SEAL Wolf In Too Deep (6 page)

Allan went to the passenger door when Debbie didn't get out. “I thought I…” He didn't want to sound paranoid and changed his mind about saying anything. He shrugged. “Is Debbie asleep?”

“The whole way here,” Rowdy said.

Allan was glad they had driven her home, given the circumstances. He opened her door, but she stirred and smiled up at him. “Ohmigod, I've never fallen asleep on a date. Well, it wasn't a date. But you know what I mean.”

Allan helped her out of the car, and she was boneless. He noticed she'd left her purse on the seat and seized it. But she managed to walk on her own. “Are you going to be all right tonight?”

“Yeah, sure. Long day. Missed lunch and breakfast—meant to have both, but never got around to either. I had some hot chocolate at your sister's house to tide me over, but I think the beer got to me. A little.”

Allan smiled and held the door to her duplex for her. She didn't move out of the doorway, but waited for him to hand over her purse. “Thanks. I had a lovely time. Next time, I'll have water. It would be safer that way.” She waved at Rowdy, who was standing beside Allan's hatchback. “Night. That was fun. We'll have to do it again sometime.”

“Next Friday?” Rowdy asked in a hurry.

She glanced up at Allan, her dark-brown eyes wide with expectation.

“Sure.” What the hell. If the three of them were going to have pizza, maybe on a regular Friday-night basis, no one would get the notion he was dating Debbie.
Himself
included.

“Night, Debbie. See you tomorrow.” Even though it was Saturday, they were diving to Van Lake again to see if they could find more clues.

Rowdy waved good-bye. “Night, Debbie.”

“Night, all.” She closed her door and Allan waited until he heard the lock snick closed.

“I sure admire you for the work you do,” Rowdy said as they climbed into Allan's car. “I wanted to be a police diver. I thought it sounded really glamorous and more fun than regular police work. Then Debbie's retired partner told me about diving in murky waters, with swift moving currents, under ice, in frigid water, and at night or other times when there is zero visibility. The worst was the idea of diving in intake pipes and sewer water. So I decided I liked my job just fine. I guess with your SEAL training, diving suits you. Still can't figure out why Debbie would want a job like that.”

Allan nodded. He wasn't about to explain what she had told him if she hadn't mentioned it to Rowdy.

“So sorry about your kinfolk seeing that murder scene today. I can imagine how horrified they must have been. With both being pregnant, I worried about miscarriages.”

“They were shook up, sure. After witnessing such a thing, they're wary now, of course. Until we catch the murderer, it's a big concern for everyone.”

“I agree. I hope that I didn't mess things up by butting in on your pizza night with Debbie. She was just so adamant, I couldn't say no.”

Allan shook his head. “Like Debbie said, it was nice getting to know a little more about each other off duty. After such a harrowing day, the evening went well, I thought.”

“It did, but I can bow out next time. I didn't want to say anything in front of Debbie, but I can make excuses.”

“I don't have any problem with you having pizza with us.”

“She said you weren't on a date.”

“No, we weren't.”

“Then you wouldn't have any objection if I ask her out sometime?” Rowdy asked.

“Not at all.” Allan told himself she
should
go out with other guys. They could be work colleagues and maybe even friends, but nothing serious could happen between them. And if she were dating a police officer, that might deter any lunatic wanting to kill werewolves.

So why was he so annoyed with the idea?

He dropped Rowdy off at the pizzeria so he could get his car and then headed back to the site of the woman's murder. The location was two miles from Paul and Lori's cabin, but he didn't intend to disturb them tonight. Not unless he found something important related to the case.

When he arrived as close to the scene as he could get, he parked on the logging trail and hiked to the killing site. He sniffed around the area in the dark, though he could see somewhat. He was mostly relying on his sense of smell. To his surprise, he smelled another wolf.

