Dog Biscuits

by Geonn Cannon

  Dale’s head snapped back to look at her. “No.”

  “It’s why Diana’s been so weird lately. It’s really taking its toll on them.”

  “Oh my God.” She was silent for the next block. “Does she need anything? Rides to treatment?”

  Ari said, “I already offered. They know we’re available if they need us.”

  Dale nodded. “Good.” She looked out the window at the passing buildings. “Everything that happened after your transformations, with the pain you were in… if Diana ever needs someone to listen or just to vent at…”

  “I offered that, too.” She took Dale’s hand. “Did I ever thank you for everything you did back then?”

  Dale brought Ari’s hand to her lips and kissed the back of it. “Frequently and in myriad ways. But it never hurts to hear your appreciation.”

  Ari smiled.

  When they got home, Ari let Dale lean on her until she got the crutch situated under her arm. “I swear I’m going to get rid of this thing as soon as possible. If I have to learn how to walk on my hands…”

  They walked together around the house. Ari stayed within arms’ reach just in case Dale needed her help. “If push comes to shove, we’ll find you a little cart and the wolf will pull you wherever you need to go.”

  “That actually sounds awesome. Let’s do that tomorrow.”

  The back porch light was on and, as they reached the top of the stairs, Neka stepped outside. “Hey, I thought I saw you two pull up. The bathroom is going to be free for a while if you wanted to come up and take a bath.”

  Dale said, “Thank you. I think I’ll take you up on that. I just need to get some things.”

  “No rush. Hey, Ari.”

  “Hey, Neka.”

  Ari helped Dale into the apartment, where she proceeded to get the thing she would need for her bath. Ari sat on the edge of the bed and watched.

  “When did you know you were going to stay with me?”

  Dale looked at her through the bathroom door. “What?”

  “Earlier. When we were fighting. You said that there were times when you considered leaving. Me, the agency, everything.”

  “Well, I’d happened across a sexy, gay, werewolf, private investigator. I’d have been stupid to walk away from that sort of life.”

  Ari chuckled but tilted her head to the side. “Come on. Seriously.”

  Dale sighed and thought for a moment. “When I saw that you were helping people. You weren’t just spying on people having affairs in cheap hotels. You were taking clients who had nowhere else to turn. Do you remember the woman whose husband stopped sending in child support and disappeared? You tracked him down in the Cascades, camping out in the middle of nowhere. No one but a wolf could have followed his trail. And no one but you would’ve gone to all that trouble in exchange for a week of home-cooked meals. But I knew even you couldn’t do it alone. I knew if I stayed with you, we could really help a lot of people. And we have.”

  Ari stood up and put her arms around Dale’s waist. They kissed for a long moment, Dale leaning on her instead of the crutch. When they pulled back, Ari brushed the hair away from Dale’s face.

  “I’m not going to take Cecily’s offer. Bitches is more than just a job, and I can’t throw it all away for a steady paycheck, even if it means you would be safer. There will always be people who need us, and they’ll never find us if I’m stuck behind a desk at GG&M. I’m right where I need to be.”

  “Good.” Dale pecked the corners of Ari’s mouth. “Me too.”

  They held each other for another moment before Ari let her go upstairs. She was alone in the apartment and she opened the computer to look at their Totems file. The Newton Five, plus Halphen. There might be some other bad eggs on the team, but she had a feeling those six men deserved the brunt of her attention. Something big was lurking there. It was only a matter of time before she figured out what it was.

  Chapter Ten

  Vince Halphen was seated in the outdoor dining area, a table most likely chosen to avoid the university students gathered inside. He was wearing a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, hunched over his plate. Ari had gotten a glimpse of the menu and knew the place was more high-brow than she’d have expected from Halphen, but she was still surprised when she saw what he was eating when she sat across from him.

  “Roasted bone marrow, Halphen? Damn. I figured your idea of fine cuisine was getting the Quarter Pounder Deluxe at McDonald’s.”

