The Werewolf Whisperer (The Werewolf Whisperer Series Book 1) (17 page)

"It
would compromise their immune system, like HIV?" Lucy asked, also more
interested in dead coyotes than Xochitl's need for a pit stop.

"It
was just a theory," Hanna said, not exactly answering the question. "But
Ellie said something like ninety percent of the dead coyotes analyzed tested
positive for rodenticides, and she made us stop using rat poison at the ranch."

Xochitl
felt like her eyes were filling up with water.

"Was
that the summer Chasselas spent months digging up that rats' nest out by the
back fence?" Lucy giggled at the memory.

"Yeah,
we did have a problem that year. Almost lost the garden to the gophers too,"
Hanna said.

"But
Mama took her revenge, huh Hanna?" Lucy looked out the window.

"I
think her motto was kill 'em with kindness," Hanna replied.

"Umm...What
did your mom do to the gophers?" Xochitl asked, hearing the uncomfortable
tone in her own voice and hoping Lucy could too.

"Chocolate
Ex-Lax," Lucy explained. "Not Mama's best moment." She sounded
melancholy and clearly still hurt at the mention of her mother.

"So
they would...shit...themselves...to death?" Xochitl tried to lighten the
mood. "At least they got to relieve themselves." She poked Lucy's arm.

Lucy
gave her a weak smile.

Xochi's
bladder threatened to explode.

"But
it worked." Hanna sounded defensive.

"Fox
urine works just as well," Lucy argued. "And you're not—"

"But
how do you make a fox pee on command?" Xochitl feigned interest, hoping to
calm Lucy down.

"You
buy the urine at the store, city girl." Lucy laughed.

"Freakin'
rednecks." Xochitl shook her head and drawled in her best Foghorn Leghorn
impression, "Luce, I reckon...I reckon...we could make some squirrel stew
tonight?...After I pee...I pee, that is."

Lucy
rolled her eyes.

That 'a girl. Back on the happy train.

"Only
if you're really good and stop scratching your nasty, swollen poison oak
pustules." Lucy held up a finger and pointed to a gas station sign on the
side of the freeway.

"Oh,
thank God!" Xochitl groaned.

"Hanna,
we're pulling over for gas. Could you look into that mange thing some more?"
Lucy asked. "If Weres can come down with some sort of immune thing, we
need to know."

Lucy
nodded to Xochitl who ended the call before Hanna could answer.

"You
can be such a baby sometimes," Lucy said, pulling El Gallo onto the
off-ramp.

"It's
your fault for buying those pinche sodas." Xochitl tucked her phone inside
her vest pocket and grabbed the door handle, ready to jump out of the car as
soon as they parked.

"Pull
into that one." She pointed to a gas station that catered to truckers. "It'll
be easier to park. My papa always said truckers are the best kind of people to
have around when you're traveling."

Lucy
parked the Toronado and attached horse trailer in a lane long enough for a big
rig. Xochitl immediately jumped out of the car and raced into the all-night
convenience store and restaurant.

"Bathroom!"
she yelped to the attendant behind the counter. The twenty-something Hispanic
kid seemed amused by Xochi's discomfort. He pointed to the large restroom sign at
back of the store.

"Oh,
thank God!"

She
darted for the door marked
Ladies
and raced into the nearest stall.

A
few minutes later, Xochi exited the ladies room feeling more refreshed. She combed
the store for calamine lotion and spotted Lucy behind one of the snack racks.

"So,
pretzels or chips?" Xochitl sashayed up to Lucy.

"Huh?"
Lucy looked lost in thought.

"You
gonna buy something?" Xochitl nodded to the assortment of snacks lining
the display rack.

"Oh,
yeah." Lucy grabbed a bag of pretzels and headed for the counter to pay. "I
got gas too."

"Great...Ooo...pepitas!"
Xochitl snatched the bag of roasted pumpkin seeds, her favorite, and followed
Lucy to the register. Xochitl squinted at the clerk's name tag —
Todd
.

"That'll
be one-hundred forty-seven dollars and ninety-five cents," Todd said after
ringing up their gas, snacks and calamine lotion.

"¡Híjole!"
Xochitl shook her head and pulled the business credit card from her wallet.

