“I need to review my notes and see where to go next. Which parents to interview first and so on. Besides,” she added with a grin. “It’s good to see you falling in love again.”
“What?”
“You’ve got that look in your eyes. You’re on the hunt.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Or did I? As much as I didn’t like to admit it, I was fascinated by these werewolf-men and their primal charm. The question was, which one could I possibly be falling for? Did I have to pick just one?
With a little grin, I drove out of the town and turned the car toward Wolfsbane Manor. If anyone could help find a werewolf, it would be Gabriel.
He’d found them, or they’d found him, and they were all sipping beers on the back balcony when we arrived. Gabriel leapt up when we walked out, but the concern on his face quickly melted into a smile. The tension of the previous day wasn’t there, and I wondered what could have reconciled the werewolves.
“Madam, these gentlemen have some news about a strange wolf, perhaps even about your friend who died this morning.”
“We followed it through the woods until we reached a stream near Highway 14,” Leo said. “Then we lost the scent.”
“So we traced it the other direction to see where it had come from,” Ron picked up the thread, “and ended up here.”
A shiver ran down my spine.
“What are you talking about?” asked Lonna. “And what do you mean, ‘lost the scent?’ Do you have a dog?”
“They were tracking an unfamiliar wolf.” Gabriel held the door open. “I have lunch ready for you, ladies, if you’d like to move into the dining room.”
Introductions were quickly made since they’d gotten a glimpse of Lonna the night before, but when she shook hands with Leo, he and Ron shared a look. It was fleeting, but I was watching their eyes to see how they reacted to her, so I caught it. They spoke to her with interest, but it was more polite than lustful.
“Did you see anything last night?” asked Leo. I glanced at Gabriel, who put a finger to his lips. He hadn’t told them. He went into the kitchen and brought out plates of cut fruit with crackers and chicken salad.
“I. Maybe. I don’t know.”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought I saw something outside the kitchen window, but I’m not sure. I fainted.” It pained me to show that weakness to them. Part of me screamed that they were predators and I shouldn’t give them any opportunity to attack me. But we were all in it together now.
“Did you ladies find anything interesting out from the Mayor?” asked Gabriel.
“Just the same old line.” Lonna speared a pineapple slice with her fork. “But Peter Bowman was there.”
“I’m not surprised,” said Leo. “He’s sort of the town lawyer.”
I took a deep breath. It seemed as good a time to tell him as any. “Leo, Lance is missing.”
“What?” His reaction, so genuinely panic-stricken, proved his innocence more than any protestations. I filled the guys in on the events of the morning.
“And Peter’s looking for you with thunder in his eyes,” Lonna finished.
“I’m sure he is. I’ll bet he’s ready to blame his little brother for this.”
“Why?”
“Because then Marguerite can’t blame him,” said Ron. “Things are rocky between them, as you well know.”
Lonna blushed.
“It’s not your fault, Ms. Marconi,” Ron told her. “I know how charming he can be. And how deceitful.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Oh, yes. When I first came to Little Rock for residency, he invited me into his home. I later found out he had done it, not out of cousinly love, but in order to gain access to the hospital.”
“For what?” asked Lonna.
“Fertility drugs. And the female residents. To get Marguerite pregnant and keep himself entertained.”
“Did you ever report him?”
“No. By the time I figured out what had happened, my credibility was shot, and the girls were too intimidated by that time to say anything about him.”
“Excuse me,” Lonna said and pushed back from the table. “I don’t feel well.”
“That’s usually how those relationships go,” Leo said as she ran from the room. “Better she find out now.”
“Since she’s gone…” I told them about the wolf paw print in the side yard. “I stepped on it to hide it. I didn’t want either of you to get blamed.”
“Thanks,” said Ron. “Although I don’t think Peter knows about the true nature of CLS. He just thinks it makes us impulsive and crazy.”
“I don’t think anyone in the outside world realizes what it does.”
“But you do,” Ron said. He looked at me with his piercing blue eyes. “And your grandfather did. I think he found something out.”
“I don’t know, honestly.”
“Do you think you could pick up where he left off?” asked Leo. “You’re the only one who can.”
I met his eyes. I had vowed not to enter the research world again, but this was the perfect opportunity to regain my status and credibility. And maybe Robert.
My heart skipped a beat. Robert was the only one who had ever understood me. If I could figure out a cure for CLS, or at least a way to control it, I could re-enter the field in triumph, and then he would have to respect me. And maybe even take me back.
Lonna had been right. I was back on the hunt, but it was for the same old quarry.
“Gentlemen, feel free to stay here this afternoon if you like, but I have work to do.”
Leo and Ron exchanged glances. “We should probably head back to Peter’s house,” Leo said. “I’m sure he has a few things he’d like to say to us, so we might as well get it over with.” He made a rude noise. “Like we could go out partying even if we wanted to. We’ll go back through the woods and see if we can find any clues as to what happened to Lance.”
“Good luck.” I meant it.
I went up the stairs to Lonna’s room, my heart pounding with the thrill of my resolution to pick up where my grandfather had left off, but when I got there, she was asleep, snoring softly. I didn’t know Lonna to be a napper, but maybe it was the after-effects of the previous night’s sleeping pills. Or the shame of being taken in by Peter Bowman’s charm and manipulation. With a sigh, I returned to the office, ready to start working again.
I looked at the box. The charred edges curled slightly, water stains blotched the outer layer, and it still smelled faintly of smoke. Even so, I had never seen a more beautiful sight. With shaking fingers, I lifted the top and was comforted by the neat row of charts. I didn’t know how this box had escaped unscathed, but there it was. I only hoped it had enough data in it for me to find my answer.
I sat at my grandfather’s desk in the study. The drawer to my right still held the books he had earmarked. He had figured out something and had possibly been killed for it. For the first time, my mind made the leap and wondered whether his disappearance and the fire at my lab were connected. I hoped whoever had set the fire hadn’t realized some of the data had been saved. I also wondered who had saved it. That went on the list of questions to ask Gabriel.
The charts held the notes I had seen countless times before. There had to be something beyond what I had been looking for. Rather than the usual columns in my database, I decided to go the brute-force route and document everything, even down to the minutest detail of objective evidence. That way my mind could look for patterns as my fingers typed.
A knock on my door startled me when I was halfway through my second chart.
“Yes?”
