The Werewolf Whoops Read online

  “Lisa and Ethan are in a lot of photos in these yearbooks. I might actually have you go through them a little closer because I was skimming them. What stood out is that they broke up at some point, because he was named ‘class couple’ with a different girl … and it’s someone we know.”

  “Who?”

  “She works afternoons behind the desk at this inn.”

  I swiveled to look at the large desk settled in the middle of the lobby, my eyes landing on the amiable woman standing there as she answered questions for a guest. “Harley?”

  “Her name is Harley Macmillan, at least according to the yearbooks,” Jack supplied. “She and Ethan were all over the yearbook when they were seniors.” He turned his computer so I could see the screen better, but I wanted to be closer.

  “Are you going to freak out if I move close enough to look at that photo?”

  Jack smirked. “No. I think I can refrain from tearing your clothes off if you want to sit a little closer, but touching me is out of the question. I don’t want to turn into an animal or anything.”

  I rolled my eyes even as my cheeks burned at mention of him tearing off my clothes, and I was careful as I sat on the cushion next to him, making sure I didn’t accidentally brush against him. “So, what are looking at?”

  “Here.” Jack pointed at his screen. “That’s Harley and Ethan as prom king and queen.”

  I narrowed my eyes as I leaned closer. “Hmm. They look happy. The cutline mentions that they were voted ‘class couple’ a week before the photo was taken at the prom.”

  “Yeah. Now, it doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but I do find it interesting that Lisa and Ethan apparently had a rather rocky road. They were all over their junior yearbook together, yet the senior yearbook was all him and Harley.”

  “Hmm.” I studied the image for a long beat and then pointed to a face in the background. “That’s Lisa right there. It looks as if she was on the prom court but didn’t win.”

  “Let me see.” Jack leaned so close his face was practically pressed against the screen. “You’re right. She doesn’t look happy, does she?”

  I shrugged. “That doesn’t mean she’s evil or anything. I’m sure you remember what it was like to be in high school. Couples got together and broke up willy-nilly all over the place.”

  “They did, but it’s a pattern of behavior,” Jack said as he minimized the high school yearbook photo. “This is from college, and seems to show something different. Here they’re very clearly together and Harley is nowhere in the picture.”

  “Did they go to Covenant College?”

  Jack shook his head. “That’s the school that burned down, right?”

  “Burned down and was never rebuilt,” I muttered. “What college did they go to?”

  “Northwood. It’s a business college. That makes sense for kids like Lisa and Ethan who came from wealthy families.”

  “I guess it does.” I studied the new snapshot. The couple standing in the center of it smiled back at the camera, but something appeared off about their pose. “Ethan doesn’t look very happy, does he?”

  Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s smiling.”

  “Yeah, but there was a light in his eyes when he posed for that photo with Harley. He doesn’t have that light here.”

  “A light, huh?” Jack snagged my gaze. “I guess I can see that. You have a light sometimes.”

  “Oh, geez. I thought we were tabling this until after we chased down our werewolves?”

  Jack snorted. “I’m just messing with you.”

  “Of course.”

  “You do have a certain light in your eyes, though.” Jack turned thoughtful. “You’re right about Ethan’s appearance being different in the photographs. They were taken three years apart. How much could’ve really changed for him in that amount of time?”

  “We have access to someone who might be able to answer that for us,” I pointed out, inclining my chin toward Harley. “We’re the only people in the lobby right now. It’s a perfect time to question her.”

  “Then maybe you should do it.”

  I jolted. “You want me to question her.”

  “I want you to try.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Watch to make sure you don’t screw it up.”

  I scowled. “I’m glad to see you have such faith in me.”

  “I have faith in you. You’re insightful and smart.”

  I preened under the compliment.

  “You also fly off at the lip when you’re not watched,” Jack added, slowly getting to his feet. “Let’s see what you can get out of her.”

  APPROACHING HARLEY UNDER Jack’s watchful eye was nerve-wracking, but I was intrigued enough with Jack’s belief regarding Lisa that I couldn’t turn away. Harley didn’t realize we were approaching until we were already at the desk.

  “Hey, guys.” She smiled at us as she continued straightening up her work station. “You guys have been lost in your own little world for a while now. I’m surprised you came up for air and took a break.”

  “We’re researching,” Jack volunteered. “The Ethan Savage case took a turn last night.”

  “I know.” Harley brightened considerably. “You guys found him in the woods. You saved him. You’re regular heroes.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far.” Jack shot me a pointed look and I knew it was my turn to speak.

  “We just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” I explained. “It was a fluke.”

  “Well, it was one lucky fluke.” Harley finished spiffing up her work area. “Ethan and I went to high school together, so I was really upset when he went missing. I’m happy to know that he’s alive and safe.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s kind of what we want to ask you about,” I said, shifting from one foot to the other.

