Shades of the Wolf

by Karen Whiddon

  Hurrying over to the coffee table, she grabbed one of the books and began flipping through it. “I know I read something about the tracks magic leaves in the atmosphere. Here it is.”

  Looking up at Tyler, she read the passage out loud. “Both good and bad magic leave trails of pure energy for an adept to read. They are easily distinguishable.” The rest went on to describe something similar to what she’d experienced. Icy cold and pain for dark magic, and warmth and goodwill for bright.

  “That’s all very interesting.” Tyler sounded frustrated. “But yet another day is nearly over and we’re no closer to finding my sister than we were before.”

  “Yes, we are,” Anabel insisted. “At least now we have some suspects. There’s Pastor Tom and that Tammy person, who’s taken over Dena’s apartment.” She couldn’t quite keep her dislike from her voice. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly why, but Tammy had gotten on her last nerve. That in itself could be a clue.

  “True, but I think you can scratch Tammy from your list. Whoever has Dena is clearly male.”

  “Really?” Tilting her head, she regarded him. Every time she looked at him, she ached for his touch. “And you know this how?”

  “I saw him when my sister first reached out to me. And her voice, calling out to me to save her from him. Him.”

  “Okay.” Anabel dropped into a chair. “Though I’m still not willing to give up on Tammy yet. She could be a helper or something.”

  He shrugged. Eyeing him, sexy as hell, even standing at attention with his entire posture ramrod straight, she wondered why he never let himself be off duty and relax. Maybe even wear something else besides the uniform, especially since it made him look even more ruggedly virile. Each time she saw him, the pull grew stronger.

  Maybe the uniform and military posture were his way of dealing with that tug. It was entirely possible he was having the same problems dealing with this attraction as she was. Heat shot through her at the thought.

  Focus, she reminded herself, deliberately shutting out any awareness of him. They needed to work together to find Tyler’s sister. “Do you think there’s any possibility it could be the preacher?”

  His look felt so galvanizing that her mouth went dry. “It could be. But I thought you could sense the darkness. Did you get anything like that from him?”

  “No,” she admitted. “Though if he is the warlock and really is that powerful, maybe he can cloak it.”

  “Maybe.” He narrowed his eyes. “One thing I could tell about Tammy is that she’s not powerful at all.”

  His insistence on defending Dena’s roommate gave her pause. But for now, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

  “Okay, so we can probably cross Tammy off our list, then.” She couldn’t explain her reluctance to admit this. “Even though my gut instinct says she knows more than she admits.”

  “Well, leave her on our short list, then,” he said, one corner of his mouth curling up in a slight smile. “Though personally, I think this church has something to do with Dena’s disappearance. Something about that pastor rubbed me the wrong way.”

  She couldn’t help smiling back. “Not religious, are you?”

  “Not particularly. I’ve never been one for organized religion. I always had my own relationship with the divine, though.”

  Gaze locked on his, she admired the certainty in his voice. Of course he was certain—he’d actually died.

  “You know, I’ve talked to a lot of ghosts since David died. But I never had an in-depth conversation with one.”

  One eyebrow arched, he gave a slow nod.

  “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

  “Go ahead.” He sounded resigned.

  “After you, um, passed, did you know everything right away? Was it really like coming home?”

  Moving closer, he continued to hold her gaze, making her pulse speed up. “It was,” he said. “And that’s about all I can tell you right now.”

  Slightly disappointed, she nodded. The message was loud and clear. No more questions about the afterlife.

  Unwilling to let him see how his closeness affected her, she stood her ground. “Okay, then. Back to the church. If you really think they were involved with Dena’s disappearance, you must have some theories as to why.”

  Was it her imagination, or did he seem relieved?

  “There could be any number of reasons. Power, sex and money usually are involved somewhere. For all we know, Pastor Jones could be a power-hungry, sex-crazed megalomaniac.”

  Though she nodded, because, after all, anything was possible, she seriously doubted it. “I didn’t get that vibe from him at all.”

  “So maybe I’m wrong.” Tyler sounded glum. “Because if he was sex-crazed, he definitely would have reacted to a woman as beautiful as you.”

  Beautiful? Stunned, she froze. Even David, who’d loved her, had called her only pretty. She’d never in her life been told she was beautiful. Even though she knew she wasn’t, she felt a flush of pleasure that Tyler found her so.

  Focus, she reminded herself. She couldn’t keep letting her ultraconsciousness of his appeal distract her.

  “Do you think he’s the one who grabbed your sister?” Though she didn’t like to consider the idea, it certainly wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. It wouldn’t be the first time that a so-called man of God had hidden behind his religion to do awful things.

  “I don’t know,” he admitted.

  Her stomach growled, reminding her she needed to make something to eat. Wishing she could get herself to think of Tyler as a buddy or a brother or something, she bustled around the kitchen and put together a quick evening meal.

  The doorbell rang just as Anabel finished making her dinner salad. With a sigh, she looked at Tyler, who shrugged.

  “Make sure you check through the peephole,” he cautioned her, sounding unruffled.

  “Of course,” she responded, slightly miffed that her meal had been interrupted.

