Page 141 of An Enigma for the Lycan Crown Prince

When Calvin and I arrive, Jace and his future beta, Deacon are already there. “Elden!” Jace calls out. He tries to look calm and composed, but I can see the panic in his eyes. We exchange a look, and I hope it conveys that I will do everything to find FloraandJanice.

Neither Vincent nor Calvin know that Jace and Janice are a couple, and it’s not on me to spill their secret.

“Let’s trace their last steps,” Calvin says. “Vincent, tell us everything you found out so far.”

“Not much,” Vincent hurries to explain. “I told Elden already that Flora called a while back, saying she and Janice will use thewarm weather to drive here with their bikes, then do some final shopping and have coffee in the coffee shop here.”

“Did they ever enter the coffee shop?” I ask.

“No, I talked to the owner and the waitress. Both said they spotted Janice outside, but not Flora.”

“And what did Flora do?” Calvin asks.

“She was in the shop and bought some things.”

“Did she pay?”

“Yes, she paid and stepped outside.” Vincent blinks. “Why?”

“It means they didn’t surprise her inside. She wasn’t in a rush. They also didn’t alert her in any way,” Calvin concludes. “She paid and left, because she didn’t think anything was wrong,” he pauses. “We are on Emerald Moon territory, am I right?”

“Yes,” Jace verifies. “Technically, this place here is human territory, but you could say with one foot they are on our pack grounds, without knowing, of course.”

“That means whoever is responsible for this wouldn’t have alerted Flora,” I say. “She wouldn’t have suspected them, and only allies of Emerald Moon are allowed to come here.”

“And humans,” Calvin adds.

I toss a gaze at him. “Humans?”

“Yes, they wouldn’t attract any attention here. Flora wouldn’t even smell them, because what’s there to smell? They are not wolves. Neither she nor Janice would mind if humans lingered around. That said, it could be a pack member as well. I think we should consider both options.” He looks around. “Where was Janice last seen?”

“The waitress said she was walking around for a bit, then disappeared from her view.”

Calvin looks around. “So, she had to be walking there, and probably came to the side-entrance of the shop.”

“Maybe she was waiting there for Flora?” I suggest. “We should verify with the shopkeeper if Flora left from the main or side entrance.”

“On it,” Vincent says. Before he can leave, though, Calvin intervenes. “Please take the way around the building. I would like to see if Janice or anyone else involved left any traces.”

“Got you.”

Calvin goes to work immediately, carefully walking along the building and towards the side entrance. There, he starts digging through the sandy ground, picking a piece of paper out. It’s just a small one, as if it was ripped from a sheet of paper. “Trash?” Jace asks.

“No, there is something written on it.” He frowns. “Hello Liebling, I can’t wait-“ he pauses. “That’s it. It stops here.”

“That’s Janice’s,” Jace blurts out. When Calvin looks at him, he recovers quickly. “I know her handwriting.”

“She dropped it,” I say. “It looks like she was in the middle of writing it, and it doesn’t seem like she would just toss it away.”

“Liebling,” Calvin mutters. “That’s an endearment. It means something likelove. Did she write it for someone?”

“The girls sometimes use endearments as an inside joke,” I say promptly.

“I will never understand that,” Calvin admits but doesn’t seem to suspect anything. Instead, he hands Jace the piece of paper. At the same moment, Vincent returns. “She left through the side exit,” he verifies.

Calvin nods before he turns around to scan the area. “The girls left their bikes at the front of the shop.”

“Yeah, but there is another parking lot,” I point out. “A small one. I think it’s just for the suppliers.”