Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
A udrina Ludlow was a stunning figure. Toned. Fit. A mouth full of teeth that somehow managed to be both predatory and friendly. Her balayage hair and tawny skin appeared untouched by the aging process. We should all be so fortunate to have genes like Audrina.
Following Justine’s lead, I found her at the Terrapin swimming pool, where the werepanther swam daily laps.
Like Judd, Audrina was a creature of good habits.
Probably one of the reasons they’d been drawn to each other.
Not all shifters liked to date outside their species, mainly due to genetic issues with their offspring, but Audrina was past the age of having children, so that didn’t seem to matter to either of them.
I sat on a lounge chair by the pool and waited for her to notice me. No one else was around, for which I was grateful. This wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have repeated. The gossipmongers were already full steam ahead of me.
Audrina’s teeth gleamed when she spotted me. I waved her over, unable to match her good-natured greeting. She swam to the side of the pool and pulled herself into a seated position. “Hey, stranger.”
“How’ve you been?” I asked.
“Pretty good. You?”
“Can’t complain.” Although we’d spent a reasonable amount of time together during her two-year relationship with Judd, I wouldn’t have described us as close. Then again, I wouldn’t have described myself as “close” to anyone except in terms of physical proximity.
“Missed you at the party last night,” she said.
“A party at Buck’s isn’t my idea of fun.” I’d choose a dentist appointment over a social event any day of the week. “Sounds like I missed the fireworks between you and Judd.”
She tossed her wet hair over her shoulder. “That’s one word for it.”
Based on her tone, I got the impression they hadn’t kissed and made up afterward. Still, I had to ask. “Any chance he spent the night at your place?”
Audrina kicked her feet in the water. “Wow, Maya. That’s a line you don’t usually cross. Why ask me and not Judd?”
“He’s unavailable at the moment.”
She leaned back to regard me, green eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?”
I sidestepped the question with one of my own. “Can you just answer my question?”
Her cheeks flamed. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. He most certainly did not. Our relationship is well and truly over.”
“Is that what the argument was about? One of you wanted another chance, and the other refused?”
She climbed onto the lounge chair beside mine, dripping wet. “Maya, we both know you’re not one to pry into other people’s personal lives. Tell me what’s happening.”
“Judd is missing,” I said. “He didn’t show up for work, and he hasn’t responded to my calls. I stopped by his house earlier, but there was no sign of him. The bed was made, like maybe he hadn’t slept there.”
“Judd makes his bed every morning the second he’s out of it. It’s a compulsion.”
That didn’t surprise me. “I considered that, but no one seems to have seen him or heard from him since the party. I was hoping the two of you kissed and made up for the past twenty-odd hours.”
She snorted. “Judd wouldn’t dream of spending twenty hours with me when there are rules to enforce.”
“Is that why you broke up?” I’d wondered whether Judd’s commitment to his work was the final straw.
“That was the main reason, yes. His job is his number one priority. I would’ve preferred that to be me.”
A memory sprang to mind—Judd had taken a smattering of personal days nine months ago. Then we got wind of an illegal import operation, and he was all business again.
“Let me guess,” I said, “he promised to change and failed.”
“More or less. I blame Florida.”
“The whole state?”
“If the police academy would’ve accepted him, he wouldn’t feel so determined to prove his worth over and over again.”
Judd’s insecurities had to run deeper than the police academy rejection, but I wasn’t here to psychoanalyze him. I was here to find him.
“Can’t you trace his phone?” she asked.
“You know he doesn’t keep location services on.” That was purposeful; he didn’t want Neighbors stalking him with pseudo-crises wherever he went, and neither did I. Boundaries were critical here. If you gave certain Neighbors an inch, they’d insist on the width of the island.
“Is there anywhere he might go to decompress?” If he was upset about his argument with Audrina, maybe he decided to take some space.
“I don’t know. Maybe he shifted and took off into the forest. You would know better than I would. You two spend more time together than he and I ever did.”
