougher than they have to be.” He took a deep breath, then said, “I can’t sell you any silver bullets. Not today, not tomorrow. I don’t know when.”

  “What’s wrong with my money?” I asked softly. This wasn’t like McGee, passing up the chance to make some serious change, and it wasn’t because of the high price of silver. The bullets he made in back were strictly contraband, and if the authorities found out he was producing them, they’d take away his business, his house, everything he owned, and lock him up. I didn’t understand why the authorities cared. Werewolves used silver bullets to kill each other, and from the establishment’s point of view, the government should have been handing them out on street corners like lollypops. Whether they were willing to admit it or not, they wanted to eradicate the werewolf problem-as they liked to think of our population-and what better way than let us do it ourselves?