Secrets (5 page)

He raised his nose to gather a mixture of scents. None of them were threatening. Clearly feral cats made this property a regular route on their travels in search for food and shelter. Michelle had picked a home right in their paths.

Sounds of small animals racing swiftly to safety stirred the meadow and nearby forest. Sure, he was a predator, but any animal that got close enough to him would sense he wasn't a threat. He chose not to hunt his natural prey—rabbits—or any other kind of wildlife in favor of doing his hunting in grocery stores and eating as his human self. A good steak with roasted vegetables suited his tastes.

He took off in a brisk stroll around the perimeter of Michelle's two acres, checking for anything or anyone out of place. Relying on his keen senses felt as natural as shimmering, so he gathered scent and sound and tactile information about the property. His visual sense was especially keen, even in the dark, so he stopped in places and surveyed until he was satisfied all was well.

He headed back to his car, noticing noises coming from the industrial complex about two blocks away through the line of trees and stretch of grassy spaces. He didn't know what was produced there but he soon would. That would be another night's project.

He strode a few more spaces, then rested on his haunches, revisiting the moment in the field before Michelle caught him prowling.

The image of her dancing carefree in her yard would stay with him. She'd swayed and circled to the song insider her head, eliciting desires in him to take her in his arms and join her in that lovely dance. Had he wanted her to see him or had he just been clumsy enough to attract her attention? Either way, she'd stood there alone with him in that shared moment in the field.

The space between them stretched so far, she a human and he a lynx. His gut twisted with the knowledge that she was right, they could only be friends. But in the sacred moment when they'd stared at each other with no expectations, she'd been unafraid and kind. How could a human, a beautiful woman like that do harm to him or his species? In those moments, face to face with Michelle, the ache of deep loneliness had reached out to her for relief.

A shriek from an owl pierced the quiet, bringing Casey back to the moment, and he trotted off to his car. He stood still, taking in the full-on awareness of everything around him. He loved the damp earth beneath his paws, the mossy scent of the air, and the scripping and scraping of tree branches in the wind. He was a city were-cat, through and through, but still, the wildness of his nature took to a natural setting like the proverbial fish to water.

He opened his mind and body to the image of his human self and shimmered.

A regular shimmer and run was a necessary routine to ensure an easy transition. But beyond that, a run tended to clear his mind and set his tempo to something akin to a natural pace. It calmed his soul and assured him it was always there, running in the background, supporting his ups and downs in life.

As he drove home from Michelle's, images of her standing in her kitchen and looking out the window tonight accelerated his heartbeat. Her blond hair framed her fine-boned face like an elegant drape. A chuckle burst from him at the way his mind thought of her. She was beautiful, but rarely elegant. Michelle was just as adorable in her jeans and a T-shirt, crawling on the ground to coax a stray kitten toward her, as she was dressed in a short dress that clung alluringly to her slim figure.

She was all that—beautiful, alluring, quirky, and elegant—and so much more. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, as thoughts of her sad and frightened invaded his mind. Chaos stirred his typically calm emotional center. His brief relationship with Michelle had changed him forever. Every woman he'd ever dated had been a distraction from his loneliness, one that never lasted long. With Michelle, the connection between them had shattered any illusions that a distraction was enough. For the time they were together, he'd been gifted with a kind of intimacy he'd never had. It got into his cells and bloomed into something huge and wonderful. And when they'd broken up he was all the more lonely and alone for having had something meaningful and real, and lost it.

His parents had always preached to him to stick with his own kind. They watched and weighed in every time he'd dated a human, reminding him of the problems of keeping ancient lines healthy and sustaining the secrecy of the colony. But their words held little weight, since they had done the opposite of their advice. His mother was human and his dad was a pure were-cat.

But nature is a powerful force. And as a part of nature, love follows no lines or rules, it just is. Yet, his love and longing for Michelle with no hope of its acceptance tore up his insides.

