I’d had, it was nothing compared to being transformed into something different.
I couldn’t handle their drama as well as my own. “I’m going to finish my coffee on the balcony,” I said and stood on wobbly legs.
“Do you want some company?” Lonna asked.
“No, but thank you.”
I walked out on the balcony, sat in one of the Adirondack chairs, and took a deep breath. The sun peeped through a thick layer of clouds, its light watered down by the atmosphere. Every leaf and pine needle seemed extra green in the forest beyond the lawn. No ghostly parties filled my imagination this morning. Instead, my mind strained to recall small things, clues that would confirm or disconfirm what I had just figured out about Andrew. And then there were the vaccinations, the serial and lot numbers pointing in one direction. Had Andrew gotten a bad vaccine? Had it been something that he ate? Or was it something that would have shown up anyway? Finding out that he had CLS was like losing him all over again.
My solitude lasted five minutes at the most. That’s when I knew from the prickling at the back of my neck that trouble had arrived.
A black convertible sports car stood in the driveway. The sporty car’s low-slung body had sleek, European lines, and the tan top was pulled back to reveal a plush leather interior, the dashboard mock-antique. Kyra Ellison stood in the door and argued with Gabriel.
“Kyra?” I asked. “Is there a problem?”
“Ah, Doctor Fisher!” She raised her eyebrows in mock friendliness.
“What brings you to my home?”
The fake smile grew bigger, her ruby lips drawn back in an almost feral grin. “I believe that one of my friends has come up here, and I’m just looking for him. I have an important message from his brother.”
“Which friend would that be?” I couldn’t help it, I sneered through “friend” so as to imply that it was actually more of a client. Probably not fair, but the woman’s attitude immediately put me on edge.
“Leo Bowman. Or his cousin Ron. Have you seen them?”
“Not recently.” As in, not in the last ten minutes. “Perhaps Gabriel or I could pass along the message if they do appear here.”
“Just tell him to call Peter. I’m afraid that’s all I can say. It’s a matter of the utmost discretion.”
“Who is this?” Lonna appeared in the door, and Kyra immediately snapped to full attention and charm mode.
Kyra held out her hand. I couldn’t help but notice that it was not perfectly manicured. Running around in the woods at night could be rough on the paws, er, hands. “I’m Kyra Ellison. I live here in Crystal Pines. And who might you be?”
“Lonna Marconi. I’m a social worker, I’m staying with Joanie. I believe I saw you yesterday.”
“Ah, a social worker.” Independently wealthy versus overworked and underpaid: Kyra 1, Lonna 0. “And no, I don’t remember meeting you.”
Lonna didn’t bite. “We didn’t meet. Not that it’s any concern of yours. What do you want with Leo and Ron?”
“I have a message from Leo’s brother, Peter. Have you met him?”
“Briefly.”
I smirked.
The fake smile disappeared from Kyra’s face. “I’m not sure what kind of little scam you all have going on here, but I will find the guys. And I have ways of doing it that you can’t even begin to suspect.”
“Actually, the thought of you growing fur is very funny,” I said. She wheeled around and was in my face so fast I didn’t have time to step back. Up close, I could see the ring of yellow around the pupils of her dark eyes.
“And do you know what a she-wolf does to little flat-chested ivory-tower brats who interfere with her chosen mate?” Her voice was almost a growl.
“No.”
“Trust me, you don’t want to.” And with that, she whirled around, jumped in the car, and roared out of the driveway.
“Did she just threaten you?” Lonna was at my side.
“I think so.”
Gabriel, a pensive expression on his face, followed the sports car with his eyes until it disappeared from sight. “She’s been a little crazy since she got up here. She used to run a modeling agency in Memphis until she got sick.”
“With CLS?” asked Lonna.
“Yes, Madam. Maybe she had a flu shot from the same batch that infected Leo and Ron. She arrived in Crystal Pines shortly after they did.”
“That reminds me.” Lonna turned to me. “I need to go back to the office in Little Rock to access the vaccination database. I called, but no one has time to look it up for me. I think they want me back down there.”
“I can’t say I blame them. You were busy before you came.”
She gazed out over the mountains. “It’s certainly more peaceful here, in a sense.”
I wondered if she was thinking about the fights we’d had, and I felt guilty, like it was my fault she was here.
“I don’t have to be down there ’til two,” I said. “Come with me. You can pack a bag if you want, grab a change of clothes.”
“You won’t mind if I tag along with you?”
“I never do. The more, the merrier.” But in truth, the thought of the city with all the noise, people and traffic made my heart lurch.
“Is she gone?” Leo found me in my room packing an overnight bag. Lonna and I planned to stay at her place and then drive back up to Crystal Pines the next morning.
“Who, Kyra?”
“I don’t have to be brave. That woman just doesn’t give up.”
“You certainly seemed to be getting along well last week.” The mental image of him tucking her hair behind her ear popped into my mind.
“I give in every once in a while. She’ll leave me alone as she makes plans, then when she notices I’m not following at her side, she comes back.”
“She said to call Peter.”
“I don’t think I want to. I think he wants to blame me for what happened to Lance. He probably has a trace on the line or something so he can find out where I am and send the cops.”
“Because you weren’t there watching him?”
“I guess.”
He appeared as though he wanted to say something else.
“And?”
“I’m not sure, I just feel like there’s something missing, some piece we’re just not seeing.”
“Welcome to my life.” I balled a shirt up and threw it in my suitcase.
“Right. Sorry, I forgot.”
“You don’t sound sorry.”
“Well, what do you expect? My life changes, and I get stuck with a strange disease that causes me to turn— not comfortably, mind you—into a wolf every so often. Your life turns upside down, and you end up with an estate in the mountains worth hundreds of millions of dollars and an interesting intellectual challenge!”
I narrowed my eyes. “How do you know how much this estate is worth? Is that what you were in Galbraith’s office for that day?”
He sat down and ran his hands through his hair. “No, I was in Galbraith’s office that day trying to convince him not to bring Gabriel back. I thought it was me your grandfather wanted to have watching over you.”
