Wolves, Witches and Bears...Oh My!

by Nicky Charles

  “Mother, I don’t want to study plants. They’re boring.”

  “At least it would be a useful skill—much better than the type of work you’re doing now—and it would give you a legitimate position in the witching community. It’s not the same as actually having ability…”

  “Mom, I don’t care if I have a ‘legitimate position’ or not.”

  “Well, of course you care! A virus robbed you of your abilities. It’s such a shame and I feel responsible. I should have called a physician the minute you developed that fever…”

  ~~~

  Listening to her mother rehash the story yet again had made her want to scream. Instead, she’d declared herself to be feeling better and left. It was almost the truth; the tea had helped alleviate her cramps and now a bag of chocolate chip cookies seemed to be calling to her. She’d been heading to the kitchen when Lulu and Armand had entered the apartment and shared their recent experiences.

  She gaped at her roommate as the tale was concluded. “You have got to be kidding me!”

  “I assure you, there is no kidding involved.” Armand spoke from where he prowled back and forth in the hall. He first checked the front door, looked out all the windows and then examined the new security grate on the window only to repeat the procedure a few minutes later.

  “Then what’s going on?” Roxi cocked her head.

  Lulu rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “I’ve no idea. I’ve been thinking and thinking. Except for Armand coming to visit, nothing has changed in my life.”

  Roxi swung her gaze towards Armand. “Lulu said the car was aiming for you, not her. Maybe you’re the key. Are you involved in anything shady?”

  “No.” He gave her a hard stare. “Are you?”

  “No. At least not now.” She winked.

  “Enough!” He hit the nearby table with his hand, causing the lamp to tip precariously. “No more jokes. No more hinting at what you may or may not be up to. My Lucy’s in danger and if you’re dragging her into harm’s way with some kind of—”

  “Armand, no! Calm down.” Lulu placed a restraining hand on his arm. “I’m sure Roxi wouldn’t do anything that would harm me.”

  “Right. What she said.” She looked at Armand warily. The guy might be mellow on the outside but there was a temper hiding inside and he had the hots for Lulu. It could be a dangerous combination. “There’s nothing I’m doing that can be remotely associated with Lulu. Plus, I’ve not even been around when any of these things were happening.”

  “True.” Armand rubbed his neck and exhaled loudly. “I apologize.”

  “Accepted.” She noticed he was looking exceptionally dreamy, with his dark hair spilling about his face and his eyes all hot and intense. Damn, Lulu was lucky. But enough ogling. She turned to question her roomie. “There hasn’t been anything strange happening at the centre or the diner? Any weirdo creeping around watching you?”

  “No. The only weirdo I know of is the fake A/C guy you told me about.” Lulu sat down on the edge of the sofa.

  “Fake A/C guy?” Armand shot a look between the two women.

  Roxi explained. “He was trying to get in to measure the windows for an A/C unit we’d never ordered. He kept staring at the box of tampons on the table like he had some creepy fetish.”

  “Hey!” Lulu jumped to her feet. “Your tampons!”

  “Tampons?” She furrowed her brow then made the connection and snapped her fingers. “That’s gotta be it!”

  Both girls rushed to the bathroom and began tossing everything out from under the sink.

  “They’re definitely missing,” Roxi sat back on her heels.

  “What are you doing?” Armand stood in the doorway looking at them as if they’d lost their mind.

  “The person who broke in yesterday took Roxi’s box of tampons. It’s the only thing missing.” Lulu withdrew her head from the cabinet.

  “Lucy is mugged. I’m almost run down. Your tampons are stolen.” Armand shook his head. “There’s no obvious connection between the events.”

  “He’s right.” Lulu’s shoulders slumped.

  “They weren’t even a name brand tampon,” Roxi commented. “There was nothing special about them except…” She looked at Lulu and together they said the same thing. “The memory thingy!”

  “A memory thingy?” Armand made a face. “Are you talking in some kind of secret code?”

