Wylde (9 page)

“Yeah,
us
.” Kell took a deep breath. “I guess this is better, knowing that it’s a hunter out there and we need to catch him.” So why were his guts twisting like cold snakes, warning him there was more going on here? He looked at Alec. “We need to find out if anyone had it in for Morley, any of his connections for his part-time business, anyone whose wife he might have slept with….”

“Kell….” Daniel hesitated. “Someone has been stealing food from people’s homes for years. You know it and I know it.” Kell rubbed the stiff back of his neck. “Yeah. So you’re saying the so-called ghost killed Morley?”

 

“I don’t know, but someone certainly wanted to make it look that way… which will probably make folks in town very spooked.”

“Shit!” Kell could imagine. He hoped no one shot at his neighbor getting a newspaper or something. And whoever the ghost was, he or she had better stay hidden deep in the woods for a while… as long as they weren’t responsible for Morley—because if they were, Kell would come hunting.

J
ADE
M
ORETON
’
S
kitchen had a dozen red roses seated in a jam

jar. Kell could figure out who had sent her the flowers without reading the card, but it struck him as sad that the woman didn’t even own a flower vase. Maybe Alec would be good for her, if he could get close enough through the thorns that guarded the rose.

He was briefly amused by the romantic turn of his own thoughts, but maybe he had a reason lately to be feeling that way, and it beat hell out of thinking about gory hanging bodies. Still, he had to get his mind back to the business at hand. “Jade,” Kell greeted the waitress, sitting down in the offered chair.

“Chief,” she rasped. “I was thinking of getting very drunk. Want to join me?” She pulled a bottle of Johnnie Walker out of the cupboard.

“I’m on duty,” Kell sighed with some regret. “Guess you know what I’m here for.”

She nodded.
“Nice flowers,” he said, seeking to put her at her ease. “Yeah, Alec, you know….”

“I do.” Kell’s gaze sharpened. “I need to know what you remember from the night you and Thomas got lost in the forest.” He pulled out a notebook. “You headed up the trail for a swim in Noah Matthews’s pool, is that right?”

“Yep. From my conversations with Noah, he seems a good guy, really crazy about his kid. He was gentlemanly enough to say it would be all right for me to use the pool sometimes and… I guess I’m comfortable about that since it’s not too fancy, you know. Plus, his pool has the power of purple working for it.” Jade’s eyes were briefly amused as she gave a shrug, and Kell remembered that, like him, she was a foster kid, raised by a divorced mother here in town; it figured Noah’s parenting would impress her. “I don’t remember much. That kid Thomas thought he heard a sound, he fired his Dad’s gun at something and then he shoved me… next thing I had a hell of a headache.”

Kell eyed her bruise. “You really should have taken work off.”

“Don’t kid a kidder. You would have done the same as me,” Jade observed, reaching for a fresh cigarette. “And I’m determined not to be sidetracked from my life or driven away from my home.”

“Uh huh.” Kell felt some sympathy for Alec at her independent attitude. And yet, wasn’t Noah the same way?

 

J
OSH
stared out at the woods, his brow furrowed. He’d been wondering about whoever had stolen their food, worrying that maybe the person was hungry, cold out there…. “Josh?” His dad put a hand on his shoulder. “Come away from the window. I thought we’d look at that Sheltie magazine again.”

Josh nodded. His dad was treating the decision to get a dog like everything he did, cautiously. He insisted they both read up on breeds and discuss what might suit their new lifestyle, but it was kind of nifty to discuss their first choice. Josh knew he was lucky in the way Noah included him in all their decisions, which also made it important he let his dad know something….

“It’s okay if you’re gay, Dad,” Josh blurted.
Noah blinked before color suffused his cheeks. “Josh….”

“I mean, uh, I guess
bi
is more the correct term, seeing as you had me, so you had to like Mom’s body. But I’m just saying if you like penises, I’m okay with that.” He had to do this for his Dad. He’d been practically a shut-in for several months back in Seattle before they’d moved, and Josh had the idea his previous friendship with another man might have had something to do with it.

Noah went to the kitchen table and sat down, running a hand over his face. He looked totally freaked out. “This is about the Chief.”

