Page 60 of Forbidden Moon
After sounding the alarm about Birdman’s blog, Walter checked it at least twice a day for new posts and responded whenever appropriate. The man was clearly frustrated by no further sightings, meaning Gladstone’s security must have corrected whatever they’d been doing wrong. While he’d feared it would provoke Birdman into trying to get the evidence he wanted, it hadn’t happened. Afraid of the shapeshifters, he seemed to be waiting for the sightings to resume before doing anything else.
All the more alarming, then, to have seen the threatening post this morning from someone named YooperTrooper. Along with several other responses, Walter wanted to see if Birdman would answer before he alerted Jack. Strangely enough, when he’d checked a few minutes ago, the entire set of posts were gone. It probably frightened Birdman into deleting the threatening missive.
Heshouldbe frightened if this YooperTrooper person were telling the truth. It seemed to Walter that Birdman’s blog had attracted precisely the wrong type of reader, someone much more aggressive and willing to play a dangerous game. Even if Adam Sheppard already knew, Walter needed to speak with Jack about it. He dialed and waited for the man to pick up. When he did, the unmistakable sound of an upset child nearly took out his hearing.
“Hello, Walter. Excuse me while I get Kiah settled.”
Evidently, he’d called during lunch—forgetting the time difference between Michigan and Arizona. Jack and William could be heard in the background, shushing the fussy twins and installing them in highchairs. Calm and collected as always, Jack picked up the phone to resume the conversation.
“I apologize for the delay, my friend. Kiah tends to be cranky when he is hungry. What may I do for you?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt the meal, but there’s been some activity on Birdman’s site you should know about. I took a screenshot of the posts earlier this morning, though it seems Birdman has already deleted them. I sent the information to you in an email so you could see them for yourself.”
Walter went on to explain the situation and encouraged Jack to alert Sheppard.
“This may be the escalation I feared, and I wanted to make sure you were ready in case something happened.”
“Thank you. I will forward the email to Ben and Alpha Sheppard. They will know best what to make of it. Your assistance has been invaluable to us, and we are in your debt.”
“It’s the least I can do. I only hope it proves helpful. By the way, I have changed my travel plans at your suggestion and will be arriving by air on Tuesday. The rest of the team will leave here with the truck on Monday and arrive in Gladstone Wednesday morning. I hope that’s convenient for Katrine and Mandy. We are most eager to see the artwork in person and deliver it safely to the museum as soon as possible.”
“William and I look forward to seeing you. If you send us the details, we will arrange to pick you up at the airport and let Katrine know when to expect the team.”
“Of course. I realize the timing of this trip is not ideal, given what’s going on, and I hope my visit won’t be a burden to you or your family.”
“Nonsense. You are welcome in our home at any time, and it has already been too long since last we met. Until Tuesday, then.”
####
BEN COUNTED ON HISfamily’s routine of eating Sunday’s noon meal together when he called. His father picked up on the third ring, obviously surprised to be hearing from him.
“Hello, son. We’re almost done with dessert here. Would you like me to call you back?”
“Not this time, Dad. I have some news to share and hoped to catch everyone all at once. Can you put me on speaker?”
“Sure thing. Give me a minute to get their attention.”
Ben heard the muffled sounds of silverware, shushing, and hastily ended conversations before getting the all-clear to proceed.
“Hey, everybody. You’ll be happy to know Jonah found his mate!”
A burst of joyous exclamation came over the connection, including an excited squeal from Meredith. Once they settled down, he continued.
“His name is RJ Wilson, a DNR agent who moved to the area early this month. Jonah scented him a few times before they met at the LRC office. From what I can tell, he’s a nice guy, and I know Jonah is crazy about him.”
Ben pictured the chaos as overlapping requests were being shouted towards the phone—probably sitting in front of his father at the end of the table.
“When can we meet him?”
“Do you have a picture?”
“Where is he from?”
“Do we know his family?”
“Wait! Hold on, everyone. You need to know something important first. RJ is a human.”
A shocked silence followed by confused chatter. At length, Ben’s mother, Anita, quieted the group and took over the conversation.
