Alpha, page 16
part #1 of Stope Packs #2 Series
She was bustling around what could only be considered the reception area and dusting off old, faded green chairs that looked like they were from the seventies.
“You’ve done an amazing job,” Seth said. He’d lucked out in hiring her.
She looked up, dirt marring her nose. “We had this old furniture up at the mine, and I asked some of the guys to bring it down after I had them clear out the place.” She grinned. “This is a fantastic office. The windows are wide, and they look out to Main Street on one side and the forest on the other. Plus, it’s close to all the schools. This is going to be a great place to work, Seth.”
He hadn’t seen the young woman this animated in a long time. “I’m glad you took the job.” He meant it.
“Me, too.” She hopped up and then looked over her shoulder as if making sure the magazines on the lone table were stacked perfectly. “I’ve been looking for something to do, which you probably heard through the grapevine.”
He had, which was why he’d thought of her for the job. “Not a lot of secrets in Lost Lake,” he murmured. Except for the fact that his mate was pregnant, of course. That wouldn’t be a secret for long, though. He had to figure out a way for her to feel better. Perhaps when she reached the second trimester, she’d gain some strength.
Jenny’s husband emerged from the northern office. “Okay. I put that bookshelf where you wanted it, Jen. I have to get back to the mine. Oh, hi, Seth.” To help move, Greg wore a blue flannel and black cargo pants smudged with mining dust. He was so wide that he had to turn sideways to get out the door. Even for a wolf shifter, he had muscle.
“Hi. Thanks for helping out,” Seth said. While Greg was excellent at the mine, especially when dealing with new technology, his size and bulk were intimidating. Maybe he’d make a good bodyguard for Mia when Erik and Todd were elsewhere.
“Sure thing. We’d like to have you and Mia over for dinner later this week to celebrate Jenny’s new job. I’ll be in touch.” Greg pressed a kiss to Jenny’s head and then clomped out of the office and down the stairs.
Jenny brushed the dust off her nose. “I think we’re all organized. Thanks again for this job. Now that the kids are in school, while I still have a lot to do with sports and school activities and everything, I was looking for something just for me, you know?”
Seth nodded. “You’re already doing a phenomenal job, and you can definitely work around your schedule.”
“That’s good.” She smiled. “By the way, you have an appointment if you’re willing to take one.”
He had an appointment? Like a real office guy? “Who wants to see me?”
“Brother Jeremiah.” She clapped dust off her jeans. “He called the sheriff’s office several times, and they had to run up to give me the messages. Finally, I just gave him my number. Well, my new number, because I purchased a cell phone just for work. That’s okay, right?”
“Yeah,” Seth said. “That actually makes sense.” He looked at the dual offices. “Which one’s mine?”
She pointed at the one in the farthest corner that looked the largest. “That one. I figured you’d rather look at the mountains than Main Street. I kind of like watching the activity on Main Street.”
Seth turned and looked out the main window in the reception area to see absolutely nothing happening outside, not even a car going by. The wind did scatter a bunch of leaves end-over-end across the sidewalk, though. “Well, okay.” He moved toward his office to check it out. “Tell good old Jeremiah he can come up anytime.” Seth should probably christen his office by throwing somebody out the front window. Jeremiah was an excellent choice.
He walked into his office and glanced at his watch. Mia had been in the air for probably four hours now, so she should be an hour out of DC. He had quite enjoyed his brother’s text about how irritated she’d been when he’d parked next to the private plane. Seth could almost imagine steam coming out of her ears. While he was trying to be understanding, if she wanted to chase down killers, he would make sure she was as safe as possible while doing so.
He walked around the wide cedar desk and sat, noting the large drawers. This was much more his style than the one in his father’s office. “Hey, Jenny?” he called out.
“Yep,” she said, emerging in his doorway. “What’s up?”
“I’d like you to schedule a massive yard sale for everything in my father’s house. I’ll go through the place tomorrow with Mia and box up anything we want to keep. Other than that, I want everything gone. I want to burn it down and start over.”
