Page 8

8

Before dawn, my phone rang. I’d already been up, making espresso and quaffing a protein shake, but I hadn’t expected any calls that early and jumped.

Figuring it might be Jasmine asking when I would pick her up, I trotted into the living room to answer. Rue was my caller, her name finally programmed into my phone.

“The potion?” I asked without preamble, though I hadn’t expected her to finish it so quickly. “For finding Duncan?” I added with hope.

If the address didn’t pan out, the potion could be handy. Since my half-brother had apparently sensed Duncan out in the wilds, I wasn’t sure this Deming location would lead us to him.

“I’ve created an Elixir of Locus for him, yes,” Rue said, “and also the motorcycle brute who assailed me.”

“Didn’t you technically assail him ? That was one of Duncan’s magnets, wasn’t it?” As a wolf, I hadn’t recognized it, but the memory of her hurling a cylinder on a rope had stuck with me after I changed back into human form .

“I believe it was a magnet, yes. I only assailed him because he attempted to assail me first.”

“That is true. I’m not sure I want to hunt those guys down, but…” I paused. Being able to find them might be useful. I needed to rescue Duncan first, but the convenience-store owners had requested that I do something about crime in the neighborhood. Duncan had even suggested I use my werewolf powers, and possibly the sword and a cape, to become a superhero crime fighter. Normally, that wouldn’t have appealed, but Shoreline was an extension of my territory, one could argue. If the crime was organized and I could figure out a way to drive out the leaders, I would try. Later. “I take it back. I need both potions.”

“I thought you might. I’ll bring them over with your invoice.”

“You’re not going to forget to bill anyone, are you?”

“What kind of businesswoman wouldn’t bill someone? Don’t forget the travel fee I’ll be adding on.”

“Oh, I haven’t.” Maybe I should have objected further to paying a fee for travel to the parking lot , but I remembered that she’d had to delve into the innards of the composting toilet.

After grabbing my pack, the sword, and more substantial food to have for lunch—and dessert after lunch—I headed for my truck. Rue met me there, holding a cloth bag tied closed with a gold ribbon.

“The elixir for Duncan has the gray label,” she said. “The color of wolf fur. You need to be within ten miles of him when you imbibe it. If he’s out of range, you won’t feel anything.”

“Imbibe?” Even though logic suggested that was what one typically did with potions, I hadn’t imagined drinking anything. Especially not anything that had been made with samples derived from the composting toilet.

“Imbibe.” Rue nodded firmly. “The whole thing at once. Chug it like a frosty beer on a hot August night with no air-conditioning present. ”

I made a face.

She must have guessed which ingredient I objected to imbibing.

“Will it help if I tell you I strained and filtered the liquid before pouring it into the vial?” she asked.

“It would help if you promised intense sanitation and irradiation was involved.”

“Oh, yes. I do that with all potions.” She smiled.

“Liar.”

Her smile widened. “Ten miles. Then chug, chug.”

“All right, thanks.” After tucking my gear into the truck, I accepted the bag and her invoice.

“I gave you a ten-percent discount since you’re a repeat customer.”

Words that didn’t keep me from choking over the price. I would have to take work on the side if I continued to need the services of the alchemist.

“Generous,” I managed to murmur as I delved into my purse for my labeled budgeting envelopes.

“Naturally. Do you want me to start a stamp card? When you order nine potions, the tenth of equal or lesser value is free.”

“I’d like to say that’s not necessary, but…”

“Your life is most chaotic and dangerous. I suspect you’ll continue to order from me.”

“I suspect so too. Stamp me up.”

“Excellent. I also included a free trial of my delightfully versatile blue-spider acid.” Rue pointed at the bag. “It’s in the small vial. Be careful not to break it. It can eat through almost anything.”

I held the bag at arm’s length.

“I thought it might be useful if you need to destroy steel bars in order to rescue someone from a cell.”

“I actually have needed to get through steel bars and doors of late. ”

“As I suspected.” Rue nodded and turned back toward her apartment, but a police car rolled into the parking lot.

I had the urge to spring into my truck and peel out. Too bad I was the property manager and responsible for the place. At least there weren’t any mutilated bodies on the pavement this time. I looked for the car with the dented fender that Rue had taken her blood sample from, but its owner had moved it.

“Did you call the authorities?” Rue looked at a dainty silver watch on her wrist, the four quarters of the hour marked by vials, the hands represented by syringes. “It is quite early for visitors.”

“The police have people who work around the clock.”

My muscles tensed as the black-and-white car pulled into the empty staff spot next to my truck. The male and female officers inside were familiar; it was the duo who’d come to my apartment the night of the incident with Radomir’s brute squad, the night of their deaths to werewolf jaws. My jaws.

The certainty that this visit had to do with me filled me with anxiety. Stern-faced, the officers stepped out of the car, hands resting on sidearms. Oh, yeah. They’d figured things out. I barely held back a groan. What was I going to say?

My only thought, as the female officer stepped onto the sidewalk, was that I was glad Austin had taken off on his trip so that he wouldn’t see me getting arrested—or being accused of being a werewolf. Her name tag was visible on her uniform today. Dubois.

“Luna Valens,” she said, though she only glanced at me, instead focusing on Rue.

That was odd. When had she seen my alchemist before? The officers had questioned a lot of tenants the night of the deaths, but Rue hadn’t yet lived here then. If anything, I expected Dubois to confront me on where Duncan and I had disappeared to that night. I’d hoped they had been too busy to notice the bad guys’ crashed Tesla slipping away, but I hadn’t been certain.

