Date Monsters Shifter Agency Paranormal Boxset, page 36
If Tam burst in there now, declaring something to the effect of “Aha! I know about your cunning plans!”, he didn’t see it ending well. Maybe the shifter would fight him. But most likely, they could both just act defenseless, so if he attacked, he’d be the one locked up for assault.
Shit! Tam fumbled in his pocket for his phone. I could have been recording the conversation! Cursing inwardly at himself, he searched for the record function and tapped it—but it soon became clear that the sound quality was awful. Only his enhanced ears picked up the conversation.
So, no evidence to take back to Jenna.
Sensing he was outstaying his welcome, as the conversation between the two became more terse, and there was the sound of a scraping chair as someone got up, Tam headed towards his hotel room. That way, if the shifter had a good sense of smell, he’d smell someone walking towards their room, rather than someone who’d hovered outside the door for the past ten minutes or so. Just as he discreetly clicked his door shut, he heard another door open. He sent a message to Carl, quickly.
Keep an eye on the reception. When you see that shifter, try and note anything unusual about his appearance. Take a picture if you can.
No answer from his friend made him worry. Maybe Carl wasn’t looking at his phone right now. Or maybe he just didn’t have time to answer.
Tam waited as long as he dared, before leaving the room and walking back to the alcove, where an aquarium of exotic fish meandered in the illuminated waters. His mind kept whirring chaotically, wondering what might have happened, if Carl had been spotted, or gained any evidence…
Disappointment settled in his stomach when he saw that Carl was slumped blissfully on his armchair still, twitching a bottle with a loose grip, back turned to the reception. As for the boy and the shifter, there was no sign of them, either.
“Carl,” Tam said, trying not to let any accusation enter his voice, “did you get my message?”
“Huh?” Carl blinked at him, before digging into his pocket. “No. Phone’s on silent. Oh...” he examined the message, then glanced towards the reception, before shrugging. “Sorry, mate. I didn’t see.”
Tam locked and unlocked his jaw, patience wearing thin. “This was really important. That person might be going to murder a lot of people. Including my date.”
Now Carl looked both guilty and angry. “Look, I said I didn’t want to get involved in this. I’m sorry I didn’t get the message, but it’s your mess.”
“Right.” Tam rubbed his jaw. “Well, Carl, am I your friend or not?”
Carl furrowed his brow. “Yes?”
“Don’t friends do things for friends?”
“Sometimes,” Carl said, now looking at the ground.
“If I ask you to help me, will you?”
“Depends,” said Carl, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. “I mean, of course I’ll help you, mate, but if it’s dangerous...”
“Oh, it won’t be dangerous. But it’ll be better than you sitting on your ass and doing nothing.” And maybe then, Tam thought, I’ll stop being so pissed off at you for freeloading off me. He knew not to expect much from Carl. Just to have him as a friend. But right now, stress and worry was clouding his vision. “How do you feel about watching the sheriff’s department in your spare time?”
A groan was his response.
Chapter Eleven – Jenna
“You’re sure?” Jenna, camped outside the sheriff’s department, taking another drag of her cigarette, was barely able to keep her hand from trembling. Directly opposite was Tam, arms folded, his dark eyes locked with hers.
“Deadly. I wasn’t able to get any evidence you can present, but that boy you spoke of—he’s probably on his way to get rid of the evidence he does have.”
“I still don’t have a warrant,” said Jenna. “Boston’s still trying to persuade the magistrate we have a probable cause, but the fact that it was me who went onto that property is causing it to stall...”
“That’s no good at all,” Tam growled, wishing in that moment they could just do away with bureaucracy and get things done themselves. “Your life is likely in danger. Yours and the precinct. Why wouldn’t that be probable cause to check? Why not just arrest him?”
“It doesn’t work like that,” she said, finishing off her cigarette, bagging up the empty butt, and drawing him in for a hot, smoky kiss, liking the way the ash turned the tastes bitter in her mouth. He didn’t seem to mind too much either, as he swept her up into his arms, and she soon felt the bulge of his arousal brushing against his pants and her hips. It thrilled her to have this much of an effect on someone, to know that with a simple touch, she could turn his world upside down.
