Cry Wolf (18 page)

She hesitated, fingering her resignation.

“Give me that,” Jeff said, holding out his hand. When she handed the envelope over, he ripped it into three pieces and tossed it into his trashcan. “There. You still wanna quit when this assignment is over, fine. Write me another one. Until then, you still work here.”

For the next several minutes he outlined a new work plan to make up for Brandon’s interference. Apparently Jeff was willing to give her the time she needed for the piece, but with a warning. “You’d better bring me something good, Lockhart,” he told her.

His phone was ringing off the hook. He dismissed her with a simple gesture of his hand. “Send Montgomery back in, will ya?” he added as an afterthought.

Just like that, she had been excused. What’s more, she had her job back.

Feeling a little shell-shocked, Andrea made a detour to a researcher’s desk. “Can you find me an expert on creatures that aren’t supposed to exist? You know, like Bigfoot, that type of thing.”

She’d expected it to take him some time, but the young man instantly replied. “Jared Novotny,” he told her. “He’s probably the most respected cryptozoologist in the country.”

“Crypto-what?”

“Cryptozoologist.” He didn’t look up as he typed something into his computer. His tone implied he thought she was stupid for even asking such a thing. “They study animals that have never been proven to actually exist but are believed to. ‘You know, like Bigfoot, that type of thing,’” he repeated drolly.

Smart aleck.

“Can you get me his number and an address?” She glanced over the email he was typing. Nothing work-related, so he had time to honor her request. “I need it before I leave today.”

The kid rolled his eyes and made a note to do it later. Little punk. He could take a lesson or two in manners from Reed.

Brandon waited in the hallway for her as she headed back to her desk. Andrea saw him and almost stopped in her tracks. She needed to talk to him, to find out if some of her theories were correct. Instead, she made a point to pick up her pace and veer past him.

“I hope you’re proud of yourself.” He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. “You know I was just playing a joke, but you used it as an excuse to go over my head and have me fired.”

“A joke?” She tugged her arm free. “Brandon, don’t ever touch me again.”

“Frigid bitch.” The look in his eyes was one she’d never seen before. It scared her. And his face was so red, she worried it might explode. He took a step toward her. “None of this would have happened if you’d just forgiven me for Danielle. People make mistakes, Andrea.”

“Yeah, well, you keep making them.”

With an angry growl, he grabbed her arms and shoved her against the wall. “You think you’re so smart?” He shook her. His lips snarled with an ugly slant. “You’re nothing! Your reputation will be dirt when I’m finished with it! You’ll be begging me for a second chance.”

Andrea felt her stomach drop to her feet. She’d never seen Brandon so angry, and it scared her. But she wasn’t so scared that she didn’t know how to fight back. She shoved him away using the same force he’d used on her. “I
said
,” she warned him, “don’t ever touch me again.”

Looking at him now, Andrea wondered what she’d ever seen in Brandon. Worse, she found herself comparing him to Sean, not in looks but in character. Once, she would have said Brandon was the better man. Now that she’d gotten to know both men a little better, Sean far surpassed Brandon on all counts.

“You lied about the photo, Brandon. I know because I talked to that intern, and he denied ever pulling it from the mail.” She took a step toward him. “You set me up with this story because I laughed at the idea of it in our budget meeting, didn’t you? You knew I would
hate
having my byline on a story about a werewolf, so you had someone fake that picture as an excuse to send me to Woodbine. Then you hired Davis to dress up and convince me to write about it. It wasn’t a joke. You really wanted me to believe what I saw was real, didn’t you? You had everything orchestrated down to the last detail.”

He said nothing, but he didn’t have to. She could read the truth in his eyes.

“You were trying to ruin what credibility I have left. Why? Because I dumped you?” She shook her head in amazement.

Andrea knew she’d never understand his reasoning even if he did try to explain. There was no chance the ploy would have sent her running back into his arms. Had he actually wanted her to leave the magazine? Why didn’t he just pull some strings and get her fired? More likely, he’d simply been toying with her because he thought he could.

Whatever. She would never understand him.

“Goodbye, Brandon.”

Andrea had originally planned to confront Brandon about the other evidence too, but after speaking to Tom Davis, she had all the information she needed. She’d called the stuntman to verify when he’d left Woodbine. Before or after her real sighting of the creature? Davis had already been on a plane to Wyoming when she saw the strange creature walking across the road, and he had the ticket receipt to prove it. Furthermore, Davis denied making the footprints, and he hadn’t been in the area to fake the Alten sighting either. He’d been working and had the names of at least a dozen witnesses to back him up.