  “No, it’s this thing.” Lulu got to her feet and pulled the item from her pocket.

  “Ah,” he visibly relaxed. “You mean a USB drive.”

  “Yeah, a whatever you call it.” Roxi gave her hand a negligent wave. “I found it in the box of tampons I borrowed from Lulu last night. I thought it was hers.”

  “But it wasn’t,” Lulu continued the explanation. “We had no idea how it ended up in the box unless it was dropped in there by mistake at the factory.”

  “That’s highly unlikely,” Armand dismissed the idea. “Modern factories weigh their products to ensure the proper amount is in each package. The extra weight would set the sensors off.”

  “Then how did it get in there?” Roxi planted her hands on her hips, not pleased her favourite theory had been debunked so easily.

  Lulu led the way out of the bathroom and back to the living room. “It could have been at the drop-in centre. I wasn’t watching the bag. Maybe Neil had it in his hand, set it on the counter and it got knocked into the shopping bag. Or someone could have dropped it in at the grocery store.”

  Armand rubbed his chin. “Perhaps it was someone walking by you on the street. It could have been in their hand and it accidentally slipped into you your bag.”

  “Or,” Lulu contributed another scenario. “It could have happened at the diner. I had the box of tampons in the closet for a few days. It was open. Anyone could have dropped it in there.”

  “And whoever put it there likely didn’t expect you to take the box home when you did.” Armand concluded.

  “No,” Lulu negated her own idea. “I already asked at work and they didn’t recognize it.”

  “Don’t forget about the mugger,” Roxi added. “What if he was being followed and just pretended to mug you so he could drop it in your bag? You know, lose the evidence so if he was caught, it wasn’t on him.”

  “But where does the hit-and-run fit in?” Armand folded his arms. “Until this moment I didn’t even know this USB existed. Why would the driver target me?”

  “Maybe it really was just a random incident? A drunk driver, perhaps?” Roxi gave a shrug.

  He shook his head. “Possible but not probable.”

  “Well whoever owns this memory stick, I bet they’ve been trying to get it back and somehow all these events are tied to it. We just haven’t seen the connection yet.” Lulu tapped her finger to her lips. “The night of the mugging, I thought I heard someone outside the apartment, but later Jimmy said he’d been checking the halls. I decided it must have been him. Maybe it wasn’t.”

  “Maybe Jimmy scared the guy off.” Roxi rubbed her hands together and grinned. “You know, this is just like one of those whodunnit movies.”

  “Oh, and I saw a black limo in the neighbourhood that night.” Lulu glanced towards the window. “I wonder if that could be a clue, too.”

  “Nah, that’s Jimmy’s bookie.” Roxi shook her head. When the others looked at her questioningly, she shrugged. “Hey, I know things.”

  “They’re all possible theories. May I see the USB drive?” Armand held out his hand and Lulu gave it to him. He turned it over, looking for any identifying marks. “What’s so valuable about this?”

  “There’s only one way to find out!” Roxi ran to get her laptop and soon the stick was plugged in.

  The excitement of the moment faded quickly when it became apparent it was encrypted.

  “I can probably find someone who can crack this.” Roxi leaned back in her chair and began to mentally go over her list of contacts.

  “But can they be trusted? We don’
t know what’s on it. What if it’s sensitive government information?” Lulu pointed out.

  “I know someone who might be able to help. He’s impeccably honest. I just need to make a call.” Armand excused himself from the room.

  As the door shut behind him, Roxi seized the opportunity for a thorough inquisition about an equally important matter. “So, what’s going on with you two?” She propped her chin in her hand and studied her roommate.

  “Me and Armand?” Lulu shrugged. “We’re old friends.”

  “Friends with benefits?” She arched a brow.

  “Well, sort of. Not before, but…I guess we are now.” Lulu didn’t look very happy at the idea.

  “And…?”

  “And what?”

  “Is he going to move in here or are you going to go back with him to wherever it was you used to live? Or maybe you’re going to try a long-distance relationship? Or is this just a week-long thing?” She presented all the possible scenarios she could think of.

