by Meg Ripley
“When I approached her, I noticed her bones were broken in several different places.” Sophia walked up to the corpse with Blanca following her; Knox and I were close behind. “Her neck, arms and legs appear to be broken based on their angles. I checked for a pulse at both the neck and wrist, but found none. I attempted CPR and noticed that the lacerations on her chest and abdomen had gone deep enough to puncture her lungs. They were filled with blood and I pronounced her dead at 9:23 this morning.” Sophia seemed quite proud of herself to be spouting off to the agent. Knox gave her a nod.
If only everyone’s reports could be as detailed… I stiffened when I heard Knox’s mental mutter.
“And what did you make of these lacerations?” Blanca asked after jotting down a few more notes.
“Usually when things like this happen, it’s an animal attack. We have a lot of people who bother the local fauna, thinking they are used to interacting with humans, when they are not. The lacerations look like they came from bear claws to me. I surmise that Danielle must have been with her camera crew, because I doubt she’d be out here alone with a microphone, and they probably spotted a bear and tried to approach it. Surely, the bear felt threatened and chased them through the woods, and she ended up here. I imagine this deep laceration along her chest was the final blow. She must have bled out and died.” Sophia shrugged at the end to indicate there was nothing more to it in her opinion.
“If there was a camera crew, where are they?” Blanca asked, scanning the area.
“I just assumed they must have run in a different direction when the bear came after them,” Sophia stated.
“We don’t make assumptions. Someone will have to find them if they are lost in the woods.” Blanca gave the woman a hard look before her eyes returned to the battered body of Danielle, seemingly deep in thought. “Do you have a sign at the entrance of the park indicating that animals should not be disturbed?”
“Yes, we do. If you drove in, you would have seen it. I’d be happy to show it to you if you’d like,” Knox replied in a friendly manner, but I could tell that he didn’t like being questioned.
“We find that not everyone reads the signs or listens to the warnings when it comes to the animals. This is a clear example of that.” I said, backing up my Alpha.
“Hmm…possibly...” Blanca looked deep in thought as she continued to stare at the body.
Knox, Sophia, and I exchanged concerned expressions.
“What are you implying?” Knox asked sternly after a beat.
Blanca didn’t address him and instead, looked up at Sophia. “Could these injuries have been caused by a human?”
“What? What makes you think that?” Sophia looked completely perplexed by the question; perhaps overly so. Goodness knew the woman wasn’t going to get nominated for an Academy Award anytime soon.
“Is it possible?” Blanca asked sternly. “Please answer the question.”
Sophia looked at Knox, her lips firmly pressed together. Knox gave a curt nod.
“I mean…yes, it’s possible. A human couldn’t deal this kind of damage with just his or her hands alone. The suspect would need a weapon of some sort.”
“A weapon like what?” Blanca’s expression grew much more interested and I felt a rumble of foreboding travel through me.
“I don’t know. Maybe a large fishing hook if used the right way, like a kind used for deep sea fishing? Or those ones with multiple points, treble hooks? There aren’t many things that could cause the type of damage we’re seeing, honestly.”
“But if the person was trying to make it look like a bear attack, they would pay special attention to something like that…” Blanca’s face was still clouded over by her intense thinking. I could practically see theories as they dashed across her mind.
What the hell? Is this chick crazy? Sophia’s voice echoed.
Come on Knox, now she’s just making stuff up. We know this was a shifter in bear form. There’s no way a human did this! I was on the same page as Sophia, for once.
“You’ve all gone quiet, so I guess you think I’m insane or something, but this is my job: to speculate. So, until more evidence is found and this is confirmed by me to be a bear attack, I will continue to speculate that this could possibly be a murder. I’ll be conducting a week-long investigation here, and if nothing points to a murderer in that time, I’ll leave. If something does turn up that could indicate anything else—anything at all—then that’s what I’ll pursue in my investigation.” Blanca looked at each of us, and lingered on me especially, narrowing her eyes.
Why does she keep looking at me like that? I squinted my eyes in return.
“I expect everyone’s full cooperation during my investigation. If any other information about the case turns up, you are to report directly to me, including you, Mr. Bernard.”
I took a broad step forward, bristling. “Who the hell do you think you—”
“Stand down, Trent!” Knox glared at me, holding an arm out in front of me to prevent my advance. My blood was boiling. I wasn’t about to let this lady step onto our territory and take over. I only answered to Knox, period.
“You will have our full cooperation, I assure you.” Knox addressed Blanca directly, who was glaring at me intensely. Our gazes pierced through each other’s and my anger rose. I felt my body start to shake, threatening to explode with energy at any moment.
Knox grabbed my arm tight enough that would hurt a normal human, but was just enough to snap me out of my thoughts. I said to stand down.
I took a deep breath and swallowed, hoping my anger would dissipate.
“I have rounds to do,” I growled before I turned to leave.
“If someone is found responsible, I’ll need you to show me the holding quarters for criminals,” I heard Blanca’s voice call out as I started to walk away, but I didn’t turn around to acknowledge her.
