Beware of Wolf

by Geonn Cannon

They were quiet for a moment, focused on their food, but then Dale smiled. "That was a really shoddy theory, Ari. Did you offer it up because you felt bad about knocking mine down?"

  Ari shook her head. "Nope. It was a valid theory."

  "Uh-huh. A valid theory that you'd already discounted."

  "We'll never know."

  Dale took a drink of her soda and drummed her fingers on the side of the can. "I don't think either disappearance is connected to what your mother told you. If the hunters wanted to strike up fear of werewolves, the girls would be showing up mutilated. Jenna wouldn't have been given ice cream and left alone to watch TV for three days before they gave her back."

  "Hopefully I'll find a few more pieces of the puzzle tomorrow at the bar."

  Dale nodded and they finished the rest of their meal in contemplative silence. Outside the window, snow and ice continued quietly melting even though the sun had set hours before. Seattle was beginning to thaw out and come back to life. Ari watched the trickling water streak past the window and got back into a detective's mindset.

  It was time to get back to work.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The office felt like a tomb, ancient and abandoned, with the front entrance buried under snow instead of sand. Dale kept her coat and mittens on as the thermostat grudgingly brought the heat back up. She held her bare hand up to her window and the one in Ari's office to check for any air leakage, but both seemed fine. She checked their messages, not expecting much. She was sure that the storm had trapped all potential clients who might have called, but there were still a few messages waiting.

  Ari came in fifteen minutes later with coffee for her, cocoa for Dale, and a small bag of doughnuts. She exhaled sharply and held her bounty with one hand as she unwound her scarf with the other. "The line was insane. Look out, Starbucks, Seattle is out of hibernation and we're hungry."

  Dale rubbed her hands together. "What did you get?"

  "I managed to get a chocolate." She paused to increase the drama and then smiled. "And I had to be quick, but I also got one of the last grape jelly doughnuts."

  Dale put her hands on either side of Ari's face and rubbed their noses together. "My hero. Thank you."

  "Ariadne Willow. Little girls rescued, cheaters photographed, and jelly doughnuts found despite wintry apocalypse scenarios."

  Dale snickered and took her breakfast to her desk. "Looks like a few storm-related crimes might require investigation of a private variety. People who went missing during the storm and break-ins that happened while people weren't able to get home. That sort of thing."

  "Anything I could take care of before I meet up with Detective Lorne this afternoon?"

  Dale held out a memo pad. "I listed them in order of time-sensitivity."

  "Good girl. Earned your jelly doughnut."

  "I aim to please, Miss Willow."

  Ari winked at her and went into her office. Dale booted up the computer which, despite the cold and its abandonment, came eagerly to life for her. She patted the top of the monitor and tried to get back into the groove of real life. Ari left half an hour later to check up on the first item on the list, promising to call if she could get free for lunch. Dale wished her well and opened a search window.

  An hour later she had a fair amount of information gathered on Mr. Gerald Kimbro of Spokane, Washington, former husband of Madeline Morris and biological father of Jenna. He was the shift supervisor at a delivery company, recently married to the dispatcher from his company. Gerald and his new wife Emily both had Facebook profiles that Dale used to dig a little deeper. In each photo Gerald had his arm around his new wife's shoulders in a manner that reminded Dale of someone showing off a new car.

  His posts further supported Dale's theory that she was less wife and more possession. Entries contained language like "my wife got a raise" and "the little lady recently completed a 5k for charity, mighty proud." Her accomplishments were laid out as if they were his, implying that her success was somehow due to his presence or intervention. His pet names for her - the little lady, my girl - all seemed to diminish her in one way or another.

  Ari came back an hour and a half after she left. Her face was bright red, one hand clutching the collar of her coat closed. When she took it off and hung it on the rack, Dale saw that she was wearing a different shirt than the one she'd left in. She was also wearing sneakers instead of her boots, and both gloves were missing. She was shivering when she walked up to Dale's desk and deposited a check on the keyboard.

  Dale looked at it, impressed at the amount, and then looked up at Ari. "Big morning?"

  "I don't want to talk about it."

  "Was this the person who called about the missing pet?"

