SEAL Wolf In Too Deep (5 page)

“Listen, I know Allan and Paul are here for you, but I want you to know that I'm also available to talk or assist with anything else. Whatever you need,” Debbie said as they led her into the living room. Sometimes women just needed other women to talk to.

“I was just fixing hot chocolate for us. Would you like some too?” Catherine asked.

“Um, sure. That would be really nice. Thank you,” Debbie said, glad they seemed to appreciate her dropping by.

Rose motioned for her to have a seat on a chair across from the couch where she sat.

“I'm so sorry about what happened to you. Allan didn't tell me or I would have come sooner. I had to hear it from the homicide detective in charge of the case, who happens to be a friend. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No, thank you for asking though,” Rose said.

Catherine brought in mugs of cocoa on a tray that she set on the glass-topped coffee table. She sat next to her daughter and motioned to the mugs. “Please, have one. And thanks for coming by. It was awful. Who would have done something so ugly?” She shook her head. “Too many sick people in the world.”

“I agree. From what Rowdy said, everybody's looking into this around their own workloads.” Debbie wanted to mention how concerned everyone was, but she didn't want to get into it any more than that. “How are you feeling, Rose?” Allan's sister was petite, so carrying triplets made her look as though she was due any second.

“Oh, just fine. The babies are kicking away, especially at night. Thankfully, Everett gives the best foot and back massages. What I can't get used to is my protruding belly.” Rose rubbed her hand over her stomach. “I keep forgetting it's there despite how big it is, and when I go to open doors, especially the fridge door, it's in the way.”

Debbie laughed. She was glad to hear Rose seemed to be all right. It was good she had such a supportive network to help her through this, and she seemed to be in good spirits, if a little pale. Her mother still looked anxious.

They talked about the recent snow, and Rose wanted to know all about the baby Allan had saved earlier from the flooded SUV in the culvert. He had said Debbie played a major part in the rescue, which was sweet of him. She wanted to deny it was true, but didn't want to contradict him.

“How do you like working with Allan?” Catherine suddenly asked.

Debbie couldn't help her reaction. Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. Did his mom know how much she loved working with Allan? That she hoped more than a friendship could develop?

“He's great to work with. He treats me like a partner should.” Though all the men on the diving team were really great sports.

Rose and Catherine exchanged glances, but Debbie—despite all her police training—couldn't read their feelings in that shared instant.

“Well, I'd better be getting back to the office. I still need to write up that report, dig a little more into another case, and then share a pizza with Allan later.”

“You're having a pizza,” Catherine said, frowning.

“Oh sure, I know it's not the most nutritious food, but I've been craving one ever since he mentioned going out to have one.” Not that Debbie believed his mother was concerned about nutrition. She couldn't put her finger on it, but his family seemed to be acting a little oddly about the fact that she and Allan were now partners.

“Allan did?” Catherine said, as if she had thought it was all Debbie's idea to go out together.

Debbie sighed dramatically, then rose from her seat. “Yeah. Before my previous partner retired, we used to go out every Friday night for pizza. He was a widower, a fatherly type, and we enjoyed letting our hair down after work. I haven't done that in about a year. So I mentioned it to Allan, and he suggested we go out for pizza. We meant to do it for lunch, but…” She stopped speaking. She didn't want to bring up the murder again.

The ladies really didn't need to know all her and Allan's business, especially if they didn't approve for whatever reason. But some small part of her did care what his family thought about her. Since the family was so close knit, she thought they'd probably want to approve of her if things between her and Allan got serious. Maybe they were worried that she might hurt Allan if things didn't work out.

She wasn't even sure if she could handle being that close with family. She'd never had anything like that growing up. Not that there was anything going on between her and Allan, but…

“Thanks so much for dropping by. Some of the other police officers said they'd drive by here at different times, just to ensure there's no trouble,” Catherine said.

“Good. I'm glad to hear it.”

“Thanks, Debbie,” Rose added. “I really appreciate you coming by.”

“It was good to see you again,” Catherine said, and both ladies walked her to the door.

“I hope my coming here wasn't too much of an intrusion. I just wanted to offer my services. Call me anytime if you need anything at all.”