“I can help you with that,” Knox replied; I heard the smile in his voice and it made the fire in me burn that much hotter.
Who was he kidding? I knew he wasn’t happy, but whatever; he could put on a show for the feds if he wanted to. That wasn’t in my job description and way above my pay grade. He asked me to be cooperative and I was. I told her everything I knew about finding the body.
Except the footprints…
I hope you’re going out to catch this guy, whoever he is, so we can keep him out of sight until she is gone. Knox didn’t seem angry at me for walking away, just adamant about what I should be spending my time doing.
I’m on it.
I really hoped this guy was stupid and just carelessly left a trail of his footprints out in the open for me to follow straight to him. But once I found him, maybe I would get really lucky and he would put up a fight.
Because hell, I was certainly in the mood for one.
If you enjoyed this preview of Ranger Trent, you may download the entire story HERE. Available with Kindle Unlimited.
Sneak Peek of Ranger Ramon: Shifter Nation – Werebears Of Acadia, Book 3
After apprehending a rogue bear who’d committed three brutal murders on our territory, things could finally start to settle down at Acadia National Park. Or so my clan thought.
We knew the rogue had been infected with a virus that triggered his rabid behavior--and unsettling symptoms--before he finally met his demise. But when I was charged with performing his autopsy, I didn’t realize I’d be getting schooled about his illness first hand.
That night, the guys and I decided to head to the local dive bar to blow off some steam. Little did I know I’d be meeting Min, a smoking hot entomologist who worked for the CDC. As the park’s biologist, she was my perfect match; from the moment we met, there was no denying the fire that blazed between us.
The more time we spent together, the more I knew I had to claim her as mine. But what was she doing in Acadia in the first place? I would ask if I could keep the thought in my mind for more than a second. My head was pounding, and suddenly, I wasn’t feeling like my
self at all.
Could this dark-haired beauty be the one responsible for sabotaging our clan? Or will she prove to be our greatest ally?
Chapter 1 - Min
When I had been called to meet with someone from the National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases (NCPD-CID,) I had been a little more than surprised.
What could they possibly want with me?
They were a smaller faction of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who were there to protect the general population from outbreaks of any infectious disease by making the world aware of how to be prepared for such events.
I was working as an entomologist for the CDC at the time, specializing in infectious diseases that could be transferred to humans through insects. I studied how they were able to pass along illnesses so that the CDC could figure out how to prevent them from being transmitted in the first place.
I loved my job. I always wanted to go into a field that would better the greater good of mankind and I was pretty sure I had found the perfect job. I was a bug freak as well, so that was a bonus.
My father, born in France, was a scientist; he’d always let me assist with dissections of animals when I was in middle school. I remembered telling him about performing a procedure on a cow’s eye in biology class in the seventh grade and how intrigued I was about the process.
“Dad, it was so cool! I got to peel back the sclera and cut the cornea out, and this liquid jelly stuff came out. They even let us use the lens to look at each other! Everything was upside down and backwards; I could have even used it as a magnifying glass!” I remembered telling him, so excited, I had practically been jumping.
“What ever happened to the good old frog dissection, eh minou?” he had asked, closing the book he was reading and taking off his glasses. “I ought to show you how it was done back in my day.”
My dad had a penchant for calling me by all sorts of French pet names when I was younger. Minou and Minette were my favorites because they had my name in them and meant ‘kitty,’ and I really had a soft spot for cats. My name was actually Korean, given to me by my mother. It meant ‘quick,’ ‘clever’ or ‘sharp:’ all the things she hoped I’d be, and I appreciated those meanings even more as I grew older.
That very same day, my dad had let me sit in on a frog dissection with him. He instructed me on everything to do as I nervously held the utensils. He first let me remove the skin on its legs to show me the frog’s muscles, then I cut through the abdominal muscle to expose its insides. He explained the different names of the frog’s organs as I opened the flaps, and from that point on, I was a total science nerd.
I wanted to be just like him when I grew up. He never told me which field of science he studied when I was younger, but I was actually glad for that because it wasn’t until we performed the operation on a cicada that I knew I wanted to study insects. I had just graduated eighth grade and was on my way to high school, and it was the first dissection my dad had let me do completely on my own. I had decided to cut the cicada clear in half, and I remember being amazed at the sight of its pink back muscles, used to power its wings. I was so fascinated by the differences between insect innards and those of animals that I was hooked. I never dissected another animal again and I would head out almost every day, hunting for new insects to dissect.
I later found out my father worked for The European Federation for Animal Science, or EFAS, trying to improve farming methods with domestic animals. He studied different conditions and how they played a part in the animals’ well-being, which was nothing remotely near what I wanted to pursue, so I probably wouldn’t have wanted to follow his footsteps either way.
So, there I was, doing what I loved and being singled out for a project because of it. When the NCPD-CID had asked for me personally, I was completely shocked; usually, they pretty much kept to themselves and didn’t enlist help from other departments. I, in fact, was hardly ever requested for any projects, unless I was the only entomologist on call that day.
