Chapter 35
M averick came into the sheriff’s office with me, the others waiting outside. I didn’t want my pack to have to deal with law enforcement more than necessary.
Sheriff Marks, according to his badge, looked up from his desk. “What can I help you wi—Holy shit. Morgan Harris?”
“Um, yeah, that’s me. I’m not sure what the protocol is. The clinic I went to said they were going to tell you I was alive. One of the alphas who took care of me did call ahead…”
Sheriff Marks stared at me like I was a ghost.
“Do I have to sign anything?”
“Hell of a lot more than that. We’ve been investigating Brandon McLean for your murder.”
I froze, only remaining upright because of Maverick’s arm around my waist. “Really? My alphas wanted me to report him.”
“I need you to make a statement about what happened.”
I glanced up at Maverick, and he kissed the top of my head. “I’ll be right here when you’re all done.”
“Come on into my office,” Sheriff Marks said, still shaking his head like he couldn’t believe I was actually in front of him. “I need to record the statement if that’s all right with you?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
He nodded, sitting and setting the recording device between us. “This is Sheriff Wilson Marks taking the statement of Morgan Harris.” He added the case number and the date before looking expectantly to me. “Ms. Harris, please tell us exactly the events that led to you going missing.”
I poured it all out, from the planning for the trip to our drive out, everything I could remember Brandon saying to me before packing up our camp without warning to leave me out there.
“Can you please specify the date you went on this trip and the day you believe he left you behind?”
I glanced at the little calendar on his desk, double-checking to ensure I was correct before answering.
“Let the record show that Brandon McLean did not report Ms. Harris as missing until three days later.”
Jagged ice crystals formed in my chest. Not only had Brandon abandoned me, but he made sure I was out there long enough that no one would’ve been able to help me if they found me. I really would have died if not for Bear.
“There were a number of text messages sent between two phones, one owned by Ms. Harris and the other by Mr. McLean, in the days between Ms. Harris’s abandonment and Mr. McLean’s reporting of her going missing.”
“But I didn’t have my phone,” I protested. “I’d have called for help if I did.”
“We have copies of the text messages. If you could please look over them and confirm whether or not you sent them.”
He brought them up on the screen and read them aloud as my eyes flicked over the screen. They were all sent two days after he’d left me in the woods.
Morgan:
Honey I’m so scared I don’t know what to do my battery is getting low and it’s so dark
Brandon:
It’s ok baby I’m trying to find you just stay where you are
Morgan:
I love you so much I’m so sorry I wandered off the path
Please don’t blame yourself this isn’t your fault
It went on like that for more than two dozen messages, most of them from my phone begging, apologizing, and professing a love that definitely wasn’t real.
“I didn’t send any of those. I don’t even talk to him like that.” I shuddered. “Brandon and I have never dated, we’ve never been together, and I kind of want to throw up that he or whoever had my phone was trying to make it look like we were.”
“The timestamps are almost instantaneous,” Sheriff Marks explained. “We triangulated the locations of both phones, but it wasn’t accurate enough to determine how far apart the devices were within the area. It’s very possible he was talking to himself and trying to pretend you were still alive. I mean, you were , but he obviously wasn’t aware of that fact.”
Nausea flipped my stomach. “I can’t even put into words how much I hate that.”
“What happened after he left you out there? How did you survive?”
I told him all of that too. My memory had some fuzzy patches, but I knew Pumpkin had found me and Bear had gotten me back to a small hunting cabin before taking me back to the lodge.
“What was the name of the lodge and the people who found you?”
I gave him the info and he looked up the location.
“Let the record show that Mr. McLean advised search and rescue to go in the opposite direction of where he left Ms. Harris.” He glanced up at me. “Ms. Harris, do you believe that Mr. McLean tried to kill you?”
I swallowed hard. “Yes, I do. If he wasn’t trying, I don’t know what other explanation there could be. I’d never been truly afraid of him before that camping trip, never seen that much hate in his eyes when he looked at me. He couldn’t have left me behind by mistake. Brandon knew what he was doing.”
The sheriff asked me a few more questions, which I answered to the best of my ability, feeling more deflated by the second. I couldn’t deny it anymore. One of my oldest friends had genuinely tried to kill me because I’d refused to give him what he wanted.
“I don’t suppose my phone, or wallet, or anything was found in the search?”
Sheriff Marks perked up. “We have several of your things in evidence. They were found in Mr. McLean’s home.”
That made me queasy. He had taken my things all the way home? For what, a trophy?
“I can return them to you. We’ve documented everything we need from them.”
“Thank you.” Relief flooded my chest. Even just having my driver’s license back would make recovering my life so much easier.
