He turned around and stuck his tongue out at me. I could tell by the pale sheen to his skin that he was in a lot of pain. I figured the paramedics gave him something to help with it, but a bullet wound sure hurts like hell.
Poor guy.
Chapter 25
THE WIND SHIFTED and something grabbed my attention more than Alex being injured. I swiveled my head, mouth open, flehmening. I opened my mouth in a kind of grin and pulled air over my Jacobsen’s Organ. Almost immediately I caught a scent.
It was cologne and it was eerily familiar to me. I couldn’t place it, but it was fairly strong. I followed it and Gerry followed me.
Occasionally an agent stopped what they were doing and stared at me as I ran with Gerry close behind. He could really beat feet for an old guy. I followed the trail to the closest hedge and found a person-sized hole. I leapt through, Gerry puffed and pushed his way through. I was waiting for him when I caught a whole other scent. I moved ahead, no longer looking to see if Gerry was following. I found the body of the motel clerk, Caldon, that had reported Grisly’s remains. What the hell was his corpse doing on my property?
If Gerry saw this would I be arrested? No, he would know I didn’t do it. Someone else did. Someone with claws and teeth and a human motivation. It hit me what was happening. The puppet-master was telling me he had others. Grisly was only one pawn, but they had others. How many? What was their next move? How high up did their reach go in the FBI? Too many questions and not enough answers.
Gerry came through the hedge and saw me sniffing the body.
“He’s been here at least a day.”
“I didn’t do this.”
“I know. I believe you, Sam.”
“Thanks, Gerry. I don’t know what the hell to do.”
“Me, neither. I suppose we should call it in, but do you want to get changed first?”
“No. It’s best they find the scene exactly how we stumbled on it. Maybe they can find something.” I was definitely selling my once beloved (but now rapidly plummeting into hated) house.
“Okay.” Gerry called in our location and what we found.
Paramedics, different than the ones who had treated Alex, came through the hedge followed closely by James, Josh, Chad, and Quinn.
“What are you guys doing here?” I was surprised to see Josh and Chad, but not unhappy.
“We heard this house is a magnet for death and we were hoping not to have to pay admission,” Chad joked.
“You laugh, but three different people have died here in three different murders in the last twenty four hours.”
“Jeebus, really?” Josh looked surprised.
“Really.” Gerry continued, “Sam, go with Quinn into the house. Quinn take her statement and see that she’s dressed properly. Don’t let any of the guys give you any guff on this.”
“Yes, sir,” I answered dutifully.
“Sure thing,” Quinn said.
I followed Quinn back and let the wheels spin. Someone had killed the hotel manager on my property and left him there. But why? What would anyone have to gain by using my house as a crime scene? Other than the fact that it already was a crime scene. Of course, that suggests they knew it was a scene and they wanted the body found. But why had they put it there? Was it meant to scare me or frame me?
What the hell was I going to do?
Would Gerry, Sal, and old Blue Suit be able to keep me out of this or would I be thrown to the wolves? As I changed, then dressed, I worried about my future. For the first time since I became a shifter I was afraid of what the future held for me. I knew they wouldn’t find any direct evidence, because I hadn’t killed anyone, but boy was I looking bad here.
I talked it all through with Quinn and answered every question he asked. Well, every question but one. He asked if I was alright and I just shrugged it off. I couldn’t lie to him and I most certainly was not okay.
“Why are they targeting my house, Q?”
“I have no clue. Maybe because you saw through their ruse? Maybe they’re pissed that you stopped Grisly and killed two of their informants.”
“So are they trying to frame me or warn me?”
“Was there a note?”
“No.”
“I’d call it a warning.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah. I will do everything I can to support you, sis, you know that, right?”
“I do.”
“We will find out who is behind all of this. Know that, too.”
“I do. I just don’t understand why. It makes no sense to kill Eddie Caldon and dump him on my land. Inside my wall, no less.” Things were looking a little more on the bleak side than I’d prefer, but I felt certain they’d be able to clear me soon.
I wasn’t lying, had alibis for the murders, and I was an honest agent with an exemplary record. Whoever set this up was either not good at planning or was sending me a big nasty warning to leave it alone.
I ever tell you about the time I rescued an injured rattlesnake? Big nasty warnings don’t scare me. I do what I need to, regardless.
“I think it’d be good if you went to stay with Chad a few days.”
“I don’t.”
“Come on, Sam, you’ve pissed off a mighty big enemy in AFWA. You obviously can’t stay here.”
“No. I wouldn’t stay here or with you and Kelly, either. I’ll probably hole up with Alex or get a room somewhere. Maybe I’ll go down to Mobile and beach bum it for a few days.”
“Sam, I think Mobile is a good idea, but I don’t think you’re going to be allowed to leave town.”
“This sucks.”
“Look, we all know Grisly wasn’t your fault, but with this Sheila situation, and with Caldon being found dead here, it makes you look really bad.”
