Lycan Packs 1: Lycan Instinct (9 page)

Marge turned to Gabe. “So you best change into something more appropriate, young man, before she hauls that bare bottom of yours to jail for indecent exposure.”

“She’s out of her jurisdiction, but I’ll change.”

“Gabe...” The warning died on Rafe’s lips. Too late. A glow had already formed around his brother. The change started. He watched as Gabe’s form dissolved in a sparkling brilliance, moved, shifted. The light brightened until Rafe had to blink. Then the energy faded, the particles reforming into a solid body of corded muscle and ebony fur.

“Humph. That wasn’t the change I had in mind, but it’ll do.” Marge disappeared through the French doors.

“I ought to make her bring me a leash.” Rafe chuckled when his brother growled. “Behave.”

Don’t I always?
Gabe’s words slipped into his mind, the telepathic communication a comfort to his Lycan senses.

Mackenzie couldn’t enjoy the drive to Rafe’s home, which wound more than a mile into lush woods. Why would anyone want to live in the boonies?

“He works in the damn city, but is that where I find him? No. Why should he make it easy for me?” Frustrated and ticked, she mumbled to herself.

She’d left Cooper in the city trying to track down other relatives of the second victim. They’d gone to his house but found no one home. The wife and kids had left that morning to visit her mother in the suburbs, according to a very talkative, elderly neighbor.

The old lady was a fount of information. Carl Shumaker and his wife had been married for thirteen years, had two kids in grade school and one on the way. He was always so polite and helpful, but lately he’d seemed a bit distracted. She’d heard a few arguments next door, the houses being so close and all. But the clincher was when the neighbor told them he worked in the Loop as a computer programmer for Stone Corporation.

Mackenzie had felt as if the woman’s porch collapsed under her feet. Could she have been so wrong about Stone? Was Cooper right? Had the man, with as much charisma as he had money in the bank, blinded her to his guilt?

“No, damn it.” She slapped the wheel and glared out the windshield as the sprawling log and stone mansion came into view. The trappings of wealth and fame had never impressed her before. She didn’t care about his riches either, although if she were honest with herself, she could appreciate his looks and charm. Still, even serial killers could be quite charming when they wanted to be.

If Stone were the killer, her job was to take him down. She couldn’t do that by making excuses for him or overlooking evidence, no matter how circumstantial. She was a cop. If she screwed up, murderers went free and more people died. Now, a second man with connections to Rafael Stone lay in the city morgue, and that, more than anything else, left her doubting her instincts. What clue had she missed?

Maybe she should’ve told Cooper where she was going. He would’ve demanded to come along. She shook her head, turned off the ignition, and got out. No. She’d do this alone; she had to. The job was all she had, her way to make a difference. If she couldn’t trust herself to read the signs of a killer, what good was she as a cop?

She walked between the two mammoth wolves, recognizing them from the photograph at the Lykos Institute.

“Hello. Please, come in.” A lady with grey hair and happy eyes that crinkled at the corners held the massive door open. “I’m Marge Ainsworth, the Stone family’s housekeeper. Mr. Stone is on the patio. Right this way.”

“The Stone family?”
Is he married?

“Yes, Rafael and his brothers live here.”

Brothers...no wife...no kids
. Relief settled in her stomach, followed quickly by irritation. What did it matter to her that he was single? At least he wouldn’t leave behind children when she carted his butt off to prison.

The tap of Mackenzie’s flats echoed as she walked past a wide, sweeping staircase, the oak banister polished to a mirrored luster. “The place is certainly large enough for three men to get lost in.”

The housekeeper chuckled, pushed open French doors, and motioned Mackenzie through. She spotted Rafe in an instant. He sat with his back to her in a hunter green, wrought-iron patio chair. She started toward him but froze when she heard a low growl.

“Behave.” The command came sharp and quick. “Welcome, Detective. Please, join me for a drink.”

“No thanks. I’m on duty.” She scowled at the wolf, annoyed that his presence made her voice shaky. As she neared, the wolf’s golden brown eyes followed her. He was huge, black, and had a lot of teeth. She unbuttoned her blazer for better access to her firearm. The wolf cocked his head and seemed to smile.

