Blood Trail

general noise level around the table.

    Did she? Living so close, Carl Biehn had opportunity to both accidentally discover the wers'
    secret and access the tree the shots had come from. He was in good physical condition for a man his age and deeply held religious beliefs were historically a tried and true motive for murder. He had, however, expressed an abhorrence for killing that Vicki believed and, besides a sneaker tread he shared with all and sundry, no evidence linked him to the crimes.
    The fact that she'd liked him, as subjective as that was, had to be considered. Good cops develop a sensitivity to certain personality types that, no matter how carefully hidden, set off subconscious alarms. Carl Biehn seemed like a decent human being and they were rare.

    On the other hand, the next likeliest suspect was a police officer and Vicki didn't want to believe that Barry Wu was responsible. She glanced down the table at Colin who, while larger than his uncle and father, was still a small, wiry man and probably wouldn't have made the force under the old size requirements. He looked like someone had a knife in his heart and was slowly twisting the blade. He hadn't said two words since he'd sat down.

    Did she think it was old man Biehn? No. Nor did she want to think it was Colin's partner. Nor could she completely rule either of them out, not until the murderer was found. A great many people had access to the woods, however, and in spite of the statistics, the most obvious suspects didn't always turn out to be guilty.

    She turned back to Rose, waiting predator patient for an answer.

    "Until I get more information, I have to suspect everyone, Rose, even Mr. Kleinbein. This is too important not to."

    Having cleared the table of anything remotely like food, the wer were rising and going their separate ways. Donald had already changed, padded out to the porch, and collapsed in a dark triangle of shade. Shadow, with permission from his mother, had taken a bone into a corner and, holding it between his front paws, was chewing it into submission.

    Vicki stood as Colin did, but he turned and headed out of the kitchen without acknowledging her in any way.

    "Colin!" Even Vicki stiffened at the command in Stuart's voice and Colin stopped dead, shoulders hunched. "Vicki wants to talk to you."

    Slowly, Colin turned, canines gleaming.

    "Colin. ..." The name was a growl, low and menacing.

    The younger wer hesitated for a moment, then his shoulders dropped and a curt motion of his head indicated Vicki should follow him.

    It was far from gracious, but it would have to do. She fell into step behind him as he started up the stairs.

    "It's too hot to walk outside, so we'll talk in my room," he said without turning. "Then the kids won't interrupt."

    Vicki wasn't so sure of that, given the wer sense of privacy but, if it made Colin more comfortable, they could talk on the roof for all she cared.

    His room was one of three in the addition built on over the woodshed and the door next to his was the first closed door Vicki had seen in the house.

    "Henry," Colin said by way of explanation as they passed. "He bolts it from the inside."

    "It's not a bedroom. ..."

    "No. It's a storage closet. But it doesn't have a window, and if we shuffle stuff around there's room for a cot."

    Vicki brushed her palm over the dark wood and wondered if Henry could sense her in the hallway. Wondered what it was like, lying there in the dark.

    "I haven't seen the sun in over four hundred years. "

    She sighed and entered Colin's room. He threw himself down on the bed, fingers laced behind his head, watching her through narrowed eyes. Despite the outwardly relaxed position, every muscle in his body hummed with tension, ready for fight or flight. Vicki wasn't sure which, nor did she want to find out.

    "I used to get the laundry to do mine, too," she told him, nodding at the half dozen clean uniform shirts hanging on the closet door, still in their plastic bags. Pushing a pair of sweatpants off a wooden chair, she sat down. "I had better things to do with my time than iron."

    "So," she leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees, "do you think your partner did it?"
    Colin's eyes narrowed further and his lips drew back but before he could move she added matter-of-factly, "Or do you want to help me prove he didn't?"

    Slowly, his eyes never leaving her face, Colin sat up. Vicki accepted his puzzled scrutiny with her blandest expression and waited. The