“Really? I thought it made me look like humanitarian of the year.” My snark increases with my anger and I was getting really angry.
Not at Quinn, obviously, but at whoever was causing me so much strife.
“Hold your jokes until you’re away from people,” Quinn whispered.
“Why?”
“Because it makes you look cold and callous. You really don’t want anyone thinking you’ve got something to do with this.”
“You know I don’t, but come on, Q, anyone who knows me knows I’m no cold blooded killer, except bunnies. The rabbits would rat me out.”
“Sam, be serious for a moment, please.”
“Never been more serious in my life, Q. I’ll be okay.”
“And if the AWFA member is higher ranking than Sal?”
“Don’t say that, man. I don’t even want to think it.”
“Start thinking it. You need to be that paranoid. Right now someone really is out to get you.”
“Well, who has the authority to order Sheila and her intern friend here? If they’d have succeeded they would have killed me and they’d have to report that to someone. My guess is that someone is the last stop on the Grisly express.”
“That makes sense. Other than Gerry, who has rank to order Sheila?”
“Caster over in Violent Crime. Though I haven’t seen him all week, I think he’s on vacation.”
“It couldn’t be Gerry. Nah, never.”
“Not in a million years.”
“Sal?”
“I don’t know Sal that well, but I do know Gerry trusts him and I trust Gerry.”
“I just hope this ends soon. Find out who sent them and you’ll find your guy.”
“You sure?”
“I don’t know, but I have to have hope. For now, I just got a text saying to take you back with us for questioning. Call your lawyer, Sam.”
“Yeah, about that … I don’t have a lawyer.”
“I will have Kelly call one for you.”
“Thanks, Quinn.”
“Always.”
He walked me out and I went with him back to the office. This time around they only grilled me for six hours. I was put on paid leave (after a few days) and the rest of the
Bureau still thinks that I’m out on it. Really, Sal and MacDonald (aka Blue Suit) had me on the AWFA’s tail. I was tracking down the roots they’d tried to plant in our office.
They’d found a diary at Sheila’s place. Apparently she blamed me for her husband, the bank manager’s death. She felt that my being a shifter had hindered my abilities as an investigator and that if I’d caught the robbers earlier he wouldn’t have died.
I’m still looking into things, still digging up people sent in to spy, but little by little we are cutting off their info and substituting false information. So far it’s been effective. Two AWFA members killed a baboon shifter outside of a bar and we managed to stop AWFA’s attempts to cover it up.
We made the baboon shifter out as a sweet shy man who was bullied and killed by a crazy fringe group. I was finally cleared of any wrong doing in the shenanigans that took place on my property and put my beloved house up for sale.
Alex was still in the hospital; apparently a fragment from the bullet had been lodged in an artery and was pushed into his blood stream. He went into surgery and once I was cleared I went to the hospital to be with him.
“Hey, Sam. Want some Jell-O?” He grinned at me when I shook my head.
“How are you doing?”
“Been better. Sal came by today. As soon as I’m released we’re getting married.”
“You and Sal? Congratulations. I had no idea you swung that way.” My turn to grin.
“No, you and me.” I raised an eyebrow at him and he continued, “For our undercover operation to bring down AWFA.”
“Well, okay, but you should know that I plan to spend a lot of time in the garage working on my car. You should also know that we will have to find a new house. I’m putting the death magnet up for sale.”
“Aw, that’s too bad. I liked that house.”
“I did, too, before it became the most dangerous place in the entire state to be. Four dead bodies in three days is just too many.”
“I think there are drug czars with fewer enemies than you, Reece.”
“I think you’re probably right.” I grinned and sat down beside him on the bed.
“You still going to go on that date with me when I get out of here?”
“Have I ever lied to you?”
“Scrabble, March 2001. Ichthynoxis. You told me it was a fish disease. You wound up winning because of the triple word score.”
“Hey, bluffing is totally part of that game.”
“It’s Scrabble, Sam, not poker.” He was grinning at me and his amusement had put a twinkle in his eyes.
“You play your way, I’ll play mine, Mr. Omniscientness.”
“Yeah, well that was derived from a real word.”
“Whatever, Baltazar. So, when are you getting sprung?”
“Hopefully in a few days. A couple weeks in the hospital is way too long for my tastes. Leave it to me to get a through and through yet still manage to need extensive surgery.”
“How long are you going to be off your feet?”
“A couple more weeks, sorry, Sam. Though I am looking forward to playing your husband when we get out of here. Look, I’ve even been practicing; Make me a sammich, woman.”
I smacked his good arm. “Make your own damn sammich, while you’re at it, make me one, too.” I grinned.
“I missed you, Sam.” The playfulness was gone and he was being serious.
“I missed you, too. They cleared me, finally.”
