Page 22 of Quest of the Wolf

Since I’d waited until the police departed to leave and pick up my niece, we were getting a later start on the Duncan search than I’d wanted. Cold rain pattered on the windshield, the clouds making it feel more like night than afternoon, and the heat blasted from the vents in my truck. We drove through puddles, spraying the sides of the highway.

“It’s a surprising location foranythingexcept some farms,” I said, though I hadn’t passed through Deming in a long time, and I didn’t remember it well. It was close enough to Bellingham that civilization might have grown out in that direction by now.

“The population is a little over 500.” Jasmine had her phone open with a map to the property, but she’d tapped over to a browser to look up the town.

“People or squirrels?” I noted one alongside the highway that hadn’t survived a crossing attempt.

“Oh, I’m sure there are way more than 500squirrels.” Jasmine showed me a photo of a gas station with a towering forest behind it.

Seeing the trees made me reassess the town as a possible place that a werewolf could be imprisoned. Who there would think anything of howling in the woods?

“Seven miles to the address.” Jasmine lowered the phone. “The road it’s on is a little ways out of town, after the turn for Mount Baker Highway.”

Mount Baker Highway. I hadn’t realized we were heading so close to where my son was staying for his snowboarding trip. It was, I assured myself, a coincidence that he was taking his vacation in the same area where Duncan had possibly been spotted—sensed. And where Radomir owned property.

“I’ll let you know when we’re close,” Jasmine added, looking at me when I didn’t answer.

“Okay, thanks.” I forced a smile for her, but unease had crept into me. “You’re making your case for having me be a reference for you on your résumé, by the way.”

“Oh, good. What’s changing your mind?”

“You’re a good researcher.”

“Because I looked up the squirrel population?”

“Among other things.”

“I did also think to bring thefamily-size bag of Doritos instead of a small one. I’m good at shopping for snacks as well as recording werewolf battles.”

When she’d mentioned bringing provisions, I’d envisioned sandwiches, not chips, but all I said was, “A prospective employer will be delighted by those skills.”

“Well, maybe not, but I do know all about residential and commercial financing for real estate. If you ever need a loan, I can hook you up with a good rate.”

“I’m not a fan of debt, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You’re not buying that fourplex you talked about with cash, not in the Seattle area.” Jasmine looked over at me. “Unless you’re a lot richer than I think.”

“I’m saving up money for a downpayment, but I’m definitely not rich.”

“I figured not when I saw you pull gas money out of an envelope and debate whether or not you had enough to fill the tank.”

“Observant, aren’t you?”

“Yup. That’s a bullet point on the résumé. Since I’m light on actual work history, beyond the stuff I do for Mom, I had to fluff it up a bit with adjectives. Five miles.” Jasmine held up the phone to show me the map, then switched to the browser again.

I debated whether to ask about her music tastes—currently, a female rapper was spitting lyrics on my truck’s tinny factory speakers—or her opinion on young druids enraptured with her beauty. But she spoke again first.

“There’s nothing about potion factories on this list of things to do in Deming.”

“The other building might have been the company’s flagship location—until they listed it for sale.”

“Racehorse Falls is a hike in the area. You can visit Nooksack Salmon Hatchery. Oh, if you’re up here in June, you can go to the DemingLog Show. That’s sure to be a good time.”

“I’ll put it on my calendar.”

“You’d be a fool not to.”

A few lights came into view ahead, a gas station and handful of other businesses along the highway.

---