Besides, how could Brandon have staged her real sighting? He couldn’t have known where she’d be, or when. She’d never intended to go to Sean’s house that night. His cover had already been blown, so Brandon couldn’t have staged it.

As she left Brandon standing there looking both defeated and disgusted, Andrea knew one thing for certain. If someone had been in a costume when she saw the so-called werewolf, that person had to be a local.

The question was, who?

“I’m sorry, who is this again?” Sean used his foot to close his office door while he struggled to keep the phone and its base from falling off his desk. His small news room was humming today. He couldn’t concentrate on what the man was saying.

“Jared Novotny.” The man had a deep, older-sounding voice. “Ms. Lockhart said if I couldn’t reach her, I could contact you. I remembered something I forgot to tell her when she was here yesterday.”

That was all news to Sean. “Can you hold on while I gather my notes?” He put the call on speaker and reached for his computer mouse. A few seconds later, he had Jared Novotny’s bio pulled up online.

So Andrea had been to see a cryptozoologist? Sean smiled, admiring her thoroughness.
She’s putting me to shame.

He grabbed his reporter’s notebook and pen. “Yes, Mr. Novotny. I’m afraid my colleague isn’t here at the moment, but I’ll be glad to pass along the information.”
Whenever I see her again.

Andrea had been gone more than a week, and he missed her like hell. A lot more than he wanted to. On a positive note, their nightly phone calls had helped strengthen the new friendship growing between them. They spent an hour talking work, and at least a couple more talking family, movies, politics—whatever happened to come up.

But Andrea had failed to mention her visit to Jared Novotny. And every time Sean asked when she was returning to Woodbine, she would only say, “I’m not sure yet. Maybe another day or two.”

Sean scanned the researcher’s blog. The man had posted yesterday about his current expedition in Vermont where he was looking for some kind of lake monster.

Sean had to smother a laugh at the image that popped into his head. Diehard skeptic Andrea Lockhart in cahoots with a bunch of whackos, searching for a lake monster?
Priceless.

“I wanted to thank her for the copies of the eyewitness journal she gave me,” Novotny said. “Reading it last night reminded me of a case I thought I should share with her. If she follows the link on my website, she can read about the Beast of Bray Road. All of the details are there. I’ll be glad to discuss it with her in more detail if she wants to give me a call.”

Sean felt a tug of betrayal. She hadn’t made a copy of Martin’s journal for
him
to read in her absence like she’d promised. “Great. I’ll pass along the message.”

“Thank you.” Novotny cleared his throat. “Oh, and tell her I sent that fur sample to the lab this morning. It’s a long shot, so I wouldn’t get my hopes up. As soon as I hear something, I’ll let you both know.”

Another surprise. As the man rambled about similar DNA tests he’d run that came back as cases of coyotes with mange, Sean opened his desk drawer and saw the ziploc bag with a tuft of fur tucked in the corner. Andi must have snagged a piece from it the day she’d helped him in the office.
Sneaky devil.
He grabbed the bag and pushed it into his pocket. He’d meant to put it in his safe.

There was a knock on Sean’s door. Reed stood on the other side waving a package. Sean motioned for the teen to come inside as he ended the call. Reed grinned like he’d just asked a cheerleader on a date and she’d said yes. He couldn’t help teasing the kid. “Did we get an advance copy of the new World of Warcraft or something?”

“Even better.” Reed tossed a stapled booklet onto Sean’s desk and held a duplicate in his hand. “Andrea sent us copies of Old Man Martin’s diary. Where did you guys get this? It’s great! Oh, and there’s a message. Here.”

Sean unfolded the handwritten note.

This had a winky smile next to it.

Sean leaned back in his chair and smirked. She’d given his number to Novotny. She’d sent copies of the journal to both him and Reed. She’d even told him about the fur.

“I’ll be damned.” Sean laughed and slapped the edge of his desk. “She’s finally admitting we’re partners.”

This town really has it in for me.

Andrea squinted against the blue lights flashing in her rearview and sighed.
And I was actually starting to think I missed the place. Unbelievable.

