Werewolf in Denver (26 page)

“I didn’t think so, either, but…who would want to hijack your blog?”

“I don’t know.” But he was already lining up suspects in his mind. Anyone who had reason to want the rivalry to continue had a motive. That included Jake, who pretended not to be much of a tech-savvy Were, but that could be an act. Angela Sapworthy needed a steady supply of juicy stories to keep her readership. Besides those two, he wondered if any of his Woofers might be that crazy.

If Jake wasn’t the culprit, then perhaps some other Howler wanted to make sure that Kate didn’t go soft on the Woofers. Then he remembered that on Friday someone had hacked into Kate’s Furthebest dating site. Although the doors had opened and delegates were pouring in, he quickly left his chair.

Emma glanced at him in surprise. “You can’t leave, Duncan. Your fans are arriving.”

“Please tell them I’ll be right back. I have one more piece of information for Aidan.” He covered the distance in a few long strides and spoke quickly with Aidan, who seemed glad to get more evidence that someone was up to no good in cyberspace.

“Don’t worry,” Aidan said. “We’ll figure this out.”

“I hope so. I have a lot riding on it.” He’d said that without thinking, but it was true. If he couldn’t convince Kate that he would never knowingly do anything to hurt her, he’d carry that sorrow with him for the rest of his life.

On that cheery note, he returned to the table to greet
the first delegate in line to have a book autographed. He managed a smile and picked up his pen. For the next hour, he tried to focus on the steady stream of Woofers who wanted a signed book as a souvenir.

But his thoughts kept drifting to Kate, sitting so near, yet so far away. Then he thought about Aidan, and whether he’d learned anything yet. If Aidan was a fast worker, maybe he’d be able to resolve the issue by the end of the hour. If not, the scheduled debate could be torture. But an hour wasn’t a lot of time. And it was going fast.

Kate wasn’t having a good day. The shock of seeing Duncan’s blog had shattered her composure. She’d fired off that response without thinking it through, and Grandma Elizabeth had not been pleased. She’d literally called Kate on the carpet over it, but at least the lecture had been a private one in Elizabeth’s suite.

Duncan’s behavior was reprehensible,
she’d said in words that still rang in Kate’s ears,
but you stooped to his level with your out-of-control response. A leader can’t afford to have a hissy fit in public.

Kate had wanted to argue that she had good reason for her hissy fit. But she knew her grandmother would be unmoved. She also knew her grandmother was right. After years of watching Grandma Elizabeth handle any crisis that came her way, and after recently observing Howard dealing with unruly delegates, she knew how she should have responded.

Anger was fine so long as it was controlled and directed like a laser at the offending party. She’d spewed vitriol over the entire Were Internet. She’d also sounded like a teenager when she’d added that part about hoping
Duncan roasted in hell. Saying it had felt oh-so-good, but now it was everywhere, which felt oh-so-bad.

She’d taken her response down but hadn’t decided what to put in its place. After very little sleep last night, and not a whole lot more the night before, she was mentally and physically exhausted. She wasn’t sure how she’d have survived the autograph session if Heidi hadn’t been there giving her moral support.

Most everyone who came to the table had some comment to make about Duncan’s blog. The majority understood that the picture was fake, but a few didn’t and wanted to know what that actor was like in person.

“I don’t know,” she’d answer each time the question came up. “I’ve never met him.”

The Were would look confused. “But…”

“The picture was a fake. He and I have never been in the same room together, let alone the same bed.”

“Oh.” The questioner usually left looking vaguely disappointed.

“You’d think they’d be more concerned about you abandoning your principles to sleep with the guy,” Heidi muttered. “I guess if the human’s a celebrity, then all bets are off.”

“How much longer until we’re done here?”

“We’re almost there.”

Kate couldn’t even rejoice in that, because her debate with Duncan started after a short break between events. She’d grabbed spare minutes to speed-read the rest of his book, but she hadn’t laughed at any of his attempts to be funny this time. For all she knew, he’d made up every story he told, anyway. She felt like such a fool as she remembered all the times she’d complimented him on his integrity. Yeah, right.

