Realm of the Wolf Book I: Wolf Dance (17 page)

by Lorraine Kennedy

"I've just been informed by Sheriff Moss that you may

have been the last person to see Deputy Spraw alive. Is that

true?" He directed the question to Laura.

"What?" Laura stared at him blankly.

"The deputy disappeared last night, on the same night he

was sent out to question you." Sheriff Moss smiled at her.

"I've never met the man. He never showed up to question

me and if he did—I was not home." Laura was astounded.

"Do you have someone that can verify your whereabouts

on that night?"

Laura turned white. "Yes, I was with a friend."

"Hmm...." He wrote her answers in his little notebook.

Turning to Dewey he asked. "Do you have someone who can

verify that you've been out of town?"

"Why, yes I do, my sister Hester and her husband! They're

who I stayed with while I was in Cheyenne." He glowered at

the police officer.

"Miss Ellison, I'm sorry to have to do this, but I'm going to

have to ask that you stay in the area until we can figure

something out." He frowned.

The sheriff tipped his hat to her. "I sure hope you don't

have to get back to New Mexico anytime soon."

"Actually ... I do have an elderly grandfather down there,

and I hadn't planned to leave him long." Laura disliked the

situation more by the minute.

"I'm sorry. Maybe you can have someone check on him

every once in a while. Hopefully we can have this wrapped up

soon." Detective Gates' concern seemed genuine.

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By the time the police had finished with them it was close

to dusk. Dewey walked Laura to her car.

She stopped abruptly. "Mr. Hughes, I want to be told

what's going on around here. I feel that you know

something." Laura stood her ground.

"You're a good girl, Miss Laura, and I'd hate to see

anything happen to you, so I'll tell you this much. People

around here are not always what they appear to be."

"What do you mean by that? Have I come across a whole

county of lunatics?" Laura was frustrated.

"I guess you could say that. Best advice I have is, keep to

yourself and don't be doing a lot of wandering around like you

have been. That's the way I do it, and I'm still alive." His eyes

held a warning of the unknown. Laura shivered.

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by Lorraine Kennedy

Ignoring the old man's warning, the next day Laura made

another attempt to locate Justin, but to no avail. Not only was

he still gone, but so was the entire town of Beaver Creek. It

stood silent and empty—appearing to be a ghost town to all

unsuspecting wanderers.

Her disappointment growing, Laura went home. A tall glass

of iced tea was what she needed. She felt as if she had

stepped into the pages of a horror novel with no way to

reenter her own world. Too many people were disappearing.

Most of the locals had already left— boarding up their homes.

Only the store and the saloon remained open in Brantic City,

but who knew for how long?

Turning into her driveway, Laura was shocked to see a late

model maroon car. Detective Gates leaned against his car and

waited for Laura to get out. When she did, he flipped open his

little notebook.

Now what had happened? All she wanted was to relax and

forget this whole mess—even if for just a little while.

"Miss Ellison." He smiled.

"Hello." Laura found that she could not put on a cheery

face. She opened her front door. "Would you like to come in?"

she asked.

He nodded, following close behind her.

"What can I do for you?" Laura asked once they were

inside.

"Do you know a Justin Gray Eagle?"

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"I do," she answered.

"Would you happen to know where I could find him?"

Laura shook her head. "In fact, I've been looking for him

myself for the past couple of days. What do you want with

Justin?"

Ignoring her question, he continued. "How did you come to

know Justin and what's your relationship with him?"

Laura reddened, as much from anger as from

embarrassment. "He helped me fix my truck when I broke

down. As for our relationship, I don't think that's anyone's

business."

It was a dead giveaway and he apparently felt no need to

pressure her on the subject further. "If you do see him, will

you tell him to contact the state police in Acton? It's very

important that we speak with him."

"Yes, of course, but what exactly do you need to talk with

him about?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Ellison, that's police business. You know—

classified and all."

It didn't matter. She already knew what they wanted. Even

though she had suspected they would be after him—the

reality of Justin's situation hit her hard.

"Can I ask you a question?" Laura inquired.

"Yes, go ahead."

"Why did you wait for me, and how did you know I'd be

home soon?"

"The Sheriff's Department has been having you watched

for days now." He winked.

Laura's breath caught in her throat. "Why is that?"

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Gates shrugged. "I believe you are a suspect in the

investigation—on their end but not necessarily on this end."

Again he smiled.

Laura was at a loss for words.

"I really should not have let you in on that, but ... let's just

say I have never been too trusting of the local authorities

around here. You just be watching yourself, Miss Ellison."

Once he had left, Laura tried to figure out what to do. The

one thing she was sure of was that she had to find Justin and

warn him to lay low. At least until the police had time to

figure out who or what was really behind the entire

catastrophe. There was no question in her mind of his

innocence. It was just something that she knew in her heart.

At the same time, she was sure he wouldn't stand a

chance. They would railroad him, just because of what he

was. She had seen it too many times back home. That was

the way of the
Belagana
.

