Chapter 18
I cried on the way home from Cheryl’s. I couldn’t believe that she seemed so willing to believe the worst of Terry. Or that she was so dismissive of my skills as a detective. I had dreamed for years about reuniting my splintered family, and now it seemed that finding Terry might push us farther apart.
“Geri,” said Pepe as we crossed back over the floating bridge, “I am sorry you are sad, but I do not understand why.”
“Well, I just want both of my sisters back in my life.”
“So it is important to you to be close to your siblings?”
“Well, yes!”
“You do not believe, as Dogawanda does, that you must make your own pack?”
“Pepe, that stuff is silly.”
“I do not know. I have not seen my siblings for many moons.”
I blinked. Since when did Pepe speak like a movie Indian or a New Age guru? Oh, maybe since we met a New Age guru!
“Does that bother you?” I asked him.
“No, I have made my own pack and I am happy.”
“Who is in your pack, Pepe?” I asked as I turned off on the curving off-ramp that would take me home.
“Just you.”
“Then how much of a pack is it?”
“We can adopt others. I have not found the proper compadres yet.”
“Jimmy G?”
“Too
estupido.
”
“Brad?” I named my best friend who runs a little antique shop.
“No, he stuffs animals.” Pepe hates the taxidermy animals that Brad collects.
“Albert?”
“Are you
loco
? A cat cannot be part of a dog pack.”
“What about Felix?”
In answer to that, Pepe just snorted and turned his head away.
Speaking of Felix, I realized I had not checked his message. I pulled over, fished my phone out of my purse, and dialed voice mail.
“Geri, I’m thinking of you and wishing you were here,” he said. “We’re filming at Sandpoint, probably until late tonight. If you get this message, you should come by. Warehouse thirteen.”
Wow! Just what I needed to take my mind off my troubles. I was curious to see how a movie set might be different from the sets on
Dancing with Dogs
, the reality TV show in which Pepe and I had participated a month earlier. And Sandpoint was just a few minutes away.
Sandpoint is the name for the old naval air station that was abandoned in the late 1950s. I’ve always loved it. There is something about abandoned buildings that intrigues me. The lives lived there. The melancholy that hangs over them. The three-story brick barracks are all boarded up, and that makes me sad. I imagine they are not earthquake safe, but I think of how many people they could house, considering how many homeless people have to sleep on the streets every night in Seattle.
But the huge hangars have been converted to various uses. The University of Washington uses one for their purchasing department. And the Seattle Public Library leases another to store all the books donated for their semiannual book sales. On the days of the sale, the warehouse is filled with long tables, each one lined with books, and people shuffle up and down, craning their neck to look at titles, filling boxes and shopping carts and bags with their finds.
The rest of the grounds have been converted to various uses, including a rock-climbing wall, a marsh restoration area with trails, a big community garden, and an off-leash area for dogs. I pointed this out to Pepe as we drove through the front gate and past the closed stand where a guard used to check credentials.
“I do not need permission to go off-leash,” he said. “But if there is a food vendor, I would visit them.”
“Well, if this is anything like the
Dancing with Dogs
set, they’ll have a craft service,” I said as I pulled into a parking space in front of warehouse thirteen, right behind a truck that read N
ORTHWEST
L
IGHTS AND
S
OUND
.
The large loading doors on the side of the warehouse were open. The space inside was dim and filled with equipment and people. We spotted the craft table right inside the door. Coffee urns and Styrofoam cups. A plastic tub full of ice and plastic water bottles and cans of pop. Platters of sliced cheese and lunch meats. Pepe was prancing around on his hind legs, trying to get the attention of the bored girl sitting behind the table, who was talking on her cell phone. Pepe’s nose didn’t quite clear the table, so she couldn’t see him. I went over and helped myself to a paper plate and some cheese and ham, then set it on the ground in front of Pepe.