“I like him. Okay, I admit the gay thing is slightly, uh. Do you think I’ll be…?”
“Josh, I have no idea, but I’ll love you whoever you are,” Noah said firmly. Then he took a deep breath and leaped off a cliff with his kid. “Can you do the same for me?”

“I’ll try.” Josh blew out a breath. “He won’t mean that you… don’t have as much time for me?”
Noah frowned. “I don’t know,” he answered, trying to be honest with his son as always. “Maybe a tiny bit less because if I date someone, I might enjoy a little time with him, and I know that might be hard, since it’s just been us for a long time.”
Josh finally confessed, “I don’t know how I feel about this. I mean, I want to be all adult and shit but—”

“It’s okay. I know it has to be….” Noah shrugged. “I also know you like him. He’s a good man.” Noah covered his eyes. “I can’t believe we’re discussing this.”

“Hey, you’re the one who told me about safe sex and condoms way before the school nurse.” Josh raised his hands.
Noah nodded. “All right. We’re two men here….” He cleared his throat. “Wouldn’t you rather talk about Shetland Sheepdogs? There is that rescue site we found online….”

“Sorry, Dad, you’re so not off the hook!” Josh pulled out a chair and sat next to his dad. “So do we like him for you?” Noah couldn’t meet his son’s frank gaze. “He’s sort of on the… casual side.”

 

Josh nodded. “Okay, so how do we fix him?”

 

“Josh, you can’t just fix people! Not unless they want to change.” Noah shook his head.

 

“Da-ad! You built a life for us from nothing. Raised me on your own. You don’t think you’re up to taking on the Chief?” Noah’s lips quirked. “I’m not sure I want to, Josh. Fix him… hmm.”

 

Josh cocked a brow in satisfaction. He’d given his lonely dad a little push in the right direction.

J
ADE
took a deep drag of her cigarette, eyes carefully on Kell, as if she wanted to ignore the waiting and ever-hopeful Alec, who had showed up to lean against the archway into her kitchen. “There, uh, might have been something moving through the woods. But it could have been a shadow….”
“Noah and Josh reported someone stole into their kitchen and

helped themselves to some food around about the time you and Thomas were in the woods nearby,” Kell said, scribbling on his pad. Thomas had mentioned it also.

“You mean it was the ghost? For real?” Jade asked.

Kell’s mouth firmed at the word “ghost.” “What happened then?”
“Thomas kind of freaked out since he was sure he saw someone moving through the forest, and I sneezed.”

Kell blinked. “Sneezed.”

“Yeah, it was damp out there, right?” She crinkled her forehead. “I don’t like the woods much because the damp bothers my sinuses.”

“And then?” Kell pressed, leaning forward.

 

“I yelled at Thomas after the gun went off and he shoved me—” Jade was breathing fast, remembering.

“
Goddamn that kid
!” Alec swore softly.
“Hey, he was scared and I was scared.” She could admit it now after seeing Morley. “I hit something, like a tree? And then I guess I blacked out.”
Kell nodded, reaching out to squeeze Jade’s hand gently. “But we found you and you’re safe.”

“Chief, if the ghost is for real and it killed Morley….” Her voice drifted off. “I feel….”

“Like what, Jade?” Kell asked patiently.
“Like I miss my dog,” Jade confessed softly.

Kell shifted in his chair, looking up to meet Alec’s concerned gaze. “Jade, we’re going to do our best to get to the bottom of this. Soon. You have my word.”

“Yeah, guess when it was just going through people’s garbage it wasn’t a big priority,” Jade noted. “But it’s all over town it ate Morley.”

Kell shook his head ruefully. In a small town, he’d known it would be all over in no time, along with the idea this was some kind of supernatural something prowling the mountain. There’d been rumors of that for years. “We don’t know what all happened to him. But I don’t want you worrying. You got off with a bad headache but you’re going to be okay. Likely it’s someone who had a grudge against Morley, possibly over his crop or his habit of spying on folks.”

Jade sighed. “I hope you’re right, Chief. Truth is, I always thought the ghost thing was bogus. Thought it was just someone hungry out there.”

