The longer this situation dragged on, the more convinced Peyton felt that there was a connection between Faegan and the missing shifters.
Whether Faegan was a victim of or in cahoots with the people abducting and experimenting on shifters remained to be seen.
Either way, Faegan was a dead man.
Once the plane reached cruising altitude, Peyton was able to use the internet connection on the plane to check messages, but Gillian still wouldn’t reply.
I need to ask Badger if Dad ever pissed Mom off this badly.
Finally, his lack of sleep caught up with him, and he managed to stretch out and nap a little. The only problem was nightmares kept awakening him to the point he gave up three hours before they were scheduled to land.
In London, when Peyton emerged from Customs, Trevor stood waiting for him.
They grimly shook hands. “Good flight?” Trevor asked.
“It would have been better if the reason didn’t suck.”
They took a shuttle to the hotel, where Trevor had booked two large, adjoining suites for them. Peyton had met and worked with the other three men several times on previous trips, although they now all looked as weary and aged as Peyton felt.
“Do we have any ideas who or what we’re dealing with yet?” Peyton asked once they all had drinks and were settled in the living room of one of the suites.
Trevor shook his head. “The report is that a reliable human contact recalled spotting a man hiding out in a primitive camp to the east of Bodø. Within easy human walking distance outside the town. But since they’re not a shifter, they couldn’t confirm if the man was a shifter or just someone living in the woods. But there has been an unusual uptick in reports to local police of petty theft incidents—laundry stolen from lines, food missing, et cetera—that leads me to believe it could be Faegan. We put a notice in the local paper about a lost corgi, offering a substantial reward, and have received a few tips.”
“That’s an awful lot of coincidences,” Peyton said.
“Exactly,” Trevor said, pulling out a tablet and opening a map of the area. “Too many to ignore, but we must rule them out. I’ve highlighted the most likely places to search. We’ll confer with locals once we’re on the train and can go over detailed maps.” The men gathered around the tablet as Trevor explained.
“Any chance we can get a plane or helicopter in the air to help with the search?” Peyton asked.
“That’s difficult due to the terrain and foliage,” Trevor said. “Not to mention unpredictable weather. And our quarry’s particular senses.”
Peyton sighed. “If he starts hearing aircraft activity, it might spook him.”
“There is that,” Trevor agreed. “I have a contact working on obtaining drones, but they also make noise.”
“Do we have someone watching for missing boats?” Peyton asked.
“Yes, but it’s unlikely that he’d steal one.”
“He reached Northern Ireland like that, didn’t he? And how’d he get from there to fricking Norway? Why would he double back east when he was heading west?”
“We don’t know,” Trevor said. “Maybe because he knew he’d soon run out of land? I can’t believe even he’s daft enough to tempt fate by crossing the Atlantic in a small boat. There are several ferries all through the region. Large ones that transport vehicles and passengers. Meaning, despite our people watching for him, he easily could have slipped past security while shifted and then hid on board, either in a vehicle or perhaps by shifting back and pretending to be a passenger. Or maybe by crewing on a fishing trawler. It’s not uncommon for them to hire people without too many questions.”
“Or, again, he could have shifted and swam out as a dog,” one of the others said.
“Exactly,” Trevor said. “Unfortunately, while he is larger than the average mundane dog, a corgi in this region draws little to no attention. Whereas a wolf might have people in an absolute panic. Especially around livestock. So be careful about where and when you shift.”
That would be the ultimate in tragic indignities—to get shot by a clueless human while hunting the murderous bastard they were trying to kill.
“Noted,” Peyton said.
Chapter Eighteen
Dewi
When Dewi awakened the next morning, she was surprised to find Ken wasn’t in bed.
She was even more surprised to realize he wasn’t even in the cabin, although the baby was still sound asleep in the crib. Not just because he was gone, but that he’d managed to leave without awakening her.
