Graham cackled. “Josiah should have chosen a different name, but wolves like to follow tradition with using the Packmaster’s surname. I’ve heard worse, but I have to keep from laughing whenever I hear it. Wouldn’t want word getting back to Josiah that I was making fun of his pack.”
“I’d be more afraid of Andy,” I said, leaning back as the waitress set our food on the table before leaving.
“Andy?” He waved his hand dismissively and stared at my food. “He’s a pussycat compared to Josiah. Say, why did you order dessert first?”
“So if I die in the middle of my meal, I don’t have any regrets about not eating pie.”
“You are a smart woman. Smart indeed. So, tell me what you found out at the Boring residence.”
“The beta’s woman died young.”
Graham’s fork sank into his chocolate cake. “Alisa was the epitome of a healthy woman, but Shifters are prone to genetic defects like everyone else. It’s a sad fact. Shifting usually heals most things but not conditions they’re born with. Even with humans, a heart defect often doesn’t show up until later. You see it strike down athletes all the time. Shifters can’t get human diseases or cancers, but it doesn’t mean they’re impervious to aneurysms, heart attacks, and twisted bowels.” He grimaced. “That’s an ugly way to go. We should all be so lucky to go as peacefully as that woman did.”
I scooped up the vanilla ice cream before digging into the pie. “How do you know exactly how she died? Andy said there wasn’t an autopsy, so what makes you think it was her heart?”
Graham shook his head. “Shifters don’t like autopsies. It’s not common practice in general, but we do them from time to time with unexpected deaths. We Relics are wired to seek out knowledge. The more we learn, the more we can fuse to our DNA and pass it on. But we can’t force people to do something they don’t want to. Occasionally we’ll get a pack that demands answers, especially if it’s something that can be passed down to the children. Alisa didn’t have any kids, so I guess they found it… excessive and unnecessary. As for how she died, her symptoms fell in line with a heart episode.”
“What about a stroke?”
“Strokes aren’t something I see with Shifters,” he said, eating more cake. “They have a natural healing magic, and like I said before, it’s usually something they’re born with that goes undetected. In most cases, it has to do with the heart. Especially if it gets them that fast.”
Blue sipped her milkshake and then played with the straw. “Did she have any marks on her body?”
Graham furrowed his brow before looking over his shoulder.
“Only humans come here,” I said, reassuring him. “I think what Blue’s driving at is someone in the pack suggested that Andy and Alisa got into a fight earlier that evening. If this turns out to be a case of domestic abuse, her name comes off our list.”
Graham nodded slowly. “I see, I see.” After another bite of cake, he wiped chocolate off his mouth. “I’ve known Andy a long time, and he’sdefinitelygot a temper. If there was any foul play, I didn’t see signs of a struggle or marks on her neck. That’s not to say he couldn’t have put a pillow over her face. Perhapsthat’swhy they were so adamant against an autopsy.”
“What about the others? Ren gave me a list.” I reached into my pocket.
Graham waved it away and lowered his voice. “You shouldn’t carry that around with you. It’s dangerous.Slanderous.I can’t speak for all the names on their list, but there was nothing suspicious happening in the packs I work for. Natural causes. Alisa could be an exception.”
“So you admit you could be wrong.” Blue finished eating her oatmeal cookies and pushed the empty plate out of the way.
“About one,” Graham admitted. “Maybe two. But if I can’t properly determine a cause of death, I might as well quit right now.”
“What about the lady in Ren’s pack?” I asked. “She was only two hundred. That’s not even middle age. When you start comparing all the deaths, doesn’t it look suspicious?”
Graham shrugged while licking icing off his fork. “I don’t work for your friend’s pack, so I only know what they told me: she died in her sleep. That’s not what I chalk up to a suspicious death, and I’ve handled a lot of dead Shifters in my time. When they’re found in an alleyway or inside a trunk—that’ssuspicious. My family’s been working with Shifters for eight hundred years. Eight hundred! Generation after generation. I’m the last of the generation, and all my knowledge stays right up top until the day I die.” He tapped his finger against his temple. “You see, I can’t have children. So I know all about getting dealt a bad hand. It happens, and it’s a terrible thing.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Blue said earnestly.
When the waitress arrived, she set down more plates and twirled away. Not as chatty as Betty, but we didn’t have time for socializing.
Blue squirted mustard onto her chili dog in a zigzag pattern. “I know about unexpected deaths, but usually it happens with children. They can’t shift to heal, and it’s almost impossible to keep them from jumping out of trees or falling off a horse. It’s rare to see people die in the prime of life—unless it was in battle or during a difficult pregnancy.” She turned to look at me. “Pregnant women can’t shift. Well, they can, but it’s too dangerous for the unborn baby. Our animal will refuse to come out. It’s the only time they sleep in peace.”
When Graham leaned toward his soda a bit too quickly, the straw poked him in the nose. His cheeks bloomed red beneath the facial scruff, and he wiped his hands on a napkin instead of taking a drink. “You’re basing it on your personal experiences. Do you know how many Shifter groups reside in Cognito? I’m not talking about the packs, butallanimal groups. Not to mention all the rogues. The names Ren threw at me were scattered across the board. A few of them were my clients, but most weren’t. I can’t afford to jeopardize my career in this fruitless investigation of his. Do you think it would be easy for me to find new clients? The only time that happens with a good Shifter group is when their Relics drop them or die. If they thought I was keeping secrets or this stirs up unfounded gossip, I’ll wind up working behind a gas station counter.”
After biting into my juicy burger, I reached for an onion ring. Graham seemed levelheaded, and I needed an honest opinion. “Back to my earlier question: do you think we’re wasting our time?”
He glanced at his watch. “As a Relic, my nature is to question everything. I only hope you’re being careful. People talk, and what you’re asking them will raise a few eyebrows.”
“Our stories will match up,” Blue confirmed, oblivious to the dab of chili sauce on her cheek. “What can you tell us about the cases you personally oversaw? How did they die?”
Graham scratched his scruffy jaw. “One was a boy of ten who drowned.”
I dusted crumbs off my fingers. “Why the hell would he end up on our list?”