With final thanks and good-byes, Debbie headed back to the office, wishing she'd further clarified that she and Allan were
not
dating.

As she always did when she was driving, she watched traffic around her, behind her, in front of her, and pulling out of roads on either side of the main one she was driving on. She did so because of her police training, watching for any misdeeds, but when she glanced at her rearview mirror again, she swore a black sedan had followed her from somewhere close to Rose's house all the way to the town where Debbie worked. That was forty miles away.

When she parked at the sheriff's office, the vehicle turned off on a street two blocks away. She had planned to get the driver's license plate number when he went past her. She admitted she was probably being paranoid. But on the other hand, if she saw a car like that following her again, she'd call in his license plate to have him checked out—just in case she
wasn't
being paranoid.

Allan got a call from Rose and picked up immediately, concerned that something was seriously wrong. He'd been worried his sister or Lori might go into premature labor over this whole murder business.

“Allan, just a quick heads-up. We had an unexpected visitor,” Rose said. “Debbie Renaud came by the house to offer assistance if I needed it.”

Now that was one scenario he'd never expected. “Hell, I told her everything was fine when she asked me. What did she say?” Allan didn't want Debbie having anything to do with the family, in the event some nutcase was looking to take down werewolves and thought she might be one too.

“She didn't say anything about the case, and we just let on that it was awful, which it was. Then we talked about other subjects. What could Mom and I tell her? No, we couldn't talk to her? She was really sweet and making sure I was okay. She also assured me she'd help us out anytime we wanted her to. But what's this business with you taking her out for pizza?”

“
That's
what this call is all about? It's not a date. We're partners, remember?”

“You're not a widowed, fatherly type, unlike the retired partner she used to have pizza with on Friday nights,” Rose told him.

“Hell, Rose, it's not a date. She's been missing her old partner. He was her mentor, and I do things a little differently so it's taken some getting used to. I just thought it would be a nice thing to do.”

“If you say so.”

“She's human. I have no intention of being anything more than her dive partner on the job.” And why was he explaining himself to his sister?

“You haven't dated any of the single wolves in our pack.” Rose had brought that fact up more times than he cared to think about. Some of it was because the women thought that if they talked to his sister, she could convince him to start dating one of them.

He hadn't wanted to. The truth of the matter was that he really liked Debbie, even though he knew nothing could come of it. She and he loved to dive, for one thing. And with the criminal investigations and rescue missions, they both were really into their jobs. As for any of the new she-wolves in the pack, he had no real connection with any of them, except that they were
lupus garous
like him. There had to be more to a relationship that would last a lifetime if they mated.

“Got to go, Sis.”

“All right. But remember… If this maniac comes after us, and he sees her with you too much, he might also go after her.”

“We work together. She's a police diver. And we're fairly new partners. So if he knows about the family, that's one thing. If he's watching us, I don't want her around the rest of the family.”

“I know. I'm just saying this business with you taking her out for pizza…”

He let out his breath, annoyed with this discussion, but then remembered what a shock she and Lori had had earlier today. “Are you really all right?”

“Yeah, Everett's here. Mom's here too. We're fine. Just…be careful with her.”

Like Rose had been careful with Everett? Even though Everett was a wolf, she'd gotten into a mess with him all on her own, so Allan really didn't think she should be offering him advice on relationships. “Talk to you later.”

When he arrived at the pizzeria, the parking lot was packed. He spied Debbie's blue Ford Escort parked out front. Allan also recognized Rowdy's bright red sedan parked nearby. Frowning, but not wanting to make anything of Rowdy's presence—it was a Friday and the pizza place was really popular with locals—Allan headed inside the busy restaurant.

The jukebox was playing golden oldies and the lights were dimmed. Three cooks stood at butcher-block tables behind glass windows, tossing pizzas in the air as they put on a show while making them.

Allan loved the atmosphere in the place. Long, dark wooden tables and benches filled the center of the restaurant. A mix of booths, some small for more intimate parties and others larger for family and friend gatherings, were situated along three of the walls. A long bar accommodated a dozen patrons as they sat on red vinyl seats, drinking and conversing. The place was a mix of old world, mountain view, and rustic. The ceiling fans, green crystal lanterns, and drink glasses lining the dark, smoky mirror all added to the ambience.

