Page 50

Dubois sniffed. “I can smell a cat box.”

How could she smell anything over the pervasive incense odor?

“We allow those.” I’d yet to see Rue’s feline familiar, but she’d mentioned having one several times.

The male officer walked into the kitchen and lifted a frying pan on the burner. “Looks like she was making dinner. This is still warm.” He gave his partner a significant look. “She might have seen us coming and hidden on the premises.”

“Does your warrant allow you to search this entire place?” I folded my arms over my chest, certain it didn’t.

“Is there a reason you’re protecting Thepnakorn, Ms. Valens?” Dubois asked.

“I’m protective of all of my tenants.”

“Even the criminals?”

“Nobody here is acriminal. I do background checks. You can’t get an apartment if you’ve passed bad checks, much less trained a wolf to attack people. And thathasn’thappened. You can’t even do that. Wolves aren’t dogs. They don’t sit for treats.”

That probably wasn’t true. I could imagine Emilio sitting for salami. And Duncan for chocolate-covered bacon. Hell,I’doffer a perky sit and a tongue loll for a bar of quality dark chocolate.

“We’re not sure what’s possible in that area.” Dubois exchanged a long look with her male partner, then eyed something slightly magical that was glowing on a shelf.

There were a lot of objects and ingredients in the apartment with magical vibes, but I didn’t think the mundane police officers would be able to sense them. Of course, if the objects insisted onglowing, it didn’t take someone with paranormal senses to detectmagic. And these two… looked like they might be on the verge of broadening their horizons on what was possible.

“Let’s check the woods. That’s city land.” The male officer eyed me. “We don’t need a warrant.”

I rubbed my face, hoping Ruewasn’thiding out on the property, but the warm pan did suggest she had been here recently.

“They look like the kinds of people who are going to keep turning over rocks until they find a worm,” Jasmine said after the police officers left.

She lingered outside the doorway, eyeing some of the items in the apartment but not stepping inside.

“Unfortunately.” I joined her on the walkway. “It would be helpful about now if a crime wave would start up in Lake Forest Park or Edmonds, and the police would be distracted by other work.”

“Maybe if you put an end to all the crime in Shoreline, they’ll stop feeling the need to visit your property.” Jasmine smiled at me.

Maybe I shouldn’t have told her about the convenience-store owners’ wish that I do that. And Duncan’s willingness to make me a superhero cape.

“If I could keep crime from happeninghere—” I pointed to the ground, “—that would be a start.”

“Likely so.”

I pulled out my phone and debated calling Rue. If shewasskulking in the woods or behind a rhododendron somewhere on the property, I didn’t want ringing to give her away. One should silence one’s phone when hiding from the police, but one didn’t always think of such things in the heat of the moment.

My phone rang, startling me. A number I didn’t recognize popped up. I eyed it warily. It might be Rue contacting me from someone else’s phone. More likely, it was the troglodyte who’d called the leasing office and threatened Bolin.

“Hello,” I answered.

If itwasthe troglodyte, it might be useful to answer on a phone that would store the number.

“Ms. Valens?” The male voice was familiar, but I groped to place it.

“Yeah.”

“This is Minato.” Ah, the store owner. “I’m here with my wife.”

Uh-oh.

“Did someone try to rob you again?”