Bad Moon Rising - Paranormal Romance (14 page)

“We were not sure if this was you or not.” Donny was glaring at her with unshakable anger. “You were the only girl on the rez that we knew was missing.”

Suddenly Mya realized how worried he must have been after the body was discovered. “I am so sorry.”

Donny waved away her apology. “Just don’t do it again. Even without a killer running around here, it can be dangerous.”

“I know,” Mya nodded. “But you don’t really think this is a skinwalker. Maybe it’s a nut that thinks he can be a skinwalker, but …” her voice trailed off.

“We ask around and find out who is missing. I’ll meet you back at the station. You start going through missing person reports and I’ll ask around. Maybe someone saw something last night.”

“Okay,” Mya agreed. She’d wanted to get a shower, but it would have to wait. They had to make some progress on this case before more people were killed.

As much as she tried, she couldn’t get the sight of that corpse out of her head. It was probably the most monstrous she’d ever seen. The crime scene photos that she’d studied in school didn’t come close to the real thing. In those minutes after viewing the body, she seriously considered rethinking her career choice.

* * *

Mya strolled into the police station. She was glad for the central air that provided some relief from the summer heat, though with each passing day she was noticing the heat less and less. Her body was finally becoming accustomed to it.

When Donny wasn’t in, Mya would use his office to work. It was easier than trying to setup a laptop in the file room. She’d barely logged onto his computer and started going through missing person’s reports when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Mya called.

The door opened and Betty stuck her head in. Though the petite woman’s job was acting as receptionist, she still wore a police uniform.

Mya was dumbfounded. Up until that moment she’d imagined her friend at home, flipping burgers and partying down at the river on weekends.

Recovering from her shock, Mya jumped up from her chair. “Oh my God! What are you doing here?”

Jen’s dark eyes were alight with mischief. “Chad was pissing me off, so I decided to hop on a bus and come down here. Figured we could raise some hell together.”

“Why didn’t you email or call and let me know?” Mya was astonished. Jen had always been impulsive, but usually she thought ahead just a little.

Jen and Chad had been dating since high school, and at least two or three times a year they had a major meltdown. More often than not they made up just as quickly as they broke up, but if she were to judge by the look on Jen’s face - this time might be different. Usually her friend would be crying, and checking her phone for a message every five minutes. She might also go on a long bender, but only until Chad called. Not so this time. Jen almost appeared to be happy.

Jen sat in one of the two padded chairs in front of Donny’s desk. “I’ll tell you what happened. I found that fish cheating on me with Tyler. Can you believe that shit?”

Tyler was Jen’s cousin, and exactly the type of girl you wanted to keep your boyfriend away from. She was as sweet as pie to your face, but she’d be dragging your man into the closest bedroom as soon as your back was turned. Of course dragging might be a bit of an exaggeration. Those that fell into her web hardly had to be dragged there.

“I’m sorry,” Mya couldn’t really think of anything else to say.

Jen held up her hand. “Don’t be. You should be congratulating me. I finally see him for what he really is, and now I can move on.”

That was the truth of it. She’d been trying to warn Jen about Chad for years, but until now, her warnings had fallen on deaf ears. “You’ll have another one on the line sooner rather than later.” Mya tried to brighten her words with a smile.

“Yeah well … we’ll see. So what do you want to do today and where do you live. I need a shower. Those buses are just so yuk.”

“I’ve got some work to do here, but I’ll try and hurry. How did you know I’d be here today?” Mya asked, suddenly realizing it was Sunday.

* * *

After two hours of sifting through missing person reports and finding nothing, Mya was still reluctant to give up, but she knew she couldn’t keep Jen waiting at Gordy’s all day. Logging off of Donny’s computer, she vowed to spend more time tomorrow trying to track down Jane Doe.

Donny still hadn’t returned so Mya locked his office before leaving. She hoped that he was making a lot more headway than she had. It gave her the creeps to think the monster that had skinned that girl was still walking among them.

