Page 5 of Night Owl Books

“I’m being a nice guy. Don’t be a bitch. Come on. I’m not saying it again. Get in now or you’re going to find yourself in a world of hurt.” He laughed. “Just thinking about it is putting me in a good mood.” “I have a seat for you right here. Let’s go.”

“Sonofabitch.”

The officer let the recording go until I eventually hear my bookstore door bang as McKenna threw it open. He doesn’t react, allowing the playback to continue.

“You can stop now,” I said. “That was the sound of my front door being flung open.”

He turned to me, brow furrowed, and then reversed the video, turning the volume all the way up and holding it to his ear. When the bang came again, he turned it off and shook his head. “Seriously good ears. So, did anything strike you?”

I thought about it for a good long time. He didn’t seem bothered by my silence, which was strange. It unnerved most people. His legs were straight out in front of him, crossed at the ankles, as he leaned his head back against the side of the house and waited.

“I think he’s one of us,” I finally said.

He turned his head, his warm dark eyes studying me. “I caught a very faint scent of wolf on McKenna, so I agree. What makesyousay so, though?”

I organized my thoughts and then said, “I don’t think the switch flipping to anger was because she said no.”

His interest in me changed. He stared at me as though I’d just become interesting, a silver streak in a river he now realized was salmon. Still, though, he waited.

“He was hunting for prey,” I said. “It’s a quiet night, a quiet neighborhood. She should have heard him driving up behind her. She didn’t. He revved the engine to make it loud and scare her. He wanted her fear.”

Officer Garra nodded.

“Maybe he’s a mechanic,” I suggested, “because that engine had to be adjusted to make it run so quiet. Stealth’s more important to him than the show of power.” I looked out over the forest. “When I hunt, I surprise my prey. They can’t hear me and don’t realize I’m there until they’re trapped in my talons and are being carried away.”

He made a soft chuff of agreement.

“He rolled up on her,” I continued, “with his quiet engine and his dark headlights because I think he has naturally excellent hearing and vision. You and I can see in the dark, but I’ve seen humans stumble out there at night without a flashlight. Some of the late night and early morning runners or dog walkers even use those little lights on an elastic strap around their heads.”

“She was recording herself,” he said. “Maybe he saw the light from her phone.”

I shrugged. “Maybe, but he would have had to have seen it far enough away to keep his headlights off while he was approaching her. I don’t know,” I said, putting my foot down to push the swing. “I don’t have your sense of smell, but I caught a strange scent on her too, and it wasn’t a human scent.”

He grumbled his agreement.

I stared at his perfect profile. It wasn’t as intimidating if he wasn’t looking at me. Or smiling. “I bet it was an adrenaline rush when she jumped. She made a little squeak of shock. I think that excited him.”

“I caught that too,” the cop murmured.

“Her running away would only rev up that excitement, but it wasn’t a successful hunt,” I said.

The cop got smoothly to his feet and stepped to the edge of the porch, studying the dark woods. He slipped McKenna’s phone into the pocket of his sweatpants. “There was no reason for him not to pursue her. Chasing her into the trees had probably been his plan if he couldn’t get her in his truck. My guess is he caught your scent and realized these woods are your territory.”

“You caught my scent from the road?” I asked.

He nodded. “Granted, I’d met you, been in your home, but even standing down there on the edge of the forest, I sensed it. I think that sudden anger of his wasn’t about her saying no to a ride. He would have enjoyed her trying to fight him off.Overpowering her. The rage came because he caught your scent and knew his hunt had been spoiled.”

“I’m that scary?” I put a foot down and pushed back, rocking the swing back and forth again.

He glanced over and watched me a moment before shaking his head. “No, but you’re an unknown. If he’s local, he knows we have a pack of wolves and a large den of bears here. I’ve got more aunts, uncles, and cousins than I can name in Monterey County. You, though, are unique and because of that, he wouldn’t know what you are or how much of a threat you pose.”

“That must have been frustrating,” I said, staring out at the wood. It was easier to talk if I wasn’t looking at him. “To start a hunt, locate your prey, and then turn away because you sensed another predator nearby.”

“He ran,” Garra said, considering the point. “Does that make him a coward or controlled and canny?”

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