Jenny swallowed. “Okay. Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’ll save anything with sentimental value. But it’s just not my style, and it’s half-burned out anyway from the fire, so...”
“Okay.” She pulled a notebook out of her back pocket and started scribbling furiously on it. “If you’re serious, we can contact the local fire department. They can conduct a practice fire if you really want it burned down.”
“That’s a perfect idea. Thanks.”
She hustled off.
“Hello?” a deep voice called.
“Brother Jeremiah,” Jenny greeted. “Head on back to Seth’s office. It’s the one far back on the left.”
Why did people call him Brother Jeremiah? It was irritating. The man soon filled Seth’s doorway. “Why do people call you Brother?” Seth asked.
Jeremiah shrugged. “I don’t know. I lead the co-op, and somehow, I ended up with the name.”
Seth studied him. They’d been almost friends in high school, but he honestly didn’t know this man as an adult. “You’d think with your doctorate and the fact that you’re a psychologist, you’d want to be called Dr. Jeremiah.”
“I’m called Dr. Bankston at the asylum, and that’s good enough for me.” Jeremiah scratched his chin. “Though I was thinking about opening an office in town.”
“The town is closed,” Seth said. “Sorry.” Jeremiah was human; therefore, he didn’t belong in the town. Although Seth couldn’t do anything about the co-op property, he intended to make a generous offer that should inspire them to move, but his old buddy had always been stubborn. “You needed to see me?”
Jeremiah walked in and pulled out one of the two yellow seventies-style chairs to sit on. “I want to know what your connection is to this serial killer.”
“I don’t have one,” Seth answered honestly.
“Mia does,” Jeremiah said. “I still have great resources in DC, and I got a hold of her file from the Robert Delaney case.”
Seth sat back. The FBI wasn’t known for just sharing information like that. “Is that a fact?”
“Yeah. She thought there was a copycat, and apparently, she was right because there were kills between DC and here before the two most recent murders. This is all about Mia, Seth. You know that, right?”
“I have her covered,” Seth assured.
“Of that, I have no doubt,” Jeremiah shot back. “However, it’s my people dying. Claudia was an innocent young woman and should never have been brought into whatever game your fiancée is playing.”
The hackles on Seth’s back rose. “If you know Mia at all, you know she’s not playing anything. It’s not her fault.”
“Fine, but this is all connected to her,” Jeremiah said. “I don’t understand the hold you have on this town just because you own the mine. But you do have one. I’m expecting you to fix this. If not, I will.”
Seth bared his teeth. “Really? And how are you going to do that?”
“I still have connections. I can make life very difficult for you here in town, even though you’re trying to clear out most people. I don’t know why you’re doing it or why you only want people from your mine to live here, but I won’t let that happen.”
Seth had found if he offered people enough money, they moved. Every once in a while, he got the strongest urge to turn into a wolf and scare the crap out of Jeremiah. But he knew better. “You do your best, TJ.” He’d been nice enough to call the guy Jeremiah the entire time, but he was done being kind.
Jeremiah leaned toward him. “I also know that Pete’s death wasn’t an accident. What I can’t figure out is why you would want him dead.”
“I didn’t want him dead,” Seth lied. “I think the guy just had an accident. It does happen, you know.”
Jeremiah was all muscle and looked oversized on the old chair. He’d most likely give Seth a decent fight. “Not to Pete. He was looking into the Volk holdings, the Volk mines, and you. I think that got him killed.”
Seth met his old friend’s gaze directly. He would hate to have to kill somebody he knew from high school. “You’re wrong, and there’s not much more I can tell you.”
“I’m not wrong, and I’ve hired three private investigators to find out what’s going on.”
That seemed like overkill. Seth forced a smile. “You hired three?”
Jeremiah shrugged. “To be honest, two are members of our co-op. The other is a guy who works for the asylum. I figure between the three of them, we’ll uncover what you’re hiding.”