“The drink is lemonade, quite permissible for officers on duty, I believe, especially on what promises to be one of the last warm evenings of the season.”

“Oh.” She sat, thinking she’d been foolish not to bring Cooper along, no matter how much her pride had demanded otherwise.

The wolf, which apparently claimed the chaise lounge as his throne, continued to stare at her. He was panting. Wolves couldn’t really smirk. Could they?

“I should’ve known you wouldn’t have a normal pet.”

The wolf growled, then lowered his muzzle to rest on his front paws.

Rafe laughed. “I don’t think he appreciates being called a pet. G’s more like a member of the family.”

“G?”

“Yes, that’s what we call him.” He handed her a glass, and she sipped it, savoring the tart chill as the liquid slid down her throat.

“Does it stand for something?”

“That depends on how much of a pest he is at any given moment.” The wolf yawned.

“He’s the one in the picture, right? The portrait at the institute.”

“Yes, but others roam my estate.”

Her gaze shot to his. “You have more?” She remembered Richard’s words about a wolf pack. She’d thought he was referring to the institute’s animals, not that Stone actually had his own pack at home.

He nodded. “The property is vast, plenty of room for my family and a wolf pack. A personal nature preserve of sorts.”

And a perfect place to commit murder, she thought, scanning the surrounding woodlands. No witnesses. Then why dump the body back in the city? Why risk discovery by attacking a second victim in a public park? He could bury the bodies somewhere out there, and no one would ever know. Maybe he thought he could flaunt it before investigators. Some killers wanted their work to be discovered, admired. Arrogance often led to a criminal’s downfall.

The gentle caress of a finger along her temple startled her. “Back off.” She swatted his hand away, angry that he’d caught her unaware...that even a brief touch could unsettle her.

Rafe leaned back in his chair again, his lips quirked in an amused lopsided smile. “You were frowning...still frowning. A headache?”

“I’m fine.”

The wolf licked his lips and eyed her like a juicy piece of steak, but Rafe’s penetrating regard made her shift in her seat. She bit back a curse. Why did this man get to her? What was it about him that threw her off-balance?

“They take it as an ultimatum, you know.”

“What?” Her gaze swept from the wolf to Rafe.

“Staring is a way for canines, wild or domestic, to assert their dominance in the pack.”

“Really?” She lifted her lemonade to her lips without looking away from his stare. “Interesting.”

“Yes. It...
arouses
their more aggressive tendencies. A challenge, if you will.” His lips pressed together as if he were fighting a smile. “I don’t believe you drove all this way for a taste of Marge’s lemonade...or a lesson on animal instincts. And as much as I’d like to think you enjoy my company, I doubt that’s the case either.”

Mackenzie stiffened. “I should remind you that you have a right to an attorney...”

The wolf sat up, alert. Her hand inched toward her gun.

Rafe’s focus shifted to her hand and then lifted to her face. She looked from the man to the wolf.

“Get lost, G, now.” Silence stretched until he looked at the wolf, too. “I said,
now
.”

Amazingly, the wild canine obeyed like a tamed puppy. Even more surprising, the wolf went into the house. “You let him stay in the house?” She hadn’t meant to blurt out the question, but Rafe answered easily enough.

“As I said, he’s part of the family. He lives here.”

She shook her head.

“Now, Detective. Do you want to tell me what this is all about, and why you insist that I need an attorney?”

“The attorney is a matter of procedure. Contacting one is within your rights as a citizen before being questioned by an investigator.”

One ebony brow rose. “So I’ve been informed. Why the interrogation, Mackenzie?”

His use of her name made her grit her teeth. She could not let him get personal, as if this were a conversation between acquaintances, or something more. She shied away from that thought.

His long, well-shaped fingers wrapped around his glass. Strong hands. Capable of a tender touch, but were they the hands of a cold-blooded murderer?

She’d given him the advantage by confronting him on his own turf, and he’d maneuvered her to gain the upper hand. Now, she’d seize her turn and take it back.

“I need confirmation on the employment of a computer programmer who, I believe, works for you.”

He blinked but showed no other reaction. “I have thousands of people working for me in this country and others, but I’ll be glad to help if you can be a bit more specific. May I have this employee’s name?”