And yet, while she hated him with a white-hot passion, she couldn’t stop thinking about him sitting over there only one six-foot table away from her. She’d noticed his little confab with Howard before the event started and assumed Howard had read him the riot act.

Yet Duncan had made no move to speak to her, no attempt to apologize for his egregious behavior. Not that she would accept his apology, but now that he’d been forced to take down that blog, he must realize what an ass he’d made of himself by putting it up.

Well, good. Let him suffer. If he was too proud to apologize for what he’d done, then she’d mark that down in her growing list of his sins. And when they had their debate, she would do her very best to eviscerate him. In a classy way, of course, so Grandma Elizabeth wouldn’t give her another lecture. She wanted his blood on the floor, if not literally, then figuratively.

“That looks like the last of them,” Heidi said.

Kate tossed down her pen. “Then I’m going to disappear into the ladies’ room for five minutes. I need a moment.”

“You bet.” Heidi gave her a quick smile. “I’ll tidy up here and haul out your notes for the debate. Go take a few calming breaths so you can come back and kick his ass.”

“You know it, girlfriend.” Leaving her chair, Kate headed for the nearest exit. From the corner of her eye, she saw Duncan get up, and she moved faster. She did
not
want to deal with him now.

Unfortunately, he had longer legs than she did and he beat her to the door. “Kate, please listen for a minute.”

“I don’t care to listen.” She avoided his gaze. “Now please move so I can take a bathroom break.”

“It wasn’t me, Kate. I didn’t put that blog up there. I don’t know who did, but Aidan is looking into it.”

Rage gripped her and she finally looked into his eyes. “Of course you put it up there.” Her chest tightened and she had trouble breathing, but she wasn’t going to let him wiggle out of this disaster by claiming he’d been the victim of a hacker. “After last night you had all the information about Penny. And on Friday night, I conveniently mentioned my crush on the guy who stars in
The Force
. My picture’s on my blog, and I’m sure his picture is everywhere on the Internet.”

Pain flashed in his gray eyes. “I didn’t do it. I would never deliberately try to hurt you, Kate.”

“You seem sincere enough, but then so do all psychopaths. Everyone thought Ted Bundy was a nice guy, too.”

“Kate! My God! How can you say something that horrible, lass?”

“How could you put that picture on your blog, Duncan? And then drag my sister’s name into it? How could you?” Unshed tears made her eyes ache and if she stood here much longer, she was liable to cry. Damned if she’d let him see that. “Either you move or I’m calling for help to physically move you. I’m sure I could find several Howlers who would love to do that.”

“Aye. I’m sure you could.” He moved aside. “But search your heart, Kate. You’re a good judge of character. You didn’t misjudge me before, but you’re doing so now.”

“I wish that were true.” She hurried past him and out the door before his soft, low voice could seduce her into believing in him again. He’d fooled her once, but he wouldn’t fool her a second time.

Chapter 17

Sniffer Update: @newshound—
Sitting ringside as the great debate begins! MacDowell versus Stillman! Room is packed! #suspensemounting

Duncan’s vain hope that Aidan would arrive in the nick of time and make some grand announcement about the hijacked blog didn’t materialize. None of the Wallaces were in the room for the debate, so maybe they were all working on the problem, including Emma. He appreciated that, but he wished they’d hurry up.

Elizabeth Stillman sat in the back of the room looking regal as always. When her gaze fell on him, he expected to feel a chill wind blowing his way, but her expression was neutral. Maybe Howard had told her that Duncan appeared to be innocent. That would be helpful.

A second lectern had been brought in so that he and Kate could each have one from which to speak. Or to hide behind, in his case, if angry Howlers started throwing things. He’d never experienced standing in front of an audience where some of the listeners were openly hostile.

He spent most of his time looking at the Woofers, who gave him smiles of encouragement. The Howlers continued to stare at him as if he were the spawn of Satan and would sprout horns at any minute.

At least Neil, the moderator for the debate, liked him. Or, more accurately, Neil fawned on him. Duncan was willing to accept fawning as opposed to outright hate.

Neil had managed to find a small lapel mike with a battery pack attached, so he wasn’t tied to any certain spot. As the crowd settled, he paced in front of the audience, making cute little jokes with those in the front row, who included Angela Sapworthy tapping away on her netbook.

