LustUndone (17 page)

“It’s got to be something that keeps people off their
guard,” Sam pointed out. “Otherwise the folks who’ve been killed that we know
about never would have let it get that close.”

“True. That means we don’t even have a clue what we’re
looking for.”

“What about the state detectives?” Ric wanted to know.
“Help? Hindrance? How’s that coming along?”

“About the same. I think Bobby Lacroix, the lead detective,
is willing to entertain other possibilities. The others? Not so much. They
listen but I don’t think they believe anything we tell them.”

“I’d hoped for more,” Ric told him.

“But at least they aren’t getting in our way,” Logan added.

“Based on past history,” Sam broke in, “we haven’t got much
more time before another body shows up.”

“We’re doing the best we can.”

“Hey! I know, I know. I’m not giving you any shit. Just
stating as fact.”

“I think we call know that,” Logan told him. “I’m going for
another run tonight. I’ll see if anything turns up in the dark.” He ran his
questions around in his mind for a minute. “Listen. There’s something else.
We—Sophia and I—think there may be another shifter up here.”

“Where you guys are?” Ric’s surprise was evident. “We did
research and didn’t find evidence of a pack anywhere near where you are.”

“I think it’s an orphan,” Logan said. An orphan was a
shifter who for whatever reason had lost his pack. “It’s a black wolf. I’ve
spotted it and Sophia thinks she may have seen it yesterday morning when we
were out on the snowmobiles.”

“All right. We’ll do some more checking and get back to you.
Desolation out.”

The screen went blank.

* * * * *

“I’ve missed you guys.”

Sophia threw an arm around her brother Damien and his wife
Shelley, squeezing both of them.

“Missed you, too, sprite,” Damien told her, using a nickname
left over from their childhood. “Never thought we’d lose you to Texas.”

Sophia stepped back and gave him a rueful look. “You know I
would never have done it except for the chance to catch this devil beast. To
have unlimited funds and work with experienced people who also believe in its
existence.”

“I know. I know.” He kissed her cheek. “We just wish you
weren’t so far away.”

“Come on into the kitchen.” Shelley tugged on her hand.
“I’ve got homemade vegetable soup for lunch and your favorite coffee cake.”

“I’d say you went to too much trouble, except you know I’d
never turn down either of those.”

Sophia studied her sister-in-law as they walked into the
large, airy room filled with wonderful smells. Shelley was a fiery redhead with
the requisite green eyes and freckles. The last time Sophia had seen her she
had been thin almost to the point of emaciation. Stress and grief over the
deaths of the twins had robbed her of her appetite and for a while Damien had
even considered putting her in a private clinic.

But she had pulled herself out of it, with his love and
help, and now she was round with the child they were expecting. Although her
face still held a trace of sadness, one Sophia was afraid might always be
there, the sparkle was back in her eyes and she was actually smiling.

“Sit, sit,” she said, indicating the places already set at
the table. “You have no idea how much I’ve looked forward to seeing you.” She
looked at Rebecca and grinned. “You I get to see all the time.”

“It’s okay.” Rebecca hugged her. “My nose is only a little
out of joint.”

“Soph, how is the case going?” Damien was always direct and
to the point. “Any clues of any kind?”

“Are the detectives cooperating with you?” Shelley asked,
ladling out soup at the stove.

“As much as you’d expect.”

“I think Bobby’s doing the best he can,” Rebecca added, “but
you know there’s a strong thread of skepticism. He’s trying to be professional
and polite, while at the same time telling us he thinks we’re nuts.”

“Maybe he’d feel differently if it was his wife who had been
killed.” Damien couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice.

“Honey.” Shelley’s voice was soft. “I wouldn’t wish that on
anyone and neither would you.”

“I know, I know.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I
just wish I could shake a dose of reality into these people.”

Sophia snorted. “The problem is there’s a big difference
between their reality and ours.”

Shelley served the soup and they ate in silence for a few
moments.

“So,” Sophia said, “you guys look like impending parenthood
agrees with you.”

Damien reached over and rested his hand on Shelley’s tummy.
“We’re really looking forward to this. For a lot of reasons.”