"Umm..."
Lucy raised her eyebrow.

"What?"
Xochitl slapped the card on the counter. "Serves her right." She ran
her finger over the name on the card. "Hanna's Rescue and Rehabilitation
,"
she said with slight disdain.
"I still don't know about that. We shudda stuck with 'The Werewolf
Whisperer.' That's the name everybody knows. Hanna's a control freak."
Xochitl signed the credit card slip.

"Your
funeral." Lucy grabbed the snacks and turned toward the glass doors. "Holy
shit!"

Xochitl
heard the bag thump on the floor.

"What?"
she glanced up.

"What
the...?" Todd blurted out.

At
the pumps, their fifteen-foot, black horse rig bounced up-and-down off the
pavement.

"¡Ay
carajo!" Xochitl snatched the credit card off the counter and pulled a
frozen Lucy out the door.

Chapter
12

breaking
news from iLA...the levantón continues...Mass kidnappings cause fear and panic
throughout East LA and the Valley...Locals suspect gangs and blame police for
the removal of the Afflicted...LAPD refuses to comment...breaking news from
i
LA...

23
months ago

"Attention
all units. Attention all units. This is an end of watch broadcast for Police Officer
II Gabriel Adrian Torres serial number 20160." The police radio crackled
the transmission.

Captain
Burch took one hand off the wheel and adjusted the volume for better reception.

Riding
shotgun in Burch's cruiser, Lucy felt all strength drain from her limbs and bile
rise up to her throat. She and Burch were heading into East Los Locos
territory, not knowing what to expect but determined to find Memo Morales and
Xochitl Magaña.

Hearing
Gabe's end of watch broadcast shocked Lucy and made her ill.

Gabe...I
didn't even get to say goodbye.

"Torres
graduated from the academy in Los Angeles and completed his probation at Van
Nuys division. He was assigned to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Animal Cruelty
Task Force where he worked until April of this year."

Afraid
to miss even one word, Lucy said nothing but stared hard at Burch, who kept his
eyes on the road. She blinked away tears.

"Gabriel
Torres worked many investigative assignments during his career. His dedication
and superior investigative skills led to many arrests. Gabriel takes great
pride in the work he did with his partner Officer Lucy Lowell."

"Takes!
As in present tense?" Lucy shouted. "Burch, you bastard!"

Captain
Burch chuckled.

"Torres
plans to dedicate his retirement to the rescue and proper training of bully
breed dogs as well as the eradication of all dogfighting in the city of Los
Angeles. Officer Torres, we wish you well in retirement." The transmission
ended.

"His
retirement!" Lucy pounded the window with her fist and stomped her feet
down on the car floor, sending up dust and dirt from the rubber mat.

"Hot
damn! I'll have to call him when we're done." Lucy rolled down the window
and yelled out, "Gabe's not dead!" She turned to Burch, searching for
words.

"Burch
you are an ASS!" She stretched out the last word and punctuated it by
slapping both hands on the dashboard.

Burch
laughed out loud. "Lucy, you are a hemorrhoid. You've been nothing but a
giant pain in my sphincter. Serves you right." She joined in his laughter
as they rolled into East Los Locos territory.

Lucy
was still laughing hysterically when they pulled up to the rundown apartment
complex on Figueroa Terrace. She bounced out of the car, but her mood changed
as soon as she saw the desolated street.

The
area was unusually empty, and homemade barricades blocked a construction site.
Oversized
ELL
graffiti blanketed
every available surface, as if the taggers had become unhinged. Like a pack of
wild dogs, the East Los Locos had marked their turf. Barbed wire stretched
across apartment balcony rails. Collections of photos, candles, flowers and rosary
beads made up sad little corner shrines — offerings to the Virgin for
those who had been lost.

Something
felt deeply wrong. Lucy flicked the release tab of her holster, freeing her
Beretta, and followed Burch cautiously to the intercom at a white wrought iron
gate.

"You
really think this Terrace Edge Neighborhood Watch is gonna help us find Memo?"
she asked as Burch pushed the intercom button. No answer. He waited a moment
then tried again. Still no answer.