Seth stood. “Best of luck to you. If anybody can figure it out, it’s you.” He had to warn the pack that investigators were looking into them. If anybody discovered that wolf shifters existed, he would have to take them out. “I suggest you move on and find another hobby.”
Jeremiah stood. “From now on, you are my hobby.” With that, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room.
Seth looked at the open doorway.
Damn it.
Chapter 26
Marjorie’s Pizza was a quaint little restaurant on the corner of 4th and Jones Streets outside of DC. The place smelled like garlic and cheese, and the tablecloths were red-checked with cheerful yellow napkins.
“Are you sure about this?” Kurt asked, sitting across from her.
“Yeah, I thought it would be better if we interviewed him somewhere he was more comfortable,” Mia said.
Kurt cut a look toward Todd and Erik, where they sat in the far corner, already munching happily on an extra-large, fully loaded pizza. “I’m really starting to hate those guys.”
Mia chuckled. “They both want to be deputies, and they’re trying to learn.” She kept a straight face as she lied.
“Uh-huh,” Kurt deadpanned. He was no dummy. “With a private plane, there’s no reason for us to stay the night in DC. Is it possible good ol’ Seth Volk is afraid to leave you alone with me for a night?”
Erik cut a look their way. The wolf shifter probably had hearing good enough to listen in on their entire conversation.
Mia sipped her water. “I can honestly tell you that Seth isn’t afraid of anything, Kurt.”
Erik nodded from across the restaurant.
Kurt unzipped his blue windbreaker. “Maybe not, but there’s something really weird about that town, Mia. You have to know that something is seriously off in Lost Lake.”
“All old towns are eccentric,” she said smoothly, straightening as Rodney emerged from the kitchen with a basket of breadsticks. He placed it on the table and then took the chair between them.
Rodney was in his late twenties with sandy blond hair, liquid blue eyes, and a fit physique. Mia knew from her investigation—brief that it was—that he was a runner who also liked to box at a local gym. Today, he wore jeans, a black T-shirt, and an apron around his waist. “So, you two are back to me, huh?” he asked, sitting and reaching for one of the three water glasses on the table.
“Desperation, I guess. Thanks for meeting with us,” Mia said.
He shrugged. “Whatever. If I refused, you’d just pull me in again. I told you before, I had no idea Delaney was a murderer.”
“We know.” Mia nodded. “I reviewed all your interview transcripts on the way here.” The plane ride had been smooth and quite comfortable, although she would never admit that to Seth. She’d also scoured every victim’s autopsy report, except for the last one since they didn’t have it yet. Not one bit of trace evidence had been left on any of the bodies. There was absolutely nothing, and it was incredibly frustrating.
“Tell me again what you did for Delaney,” Kurt asked smoothly, reaching for a breadstick.
Rodney rolled his eyes. “As you know, Robert Delaney was a lawyer with Delaney & Jacobs, LLP. I interned for him when I was in law school, which, by the way, I did not finish because all of this happened.”
Kurt looked around. “Yeah, but it looks like you did okay for yourself. Owning a restaurant has to be much more relaxing than being a lawyer in DC.”
Rodney nodded. “True. Good point.” He took another sip of his water, his hand steady. “So, I learned law and trial procedure from Delaney. That’s it. He left the office every day at six, and I didn’t see him again till six the next morning. Apparently, he was out murdering people during those nighttime hours. I, on the other hand, was sleeping.”
“Delaney had an alibi for two of the murders,” Mia said softly, not touching her glass or the breadsticks. Her stomach felt a little queasy, which was probably normal for any pregnancy, especially one involving a wolf shifter pup.
Rodney looked at her, his gaze hard. “I’m well aware of that because you hit me with it a million times during the two interviews I allowed before. I wasn’t an accomplice. I think you probably got the alibis wrong.”
“What do you mean?” Kurt asked, reaching for a second breadstick.
