Bitter Waters by Wen Spencer

“And I need to stop in on Picray.” Picray was Michael Picray, their accountant, not to be confused with Mike their mechanic, and Michael, Janey’s sometimes boyfriend. “He left a message on Friday that he needed to talk to me. Quarterlies are due at the end of the month.”
    â€œWhat are quarterlies?”
    Max startled at the question, and then seemed torn between being pleased at his interest and annoyed at his timing. “There are certain things, taxes and such, that we have to pay every quarter, which is every three months: unemployment, workmen’s comp, social security. I also escrow everyone’s wages for the next quarter, in case something happens to me, it gives you time to learn the ropes.”
    â€œI’d like to learn the ropes now.”
    Max sighed. “Today isn’t the day to start, kid. Picray and me bickering will only mystify you. I’m not even sure how to teach you this stuff; we might have to back up to basic math before you can grasp it.”
    â€œI can add and subtract and everything.”
    â€œOh, kid, double entry accounting is as simple and a hell of a lot more complicated than just adding and subtracting. Look, we’ll talk about it later. Today, it’s important for you to work with our open cases, get us back on track with them before we lose the bread and butter accounts.”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œI’ll be back at three then.” Max handed Ukiah a shopping list on a Post-it note. “When you go to the store, could you pick up this stuff for me? I ordered everything else on-line and it should be delivered tomorrow morning early.”
    Â 
    Max and Ukiah’s partnership had started by chance; Mom Jo picking the Bennett Agency solely on the large yellow page ad that read S PECIALIZES IN M ISSING P ERSONS . In truth, Max had been playing at being a private investigator, turning away everything but missing persons cases. The agency had been little more than that ad, one room of office furniture, and Alicia Kraynak answering phone calls between her freshman college classes. The grandfather clock in the hall measured out time to a nearly empty house.
    From the start, though, something between Max and Ukiah worked. Max had the ability to see through people’s surfaces to see their true selves; he alone looked at the Wolf Boy and saw the potential man stagnating at his mothers’ farm. Ukiah’s open honesty moved Max out of his grief-strickendepression to the land of the living. It was a balanced mix of liking, trusting, appreciating, and plain needing each other.
    Ukiah started by tracking for Max a few scattered days at a time, but his work schedule slowly evolved into almost daily commutes to Pittsburgh. Ukiah remained, though, a part-time employee until they ran into serial killer Joe Gary. During the short, vicious battle, something changed in their relationship, or more specifically in Max. In the weeks that followed, Max rearranged the business and Ukiah’s future; giving half of the agency to the boy, Max started to train Ukiah as a full partner.
    At first Ukiah hadn’t been aware of the change. Later he thought gratitude had been Max’s motivation, or perhaps guilt about nearly getting him killed. With the Pack’s and Magic Boy’s knowledge of humans, Ukiah could see the events with new eyes. Their brush with death had made Max realize that he loved Ukiah like a son. Max recognized too that Ukiah had neither the ability nor means to live alone in the world; a simple accident could reduce Ukiah to a savage adrift in a hostile world, this time without even wolves to protect him. All the changes Max made to the business had been acts of love.
    With the new edge to the business, however, they had to take on two part-time employees, Chino and Janey. The two had their strengths—investigative work wasn’t one of them. While Max and Ukiah were in Oregon, Max had directed the two through