by Zoey Kane
Lowe grinned. “People say they are.”
Claire responded with sarcasm, “Riiiiight. Do people say you are, Lowe?” she added.
“I can’t be convicted of it,” he replied, teasing.
It was finally dark by the time the Kanes had ordered a steak dinner for each of them to be brought up to their room. “I’m always so tired when we get back,” Claire admitted. She took the last bite of her meal, and then slowly walked the round of windows.
“This has been a high-anxiety vacation,” Zoey said, and took a sip of root beer. “That’s what saps our stamina, dearest.”
Claire studied the view in the moon’s light. “It’s beautiful and bright out, Mom. Everything looks so peaceful. There’s so much darkness, though, beneath the mantle of those trees…” When she got to the terrace door, she took a fast breath in, her heart beating in double time. She saw a shadow of a man with the moon shining off his gold-brown eyes and highlighting his auburn hair. He was sitting against the railing with his arms crossed.
EIGHT
Claire looked over her shoulder to see her mom stacking their dishes and neatening up. She unlocked and opened one of the French doors, recognizing the man as being Noble—the character with the strange temperament, the one she’d teased on the boardwalk, the one Ranger had growled at when Jack was talking to him, and the same one who’d just told her he was at the lupine meeting when he wasn’t. “What are you doing here?” she asked defensively.
“Now who’s being unfriendly?” His eyes had a heavy mystery to them that penetrated her soul, raising her heart beat some more. Weirdly, she felt like walking right over to him and planting one on him without further formalities. Instead, she asked, “How’d you get up here?”
I took the stairway to the second story below, and from the stairway I took the fire ladder to this terrace.” He continued, “In case of fire, you have to have a way to get out of the building. Unless you plan on flying.”
“Why didn’t you just call up and ask to see us?” Claire’s voice hinted at her disapproval.
“Because…” He repositioned himself, putting one hand casually into a jeans pocket. “How many werewolves do you ask into your suite?”
This entire scene seemed like one of her dreams. The kind where she was powerfully enamored with a man who only belonged in the shadows of her subconscious. “You’re saying you’re dangerous?”
“And you’re saying I’m not?” He stood straight. “Let’s drop the muskets. My dad told me what you’re doing for the Stiles. I like that. I’m here to ask you for… a date,” he breathed out the words.
She blinked, both flattered and frustrated at the same time. “Why didn’t you call me instead?”
“Dead zone. Except for your tower. My dad is the only one that I know of who uses a cell phone, and he has to hustle up a tall tree to do it. Besides, I don’t remember you giving me your number.”
“And your dad is…?
“Lowe.”
Okay, that set Claire back on her heels. “Why didn’t you call me from the lobby phone?”
“Because I don’t want people knowing I asked an outsider on a date if you say no.”
Claire laughed. “Where do you plan on taking me?”
“There’s going to be a potluck tomorrow at the old saloon in the village. We get together there sometimes for such things. We don’t drink alcohol. It tends to encourage dog fights.”
“Just a moment.” Claire stepped backward, and felt for the door knob. She opened the door and yelled into the suite, “Mom!”
A distant voice called back, “Yes, Claire.”
“Can I go out with a werewolf?”
“Of course, sweetie. Just don’t be out too late. I’ll worry.” Then Zoey laughed and yelled back further. “And, in that case, the option to pet is permissible!” She giggled a little more on that one.
“Still want to date me?” Claire asked, shutting the door in embarrassment over her mom’s joke.
“It might be painful for me, but yes.” The moonlight magically colored his eyes a deeper gold that sparkled as he approached.
Claire swallowed to keep from showing nerves. “Okay, as long as I’m not an entrée.”
“I promise you, you will be totally safe.” He slowly leaned in close, as if a powerful kiss were coming. Claire tensed up, but didn’t run. When nearly touching his lips to hers, he said, “May I borrow your phone? I know you can get calls this high up.”