  He glared at her. She’d kept her sunglasses on so he could only see his own face reflected back at him. She could see that he was struggling with how to respond. She could already tell he knew who she was. All that remained to discover was if he’d admit to it.

  “Trying to have a meal here, lady.”

  It would seem not. “Halphen, I’m hurt. You really don’t recognize me? I was trying to have a meal myself a few nights ago. You were there, watching me and my girlfriend. Then you tried to run us over with the truck you stole.”

  Halphen pushed away from the table and stood up. “You’re delusional.”

  Diana was blocking his escape. She lifted her badge and gestured for him to sit down again. “If you’re finished with your meal, maybe we could have a discussion. I’m Detective Macallan. I believe you already know Miss Willow.”

  He hesitated for a long moment before he resigned himself to sitting back down.

  Diana sat next to Ari on the other side of the table. “I saw you in a movie recently, Mr. Halphen. Kind of low-quality, but still not bad. It shows you half a block from a truck that got stolen a few nights ago. You walk toward the truck and, a few minutes later, it comes rolling down the street and you’re nowhere to be seen. That’s a bit peculiar. Then there’s the fact that later the same night, Miss Willow’s girlfriend spotted you watching them at the restaurant just before they were almost run over by that stolen truck.”

  “Sounds pretty, uh, circumstantial to me.”

  Diana shrugged. “There’s also the fact that you’re involved with a case Ariadne happens to be working. Those three facts together - your proximity to the truck, your presence at the restaurant, and your connection to her investigation - are enough to bring you in.”

  Halphen said, “No, it’s not.”

  “Well, maybe not. But my captain trusts me enough to give me a little leeway.” She crossed her arms on the edge of the table and leaned forward. “So? Come on. We know you were driving the truck. It’s only a matter of time before we have your fingerprints. Whoever drove the truck wiped it down, but there are still loads of prints all over it. You absolutely sure you got them all, Mr. Halphen? Because if not, and we put you in that truck, you’re in for a heap of hurt.”

  He worked his lips, furrowed his brow, and twisted his neck to look toward the street. Ari watched his fingers as he rubbed them against the pad of his thumb. Her mind kept replaying the night outside the restaurant. The pain in her shoulder when she hit the pavement because Dale tackled her out of the way. How goddamned close they had come to one or both of them dying. She dug her thumbnail into her thigh to keep from jumping across the table and throttling him.

  “All right. I was in the truck. I tried to run ‘em down.”

  Diana was thrown by the confession, but she covered her surprise well enough that Ari was sure Halphen didn’t notice. “Now we’re getting somewhere. Why did you do it?”

  “I saw the two ladies eating together. Made me sick. Ain’t right, two ladies like that, oughta be with men. That’s the way it’s always been.”

  Diana sliced her hand through the air over the table. “No, stop right there. Don’t make this a hate crime thing. Hate crimes happen every day in this city, and I won’t have you belittle those victims by using it as an alibi. This wasn’t a crime of passion. This wasn’t some random run-in. You stole that truck and then you waited until the perfect moment to run these women down. If they hadn’t been on a tree-lined street, you may have succeeded. I want an honest answer from you, Halphen.
”

  He glared at her.

  “You just confessed to attempted murder. What have you got to lose?”

  “I’m not saying another word without my lawyer present.”

  Diana sighed and took out her handcuffs. “That means an all-expense paid trip downtown. Pay for your meal before I read your rights.”

  “And leave a decent tip,” Ari added. “This place might be high-dollar, but that doesn’t mean their staff sees any of it in their paycheck.”

  Ari left the restaurant and waited by Diana’s car. She watched the other patrons sneak pictures as the cuffs were put on and Halphen was led through the maze of tables and chairs. The urge to attack was still strong. She could feel the wolf side of her personality clawing at her brain insisting she let it take over. The wolf would know how to repay the man for what he’d done. For the briefest moments, she was tempted to let it out. The only thing that kept her from surrendering was the knowledge of how much trouble it would cause Diana.

  Diana put him in the backseat and stood next to Ari. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. I’ll go to the gym, punch a bag or something.”