Still gravelly from sleep, Michelle spoke endearments to all four cats, who took turns rubbing her legs, then tiptoed into her spare room where Madeline sat in a carrier. She wanted to reassure the sweet soul that everything would be okay and that she could start a new life here on the property surrounding her new home.

Instead she said nothing, knowing the sweet nothings she wanted to say would only upset the feral cat. Best to simply put out food and release her in the backyard.

She carried the carrier to the enclosed portion of her back porch, grabbed the cat food bucket from the yard, and refilled it.
Hmm…something ate the food I put out last night.
The possibility that other ferals had already found the food was nearly as exciting as finding gold in her backyard. Her heart beating in her throat as Madeline growled, Michelle gently put down the carrier beside the food bucket and lifted the wire door. A blur of gray fur bounded through the yard and under the hedge. Sending good wishes of a healed surgical site and safe travels with the cat, Michelle took a look at her property.
My property. It's gorgeous and it's all mine.
She released a heavy breath.
At least today it is.

She soaked in the soothing sounds and sensations of her new home. They drifted through her body and glowed in her heart. She was home. Really home. She'd be safe here, surrounded by privacy and the memories of her childhood.

Inside, she checked the time and realized it was still early, so she sat down in front of her laptop at the kitchen table to check her emails for anything pressing with her network of cat fosters or requests for help with a cat. Jojo jumped up onto the table and rubbed his face against her typing hands. “Hey there, sweetie!” she said, nuzzling his face, then turning back to her emails.

Her inbox was full of requests for help with cats and invitations to participate in upcoming adoption events for non-profit animal care organizations. One email grabbed her attention.

“A mother cat and her two kittens were dumped in my yard. Please help me capture them and get them adopted into a good home,” Michelle read out loud. Urgency spread through her body. She never got used to the cruelty people could bring to cats, but for now she had to focus on getting these cats safe.

She was in the middle of composing a response when a knock at the front door startled her. Quietly, she walked to the front door and peered through the peephole. Her former roommate's happy face, framed by short curtains of deeply dark hair, smiled at her.

She flung open the door and pulled her friend inside. “Oh, what a nice surprise, Lara. Come in.”

“I miss you already,” Lara said, laughing. “I wanted to stop in for a minute. I know you have to get to work.” She swiveled her head around, perusing the living room, then followed Michelle to the kitchen.

“I was just tending to Cats Alive business. Sit down. I'll make coffee.”

“Thank you, but I can't stay. Just wanted to see how you were doing. Where's our girl Madeline?”

Michelle motioned to the backyard while filling the carafe from the faucet. “Out there somewhere. I released her a few minutes ago.”

Lara pulled the kitchen curtains aside and surveyed the yard. “Wow, I know I saw all this when I helped move you in, but it's so beautiful. I'm jealous. Nice house, nice yard. I love the natural setting. Probably lots of ferals around.”

“I'll find out.” She pursed her lips. “So Ms. Veterinarian, do you know anything about lynxes? I saw one last night out there.”

Lara twisted a lock of her dark hair around her index finger. “Hmm…I doubt it. In North America, lynx habitat is mainly in Canada and Alaska and some northern parts of the United States. They've been reintroduced in Colorado.”

“So, not an animal typically seen in the Midwest. But I know what I saw. It was very furry, had a short, bobbed tail, and dark ear tufts. It was wandering on the edge of my yard last night and into the field.” Michelle's curiosity was piqued. If not a lynx, then what was the animal she'd seen? “He paused in the field and stared at me a few seconds, then paced away.”

“Scary?”

“No. It was a bit eerie, but I didn't get any sense from it that it was dangerous.” Michelle shivered, thinking about the lynx's eyes. “It was like he could see right through me.” A short burst of laughter exploded out. “That sounds crazy even for me. But his eyes glistened in the dark so clearly. Luminous, other worldly.”