“Sure,” Claire said with a roll of her eyes. “You can come in. Just don’t get any fur on the furniture.
“I’ll wait right here,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to subject you to a pet deposit fee.”
She brought him her cell phone, and he dialed. Upon it going to voicemail, he hung up. “Now I have to wait for him to get up the phone-tree. He can tell when a call has been attempted. There’ll be a small wait.” He smiled a bit, his teeth nicely in view. “Meanwhile, I’ll just admire your beauty.”
Claire shifted her weight, looking up into Noble’s eyes.
“Uncomfortable?” he asked. “Sort of like me on the boardwalk?”
“You shaved your beard.”
“Yes.” He still had a grin, his eyes unwavering.
A ring came in. He answered. “Hi, Dad. I’m taking Claire to the potluck dinner tomorrow.” He laughed a little and said, “Yeah, she actually said yes… Uh-huh… Okay, I agree. Okay, I will.” He turned to Claire. “My dad wants to know if your mom would like to make it a double date. Can you pass her the phone so he can ask about that?”
Claire took the phone to her mom.
What Noble soon heard was a lot of laughing between Claire and her mother. Then she returned. “Mom said she thought it would be fun. She’s going.”
“Well, then, I’ve accomplished my mission. We’ll pick you up at six, and we’ll eat at seven.
Claire nodded.
He turned to take the ladder down.
“Why not take the elevator? Easier.”
He followed Claire to the elevator, saying to her mother, “Good evening, Ms. Kane. See you tomorrow.”
Zoey, in her leopard-print silky pajamas, was sitting with a book in a cushy chair. “I’m looking forward to it.” Her smile was really big, covering a chuckle.
Noble entered the elevator. “Goodbye,” he said to Claire, leaning back on the brass railing, never looking away from Claire. The doors closed.
Claire took a seat on the sofa. “I guess we’re nuts, huh? I know I am.”
“Enough to get us in ridiculous trouble. On the bright side, this gives us a chance to investigate a little further.” Zoey closed her book, and they talked over the events of the day, including their dates, before going to bed.
NINE
After breakfast, the two sat comfortably, figuring out what they wanted to do for the day. While they chatted, the inn’s phone rang. Zoey answered it.
“Hi, who is this?” the voice asked. It was Stewart calling.
“This is Zoey. How are you feeling today?”
“Better, but I’m calling about something else.” He went on. “Remember that guy who brought Clifford in from the woods and locked him in the utility room? Mr. Pierce?”
“Yes.” Zoey wondered what that would have to do with anything.
“Well, I also have a radio that can listen in on police calls as part of my equipment. He got attacked and killed by a wolf last night.”
“No kidding!”
“Yeah, and I also heard that forensics says the bite samples they took from Mr. Martin had wolf DNA. And they already have Mr. Pierce’s bite results back. His bites were also from a wolf.”
“Really! Where was the body found, do you know?”
That piqued Claire’s curiosity, who came over close to try and listen in.
“Out on the roadside of Rottenwood. That’s all the info I have, but I thought you would want to know.”
“I do. Thanks, Stewart. In fact, keep us updated if you learn anything else.�
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“Well, that will be hard to do because I’m checking out today. I’ve run out of money.”
Zoey felt a moment of loss. She liked that kid. “How long would you plan on staying if you could?”
“I think another week. Then I gotta get back and get ready for college.”
“Are you planning to sweep another kill site for paranormal evidence?”
“Not at all. But I’m interested in this case, and I can follow it on my police calls.”
“I tell ya what, Stewart. I’ll pay for your room for another week, and we’ll go to lunch sometime—my treat.”
“That is way expensive, Ms. Kane,” he said with a hopeful tone.
“Don’t worry about it. I have a little something-something saved. Do me the favor.”
“Thank you! Oh, my gosh! Thank you!”
“Go unpack. And stay out of the woods, with that killer wolf running around.”
“I promise!”