  Ari nodded, making a noise as she shivered again. "Missing monkey. Missing illegal monkey. Missing illegal mean monkey. Monkey in a tree." She blew into her fists. "I sniffed him out. Climbed up. Tree branches can get really icy."

  Dale made a sympathetic face and stood up. "Come into the office." Ari followed her. Dale took a thick wool blanket from the wardrobe and wrapped it around Ari's shoulders before guiding her down to the couch. She took one of Ari's hands and held it in front of her lips, blowing softly on them before she took two of them into her mouth. Ari sighed with relief and slipped her other hand under Dale's shirt. Dale yelped as ice in the shape of Ari's hand pressed against her stomach, but she didn't let Ari pull it away.

  "Mmm. You're warm."

  "Thank you. I did some digging on Gerald Kimbro." She explained what she had found on the internet. By the time she finished, some of the color had returned to Ari's cheeks.

  "Well... it supports Madeline's description of him. But it also confirms my theory that he didn't do it. Yeah, Jenna and Madeline were his property but they're gone. He lost them. He doesn't have to get them back because he's replaced them."

  Dale nodded. "That's what I was thinking." She bit her bottom lip. "I was reading his posts and judging him for the way he treated his wife. And I realized that someone might think I'm being dismissive when I call you puppy. Maybe I should stop."

  "No! Please, no." She moved her hand to the back of Dale's neck, her hands warm enough that Dale didn't cringe at the touch. "I would take down anyone else who tried to call me that, but you? I don't... it's..." She furrowed her brow as she searched for the right words. She finally gave up and met Dale's gaze. "I love being your puppy."

  Dale smiled and ducked her chin, and Ari kissed the spot next to her eye. Dale stroked Ari's hands. "So I guess Gerald checks out. Back to checking out Brandon?"

  "That's what it looks like. I just hope the bar isn't a dead end. And heated. I hope the bar is heated."

  "Aw. C'mere, you big baby..." Dale climbed on top of Ari and pulled her close to share their body heat.

  #

  The Wandering Wolf was in a row of bars, taverns, and warehouses that faced the harbor on the south banks of Lake Union. At the moment the flotilla of boats were stuck in their slips, ice formations in a frozen pond. Detective Lorne had offered to join her in the questioning but she passed. She would get farther without a cop at her hip, and if things got bad enough that she needed police protection... Well. She didn't intend to let it get that far.

  The door finally swung open after almost ten minutes of knocking. Shivering on the front step, Ari glared at the black-suited goon standing in front of her. He was tall and broad-shouldered, well-earned muscle rather than show-off muscle accumulated at some pricey gym. He looked at her like she was crazy, one thick eyebrow raised in irritation.

  "Dark windows and sign didn't tip you off? We're closed. Get lost."

  "Come on. All these cars parked out here, the smoke coming from the back? You guys have something going. Let me come in and warm up a little."

  He ran his eyes up and down her body and smiled. "Lady, I don't think you'd like how these guys would want to warm you up. Why don't you go find a hotel somewhere, all right?"

  "Nicky." He glanced back but then returned his
gaze to Ari. "Don't be a putz. It's freezing out there. Let the girl in for a minute."

  Nicky sighed and hung his head before he straightened up and held the door open for her. She smiled as she stepped past him into the bar.

  The only occupied table was near the empty bandstand. Nicky led her over as the men examined the new arrival. They were all older than Nicky, who was older than Ari, and seemed to be in the range of early forties to late sixties. The elder of the group took a cigar from his mouth and rested it on the edge of his plate before he turned to face her. He smiled, but there was nothing friendly about his expression.

  "This is not a very good place for a young lady like yourself to be. Especially all alone."

  A white dog came out of the back room, its footsteps sounding as loud as if someone was knocking on the floorboards. It stopped in place when it spotted Ari, lowering its head before continuing forward at a slower pace.

  The man at the table grinned. "That's Bismarck. He's a Bully Kutta. You know anything about them?"

  "Not really. Mastiff, right?"

  "Yep. Pakistani mastiff. Hugely loyal dogs." He whistled. "All you'd have to do is give me a dirty look and Bismarck there would make you regret it. I don't think you fully thought through the act of coming here. I think maybe now you're rethinking your decision. I am a generous man, and I will let you turn around and walk out of here."