“I heard. Please be careful while I’m out of commission. Someone out there is out to get you and I really want to collect on my date.”
“I am being very careful. Don’t worry about me.”
“Can’t help it. You’re my oldest friend. I love you.”
“I know and am thankful for it. I love you, too.” Being serious was starting to make me feel uncomfortable.
“It’s alright, Reece, I’ll stop with the touchy feely stuff.” He smiled and patted my cheek lightly.
“Well, thank goodness. There are seminars we agents are supposed to attend about that sort of thing.”
Alex smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t ever rush you. Now, how about that Tide game?”
Chapter 26
IT HAD BEEN WEEKS WITHOUT ANY LEADS and I was starting to believe that maybe the AWFA guys had given up when we got a tip that they were plotting to take down a church where a shifter group had been meeting.
The group was there to help new shifters transition into their new lives. These groups were extremely important to helping us adjust. I had joined a similar one after I’d been bitten and turned. When I went to the church to check things out I was surprised to find Ben there.
“Hey, Fitzpatrick, what are you doing here?” Don’t be jealous as you watch me go again with the not so smooth.
“Sam, it’s good to see you.” My maker smiled at me and my jaguar fairly purred.
She’d come to grudgingly like Alex and his tiger, but she still held out hope for Ben and his jaguar. Little metaphysically furry hussy.
“So, fancy meeting you here,” I tried again, hoping I wouldn’t have to grill him outright.
“I’m leading the shifters group. It’s sort of been my way of atoning for turning then abandoning you. I figured helping others through the transition was a good way to even things out, karmically-speaking.”
“That’s really cool of you.” I hadn’t seen him since that day at my house with Alex.
“Thanks. You didn’t know I was here?” He looked puzzled.
“No. I sure didn’t.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
“Got a tip that AWFA was going to try something.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he fumed.
“Unfortunately I am not.”
“Walk with me to my car? We can talk along the way, but I have to grab some pamphlets for the meeting.”
“Sure thing.”
As we walked out into the parking lot he asked me, “Why haven’t I heard from you, Sam?”
“I was a little tied up. AWFA tried to frame me for murder.”
“Holy crap, are you okay?”
“As good as can be expected. Selling my house, though.”
“That–” Before he could say another word an explosion rocked the afternoon and we were pushed to the ground by the blast wave.
Debris from the church rained down on our heads and it took a few moments for the ringing in my ears to stop. I grabbed my cell from my pocket and called it in.
“Was anyone in there?” I asked Ben.
“I don’t know. The handyman was there when I arrived. He let me in.”
“Is he someone you know?”
“No, the regular guy was out sick … this guy was covering.”
“Anyone else?”
“Not that I saw. Thank god you came when you did or I’d have been in there.” His face paled as the realization of how close he came to death hit him.
He crumbled to the sidewalk and began hyperventilating.
“Breathe easy, deep breaths in, slow even breaths out.”
The sound of sirens rang out and an ambulance and Birmingham police car pulled into the lot. I left Ben with the admonishment to keep breathing and pulled my badge to show the officer.
After several hours of questions, both fired at me and coming from me, we were allowed to leave. Sal and Gerry had shown up and Ben had been taken to the hospital when he had another panic attack.
“We have got to stop these guys, soon. Preferably before they kill every shifter in the state.” I snarled without meaning to.
“We will,” Sal assured me.
“What do we have on this?”
“Not much. No chatter at all about a bomb. They just mention shutting the group down.”
“I’d like to shut their fucking group down.”
“You will, Sam, have some patience.”
“Patience? I’ve been attacked by a bear, shot at, framed for murder, and nearly blown up. I think
I’m being entirely too fucking patient. We know who heads the public side of AFWA; let’s bring them in and make those fuckers sweat.”
“I have an idea….”
That, my friends is how my life undercover began. I’ll tell you more about that next time, though. Alex made it through his hospital stay and Ben checked out okay. I did wind up selling my house. I also paid for them to have the house painted.
I figured anything that made it look like I was no longer there would keep them just a bit safer. I made sure patrols around the area were increased for the new owners. I didn’t want my past issues wreaking havoc on them.
Alex and I are still dating. Things are going well. As for Ben, he’s being patient and has agreed to chill out on the soulmates stuff. Things at work are heating up. The hunt for the AWFA mole is on and things are going to get messier before they get better. I just hope none of my friends is caught in the crossfire.
Until next time….
Shifters Series
Shifters A Samantha Reece Mystery Book 1
* * *
Shifters A Samantha Reece Mystery Book 2
Book 3 Coming Soon!
About the Author
Jaime Johnesee lives in Michigan with her husband and two sons. She spent fourteen years as a zookeeper before shifting her focus to writing full time. Known for her bestselling horror comedy series, Bob the Zombie, she is also currently coauthoring the paranormal horror series, Revelations, for Devil Dog Press as well as her Samantha Reece series.
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