Maybe a real wolf attracted to the blood? If it was a
lupus garou
, it was a male and unknown to Allan. And it was recent. The male hadn't scent-marked the area, but his wolf scent was in the air. Allan would have shifted to see if the wolf had left a scent from his paw pads, but he couldn't do it if the wolf killer was watching.

Allan texted Paul with the news.

Paul texted him right back:
You're at the site now?

Yeah, just got here.

Drop by the cabin when you're through.

Allan hadn't wanted to alarm Lori, but he texted back:
Sure.

Lori was the pack leader too. She had to know everything going on with regard to the pack.

Allan tracked the wolf's scent trail for two miles into the wilderness. Snow covered the tracks, so Allan couldn't tell if the wolf had been in human form or was a wolf. He thought if it had been a
lupus garou
, he would have headed for a vehicle parked on the logging road. But he hadn't. He tracked it for another four miles and got another text. He checked it out.

Paul had texted him:
Where are you?

Just tracking the wolf trail. I'm coming in. Be there in about two hours.

I'm coming for you if you're not back in two.

I hear you.

Allan headed in the direction of his car, his boots crunching in the snow. He told himself the trail had to be a wolf's. Why would a
lupus garou
be running through their territory in the vicinity of a crime scene?

He reached his car and paused, listening to the wind howling through the snow-covered branches. Then he got in and drove to Paul and Lori's cabin. As soon as he parked, Paul opened the door. He was bundled up, looking as though he intended to search for Allan, which Allan hadn't wanted. Not with Paul still on the mend. On a summer's day, he probably could take a short hike. But in these snowdrifts and with his leg muscles and tendons still healing, no.

“Sorry it took me so long.”

“Verdict?” Paul asked as he pulled off his gloves and coat while Allan shut the door.

The place was quiet, and except for the living room, the rest of the house was dark. “Is Lori asleep?” Allan asked, his voice hushed.

“Yeah. She knew you were on your way. She hasn't been sleeping well, so she wanted to go to bed early. I'll let her know the news tomorrow.” Paul got them some beers. “So what's going on?”

“No prints. Too much snow had fallen for me to tell if it was a wolf or a wolf shifter. But it was male and he didn't mark the territory, just moved through it. He could have been attracted to the blood, thinking it was a fresh kill. We have a number of real wolf packs in the forests here, so that's reasonable.”

“Your gut instinct?”

“My gut instinct is it's a pure wolf. Why would a
lupus garou
be up here at the crime scene otherwise?”

“He's related to the woman who was murdered?”

“I hadn't considered that. Or maybe the killer was a
lupus garou
, but the first time he came through the area, he used a hunter's spray to conceal that he was a wolf.”

“I don't buy it.”

“I thought someone was tailing me today. Well, not me, but Debbie. I swore a black sedan was following me after we left the pizzeria, so I turned off on another street, then came back around, and the black sedan continued to trail Debbie's car.”

“Why were you following Debbie's car?” Paul sounded a tad suspicious of Allan's motives.

Allan stiffened a bit. “She'd had a little too much to drink.” Before Paul could ask why he allowed her to drive home, he quickly said, “Rowdy met us at the pizza place and he drove her home. I gave him a ride back to the pizzeria.”

Paul visibly relaxed.

“I wouldn't let her drive home like that.”

“I understand.”

But Allan thought it was more than that. Paul was glad Rowdy was with them sharing pizza, and
he
had driven her home.

“So how long did the sedan follow her vehicle?”

“As soon as I was behind him, he made a quick turn onto the next street. By the time I reached the street, there was no sign of him. There wasn't anything really suspicious about him, but with this situation with Lori and Rose, and Debbie dropping by to see Rose today…I just feel the need to be more vigilant.”

“Agreed. I take it you didn't get his license number?”

“No. I planned to when I was behind him, but I didn't get close enough.”

“Okay, so we'll have everyone watching for a black sedan and be on the alert for a male
lupus garou
stranger. And a red Camaro, if Franny's ex-lover has found her and is stalking her. I'm glad to hear that there's nothing serious going on between you and Debbie. Rose and Catherine were worried about you.”