The sheriff’s deputy took his sweet time approaching, and Andrea grew impatient as she tapped her license against the steering wheel. She had half a mind to crank up the volume on her radio just to piss him off.
Down, girl. Down.
Sleep deprivation always made her grumpy. She took notice of her surroundings instead of unleashing her irritation on the cop.

She was about half a mile from Sean’s house. She recognized some of the landmarks. One thing she didn’t see was a speed limit sign. She didn’t think she’d been going fast, but it was possible. Not likely, but possible.

The deputy’s boots crunched against gravel as he neared her window. The guy was young and tall with big puppy-dog eyes and a full head of thick brown hair. “Ma’am,” he said with a firm nod. “License and registration, please.”

She handed them over. “Was I speeding, Officer? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it.” His uniform’s ID tag said he was T. Parker. The deputy involved in Reed’s sighting had been Trey Parker, and she’d been trying to get hold of him for weeks. She was about to ask his first name when he answered her first question.

“No, ma’am. Were you aware your taillight’s out?”

What? She slapped the steering wheel in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? I just picked up this rental an hour ago in Greenville.” The cop was watching her. She squinted in sheepish apology and rubbed her forehead. “Sorry.”

He returned her identification cards. “You might want to give them a call.” He pulled out his notepad and scribbled on it. Andrea sighed. Just her luck to pick out a rental with a flaw.

“Are you really giving me a ticket?”

He shook his head. “Just a phone number. If the rental company is willing to pay for it, there’s a garage right past the motel. Call these folks. Save you a trip back to Greenville.” He ripped paper from his pad and handed it to her. “You have a good day, ma’am.”

Andrea thanked him and glanced at the writing. She started to pull out her cell phone when she remembered to ask his name, but he was already walking away. She glanced at the note. The chicken scrawl writing seemed awfully familiar.

Andrea dug into her purse for the note she’d stuffed inside. Uncrinkling it, she compared the handwriting.
Bingo!
The deputy’s distinctive writing matched the note left on her motel door her first night in town. She scrambled out of the car.

“Please wait!” She almost slipped on gravel trying to catch up with the man. “Officer Parker.
Trey Parker
?”

The deputy came to a halt. The tension in the back of his shoulders told Andrea he knew she was on to him. He turned to her. “That’s me.”

“I’ve been trying to get in touch with you. Have you gotten my messages?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I got ’em. Sheriff warned me to avoid you while you were in town.”

Figures.

“Recognize this?” She held up the note and recited it from memory. “It says, ‘The werewolf is real. I’ve seen it.’”

“I’m not usually a coward, but I just couldn’t bring myself to put my name and number on that piece of paper.” He blew out a breath and shook his head. “I should have tossed it, but I’d been out drinking that night.”

Now she’d had her own sighting, Andrea felt for the guy. Her aggravation softened, and she put the note away. “So why did you leave it for me?”

He glanced around, obviously uncomfortable. Seeing no one on the road, he settled his gaze on her. “I was afraid you wouldn’t take this story seriously.” He put his hands on his hips. “Some people don’t like having you around.”

“Yeah, I noticed. Like your sheriff, I guess.” Andrea crossed her arms. “For the record, I saw it too. Whatever the hell it is. I saw it.”

“The creature?”

“For lack of a better word, yeah.”

His shoulders tensed. “Scary as all get-out, wasn’t it?”

“And then some.”

A car flew past, and Officer Parker glanced around again. He gestured to his patrol car. “If you want to talk about this, Miss Lockhart, I’d feel more comfortable going somewhere a little more private.”

“Andrea,” she corrected. “Name the place.”

His shoulders relaxed. “There’s a speed trap about a mile back. Pretty secluded.”

Andrea pondered the wisdom of going anywhere secluded with a man she didn’t know, but sometimes it was necessary with her job. Besides, Reed had vouched for the guy.

She glanced at her watch. Sean was going to be in his friend’s wedding this afternoon, and she’d been toying with the idea of stopping by his place beforehand, simply to see him in a tuxedo. A few days ago, he’d hinted at asking her to be his date, but she hadn’t been able to commit to a time of return. She’d been able to catch an earlier flight than expected, so if she really wanted, she could check in to her motel, change into the dress she’d slipped into her suitcase and surprise him. Or would that be awkward? Maybe too presumptuous? For all she knew, he’d found another date.

“Well?” The officer nodded toward his patrol car.

She nodded. “I’ve got some time to kill. I’ll follow you there.”