“My overprotective husband wanted to stash me in Boston
until this whole episode up here was over and you’d caught and killed the
beast. I told him I didn’t think it would attack in the exact same places
again.” Shelley looked at her sisters-in-law. “Am I right?”

Sophia shrugged. “I can’t say that with any certainty but
what I can tell you is it’s never happened before.”

“I’m surprised that it’s back in this area,” Damien
remarked. “I’ve been researching the Chupacabra and read about the killings in
other states. I’d think it would have had its fill here.”

“Sophia’s explained that there’s no rhyme or reason to its
behavior,” Rebecca answered him. “It hit two counties next to each other in
Texas but we think that’s because its kill pattern was interrupted the first time
before it could be completed. That wasn’t the case here.”

“Back at our team headquarters we’re always researching
patterns and activities,” Sophia added. “Trying to learn as much about it as we
can to help us find it before it kills again.”

“So how close are you to tracking it?” Damien persisted.

“We’re doing the best we can, Damien. You have an advantage
over nearly everyone else. You know what to expect. I don’t think it will
attack here again, but keep your rifle loaded and be careful when you go outside.”

Shelley put her spoon down and reached over to touch her
sister-in-law’s arm. “Find it soon, Soph. Please.”

Sophia just nodded. She didn’t want to tell either Damien or
Shelley about the new theory that there was more than the one creature. Or that
it was possible they were breeding somewhere and spreading out across the
country. It was bad enough she had to live with that nightmare. She didn’t want
them to have to deal with it. Not now.

* * * * *

They were back at it after lunch, more time on the snowmobiles,
scouring the white wilderness. More fruitless searching in the vast barely
populated spaces. More hunting for the Chupacabra with no results. They spoke
to people who were at home, mentally taking note of the likeliest spots for
attack.

Sophia’s heart nearly stopped when she came to two tiny
carcasses frozen in the snow. Two ravaged animals. Holding back the fear that
suddenly rose up within her, she took her rifle and dismounted from the
snowmobile to take a closer look. Just like the ones Mark had found in Texas. A
snack for the devil beast, not enough to slake the lust but to take the edge
off. But if it ran true to form the next kill wasn’t far off.

“Bobby, I know the signs,” she told him urgently when she,
Logan and Sophia returned to the barracks. “And this wasn’t done by any crazed
killer.”

“But it could have been a wild animal foraging for food,” he
persisted.

“Why do you keep fighting us on this? I know the story is
farfetched but so were a lot of other things until scientists or investigators
proved otherwise.” She bit back her frustration. “Anyway, your detectives
haven’t come up with any other answers, right?”

He didn’t answer her but she knew. So far the detectives
hadn’t been able to find anyone who had a reason to kill Darrell. No one had
reported a stranger lurking suspiciously in the area so they had redoubled
their efforts to find someone with a grudge against the slain man.

“Never mind.” She blew out a breath. “Can we at least get
the sheriff’s deputies to help us by patrolling the outlying areas? If they see
anything they can radio it in or shoot first and ask questions later.”

In Maine all murder cases fell under the jurisdiction of the
Maine State Police Criminal Investigation Division. But the various sheriffs’
offices provided support as needed.

When Bobby hesitated she added, “Tell him you’re still on
the lookout for a stranger.” She snorted. “A homicidal maniac who decided to
hunt his prey in two thousand frozen square miles where hardly anyone lives.”

“I still haven’t given up my original theory,” he told her.
“We get so many illegals sneaking over here because we’re so close to the
border. Who knows what kind of deranged person is wandering around here.”

“Wouldn’t someone like that have shown up somewhere by now?
He’d need shelter. Food. All that good stuff. I’m not saying it’s impossible
but it certainly seems to be reaching for it.”

“Okay, okay.” He threw up his hands. “I’ll call the sheriff
and work out a plan with him.”

“Thank you. And I don’t think we need an end-of-the-day
debriefing. Nothing new to report except those frozen carcasses. Everyone’s
anxious to get home, I’m sure.”

“Listen, Sophia—” Bobby began.