“That’s right. Can I help you?” I nodded to her and the male officer, trying not to let my gaze linger on their hands—their hands resting on their firearms.

“Is this one of your tenants?” Dubois pointed at Rue.

My alchemist folded her arms across her chest, gave her name, mentioned her grandchildren, that she was a widow, and that her cat was a service animal and thus allowed in her apartment. I’d forgotten about that cat—her familiar—when I’d helped her fill out the application, but I wasn’t going to object to its presence now. Judging by the officers’ scowls, the cat wasn’t what had brought them.

“She moved in recently, yes,” was all I said.

“Were you aware that she was in your parking lot with a wolf yesterday?” the male officer asked me.

“Uh.” I blinked slowly as realization swept over me. The woman who’d been taking photos with her phone. She must not have come out in time to see me change, but she’d seen Rue and me together after the fight. Maybe also during the fight. “We’ve had some trouble with coyotes lately.” I waved toward the woods.

“That wasn’t a coyote in those photos. Ma’am.” Dubois finally addressed Rue directly. “We would like to ask you some questions.”

Rue lifted her chin. “I have nothing to hide.”

“Good.”

“Not even your chicken feet or rabbit spleens?” I murmured when the officers leaned into their car, presumably to grab recording equipment.

“Neither is illegal,” Rue said.

“It’s about a fight that was reported.” Dubois stepped back close to Rue, her eyes narrowing. “And also an incident earlier in the month.”

“Is that wolf still here?” The male officer eyed the parking lot, the grassy lawn, and the woods.

“I haven’t seen any wolves today,” I said .

That was true… since I didn’t usually look at myself after shifting.

“What, it only comes by on Tuesdays and Thursdays?” Dubois asked.

I spread my hands and attempted to look bewildered, not guilty.

“The photos sent to us by a tenant showed the wolf fighting men on motorcycles,” she continued.

“If it did that,” I said, “then it’s a hero. Those bikers have vandalized this place more than once. I had to replace that cluster mailbox a few weeks ago, thanks to them.”

Not paying attention to me, Dubois pointed at Rue. “The photos also showed you standing next to the wolf afterward, petting it. Like it’s your faithful hound.”

“That’s silly,” Rue said. “As I said, I already have an animal companion. My cat would object vociferously if I came home with the scent of a forest predator clinging to me.” A quick glance at me suggested that might have happened. “Besides, wolves aren’t allowed to be kept as pets.”

“It wasn’t a cat that attacked those men,” the male officer said. “Not yesterday and not the night of the murders. We think someone might have trained that wolf to carry out those deadly deeds.”

I bristled. When Duncan and I had battled those thugs, it had been in self-defense. Yes, I’d lost it when my wolf instincts had taken over, but if the men hadn’t been trying to kill him and kidnap me, we wouldn’t have shifted forms and attacked in the first place. But I couldn’t say that without admitting everything.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rue said. “Perhaps someone seeks to blame me for some reason. I have lived many years and acquired a few enemies. Rivals who are envious of my skill and success in my field, among others.”

Afraid they would ask what field she was in, I hurried to add, “ Where did you get the photos? Such things can be computer generated now, you know.”

“Of course we know that,” Dubois snapped.

“If Tia Aandahl was the one to call you and send them,” I said, dredging the tenant’s name from my memory, “you should know that she and her roommate spend their evenings out in the parking lot with ghost-hunting equipment. They seem to believe this is a hub of paranormal activity. I’m surprised you didn’t get a photo of Rue petting a ghost.”

“My cat would also find that distressful,” Rue murmured.

Dubois looked at her partner, a touch of uncertainty in her eyes. “That girl has made a report to the station before. About… paranormal activity.”

“Those photos looked legit.” The male officer gazed around the parking lot, his eyes pausing on one of the security cameras mounted on a light post. “You record footage of what happens here, Valens?” He looked at Dubois. “Did we get that last time?”

“Sergeant Mendez was going to check on it. I’m not sure he remembered though.” A chagrined expression replaced some of Dubois’ earlier sternness. “I should have followed up on it.”

“That footage gets deleted after a week,” I said.

I’d made sure the footage of Radomir’s thugs had been deleted even sooner.

“But you would have yesterday’s recording,” Dubois said.

“They should be there, yes. But I believe you need a warrant to demand to look at it.”

By the time they got that, I could arrange for them to be deleted.

Dubois’ eyes closed to slits. “You wouldn’t share the footage with us to help show your tenant wasn’t involved?”

“I’d have to call my boss and get the passwords and log-in information for the files.” I shrugged. “I’m just the property manager. If you want to rent a unit, I can help you. ”

Her eyes remained slitted, but it was Rue she focused on again. “Will you willingly answer our questions?”

“As I said, I have nothing to hide.” That wasn’t a yes, and Rue shot me a baleful look as Dubois led her away.

At least they didn’t handcuff her and stuff her into the back of their car. Still, I felt guilty. If Rue hadn’t been out here collecting samples for her potions, potions she had made at my request, nobody would have photographed her.

“I’ll see about getting that warrant.” The male officer gave me a long look before he got in his car and called someone.

I resisted the urge to sprint into the leasing office, get on the computer, and delete the previous night’s security-camera footage. The male officer might follow me and catch me. I would do it later, after I picked up Jasmine and went to find Duncan. The officers shouldn’t arrest Rue on the basis of a couple of photos. Even knowing that, I continued to feel guilty, and I worried she would be surveilled and eventually arrested because of her association with me.

She might also tell Dubois the truth about everything. About me . After all they’d seen, the police might be ready to believe that werewolves existed. Then I would be the one surveilled and arrested.