Page 64 of Wild Wolf

“Can I have a word with you off-camera?” I asked.

She motioned to the cameraman to back off. “This is not my fault. I warned people on air, just like you asked.”

I wanted to be mad at somebody. “Did you get a chance to see the body?”

Paris nodded and frowned.

“Media shapes perception. Stories have consequences.”

“Every station on the island ran with that story.”

“A boy is dead, his girlfriend will be traumatized for life, and that drunk idiot threw his life away. Just something to keep in mind.”

“I’m sorry, Tyson. I really am.”

“Just get the word out that vigilante hunting of supposed werewolves will not be tolerated. I don’t want to get called to another crime scene like this.”

I marched back to the Porsche. We hopped in and headed back to Oyster Avenue.

“Nothing we could have done,” JD said.

“I know,” I said, deflated.

“We’ll catch a break, sooner or later.”

“Hopefully sooner.”

It took a minute to unwind, still hot about the whole thing.

The engine howled, and wind whipped in through the open windows. The air still smelled damp. I lost myself in my thoughts for a moment.

I pulled myself out of it and called Taryn along the way.

She didn’t pick up.

I left a message. “Hey, sorry about the interruption. We wrapped up and are heading back to Oyster Avenue. I’m sure I can’t convince you to meet up again, but if you get a wild hair, let me know. Hopefully, there are no more emergencies tonight.”

I didn’t expect to hear back, but it was worth a shot.

The boulevard was way more crowded than before. Jack found a place to park on a side street, and we met the guys at Vibe. They wanted to catchVenom Kiss, who were headlining.

The place was packed. Plenty of girls in seductive costumes. Lots of fishnets, short skirts, and high heels. Not a bad place to be, but we were both still in a somber mood.

Neon Voltage was on the stage, cranking out neo-post punk.

Crash, Dizzy, and Styxx hung out by the back bar. They had already drawn a small crowd of groupies.

We hung out for a bit but decided to call it an early evening. Neither one of us felt festive at the moment.

JD and I left Vibe just after Venom Kiss took the stage. What I heard of them sounded pretty good. We strolled the avenue, weaving through costumed revelers, heading back to the car.

“Tomorrow, we’ll track down some of those contestants with decent costumes,” Jack said. “It's a long shot, but you never know.”

"We might want to have another talk with that formerstudent of Taryn’s. I want to find out who his mystery client is.”

"Somebody with money to burn,” Jack said.

We found the Porsche and drove back to theAvventura. Jack parked by the dock. Just as he killed the engine, the sheriff called again. It couldn’t be good news.