It took only a few minutes to walk across the street to Gordy’s. When she opened the door and stepped inside, she had to pause long enough for her eyes to adjust to the darker interior of the building.

There was more of a crowd in the café today than there had been last time she was there; nearly every table was taken. Mya’s eyes scanned the room, but Jen wasn’t there. Tina was behind the bar - refilling someone’s coffee mug.

The waitress looked up as Mya approached. “Where’s your uncle today?” she asked with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“He’s out on a job,” Mya answered in a tight voice. Tina always gave her the impression that she was trying to siphon information.

“I have a friend that was supposed to meet me here,” Mya stated as she sat down on a stool in front of Tina. “She has short dark hair … dark eyes … carries a black purse with a fairy on the front.”

“It’s okay.” Mya forced a smile. “I’ll just meet her out there. Thanks,” she added, trying to keep in mind that it wasn’t really Tina’s fault. Mya was just concerned that her friend was out hitching rides while there was a psycho running around killing people.

Before getting in the car to make the drive back to Donny’s, she tried calling Jen several times, but kept getting her friend’s voice mail.

Mya tried not to worry during the drive home, reminding herself that it wasn’t unusual for Jen to ignore her phone, especially if she was busy doing something. Turning off the highway, she drove on dirt road for a mile before she saw the cliffs that shielded Donny’s property from view. Not until the road curved around the cliff did she see Jen sitting on the metal stairs of her trailer.

Mya sighed with relief. A cloud of dust billowed from beneath the back of the car as she sped up. Coming to an abrupt stop a few feet from her trailer, Mya slammed the car in park and jumped out.

“Why did you take off without telling me?” she blurted out.

Jen stood up and grinned. “Sorry I didn’t think about it. I was just so tired of sitting in that café.”

Mya took a deep breath, hoping to calm her nerves. “I’m sorry. I was just worried. We’ve had some murders here and the person hasn’t been caught yet,” Mya explained, leaning into her car to turn the engine off and retrieve her keys. “It’s not a good idea to hitch rides right now.”

The search for Jane Doe continued, but they weren’t having much luck. No one was missing, or at least nobody that had been reported missing. All week Mya had been stuck at the station until late in the evening, sifting through missing person’s files and contacting law enforcement throughout the state.

Since her arrival, Jen had spent most of her time out at Donny’s property and she was starting to get fidgety. Mya couldn’t blame her. Jen was a restless soul, and the type that would much prefer a party to being alone with nature. She could well imagine how being stuck out in the boonies could drive her friend up the wall.

It was Friday night and Mya had promised that the two of them would go out and find something to do. Jen was bubbling with excitement and had spent a good chunk of the day trying on Mya’s clothes. She wanted something that would show off as much of her curvy body as would be acceptable in public.

“Girlfriend … you really need a new wardrobe,” Jen complained as she held up a silky black blouse. “This would be great, if the neckline dipped a little lower.”

“Jen … I’m not exactly into showing off my stuff like you are.”

“Well you should be.” Jen gave her a sharp look. “You have plenty to show off. If you dressed for it … you’d have you a man in no time.”

Mya shrugged. “I’m good.” Her thoughts drifted to David, as they inevitably did whenever the subject of sex or romance came up. Again he’d disappeared. Since he’d dropped her at her car last weekend, she hadn’t heard from him. It stung a little that he could so easily dismiss her from his thoughts. If only it were as easy for her.

A deep sigh escaped Mya’s lips. “It’s complicated. I get the feeling he doesn’t want me around. In fact, he’s told me I should leave.”

Jen’s eyes widened. “Then why would you even like him?”

“He told me I should leave because it’s too dangerous here.” Mya defended him. “I don’t think it’s so much that he doesn’t like me. It seems more like he can’t let himself be involved with me for some reason.”

“Hmm.” Jen frowned. “Well maybe you should go fishing tonight. If he does like you, that should get his attention … and if he doesn’t, it’s his loss.”

Jen was right. She was tired of moping around like a lost puppy, waiting for him to show up again. It had been ages since they’d had a girls’ night out.