  “You might want to call Dale before you do that. If there are five other people involved in whatever this is, they might escalate now that their buddy has been caught. They might come after you both again. Be extremely careful, Ariadne.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” She looked past Diana at Halphen, who was stewing in the backseat. “What’s going to happen to him?”

  “He confessed to a pretty big charge. He’s definitely going to do time.”

  “Yeah. But he lied about why he did it. That’s pretty suspicious.”

  “You bet it’s suspicious. I’ll keep pushing him, but with the lawyer in play, I doubt we’ll get anything useful. Sorry.”

  Ari shrugged. “You did your job. That’s all anyone can ask of you.” She looked past Diana at Halphen. “Whatever Muldoon is up to, it’s big enough to justify Halphen sacrificing himself to protect everyone else.”

  “What would make you fall on your sword for an attempted murder charge?”

  Ari shook her head. “I don’t know. Protecting someone else, probably. Maybe he assumed he would be going down no matter what happened, so he just sacrificed himself. If that’s true, he’s not going to roll over on anyone else who was involved.”

  Diana said, “What’s your actual case?”

  “Look into the hockey team, see if anyone has any skeletons in their closet. I was brought in to look for DUIs or racist Facebook posts. Dale’s still looking into that, but I’m going to focus on this group. I think whatever they’re up to is more important.”

  “Right. Let me know if you find anything or if you need any help.”

  Ari hesitated.

  “I’m a detective no matter what’s going on in my personal life. Lucy will understand if I have to back you up.”

  “Okay. I’ll keep your number handy.”

  “You’d better. I’m taking this guy in. What are you going to do?”

  “First I’m going to take care of Dale. Then I’m going to GG&M. The guy who put me on the case needs to know the depth of the shit he’s dumped me into.”

  #

  “And where exactly would I go?” Dale asked when Ari arrived at the office.

  “My mother’s place,” Ari said. “We’ll swing by the apartment and pack a bag.”

  Dale didn’t even look away from her computer. “No. I’m not running and hiding.”

  Ari’s shoulders sagged. “These assholes have proven how far they’re willing to go.”

  “Right.” Dale finally looked up at her. “So either they’ll come here or they’ll find out where we live and attack there. Remember when the hunters burned down your apartment? Your neighbors were lucky they weren’t hurt. What about Neka? If these hockey players come after you again, they’ll find her there and she won’t know what hit her.”

  Ari said, “So take her with you to Mom’s…”

  “No. You’re not the only one who can protect people, Ariadne. I’ll let you take me home, but I’m going to stay there to keep an eye on Neka. I’ll make sure no one burns down our home.”

  Ari walked around the desk and bent down to kiss the top of Dale’s head. “I’m supposed to be the protector.”

  “Big bad wolf.” Dale reached up and slipped her hand under Ari’s shirt. She rubbed the warm skin of Ari’s hip. “You take care of what you have to take care of. Neka and I will be fine.”

  “I’ll try to be safe if you do the same.”

  Dale grinned. “Deal. Now if you really want to feel useful, help me get out to the car so I don’t have to use my crutch.”

  #

  Ari left the elevator and crossed the waiting room without breaking stride. Shannon looked up and tracked her to the doors. “Miss Parrish really is in court at the moment. If you’re planning to wait, you’ll be here for a very long time.”

  “I’m not seeing her this time.”

  Eric Wiseman looked up as she entered his office. “Cecily was right. You really do just barge in whenever you like.”

  She sat down across from him. “Your boys are going to be short two coaches when they announce their roster.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Vince Halphen just got arrested for attempted murder.”

  Wiseman blanched. “Are you joking?”

  “No. My girlfriend and I were the intended victims. Halphen came after me when he caught wind I was investigating the team. But I don’t think it was his idea. He rolled over way too easy when the cops came for him, so that makes me think he was just following orders. Take out the nosy private eye, then fall on his sword if anyone connects the dots. Who do you think would have enough power over Halphen to make him do that?”

  “Conor Muldoon.” He was staring at the desk, eyes wide and unblinking.