“Carl Shumaker.”

This time, his reaction was immediate and visible. Rafe’s eyes narrowed, and his already-chiseled features hardened.

“No, Detective. He’s no longer employed with Stone Corp.”

She knew that. Tough to maintain employment when you’re dead. But before she could ask him to elaborate, he asked a question of his own.

“Is he somehow involved in Robertson’s murder? Is that what this is about?”

Mackenzie peered at her prime suspect, saw the anger in his eyes, and let his words sink in. He was either very smart or innocent. Maybe both. For now, she’d give him smart, nothing more.

“When was his last day of employment?”

“Yesterday.”

“He quit yesterday?”

“No. He was terminated yesterday.”

Her breath hitched in her chest. “Terminated?”

“Carl Shumaker had a promising future as a very talented computer programmer.”

“Had?”

“He was the Team Lead on some new revolutionary security software Stone Corp. has been developing for some time now...until we discovered his attempts to circumvent the corporation’s own security system. I fired him for trying to embezzle money from the company.”

“Embezzle?”

“Yes, by filing falsified expense reports and more recently attempting to hack into our financial computer system.”

“When did you report the embezzlement to the authorities?”

“I didn’t.”

She blinked. “You didn’t?”

“No.”

“You fired him.”

Those smooth lips curved again. “Yes. And suggested debt-management counseling.”

Did he seek his own personal vengeance on a man who’d crossed the line, broke a trust? Was Robertson’s public challenge enough to trigger a murderous rage in Stone? “An employee commits a crime, and you let him walk? Or is that what you want me to think?”

Rafe’s eyes sparked with anger. “What exactly do you think, Detective? You never answered my question, although I’ve responded to all of yours. What does Carl have to do with Robertson’s death?”

She met his gaze boldly. “That’s what I’m here to find out. Both men are dead and so far, the only connection between them is you.”

“Both men...?” He sat motionless, surprise clearly written across his face, but that expression soon changed to one of determination. His voice was cold and hard as steel. “When?”

“You didn’t know?”

“Hell no, I didn’t know.” His eyes locked on hers. “When?”

“We got the call—”

“When I was in your office,” he interrupted. “I saw the change in you, as if an iron curtain fell into place. So full of purpose and spirit...you were magnificent.” He stood abruptly, as if jolted by his own words, and started pacing. Mackenzie, however, collapsed against the back of her chair.

“Where? How?”

With the sun dropping below the horizon, its warmth receded. She watched steam rise from the heated pool and stared at the swirling ripples.
Magnificent
...

“Mackenzie, where?”

Shaken from her reverie, she looked up at him before answering. “His body was found in a park. He’d been mauled.”

Rafe cursed. He paced like a caged animal. When he stopped and faced her, she recognized pain and fury in his haunted expression.

“His family. Are they okay? Did you find them?”

“They weren’t home. Cooper’s tracking them down now.”

“Rafe?” Gabriel stood in the doorway. Unlike the last time she’d seen him, he’d discarded the white lab coat in favor of blue jeans, a green pull-over sweater and no shoes. He didn’t look at her, his focus remaining fixed on his brother. “What is it?”

“Detective Lyons just informed me that another man I know was found dead today.”

“Who?”

“Shumaker.”

“The one who...?”
Rafe nodded.

Gabe stepped onto the terrace and moved toward her. “Forgive me. Hello, Detective. It seems we’re always meeting under rather unpleasant circumstances.”

She stood and shook his offered hand. As she released it, her cell phone rang. “Excuse me.” Stepping away, she flipped it open.

“Lyons.” She listened to Cooper fill her in on the latest developments. “Uh huh. Is she...” She could feel questions forming in the minds of the two men who stood nearby, their stares prodding her back. “No. I’ll go. It’ll take me a while. I’m...not on that side of town, but—No, I said, I’ll take it. You keep checking those other leads. Okay. Later.” The phone snapped shut.

She was tired. The sun had set, and tonight would prove to be another long night. Mackenzie took a deep breath and turned. “I have to go.”

“Tell me.” Rafe’s command was soft but competed with an engine’s rumble that made Mackenzie look toward the front of the house.