She waved a hand at him. “It’s okay, Bobby. You keep doing
your thing and we’ll do ours. I’d hoped we could work together but this will
probably shake down just as well. Go on. Tell everyone we’ll see them
tomorrow.”

Logan and Sophia returned to the motel early, telling
Rebecca they’d meet her at six at The Crown.

“I want to grab a bite early,” Logan told Sophia, “and then
catch a nap. I’d like to take a longer run tonight.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Looking to see if that black
wolf—or whatever it was—will be out there again?”

“Uh-huh.”

“All right. But whoever or whatever it is we’re seeing, I
just hope it’s on our side.”

“Me, too. Ready in an hour?”

“You got it.”

She really wanted to use the time to ease the tension
running through her body, maybe do some of the yoga breathing exercises she’d
learned. She frowned in annoyance when a knock sounded on the door.

“Damn it, Logan,” she began, jerking the door open. Her jaw
dropped when she saw Clint standing there. “Why aren’t you at the bar?”

His mouth curved in his crooked grin. “Does that mean you
aren’t glad to see me?”

Sophia stared. “I’m just puzzled as to what you’re doing
here during the busiest part of your day.”

“Frenchy’s at the bar holding court. He was bugging the shit
out of me and I think he’s okay for a few hours. Besides, I’ve got the kid from
the kitchen helping him out.” He tilted his head. “Do you think I could come
in? I came here to talk to you.”

“Oh! Um, sure.” She stepped back to let him enter, closing
the door after him.

Did he also want to have sex now? It seemed the two of them
couldn’t spend five minutes together without a combustion that rivaled a
volcanic eruption. But right now he seemed to be filled with a restless energy.
He took off his jacket, tossed it over one of the chairs and began pacing, his
hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans.

“Clint? Is something the matter?”

He shook his head. “Yes. No. I mean, I don’t know.”

“I don’t have anything strong to drink in the room but I’ve
got sodas or I could make you some coffee.”

“No. Jesus. No coffee. That’s all I’d need.”

“Then will you please tell me what’s wrong? What’s bothering
you?”

He sat down on the bed and motioned to her. “Come sit beside
me. I’m not here for sex,” he said hastily, “but I’d like you next to me when
we talk.”

Hesitantly she sat down next to him, let him take one of her
hands.

“First of all I want you to give me every detail about this
murder. Every single thing. Don’t leave anything out.”

Sophia stared at him. “What? Why do you want to know?”

“Listen.” She saw a muscle twitch in his jaw. “Do you trust
me? I know we haven’t known each other long at all but we’ve got a connection
here. So I’ll ask you again. Do you trust me?”

She bit her lip, hesitating. But then she looked hard at
him, saw the earnest expression on his face and nodded.

“I do.”

“Okay then. Tell me about Darrell Franklin’s murder.
Everything, including the condition of the body.”

“I have no idea why you want to know, but it’s not a big
secret. We just didn’t want to traumatize the general population. Okay, here it
is.”

Clint listened very carefully as she spun out everything she
knew, even going back two years to when her nephews and two others had been
killed. She told him about her research on the internet that led her to the
Chupacabra theory and how she’d learned about the killings at other spots in
the United States. She watched carefully for his reaction, ready to argue with
him if he tried to tell her she was being ridiculous.

“Does this have anything to do with the job you left the
Maine State Police for?” he wanted to know.

“Yes. It does.” Clint was taking it all in with a focused
interest. Should she go into detail about the Night Seekers?

“Can you tell me about it?”

Sophia frowned. “Not until you tell me what this is all
about. Why this unusual interest? Do you know something?”

“Maybe. Yes. I don’t know.” He rubbed his thumb over the
knuckles of the hand he was holding. “I grew up in the bayous of Louisiana,
chere
.
We had our own legends, our own monsters.”

He told her about the rougarou—half man, half wolf—and the
legends about it that continued to grow.

“It’s what got my family killed.”

Sophia was shocked. “The creature killed them?”

He shook his head. “
Non
.
It was…what they
were. What I am.”

“Excuse me?”

“People thought we—” He broke off. “Sophia, I’m going to
show you something. I’m taking a chance here but I hope you won’t freak out.”