He glanced around the room to see if he could locate Debbie and spotted her talking to Rowdy, who was standing next to the jukebox and making a selection. Allan shouldn't have cared, but he didn't like that Rowdy was talking to Debbie, smiling and laughing along with her as if
they
were on a date.

“Only You” by the Platters began to play.

Why should it matter that the two of them were enjoying each other's company? They all worked for law enforcement in some capacity. Allan couldn't get involved with Debbie. Yet he felt all growly in that instant, wanting to show his alpha posturing and let Rowdy know to back off. What would Debbie think of that? And Rowdy? He'd probably get a kick out of it.

But the warier side of his nature kicked in. What were the odds Rowdy just happened to be here alone at the same time as Debbie was here? Allan thought back to how Rowdy just happened to drop in at the clinic at the same time Debbie was there. Hell, was he stalking her?

Getting his annoyance under control, Allan headed toward them. Rowdy saw him first. He smiled a little, as if he knew it would bother Allan that he was having fun with Debbie when she was here to have dinner with Allan.

As soon as Allan joined them, Rowdy said, “Debbie asked if I'd have pizza with the two of you. So what do you like on yours?”

Surprised as hell that she would invite Rowdy to join them, Allan glanced at Debbie, wondering if she had felt obligated to be polite since Rowdy appeared to be alone. She was all smiles, which showed just how pretty she was, her long dark hair pulled back, her brown eyes sparkling. She seemed to be thrilled to be here, and Allan was glad he had offered to join her. But if he'd picked her up, he wouldn't have had to deal with Rowdy joining the party.

“I love double cheese and mushrooms, if that's good with everyone,” Debbie said.

Allan snapped his mouth shut. Okay, he reminded himself, this wasn't a date. She was just his partner, and they were just having a pizza. And Rowdy wasn't dating her either. Just three people that had work in common and now were having a dinner out. So why did Allan feel like telling Rowdy to get lost? Or interrogating him about why he seemed to be at the same places Debbie was today?

“Yeah, sure, whatever everyone else wants.” Allan really tried not to show his growlier wolf nature, but he was having a hard time keeping his feelings hidden. He figured at this rate, they might as well sit at one of the long tables, but Rowdy steered them to a booth and maneuvered it so that he was sitting next to Debbie on one side.

She didn't seem to mind. In fact, Allan thought she looked pleased with the arrangement. Was she miffed at Allan because he had wanted to take separate vehicles? He'd wanted to be able to leave at a moment's notice if any of his family called to tell him there was more trouble. And he didn't want it to look like he was dating her if a werewolf killer was on the loose.

“So, what do you make of this latest case?” Rowdy asked.

“I'd say the person was crazy,” Debbie said. “Who traps a naked woman like that and then shoots her several times?”

The waitress came and took their orders. She brought back a pitcher of beer and mugs, then headed for another table.

“The only thing I can come up with is some lunatic thought the woman was a werewolf. I thought of vampires, but hunters kill them with wooden stakes.” Rowdy poured everyone a mug of beer.

Allan had heard Rowdy watched the TV series
Supernatural
and several other paranormal series
,
so he wasn't surprised when Rowdy came up with that scenario as a lighthearted approach to his ongoing murder investigations.

“Werewolf? Right.” Debbie sipped her beer.

As far as Allan knew, Debbie loved the epic, more historical kind of fantasy, but wasn't into the urban fantasy stuff—like vampires and werewolves.

“We still don't have a clue who she was?” Allan wasn't about to get pulled into a discussion about werewolves or any other paranormal creatures.

“No word yet,” Rowdy said. “And the victim didn't have any wolf DNA.”

Debbie rolled her eyes. “They did
not
test for wolf DNA.”

Rowdy smiled and winked at her. “I asked the county coroner to look for it, and she said she always checked blood work, as a matter of course. No wolf DNA. Just plain old human blood.”

“She did
not
check for wolf DNA,” Debbie said.

Rowdy laughed. “If she'd found some when she did the other tests, wouldn't you have been surprised?”

Allan couldn't help but be amused at the way the conversation was going. He wouldn't have been surprised if Rowdy had asked the coroner to check the blood for wolf DNA.