“I’ll get them for you once the interview has concluded. I do need to make it clear that Mr. McLean is not in custody. A warrant is out for his arrest since we already had sufficient evidence prior to your statement, but we have been unable to locate him. He already tried once to kill you, and I wouldn’t discount him trying it again if he had the opportunity. I recommend vigilance. Do you have somewhere safe to stay?”
“I’ll stay at the lodge.”
That answer must have surprised him, because his eyebrows almost climbed all the way up his forehead.
I squirmed in my seat, giving him the barest details about how my suppressants were either in the supplies Brandon had taken or lost on the trail, and I had bonded one of my scent-matched alpha saviors during an unexpected heat.
Sheriff Marks observed me for a long moment. “You believe you’re safe there?”
“Yes. I trust them.”
He nodded sharply but added, “Like I said, be vigilant. It sounds like you trusted Mr. McLean too.”
My first instinct was to defend the pack, but I kept quiet. He wasn’t wrong to say so but I couldn’t explain to him I knew instinctively Bear and his pack wouldn’t hurt me. I had never been certain of that with Brandon, I had simply buried the little voice in the back of my head that had warned me about him because I so desperately wanted to be included.
“This concludes the recorded statement of Morgan Harris.” He turned off the device and stood, ushering me to join him. “I’ll get your things from the evidence locker and you can be on your way.”
I waited back with Maverick, leaning into his warmth while Sheriff Marks located my stuff.
He came out a few minutes later with a grocery bag filled with individual plastic evidence bags. “You’ll probably have to get a new phone. There was significant damage done to this one.”
“My bondmate bought me a new one. Should I leave the new number?”
Sheriff Marks got me a form to fill out that included the number and address for where I was staying, which I had to get off Maverick because I didn’t know more than the name of the lodge. He included the information for the whole pack.
“My cousin works for the local news,” the sheriff said. “Would you be comfortable if I pass your number along to her? The community at large will be relieved to hear you’re safe.”
“Is that safe if Brandon’s not in custody?”
“They’ve already published that there’s a warrant for his arrest and for the community to report any sightings. That would be reiterated, and I’ve made a report regardless that you’ve been found safe. Just depends on if you want to be involved or not.”
“Up to you, sweetheart,” Maverick said, rubbing a soothing hand over my arm.
“I guess if it’s going to be on the news anyway, I might as well make myself available to answer questions.”
Sheriff Marks nodded. “You’ll probably hear from her shortly. I’m glad you’re all right, Ms. Harris. I don’t relish searching through the forest for bodies, and even less so for omegas. Stay safe.”
The others were waiting when we stepped outside, pulling me into a group hug that cocooned me in warmth and all the scents that smelled like home.
“How are you feeling, little fox?” Kit asked.
“I don’t even know how to put it into words. I’m already so exhausted and it’s only been a few hours.”
“Brother hug,” Cooper demanded, my alphas parting to let him in so he could squeeze me tight.
“They were already investigating Brandon for my murder,” I told them.
“Motherfucker,” Cooper growled. “They’re gonna have to investigate me for his murder soon.”
I let out a sound that was half sob, half laugh against Cooper’s chest. “No going to prison.”
“No promises if I see that fucker on the street.”
“Do you want to go through any of the things from your apartment?” Ryder asked. “We kept aside anything that seemed like a bag of fabric and they’re in the truck bed now. The boxes were only labeled by room, but we tried to arrange them in the unit, keeping things that you might need closer to the front.”
“I probably should.” I sighed, letting my head rest back against Bear. “I don’t think I have the energy to lift a box.”
“You won’t have to,” Kit insisted. “We can tell you what’s in one and you tell us if you want it to come back to the lodge.”
The news lady phoned me on our way over, and I answered her questions while we drove, depleting my energy that much more. We went through my things for about an hour while I sat on Bear’s lap in the truck bed, the others yelling out the general contents of a box and me yelling back whether it could come or not. By the time I was too wiped out to continue, we had about half my things, minus the furniture, loaded onto the flatbed, my pack working to get everything secured for the trip back to the lodge.
I drifted in and out against Bear, leaning on his shoulder, one hand laced with his and the other with Ryder’s.
Pumpkin howled away in one of the windows when we arrived home, and Maverick opened the door so she could race out to greet us. She stood tall, paws on my shoulders to give me welcome kisses, and I spent a few minutes scratching her ears and stroking down her back as she tried to kiss everyone around me too.
I sucked back tears, able to better hide them with how fast Pumpkin licked them away.
The alphas began a steady stream of carting all of my belongings into the garage, Bear keeping a hold on me so I didn’t fall apart.
Brandon had tried to kill me, and what was worse…he was still out there.