  “He’s only been here a few days. It’s just a visit, I guess.”

  “But you wish it was more.”

  “Maybe.” She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Years ago, it was what I wanted but I’ve started a new life here. And he’ll be heading home again in a few days, I’m sure. He hates the city.”

  “So you don’t want to go back with him.”

  “No. Or at least part of me does, but if I return, it’s a step backwards.” She walked over to the window and stared outside. “I’d be giving up everything I’ve worked for.”

  “So you’ll stay here, even if he asks you to go with him.”

  “I… I’ve no idea.” She bit her lip, a shadow passing over her face.

  “Sorry. I shouldn’t have been so nosey. When the time comes, if it comes, you’ll make the decision that’s right for you, I’m sure of it.”

  “Yep, of course I will.” Lulu took a deep breath and nodded. Too bad her expression wasn’t as certain as her words.

  Armand paced the hall outside Lucy’s apartment, his cellphone pressed to his ear. “Ryne, I need a favour.”

  “I thought I was already doing you one by having the pack watch the bar while you’re gone.”

  “True, but the amount of alcohol your pack drinks while helping is payment in kind. However, it’s actually Daniel’s assistance I need.”

  “You want someone to serenade Lucy?” Ryne chuckled obviously amused by his own joke.

  “No. I need him to hack into a USB drive.” He filled Ryne in on the details, answering the man’s questions about the strange course of events and concluding with, “three criminal activities in one week can’t be a coincidence.”

  “I agree. And Daniel helping you is fine with me. In fact, the challenge will be good for him. His IT skills are pretty much wasted here.”

  “Merci. I’ll contact him now.” Armand ended the call and then dialled Daniel’s number. The young man was, indeed, interested in helping. “I’ll call you back in five minutes. I need to explain what’s happening to…um…” He stumbled over saying Lucy’s name. Had Ryne told the others Lucy wasn’t dead? It would seem discretion would be best. “To my friends.”

  Pocketing his phone, he pushed open the apartment door. “Roxi, I—” He paused immediately noticing Lucy seemed concerned about something. Reaction over recent events?

  “Did you find someone to do the job?” Roxi turned to look at him.

  He dragged his attention from Lucy and nodded.

  “Yes. He has a great deal of experience with computers.”

  “Awesome! Who is it?” Roxi looked intrigued.

  “His name is Daniel, an old friend of mine.”

  “Old? Oh!” Some of the light left Roxi’s eyes.

  Lucy laughed, her mood lightening. “Daniel is about your age and adorably sweet. All the women swoon over him.”

  Roxi cracked her gum and grinned. “He sounds just my type.”

  “He’s over a thousand miles away in Canada,” Lucy warned. “And you’d eat him for breakfast.”

  “Dang.” Roxi leaned back in her chair. “Oh well. What’s he going to do to get us into the memory thingy?”

  “I’m not sure.” Armand dialled Daniel’s number and set the phone on speaker. “We’re ready for you, Daniel.”

  “Great. Whose computer will I be accessing?” Daniel’s voice sounded over the phone.

  “Mine,” Roxi piped up. “Don’t mess up my porn files.”

  Daniel laughed. “I’ll be sure to leave them alone. From what Armand told me, there’s a USB stick you want opened, right? I’m going to take control of your computer and use it to view the files. That okay with you?”

  Roxi gave her permission, following his instructions until he made the connection. Then they watched as Daniel worked his magic, the pointer of the mouse seeming to move on its own over the screen as it opened files.

  “Damn.” Daniel muttered. “This particular model is pretty high tech.”

  “What do you mean?” Roxi leaned closer to the computer screen.

  “Well, small portable drives can be a real soft spot in a company’s security. As a result, high end ones can come with complex password protection and tamper-evident technology. Some can even be controlled remotely by management software so the company’s IT can track file activity, reset user passwords remotely or even disable drives entirely by locking them down in the event of loss or theft.”

