Page 20 of Triumph of the Wolf
“Technically, the property is in an unincorporated part of Snohomish County.”
“Well, that changes everything. The hordes will descend upon it to be pampered in such an exotic locale.”
“Here’s the thing, Luna. As far as the pack knows, and I’ve asked a bunch of elders, the mine shafts and hot springs are on yourmom’sproperty.”
“There are hot springs back there?”
“There are three or four mud holes by the stream where steamy water burbles up through the silt.”
“Rich people do line up to enjoy mud holes.”
Jasmine laughed. “I think you can excavate a bit if you want to put in a pool or whatever. Developers can do a lot. And people like knowing that natural hot springs are there with all of their healing benefits.”
“I had no idea that mud holes had healing benefits.”
“A warm one is nice. Minerals that rejuvenate the skin, you know. Anyway, my point is that this is probably the guy.”
“The guy trying to get Mom to sell?”
Was that what he was doing? I wasn’t sure what those real estate agents had been up to back there.
“We think he wants all the properties in that area, and he wants to get them cheaply.”
“Why the properties up that road? It’s not even paved. Who’s going to drive through potholes to get to a resort? Besides, there have to be hot springs everywhere.”
Duncan got the lid open on the Mickey Mouse tin. Thetreasuresinside were old nuts, bolts, and washers from someone’s spare-parts collection. He eyed a couple of laundry tokens with speculation. Maybe such things were collectable.
“I’m sure he would pay to have it paved as part of the development, and there aren’t hot springseverywhere.They’re not that common. And a lot of the stuff around there is on federal or state land, so you can’t develop it. It’s pretty rareto find parcels as big as the ones the family holds, especially relatively close to town.”
“Well, warn Mom and Lorenzo, I guess. And the elders. They can keep an eye out for developers with nefarious intent.” I couldn’t imagine whatIcould do.
“I already did. I figured you’d want to know too.”
“I do. Thanks for keeping me in the loop.”
I hung up and regarded Duncan.
He didn’t look disappointed by what he’d found. If anything, he gave me a relaxed and pleased smile before asking, “Are the hot springs romantic?”
“You mean the mud holes?” I had a distinct image in mind after Jasmine’s description, andromanticwasn’t the descriptor that went with it. “Probably not more so than a pier with Mickey Mouse tchotchkes nestled underwater among the barnacles and algae.”
“This spotisperfect.” Duncan wrapped an arm around me and nodded toward the rusty and grimy treasures lining the railing, the finds he’d already pulled off the bottom.
Some of the people getting on and off the Ferris wheel had looked curiously at the collection—and at him—but nobody had asked what he was doing. Most of the visitors were probably tourists.
Another call came in. Bolin, this time. He wasn’t at the apartment complex this late in the evening, was he?
“What’s up, Bolin?” I answered.
“Your, uhm, ex-husband is here.”
Damn it, was Chad skulking around? Planning to search my apartment for the artifact?
“At Sylvan Serenity? Why areyouthere this late?” Maybe I should have asked what Chad was doing, but I already had a good idea. I might need to head back and confront him, but my mind rebelled at the idea.
“Jasmine and I met here and took my car to a laser show,” Bolin said. “Riding in hers is harrowing.”
“Did she like your plush leather heated seats?”