I heard it then, a hint of jealousy and resentment. “Judd doesn’t spend time with me . He spends time in the office, where I also happen to work.”
She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “Sorry, Maya. That came out wrong. You two have a close professional relationship, I realize that.”
“It’s purely professional.”
“Professional or not, you’re like family to him.” She sighed. “And I want that for me, but he’s consistently shown me he isn’t capable of giving that much of himself. A whole island full of retirees and I still choose the one with a job.”
“I’m sorry, Audrina.” I didn’t know what else to say.
Did he love her? I had no idea. Audrina was right about us—he and I were like family, but not a close one.
We were the kind of siblings who lived in the same house but rarely talked about anything deeply personal.
It was surface level, like all my interactions with the residents of Evermore.
“Let me know when he turns up, will you?” Audrina slipped back into the pool. “But don’t tell him I asked.” She dove underwater, effectively ending the conversation.
The forest wasn’t a bad idea. If he shifted while drunk, he could’ve hurt himself. There was a chance he was lying somewhere bleeding to death. On the other hand, he healed quickly in his werewolf form. How likely was it that he’d still be incapacitated the next day?
Not very.
Still, sending Knox to the forest first was worth a shot.
I had no other leads, and the pea-sized ball of anxiety in my stomach had expanded to the size of a golf ball.
Any bigger and I’d be incapacitated too.
The Neighborhood couldn’t afford to have both members of its security team out of commission.
I left the Terrapin pool and stopped by Dominic’s Repairs to see whether my golf cart was ready.
Dominic was technically a Neighbor and not staff, but he’d missed tinkering with engines and other mechanical devices, so the HOA agreed to let him set up a repair shop.
Mine was a simple tire fix, but Dominic insisted on keeping it longer to check the entire golf cart for wear and tear.
I didn’t mind the delay since I had my bike, but now that I needed to cover more ground to find Judd, it would be nice to have that golf cart.
Dominic clapped his grease-stained hands and opened his arms wide at the sight of me. “Maya August, if it isn’t my favorite snake lady.”
“Hi Dom. I bet you can guess the reason I’m here.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “About that, sweetness. Listen, there’s been a delay getting the new tire.”
“Why? What’s the problem?”
“A supply chain issue. You know how it is on an island.”
“Can I get a loaner?”
“Fresh out, I’m afraid. Neighbors caught wind of the shortage and snapped up the extras. ”
Typical. Without my golf cart, I’d require the assistance of others. Terrific.
I climbed on my bicycle and pedaled to the home of someone who hated to help almost as much as I hated to ask for it.
Almost.
Knox Harrison was a werewolf like Judd, except Knox was a rare white wolf.
Like most Neighborhood werewolves, they’d come to the island from different packs or none at all.
Judd hadn’t been part of a pack in Florida, which was probably one of the reasons he’d been desperate to join the police force.
He’d longed to be part of a larger group.
Knox, on the other hand, was a retired alpha who was ready and willing to leave his pack behind when the moment arrived.
He’d devoted most of his life to dealing with the needs of his members, and he viewed Evermore as an opportunity to live life on his own terms for a change.
I understood Knox more than he knew.
I knocked on the door of his first-floor condo and listened for evidence of movement.
Knox was someone who hid in his bedroom rather than answer the doorbell.
If you looked up “crotchety old-timer” on the internet, you’d find a photo of a scowling Knox.
He’d chosen a unit without a lawn for the sole purpose of not having to wave an angry fist and defend it against trespassers.
When there was no answer, I yelled, “Knox, open up! It’s Maya August from security. There’s a situation.”
The sound of scampering feet followed my statement. I couldn’t tell if he was running to his bedroom or hiding beneath a sofa .
“Knox, I need a werewolf to run through the forest right now, and I would like that werewolf to be you.”
More shuffling of feet and then the door flew open. “It’s Sunday.” If Santa Claus and the abominable snowman had a baby, the end result would be Knox Harrison.
“I’m aware what day it is. Hi, Knox.”
His wild white eyebrows drew together as he scrutinized me. “Why do you need a wolf to run through the forest on a Sunday? That’s against the rules.”
