I hugged him back, then gave him a quick kiss. "I've missed you too, though I hear you had my mom reminding you of me."

  He laughed and kissed me on the forehead. "She did everything except ask me when I was gonna propose, and the only reason it didn't get that far was because your dad shut her down by inviting her to dinner."

  "And that's why they're the perfect couple. His superpower is being the only man on the planet who can manage my mom with food and shiny things." I could feel the goofy grin on my face brought on by his unexpected appearance, but couldn't seem to do anything about it. "How did you get here so fast? I thought you were in Charlotte."

  He shook his head, pulling me onto his lap on the swing. "Nope. I've been in Atlanta for the last couple days helping out the regional pack leader there. We finished up a day early and I was already on my way home when your mom called."

  My smile vanished. "Yeah, about that—"

  A bundle of black and white fur launched herself onto the swing, pushing her head underneath Alex's free hand. A pair of emerald eyes glinted up at me as a shiny black nose twitched. "You had a cheeseburger without me." My arctic-fox familiar, Chaos, glared at me.

  "Guilty," I said, "but I did bring you one back."

  I opened the to-go bag Sully'd given me on the porch floor and popped the lid open, cringing in anticipation of her response a little as I did.

  She poked around in the box. "Broccoli?" She wrinkled her nose. "Why would you bring me broccoli? And where's the bun and my fries?"

  "Broccoli's good for you, and the bun is just empty carbs." What I didn't tell her was that her recent eating habits had led to several extra pounds. It was to the point that she was gonna need her own couch if she grew any more.

  She titled her head and gave me the side-eye. "Did yours have a bun?"

  "Uh ... yeah." I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but I didn't want to lie to her either. "I still had him add cheese to yours, though, so give me some credit."

  She glared at me, then ate her burger as Alex and I rocked and decompressed. He put his hand on the back of my neck and massaged my nape while I closed my eyes and pretended we didn't have a guy with post-mortem potential to destroy a pact that would improve the lives of thousands of people and stabilize an impractical justice system.

  I couldn't get it out of my head, though. "Do you have a bad feeling about this murder?"

  "I do," he replied. "There's a lot at stake, and your mom's already making preliminary gestures toward pulling the vampires under the umbrella eventually. How we handle this will have a huge impact on that."

  He was right. Vampires had their own rules, and they were much harsher than any other species. The worst part about their system was that once their archaic council—made up mostly of people more than a thousand years old—made a decision, they didn't always share the verdict. Sometimes the offender just disappeared, never to be seen again. Convincing them to work with us even a little would be a big deal.

  "So tell me what you have so far," he said.

  I did, finishing with, "What if somebody killed him just to sabotage the coalition?"

  Chaos shook her head. "You may be thinking about this on too grand a scale."

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  "I mean there are more logical motives to kill him, and taking him out isn't a guarantee that the treaty won't go through. Why was he even here?"

  "That's a good question," Chaos agreed, wiping her whiskers with her paws.

  "I asked the same thing," I said. "Mom wants to deal with them, but I expect I'll be getting a call anyway. If I don't hear back from her before I do, that'll be my first question."

  The screen door squeaked open and Kat stuck her head out, her head wrapped in a towel. "I thought I heard you guys out here," she said, squinting even though the porch was shaded.

  She was old enough that the sun wouldn't melt her face off, but it still wasn't her best friend. She slept through most of the day, though that suited her because she was a bartender at the Hook. Most nights she didn't get home until 4 a.m. anyway.

  "Mornin'," I said as she yawned. "I thought you were off tonight."

  "I thought I was too. The other bartender called and asked me to switch tonight for tomorrow, and it's not like I had anything better to do."

  I huffed a breath out my nose. "I wish I could say that."

  She drew her brows together. "What did I miss today? When I went to bed, all was as idyllically boring as always."

  "Yeah, well that went right out the window when somebody up and shredded Darrell Beauchamp to shreds in Fred Hutchinson's hunting cabin."

  Her brows shot up. "Say what, now?"

  I explained it to her.

  She pressed her lips together. "Tall, dark hair, thirty-five-ish, had that slow, sexy bayou drawl?"

  "Tall with dark hair and thirty-five-ish, I can testify to. He wasn't doin' much speakin' when I met him this morning."

  Alex smiled at my gallows humor. "I think it's safe to say he would have, if you'd run across him a day earlier." He turned to Kat. "Why do you ask?"

  "He was in the Hook last night," she said. "Seemed upset about something, then a man joined him and they had words. He finished his beer and left. That was early; probably around nine-thirty, ten."

  "And you didn't know that man?" I asked.

  "Nope," she said. "He didn't even have a beer. Just came in looking like trouble, gave your guy a piece of his mind, and left. I was mixing a couple drinks, and by the time I was done, he was gone."

  "And how did Darrell, if that's who it was, react?" Chaos asked.

  "Like a kid who'd had his favorite toy taken. He scowled a little, then downed his beer, did a shot of tequila, and left. Tipped well."

  Alex scratched his jaw. "Did the other guy look like an angry-husband type?"