“Rowdy is asking her out. I'm not dating her, Paul. I know the rules. We just shared some pizza and beer. Next week, we're planning to do the same thing, the three of us, unless Rowdy starts dating her. Then it's strictly just work and she's all his.”

“Okay, glad to hear it. I know it's tough, and if you're not interested in any of the females in the pack, that makes it tougher. But getting involved with a human is too dangerous.”

“Yeah, don't I know it.” Allan finished his beer. “Well, I'm calling it a night. Debbie and I have an early dive tomorrow on that Van Lake investigation we're looking into.”

“Any leads?”

“Only that it looks like a murder set up to look like an accident.”

“Okay, Allan. I'm working a case tomorrow…”

Allan couldn't conceal his look of surprise.

“From home. Hell, I can't dive. I can walk, but not on this damn ice without risking breaking my leg again or tearing up ligaments or something. I'll be home.”

Allan took a relieved breath. “You'll be as good as new soon.” They healed in half the time it took humans, so Paul must have injured himself worse than they had first thought.

“Right. I'll be busy, but if you learn anything, let me know.”

Allan said good night and headed home. He kept watching for signs of car lights following him. It was late, the snow was still falling, and traffic was light on the lake road he took to get back to his mountain cabin. When he arrived, he headed inside, shucking his winter coat and gloves and tossing them on the sofa. He stripped off his clothes in the bedroom, then took a shower. But in the middle of the hot, steamy shower, he heard his phone ring.

Now what? He turned off the water and jerked a towel off the bar, drying himself as he went to get his phone.

The caller ID said it was Debbie. At once, he worried something was wrong. “Debbie, are you all right?”

“Rowdy called me for a date. Did you put him up to it?” She sounded pissed.

Debbie felt better after showering and falling asleep on the sofa for a couple of hours. Note to self: no more drinking when out with the guys. She couldn't imagine how her dad could drink so much and then pass out. She'd barely finished a beer.

When Rowdy had called, she couldn't believe it. No way did she want to go out with him on a date. The problem was Allan. She had to admit he did something to her deep inside. Had her wanting to impress him on the job and as a woman. With Rowdy, she didn't care. But with Allan, she did.

So when Rowdy called to ask her on a date and told her he had cleared it with Allan, she was ticked off. Rowdy didn't need to get permission from Allan. Just from
her
.

She didn't think there was a way to let a guy down gently either. Even though Rowdy acted as though he was fine with the rejection, she knew he wasn't. No one liked to be turned down in the romance department. He probably thought she was hung up on Allan, who wasn't hung up on her. She knew Allan wasn't married or seeing anyone. She'd seen some women show interest in him when they had coffee at the local diner one morning before work. But he hadn't shown any interest back. He just was polite and offered a casual good morning, nothing more.

“He asked me if he could ask you out. I said sure. What else was I to say? No, you can't ask her? Sorry, Debbie, but you invited him to have pizza with us. I guess he thought you were more interested in him.” Allan almost sounded a little smug about it.

She pursed her lips. “Great.”

“Just tell him no.”

“I did. I think I hurt his ego.”

“He'll get over it. How are you feeling?”

This was the Allan she knew. He was always so considerate. Rowdy hadn't asked at all. But Allan? She really liked that about him. “Better. I showered and napped. I guess that's it for drinking for me.”

He chuckled. “You're not used to it.”

“Sorry I was kind of a party pooper.”

“No problem. We've got to get up tomorrow early to dive anyway.”

“Yeah. I had fun. I'm not sure what's going to happen with pizza night next week, but Rowdy might not join us now.” She wanted to ask Allan if that would be a problem. She purposely had asked Rowdy to eat with them because of the way Allan's family had acted about Allan “dating” her. But she hadn't expected Rowdy to ask her out on a date.