  Harley was obviously confused. “You want to ask me about high school?”

  “We want to ask what happened between you and Ethan – we know you were class couple and everything – and how he ended up back with Lisa even though he looked happier with you.” I blurted it out as if my tongue was on fire. That’s so not how it went in my head.

  “Oh, geez.” Jack slapped his hand to his forehead. “Don’t you think there might have been a better way to approach her?”

  I shrugged. It was over and done with. “I did it my way. You have to live with it.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m afraid to look. Is she still standing there or has she taken off?”

  Harley let loose a low chuckle at Jack’s reaction, shaking her head. “You two are funny. How long have you been together?”

  “Oh, we’re not together,” I replied. “We’re just co-workers.”

  Harley narrowed her eyes to the point where she appeared mistrustful. “You two aren’t together?”

  “No.”

  “It’s up for debate,” Jack clarified. “We’re not talking about it until we solve this case.”

  I was stunned by his fortitude. “I didn’t think we were telling people that.”

  “Yeah, well, apparently you’re not the only one with a big mouth,” Jack groused, dragging a hand through his dark hair. “We’re really looking for some insight on Ethan and Lisa, and we know you went to high school with them. We thought you might be willing to share.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you.” Harley nervously tugged on her index finger until it cracked. “The thing is, Ethan and I were very close for a year and a half … and then things fell apart. I try not to think about it too much because it upsets me … and then I feel stupid for letting it upset me because it was a long time ago.”

  “You loved him, didn’t you?” I recognized the dopey look on Harley’s face when she uttered Ethan’s name. If she didn’t love him, she was highly enamored with him.

  “I did love him.” Harley visibly swallowed. “It happened the summer before senior year. Lisa had to leave town for a modeling gig. Instead
of doing the long-distance thing, they both agreed to break up while she was out of town and then get back together when she returned.”

  “That doesn’t make much sense,” Jack noted. “I mean … if you love someone, how hard is it to make it through three months of separation?”

  Harley shrugged. “I can’t answer that because I honestly don’t know. I only know that Ethan was hanging around … and I was hanging around. One night we hung around together at the ice cream shop. We just sort of fell together.

  “I thought it would be a summer fling and nothing more,” she continued. “I enjoyed spending time with him, but I was afraid to let him get too close. By that point Ethan and Lisa were kind of like high school royalty. They’d been together since middle school.

  “As the summer wore on, Ethan started talking more and more,” she said. “I won’t betray his confidence, but I can say that our feelings were legitimate and we were pretty much in love – or at least lust – by the end of the summer.”

  Jack pursed his lips as he absorbed the start of the tale. “You don’t have to confirm it, but I’m guessing that Ethan felt manipulated by Lisa. She’s the dramatic sort, right? She made up stories to keep herself the center of attention. She wanted Ethan to fawn all over her, yet she didn’t do the same for him. That summer away from her was a mistake because Ethan began to realize what a user she really was.”

  “I can’t betray his confidence,” Harley said. “I just … can’t. I wouldn’t want him to talk out of turn about me.”

  “Fair enough.” Jack said. “You guys were together for your senior year. You were together at prom. When did you break up?”

  “We tried to make it work, but deep down I think I always knew it was a fairy tale that would have to end,” Harley replied. “It wasn’t so terrible at first. He went to Northwood and I went to the community college in Saginaw. We couldn’t see each other every day, but we were together as often as possible.”

  Something about the way Harley’s demeanor shifted told me this story was going to take an ugly turn. “Lisa did something to get him back, didn’t she?” I wasn’t sure when my opinion of the shattered woman I met in the hospital changed, but now I was certain she wasn’t who she pretended to be. Jack’s convictions were only part of it. The other was the way Ethan lost his happiness in the course of a few short years. That was somehow devastating to me and I didn’t even know the man.

  “I don’t know that it’s fair to blame what happened on Lisa,” Harley hedged.

  “You’re trying to be nice, but I get the feeling it’s really not necessary,” Jack prodded. “Just tell us what happened. We can fill in the missing pieces.”

  “Ethan and I drifted a bit, and then one day I went to his house to see him.” Harley looked uncomfortable. “He was upset … and crying … and apologetic. It seemed he’d gotten drunk at a party the night before and ended up with Lisa.”

  “With her?” I asked before full understanding washed over me. “Oh, you mean with her.”

  Harley nodded. “They got drunk and hooked up. He was really upset and apologized over and over. I thought about forgiving him, but I figured my self-esteem was worth more than that. Somehow everyone in town found out right away and people were pointing … and laughing … and telling me they knew it would never last because I wasn’t really Cinderella.”