The center of the warehouse was occupied by a mock-up of the inside of a cabin, with a kitchen, a bedroom, and a living room arranged side by side. Fake trunks of trees were visible through the windows. It was designed to look like a summer cabin, down to the Reader’s Digest Condensed Books on the shelves. I wondered for a minute if I could get a job creating sets. That would be a perfect transition from staging and possibly more fun, or at least more lucrative, than being a private detective.
At the moment, nothing was being filmed. The big cameras were unmanned. A knot of people stood in the center of the room, talking and gesticulating. One woman carried a clipboard. A guy I assumed was the director sported a backward-facing baseball cap and a sports coat. Chloe was in their midst, wrapped in a pink chenille bathrobe. Felix must have spotted me when I came in because suddenly he was at my side, giving me a big hug.
“So glad you came, Geri!” he said. “Let me show you around.”
But just then, the director shouted, “OK, everyone! We’re ready to shoot.” The room came alive. All the guys who had been standing around drinking coffee or who were standing outside smoking, came pouring back in and began tinkering with lights and moving cameras. Chloe stood in the center of the set, still wearing the bathrobe and shivering.
The lights came up, but somehow they made it look like it was night in the cabin. One lamp glowed orange. Orange like the eyes of a wolf.
The cameras began moving, zooming in on Chloe, who positioned herself by the door. The woman with the clipboard approached her and held out her hand. Chloe stripped off the bathrobe and handed it to her. She was nude, and her body was covered with long red stripes, the stripes of claws, the stripes I had last seen on Tammy’s arm.
“Action!” said the director, and the cameras began filming as Chloe pretended to be terrified. Her eyes wide, she pressed her nude body against the door while someone else thumped and rattled the doorknob on the other side. I couldn’t take it and turned abruptly and left.
“What is it, Geri?” Felix had come after me.
“She just looked so much like Tammy,” I said between big messy sobs. Felix led me over to a picnic table set up on the lawn of a nearby building, and it all spilled out: the weirdness of the Dogawandans, the strange encounter with Crystal Star, the finding of Tammy’s body, the unexpected meeting with my sister, my guilt about causing her arrest, and the upsetting conversation with Mark. Felix sat beside me, murmured sympathetically at every twist and turn of my story, and went to fetch some napkins so I could wipe my teary face.
Finally I remembered that I was interrupting Felix at work.
“Don’t you have to be in there?” I asked.
“No,” he said with a grimace. “We lost the dogs.”
“I am not lost,” said Pepe, who had jumped up into my lap.
“You lost the dogs? As in they’re running loose somewhere?”
“No, the animal shelter took them away. You know, those wolf-hybrids are considered dangerous and any sign of neglect is taken quite seriously. Apparently they broke through a fence and were roaming the neighborhood. Could have killed a small child easily. You just never know what a wolf-hybrid is going to do.”
“Or a small dog,” I said with a shiver, hugging Pepe tight. “What do you mean what a wolf-hybrid is going to do?”
“When you mate a wolf with a dog, you get an animal that’s fifty percent wolf and fifty percent dog. Most people think it’s the wolf that’s dangerous. But actually it’s the dog. Wolves tend to be timid around people and will run away when they feel threatened, but dogs are more likely to be aggressive, to people and other dogs. Combine that with the powerful jaws of a wolf and you’ve got trouble. A wolf-hybrid is sort of like a gun. You don’t know when it’s going to go off. Maybe never. Maybe tomorrow.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“We’ve got to find someone else who has hybrids, and that’s going to be hard. Because they have such a bad reputation, many owners of hybrids conceal the dog’s true background. They’ll claim it’s a husky or shepherd mix.”
“I know where you can find two wolf-hybrids,” I said.
“Really?”
“Yes! Pepe discovered them in the woods at the Dogawanda compound. They were in a big pen behind an electrified fence.”
“I told them who was boss!” said Pepe.
“I asked Crystal Star about them and she said someone gave them to her. She thinks she can get Dogawanda to teach them how to behave.”
“Or me,” said Pepe. “Did you tell Felix how I am going to be the next Dogawanda?”
“Or Pepe!” I said. “He thinks he can communicate with them.”
