year before. "That one smelled half animal, just like he looked."
"Let's take a look at the body," Nick suggested, leading the two werewolves in that direction.
"Definitely strangled with a chain," Marcus said when Nick carefully pulled the sheet back. The marks stood out in sharp contrast against the farmer's paler skin. "This would take a strong human—that's a large chain." Marcus nodded toward the chain that lay on the dirt floor close by.
"No fingerprints on the chain, so the perp wore gloves," Derik offered.
"Same with Mayor Taylor," Nick agreed. "No fingerprints found at that scene either, according to local authorities. They may have lifted one fingerprint here, but we're all waiting for the results."
"I might be able to tell if the same scent was in both places," Marcus suggested.
"We can try, but there's been a lot of traffic in and out of that place," Nick said. "Don't worry; I've worked with a couple of werewolf agents in the past. I know the drill." Nick dropped the sheet, allowing it to cover the victim's head and neck. "I'll have to ask permission to get into the Mayor's house." He grimaced at the thought of going to the Sheriff to gain that permission.
"There's a way to get in without it," Trace offered.
* * *
"We just need to borrow Ashe for a little while; we don't have much time," Marcus explained to Adele. "We'll drive into Cordell, park in a secluded spot and Ashe can take us from there."
Ashe watched in fascination while Marcus, Trace and two agents spoke with his mother. He was going to get to examine the murder scene with them. He was going to get to mist them inside the Mayor's home. Ashe was excited about the prospect. After all, he'd never told anyone, not even Sali, that he'd followed his father and Radomir, the Council's Enforcer, a year earlier when several crime scenes and James Johnson's body had been examined.
"All right, but keep him safe," Adele warned. "Ashe," she turned to him, "Do everything they say."
"I will, Mom." Ashe would agree to almost anything if it meant he could go.
"Come on, kiddo, let's go," Trace ruffled Ashe's hair. Ashe followed them out of the house, loaded into the agents' rented van and sat in the third row of seats as Agent Nick Lawford drove toward Cordell.
* * *
"I saw Ashe get in a van with Trace and three others," Philip reported to Luanne. Philip always felt calmer around Lu. Calm enough to act and feel close to normal. Keith and Bryce, who'd already sought out Luanne earlier, listened while Philip described what he'd seen.
"Which way did they go?" Bryce asked.
"Toward the entrance to this lost continent," Philip grumped.
"Why would he leave with them? Doesn't make any sense," Keith, the practical one, pointed out. "What did the others look like?"
"Two were dressed like the agents that rode up here with us," Philip said. "So I'm guessing they're the same. The third one I didn't recognize wore jeans and a pullover."
"So, two agents, one werewolf and one we don't know, took that Ashe kid with them off the reservation," Keith summed up what they knew. "Who can ask the kid later what's going on?"
"I don't think anybody here knows him well enough to ask," Luanne said. "But Edward does."
"Let's go find Eddie, then," Philip suggested.
* * *
Agent Lawford parked half a mile from the Mayor's farm, on the southern edge of Cordell. A church parking lot was chosen and Ashe wondered if it were the same church attended by the second victim's family as he climbed from the van. "You'll be safe enough in my mist; I've carried others this way," Ashe reassured the adults. He had carried others, just not these four.
"Randy Smith," Marcus coughed into his hand.
"Are you gonna get onto me about that now, Mr. DeLuca?" Ashe turned questioning blue eyes on the Cloud Chief Packmaster.
"No, kid. You did what you thought was right. If you hadn't been right, though, we might have had a conversation."
"Glad I was right, then," Ashe muttered. "I'll get you there as
"Let's take a look at the body," Nick suggested, leading the two werewolves in that direction.
"Definitely strangled with a chain," Marcus said when Nick carefully pulled the sheet back. The marks stood out in sharp contrast against the farmer's paler skin. "This would take a strong human—that's a large chain." Marcus nodded toward the chain that lay on the dirt floor close by.
"No fingerprints on the chain, so the perp wore gloves," Derik offered.
"Same with Mayor Taylor," Nick agreed. "No fingerprints found at that scene either, according to local authorities. They may have lifted one fingerprint here, but we're all waiting for the results."
"I might be able to tell if the same scent was in both places," Marcus suggested.
"We can try, but there's been a lot of traffic in and out of that place," Nick said. "Don't worry; I've worked with a couple of werewolf agents in the past. I know the drill." Nick dropped the sheet, allowing it to cover the victim's head and neck. "I'll have to ask permission to get into the Mayor's house." He grimaced at the thought of going to the Sheriff to gain that permission.
"There's a way to get in without it," Trace offered.
* * *
"We just need to borrow Ashe for a little while; we don't have much time," Marcus explained to Adele. "We'll drive into Cordell, park in a secluded spot and Ashe can take us from there."
Ashe watched in fascination while Marcus, Trace and two agents spoke with his mother. He was going to get to examine the murder scene with them. He was going to get to mist them inside the Mayor's home. Ashe was excited about the prospect. After all, he'd never told anyone, not even Sali, that he'd followed his father and Radomir, the Council's Enforcer, a year earlier when several crime scenes and James Johnson's body had been examined.
"All right, but keep him safe," Adele warned. "Ashe," she turned to him, "Do everything they say."
"I will, Mom." Ashe would agree to almost anything if it meant he could go.
"Come on, kiddo, let's go," Trace ruffled Ashe's hair. Ashe followed them out of the house, loaded into the agents' rented van and sat in the third row of seats as Agent Nick Lawford drove toward Cordell.
* * *
"I saw Ashe get in a van with Trace and three others," Philip reported to Luanne. Philip always felt calmer around Lu. Calm enough to act and feel close to normal. Keith and Bryce, who'd already sought out Luanne earlier, listened while Philip described what he'd seen.
"Which way did they go?" Bryce asked.
"Toward the entrance to this lost continent," Philip grumped.
"Why would he leave with them? Doesn't make any sense," Keith, the practical one, pointed out. "What did the others look like?"
"Two were dressed like the agents that rode up here with us," Philip said. "So I'm guessing they're the same. The third one I didn't recognize wore jeans and a pullover."
"So, two agents, one werewolf and one we don't know, took that Ashe kid with them off the reservation," Keith summed up what they knew. "Who can ask the kid later what's going on?"
"I don't think anybody here knows him well enough to ask," Luanne said. "But Edward does."
"Let's go find Eddie, then," Philip suggested.
* * *
Agent Lawford parked half a mile from the Mayor's farm, on the southern edge of Cordell. A church parking lot was chosen and Ashe wondered if it were the same church attended by the second victim's family as he climbed from the van. "You'll be safe enough in my mist; I've carried others this way," Ashe reassured the adults. He had carried others, just not these four.
"Randy Smith," Marcus coughed into his hand.
"Are you gonna get onto me about that now, Mr. DeLuca?" Ashe turned questioning blue eyes on the Cloud Chief Packmaster.
"No, kid. You did what you thought was right. If you hadn't been right, though, we might have had a conversation."
"Glad I was right, then," Ashe muttered. "I'll get you there as
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