And the Sheriff's Department! Why on earth would they

suspect her of murder? Laura could almost feel a noose

tightening around her neck. She had to find out who was

responsible for the killings—it was the only way to save her

and Justin.

After leaving the office the next day, instead of going

home, Laura went in search of Justin once again. Even before

stopping in front of that lonely cabin, she knew her trip had

been fruitless. The wooden structure stood silent against a

wide expanse of blue sky.

She pounded on the door with urgency, but again her

answer was silence. Laura peered into the windows. Feeling

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very much like an intruder, she had to force herself to look

into each one.

Everything appeared much the same as it had on her first

visit, except for the thick layer of dust that had accumulated

inside. It looked as if no one had even entered the place in

days. Laura wondered if he might have already gotten wind of

the police looking for him and decided to leave.

The thought of him leaving without saying goodbye, hurt

more than she cared to admit. Just the fact that she hadn't

seen him at all since the night he had taken her into the

woods and done such unbelievably magical things to her, was

painful enough.

Feeling flushed, Laura quickly pushed images of his

lovemaking from her mind. Thoughts of him always left her

feeling as if she had lost control. It was not enough that he

occupied her mind, it seemed that he had also laid claim to

her body as well.

Laura felt the tears coming on, and at that moment ... the

reality of Justin's disappearance hit her full force.

What if he was dead too

After all, hadn't one of the
Sungmanitu
disappeared as

well?

Wanting more than anything to be someplace where she

could sense his closeness, she started walking through the

tall grasses of the meadow toward the creek where Justin had

taken her once before. Laura knew it was one of his special

places, and its forlorn banks called out to her.

Stopping, she picked a single blue wildflower and marveled

at the breathtaking beauty of the meadows. Laura entered

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the aspen grove on the far side of the meadow. Relishing the

cool shade, she looked for a place to sit next to the water.

Laura wondered if her life would ever be the same again.

He had touched her as gently as a summer breeze, and had

somehow become one of the most important parts of her

world. It had happened before she had even realized it was

creeping up on her. She was in love with Justin Gray Eagle.

The longing she felt for him was not just of the flesh, but

something that reached deep into her soul.

A single tear crept from her eye to flow down her cheek.

She promptly wiped it away.

How could she have let him get to her like this?

He had probably wanted no more than a good time, and

now that he had gotten what he wanted, it was time to move

on.

In a flare of temper, Laura rose to her feet. If he didn't

have the decency to say goodbye to her after what they had

shared, she would just put him out of her mind. After all, he

seemed to have done just that.

She made up her mind to leave this place and its dark

secrets as soon as possible. With new resolve, she turned to

leave but was stopped in her tracks.

He leaned against a tree, his arms folded in front of his

muscular chest. Soft sunshine streamed through the leaves to

shroud him in light. Laura could see her own relieved face

reflected in his mirrored glasses. Her respite swiftly turned to

anger, and an overwhelming urge came over her to smack his

smug smile right off his face.

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"You were looking sad—like you were missing someone."

His smile widened.

"You egotistical, conceited...." Laura's voice trailed off as

she found herself unable to adequately put words to her fury.

"Where have you been? I've been searching for you for

days," she seethed.

He nodded his head. "I know."

"What! You knew?" Laura could not believe what she was

hearing. "You knew I was looking for you, and you made no

effort to contact me?"

"Don't be so upset with me." He had closed the distance

between them and was attempting to take her into his arms.

Laura resisted.

"How dare you touch me after treating me with so much

disrespect?" Laura pushed him away.

"Relax,
tehila
," he tried to dampen her anger. "I had to

wait until you were in a place where I would not risk being

seen," he tried to explain.

"What?" Laura's anger evaporated. "So you must already

know. And by the way ... what is it you keep calling me?"

"Lover." His voice was soft.

She yielded reluctantly, when he pulled her closer to bury

his face in her hair. Laura took in his musky male scent,

savoring the sensation of his strong arms around her waist.

"Why did you leave me that night," she asked him, pulling

away slightly.

"I did not leave you. I watched you all through the night,

and also when you left." He was now holding her close, and

with one hand he caressed her hair.

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"I didn't see you."

"I know, I did not want you to see me. The way I looked

would have devastated you," he tried to explain as he

touched his lips to her cheek.

His closeness left her feeling as if she would erupt in

flames.

Before she could ask any more questions, his mouth took

control hers, his kiss telling her of his savage hunger as his

hands removed the barrier of her shirt. His fingers softly

stroked the sensitive skin of her supple breasts.

She moaned, pulling him closer. Laura let her fingers

wander from his broad back to the front of his pants. She

worked fast to free his hot, bulging shaft, and was satisfied to

hear a deep groan emit from his throat. Knowing her actions

had tore down some wall between them, served to deepen

her own need for him.

Justin pushed her to the ground and flipped her over to

position her on her hands and knees. "I need you now,

Laura."

His patience was gone. Pulling up her skirt, he ripped at

her panties until her body was free of them. "Please forgive

me
tehila
, but my need of you is too painful . . . I think I'll go