  Kat didn't even have to think about it. "Not even a little. If I had to guess, he was a friend, or maybe a family member. They were familiar with each other, but it wasn't hostile. More like a dressing-down. Plus, the guy was a lot older than he was. He looked to be in his fifties, maybe even early sixties. First time I'd ever laid eyes on either of them."

  I picked up the phone to call my mother. I needed to talk to Barnabe Dupre myself. I had to know why Darrell was here and if he had any relations or friends in the area. I realized the need for a light touch, but there wasn't time for that. Plus, as I saw it, the best way to stay in his—and his pack's—good graces was transparency.

  CHAPTER NINE

  MOM PICKED UP ON THE first ring and agreed with me after I explained the situation.

  "I was hoping to be able to help take some of the load off you," she said, "but I think you're right. I've tried to call him several times, but he's not picking up. Since I have no second in command to contact, I thought it best to wait to speak directly to him."

  After assuring her I'd keep her apprised, we disconnected.

  "You know," Chaos said, "most murders are committed for love, money, or revenge. And the latter is usually a result of an incident involving the first two. I'd suggest asking about his love life and his finances before anything else."

  I was already a step ahead of her, but she was right. I was leaning more toward money after what Kat had told me, but I wasn't going to disqualify love or hate either. People killed for a plethora of reasons, and we didn't have enough information to even guess at that point.

  Taking a deep breath, I dialed the number Alex read off to me. He'd worked with Barnabe on a professional level and had even gone to visit and go crabbing a few times, though it had been a few years. He suggested he make the call, but I figured it was better to keep the chain of command simple. It wasn't always easy being a female sheriff and pack leader, so I preferred to be the one to deal with him from the get-go.

  A man with the exact accent Kat had just described answered.

  "Hello," I said, trying to sound businesslike and friendly at the same time. "This is Cori Sloan, sheriff of Castle's Bluff and alpha of the southwest Georgia pack. Is this Barnabe Dupre?"

  "Ahh, Ms. Sloan. I've heard good things about you, but have never had the pleasure. Yes, this is Barnabe Dupre."

  I paused, not sure how to deliver the information. I was about to dive into unknown waters, though Alex had assured me the man was easy-going and reasonable. I wasn't so sure this was an occasion where even the most even-tempered of men would be able to hold it together.

  "I'm afraid this isn't going to be quite the pleasurable first conversation I'd like for it to be, Mr. Dupre. I have some bad news, and I'm sorry to be the one to deliver it." I went on to explain what had happened, and silence filled the line before he gave a deep, guttural growl.

  "Who did it?" he asked in a voice as cold as ice, and I was glad I wasn't the murderer.

  "I don't know yet, but I'm using all my resources to find out. In addition to having an incredible CSI, I'm also working with the local bear alpha. He has a lot of contacts and I'm hoping he comes up with some useful information. I also have full access to my pack's best if I need it, of course."

  "No offense, Ms. Sloan, but I'm familiar with small-town investigation techniques and I think you need more help than you have. Not that I don't think you can do the job or that your family doesn't have the resources, but I'd rather have one of my people there, too."

  For me, that was a worst-case scenario, and I tried to head him off before he could barrel down that trail. Unfortunately, he wasn't to be dissuaded. Finally, in the interest of politics, I gave in.

  "I understand your need to have one of your own people in here to be hands-on," I told him. "Who should I expect?"

  He was quiet for a moment. "I have a few people in mind. Give me an hour to make a decision and I'll get back to you."

  "Fair enough," I said, then added, "I hope this doesn't impact your decision to join the coalition. It's a step in the right direction and will have a reach beyond just one person."

  He sighed. "Now's not the time for politics, Ms. Sloan. Though I understand it's probably the only reason you've agreed so readily to allow one of my people to work with you. Darrell wasn't just my second in command; he was my friend. First and foremost, my priority is to find whoever killed him and bring him to justice."

  "As is mine," I replied. "Do you have any idea what he was doing down here?"

  He sounded tired when he answered. "I do, but I need to follow up on that before I share it with you. Innocent people may be involved, and I don't want to drag them into it unless need be. I'll check into that and give you more information when I call you back to let you know who to expect."

  "Okay," I said. "But remember, the more information I have, the more able I'll be to bring Mr. Beauchamp's murderer to justice."

  "An interesting word choice given our current state of affairs. I'll be interested to see what your idea of justice is," he said. Though I didn't detect anything off about the statement, I did know it would play a tremendous part in his decision to move forward with the treaty. After all, I was daughter to the alpha who was heading the whole shebang, and an alpha in my own right who would be working within the system.

  "My justice is simple," I said. "Murderers don't go unpunished. But it also depends on why he was killed. I don't just want to know who. I need to know why to make sure that justice is truly served."

  "It's good to hear you say that, but rest assured, if your idea of justice doesn't align with mine, we're going to have a problem."

  "I'm sure that won't be the case," I said, praying to every possible deity out there that I was right.

  "Then I'll talk to you in an hour," he said before disconnecting.

  "Well," Alex said once I made sure the call was disconnected, "that could have gone better, but it could have gone much, much worse."