“That's funny you say that. Lynx in ancient times were believed to be able to see through solid things, like the ground, walls. It was probably because of their luminous eyes, which are reflective, cat-like.” Lara poured herself a mug of coffee, but began tapping her foot.

“A mystical creature, like a unicorn?” Michelle teased.

“I think you've read too many fantasy stories. Either that or your imagination is going wild.”

“Kill joy.”

“Sorry. Facts are facts. Lynx are typically solitary and shy around humans, but they have been known to coexist in small groups.” Lara casually checked her phone. “I've got to get to the clinic. We can talk about this later, if you want. But I suspect what you saw was a big dog, maybe a coyote.”

Lara gone, Michelle finished her emails. A quick shower would have to do. Beneath the spray, she went through the motions of washing, as her thoughts followed a variety of pathways. Lara's suggestion that she hadn't seen a lynx just didn't track. Mentally adding doing an Internet search of lynxes to her list of to-dos for the day, she hurried to the Aegar Investigations office.

• • •

“It would be so helpful if you could take a humane trap and food to that address and stay in touch with the person who emailed me about the cat and kittens.” Michelle walked through the door of the Aegar Investigations office in the middle of a phone conversation with one of her cat rescue volunteers. She nodded to the sisters at their desks, and switched hands with her phone while shrugging off her coat. “Good. I'll let her know you'll be calling. Can you handle the vet visit after we catch them? Oh good. I really appreciate it, Eduardo. Keep in touch.”

Nine in the morning and already she was juggling her day's activities. Hectic, yes. Did she mind? No. She was grateful for caring people and she loved her jobs, both of them.

Sterling came through the doorway to her office, a sober look on her face.

“What's up?” Michelle asked, sitting at her desk behind piles of case files for which she needed to input information and finish reports.

“When you have a minute, let's talk.”

A grave feeling sunk her mood. She worked her lower lip and waited for more.

“Just come in our office when you're ready.”

Instantly on her feet, she followed Sterling into the sisters' private office. “What? What's going on? You look and feel so, so—”

“We've been doing a database search on that lawyer.” Sterling pointed to her computer screen. “The one who sent you the letter about your property.”

Michelle started chewing at her fingernails. “Why am I scared?”

Lacey eyed her, then sighed. “It's not great news, Michelle. The first thing we did was call his office and ask who he is representing. Of course, he declined to share that bit of information. Cited client confidentiality and all.”

Michelle held her breath, waiting.

“It took a bit of expertise on Sterling's part to follow the information, but she found the name of the client by, well, hacking into his corporation's server.”

“You can do that?” Sterling was usually more of an old school investigator—she'd just use technology when she had to, but it wasn't her preference. “And is it even legal?” Michelle's brain was getting foggy.

Sterling slanted her head at her and smiled openly. “First of all, it's not legal. I'm careful. And I'm a cop's wife. I'm sure I have some sort of ‘coply' immunity. Secondly, I have expanded my skills. Turns out technology is pretty useful when you lean in and take control.”

“I'm impressed.”

“Well, don't be. I have a lot to learn. I found out that among other high-power clients, William Carter is represented by this lawyer. William Carter Enterprises, to be exact.”

Michelle felt the floor move. She drew in pulls of air, trying to manage the overpowering urge to … what? What could she do? The William Carter effect had taken a great toll on her family years ago when he took over the local daily newspaper. Changes were put in place that her father, the executive editor, felt cheapened the newspaper. At the end of it all, her father had been fired and he'd struggled to redefine himself.

“Why would he be interested in my property?” But then she thought back to what Sterling had said—William Carter was one of this lawyer's clients, but not necessarily the one who was after Michelle's house. “Wait a minute,
is
he interested in my property?”

“Umm … my search disclosed communications that spell out his interest and direct the lawyer to secure the property at any cost.”

“I'm completely lost. My house was on the market for a month. Why didn't he just buy it? Why now?” She slumped into the couch in the room. “What am I going to do?”