“Because we need each other. And because we have a somewhat generous operating budget for this investigation, considering the potential it has for making our Pride—and our Alpha—look very, very bad to the Territorial Council.”
Austin nodded slowly. “You don’t want them to know that a human woman was murdered in your territory.”
“We don’t want them to know until we have a perpetrator to hand over,” I admitted as softly as possible.
“You have a perpetrator,” Bishop growled.
“We have asuspect,” I corrected him. “But the council isn’t just going to take your word that he’s guilty.” Even if the Alphas gave a shit about Nolan Blake’s civil rights—and most of them did not—they weren’t willing to risk letting the real killer go unidentified. Uncaught. Especially if he turned out to have been involved in my infection, a case we’d assured them was solved years before. “We need evidence and a very, very solid narrative. And you need justice. We can all get what we want out of this if we work together. And that will be easier if you stay close by.”
The two men stared at each other across the table, evidently having a silent conversation. Rather, an argument, based on Bishop’s scowl.
“Come on.” I stood and swung my chair back into place at the table behind me. “I’ll show you the apartment, and you can—”
“You don’t have a key yet,” Austin pointed out, instead of standing.
“Stuart lives on-site. He has the keys.”
“I appreciate the offer.” Bishop paused to sip from his mug. “But I’m not sleeping on an air mattress in an empty apartment when I have a perfectly good bed of my own in—”
“The apartment’s furnished,” I growled softly. And if it wasn’t, it could be, within a matter of hours.
“Let’s just look,” Austin insisted, finally standing.
Bishop growled again. But then he gulped the last of his beer and they both followed me out to the parking lot.
So, I wasn’tquitebeing truthful when I told them only shifters lived at Pine Cove. My sister lived there too. The only place safer for Davey than in the unit upstairs from Tucker and next door to Vance would have been with me, and she’d moved out of the Fat Cat a year before, over my strenuous objection.
Bishop’s ten-year-old white 4Runner pulled into the gravel spot next to mine as I climbed out of my truck. Instead of getting out, though, he continued whatever argument he was having with Austin, which I couldn’t hear over the loud music obviously intended as a smokescreen. So, I jogged across the gravel parking area toward Stuart Jones’s door, which he opened before I got close enough to knock.
“Hey, Charley,” he said as he stepped out holding a large ring of keys. In his mid-sixties, Stuart had been managing Pine Cove since long before I was infected. Possibly before I was born. If he had any family, I’d never met them, and if he’d ever lived anywhere else, I’d never heard about it. His entire life was wrapped up in these twenty rental units, which was both a pro and a con.
His gaze traveled past me to the 4Runner. “Short term lease, huh? That’s against policy, you know.”
“Titus approved it, and he’s paying, so…” I shrugged. No need to remind the manager that Titus owned the entire complex and paid Stuart’s generous salary. “How many units are available?”
“Three, at the moment.”
“Any of them furnished?”
Stuart rolled his eyes. “Does this look like the Ritz to you?”
“Had a feeling. I may need you and a friend to help move some stuff in, from my storage unit.” My parents had left most of their furniture when they’d moved to Florida three years before. “There’s dinner and a few beers in it for you both, at the Fat Cat.”
“Dinner?” Stuart looked distinctly unimpressed.
“That, and my undying appreciation.”
He gave me a crooked smile as he rubbed the gray scruff on his chin. “Well, how could I say no to that? So, who are the new guys?” he asked as he stepped toward the 4Runner.
I put one hand on his chest to stop him. “I’ll give the tour, if you don’t mind.”
His unruly left brow rose. “Since when do the Marshal’s duties include showing apartments to mysterious new Pride members?”
“Need-to-know, Stuart.”
“Fine.” He handed me the keys. “Show ‘em 2A. But I’m gonna ‘need to know’ names, if they’re going to be tenants. Even short-term.”
I nodded. “I’ll let you know on my way out.”
