Joy to the Wolves (Red Wolf #1) - Terry Spear Page 0,71

to me about it, feel free to call at any time.”

Josh walked out of the office and shut the door, then pulled out his pen and notepad as if he had to write down notes of their conversation. Instead, he was listening at the door, the receptionist watching him. He assumed Mr. Thornton would call his son and chew him out about the incident. Josh loved his wolf hearing at times like this.

He noticed a button on the phone on the receptionist’s desk light up, indicating Mr. Thornton was calling someone. “Lucas, did you have anything to do with tampering with the security video at the Wilding Reindeer Ranch and a stolen calf? Don’t lie to me. The police have got surveillance video of the truck… Who else was with you?” Another pause. “Whose stupid-ass idea was it?” The chair squeaked in the office. “You and the others better come up with some airtight alibis ASAP in case the cop comes looking for you. And clean the damn truck.” The receiver slammed down, and the button’s light on the phone went out on the receptionist’s desk.

Josh left the building and immediately called Roy Greycroft, a Portland judge who was a gray wolf and helped the wolves out when they needed it. “Sir, the truck used to transport a stolen reindeer calf is going to be cleaned, and we need a warrant to search the vehicle before that happens and we lose the evidence of the theft.”

“Adam already called me to get a search warrant for the truck. He’s getting the reindeer hair from the interior as we speak,” Judge Greycroft said.

“Good. Thanks.”

“We can’t have them stealing Santa’s future reindeer and not paying for the crime, now can we?”

“You’re right. And there’s a little issue of tampering with our security video out at the ranch. The dad’s playing hardball, but I told him we’d be willing to just make a deal if he’d come clean.”

“If Lucas hadn’t committed a crime before.”

“The boy’s been brought before you already?” Josh asked the judge, damned surprised, though he shouldn’t be. Criminals often committed a lot more crimes than they got caught for.

“Yep. Same stuff—as a hacker. It was a couple of months ago, before he turned sixteen. Nothing like the reindeer theft, though, unless they just didn’t get caught. He had help, too, didn’t he?”

“Yes, sir. Someone was driving the truck, and someone else got out to remove the reindeer.”

“I’d place my bet on Ty Henson, if I were a betting man. He’s Lucas’s best friend. The two of them were involved in the other hacking job. They did community service that time too. The problem is they’re both smart, but they need to direct that to worthwhile causes, not to crime.”

“Thanks, Judge.” Josh still felt that the boys could benefit from community service. Working at the reindeer ranch might give them some sense of caring for the animals, for one thing. For another, he and Maverick could have the teens look at their security video and tell them how they hacked in and maybe how to safeguard against it. After ending the call with the judge, Josh called Adam. “Did you get the evidence you need?”

“Getting it now. Plenty of Jingles’s fur is in the truck. We can smell Jingles, so no trouble identifying it. I need to tell you something else though. When I went to his parents’ home so I could give them the search warrant to search the truck, Lucas answered the door. He is one of us.”

“What?” Josh thought he’d misunderstood what Adam had told him.

“I take it his dad isn’t?” Adam asked.

“Hell, no. He’s strictly human. Then Lucas is adopted?” Or maybe fostered, Josh thought.

“He must be. Or turned? Which would be bad news if he can’t control his shifting. The other scents in the car are all human. So his friends aren’t like us either. Lucas appeared shocked to smell my scent.”

Josh couldn’t believe it. “How long has he been living in the area?”

“He told me he and his parents moved here only three months ago.”

“And he got into trouble just a month after he’d been here. Unless he’d been up to mischief before that but just hadn’t been caught. He must not have met any of our wolves, or Leidolf and Cassie would have made sure he became part of our wolf community.”

“That’s what I figured,” Adam said. “I asked him if he’d smelled wolf scents when he was tampering with the security video. His eyes