"Damn.
They're hiding. Musta known what we were coming for," Burch said and
kicked the gate. "Mr. Vasques! Mrs. Robles! Hello!" he hollered loud
enough for the whole complex to hear.

"Go
away, puerco!" a young child's high voice called out. "Está nobody
home."

"Where
do you recruit your informants, pre-school?" Lucy teased Burch. "They
obviously take you seriously. Must be your sparkling personality. If we had
Gabe here, those doors would be wide open."

"You're
walking on thin ice, Lowell."

"Yeah,
yeah. Tell me something I haven't heard." Lucy smiled at Burch, the
good-natured teasing coming easily now that she knew Burch had her back. "Now
where, boss?"

Burch
grumbled something involving a long walk and a short pier but turned from the
gate at a loss.

Lucy
scanned the area, their elevation granting her a good vantage point. The hilly
street allowed her to see clearly to the high-rises of Downtown. Small houses
and gated apartments crowded into each other. The midday sun beat down hard,
and she started to feel the beginnings of a headache.

Must
be hungry.

The
thought of food made her stomach tighten and her muscles contract in spasms.
Her imagination conjured up the sweet aroma of roast pork.

"Do
you smell it?" Lucy asked Burch with a reverent whisper.

"I
smell warm piss and asphalt," Burch snapped back, walking to the cruiser
with purpose. "I hate fucking palm trees in the barrio. Sends the wrong
message."

"It's
Cabra Blanca, and it's close." Lucy didn't wait for Burch but took long
strides down the street, senses sharp.

A
tiny Spanish house with bars on the windows and a long driveway that wound around
to the back caught Lucy's attention.

Following
the scent of carnitas and barbacoa, she walked down the cracked concrete and
cautiously peeked around the corner of the house.

The
Cabra Blanca food truck sat nestled under the roof of a makeshift carport.
While the sizzling of meat on a grill was absent, Lucy could still smell the
delicious aroma of braised pork and fresh tortillas.

Low
grunting came from the inside of the truck. Lucy drew her gun and checked her
back. She could hear Burch's quiet boot fall down the driveway.

She
signaled him and on his nod approached the cracked-open door.

She
looked inside to see a dark figure rooting around. It grunted again and clawed
at the ground.

"Stop!"
Lucy commanded what could only be a small, chubby Werebeast.

"¡Mocos!"
A round, dark haired man turned with unexpected dexterity, smashing spilled
tortilla chips with his knees.

"¡Ay
caramba!" Eddie Ibáñez exclaimed and stumbled back, clutching his chest.
Lucy holstered her Beretta and jumped into the truck to steady the man.

"It's
okay, Eddie. I thought you were one of the creature beasts." Lucy
supported his back, allowing the man to find both his breath and his balance.

"Officer
Lowell, I thought you were one of the East Los coming back. They hit me for
food a couple of hours ago. Broke into my damn house while I was cooking. Made
a mess of my truck too. Useless delincuentes juveniles."

"Everything
okay, Lowell?" Burch shouted from the yard.

"All
set, boss." Lucy called out. "Come around, Burch. You're gonna wanna
hear this." She sat back on her haunches, taking a look around. The
usually pristine interior of the truck was covered in dropped bits of cooked
meats and grilled vegetables, smashed containers and spilled condiments. Eddie's
broom and mop lay to the side of the black plastic garbage bag he'd been
filling with broken tortilla chips.

Rising,
Eddie grabbed a cup from under the counter and stumbled to his stainless steel
ice bin. Holding himself steady with one hand, he scooped up a cupful of cubes
from between bottles of soda and chilling beers. He turned back to Lucy and
Burch, holding the cup to his forehead and cheeks.

"Captain
Burch, this is Eduardo Ibáñez, owner and number one chef of the famed Cabra
Blanca food truck." Lucy stood tall and made the introduction as formal as
she could, hoping Eddie would trust them enough to share information. "Eddie,
this is my boss, Captain Burch."

"Señor
Ibáñez." Burch sounded respectful and concerned. "Officer Lowell and
I are investigating the recent attacks and the levantón. We are hoping to find
out what has been happening in this neighborhood."

Lucy
was impressed that Burch remembered the name given to the mass kidnappings by
the folks on the street. She just wasn't sure Eddie could be convinced to roll
on the East Los Locos.