  “Is that what we’re dealing with, Daniel?” Armand folded his arms.

  “I’m not sure. There’s a password… But, yeah, I think they’ve not gone beyond that. Sloppy of them but good for us.” There was a pause, the sound of keys tapping and then, “Okay, I’m sure I can crack the encryption. I’ll have to be careful though. There’s usually a set number of times you can enter the wrong password before it automatically re-formats and you lose whatever was on it. This could take a while. If you have something to do, go do it. I’ll contact you when I have something.”

  “Well, I’m hungry and I think my stomach is asking for takeout,” Roxi rose to her feet. “What about you guys?”

  Armand glanced away from the screen. “Anything you bring back will be fine, as long as it’s a large serving, please. I’ll wait here for Daniel to call.”

  “Okay, one large something for Armand.” Roxi grabbed her purse. “You coming, Lulu?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m going to go rest for awhile, if you don’t mind. It’s been a tiring day.”

  “Sure. Chinese food okay?” Roxi checked for nods of approval and then left.

  Armand followed Lucy down the hall to her room. She paused by the door and gestured towards the window. “It looks like the contractor Jimmy used did a good job.”

  “He did.” He barely glanced at the window. “Are you okay?”

  She shrugged. “It was odd hearing Daniel again after all this time. You didn’t tell him about me, did you?”

  “No. I was careful.”

  “Thank you.” She wandered to her dresser and began to idly rearrange the things on top of it.

  He narrowed his eyes. “Is that all that’s bothering you?”

  She shrugged and turned to look at him, her head cocked to the side. “It’s just that I’ve been thinking.”

  “About…?”

  “You.”

  “Me? Why?”

  “We’ve known each other for what? Seven or eight years? And yet, I don’t really know that much about you.”

  He felt his muscles tense. “There’s not that much to know. I like to be out in nature. I own a bar—”

  “And you like to paint, play pool and hate cities, but what about before? You never talk about your past. It’s like there’s a wall hiding your life before Stump River.”

  “What do you want to know?” He fought to stay outwardly calm wondering what she would ask and what he could truthfully tell her while not revealing too much.”

  “Well… Today you said you’d taken martial arts. Wher
e did you learn that?”

  “That’s an easy one.” He relaxed. “I took lessons growing up. My father insisted his sons know how to defend themselves.” He didn’t add ‘in human form’; that would lead the conversation down a path he didn’t want to follow just yet.

  “You grew up in Quebec, didn’t you?”

  He nodded.

  “And your family is still there?”

  “My parents and elder brother, yes. We keep in touch.” He shrugged. “I don’t exactly fit in. I’m the rebel in the family.”

  “You? A rebel?”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets. “They’re much more refined than me. No jeans, no wild hair.”

  “No wandering off into the forest?”

  “Well…” He phrased his words carefully. “We’re all very attached to nature. My parents own a large tract of untouched forest and they both work actively on conservation issues.”

  “But you chose to leave?”

  “I wanted to do something more than lobbying the government over environmental issues.”

  “I can’t picture you in a suit presenting a petition to Parliament.”

  “Neither can I. But,” he cocked his head. “Are you really just curious about my background?”

  “Yes. Well...

  “Is reaction setting in after our adventure this afternoon?”

  “Maybe.”

  He stepped up close behind her and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her neck before whispering in her ear. “I’ll keep you safe.”

  “You’ll try, I’m sure, but can you really?” She angled her head to look up at him.

  “You doubt me?” No one had ever questioned his abilities before.

  She shook her head. “Not you or at least…not exactly. I’m sure you can handle whatever life throws at you.”

  “Then…?”

  “It’s more myself that I doubt.” She stared down at where his hands were clasped in front of her. “I’ve been through this before. Did Ryne tell you about that crazy lawyer who was after Melody and attacked me? I don’t completely understand what that was all about; Ryne explained but I was drugged up in the hospital at the time.”