“Well, it's his loss. If he's man enough, he'll join us. Or if he's interested enough, he'll keep trying.”

She sighed. “I don't want him to keep asking me for a date. Well, since we have such an early day tomorrow, I need to say good night.”

“Same here. I'll see you in the morning.”

They ended the call and she was glad Allan
hadn't
suggested to Rowdy that he date her, but she was still annoyed Rowdy would seek Allan's permission.

Tucked under her covers in bed, she began thinking about the case of the dead man in the car. She didn't count sheep. She counted key pieces of evidence, working them over in her mind. And then she recalled something from the police report. Two eyewitnesses had seen a black sedan leaving the scene right after the victim's car went into the lake.

Coincidence? Or the killer?

She grabbed her phone and called Allan. Before he could even say hello, she said, “Do you remember that a couple of eyewitnesses said they saw a black sedan speed off after the victim's car ended up in the lake?”

“Black sedan,” Allan said, his voice darker than she thought it would be.

It could mean absolutely nothing, but Allan sounded like he believed it might.

“One followed me when I was headed in to work earlier.”

“One was following you after we left the pizza parlor.” Bedcovers began to rustle. “I'm coming over.”

“What? You're kidding. Why didn't you arrest him?”

“He gave me the slip. Besides, I wasn't certain he was really following either of us.”

“I'm fine,” Debbie said, not wanting to cause further speculation about why Allan would be staying the night at her place. “I'm armed and dangerous.”

For a moment, he didn't say anything. She would have liked it if he came over, truth be told. She had a guest room, and if someone was after her next, at least she'd have backup. But Allan seemed to believe she could handle it on her own. She had wanted to give him an out, hadn't she? Besides, she
was
armed.

“I'm coming over. Be there in a half hour.”

Relieved to the max, she sighed. She knew he'd be rushing if it only took him half an hour, especially in winter when it was snowing again. “Take your time. I'll be fine.” But she truly was glad he was coming to stay the night.

“Okay, I'll be on my way to your place in a few minutes.”

They said good-bye and ended the call.

She wondered what his log cabin on the mountain was like. The family had owned it forever, he had said, and she bet it was really nice no matter what the season.

She considered getting dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater before he arrived. But it seemed silly when she was just going to put on her thermal pajamas again once he was settled in. She threw on a robe instead and slipped on a pair of boot slippers. They were pink, and so was her fluffy robe. Her pajama top sported a teddy bear wearing a ski hat with earflaps and braided ties. At least her pajamas were gray, so she didn't look too girly.

She realized that whenever she saw anyone, she wore somber colors. She thought it made her appear more professional. But with her nightwear and underwear, she loved being frivolous. Maybe she should wear her jeans and the sweater. Then in the privacy of her bedroom, she could be herself.

She glanced around at all the pastel colors—light green, light blue with navy accents. Oh, well, there was no escaping her love of all things colorful.

She brushed out her hair again to remove all signs of having been in bed and then straightened up the place, though it was already fairly neat. Living by herself with reading as her only hobby meant she didn't make messes often.

She checked her watch again. Twenty minutes before he would arrive. She went into the guest bedroom and checked it out. She wanted to turn down the bed, to do something to thank him for coming over to help watch her back.

He was her dive partner, she told herself. This was nothing personal; he was just concerned. She turned off all the lights in the duplex and peered out the windows, moving from one room to the next to see if she could catch sight of a black sedan. Security lights and streetlights in her complex cast a strange orange glow on the misty snow. It looked like the perfect night for a murder.

* * *

Before he hit the road, Allan called Paul, hating to wake him but needing to tell his pack leader where he was going. He knew Paul wouldn't like it, but Debbie was his partner and he had to watch her back.

Paul answered with, “Hell, Allan.”

“Can't be helped,” he told Paul.

“Yeah, I know, but you're digging yourself deeper on this one.”

“I'm not turning her, and I'm not mating her. I'm just protecting her.” Allan threw his bag in the car and slammed the door.