Spoken like a former alpha. “Because I need you to find someone. Just you. No permit required. No other wolves in the forest to disrupt your peace.”
HOA regulations allowed the werewolves to shift only two designated nights a month between the hours of midnight and four a.m. Only Justine, Judd, and I had the power to amend that designation with a permit.
“Did Justine send you?”
“No,” I lied. “This is a personal request.”
“In that case, I’ll help. Who am I looking for?”
“This is the part I’m going to need you to keep to yourself.”
He barked a laugh. “Who am I gonna tell? You think I’m yapping to any of the Neighbors when I have a whole pile of Stephen King books waiting to be read?”
“I’m looking for Judd. If he’s in the forest, I need you to bring him home.”
He tugged the end of his white beard. “Type A went AWOL? That’s a first.”
“He hasn’t been seen or heard from since Buck’s party last night.”
Knox blew a garlic-scented breath in my direction. “Why does anybody bother with that poser? A guy like Buck would’ve been knocked down a few pegs the moment he showed signs of a swagger.”
I shrugged. “Some people are drawn to his confidence.”
“That isn’t confidence. It’s arrogance. People are too damn dopey to tell the difference, that’s all.” He scratched his crotch with so much aggression, I worried for his balls. “What’s with the sense of urgency? Why not wait ’til he turns up?”
“Because there’s a situation that requires Judd.”
“What happened? Somebody spray paint the barn with a giant penis again?”
If only. “A Neighbor died under suspicious circumstances and now Judd’s missing.”
“Oh, I get it. The minute you’re in charge, someone dies,” he said, followed by a satisfied chuckle. “Judd will be furious.”
Assuming he didn’t already know. I held up a blue-and-green-striped tie that I’d taken from the office.
“Here. This belongs to Judd.” He would frequently wear a tie to the office, then tear it off by midday like it was choking him.
Once I asked him why he bothered, and he said he felt more professional when he left for work in the mornings.
Maybe so, but in an altercation, a tie was as much of a liability as long hair, which was why I tended to wear mine in a messy bun.
Knox pushed my hand aside. “Don’t need that to track him. Judd’s a wolf. I know his scent.” He began to unbutton his checkered sleeves. “What do I do if I find him?”
“If he’s uninjured, bring him home, whether he’s willing to come or not. If he’s hurt, bring him to Dr. Adam or call me for help.”
“I won’t need any help,” he growled. “I’ve got fifty pounds on Judd, more in my wolf form.”
“Thank you for doing this, Knox.”
“Hey, it isn’t every day I get free run of the forest.”
I felt hopeful as I left Knox and returned to the office, my skin burning under the sun’s heat. I’d have to start wearing sunscreen until my golf cart was ready.
I made a fresh pot of coffee and reviewed the visitors log starting from Saturday, the day of the murder, and working backward.
Some of the last names were familiar because they matched those of Neighbors.
Nobody matched Belinda’s, not that I expected to see one.
Given the missing fate-thread, I was more than likely searching for a faerie.
Fae names tended to be of Celtic or Gaelic origin.
I marked three possible options on Saturday. Three from Friday’s manifest. One from Thursday. I’d start with those and see what I could unearth.
I drank my coffee and listened to the familiar sounds of the building.
The whir of the fan. The occasional clank of the pipes.
The office seemed simultaneously too big and too small without Judd’s presence.
I couldn’t concentrate on anything except the phone, willing it to light up with good news.
When it did finally ring, it was Knox—to tell me he’d left the forest empty-handed.
No Judd. Not even his lingering scent. When he said he’d expand his search to the Marshes, a knot formed in my stomach.
There’d be no happy ending if he found Judd there.
I thanked him and hung up. If the best nose on the island couldn’t find him, then I’d have to expand my own search criteria. I checked the clock on the microwave. If they stuck to their usual schedule, I should be able to find the kind of help I needed in the coffee shop.
They didn’t call themselves the Bookstabbers for nothing.