Page 71 of Trust No Alpha

“Hello,” said the stranger. “Would you, by chance, be Hawthorne Mauresset?” He smiled disarmingly, but his sheer girth was intimidating.

“Yes.”

“Hello. My name is Scard. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise, I’m sure.”

“I’m sure you know by now that a search has been on for quite some time for a missing neighbor of yours. I sent you an email about it some weeks ago. Now I’m taking witness statements from the neighborhood and if you don’t mind I would like to ask you some questions.”

“Are you a detective?”

“Private,” the man replied, shifting his massive shoulders.

“I do remember that email now. I’d almost forgotten. So the boy hasn’t been found?”

“No trace, I’m afraid.” The man came closer to the door as if to peer through the screen. “You are aware your land is the neighboring property of Varian Vandergale.” The man turned toward the northwest. “In fact, you can see from here the top of his house. Over there.” He nodded off toward the mountain range.

“Yes. I’m aware.” Thorne kept his voice flat.

“I was just thinking perhaps you saw something. Anything, even the smallest detail, might be helpful. Kris Vandergale has been missing for some weeks now.”

“Sorry to hear it.”

“Well, you see, all Mister Vandergale’s sons are Alphas, except Kris. He’s an Omega, and he could be in danger. So you understand it is in Mister Vandergale’s best interests to find the poor boy.”

“The Vandergales keep to themselves,” Thorne said. “We are not neighborly. I’ve never seen his sons outside much at all. And never face to face. I’ve never even been introduced to Mister Vandergale himself.”

The man took a deep breath and let out a white exhale. He shuddered a little. “It’s just that, well,” he paused. “Do you think I could come inside while I ask you a few questions? It’s awfully cold out here.”

How to answer? What-if scenarios swarmed Thorne’s mind. If he said no, maybe the man would think he was hiding something. If he said yes, would Scard sense Kris?

Even Thorne had scented Kris’s delicious, heady fragrance when he’d first met him in stark cold temperatures in the middle of the night.

“How about I come out onto the porch instead.” Thorne did not ask it as a question.

Scard gave a small sigh of disappointment but backed up a step as Thorne opened the screen door and stepped out.

“I have a picture of him here if that might help you,” Scard said.

“Like I said, I’ve never met any of the Vandergales.”

“Yes, but maybe you saw him about, or in town.” Scard held up his phone and Kris’s image stared back at him from the screen.

Thorne’s heart was frenzy in his chest, but he maintained his calm.

“He does not look familiar.”

“Are you sure? Because people say you take long walks on this road. I was thinking that you might have noticed if anything was out of the ordinary.”

“No. I can’t think of anything out of the ordinary. Except that the Vandergale house is usually ominously silent. If he has young sons, they sure are quiet.” Thorne forced a smile.

“Yes, well they are well-managed. Alphas all, except for Kris. His father is concerned he could be in danger, hurt or worse. He’s very worried.”

“I can well understand that. He must be frantic.”

“Yes. Kris is only an Omega, but he’s Mister Vandergale’s son nonetheless.”

“I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.”