  "Yeah," I said, my shoulders sagging. "Now we just have to hope that once we find who did it, the motive is cut and dried. I'd prefer not to have to make a judgment call from my seat on the powder keg."

  "Look at it this way," Chaos said from where she was stuffed between Alex and I on the swing, "this could strengthen his resolution to join the coalition."

  "Yeah," I said, "or it could be the straw that makes him pull out of it too."

  It was only the fate of the most momentous step forward supernatural creatures had taken in eons that depended on my capabilities as a cop and pack leader. No pressure there at all.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ALEX AND I SPENT THE next hour getting me up to speed. Since he had more knowledge of the NOLA pack than I did, he gave me a rundown of the players and those connected to them. He'd also met Darrell Beauchamp, though that had been several years ago. According to him, the man had been affable and easy to get along with, though he took his pack duties seriously.

  As far as Alex knew, he was single, his parents were still alive, and he was the perfect right-hand man for Dupre because he considered the human element and tended to follow his gut, whereas his alpha tended to be clinical and analytical, making decisions based solely on facts and logic. I'd already experienced that first hand. They balanced each other well.

  "So did he lean too far toward making the decisions personal, or was he more middle-of-the-road?" I asked. If he'd made a bad call because he went too far that direction or made a call that showed favoritism, it could have been a motive for murder.

  Alex thought for a minute. "I don't know. All in all, he was considered fair. I've never heard that he played favorites or had any of his decisions questioned. Of course, they tend to be isolationists, so it could just be that it didn't get out. We shouldn't cross it off the list just yet."

  I felt a little better when my phone rang because I had a better handle on the big picture.

  "Mr. Dupre. Have you made any headway into why Mr. Beauchamp may have been down here?"

  "I have," he said, his voice thick with that heavy drawl so unique to New Orleans. "And there are two possibilities. I had no idea he was going, so your phone call was out of the blue to me. And please, call me Barnabe."

  "I wish I hadn't had to make it, Barnabe," I said. "That's never a call I want to make, regardless of who it is."

  "But yet you had to." He took a deep breath and let it out. "I just let his parents know. Needless to say, they're devastated and wanted to send his brother there to be our representative. I didn't think that was a good idea. I need somebody there who can be objective and is willing to work with you to solve this. With that in mind, Selena Moreau will be there tomorrow. That was the earliest flight I could get. She's next in line behind Darrell, so she's the logical choice."

  "Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked. "I'd think as next in line, she had motive."

  "That would be true had she known, but she did not. Had I followed tradition, she wouldn't have been in the running. However, I didn't. I chose her because she has characteristics similar to Darrell's. I'm well aware of my shortcomings and believe balance is an absolute must."

  "Then I'll expect her. You said you had some idea of why he may have been here?"

  He paused for a minute, and I got the feeling he was trying to decide how much to tell me. "Remember, Barnabe, the more I know, the better my chances of solving this quickly."

  "I'm aware. It's just that it's tricky because it's hearsay." Another pause. "Rumor has it that he was meeting with a colleague who moved to your region several years ago. We received word this man was going to be ... disruptive to the treaty process. He's quite old-school."

  I thought back to the man Kat had seen Beauchamp talking to at the bar. "And this man's name?"

  "Andre Glapion. He's been involved in pack politics for years but dropped out of the whole thing when his wife died. He was raised with Darrell's father and they stayed friends until Darrell's dad passed last year. That's when he moved to your region."

  "Is this man in his mid-fifties or so?" Now that he'd said the name, I remembered him. He'd come in to let me know he'd moved to the region, as all wolves were required to do.

  "He is," Barnabe said, a question in his voice.

  "I met him when he checked in, and I believe he spoke with Darrell the night he was killed. Were they still on good terms? The barmaid said the encounter was brief, but unpleasant. She said Andre—if it was indeed Andre—was angry."

  The relationship with Darrell's father certainly explained why Kat interpreted their interaction as a dressing down. He likely had fatherly feelings toward Darrell.

  "As far as I know, they were on good terms, and Andre's a good man. Like many in his generation, he doesn't deal well with change. Darrell was hoping to help him see the positives. Since we were leaning heavily toward entering the treaty, I'd prefer my pack members see the benefits rather than the pitfalls."

  I didn't see any pitfalls, as he called them, but obviously there was a sector that did. If Barnabe was going out of his way to smooth the way with his pack, that was a good sign, though. I'd done the same with the less enthusiastic in my region and so had Mom and Dad.

  "You said there were a couple reasons why he may have come down here," I reminded him.

  He paused even longer this time before responding. "This is the hearsay part. I'm still not sure I should share it because of that, but in the interest of a quick resolution, I will. Darrell's sister met a man from your region at a conference in Savannah a few months back and he was convinced they were carrying on a long-distance relationship. He wasn't convinced the man was being straight with her. Though I believe he came to see Andre, it's possible he had a secondary reason—checking up on this man."

  "Do you have a name for this man?" I asked.

  "Benjamin Stevens."

  "And what did Darrell's sister have to say about the relationship?" It could just be a case of brotherly overprotection.

  "I attempted to reach her, but she's out of town at another business conference and isn't answering her phone. As soon as I reach her, I'll get back to you with her response."

 

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