“I can!” said Pepe with an indignant tone in his voice. “Because a little wolf remains in all dogs.”
“Oh, that sounds dangerous,” said Felix.
“I beg to differ,” said Pepe.
“Unless she has some sort of training, she could be in real jeopardy.”
“Oh, he is referring to Star, not me,” said Pepe. “He knows I can handle those wolves.”
“Well, maybe you can teach her how to work with them,” I said. “And at the same time ask if you can borrow them for the filming.”
“What a great idea!” said Felix. “Do you think Crystal Star will be open to that?”
“Well, we do seem to have her interest,” I said. “Or at least Pepe does.”
“She sees my potential,” said Pepe.
“Why don’t you come along?” I asked. “We’re heading back up there tomorrow.”
Chapter 19
“This is Felix Navarro,” I said to the green-clad acolyte who guarded the entrance to the Dogawandan compound. “The famous Wolf Whisperer.”
“Really?” said the man. He had a bushy beard and long dark hair. His name tag said his name was Kale.
“Yes. And I’m sure Star will want to talk to him. He can help her with her wolves.”
We had pulled into the dusty parking lot of the Dogawanda compound around noon on Sunday, and Felix was waiting for us there, having driven up separately so he could leave after talking to Star. I didn’t know how long Pepe and I would have to stay to investigate.
Felix had made better time than I did, probably because Pepe wanted me to stop twice, once for a bathroom break and once to get him some beef jerky at a convenience store. It had been raining in Seattle, but as we came over the pass, the rain disappeared. The sky was blue overhead and the air had the spicy smell of warm pine needles.
“I will check with her,” Kale said. He walked a little bit away from us and pulled out a walkie-talkie. I heard the squawk as he turned it on and carried on a brief conversation.
I took advantage of his preoccupation to give Felix a quick hug. Pepe took advantage of the guard’s preoccupation to go darting down the path.
“Hey! Come back!” I yelled after him. The guard looked up but didn’t seem concerned. Little did he know Pepe. “Pepe! Come back!”
I looked at Felix, who said nothing, but I caught the twinkle in his eye, the twinkle that said
If you had only let me train your dog properly, he would come when you called
.
“Can I go get my dog?” I asked Kale. Pepe had vanished behind a curve in the path between the tall pines.
“Just a second . . .” I heard more squawking and then he looked up.
“Yes, you have permission to enter. Star wants to meet this Wolf Whisperer. She’s in her inner sanctum at the main lodge.”
We hurried down the path, trying to catch up with Pepe, but he had vanished from sight. The dirt path wound through the trees, until it came out on a rise, overlooking the cleared area that contained the buildings. We paused a minute to take in the idyllic scene. But there was no sign of Pepe.
“Where could he have gone?” I asked.
“Knowing Pepe, I would guess he is eating,” said Felix. It’s always a bit embarrassing when someone else knows your dog better than you do.
Because that’s exactly where he was. In the dining hall at the lodge and sitting in the lap of my sister, Terry, who was feeding him bacon.
“Look, Geri!” Pepe said as we approached. “I found your sister.”
“You got out!” I said, leaning over and giving Terry a big hug. “How did you manage that?”
She smiled but it seemed halfhearted. “Star got everything straightened out,” she said.
“So you’re not under arrest?”
She shook her head, but I could tell she was holding something back.
I introduced her to Felix.
“Wow!” he said, looking from one of us to the other. “You two look so alike! You could almost be twins.”
“Really?” I was surprised. Terry had always been the acknowledged beauty of our family. We have the same dark, curly hair, but Terry has those killer green eyes, while mine are simply brown, and she also has a longer, leaner frame than me. Or maybe that was the result of good, clean living at the Dogawanda Center. Maybe I should give the Paleolithic diet a try.
“So this is the famous Wolf Whisperer,” Terry said. “I understand Crystal has summoned you to her inner sanctum. That’s a rare privilege. No outsider had ever entered it before. Here, I’ll show you the way.”