Being French-Korean had always singled me out, but not in a good way. In France, where I did most of my schooling up until college, I was one of only about thirteen thousand French-Korean people, living in a country with a population of about sixty-seven million. I was a minority and most people didn’t know how to deal with me. I had mostly Korean features, but my nose was more bulbous, in my opinion. My lips were full, which I thanked the heavens for often, but my eyes were small, and my ebony hair was bone straight. My face was not as rounded as Koreans’ often were: I had a strong jawline, and that, along with the nose, is what usually threw people off.
I went through the normal Asian stereotypes in school while living in France. People automatically assumed I was ‘smart’ without proof and picked me first to do group projects with, but I was always the last person picked for physical activities. My thin frame did make me fragile, but I saw skinnier white kids picked before me. I never took it to heart, though. I was, indeed, smart and lacking in my athletic abilities, but I just wished people didn’t automatically assume these things of me. I wanted to be stupid and agile for once—not to get picked first in gym class or anything, just to prove everyone wrong and watch their dumbfounded expressions when I kicked ass on the basketball court, but failed all my tests. I could’ve pretended with my exams, but that would have only hurt me, so I quickly learned to just focus on myself.
It was no different in the CDC office. Everyone assumed I was the best entomologist in the office—even though they had never worked with me—but nevertheless, I was always passed over for field work opportunities. So, color me suspicious when I had been called in for this project, which was revealed to me over the phone to involve field work.
But, I wanted in. This was my chance to prove I could do it and I was determined to show everyone.
The NCPD-CID was located in the same building, so thankfully, all I had to do was take the elevator down from the eleventh floor to the fourth. I was told to pass all the cubicles and head straight for the main office, which I did. Through the glass, I spied a man sitting behind the desk; he was round and heavy set, with dark hair and a very bushy mustache. There was a blonde woman on the other side with an empty chair next to her, which I assume was reserved for me.
I knocked on the door and the man motioned for me to enter the office.
“You must be Min Dupont!” he exclaimed, standing up and shaking my hand.
“Yes, that’s me,” I nodded, hoping my hand shake hadn’t been too soft. I really wanted to make a good impression.
“I’m Eric Hanson, the head of the department,” he smiled, motioning for me to sit down.
I looked to the woman on my left, who didn’t say a word to me. Is she only here to witness the meeting? I wondered.
“I’m sure you are wondering what project I have called you here to take part in,” Mr. Hanson continued.
“I am.” That came off more clipped than I wanted it to. I was trying to go for a more blunt, direct approach, and I hoped he didn’t take it wrong, but he didn’t seem phased.
“Before I give any details, I must have you know that anything said during this meeting is to be held in complete confidence. You can’t even tell anyone in your own department. In fact, if you accept, you will be on the next plane to a national park in Maine.”
Maine? That’s a random location…What could possibly be there? I pondered.
“You have my word that I will not disclose any information you reveal, even if I should decide not to take part in the assignment.”
“Not like you have much of a choice,” the woman snickered next to me.
Eric gave her a stern look and the woman was quiet.
“My apologies, Ms. Dupont,” he regarded. “I’m about to reveal to you some classified information. Hardly anyone outside this department knows about this and we would like to keep it that way for now to avoid a panic.”
Panic? What exactly have I gotten myself into…? I decided to hea
r him out before I passed any judgement, so I nodded in response and he continued by pushing his chair aside, exposing the projector screen behind him.
“This footage was taken via satellite during a full moon over Acadia National Park. Try not to be alarmed.”
This is most definitely not sounding good…
Eric started the footage and I wasn’t sure what I was looking at. At first, there were just a bunch of people standing around gazing up at the moon. Then, they started shaking as if an earthquake was happening, but the ground wasn’t moving. Suddenly, everyone’s bodies were…lengthening. Gaining mass. And…
Bursting with fur?
What the hell is this? Is this some kind of joke? My eyes were wide, and my jaw dropped as I witnessed the changes happening on the screen.
Where people were once standing, bears had replaced them. They all ranged in height and weight, and just like that, they were walking up to each other, some nuzzling and sniffing, others braking off into a run, headed for the dense forest. With that, the footage ended and there was silence. I looked to both Eric and the woman beside me, who seemed completely unfazed by the footage.
“What exactly did I just watch?” I asked in disbelief.
“The individuals you’ve just seen are what are called bear shifters. They’re people who can turn into different species of bears at will, and are forced to make the transition during the full moon,” Eric responded bluntly.
How can he be so matter-of-fact about this discovery?
“So, like werewolves? Only bears?” This had to be a joke.
“Yes. I have another piece of footage I need you to see before I tell you why I need your help,” Eric said, pressing a button to roll some new footage.
I watched as a bear attacked a woman on the screen. She was waving her arms frantically trying to stop it, while running towards what appeared to be a rocky beach. I covered my mouth in horror as the bear chased her and shredded her with its claws until she lay among the stones, unconscious and bleeding. The bear sniffed her for a moment, spotted something in the trees, and ran towards it.