two doors down from ours and dropped off their bags.
I opened our door and scowled at the two queen beds. That had to have been Mom’s idea.
“If it’s all right with you,” Grey said from behind us, “we’d like to get started right away.”
Stepping further into the room, I set our bags on the beds while Michelle cleared off the hotel coffee table. We gathered around as Grey spread out a map he’d grabbed from the airport. Michelle looked it over and pointed to an area.
“I don’t know if David’s still there. I’m guessing probably not since David was employed by Blake and had no ties to Richard or the house. But Blake might have someone watching the place. If it’s possible, could you sneak in and grab a few things? You’ll need to be careful. The house has a security system. I set it off when I left.”
“We’ll try,” Grey said.
“There’s a photo of my mom in my old room. And there are a few toys hidden in the base of my brothers’ mattresses.”
Grey nodded.
“Setting off the alarm should alert whoever is watching the house. Then, you could go back tomorrow and see if you stirred up any trouble. Maybe even follow a scent trail or something.”
Grey smiled widely.
“I like the way you think. We’ll call when we get there to let you know the state of things. If anyone’s there, we’ll watch for a while.”
Michelle agreed, and I walked them to the door. After they left, I turned to study her. Did she even know she was wringing her hands?
“Let’s go next door and get something to eat,” I said, hoping to distract her.
We left the room and walked to the restaurant next door. The smell of grilled meat drifted in the air. My stomach growled and Michelle’s answered. I grinned.
Inside the restaurant, we ordered burgers to go. She fidgeted next to me the entire time we waited.
Back at the room, she sat and ate, checking the time every few bites.
She’s worried, I sent Grey. His mental path was just as familiar as Winifred’s.
My phone rang a few seconds later, and I quickly answered.
“She has nothing to worry about,” Grey said. “This place probably hasn’t been touched since the day she left it. The grass is so long it’s seeding. The paper boy has created a nice pile on the front step, and there’s a note on the door from the homeowners’ association. We’re going to sit here until it gets dark and then take a closer look inside. I’ll keep in touch. And tell her to stop worrying.”
I glanced at Michelle. She was completely focused on our conversation.
“I agree,” I said. “I’ll let her know. Call back if there’s a change in plans.”
After I hung up, I tried smiling reassuringly. “They’re watching the house but say it looks abandoned. The grass is overgrown, and the papers are piled up. There’s even a notice on the door. Grey’s content to sit and watch it for the rest of the day to see if they’re mistaken. Tonight, they’ll go in for the things you mentioned. We can send them back to watch tomorrow.”
She exhaled slowly.
“So it looks like, in order to find Blake, I’ll need to call the lawyer.”
“It can’t hurt.”
She called the lawyer, and I listened to both sides of the conversation.
“Ms. Daniels. Thank you for contacting us. I’m sincerely sorry for your recent loss.” He talked a bit about Richard and how he wanted to meet with Michelle to go over the will and discuss the details of Richard’s estate.
Michelle glanced at me as she answered. “How soon can we meet?”
“Mr. Torrin said he would be available whenever you were. My schedule is open on Thursday. Is there a time that day that works for you?”
“Let me check.” She covered the receiver with her hand and nibbled at her bottom lip but didn’t say anything. A moment later she uncovered the phone.
“How does ten sound?” she asked.
“Perfect. I’ll see you Thursday at ten.”
That wasn’t the end of the phone calls. She reached for the phone book and started making calls, learning what she could about wills, probate, and beneficiaries.
Richard had left everything to Michelle, and Blake was trying to be the executor in Michelle’s absence. What wolf would try to play the human system like that? Why would he want Michelle’s wealth? How big of a pack was he trying to support? The calls just gave me more questions, which I kept to myself when I informed