Page 4 of Night Owl Books

This wasn’t a busy neighborhood. If the truck man was out harassing McKenna at one in the morning, it was possible he lived nearby. Soaring up and down the streets, I rode the wind, scanning driveways for trucks. It was possible he’d parked in his garage or only prowled this area but didn’t live here. Whatever the case, I couldn’t find his truck. I did, however, find the apartment building where McKenna lived.

I saw movement in a window a block away. I saw her face for a moment when she shut the blinds. It was dark in the apartment, but I was sure it was her. I flew down and circled the apartment house. It had an open courtyard in the middle. Swooping in, I found her apartment. It was the only one in the right area of the building with a light on. A soft glow leaked around the blinds, and I caught the scent of the officer. As I couldn’t exactly tap on her door with my beak and tell her I’d found her phone, I decided to contact Garra in the morning and ask him to return it to her.

While on patrol, I also caught two mice, so I was feeling pretty good as I headed home. I was gliding over the grasscrushed by the truck’s tires again when I sensed something amiss.

Swooping low, I found a dark, shaggy boulder making its way through the trees, his nose to the ground. I gave one low hoot and he looked up, nodded in greeting, and went back to work. Settling on a branch, I watched and waited.

When he shook out his fur and headed up the hill toward my bookstore, I knew he’d struck out as well. Frustrated, I flew ahead and spotted his rig parked to the side of my house. I pulled my wings in, bulleted through the window, and landed on the bed with a quiet thump before shifting back.

I dressed, grabbed the phone from the windowsill, and went downstairs. Hopefully I’d catch him before he shifted and left. Jogging through the darkened bookstore, I headed to the back door. The cop was reclined on my porch, staring into the woods. He wore basic gray sweatpants and a t-shirt, the uniform of shifters. He probably had a bag of similar clothes in the back of his SUV.

I had a chair and a swing but he sat on the floorboards, his back against the house. Pointing at himself, he asked, “Okay if I rest here a moment?”

I nodded and tossed him the phone. He snatched it out of the air.

“I found that under some brush, maybe ten feet from where her bag had been,” I said.

“Good eye,” he responded.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a guest. Had I ever? I didn’t think the real estate agent counted. Or the insomniacs in the neighborhood who used my bookstore as a time filler. “Would you like a drink or something?” That’s what I was supposed to do, right? I’d read about this in books. One was supposed to offer refreshments.

He glanced up at me again and smiled. “Thanks. Water would be good.”

I didn’t freeze when he smiled that time. I was employing a new strategy to appear less awkward and fazed by his beauty. I looked just to the left of his face so I wouldn’t be overwhelmed. Ducking back in the door, I went to the small downstairs kitchen, poured two glasses of water, and returned to the porch. After handing him one of the glasses, I sat on the porch swing, crossed my legs underneath me, and gulped down my own glass. Shifting was thirsty work.

The officer put aside his empty glass and picked up McKenna’s phone again. He woke it up, tapped in the security number, and was in her photos.

“She gave you her password?” I was five feet away but had no problem seeing what was on the screen.

He nodded. “She was filming herself at the time, making a video clip of her walking down the dark road for her social media. Her glasses were in her bag because she said they reflected the light from her phone, making her look like she was wearing goggles. She’d planned to flip the camera and show the sky, but then the truck moved up beside her. She dropped her hand, embarrassed to be seen filming herself. We should at least get his voice. With any luck, maybe a partial view of his truck.”

He tapped play and we listened.

It’s a dark, cold night, but I’m going to share my view with you. We’re often socked in with fog here, but on a clear night, the stars look so close! I live in an ocean-side town. We had a little rain and a lot of wind earlier today. Yes, we get rain in the summer. As you can see, the only streetlight is way back there. I have woods on one side of me and some dark, sleepy houses on the other, meaning the sky is bri?—

“Quiet engine,” the officer murmurs

“No headlights,” I respond, and he nods.

“Hey. You shouldn’t be walking out here all by yourself, pretty girl like you. It’s not safe.”

“Oh! You scared me. Um, no. I’m fine. I’m not going far. Thanks.”

“You climb on in. I’ll get you there faster.”

“No, really, I’m okay.”

“There. I got the door for you. Let’s go. Come on now. Don’t be stupid. Get in. I’ll take you.”

“His voice changed,” I said.

The cop nodded. “Her breathing has sped up. She’s terrified.”

“I don’t want or need a ride. Okay? I’m fine. Please leave me alone.”

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