“Delaney was a smart man. He’s one of the most strategic men I’ve ever met. The guy was brilliant, actually—if completely psychotic.” Rodney reached for a breadstick. “If anybody was smart enough to fake alibis, it was him.”
Mia shook her head. “We have him at the opera for one of the killings and grocery shopping late at night for another—something he said he often did. I have him on video for both.”
“Ah, but videos can be faked,” Rodney said smoothly. “I’m telling ya, the guy was a loner. The only reason he took on an intern was because the court required attorneys to do so at the time. He didn’t like me. He didn’t like anybody. He just wanted to do his own thing. He won his cases, made tons of money from his clients, and then he went out and killed people.” Rodney threw up his hands. “That’s all I can tell you.”
Mia could tell he was about to take off. “Have you been to Kentucky lately?”
“Kentucky? No. Why would I go to Kentucky?” Rodney snarled.
“How about Nebraska?” Kurt asked.
Rodney shifted uneasily. “Why?”
Mia perked up. “Just answer the question.”
Rodney rolled his eyes. “I have an aunt who lives in Nebraska, and yes, I visited her a few weeks ago because she was having a hard time.”
“Why was that?” Kurt asked.
Rodney shoved his water glass away from himself. “She’d been dating some guy who dumped her. She was really depressed, and I went out to cheer her up. That’s it.”
“Did you drive, or did you fly?” Mia asked quietly.
“I drove. I took my time and had fun,” Rodney elaborated.
Kurt leaned closer to him. “So, you didn’t drive through Kentucky?”
“Good God. I don’t remember,” Rodney said, the lines between his eyes deepening. “I just drove to Nebraska, hung out with my aunt, made sure she wasn’t suicidal, and then came back.”
Kurt reached for a third breadstick. “What about Wyoming?”
“What about Wyoming?” Rodney retorted.
Mia leaned toward him to bracket Kurt. “Have you been to Wyoming?”
“No, I have not been to Wyoming. Has anybody been to Wyoming?” Rodney asked.
Kurt tsked. “You know we have means of finding out where you’ve been.”
“Go right ahead, buddy,” Rodney said. “You look where I’ve been. I haven’t been anywhere except for Nebraska. Other than that, I’m trying to make this restaurant work.”
“Oh, yeah? We heard you’re rarely around,” Kurt replied.
Rodney swiveled to look at him. “You’ve been checking up on me?”
“We’ve definitely been checking up on you, Rodney,” Kurt said, lowering his chin.
“That’s it. I’m done.” Rodney pushed back from the table. “If you want to talk to me, feel free to contact my attorney.”
Mia also leaned back. “Who would that be, may I ask?”
“I’ll let you know when I get one.” Rodney turned and stomped away.
Kurt shrugged. “The breadsticks are good.”
Mia shook her head. “I find it fascinating that he’s been to Nebraska. We need to get a dump on his phone and his vehicle’s GPS if it has one.”
Kurt nodded. “We can also pull some traffic cam footage. I’m sure we have a couple of interns in the DC office who could spend hours upon hours trying to trace him between here, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Why not give it a shot?”
“Let’s also see if he’s been to Seattle lately,” Mia said.
The waitress bopped over and placed a ticket on the table. “For the breadsticks.”
Mia barely held back a chuckle.
“What an ass,” Kurt muttered, reaching for the bill.
The waitress shrugged. “Sorry. Rodney said you have to pay.” She was young and cute with dark hair, even darker skin, and an apron with perfectly hand-painted flowers. She wore jeans and a pink T-shirt.
Mia checked the T-shirt. There was a C and the @ sign and then an L. It took her a moment. “Seattle,” she murmured.
“Oh, yeah,” the waitress said, looking down. “Rodney brought this back for me after his last trip.”
Kurt paused in standing. “His last trip? When was that?”
The girl shrugged. “I don’t know when he went, but he gave me the T-shirt last week. He hasn’t been around much lately.”
“Is that a fact?” Mia asked quietly, standing. “Do you know where he’s been?”
