Page 63 of Wild Wolf

“Are you going to be okay if I leave you here alone?”

“I’m sure somebody will offer to buy me a drink,” she said, trying to make me jealous.

“I have no doubt you’ll get plenty of offers.”

“I’m pretty picky about who I let buy my drinks, just so you know.”

I smiled. “I have a mission for you.”

“That sounds intriguing. I’m not going to get in trouble, am I?”

I shrugged. “I suspect you like an element of danger.”

“Is that what you suspect?” she said in a sassy voice.

“Find out who the guy with the good costume is. He could be a suspect.”

She gave me a mock salute. “Aye-aye, Captain.”

I chuckled and said I’d be in touch.

JD and I weaved through the crowd and stepped onto the sidewalk. The air was cool and damp. We jogged down the avenue, weaving through the revelers as we made our way back to the Porsche. We’d beaten the crowd and had found a decent place to park. Jack slid behind the wheel, fired up the engine, and we raced to Echo Point.

33

Deputies had a man in custody. Clifford Beaumont. The same guy Paris had interviewed earlier. Tears streamed down his round cheeks. “I didn’t mean to hurt anybody. I was just trying to help,” he said as Mendoza stuffed him into the back of a patrol car.

A few others were in custody in the back of squad cars.

Red and blue lights flashed. Paris and her camera crew were already on the scene. A crowd of curious onlookers had gathered.

We made our way down the path to the beach to see Brenda examining the remains of a young man in a werewolf costume. A high-powered rifle had put a hole in his chest and left the cheap suit stained with blood.

My stomach twisted at the sight. The kid was young, and there was no way anyone in their right mind could have mistaken him for a panther, or a werewolf, or any kind of predator.

A teenage girl stood nearby sobbing.

Daniels looked on with a grim face.

“I see you’ve got the perp in custody,” I said.

“The nimrod was with his friends, drinking beer when he saw thewolfattack,” he said in air quotes. Daniels shook his head in dismay. “I knew something like this was going to happen. I blame that asshole that put out the reward and everyone in the media that pushed the story out.”

Daniels was not a happy camper.

JD and I watched as Brenda and her crew bagged the remains and transferred the body to a gurney.

“The kid’s name is Jeremy Davies,” the sheriff said. “I just wanted you two down here to see this. Maybe that will light a fire under your asses to solve this thing. This damn island has turned into a circus, and the only way it’s leaving this town is if there’s no more werewolf to hunt.”

“We’re doing everything we can,” I said.

“Do more,” he barked before storming away, disgusted by the whole thing.

I felt like crap about it. His words didn’t help. By the look on Jack’s face, he felt the same way.

Paris knew better than to approach at a time like this, but I sought her out.

I stormed across the parking lot with a tight jaw and fire in my eyes. The cameraman shouldered his rig as I approached and lensed me up.