A
FEW
hours later, Kell popped some Advil with a shot of cold coffee. He’d been staring at the same witness reports from Jade and Thomas, as well as the initial report on Morley Orris. Alec had yet to find any solid leads on who might have killed Orris, but it was a small town, and that narrowed down the suspects, if Kell discounted the ghost theory.

“Hi,” Noah said softly, interrupting with a knock on Kell’s open office door.
Kell looked up from his notes and felt electricity move through his body, recharging him.
Noah!
Noah was here.

“Hi! Come on in and…. Here, I’ll fix the chair.” Kell shoved paperwork off the wooden seat that faced his desk. He scrubbed a hand through his hair, wishing he’d known Noah was coming, because his space wasn’t neat the way Noah’s was. Did that count in Noah’s eyes? And why the hell was he so worried about that?

“I came by to ask for your help.”

 

Kell immediately stiffened. “Josh’s okay?”

Noah smiled, his gray eyes softening into a misty spring sky. “Yes, he is. He’s at the library now. He did, uh, have a few questions about us.”

“Us.” Kell blinked, feeling a blush working up his neck. Shit! “You mean…?”

 

“Yeah.”

“It’s not easy, you being his father. Do you want me to speak to him?”
“No!” As if seeing the quick flash of rejection Kell experienced, Noah continued, “I think this is something we have to work out.”

“Right.” Kell sat on the edge of his desk, not wanting to crowd Noah since he’d come here, but needing to be close to him. Man, he had it bad! “So, uh, what can I do for you?”

“I wondered if you knew anything about this Sheltie rescue site? The breeder seeks homes for mature dogs and not just puppies.”

“You’re getting one?” Kell’s eyes widened as he thought about the ramifications. It sounded like despite the problems haunting the area, Noah and Josh intended to stay.

“I thought Josh would want a puppy, but we talked about it and now we are both leaning toward providing a home for an older, unwanted Sheltie; that’s a Shetland Sheepdog.”

Kell nodded. “I know what it is. I guess getting a dog means you’re here for a while, huh?” He flushed at Noah’s look of amusement over his transparent fishing and cleared his throat. “Yes, I know this breeder. She works at the coffee shop part-time. I hear her dogs are well cared for, if you want a Sheltie and not just a mutt.”

Noah gave Kell a meaningful look. “I like mutts too.”

“Oh, do you?” Kell felt his body warm as Noah danced with him. “That’s good. Uh… very good. Because I’m purebred mongrel.”

“You certainly are.” But Noah’s tone was caressing as he held Kell’s eyes. “Would she be at the coffee house this time of day?”

“Yep, I’ll get you the address, but it’s just down the street.” Kell grabbed a pen, muttering to himself a little. He was acting like a complete dweeb and all because Noah had shown up at his office. He scribbled down the coffee shop location. “And the local vet is a nice lady. You might drop by and get her advice. Her office is next to the bakery.”

Noah took the slip of paper, standing. He shrugged, looking as awkward as Kell felt now he’d got what he’d come for. “Thank you.”

“Can I…? Uh, are you in town long enough to grab a meal with me at the diner? You and Josh, I mean?” Kell blurted.
Noah paused and then smiled, that smile going straight to Kell’s balls and making them tighten deliciously. “Every stereotype I’ve ever heard about small towns is if you have a meal with someone in the diner, it’s all over town they are a thing. Is that the case here?”
“Yep, I suppose it’s a stereotype for a reason,” Kell allowed wryly. Noah was still holding his eyes, seeming surer of himself than when Kell first hit on him. He liked unsettled Noah, but he
really
liked standing-on-his-own-feet Noah.
“And that’s not a problem for you?” Noah was asking many questions with just the one.

Kell got the message. “Nope, not here.”
“Yes, okay, we’d like to eat with you,” Noah agreed, blushing. Kell decided he liked blushing Noah best of all.

“J
ADE
,
it’s getting dark. We should head back,” Alec suggested

after hours of searching for Jade’s dog in the woods near her home. Not that he wasn’t enjoying spending time with her—any chance for that, except he didn’t like seeing the dark circles under her eyes, the big lump on her forehead, or her skin pale under the light dusting of freckles he’d fantasized about kissing.