She unfolded herself from her chair and set Pepe down. She led us up the grand stairway in the center hall of the lodge, which split in two as it proceeded to the second floor, while the central portion remained open to the room below. We passed a door, which Terry said led to the administrative offices.
An elevator took us up another floor to a foyer, decorated rather incongruously, I thought, considering the rustic interior of the lodge, with a crystal chandelier and marble tiles and a huge gilt-covered door. Terry rang the bell and we heard a voice commanding us to enter. Terry gave me a quick hug before heading back down.
We stepped into an Arabian fantasy: Persian rugs, gold silk drapes, tall brass jars full of peacock feathers, low divans covered with pillows in shades of hot orange, pink, and mustard. A huge beam ran down the middle of the peaked roof and a chain of brass lanterns containing flickering candles hung from its length. The room smelled of jasmine and incense.
Star was lying on a divan in the middle of the room, propped up on gold pillows. She was wearing a pink silk caftan and lifted her arm languidly, beckoning for us to approach. Pepe sneezed.
“Ah, Towering Cedar!” said Star. “What fortuitous timing!”
“Towering Cedar?” Felix was confused.
“That’s Pepe’s Dogawandan name,” I told him.
“I have the most amazing news to share with you,” Star went on, holding out her arms to Towering Cedar, who jumped up on the divan, where he was immediately showered with kisses. I saw the marks her pink lipstick left on his white fur.
“What?” I asked.
“Let me show you,” Star said. “Bring me my tape machine.” She pointed to a small machine on a table near the door.
“Is it
musica
?” asked Pepe. “I can dance, you know,” he told Star.
I fetched the tape recorder and brought it over to her.
“Take a seat,” Star said to us.
The only places to sit were pillows on the floor beneath her thronelike chair.
“I hope she does not expect me to sing,” said Pepe. “I once had a disastrous experience at
Teatro alla Scala
. The orchestra was—”
“I record each one of my channeling sessions,” Star said. “It is the only way I can hear the wisdom of Dogawanda. He comes through me and my voice becomes his and I am always blank after the experience.”
“I am that way often when I first wake up,” said Pepe.
She turned the recorder on. As it started to play, we could hear Star’s girlish voice announcing the arrival of Dogawanda, and then the gruff tones of the spirit himself, delivering his wisdom.
“Here!” said Star. “Listen carefully! There is another voice that overlaps Dogawanda’s voice here. It is most perplexing.”
She was right. I heard her voice speaking as Dogawanda, but I also heard Pepe’s voice saying, “I am not a road. I am a Chihuahua.”
“Did you hear the other voice?” Star asked me.
“It was me, of course,” Pepe said.
“I’m not sure,” I said. My thoughts were swirling. This was not the time or place to let Felix know that my dog talked. Plus, this seemed to imply that Star could hear him. Which bothered me for some reason.
“Listen!” said Star. The tape went on a little longer.
I heard Pepe say: “See, Geri, I told you I can bring you many riches.”
“Did you hear that? The promise of treasure!” Star said.
“Geri!” said Pepe. He sounded thrilled. “I think she can hear me!”
“Of course, it is puzzling,” said Star. “Not exactly what one expects from an entity, but . . .”
“What do you mean, entity?” I asked.
“Well, clearly this is another spirit coming through your dog,” Star said. She turned to bow to him. “Or I should say Towering Cedar.”
“Ah, I see!” I said.
“Why should she not believe that wisdom comes directly from a dog?” Pepe asked. “Why must she always credit a spirit?”
Yes, and I wondered why couldn’t she hear him speaking in the room. She merely patted him on the head and said, “He’s so adorable.”
“So it’s very important that you and Towering Cedar remain with us after the introductory weekend,” Star went on.
“Yes, we would love to,” I said. It would be the perfect cover for our investigation.
Crystal nodded. “I think you will progress rapidly through the levels. Artichoke will handle the oh-so-necessary but boring paperwork and payment arrangements. Meanwhile, I have been neglecting your guest.”