“Good. What’s your last name and room number? … All right, then, talk to you later.” They hung up. Then she dialed the desk. She rested a hand on her hip, changing up positions. “Hello, this is Zoey Kane in the tower suite…Well, you can help me by extending Stewart Dayton’s room for another week. His room is number 131. Just put it and his meals on my card you have on file… Please call him up right away, order him a meal, and get the actual day he wants to leave… Okay, thank you."
“Good job, Mom.”
“Want to go to that yellow-tape site?” Zoey asked.
“Thought you’d never ask. Let’s go!” Claire was up off the chair and heading to get her phone for one pocket of her light blue jeans and a roll of twenties for her other. Her mom stuck lip gloss in the front pocket of her dark jeans, and they were ready for the day, both dressed in pink.
As they walked to the front door to leave, they passed by the open door to the office, and there was Clifford interviewing someone for a job opening. He had on furry paws with black claws and was making scribbling notes about the applicant. “Okay, Mr. Stone,” he was saying. “There are a few more people applying today for the front desk, so I will be getting back to you. Thanks for coming in.”
The Kanes got some smiles as they drove through the village on their way to the crime scene. Way different than the first time they had driven through.
Soon, they could see three state police vehicles and one older, weather-damaged Toyota. Once again, the troopers had been assigned to investigate the crime, since Lanternwood’s volunteer police department wasn’t equipped for forensic testing or able to make serious arrests.
On their way walking through the brush to the body, the duo spotted something familiar—a green plaid jacket—on the murdered man. It was the same bloody scenario, throat chewed out.
The troopers were busy, one of them being a detective and another doing forensics. The third was standing taking notes. Zoey was glad to see the Lanternwood chief of police, Chief Goldman. She knew the others would resent her nosing around. “Chief Goldman, I’m glad to see you,” Zoey greeted warmly.
“Ms. Kane,” the warm greeting was returned.
“Listen, Chief,” Claire said, a bit of a breeze blowing through her dark brown tresses. “You know Jack has a wolf for a pet. You ever think about that?”
“Yes, ma’am. We got some of his DNA. It wasn’t too hard to get him to bite a swab stick. It wasn’t him.”
“I really thought it might be,” returned Zoey. “Tell us, is there anything you’ve spotted that’s different about this murder?” She and Claire turned to view the body again.
“Can’t say there is, except…” The large man paused.
The Kanes both gave the Chief their attention waiting to hear “except” what.
“True wolves would do more than leap at the throat alone. There should be defense wounds to the hands or arms… maybe even a knee. So that makes both of the murders odd and exactly alike. I would say these killings weren't done by a wolf.”
“Okay, then,” replied Claire. “And yet we heard that the saliva at the wounds was from a wolf, and so was the fur found on the bodies.”
“That’s an amazing sort of thing, don’t you think?” He narrowed his eyes and raised his bushy white eyebrows while nodding. It’s a strange kinda wolf.”
Claire caught his meaning along with her mother. “Yeah, Mom, it’s no wolf.”
An officer came over to Chief Goldman. “You think we should get hunters some permits to shoot any aggressive wolves?”
“Good idea,” said the chief. “But I’ll get some of my boys to do that. They know these woods well.”
“All right,” he said. “If there’s another killing like this, we’ll probably have to take out the entire local pack, just to make sure.” He walked back to the others just as the coroner pulled up to take the body away.
“We got our work cut out for my volunteers,” said Chief Goldman. “Don’t want to see wolves killed when they aren’t guilty. You know what that means—you two had better get busy and find out who or what is doing this.”
“Already on the job, Chief,” Zoey said. “Talk to you later.”
As they walked away, Claire said to her mother, “Chief Goldman seems to think an actual werewolf is on the prowl?”
“Either that or someone’s framing a wolf.”
“You think? How strange. How does one even do such a thing?”
