Framing Felipe (24 page)

what
made
her
tick…and
he
liked
it.

Patrick
bounded
down
the
stairs,
shirtless
and
barefooted,
before
Sarah
got
the

parking
brake
engaged.
“Got
some
news,”
he
said
when
Felipe
pushed
open
his
door.

“Yeah?
About
Fabian
or
the
bears?”

“Both.
Let’s
get
inside.
Billy’s
here
with
his
granddaughters.”

Sarah
blew
a
raspberry
on
the
way
past
them
both,
and
Felipe
wondered
what
that

response
was
all
about.

The
little
cabin
was
jam-‐packed
and
Felipe
suddenly
had
a
very
good
understanding

about
why
Patrick
was
adding
an
addition
to
a
house
he
lived
in
only
three
days
out
of
the

month.
According
to
Eric,
who’d
been
very
eager
to
share
information,
Patrick
hadn’t

wanted
to
be
in
the
were-‐catamount
group
at
all,
but
had
gotten
drafted
into
it,
anyway,

after
being
attacked
by
some
bears
the
night
of
his
first
shift.

Billy,
a
native
of
the
area
and
a
born
were-‐mountain
lion—or
catamount,
as
the
locals

called
them—was
the
de
facto
leader
of
the
group.
Patrick
said
Billy’s
role
was
mostly
to

FRAMING FELIPE
–
93
–
Holley Trent

coordinate
who
brought
what
to
the
monthly
cookouts
after
the
full
moon,
but
would

occasionally
arbitrate
disputes
and
act
as
an
ambassador
between
the
cats
and
other
were-‐

animal
groups.

The
catamounts
and
bears
had
been
under
a
tenuous
truce
for
several
years
until
a

couple
of
the
wild
young
men
in
the
cat
group
antagonized
the
bears.
The
bears
had
been

seeking
revenge
ever
since.
Dana
and
the
Shrews
got
involved
in
the
mess
because
of
a

rescue
attempt
gone
wrong.
Dana
and
Sarah
got
spotted,
and
labeled
as
enemies.
The
bears

took
their
presence
in
their
territory
as
an
act
of
aggression.
The
attacks
had
been
waging

on
for
months,
and
now
with
the
Visas,
no
one
could
tell
who
was
initiating
what…but
the

bears
didn’t
know
that.

Felipe
watched
Sarah
fall
into
her
natural
place
near
Dana
and
leaned
against
the
wall

near
the
front
door.
There
was
so
much
chattering
in
the
room,
he
struggled
to
hone
in
on

any
one
conversation
in
particular,
but
didn’t
really
need
to.
Dana
shoved
two
fingers

between
her
lips
and
blew
out
an
ear-‐piercing
whistle.

“All
right,
shut
it
everyone.
We
pulled
the
girls
off
the
perimeter
security
for
this
little

powwow,
so
let’s
make
it
brief.
I’ve
heard
some
rumblings
the
bears
got
attacked
again
last

night.
Billy
swears
it
wasn’t
any
of
the
cats…”

Billy’s
white
eyebrows
darted
up
to
his
hairline
and
his
eyes
widened.
“It
weren’t!
Most

of
them
were
at
the
hospital.
The
rest
knew
better.”

“Uh-‐huh.
Since
my
girls
don’t
have
claws
and
giant
teeth,
I
know
it
wasn’t
them.
That

leaves
us
with
two
options—the
Visas,
or
some
other
were-‐group
taking
advantage
of
our

current
disorganization.”

Sarah
rubbed
her
eyes
with
the
heels
of
her
palms
and
leaned
against
the
kitchen

doorway.
She’d
already
considered
that.
If
she
hadn’t,
she
would
have
probably
gasped
like

some
of
the
other
people
in
the
room.

Felipe
took
a
moment
to
assess
them
all.
All
five
Shrews
were
present:
Dana
and
Sarah

in
the
kitchen
doorway,
Astrid
giving
him
the
evil
eye
from
her
perch
on
one
loveseat
arm,

and
Maria
and
Tamara
sharing
the
loveseat,
chattering
in
nearly
unintelligible
rapid-‐fire

speech.
It
was
almost
eerie,
the
way
they
finished
each
other’s
sentences.

Billy
and
his
granddaughters
took
up
the
other
chair,
and
the
two
women
seemed

paralyzed
with
fear.
Their
eyes
darted
around
the
room
and
they
startled
with
each
small

FRAMING FELIPE
–
94
–
Holley Trent

noise.
These
were
women
who
could
force
their
bodies
to
shift
into
efficient
killing

machines
if
they
tried.
It
would
hurt,
but
they
could
do
it.
And
there
they
were,
cowering

like
mice
instead
of
cats.
In
company
of
the
Shrews,
they
looked
like
shadows
of
women.

From
what
he’d
witnessed
at
the
circus,
they
weren’t
particularly
intelligent,
so
the
only

thing
they
really
had
going
for
them
was
their
looks.
Looks
had
never
been
enough
for
him,

though,
even
if
they
could
hold
a
candle
to
his
Shrew.

Rounding
out
the
group
were
Patrick,
who
re-‐joined
them
from
the
kitchen
bearing
a

bottle
of
beer
he
handled
to
Felipe,
and
one
of
the
two
Visas
they’d
captured
days
before.

He
was
tied
to
a
ladder-‐back
chair,
gagged,
and
looked
a
bit
more
bruised
than
the
last
time

Felipe
saw
him.

