Page 88 of Wolf Bane
What do we do to mongrels, Landry?
Ethan, bless him, swept in and started using his Official Tone of Voice.Reba got me to my feet and hustled me to her car, parked just past the firetrucks, and had me sit down in the AC while Mal grabbed a bottle of soda from his house next door.Mariska’s little face was pressed against the front window, watching everything, her fluffy little dog next to her.“It’s like fucking Norman Rockwell had a baby with Stephen King,” I muttered, accepting the soda with a nod.
Mal and Reba exchanged worried, fraught glances.“When we got here, the fire was already out,” Mal offered.“Someone had called 911, I think it was the guy across the street.Daniel Anderson?”
“Dave.Dave Allen.,” I corrected, distracted.“What did he see?”
“Just the fire,” Reba put in.“He was talking to one of the firefighters when we got here.He called it in, saw the flames when he pulled into his driveway.”
I nodded shakily, making a mental note to thank him later.I was suspended in ice, unable to stop watching while people in uniforms went in and out of my house, as that dog slumped in front of it howl-growled at everyone.As my friends lingered, uncertain, fluttering between me, then Ethan, then the house.
Even Cullen looked worried, which made me feel even worse.
Finally, Mal called everyone over to his place.Cullen, Ethan, and Tyler swerved towards me, trailed by the man with the epaulets.“Captain Murray,” he introduced himself.“You’re the homeowner?”
I nodded.“Landry Babin.What… How did this happen?”
According to Murray, Jensen called about an hour and a half to two hours ago—right when we were getting married, I thought distractedly—to report a possible fire.He hadn’t seen anything, allegedly.No one saw who spray-painted my garage door, but it was done before the fire was set.
Murray eyed Ethan speculatively.“What’ve you been doing since you left the department, Stone?Been a while since I’ve seen you around.”
“Getting married,” he said, holding up his left hand to show off the shiny new ring.“Working in the private sector.Hey, what’s the damage inside?”
Murray sighed and began a litany of observed damage, warning us not to try and stay there tonight.“One of our guys can go in with you to help secure valuables and take an inventory, but it’s not a good idea to stay in there till you can get it inspected.It’s gonna be a fat wad to get this fixed up though.”
“Of course it is,” I muttered, closing my eyes as everything just crashed down in a tidal wave over my head.
* * *
We stayedwith Tyler and Justin.Mal had hosted us, a funereal dirge of a gathering after the joyfulness of just a few hours earlier.He tried, bless him, and everyone did their best not to let us see how upset they were for us, but it was impossible to ignore for very long.Someone hung thick, opaque plastic over the broken windows.Tyler and Waltrip disappeared somewhere and came back with lumber and tools to add boards over it and the door where the firefighters had broken it open.The spray-paint would take more than just elbow grease.That’d require a trip to Ace in the morning for the cleaner one of the firefighters recommended.
By the time the trucks left and the neighbors had stopped vacuuming their driveways trying to see what was going on, Mariska was getting fussy and wibbly, whining at everything.Even cuddles with Boo the Wonder Dog didn’t help, both of them tired and stressed from all of the activity.And Reba had to leave because, well, it was just awkward as balls, and she had a life to get back to.
“Hon, call me on Monday.We’ll get shit sorted, right?”she said, tears tinging her voice.“When you have a weird day, you sure don’t go in halves, do you?”
Her embrace was almost my tipping point.I managed to hold it together as everyone trickled out, Tyler and Justin heading back to Tyler’s place to set up the guest room for me and Ethan, leaving just the two of us and Cullen to linger on my empty, dark driveway.
“It’s Garrow,” I said in the darkness.“It’s not some asshole kids being dicks.It’s Garrow.”
Fear was hot and coppery on my tongue, acid down my throat.Shaking, I grabbed hold of Ethan’s arm and squeezed, hoping it would somehow ground me to feel his solidity, his calmness.
The fact he trembled under my touch didn’t help after all.
“That’s what he said to me at the clinic,” I hissed, jerking my chin at the carport.The words were blood-dark on the pale blue paint, fingers of soot and smoke smearing across the threat.“What do we do with mongrels, Landry?”
“Garrow’s whereabouts are unknown to the council.The person who assisted in his escape, however, is being questioned regarding his intentions and possible location.”
“They won’t say a damn word,” Ethan muttered.“Whatever Garrow told them would be a lie.He’s not gonna villain monologue like some Scooby Doo character, Cullen.
Cullen regarded Ethan with a cool, though somehow patient, expression.“I’m aware, Ethan.Trust me.I’m aware.The protocols for this situation are… sparse.And my recommendations are not being taken into consideration.So, it is with some trepidation, I am approaching you with this proposal: Find him.Find him and deal with him.Because the council is slow to act, slow to make good choices, I’m making an executive decision and putting it in your hands.”
Into the stunned silence, I eloquently said“Bwuh?”
“Sometimes, poor choices are made for the best reasons.That doesn’t absolve them of the harm they’ve caused.”Cullen glanced back at the house, lips tightening.“What’s that saying?The wheels of justice turn slowly?”
“But grind exceedingly fine,” Ethan finished, brow furrowed.“Cullen, this could cost both of us our jobs.And more.”
He nodded once, sharply.“I’m aware.But there are things happening above your pay grade, Ethan.Things that, should this fall in line as I am hoping, will make this entire effort not only worthwhile but fruitful for us.”