  When she looked out to her doorstep and saw who was standing there, she gasped. “It’s Pastor Jones.”

  Instantly, Tyler dropped his carefree attitude. “Don’t let him in. The fact that he came here proves I was right about him.”

  “He could have a valid reason to pay me a visit,” she pointed out, whispering. “Maybe he has some new information about your sister.”

  Finally, Tyler nodded. “Fine. I hope he does.”

  Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders, opened the door slightly and stared at the preacher.

  “Good evening, Ms. Lee.” His smile seemed friendly enough.

  Still, she continued to stand in the doorway, blocking entrance into her house. “Pastor Jones. I have to say, I’m surprised to see you here. How’d you find out where I live?”

  “My dear, it’s very easy to look anyone up on the internet,” he gently pointed out.

  Since he had a point, she nodded. His appearance still felt wrong, a bit like stalking. “You could have called. Especially since I gave you my number.”

  He lifted one shoulder. “I wanted to have a face-to-face conversation.”

  This was kind of creepy. She tried not to show her unease. “All right, then. What can I do for you?”

  Looking pointedly past her, he pushed his glasses up on his nose and sighed. “May I come in?”

  “I’d rather talk out here.”

  This surprised him. Appearing slightly hurt, he cocked his shiny bald head. “You don’t trust me.”

  “I don’t know you,” she countered. “And I’m not in the habit of letting strange men into my house. Once again, why are you here?”

  “You said to contact you if I had any news of Dena Rogers.” Pushing his glasses up his nose again, he appeared frustrated. “I am the pastor of a very respect
able church. I can assure you, I have no ill designs on your well-being.”

  She had to give him props for effort, even if his overly white smile reminded her of a television preacher, which increased her nervousness. Still, he was a pastor and she didn’t have any bad vibes from him.

  Finally, she went ahead and stepped aside. “I’m sorry. Please. Come on in.”

  His barrel chest led the way as he entered. “What a lovely home you have,” he said, his tone gentle and respectful. She supposed he often visited with shut-ins or members of his congregation. Which would explain why he believed he was so good at making people feel at ease.

  Except he wasn’t. Not with her, at least. She wasn’t worried or stressed, just watchful. Something about the man got her hackles up, but she also supposed that might be due to her past negative experiences with zealously religious people.

  Meanwhile, Tyler stood in the entrance to the kitchen, massive arms crossed, shaking his head. She was actually glad the preacher couldn’t see him.

  “What did you find out?” she asked, turning back to Pastor Jones. His blank look made her instantly suspicious. “About Dena,” she clarified.

  “Oh yes.” His self-depreciating laugh made her want to cross her own arms. “I don’t actually have anything concrete to report. But when I put the email request out for any information about her disappearance, one of her girlfriends contacted me.”

  Now, this could be helpful. Anabel kept her expression blank, not wanting to show too much eagerness. “And?”

  Instead of answering, he looked pointedly at her couch. “May I sit?”

  Pushy, wasn’t he? Hating to be rude, Anabel nevertheless shook her head. “I’d rather stand. I was just about to eat my dinner when you rang my bell.”

  Of course, he apologized profusely.

  Waving this away, she finally did cross her arms. “Are you going to tell me what Dena’s friend told you?”

  “Oh yes.” Yet he didn’t say anything else.

  One of her books on magic was open on the coffee table. The pastor wandered over to it and began flipping through the pages. The instant he realized what kind of book it was, he recoiled.

  “Magic?” Frowning, he glared at her. “Are you a devil worshipper?”

  Though she wanted to laugh, Anabel knew to do so might be dangerous, so she shook her head instead. “Not at all. I’m doing some research. Now seriously, I’m hungry and I’d like to get back to my meal. Do you have some information to give me or not?”

  If the older man took umbrage at her rudeness, he didn’t react. Instead he studied her intensely, making her feel as if she were under a microscope. This was getting stranger and stranger. She actually began to think Tyler might have been right. The pastor might have been the one to abduct Dena.

  Which would mean she’d just placed herself in grave danger by letting him into her house.

  Tyler moved closer, standing by her side as though he considered himself reinforcement. Even though only she could see him, she gathered strength from his presence.

  The pastor continued to study her, his expression kindly. “Do you attend church?” he finally asked, managing to sound both sad and confrontational all at once.

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. I don’t. Now please, Pastor Jones. What did Dena’s friend tell you?”

  Still eyeing her as if he expected horns to pop out of her head at any moment, he finally sighed. “She came to tell me she thought Dena’s new boyfriend must have done something to her. Since I never met the young man, and can’t vouch for him either way, I thought I’d simply pass the information on to you.”

  Finally. A real, live, genuine clue. Careful not to show her eagerness, Anabel nodded. “May I have her name and number so we can contact her?”

  “We?” His puzzled frown and the way he peered around her, as though trying to see someone else in the room, made her wonder if the pastor could actually see Tyler but wasn’t letting on.

  Cursing her careless slip of the tongue, Anabel gave him a sheepish smile. Tempted to pass it off as a joke and say she’d used the royal “we,” she wondered if the pastor would even get it. “Sorry. I meant so I can contact her, not we.”