With her last fake date, he hadn’t been this enthusiastic. This involved. There was always a careful distance, and a certain reluctance when it came down to doing the deed. Sure, he was able to get it up, same like any other guy, and he did whatever she suggested… but this was something different.
Tam definitely seemed on board from the start. And sometimes, with the way he looked at her, she wondered if he might be interested in her beyond the terms of the contract. But of course, that was a silly thing to imagine. She mustn’t let herself get carried away.
Not now, not ever. They finally wrenched themselves apart from each other, though Jenna allowed herself to entertain the idea of being taken there and then against the wall. Reason won out over lust in the end.
Tam brushed a stray knot of hair behind her ear. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. If that man gets more of his friends… I can’t help but think how easy it’d be to catch you off guard.”
“My reflexes are better than you think,” said Jenna, though a part of her was fearful. She’d be no match for an animal shifter in the night, and she couldn’t be alert twenty-four seven. Plus, if they figured out that her mother was a weak point… just when we’re starting to get on, and she’s listening to me… I need to get her out of town sooner.
She’d roped Tam into all this, too. Stupid Arnetto family and the constant drama surrounding them. If only people just left them alone for once.
“I wonder why the kid didn’t immediately target me,” said Jenna, mulling over the notion. “Since they knew my name. They knew it was me who shot Blackjack.”
“Don’t think he planned on targeting the police. Probably just wanted to keep up with his father’s business. I guess he must have access to his father’s account to have that much money to throw around.”
“Or he was spoiled rotten.” Jenna let out a little groan, resisting the urge to grab her very last cigarette joint. She’d been going through those at an exponential rate. “I guess the sight of me triggered him. Or I got too uncomfortably close.”
“Or both.” Smiling wryly, Tam patted her on the shoulder, before lightly brushing his thumb over her chin. “Suppose you better get back to work now. Be careful, won’t you?”
“I will,” Jenna said gratefully. They kissed each other goodbye, with him promising to check on her mother. Work itself crept by at an agonizingly slow pace, though Sheriff Boston had been informed of the potential danger to their station. To his credit, he believed there was threat. He just couldn’t justify it legally. Jenna also contacted the Arnetto Ranch to inform the three sisters that she had a suspect—Blackjack’s teenage son. It wasn’t set in stone, but there were promising signs. Alice, the sister who answered the phone, wished Jenna the best of luck, and to “nail the bastard”.
But all Jenna felt, leaving work and returning home, was a slight sense of foreboding. Like there were things waiting in the shadows to hunt her. Like if she didn’t bother to look behind for too long, then she’d feel claws digging in her back. Her skin also prickled in a bitey, itchy wave, causing her to scratch at the phantom occurrences, until she made it safely home—where she then had to address her mother, advising her to go home earlier if possible.
“Trying to get rid of me already?” said Edna, who was wearing a hideously pink bathrobe, and a pink towel wrapped around her head, courtesy of Jenna’s shower. “I thought we said we were going to try and talk about any issues you have with me more? I do want to be a better mother to you, darling.”
“It’s nothing to do with that, don’t worry. It’s that you might be in serious danger if you stay. There might be… criminals that want to hunt me down. I’ll have all the protection I need,” Jenna added hastily, for her mother looked suitably alarmed, “but I’d rather not have to spend time worrying about you as well. I’d prefer it if you went somewhere safe.”
“Hmm.” Edna crinkled her mouth in a rather sad smile. “I can arrange to go tomorrow. I was getting rather bored of this frightful town, anyway. What about Tam? Will you send him away?”
“Uh, he insists on staying and protecting me,” said Jenna, keeping the full truth out of the conversation. Though a part of her wondered if her mother suspected maybe something was a little odd between them. If she did, she hadn’t mentioned anything as of yet. “Can’t seem to shake him off.”
