taking place out of earshot. I didn't have the time or effort to use magic so I could listen in. If it was anything important, Tommy would tell me later.
'Come with me,' he said, putting on a pair of medical gloves. 'You're going to want to see this.'
There were a huge number of things I'd rather be doing then trudging back across an increasingly muddy pathway to watch a doctor examine a corpse, but I did it without complaining. No one wanted to be here, no one ever wanted to be at a murder scene.
Thankfully, since Tommy and I had examined Hilary, her body had been untied from the tree and placed inside a body bag and left on a gurney. Grayson unzipped the bag and began his examination in methodical, but solemn, earnest.
Her arms were covered in deep scratches and Grayson spotted me looking at one of them. 'She was standing when she died,' he said. 'Those scratches are from the tree bark cutting into her as she slid to the ground with her arms still tied around the trunk.'
'I noticed. I assume the cut across her abdomen was the killing strike.'
Grayson shook his head. 'With any other case, yes. It was certainly something that would have killed her. But in this instance, she was already dead when it happened.'
'What makes you say that?'
'All four previous victims were the same, one slice across the stomach, the liver and kidneys removed. But each of them had another wound, something I kept out of the reports at Director Green's request.'
He gestured for me to examine five small puncture marks, just below Hilary's breast. 'Needles?' I suggested.
Grayson removed a marker pen from his lab pocket, and drew a ring around each mark, joining them together with an image of a hand.
'Someone's hand did this?' I asked.
'I've not looked at Amber yet, but the other victims had five marks like these. Each one stretched up slightly toward the heart, which also showed five puncture marks. The inside of the heart was black, decaying, as if infested with something. It didn’t touch any of the other organs, except for the brain.”
'So, why take the liver and kidneys?”
'Sustenance, I imagine. They're both good for you, full of vitamins and the like. Whoever did this probably needed the energy.'
'So, we're looking for someone who can kill in that way, and who then eats parts of the victim to regain energy?'
'You understand why Director Green wanted this kept silent. Better people think we have a crazy cannibal on our hands, than someone who can kill in such a way.'
I studied the puncture marks as my brain tried to figure out what could possibly have caused them. And why. It was a hard way to commit murder. It certainly wasn't a quick or quiet way to end someone's life.
'Anything else, Doc?' I asked.
'It's hard to give an exact time of death, but I would say about four to five hours ago.'
I thanked him and, with a head full of information, went off to find Tommy and Sara. Instead I found one of the agents who had been the contact for the killer. 'Agent Reid,' I said and offered my hand, which he took.
'Are you taking over the investigation?' He asked.
'Just a fresh set of eyes; I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes.'
He raised an eyebrow. 'You pissed off some people earlier. That would be akin to jumping up and down on people's toes.'
'I get that a lot,' I assured him. 'Do you mind if I ask you a few things?'
'Go nuts.'
'The killer, Olivia says he calls you.'
'He calls Greaves,' he corrected. 'Usually a few hours after he's killed them. Greaves got the call just over an hour ago. We came here first, and then contacted Director Green.'
'Greaves is a werewolf, yes?'
'Yes, I am,' a rough voice snapped from behind me. 'Is there a problem with that?'
I turned toward the surly man with a smile on my face. 'No problems. I just wanted to know if you caught any scent.'
'And I should tell you why?' He jabbed a finger at me. I glanced down at the digit and wondered if I should break it.
'Agent,' Olivia said ending my pondering. 'Tell us what you found.'
Greaves stared a hole through me but did as he was asked. 'I searched the woods in a few hundred meters circumference, and for the most part it's the same as always, a mixture of dozens of scents. It's impossible to distinguish between them.'
'But?' Olivia asked.
'But, there's a stand-out scent from the north. It's faint, but definitely there.'
'Can you tell what made it?' I asked.
'Usually no,' he said. 'I can pick out if something is human or rotting or some such, but not the exactly details of what carried out the crime. This time was different.'
'In what way?' Olivia asked.
Greaves glanced at a newly arrived Tommy.
'Werewolf,' Tommy whispered.
'It's faint,” Greaves said,” but a wolf was here.'
'Neil,' I said. 'Someone's getting sloppy.'
'Any idea on where a werewolf running from the LOA might go to hide?' Olivia asked.
'The local pack,' Tommy said. 'And if he hasn't already gone to them for help, they'll have more information on where he's likely to hide.'
'Then Greaves and Reid, head over to the local wolf pack, see what you can find out.'
'That could be an issue,' Greaves said.
'Why?' Olivia asked, in no mood for any stupidity.
'It's personal,' Greaves said.
'Make it public,' Olivia said, very near the end of her patience.
Greaves sighed deeply. 'Their Alpha has made it clear that I'm not welcome at the pack. If I go it would jeopardise the investigation, and in a worst case scenario he might have me killed.'
'I'm failing to see what the problem is,' Olivia snapped. 'Fine, you finish here, and then you'll go tell this poor girl's family that their daughter is dead. After that you and Agent Reid will look into her past. I want anything linking her to any other victims. I don't care if it's only that they went to the same pub for a drink one time. I want to know about it, clear?'
''Ma'am,' the two agents said in unison before walking away.
'He really is a good agent,' Olivia said to no one in particular. 'He's just an arrogant ass.'
'That leaves us with the werewolf pack, I assume,' I said.
'I can't risk one of my agents turning up there and creating a war zone,” Olivia said. “And anyone else with contacts within the pack is busy. Besides, Tommy knows the Alpha well, so he should be co-operative.'
'We'll get going, then,' Tommy said. 'You need a lift back?' he asked Olivia.
'I'm going to help out here, and then go back to your place to see Kasey. Have you called her yet?'
He checked his watch. 'It's a little after eight; I'll do it in the truck.'
'Good. Now go, all of you. And please do your best to get something from this lead.'
I sat on my bike and started the engine as Tommy waited idly next to me. 'Is there something on your mind?' I asked.
'Olivia was right. The Alpha and I are on good terms.'
'But?'
'But, that might not be enough. This might get to be a really complicated evening for all of us.'
I sighed and put my helmet on, lifting up the visor so I could speak. 'Well, if I wanted an easy life, I'd have said no. Is the Alpha likely to try and kill us?'
Tommy shook his head.
