Wild Country (The World of the Others #2)- Anne Bishop Page 0,151

was called a crime scene kit, but …

Don’t correct the big, big Wolf with the big, big teeth when he’s still annoyed with you, even if he makes it sound like you’re about to indulge in a bit of larceny.

“So we’re investigating a crime?” She felt her shoulders tighten when they approached the spot where the man accused of being a Cyrus human had left the road and tried to go overland. Had he been heading for the place they were going to now and turned the wrong way?

“Dead body,” Virgil replied. “The Zeke pack and the Fagen pack had gathered to scavenge what they could from the houses on that street.”

“Salvage,” Jana corrected. “They’re salvage companies, not scavengers.”

He shrugged, making her wonder if he saw any distinction. Making her wonder about something else. “Why are they working on Earthday? And why are they working so far out? There are still a lot of houses—whole neighborhoods—closer to the town line that haven’t been cleared. Why work at houses that far into the wild country?”

Virgil watched the land, watched the sky, maybe watched something she couldn’t sense or see. Finally he said, “Zeke said he and Fagen looked at the map, and they both had a feeling that they needed to check those houses today. They found the body in the first house they entered.”

“So the Elders killed someone else?”

“No. A human did.”

* * *

* * *

Tolya gestured to the table in his office that he used for meetings when the big conference table in another room wasn’t needed. He waited for Judith and Melanie Dixon to take seats before sitting across from them.

Stewart Dixon had returned to his ranch, but the women had remained in town. The reason offered was that they wanted to keep an eye on the ranch hand who had been stabbed while trying to protect Melanie. He didn’t doubt there was some truth in that, but he suspected they were staying at the hotel because the girl was afraid to go home.

“Do you have some news?” Judith Dixon reached for her daughter’s hand.

“Perhaps,” Tolya replied. “A man talked about doing … bad things … to one of the young women who live here. His words sounded similar to what your daughter described when he was in your house.”

“He’s here?” Melanie Dixon lost all the color in her face.

“We don’t know if it was the same man. The man who was in town is dead. Killed by the Elders.” Tolya tried to assess the strength of these women. “I have a photo that was taken where he was found. The photo shows part of his head. We found no identity card. Nothing in the car or in his pockets showed a picture of him.” He focused on Melanie Dixon. “I can’t tell you if this is the same man who threatened you. That is something you would have to tell me.”

The women stared at the folder under his hand.

“I want to see it,” Melanie Dixon said.

“The Elders were angry.” Tolya pressed his hand against the folder, as if the girl had tried to take it. “He doesn’t look the same as a living man.”

“I need to see, need to know …”

Want was one thing. You could live without things that were wanted. Need was something else. Need was about survival.

He removed the photo from the folder and placed it on the table.

“Gods above and below,” Judith Dixon whispered. She covered the lower half of her face with her hand, as if imitating what she saw.

John Wolfgard knew how to work the camera the police used to document crimes, so he’d gone out to take pictures of the body since it wasn’t safe for any human to be out there. He’d taken pictures of the head as it had been found—caught in the windshield—and then posed it in a way that could be sent to police in other towns. Tolya thought this posed picture looked more benign than the other photos since it showed the head sitting on the hood of the car. The lower jar was still on the ground and out of sight, which created the odd impression that the head was rising out of the car.

“That’s him.” Melanie Dixon shuddered. “I’m sure it’s him.”

“Then he is no longer a threat to any of you,” Tolya said quietly.

“What about the men who were with him?” Judith Dixon asked.

“We’ll find out who he is—and we’ll find the other men.” He smiled, showing a hint of fang. “That’s