Page 77 of Protecting the White Bear

"Yeah." Andy parked his car in the drive-thru in front of the front doors to the lobby.

"Do you feel like this is déjà vu?"

"Yeah, I sure do." As soon as he drove under the cover at the drive-thru, envisioning leaping out of Harvey’s camper truck as a bear, and roaring in to save Monica. Andy got out of his car.

Monica left right after him, and the two approached the door. They peered in but saw no movement.

She tried the door, but it was locked. Do you have your lockpick handy?

"Yeah. Just watch out for the cops while I do this."

Her smile warmed him.

He unlocked the door, and they moved under the crime scene tape, locking it behind them. They listened for any sign that anyone was in the lobby but didn't hear anything.

Andy said low for her ears only, "Do you want me to take your gun and lead the way because of your injured hand?"

"No. If we need to shoot someone, I want to be the one responsible for using my own gun. Otherwise, my boss would go ballistic and say I really shouldn't have been trying to track these guys down."

"All right." He glanced at the security videos. "Good, the security cameras are operational." He said so quietly, but in a way that the camera would capture him saying it, making it appear they were there like they were supposed to be.

The only reason to alter the video was if either had to shift into their bears.

They checked out the restroom, but no one was in there. They searched the counter area and the back office and found them empty. They walked into the laundry room and didn't smell that anyone had been washing clothes recently; there was no humidity or scent of laundry detergent having been used recently.

They left the laundry room and reached a set of stairs. Monica warned, “I smell Denny and Eloise’s scents.”

He agreed and wondered if the stairs led to an apartment where Harvey lived. But it could be just storage. Still, if he was dealing drugs here, he was probably staying here and managing the motel also as a cover-up.

She started climbing the stairs, trying not to make them creak. She was doing well, too. He, on the other hand, just hadto step on a stair that squeaked. With their enhanced hearing, he felt it was loud enough to wake everyone in the motel if anyone had been staying there.

She glanced sharply at him, and he shrugged, embarrassed, but he couldn’t help it. He was trying to be careful! She was just sneakier than he was. And weighed less.

They finally reached the landing. A door was closed at the end of the walkway, and a balcony looked over the front desk. She moved down the hall to the door, gingerly walking that way while he tried to follow in her footsteps and not make any more noise.

Before she reached the door, a floorboard beneath his feet creaked, and his heart nearly stopped. She didn't glance back at him this time. He felt like she probably thought she should have left him waiting in the vehicle because he was making so much noise.

She waited until he was beside her. Then he tried the doorknob because she had her gun in her hand. The doorknob didn't budge.

Harvey probably kept it locked while he was downstairs taking care of customers. That would make sense. Andy placed his ear next to the door to listen for anyone in the place. He shook his head, telling Monica he heard nothing. He did smell the odor of weed beneath the door, which could be from when Harvey was in there last—nothing new.

"Weed," Monica whispered.

Andy nodded. He got out his toolkit and unlocked the door. Even though he did it as carefully as possible, he swore it sounded like he was making a ton of noise. He heard a click. Then he waited, ensuring he didn't hear people moving inside when they thought someone was about to breach the room.

Nothing. He looked at Monica, asking silently if she was ready.

She nodded.

He slowly opened the door, and the darn thing squeaked. Wouldn't you know? When his doors made noise like that, he put oil on the hinges, but it worked if Harvey wanted a creaky door to sound an alarm.

Andy looked around the door but didn't see anyone in the living area. It was filled with two couches, three lounging chairs, a big maple coffee table in the center, and a few things tossed around—pillows and clothes. Law enforcement agents would have grabbed what they could for evidence after the shootout in the lobby, and because they had found drugs in his vehicle.

He smelled more weed, stronger in the living room, but there was no evidence of any right now. The police had probably confiscated it. He also smelled Denny and Eloise’s scents; they were new enough to make him think they had been here recently.

A small kitchen was located off to the left, and a counter divided it from the living room. The cabinet doors and drawers were shut, and nothing appeared to be out of place, making Andy wonder if someone had recently been using it. A glass door, covered by vertical blinds, was located at the back of the apartment. He headed for it and opened the blinds.

Snow covered the deck off the bedroom. Only bird tracks had been left in the snow. He closed the vertical blinds.

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