  “Either him or the owners, but since they’re the ones who hired me…”

  Wiseman shook his head. “This is far more than I expected you to find, Miss Willow. You must understand I never intended for you or your loved ones to be in any danger, let alone—”

  “Save it, Wiseman,” Ari said. “What’s done is done. I just want to know who else is involved.”

  “How would I know that? I had no idea Mr. Halphen was a criminal.”

  “But you knew he was joining the team?” Wiseman nodded slowly. “Who hired him? Muldoon?”

  Wiseman nodded again. “As far as I know. I wasn’t really privy to that part of the process.”

  Ari said, “Who are the owners?”

  “There’s one major shareholder. Ike Levitt.”

  Ari couldn’t hide her surprise. “Seriously? Wow, that guy owns…”

  “A little bit of everything,” Wiseman said. “Shares in the Seahawks, Mariners, the Sounders, the Storm, and even a couple of teams in Portland and Chicago. He bought the Totems because he wanted to be the high man on the… well… He wanted to be the guy in charge for once.”

  “Would he have brought in any players?”

  Wiseman shook his head. “I highly doubt it. He’s a businessman. He can look at stats, but he would entrust the draft to the coach he hired.”

  Ari said, “And Muldoon is a good coach?”

  “He’s got a fantastic record, yes.”

  “So maybe Levitt hired Muldoon on the up-and-up, just brought him in to coach a hockey team, and whatever side things might be going on… that’s just Muldoon. He recruited the people he needed for… whatever he’s doing.”

  Wiseman shrugged and held his hands out. “And what might that be?”

  Ari stood up. “I don’t know. Something big enough that Halphen was willing to fall on his sword to protect it.”

  “Just… reassure me that the rest of the team is clean.”

  “So far so good. A lot of Boy Scouts. The rest of the team might have a few DUIs. If anything is going to bring down the team, it’s going to be whatever Muldoon’s got going.”


  Wiseman looked deflated, his eyes glassier and less focused than when she’d entered the office. “Right. Of course. Please keep me informed.”

  She nodded and left the office.

  Shannon looked up when she came out. “What, no coffee?”

  “Next time I’ll bring you a scone to make up for it.”

  “Gluten-free. They have a special plate for them.”

  “I promise.”

  The elevator doors closed on her. She took out her phone and checked social media for updates from her prime suspects. Nothing from Aulie since the night before. Lindholm hadn’t posted anything new in weeks. But Oesterle had checked in at a rink in Tukwila ten minutes earlier to “get in some ice-time.” Ari checked her watch and decided traffic would probably be cooperative enough for her to arrive before he left.

  “Anton Oesterle,” she muttered, “get ready for your close-up.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The rink where Oesterle checked in turned out to be the “official home of the Seattle Totems!” according to the banner strung across the front entrance. It was on a hill overlooking Green River, not far from Halphen’s condo. Ari doubted they would let her wander in and watch a practice so she parked in front of a nearby department store and walked through the woods to come up at the rink’s back side. It was almost completed, but she spotted a pair of trucks from a construction company parked alongside an HVAC van.

  No one seemed to be around so she peeked into the back of one truck and snagged a tool belt, a hard hat, and a pair of safety glasses. She put everything on and went inside, glad she had chosen an outfit from the “butch” side of her closet that morning. She hoped the HVAC guys thought she was with the construction company and vice versa. She tugged the belt higher on her waist and slipped in through a maintenance door which had been propped open with a cinder block.

  She was in a dark corridor that curved off to either side; she randomly went left knowing it would circle back around eventually. She found a flight of stairs that were only partially completed, ducked under the caution tape, and carefully ascended on the unfinished risers. As expected, the stairs led into a private box that was awaiting chairs, a glass front, and drywall. The shape of the room was framed out by skeletal studs that made the eventual high-dollar boxes look like a row of cages. She moved across the bare floor as quietly as possible, pulling off the hard hat and carefully putting down the belt so the tools wouldn’t make noise as she moved.