“He’s a good one,” said Edna. “Don’t you be losing him. And...” Now she touched Jenna lightly on her arm, appearing to mentally steel herself for something. “If you don’t want to attend your father’s event, then… please don’t feel under any pressure to do so. Sure, I might be a little disappointed, that’s normal… but I have a feeling I’m not giving you much choice in these matters.”
Jenna stared at her mother for a moment, wondering if she’d heard correctly. Her mother had just said she didn’t have to attend.
“Who are you and what have you done with my mother?”
“Ha, ha. Very funny.” Edna shook her head, frowning at Jenna. “I’m still the same person. Just maybe not as thoughtful as I can be.”
“Thank you,” Jenna said, grateful in that moment to have Edna as a mother. “If I’m honest, I’m not sure if I can get the time off to go. We have people going off sick, me needing to stay overtime… and a murder case going on. Think I need to stick around for that.”
“Alright, alright, I get it.” Edna gave a big sigh. “But I hope you’ll come and visit your old mother sometime. I do miss you.”
Since her mother was giving Jenna the kind of expression that screamed for a hug, Jenna obliged. Edna wasn’t terribly used to hugs, so she stiffened up for a brief moment, before relaxing and accepting her daughter’s squish.
“Thanks again.”
“You take care. And I mean it about that fella of yours. Don’t let him go so easy, okay?”
“Okay,” said Jenna, feeling guilty as she said so. Since now that Edna was leaving, now that they didn’t need to attend the event, she didn’t need Tam to stay in Geevor anymore. He could vanish back to his home state and visit her on occasions instead, when she needed time out to unwind with a guy. She also felt sadness at that thought. But that sadness was an additional sign that she needed to lessen the contact between her and Tam. Wouldn’t do for any complicated feelings to add themselves to the roster.
Edna bustled about with her business, focusing on booking a flight on Jenna’s laptop for tomorrow morning, when Jenna could drive her before work if she got up at around four in the morning.
The journey in the morning was quiet and subdued, since both women were tired, and Jenna glugged down caffeine to keep herself alert and not risk a potential crash. Lights at night seemed to bend around her, stretching off into a shrinking distance, which was why she hated nighttime travel. The curving lights provided distractions which could be fatal if there were busy lanes. She wasn’t the only one who had that problem either, thankfully. At the airport, she hugged and kissed her mother, checking in the luggage, and waiting by the barrier to the passport checks until Edna disappeared out of sight.
Two and a half hours to reach the airport meant that by the time she got back home, it’d be nearing ten in the morning. One hour before work started.
Be a hell of a day, she thought, hoping they didn’t require any overtime from her. In the meantime, she spent the return journey thinking of her mother, of Tam, of her mother’s disappointment when she found out that everything Jenna had fed her was a lie. She bet Tam would be delighted to spend less time here, and get back to a sense of normalcy in his life.
Still, she’d miss the regular sex, the intense connection they shared…
Maybe just plain miss him.
Driving past idyllic countryside, brimming with early morning light, she wound down the windows, to hear not only the rush of air past her window, but the chirps of birds as well. Her relaxed daydreaming, still focused on the road, came to an ugly, screeching halt when she rounded a corner and saw a lump in the middle of the lane. Hitting the brakes, she jerked forward in her seat, the belt tight and painful against her chest. With a gasp, she clutched the wheel hard, as the car halted feet away from the lump. Which looked like a human body, as she saw a dark coat, the tuft of hair, but no limbs, as if the figure was curled up facing away from her.
She didn’t have her police radio, since this was her normal car, but she cautiously got out, gripping her gun at the hilt to approach the body. Maybe it was someone unconscious. Wounded or worse. Or a trap.
Though a trap seemed unlikely. “Hello? Sir? Ma’am?” Jenna stepped to the other side of the figure, and felt her stomach turn inside out. Judging by the sight and smell, the figure was most certainly dead. Unless people could survive with a torn throat, and with a serious case of disembowelment going on.