"Bad
days. Muy, muy malo." Eddie shook his head and stared down at the floor.

"They
took my Lenore. The East Los. And I let them," he burst forth, voice
cracking. "They said I have to give them food every day, or they hurt
Lenore."

"Was
Lenore okay when they took her or..." Lucy let her voice trail off.

Eddie
looked up at her, his heartbreak palpable. "She's gone loba. Some of El
Gallo's boys knocked her out with a beanbag gun and threw her in the back of
their El Camino before she could hurt my customers. It was on Alvarado, middle
of the day. It was good they were there. But now...They won't bring her back."
The man mopped his forehead with a bar towel.

"When
did they take her, Eddie?" Lucy asked.

"Three
days ago. My wife reported her missing. I was going to report what really
happened." It was clear to Lucy that Eddie was just saying that last part.
He'd had no intention of reporting the kidnapping. She had no doubt that the
East Los Locos had sprung up as enforcers, taking immediate advantage of what
would rapidly turn into anarchy on the streets unless Rice and the National
Guard could quell it.

"I
understand, Eddie." Her tone said that she'd caught his lie but wasn't
going to make an issue of it. "But now you have to help me. You know they
won't let her go. If I can find Memo's hideout, maybe we can free Lenore and
the other kids."

Eddie
nodded but said nothing at first, considering his options. "No sé."
He gave Lucy a hard look.

"Come
on, Eddie. You do know." Lucy got very close and gently put her hand on
Eddie's arm. He flinched away from her touch.

"No
sé. No sé. No sé."

"Señor
Ibáñez, please help us bring the kids back home. El Gallo is terrorizing the
neighborhood," Burch broke in.

"El
Gallo keeps us safe from the attacks. His boys ride around and hunt las Bestias
with their machine guns..." Eddie trailed off and took a big, rattling
breath. "I just want my Lenore back."

"Okay,
I get it." Lucy hurried because she could see the man was overwhelmed and
about to shut down. "You want to keep your family safe. But give me
something. If you can't tell me, give me a name. Someone who knows something.
Someone who would talk."

Eddie
paused and fished a few ice cubes from his cup. He rubbed them on the back of
his neck.

"I
get all sorts of people at the truck. Some come every day." He paused
unsure of how to say the next part. He leaned against the truck wall with a
deep sigh. "Anita Magaña comes first thing every morning, always smells
like tequila. Except the other night, she shows up sober. El Gallo drops her
off in that crazy orange car of his."

"Memo
Morales is known for his classic '66 Toronado, orange like the sun, mint
condition," Lucy explained to Burch.

Eddie
continued, "Anita is crying her eyes out. Says Miguel hates her. Says she's
going to her sister Gyssell. Eats six goat tacos. Pays with pesos, never paid
with pesos before."

Lucy
hid her surprise and grunted noncommittally. If Eddie didn't know he'd just
connected the dots for them, he wouldn't be able to spill his betrayal to anyone
who'd tell Memo. Burch caught on right away.

"Señor,
we were hoping for something specific. A fight between some drunk and her son
is gossip, nothing more," Burch said and abruptly walked away from the
truck and toward the road.

"Eddie,
get yourself outta here as soon as you can." Lucy fought her instinct and
didn't touch the man's sleeve this time. She knew he didn't want comfort from
her. He wanted the truth. "We can't keep you safe." The blood drained
from Eddie's face, and he stumbled back an inch.

That
might've been too much truth.

Lucy unclipped the pepper spray from her
belt. "This could buy you a minute," she said and set the container
on the counter. "Sprays up to twelve feet, so don't get too close and
point it away from your face." She gave him a curt nod, turned on her
heels and followed Burch.

*

The
metal cage dug into Xochitl's tender ribs as she lay in the fetal position, not
daring to move. Ripped open, her borrowed blouse exposed her bruised chest and
bloodstained bra.

The
stench of urine, dog and sweat-soaked polyester assaulted her nose, making her
want to vomit.

How
long have I been here? Three, four days?

Xochitl
had lost count. The only constants in her life now were the beatings Tuti gave
her and the animal cage she occupied.

Why
doesn't Memo just get it over with and kill me?