“Yeah, you remember what happened between Hunter and Tessa?”

Their SEAL wolf team leader had gotten into a real mess with Tessa, a human with wolf roots. This was different. Debbie didn't have any connection to the wolves. That would make it even worse if Allan turned her. Which he had no plan to do, no matter what.

“Yeah, yeah. This isn't the same.”

“Isn't it? Hunter had to protect Tessa and look what happened then.”

“They're happily mated wolves,” Allan reminded Paul, pulling out his ice scraper.

“Right, but she had wolf ties. Your partner doesn't.”

“Which I'm well aware of.”

“You need to find a mate. That would be the end of this…infatuation you have for her.”

“We mate for life, and I'm not going there with just any she-wolf so that everyone will get off my case about my partner. I'm not infatuated with her. I enjoy working with her, that's all. Got to go. I'll let you know if anything else happens.”

“All right, buddy. Just be careful.”

He knew Paul wasn't talking about the driver of the black sedan. Allan couldn't believe the sedan had also followed Debbie earlier in the day.

He called Debbie back as he scraped the snow off his windshield. “When did the black sedan follow you, and to where? Your home?”

“I picked him up somewhere around Cottage Grove. I noticed him sometime after I left your sister's house.”

Allan swore under his breath. This was so not good. “Why didn't you say something earlier?”

“I didn't think of it in relationship to our case. I figured if I saw the car again, I'd try to get his license plate number. Why didn't you mention the guy following you?”

“Same thing. We'll keep a watch out for the car. I've alerted Paul about what's going on.”

She didn't say anything for a moment, and he suspected she wondered why he had to run this by Paul.

“How did Paul react?”

Not good.
“Concerned we might have some trouble with this guy.” Allan couldn't tell her how Paul really felt about the situation.

“Just take it easy and I'll see you when you get here.”

Allan drove through the misty snow on the slippery roads. His vehicle was equipped with snow tires, but he still slid a bit coming down off the mountain. The roads were sanded, even though the accumulating snow was hampering road crews.

When he finally arrived at Debbie's brick duplex, he pulled into the carport in back and got out of the vehicle. The back porch light was on, and she opened the door. Standing there in the halo of light in her pink fluffy robe and slipper boots, she looked like a pink sugar cone, sweet and soft—not an image he wanted to remember every time they were working an assignment together.

He grabbed his overnight bag. He'd need a shave in the morning—no way did he want to show up for work looking like he'd been out partying all night.

“Hey,” he said, and she opened the door wider for him.

“I'm so sorry you had to go to all this trouble.”

“No trouble at all. I didn't see anyone suspicious around the neighborhood. If the guy is the murderer of the drowned man in the car, why would he follow you? Not both of us? At first, I thought he was following me, but then when I turned off and came back around, he was driving behind you. So I assumed he was really following you all along.”

She shook her head. “If a couple of eyewitnesses hadn't seen him—if it's the same vehicle—I would have thought I was being suspicious without any good reason.” She led him to a bedroom. “Here's the guest room. Bathroom is down the hall. Make yourself at home. If you need anything in the kitchen, it's yours.”

“Thanks. I know you felt I didn't need to come over and stay the night, but I wouldn't have slept a wink if I hadn't checked the area out. Get some rest. We'll be up and out of here before we know it.”

“Agreed. And thanks. I really appreciate it. I doubt I would have gotten much sleep either. Night, Allan. Thanks.” She padded off to the bedroom at the end of the hall.

He walked into the guest room all done in lilac and pink. He smiled a little. This was a side to Debbie he'd never known. He heard her door close, but he didn't shut his. He wanted to be able to hear if anyone made the mistake of breaking into her home in the middle of the night.

With that final thought, he stripped down to his boxer briefs and settled into the comfy bed, pulling the purple and pink floral comforter under his chin and wondering what Paul would say if he saw him now.