Animal attack. Aiming for the soft flesh of the stomach and throat. She called 911, getting re-routed to her local services, and prompting both police and an ambulance to come. She also called in work to say she might be late. The nearest town’s sheriff’s department rattled up first, and Jenna gave as many details as she could provide. Photographs were taken of the scene, and the ambulance took the body away, leaving a dark patch upon the ground from leaking fluids.
She could have sworn that the whole time she was here, someone, or something, was watching. Yet when she scrutinized the clearing, the bushes, and nearby hamlets, she spotted nothing of note to justify that quiet sensation of dread.
Could something have been watching, in their shifted form? Not that she knew all the forms shifters could take. Why not change into a small bird or something? Just because people had a preference for the bigger shifters, capable of transforming into creatures such as felines, canines, and even mythological creatures such as dragons, didn’t mean people were limited to them. Granted, a squirrel or hamster shifter might be significantly less appealing than the other types.
Even though she knew it was stupid, she couldn’t help but wonder if that dead body was a provocation, somehow. A promise of what would soon happen, since maybe someone was watching her. Maybe they caught her leaving the house to drive her mother to the airport.
Either way, she quickly phoned Tam to tell him and reassure him she was okay.
“If you think you’re being watched, it’s possible.”
“Can you have shifters that transform into smaller creatures?”
“Yes. But not too small. It’s easier to convert into something of similar mass, or something larger. Small can affect the brain more than a larger animal, and sometimes they forget to transform back. So they go for shorter bursts of time.”
“Could it have been the shifter from the hotel that you saw?”
“No. He smelled similar to a wolf or bear. They have a pretty distinctive scent about them. Like wet dog fur. Maybe one of the friends he’s supposedly hiring.”
Oh, right. That didn’t comfort Jenna much.
“Of course, it could be just a rogue incident. An actual animal attack...”
She didn’t know if he was trying to convince her or himself.
At the station, she asked Sheriff Boston if he’d finally managed to get the warrant.
“Don’t think we’re getting it,” Boston said, his beetle-black eyes scrunching in annoyance. “Even tried two other magistrates, but none of them willing to grant it. Unless you got yerself a smoking gun, they plan to leave it.”
“Not even the conversation Tam overheard is good enough?”
“You could be making it up,” he said rather apologetically. “We all know you’re not, but they’re stubborn and hunkering down. Though if you ask me, I reckon at least a couple of them were Blackjack’s cronies.”
“Great.” Jenna threw her hands up in disgust. “So it’s a ‘wait and be killed’ sitch with us. I’m seriously worried that we will soon be under fire, sir.”
Muscles twitched in Boston’s jaw. “We’ll just be alert for now.”
Jenna sincerely doubted their “alertness” would last long. Most people in the department were unfortunately complacent, thanks to the relatively low level of crime. Though they had been running around rather actively the past few months, thanks to the Arnetto family.
For two days, nothing happened.
Her mother made it back safely, now accepting Jenna didn’t plan to come. Tam met her after work with food and smiles, and she hadn’t been able to bring herself to tell him that the previous arrangement was null and void, since she no longer planned to go. The moment she did, then everything would end.
And she just wanted to experience the presence of an everyday boyfriend/date for a few days longer, before she told him the inevitable.
Guess I’m lonelier than I thought.
“I have my suit ready,” he told her one evening, two days before the supposed event was supposed to take place. She’d just come back from another hellish day, with Sheriff Boston himself taking time off sick. That man apparently hadn’t missed a day of work for almost thirty years, so she figured it was only a matter of time before whatever sickness making the rounds at work caught up to her. “I even got a silver bow tie to match with your dress. Talk about going above and beyond duty,” he joked.
Usually when Jenna started feeling guilty and aware of her efforts to deceive him, she initiated intimacy, just to get lost in him for a little while. To hear his breathy gasps, and witness the bloom of desire in his irises. She loved the full immersion of their bodies, and the different positions they each tried to get the most out of the experience. Since doing things the same way all the time got old, fast.