Thankfully,
lupus garous
were all wolf in appearance, DNA included, when in wolf form and totally human when they were in human form. So if anyone ran any kind of tests on them, they wouldn't show both in any of their systems.

The three of them finally got on to other subjects, and despite disliking that Rowdy was here with Debbie to begin with, Allan liked the guy and found his company agreeable. He was a good homicide detective with a sterling reputation and a great success rate in solving murder cases and getting convictions. If Allan hadn't loved diving so much, he wouldn't have minded working with Rowdy in his field of expertise.

Debbie sipped more of her beer, then set her mug down. “I have a confession to make. You guys are a lot of fun.” Her eyes were bright and glistened a bit in the ambient lights in the restaurant.

Allan raised his brows a little. Was she slightly…drunk? After only a beer?

Rowdy smiled.

“No, really. You know I've been working with Allan for nearly five months and I've known you, Rowdy, for what? About the same? Maybe a little less. This is the first time I've had a chance to just”—she pulled off the clasp holding her hair up, and the dark-brown curls cascaded over her shoulders—“let my hair down a bit.”

Allan had never seen her hair loose. Silky, rich, and thick. He could just imagine running his hands through the soft strands.

Rowdy saluted her, still smiling. “Here's to letting your hair down.”

She looked like she was feeling a bit tipsy. But after one beer? Granted, the mugs were big, but… He frowned. She'd told him her dad had been an alcoholic. Had she never taken a drink before?

“Do you want a soda? Water? Coffee?” Allan asked.

“Nah, I'm fine.” She pointed a slice of pizza at him. “I dropped by your sister's place to offer my shoulder if she ever needs it.”

“I heard.”

She frowned at him. “I don't think they—your mom and sister—liked that we were going out on a date.”

He opened his mouth to object, but she quickly added, “Oh, don't misunderstand.
I
didn't say we were going on a date. But for whatever reason, I believe that's what they concluded. Should I have repeated that this wasn't a date? That's why I asked old Rowdy here if he'd like to join us—because we aren't on a date.” She grinned, then took a bite of the cheese pizza.

Rowdy laughed. “How often do you go out drinking?”

“Me?” Debbie's eyes were wide. “Oh, heavens. Never. It's just been a rough day, and I thought for a date…well, not a date, just a pizza get-together where everyone drinks beer…well, it would seem antisocial of me if I didn't join in on the fun.” She finished her pizza and looked from Allan to Rowdy. “What?”

“Do you think you can drive home okay?” Allan asked. He wasn't going to let her, but it was better if she thought it was her idea. “If not, we'll drop you off at home, and we can leave your car at your place.”

“No, thanks. I can drive.” Then she chewed on her bottom lip. “You don't think I'm that bad, do you?”

“We'll take you home,” Allan said. Even if she was fine, he didn't want her to risk getting in an accident on the way to Whitefish thirty miles away that would get her into trouble with the sheriff's department. He doubted her blood alcohol level would be that high. Even so, the beer definitely had affected her.

“Okay. But I'm really feeling great.”

That's what Allan was worried about. That she was feeling
too
great. After they finished the pizza, they walked outside and found it had been snowing the whole time they were eating. Because of the weather conditions, Allan was glad they were taking Debbie home. He drove his own vehicle, and Rowdy drove Debbie's. She sat in the passenger's seat, leaning her head against the window of her car. Allan wondered if she'd gone to sleep.

Halfway to her place, Allan noticed a black sedan following him through the traffic lights. The car continued to follow until Allan turned right at a street that would take him out of his way. The sedan continued on past.

Once Allan had turned around and gotten back on the main road to Debbie's home, he saw the black sedan turn down the next street. When Allan passed the street, he expected to see the sedan still driving along, but it had vanished. Other than a number of businesses closed for the night, there wasn't anywhere for the sedan to go, except to turn down the next street. He had to have been flying at that point to make the corner before Allan reached the intersection.

On the rest of the drive to Debbie's house, Allan kept watching for the black sedan. It probably meant nothing sinister, but working for law enforcement, he was wary.

When he pulled into Debbie's driveway, Rowdy was just parking. “What happened to you back there? I thought you'd gotten lost,” Rowdy said, getting out of Debbie's car.