  Which she supposed was better than some lame nonexplanation. Or the truth, which would make her sound even crazier. She could picture Pastor Jones’s reaction if she told him she’d meant herself and a ghost, who happened to be present in the room at that very second. No, that wouldn’t go over well at all.

  The older man’s face grew troubled. “I don’t have her phone number on me, though I can check the church directory when I get back. I know she’s attended services in the past, several times with Dena. The two of them used to hang around together a lot.”

  Anabel nodded, unable to resist glancing at Tyler. “Can you describe her?” Maybe if they got a description, Tyler might recognize her.

  “Sure. She’s tall, slender and blonde. She does wear too much makeup. Cute girl.”

  A sneaking suspicion made Anabel ask, “Does she have freckles and blue eyes? And look like she could be a cheerleader for a professional football team or something?”

  The pastor’s face relaxed. “Yes, that’s her,” he said happily. “Tamara, I think her name is.”

  Tammy. The girl who’d been staying in Dena’s apartment. She’d made no mention of Dena having a boyfriend.

  “Thank you so much, Pastor Jones,” Anabel said, crossing to the door and reaching for the handle. “I really appreciate you stopping by.” Which she did, sort of. Mostly she still felt a bit creeped out, as if he might be a potential stalker.

  “It’s my pleasure. Please call me Tom,” he said, apparently not getting the hint as he made no move to leave. Clearly, he was too well mannered to simply take a chair since she hadn’t invited him to sit. She supposed she ought to be grateful for the small blessing.

  “Uh, okay. Well, thanks again for coming by.” Maybe if she actually opened the door?

  Still oblivious, he nodded. “You’re welcome. Since I’m already here, how about we talk about you paying a visit to one of our services? We have four on Sundays, starting at eight in the morning.”

  “No, thank you,” she said, as politely as she could while reining in her impatience. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got to eat since I have somewhere I need to be. If I don’t leave soon, I’m going to be really late. And hungry.” Behind her back, she childishly crossed her fingers at the tiny white lie.

  Finally, he got the not-so-subtle hint. He nodded. “All right, I understand. Please, if you change your mind, just stop by. Anytime, all right?”

  As she opened the door, she nodded and forced a smile. All she could think of was how badly she needed to jump in her car and drive over to the apartment to confront Tammy.

  As he passed her, the pastor stopped and bent down, giving her a fatherly kiss on the top of her head. So help her, she was so startled she jumped, bumping his wire-rimmed glasses and sending them flying from his head.

  “I’m s-so sorry,” she stammered, reaching to pick up the glasses before something worse happened.

  Unfortunately, Pastor Jones reached for them at the same time, nearly causing them to bump heads. With his face mere inches from hers, he mouthed two words. Be careful.

  Chapter 8

  Stunned, Anabel handed the pastor his glasses and got to her feet. He left in a hurry, without saying anything else. Immediately, she rushed over and closed and locked her front door, heart racing.

  “Dena didn’t have a boyfriend,” Tyler said, clearly having missed the last exchange. “If Tammy is saying so, then she’s lying.”

  “Um, Pastor Jones just told me to be careful.” She scratched the back of her head. “A second ago, when we were face-to-face.”

  Moving closer, Tyler stared. “What
? When? I didn’t hear him.”

  “Right when we were both trying to retrieve his eyeglasses. He mouthed it at me, almost as if he thought someone might be listening.”

  Their gazes locked. Once again, she felt that irresistible lure of him. She thought he must have felt it too, as he broke eye contact. “That’s weird. I wonder what he’s not telling us.”

  “Exactly.”

  He began to pace the room, looking more like a man and less like a ghost. His long-legged stride captivated her. “Of course, we already know to be careful. We’re dealing with a warlock, after all. I’m more worried about what this Tammy is trying to do.”

  “Good point. Let’s go ask her right now.” Anabel reached for her car keys.

  “Let’s not,” Tyler countered, surprising her. “How about we just call her instead? Since she and my sister still have a house phone, I have the number memorized.”

  Disappointed, Anabel considered. “I really want to see her face when we ask her why she didn’t mention her worry about Dena’s boyfriend.”

  “Maybe because you had a ten-second conversation with her. You were a total stranger, showing up at her front door and demanding to know about her friend. Of course she got defensive. She was so worried she went to talk to her pastor instead.”

  Anabel eyed him. “Why are you defending her? Again?”

  Something flickered in his hazel eyes. “I’m not. I’m just saying it’s logical that she’d say more to the leader of her church than to a random stranger.”

  He had a point. Mulling this over, Anabel finally decided he was right. “Fine. Let’s give her a call.”

  Dialing the numbers as he gave them to her, Anabel listened to the phone ring on the other end, aware her name would display if the other woman had caller ID. When Tammy finally picked up, Anabel was so surprised she almost couldn’t speak.

  After she’d identified herself and told Tammy why she was calling, Tammy murmured her okay. At first, she didn’t say anything, and Anabel got a sinking feeling as she wondered if this call had been a colossal waste of time. Anabel reiterated that the pastor had told her about Tammy’s concern, hoping this would reassure the other woman.