Seth stepped toward him. “Is that a threat, TJ?”
TJ lowered his chin like a bull that had been challenged. “Sure. If that’s how you want to read it. Mia? Did you stay to find out the truth about Pete?” He turned and looked down at her. “Or did you stay for other reasons?”
Seth showed his teeth, more than ready to kick TJ’s ass. It had been a long time coming, and he wouldn’t even use his wolf strength.
Mia interceded immediately. “Yes, I’m dating Seth, and I’m living in a cabin at the edge of the lake, meaning my home is in Lost Lake. This murder is way too close to home. I’m supposed to start work in Seattle tomorrow. Jeremiah, please tell me what you saw.”
Seth didn’t miss her calling himJeremiah, which was apparently his new holy name with the folks he lived with—in a commune. It was surprising that Lost Asylum still let him work as a psychologist, considering he was now running a cult, as far as Seth was concerned. “Yeah, Brother Jeremiah,” he muttered. “Tell us about the dead body.”
TJ sighed, his muscled chest moving. “Deputy Stone, I really think you should leave this life behind you. I can tell the toll it’s taking, and I know the pain you probably experienced with Pete being killed. I could offer you a job counseling the lost here if you would like.” His gaze was a little too warm, his tone way too intimate. The guy really did have a death wish.
Mia shook her head, intelligence shining in her stunning eyes. “I appreciate that, but I need to know about this victim. I think it’s connected to a case I was involved in a while back. You did find the body, correct?”
TJ nodded. “I did. I often walk outside to clear my head after meeting with patients.” He glanced down at the cigarette butt. “Occasionally, I have a smoke, but I haven’t needed that in quite a while. I caught sight of the top of the dumpster and saw it was open, which it shouldn’t have been. So, I went to investigate, and she was in there.” His voice hitched at the end.
Mia rubbed her arms, flinging water.
“Get under the eaves, Mia,” Seth said, gently nudging her next to TJ. There was no need to let her get soaking wet. The woman had come down with a head cold, which still concerned him. He looked at TJ over her head. “What did you find?”
Shrugging, TJ gave in. “It was a dead woman. She had tattoos down both arms. Piercings in her ears and nose. She was naked, and she was dead.” He sucked in air rapidly as if trying to keep himself from throwing up. “I can’t believe anybody would just throw another human being away like that.” His hand shook as he wiped rain off his forehead.
“Did it look like she had been tortured?” Mia asked, her voice professional and her eyes soft. She tried so hard to maintain a hard outer shell, but Seth knew her. She was fragile inside. Breakable, even. Her courage in facing such devastation only impressed him more. “Jeremiah?” she prodded.
TJ gulped as if swallowing bile. “Yeah, it looked like she had been tortured.”
“How old was she? Best guess,” Mia said softly.
“I don’t know,” TJ answered. “Maybe twenties, early thirties. I really couldn’t tell you.”
Mia rubbed her hands down her wet arms. “Did she have track marks at her elbows?”
TJ cast her a quick look, surprise lifting his eyebrows. “Actually, yeah, she did, now that I think about it. Is this like your case from last year, Deputy Stone?”
She sighed, the sound heavy and impossibly sad. “Yeah, it sounds exactly like my case. This is either a copycat, or I was right, and Robert Joseph Delaney had a partner.”
Pressure settled hard and fast on Seth’s shoulders. Either way, the killer had just struck way too close to home.
Chapter3
Rain dripped from Mia’s hair down her face. She wiped it away, trying not to shiver. Two weeks ago, the autumn weather had been abnormally warm—in the nice eighties. Now, it had to be in the low sixties with a piercing wind and depressing rain that pinged off Lost Asylum’s brick building. The structure loomed above them as if somehow shielding the tortured souls inside but leaving the interlopers to the angry weather.
Jeremiah seemed to struggle and then gave in, pulling a crumpled but unused cigarette from his pocket and quickly lighting it. The smell of smoke filtered between them.
Seth cocked his head, watching the psychologist. Mia looked back toward the scene.
The body dump felt familiar, although this area was much cleaner than several of the dumpsters in DC, where she’d first seen Delaney’s victims. She wished she had gotten here earlier to compare the scenes. Unfortunately, the detective hadn’t seemed inclined to share any of the photographs.
There had to be another way to work this case.
Seth remained dangerously still at her side, but she knew what he was thinking. In fact, she even sympathized with his need to control his environment and protect those he cared about. But she had a job to do.
She hadmanyjobs in front of her, especially bringing the wolf shifter world into current times—dragging and howling, if necessary. One thing at a time, though.
Smoke floated above Jeremiah’s head in a milky cloud.
Right this second, she needed to stop at the sheriff’s office and call in some favors. “Considering Pete was killed, I’m still a deputy until I start my job in Seattle?” she asked, wiping rain off her face. She hadn’t really been let go, considering there wasn’t a sheriff.
“You could be sheriff if you wanted,” Seth answered.