CHAPTER TEN
Zoey and Claire didn’t think that a werewolf dance at the saloon would be all that dressy, so it was nicely-tight leather pants for Zoey, with a red sweater that hugged low on the hips. She always liked the conservative sexy look, as if accidental, like she couldn’t help herself; it was just the way it was naturally. Her black boots came to the middle of her calves, and had a comfortable heel for extra femininity. Claire went with a smooth ponytail to accentuate her classic forehead and large eyes. She wore slim-fit jeans accented with a forest green blouse that had green ribbon strapping at the shoulders. Her boots were forest green, with some fancy tooling around the ankles. They didn’t know what to expect, but their boots were made for… running.
It was Lowe who came to their door to pick them up, saying Noble was waiting at the car. He had a very pleasant face that made one feel… safe. His grin made his eyes happy and kind, framed by longish brown hair styled with gel.
Just outside the lobby, Noble was standing at the backseat door, having it open and ready. Claire slid in, and then Noble slid in tight next to her. He had a way of not taking his eyes off her for very long. As beautiful as those eyes were, Claire couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by his presence. She had to figure out how to take the edge off and hand a little presence back to him.
Meanwhile, Zoey and Lowe had taken the front seat of the old station wagon, talking comfortably. Claire suddenly wondered if this was payback for the teasing she had given him on the boardwalk. So she eased herself into sitting on a hip to give Noble a full-frontal view of her, which made his smile grow wider with approval. They had a “sexy eyes” stare-off. Then the sleek brunette moved in with a soft voice that’d melt butter, “How was your day today?”
His reply was “Mmmmm,” as though he didn’t catch the question, only the look in her eyes.
Clearly, she thought, she was not winning this intimidation war. “Are you thinking you might want to kiss these lips?” She opened her mouth, slightly exposing a line of beautiful teeth. He didn’t say anything. His undeviating eyes looking over her face. She continued, “Perhaps. Or maybe not.”
Noble said, without moving an inch, his eyes fixed on Claire, “Daddy? Claire’s being mean to me.”
“You kids play nice!” Lowe advised.
Claire responded with a quick kiss on Noble’s cheek. “I like you,” she said. Then she returned, sitting squarely and looking ahead, only glancing at him briefly. He wasn’t so fixated, but he was still smiling.
Zoey asked Lowe, “So you folks are going to renovate the village?”
“Yes
. We’re going to take away weak and rotten wood, no pun intended, and replace it. So I guess that means some floors and walls, lap n’ plaster.”
“Would you mind if I bring my friend Stewart? He has a metal sweeper. There might be some antique finds for fun,” Zoey asked.
“The problem with that is everything belongs to our wolf community, but there might be something we could give him for a souvenir.”
“I’ll talk to him about it.” Zoey smiled. “He’d probably like that.”
When stepping up the creaky steps to Kilgory’s Saloon, Est.1927, Noble grabbed Claire’s hand. “You know,” he said, “I’ve never held hands with a non-shifter before.”
“Really?” Claire said, looking up at him as he opened the door for her. “Well, I’ve never dated a guy who could literally put his paws on me.”
“Tonight will be a first for both of us, I suppose.” His eyes sparkled as he followed her into the dimly lit saloon. “Owooooo!”
A chorus of howls responded, and all eyes turned to the latest guests in interest. Inside, they were able to find a table for four against a wall facing the dance floor. A live band played a couple of guitars, a viola and drums. An old Hank William’s country tune was the song of choice, a viola singing the moody “Have you ever heard a Whippoorwill?” The rich mellow tone of the viola cried so beautifully that for a moment Zoey forgot there were people around. She dabbed an eye with a napkin.
The soft voice of Lowe beside her ear asked, “Does this song make you feel a little lonely and somewhat lost?”
She found him studying her face. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I guess that beautifully sad viola pulled me into the story even though there were no words being sung. Zoey laughed a little to hide the deeper feelings that had surfaced.
“You know,” he said, “there are a lot of lonely people here. It’s what causes solitary wolves to howl at the moon.”