  Ari tilted her head to the side and feigned confusion, never taking her eyes off Bismarck. He returned her stare without blinking. "But I have questions."

  "They will have to go unanswered. Such is life."

  "I think you'll answer them." She stepped forward and Bismarck leaned toward her.

  "What's your name, young lady?"

  "Ariadne Willow."

  "My name is Huey Onatero. Does that name mean anything to you?"

  Ari shook her head. "I don't really associate with your kind."

  There was a brief silence before the other men at the table laughed. Huey, to his credit, smiled. "You have balls, Miss Willow. I will tell you that."

  Ari shook her head. "Nope, last time I checked my balls were in my girlfriend's nightstand. And why is that a compliment, anyway? One good kick and you're out of play. Telling someone they have balls is saying they have a very vulnerable weak spot. I want to talk to you about Brandon Kent."

  "I want you to leave. One of us will get what we want. Do you remember that I told you Bismarck is very, very loyal to me?" The dog's ears twitched at the sound of his name, but his eyes didn't leave Ari. "Nicky is a good soldier. I trust him to take care of my irritations. But he is only human. He'll hesitate and he'll think about his wife or his kids before he does real damage. He'll think about cops. Or he'll think about how pretty you are.

  "Bismarck doesn't have that failing. If I tell him to make you bleed, he'll make you bleed. And because you are still on my property after I've asked you several times to leave, I'll be entirely lawful in doing so. Now I will ask you one more time to leave or I will be forced to give you a demonstration of just how loyal a Bully can be."

  Ari squared her shoulders and pointed at Bismarck. "Wait a minute. Are you talking about this dog?"

  "Do you see another?"

  "I just assumed you were talking about a mean dog. One that I should be afraid of who was hiding in the back room or something. Not this sweetheart." She walked toward him.

  Nicky seemed to be sincerely concerned for her when he said, "Miss, I really wouldn't do that if I were you."

  Ari kept her eyes locked on Bismarck's. He was trembling with unspent energy, obviously waiting for the kill order. Ari stopped two feet in front of him and looked down, lowering her eyes without lowering her head. She flashed her teeth at him, wrinkled her nose, and gave a growl so low that the men at the table couldn't have heard it. He may have been a mastiff, but she was a wolf. He may have been an attack dog, but he was Tame while she was Wild. She towered over him. Her eyes were flat and cold, and there was no doubt which of them was Alpha.

  Bismarck whimpered and dropped. He kept his belly just above the ground and inched forward, presenting the top of his head to Ari. She crouched and scratched him between the ears, and he turned his head to lick the inside of her wrist.

  "What in..." Huey stood up and stared at the dog. "What did you do to my dog?"

  "Not a thing." Ari bent down and kissed the top of the dog's head. "Go on back to your bed, sweetie-pie. Take a nap."

  Bismarck got to his feet and trotted back the way he had come. Ari stood, wiped off her hands, and faced the men.

  "Want to see if I can charm your men, or can we have a discussion about Brandon Kent?"

  Huey was still staring at her as if she'd pulled a fast one on him. Treats in her pockets, lunchmeat smeared on her wrists, anything to explain why his security system had failed so spectacularly.

  "I don't talk about my patrons. That's just good business. I'm sure you understand."

  "I would, but he's dead. He got killed while he was picking up the ransom for the little girl he kidnapped. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

  Huey raised an eyebrow and shrugged noncommittally. "What goes on outside of this establishment, I have no control over. I can only manage my bar, not the world. And I'm sure you're surprised that the clientele who would frequent such an establishment are not exactly the most upstanding citizens."

  "You're right. But if a client has a big enough debt, it could be used against them. It could be leverage to make them do all sorts of sordid things. If that was true, then you might be held accountable in some way. Unless, of course, you were to help clear the air. What do you say, Mr. Onatero? Feel like earning some karma points?"

  "I suppose," he said carefully, "it would depend on what you want to know."

  "Did Brandon Kent frequent this bar?"

  Huey nodded. "Yes."

  "And how much did he owe you?"

