“Something might have been dropped,” Simon said. “And we can pick up the scent of something even if it’s hidden in snow. If we find anything, I’ll let you know.”
Monty nodded. “I’ll have one of my officers bring in that pizza.”
“Better if it’s a face we already know.”
Another nod, and Monty walked out of the office. Kowalski fell into step with him.
“Anything?” Monty asked.
Kowalski shook his head. “First they were aware of trouble was when Simon Wolfgard sounded the alarm. After that, everyone went nuts.”
“Nuts meaning ‘primed for battle’?”
“That’s how I read it.”
As soon as he crossed the line that separated human land from the Courtyard, Monty stopped to assess the street. The bomb squad was gone, along with the fire truck, ambulance, and half the police cars. The intersection was still blocked, keeping traffic away from the Courtyard’s entrance.
But the arrival of the shiny black car and the man leaning against it had occurred while he’d been talking with Meg and Simon.
As he walked over to where Captain Burke waited for him, Monty spotted the officers he had sent to canvas the businesses across from the Courtyard. He stopped and waited for them. “Anything?”
“Nobody remembers anything about the vehicles that were in and out of there today,” Officer Hilborn said. “But everyone who had a window seat at the Stag and Hare saw the wolf man.”
Monty frowned. “Wolf man?”
“Half man, half wolf. Or a furry man with a wolf’s head. Until we all showed up, most thought it was a gimmick for a horror movie or some kind of stunt of the dumb and daredevil kind, being dressed like that and standing where the Others could see him. When they realized he was real, it scared the crap out of all of them.”
Those images in horror stories and movies had to come from somewhere, Monty thought. “So, nobody saw a white van leave the Courtyard?”
Hilborn shook his head. “All they remember seeing is something a lot scarier than they thought lived in the Courtyard.”
Too much fear makes people stupid.
Monty glanced at his captain. Burke was watching the Crows watch him. The man wouldn’t stay patient for long, but there would be enough time to hear from Debany and MacDonald before he had to give his own report.
“Write up your report,” he told Hilborn.
Hilborn tipped his head to indicate his partner and the other two officers who had been canvassing businesses. “Not sure how much good it will do. Everyone agreed on something that was a wolf and a man at the same time. After that . . . Well, pick your favorite scary movie.”
“Understood.” With a nod of dismissal, Monty turned to Debany and MacDonald.
“Nobody at A Little Bite knew there was trouble until Tess locked the front door and ran out the back, leaving the Hawk as guard and Ms. Lee to deal with customers,” Debany said.
“Pretty much the same story at Howling Good Reads,” MacDonald said. “Locked door, Wolf standing guard, no explanation.” He looked at Kowalski. “Ruth was there. Apparently, humans who have been given a pass to the Market Square can be tagged as temporary employees. Or maybe she volunteered to help. That part wasn’t clear. Either way, she ended up working the cash register and having an ongoing discussion with a Crow about the necessity of giving people correct change, even if that means giving them coins that are shiny.”
After Debany and MacDonald had the pizza order and were on their way, Monty turned to Kowalski. “Take five minutes and have another look around HGR.”
“Thank you, sir.”
When he and Burke were the only ones left, Monty walked over to his captain.
“Any reason to keep the intersection blocked?” Burke asked.
“No, sir. I don’t think there will be any more trouble here today.”
“Today,” Burke said heavily. “Seems that someone is still whispering in the governor’s ear, and he’s still leaning on the mayor to find that stolen property. You think this is connected?”
“Yes, sir.”
“So do I. What have we got?”
Monty told him about the unmarked van and the suspicious behavior of the man posing as a deliveryman. Then he told him about the reports of a wolf man, and watched Burke pale.
“You’ve seen one of the Others like that?”
Burke nodded. “Early in my career, I worked in a village smack in the middle of wild country. Most of Thaisia is wild country, but we said it like that to indicate the village wasn’t close to a bigger city. The Others who live in the wild places . . . Nobody knows if they can’t shift into the human form well enough to pass for human or if they just don’t want to. But you’ll see those blends if you have to go out and visit their settlements, and they truly are the stuff of nightmares.” He blew out a breath. “You think that van and driver left the Courtyard?”
“No, sir. But I’m hoping Simon Wolfgard will feel obliged to us enough to ‘find’ the man’s wallet and hand it over.”
Burke didn’t say anything. Then he pushed away from the car and opened the door. “You’re managing to keep things smooth, Lieutenant. Good work.” He got in, started the car, and drove off.
And a handful of Crows went winging into the Courtyard to report.
Monty got into his car. While he waited for Kowalski, he took an envelope from the coat’s inside pocket. The envelope was in Elayne’s handwriting, and the pressure of pen on paper told him she had been cornered into sending it. The handmade card inside was from Lizzy, his darling girl. Hugs and kisses for her daddy.
He put the card away and closed his eyes. Keep things smooth. Besides all the lives at stake here in Lakeside, he had one very good reason for keeping things smooth.
With a little effort, Asia picked the lock on the apartment door and slipped inside. By the time she was done with this assignment, she would have some serious skills for her TV series. Asia Crane, Special Investigator, would be a native of Toland. . . . No. Most of the PIs currently on TV were from the East Coast’s Big City. She would be a specialist brought in from the Cel-Romano Alliance of Nations to uncover corporate intrigue in Thaisia, or unmask a threat to the human government, or even deal with problems between humans and the terra indigene. Maybe her character could have an ongoing romance with an officer on the ship that routinely traveled across the Atlantik, providing transport between Cel-Romano and Thaisia. Maybe she could have a tame Wolf as an assistant, who could sniff out information other investigators wouldn’t be able to find. Wouldn’t that be a kick in Simon Wolfgard’s ass?
One way or another, this assignment was going to make her a very hot property who could write her own ticket—and name her own price.
Thank the gods she’d parked on a side street when she returned to the Courtyard. She had wanted to be around when Simon Wolfgard realized Meg the feeb was missing. Instead, she’d found cop cars all over the place, the intersection blocked, and all kinds of talk about someone trying to do something suspicious at the Liaison’s Office. Something to do with a box or a van or . . . something.
Everyone who had a mobile phone was chattering nonsense, but it was enough to tell her that White Van had failed big-time.
The idiot not only bungled the snatch; he got caught. She wasn’t worried about him coming back here and finding her searching his apartment. Even if he managed to get out of the Courtyard, he was gone, gone, gone. But she had left a couple of printed notes under the van’s windshield wiper, providing information about Meg’s routine. A pro would have disposed of the notes.