He turned and watched Kat tend to her grandmother. The older woman was pale and shaking, her hands locked into a claw-like position. He grabbed the oil off the coffee table and sat down next to her.
"Let me massage these for you." He poured the oil into his hands and began to rub hers gently.
Gwen's smile was tremulous. "Thanks."
He nodded. "Did you see anything of use?"
Kat sat down opposite him. He was aware of her gaze but didn't meet it, keeping his focus on easing the tension from Gwen's knotted hands. Right now, he didn't have the energy or desire to answer Kat's questions.
"I saw a couple of things," Gwen said. "First off, your boss is chasing a wild goose. That murder has nothing to do with this case. It's a custody battle gone wrong."
Just as well he hadn't followed instinct and gone after them, then. "You sure of that?"
She nodded. "It doesn't follow the pattern. They'll discover that as soon as they get there."
"Do we need to rescue the kid anyway?"
Gwen shook her head. "No. The cops will get the father soon enough, and the little boy is safe. But there is another kid you have to worry about."
His gut clenched. Not Janie, he thought. Not this soon. Please...
"The soul sucker?" Kat rose and moved over to the phone table.
"Yes," Gwen said, rubbing her temple with her free hand. "Here, in this town, sometime tonight."
Kat retrieved the local street directory and plopped it down on the table.
"Where?"
"Forest Road. Some place called The Pines."
"Out of town," Kat said after a few minutes. "And not all that far from where the soul sucker killed the old man."
"I found a cabin full of zombies up that way," he said, suddenly remembering them. "About a twenty minute run north from the old farm."
Kat gave him a long look. "And you didn't think to mention it before now? Or were you simply planning to do a little solo exploring later on tonight?"
"Neither," he said, ignoring the sarcasm in her voice. "I didn't remember because I had more important things to worry about."
He held her gaze. After a few seconds, heat touched her cheeks, and she dropped her gaze to the directory again.
Gwen pulled her hand free of his and flexed it lightly. "You have a nice touch, wolf. And you didn't tell us you were empathic."
He put the lid back on the oil bottle. "I'm not."
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then why do you seem to be catching Kat's emotions?"
He kept his face expressionless and raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'm catching Kat's emotions?"
Her cheeks dimpled. "Because I'm a nosy old witch who can sense these things."
"Well, in this case, the nosy old witch is way off course." He rose to put the oil back on the coffee table. "We going to call in the sheriff on this one?"
Gwen studied him a second longer, her expression a mix of amusement and concern. Still trying to figure him out, obviously. He had a feeling he'd better be long gone before she did.
"No," she answered. "We won't need to if we can stop the mara before it gets to the kid." She looked at Kat and added, "Did you manage to make those charms earlier?"
Kat nodded and disappeared into the bedroom. Gwen grabbed his hand, her strength surprising him. "Be honest with her, wolf," she whispered, her voice as fierce as her expression, "or I'll make damn sure you regret it."