  "At the time of his unfortunate demise? Nothing."

  Ari looked at Nicky, who shrugged. "Paid in full."

  "Nice timing. How long before he died was his debt paid off?"

  Huey glanced at one of the men at the table. The man took out his phone, poked at the screen, and then turned it around so Huey could read it.

  "One week prior, Brandon paid his full sixteen thousand dollar debt to us and re-entered our good graces. He paid in cash. And before you continue, we do not ask questions about where the money comes from. I prefer not to know. It's simpler that way."

  Ari said, "You might want to rethink that policy. I'm pretty sure it was payment to get Brandon to kidnap a little girl."

  Huey shook his head and melodramatically put one gnarled hand on his chest. "Horrible things happen in this world, Ariadne Willow. If I were to concern myself with each and every one of them, my sensitive heart would shatter a thousand times over. Now please, unless you wish to know which teams Brandon was foolishly loyal to, or if you want to know just how terrible he was at cards, I will kindly ask you to leave."

  "Thank you for your time, gents. That wasn't so bad, was it?" She winked at them and walked back to where Nicky was waiting to escort her out.

  "One minute, hold on." Ari turned to Huey. "What did you do to my dog?"

  "I didn't do anything to him. He might be feeling a little emasculated right now but other than that..." She shrugged. "He should be fine the next time some unwanted pest shows up. Have a nice thaw, gentlemen."

  Nicky escorted her out to the sidewalk and let the door swing shut behind him. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stopped her from crossing to where her car was parked.

  "Hey. Brandon really kidnap a little girl?"

  "Yeah. His ex-girlfriend's daughter."

  Nicky looked at the icy lake, squinting against the sun reflecting off the flat surface. "The day after that girl went missing... Missing Melody, you know? Some guy was in here talking about it. I mean, everyone was talking about it. But this guy... he seemed really determined, you know? Wouldn't let a
nyone change the subject. He asked Mr. Onatero about anyone with kids. Daughters, specifically. They were just shooting the breeze, but Huey got a little creeped out eventually and sent the guy away. But it was right after that when Brandon came up with his payday. And if he had access to a kid, like you say, then maybe..." He hunched his shoulders. "I'm just letting you know about the guy I saw in here. I don't know his name, I can't even remember what he looked like. I just remember him 'cause he gave me and Huey the creeps. But if it helps you find out who kidnapped the girl, you know. People who do that to kids..." He shook his head.

  "Thank you. I think it'll be a help. You say that he was looking for little girls after Missing Melody disappeared?"

  "Yeah. At first I thought he was some kind of bounty hunter looking for the girl himself, trying to get that reward."

  "I'll keep it in mind. Thanks, Nicky."

  He held up a hand again, half-smiling. "You gotta tell me... what did you do to Bismarck? That dog still takes swipes at me when I feed 'im and I've worked for Huey for ten years."

  Ari smiled and shrugged. "Sometimes you just have to have the louder bark."

  "You didn't even make a noise."

  "Doesn't matter. Bismarck heard it loud and clear. Thanks for your help, Nicky."

  She walked back to her car and got behind the wheel, looking out at the lake. Someone went into a bar trying to find someone with gambling debts. He wasn't looking for someone connected specifically to Jenna, which meant any kid would have done.

  The question was no longer who would want to kidnap Jenna Morris. The question was now who would go to all the trouble to kidnap a random child just to give it back in the easiest way possible? And what was the point of arranging a kidnapping where the victim's identity didn't matter?

  Ari finally decided she wasn't going to find the answer sitting outside the Wandering Wolf and drove away.

  Chapter Twenty

  Bitches Investigations shared a building with a mysteriously quiet antique shop called Den of Antiquities. Dale had never seen anyone pass through the doors - customer or employee - but she knocked anyway just to see if she would get a response. After waiting a reasonable amount of time for someone to reach the front door, she gave up and ventured out to the neighboring building to a small record shop. She asked the man behind the counter if he had a shovel she could borrow so she could clear the walk outside their office, and he refused but promised to shovel it for her himself. After a bit of back and forth, Dale agreed to let him clear the sidewalk in exchange for buying him a cup of hot coffee when he was finished.