Blue moon - By Lori Handeland Page 0,29

she got enough information to come to her own conclusion.

I wouldn't really mind if Zee knew. In fact, I'd like to talk to her about what in hell was wrong with me.

But Clyde was another story. Since his relationship with Zee was as close as or even closer than mine was, telling her would be the same as telling him. I'd lose my job, or at the least my involvement with this case. When Clyde had told me to stay away from Cadotte, he hadn't just been whistling Dixie.

Sighing, I slipped into the evidence room. I made my way to the shelf where I'd left the bag of junk that comprised the evidence from Karen Larson's accident. It wasn't there.

I didn't panic right away. Just figured I was on the wrong shelf. My mind wasn't exactly focused. I put the totem into my pocket and searched the room. There wasn't a lot there. My evidence certainly wasn't.

I began to feel uneasy. I remembered putting the bag on the second shelf, along with the signed note from Cadotte. I got down on my knees and crawled around. Nothing.

I needed to report this to Zee and then to Clyde. The evidence room wasn't Fort Knox, but it was secure enough for Miniwa. I'd had to use my key to get in here, and only officers had keys. If we took evidence out of the room for any reason, we made a notation in the evidence log.

The evidence log!

I smacked myself in the forehead and grabbed the book off the desk next to the door. Quickly I spun through the pages, expecting to see a familiar name scrawled in the margin next to my scribbled listing of Karen Larson's evidence.

Not only was there no name; there was no scribble. Hell, there wasn't even a page.

I opened the book as far as the spine would allow. I couldn't see a shred of paper. Either someone was very good at ripping pages out of books, or I was nuts and I'd never recorded anything at all.

I had to go with the first option, even though that made no sense. Who would want a bag of glass and plastic?

Unless...

I patted my pocket, felt the hard ridge of the totem against my thigh. Had the culprit been looking for something else entirely?

Cadotte had said that whoever the totem belonged to would be wanting it back. Then why not just ask?

Unless the owner had good reason not to be recognized as such. And if it wasn't the owner, then what possible good could the totem do them?

I was more confused than ever. I couldn't prove I'd brought in the evidence. Couldn't prove the evidence had disappeared. Clyde was going to have my head when he found out.

He was already pissed at me for letting Cadotte keep the icon. But it was lucky I had or we'd have lost that, too.

One thing I knew, I wasn't leaving the totem here to disappear along with everything else. For now the stone was safe right where it was.
Chapter 12
I opened the evidence room door and let out a yelp. Mandenauer stood on the threshold, emaciated arm raised to knock.

"Ah, Officer, good evening."

His good sounded like goot, and he drew out the word evening like a bad Dracula imitation. I would have laughed, if I hadn't been close to crying.

I stepped into the hall and slammed the door behind me. There'd already been one too many people in the evidence room in the past twenty-four hours.

"What are you doing here? This area is off-limits to civilians."

"I am not a civilian. The sheriff has given me temporary clearance."

"You have a key?"

"Certainly."

"Have you been in this room?"

He glanced at the door, his gaze flicked over the word evidence, and he shook his head. "No need."

I didn't believe him. That was going around.

"What did you want to see me about?"

"Do you have your rifle?"

"Rifle? What the hell for?"

"Tonight we hunt."

I had been heading for the front office to receive my assignment from Zee. I stopped and turned very slowly. "I'm assigned to you?"

"Yes."

"Why? Don't guys like you work alone?"

His lips twitched. "I am not a cowboy."

I looked him over from the tip of his head - white blond hair now covered with a black skullcap - past his camouflage jumpsuit, to the toes of his black commando boots. "No shit."

He ignored me. The man was catching on.

"Get a rifle. Follow me."

"Shouldn't you be following me? I know these woods."

"But I know wolves. Especially