No doubt Angela was sending those jokes out on Sniffer. Because Neil’s mike was on, his comments and knowing chuckles were also broadcast throughout the room, whether the audience cared to hear them or not.

He preened and strutted like the cock of the walk. After Duncan had that negative thought, he chastised himself for it. Neil was an ally, but bloody hell, the Were had a narcissistic streak a mile wide.

At last Neil paused dramatically and intoned in a deep voice, “It is time.”

Duncan couldn’t stop himself from looking over at Kate, and he discovered she was looking back. He could read her expression perfectly, and he was sure she could read his. For one sparkling moment they were in complete agreement once again—Neil was a first-class jackass. Then Kate glanced away, ending the brief flash of mutual disgust with Neil.

“Throughout the weekend we’ve gathered questions from the delegates,” Neil said. “We’ll get to as many as we have time for. I’ll alternate between the debaters,
allowing Kate to answer first and then have Duncan rebut, and switch around the next time. I’ll be timing your answers.” He held up a stopwatch.

“Before we begin asking the questions,” Neil continued, “our president has suggested that we give Kate and Duncan each two minutes for an opening statement, to set the stage, as it were. I’ll toss a coin to see who goes first. Heads it’s Duncan, tails it’s Kate.” He tossed a quarter in the air and caught it behind his back. “Heads! Give it up for the King of the Woofers!”

Duncan winced. He’d hoped that title had died on Saturday morning, but no such luck. His supporters gave him a rousing welcome interspersed with
woof
,
woof
,
woof
. He gazed at his cheering followers and wondered if one of them, or more than one, had conspired to hijack his blog today.

Neil held up his stopwatch. “Two minutes, Duncan. And…go!”

Duncan hadn’t prepared an opening speech, but he knew what he wanted to say. “Earlier today many of you saw a blog post with an inappropriate picture in it. I want to take this opportunity to tell you I had nothing to do with that post or the blatantly fake picture. Whoever hijacked my blog, whether you did it because you support me or because you don’t, I am sadly disappointed that you chose to do so. You’ve distressed me, and you’ve greatly distressed my worthy opponent.”

When he fell silent, Neil turned to him. “That’s it? You have time left.”

“That’s it.”

Neil shrugged. “Then next up is Kate. You have two minutes, Kate. And…go!”

She cleared her throat. “Duncan would have you
believe that he’s innocent in this business of the blog post, but I have good reason to think that he’s not.”

Duncan knew he shouldn’t look at her while she tore him to shreds, but it was like watching a train wreck. He couldn’t turn away. She gripped the lectern so hard her knuckles and the tips of her fingers were white. He remembered kissing those sweet fingers, and regret burned in him like lava.

Her voice rang out, clear despite the way she was trembling. “On Friday night, when Duncan and I were snowbound, we had a conversation about television shows, and I told him of my fondness for
The Force
and my silly crush on the lead actor. It’s no coincidence that actor was chosen for the Photoshopped picture of me.”

Angry murmurings rose from the purple-shirted bloc.

“That alone might be enough to incriminate him, but in addition, on Saturday night while we worked on the mission statement, I confided my concerns about my sister, Penny. He may have known something about her situation before, because it’s no big secret, but he got all the details last night. He used the information I trustingly gave him to create that abomination of a blog post. That’s all I have to say. Bring on the debate.”

The discontent from the Howlers grew louder. Duncan began to appreciate how someone might feel facing a lynch mob. If this Howler group thought they could get away with it, they’d find a rope and a tall tree. He thought about his brother, Colin, and how much he would hate having the family name covered in mud.

Then he forced himself to settle down. He was innocent, and eventually he’d clear himself of suspicion, somehow, and all would be well. He had to believe that.
His entire reputation and that of the MacDowells would not be ruined because of one crazy hacker.

“All righty, then.” Neil consulted a stack of index cards in his hand. “First question, which goes to Kate because Duncan won the right to the first opening statement. Here we go: If Brad Pitt were the last male on the planet, either Were or human, would you mate with him? Why or why not? And don’t worry, Duncan. The question is altered for you. We’re not going to ask you whether you’d have sex with Brad Pitt.”