His tie was driving him crazy.

Sean had just finished giving his best-man speech and all the photos had been taken, so he tugged the bowtie loose from his neck and groaned in relief. He glanced at his watch. He was itching to leave, but courtesy dictated he stay at least another half hour. Less, if Luke and his bride made their departure first.

He’d checked his voicemail before the ceremony. Andi had to be back in town by now, and Sean wanted nothing more than to drive to the motel and see her.

“Sean, darling, what a fabulous speech you gave. Why, you’re a man after my own heart, do you know that?”

Hearing the feminine, husky voice of Lilly Hammond, he took a deep breath and turned toward the attractive redhead who’d been following him around all day. Her gleaming blue eyes and teasing smiles made it obvious she hoped they’d pair up since they were both dateless.

Lilly, a public relations assistant at the county hospital, was a cousin of the bride. His path had crossed with hers once or twice, and while Sean had once flirted with the idea of asking the divorcée to be his date today, the voluptuous woman held no attraction for him now. Only one woman occupied his thoughts, and she wasn’t here.

Lilly laid a heavily manicured hand on his arm and squeezed. “I was wondering if you would take pity and be my dance partner for the next song.”

Sean glanced at his watch again, made a decision, then conjured a polite smile. “I’m sorry, Lilly, can I take a rain check? I’ve got somewhere I need to be, and I’m afraid it can’t wait much longer.”

Something faded in her eyes, and Sean felt terrible that he might have caused her to feel rejected. Meg’s experiences had left him sensitive to that level of insecurity in women. But Lilly rebounded quickly. “Whoever she is, she’s a lucky woman.” She squeezed his arm again, smiled and wandered away without another word.

Sean was working his way through the crowd to wish Luke and his new wife happy blessings when another woman’s voice caught his attention. “Leaving so soon?”

He turned and stared at the vision in a red dress. He did a double take when he recognized the woman’s face.

“Andi?”

His eyes were drawn down to a generous view of cleavage and traveled past slim hips and a pair of long, shapely legs. Her hair was pulled up into some kind of twist, and her lips were painted a much more subtle red than the clothes she wore. With that elegant, sensual slip of a dress hugging her curves in all the right places, Andrea Lockhart was absolutely stunning.

His body ached at the sight of her. “Not anymore.” He took a step toward her. “I didn’t know you were coming here, but I sure am glad you did.” He met her eyes. “You’re the most beautiful woman I think I’ve ever seen.”

He expected her to blush, but she didn’t. Her lips twitched, and her eyebrows lifted. Raising the hem of her dress, she twirled in front of him. “Guess I do know how to wear a dress, huh?”

The reminder of what he’d once said to her stung. “Andi, I—”

“And it’s Andrea, kind sir.” She feigned a very proper tone then smiled. “You wouldn’t expect anyone called Andi to be this dolled up, now would you?”

His chest expanded on a deep breath when he realized she was only teasing him. He grabbed her waist and tugged her toward him. He growled in mock aggression. “I missed you.”

“Did you?” She melted against him and waited longer than he liked to tack on, “I missed you too.”

Glad that she felt comfortable enough to admit that to him, Sean pulled her to him and demanded a kiss. A long, greedy, toe-curling sort of kiss. She didn’t pull away. She didn’t even try to stop him. After a second or two of hesitation, Andi slid her hands around his shoulders and gave as good as she got.

“Did I mention how much I missed you?” Sean asked when he pulled back.

“I think you just did.” Breathing heavily, she stepped away. She glanced around, and Sean remembered they were surrounded by people. Andi touched his arm but put more space between them. “You know, Sean, this is still a little weird for me. I’m still trying to get my head around the idea of you being interested in me that way, so…” She made an awkward gesture with one of her hands.

A slow smile crept up his face. “You’ll get used to it, Sunshine. I’ll make sure of that.” He moved to pull her back to him then felt a hand clasp his shoulder from behind.

Luke held tight to his new wife’s hand. “Whoa, buddy, is this my celebration or yours?”

Andi’s cheeks turned red, but Sean wouldn’t let her put any more distance between them. He put a possessive arm around her waist and turned with her toward his friends. “Luke, I was just coming to look for you. I want you to meet an old friend from college. Andi Lockhart, this is Luke and Ellie Rogers. Luke runs a construction company in town.” He wagged his eyebrows. “And Ellie is his secretary.”