When
Felipe
scanned
the
room
again,
Tamara
caught
his
gaze.
She
seemed
to
know

exactly
what
it
was
he’d
noticed,
and
cocked
her
chin
up
in
a
Yeah,
I
did
that
fashion.

Weird
little
wench.

“Our
mercenary
friends…”
Dana
strode
to
the
gagged
Visa
and
looped
an
arm
around

his
slumped
shoulders.
“…aren’t
being
so
forthcoming
with
information,
so
we’re
having
to

make
a
lot
of
educated
guesses.”
She
walked
around
to
the
front
of
the
man
and
bent
just

enough
to
meet
his
upturned
gaze,
but
not
enough
to
be
on
his
level.
The
man
was
beneath

Dana’s
level,
and
it
had
nothing
to
do
with
posture.

“I
don’t
like
making
guesses,”
she
said.
“I
don’t
like
there
being
so
much
wiggle-‐room
in

my
jobs.
Ups
the
chances
of
collateral
damage.
But
I
guess
you
and
your
friend
are
learning

that
lesson
right
now,
right?”

He
didn’t
respond,
but
Dana
likely
didn’t
expect
him
to.

“Let
me
talk
to
him,”
Sarah
said,
voice
flat.

While
a
smile
crept
across
Dana’s
face,
and
Patrick
raised
his
shoulders
in
a
nonchalant

shrug,
Billy
stood
and
waved
his
hands
in
a
No
way
gesture.
“Y’all
don’t
think
them
folks
is

mad
enough
already?
I’ve
seen
the
way
she
works.
If
she’s
gonna
do
what
I
think
she
is,
he

ain’t
gonna
be
right
in
the
head
when
she’s
done.”

“Oh,
please
,”
Patrick
mumbled,
rolling
his
eyes.

Felipe
stared
across
the
crowded
room
at
Sarah.
She
hadn’t
even
flinched,
so
if
Billy

was
exaggerating,
she
certainly
wasn’t
bothered
by
it
the
assertion.
Just
what,
precisely,

was
this
woman
capable
of?
And
had
she
done
it
to
him?

FRAMING FELIPE
–
95
–
Holley Trent

Astrid,
Maria,
and
Tamara
gathered
around
the
Visa’s
chair
and
looked
to
Dana
for

instruction.
“Where
do
you
want
him?”
Tamara
asked.

“Take
him
into
the
bedroom.
She
doesn’t
need
the
crowd
for
this.”

They
nodded
in
unison,
then
on
the
count
of
three,
each
grabbed
a
bit
of
wood
and

carried
him
into
the
bedroom
like
a
king
on
a
sedan
chair.
Dana
took
the
seat
Astrid
had

abandoned,
and
studied
her
nails.
Sarah
walked
in
a
leisurely
gait
toward
the
bedroom

with
her
hands
shoved
in
her
pockets.
Felipe
expected
her
to
whistle
a
jaunty
tune
next,
she

seemed
so
unbothered.

He
wrapped
his
fingers
around
one
of
her
biceps
as
she
passed,
and
drew
her
in
close.

“What
are
you
doing?”

She
gave
him
a
long
blink
and
cocked
one
eyebrow
up.
“I’m
working.”

The
Shrews
came
out
of
the
bedroom
clapping
dust
from
their
hands
onto
their
pants.

The
Visa’s
chair
legs
rattled
against
the
wooden
floor
as
he
tested
his
restraints.
No
one
else

seemed
concerned.
It
wasn’t
like
he
could
go
far
with
all
the
Shrews
and
shifters
in
the

room,
even
if
he
shifted
himself.

“Why
is
the
old
man
so
concerned
about
this?”
Felipe
asked.

Slowly,
she
turned
her
head
toward
Billy
and
grinned.
It
was
an
evil
grin,
and
one

Felipe
hoped
to
never
be
on
the
receiving
end
of.

Billy
swallowed
hard
and
cleared
his
throat.
He
wouldn’t
meet
her
eyes.

“Let’s
just
say
sometimes
I
do
mediation
work.
I
help
people
talk.
And
now
Billy’s
wife

knows
some
things
about
Billy
she
didn’t
know
before.
And
Billy’s
the
kind
of
guy
who
can’t

stop
talking
once
he
starts,
isn’t
that
right
Billy?
How
long
did
it
take
you
to
clam
up
after

our
session?”

Billy
didn’t
answer.

“Oh.”
Useful
skill.
Was
that
the
mutation
he
was
supposed
to
be
frightened
by,
or
was

he
still
waiting
to
witness
that?

Felipe
let
go
of
her
arm
and
gave
her
a
gentle
nudge
from
the
small
of
her
back.
“I’ll
go

with
you.”

“Suit
yourself.
You
might
not
want
to
stand
so
close
while
I’m
working,
though.
I
hear

the
psychic
effects
bleed
over
a
bit.
I
haven’t
figured
out
how
to
concentrate
them.”

FRAMING FELIPE
–
96
–
Holley Trent

“Fine.
I
have
nothing
to
hide.”
He
followed
her
into
the
tidy
bedroom
and
shut
the
door

behind
them.
After
switching
on
the
bedside
lamp,
Sarah
walked
to
the
corner
and
dragged

a
second
ladder-‐back
chair
toward
the
wary
Visa.
She
set
it
so
it
faced
him
directly
and
sat

with
her
knees
inches
from
his.

Felipe
skirted
around
them
and
occupied
the
corner
the
chair
and
formerly
been
in,

crossing
his
arms
over
his
chest
and
settling
in
to
watch
the
show.

She
stared
at
the
strange
man
for
a
moment,
seeming
to
commit
his
face
to
memory.