  “Cinderella?” Jack made a face. “That’s the second time someone has mentioned princesses in the last hour. Why would they say something like that?”

  “I was poor and Ethan was rich,” Harley replied. “He was out of my league. Lisa was always more of his speed. I only went to the same school because I got a scholarship. My parents couldn’t afford to pay for me to attend, and that meant I was always the one looked down on while I was there. I mean … until Ethan started paying attention to me.”

  The dark pit in my stomach turned into a dull ache. “Oh, man. I bet Lisa knew that you were insecure and preyed upon you. She probably purposely went after Ethan to snag him a second time.”

  “I’m sure she did.” Harley was stoic. “But I couldn’t forgive what Ethan did. Drunk or not, trust is the most important thing in a relationship.”

  I spared a glance for Jack and found him watching me with unreadable eyes. “It really is,” I agreed, clearing my throat. “So, what happened after that?”

  Harley shrugged. “We broke up. He got back together with Lisa. They dated for a few years. Rumor has it that last summer they broke up again, but I don’t think that’s true because they got married six months later. If they did break up, it couldn’t have been for long.”

  “No.” I tapped my bottom lip and thought about the brief image I saw in the vision. Despite what she said about running to her husband’s aid, I was certain Lisa ran in the opposite direction and left him that night. I chalked it up to fear and allowed my sympathy to take over, but now that I had time to dwell on the situation, I couldn’t help but wonder if something else really terrible happened. “How is your relationship with Lisa?”

  “Lisa and I don’t have a relationship,” Harley answered. “We never liked one another, and the competition for Ethan only made things worse.”

  “But she’s rich, right?” Jack asked. “I mean … she comes from a wealthy family. I don’t understand why she’d put so much effort into a man who clearly has divided loyalties when she could pretty much have whatever she wants.”

  “You’ll have to ask her about that. Rumor has it that her family has fallen on hard times,” Harley said. “They had huge financial ties to Covenant College, and when it burned to the ground they got some insurance money but their portfolios took a huge hit. At least that’s what I heard. Ethan’s family is really rich. I’m sure she doesn’t want to give up the lifestyle she’s become accustomed to, so it only made sense for her to marry Ethan.”

  “Right.” Jack absently ran his hand up and down my back, taking me by surprise. He was the one who put the “no touching” rule in place and now he was the first to break it. “This is all starting to come together.”

  “It is?” I was confused. “How?”

  “Strangers didn’t attack Ethan in the woods. Lisa did.”

  The vision popped into the forefront of my brain again. “I’m not sure that’s true.”

  “She might not have done it herself, but she definitely had a hand in it.” Jack was sure of himself. “Maybe she hired someone.”

  “But why?” Harley asked. “What would she get out of that?”

  “Money. She would be a very well-to-do widow.”

  “But what about the werewolves?” I asked.

  Jack rolled his eyes. “There are no werewolves.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because werewolves are made up.”

  Huh. That was a total bummer to consider.

  26

  Twenty-Six

  Jack set about researching the financial woes of Lisa’s family as I spent time going through the college website for more photos. I took screenshots of the photos with my phone and when I was done I’d managed to put together a rather interesting collage.

  “Take a look at this.”

  Jack pulled his eyes from his screen and looked at my art project. “You took time to make a collage?” He was baffled. “How – and why, for that matter – did you do that?”

  “I arranged them chronologically.” I refused to be baited into a fight. “As for the program, it’s an app. All I had to do was drag and drop the photos.”

  “And you did such a neat job of it.” Jack poked my side, causing me to smirk despite my reticence. “There it is. I much prefer it when you smile.”

  I decided to put my foot down. “You can’t flirt with me while you’re taking time to think. That’s not allowed.”

  “Since when is that the rule?”

  “I’m making it a rule.” I held firm despite the charming smile he lobbed my way. “I don’t want to get my hopes up, or get more attached to you than I already am. I
t doesn’t seem fair.”

  Jack’s smile slipped. “No, it doesn’t. You’re absolutely right. I was just feeling a little lighter after our talk. I should’ve taken your feelings into consideration.”

  Oh, I wanted to smack that thoughtful expression right off his face … and then kiss him to make him feel better. I did neither. “Anyway, look at the photos.”

  Jack reticently forced his attention to the screen and slowly scanned each snapshot. “He’s not a happy guy, is he?”

  “No, he’s definitely not. There’s more.” I minimized the collage and pulled up a search window. “This is the engagement announcement that ran in the local newspaper nine months ago.”

  “I’m guessing you found something in the announcement because there’s nothing that stands out about the photograph.”

  “Other than Ethan looking miserable, the photograph is unremarkable. Read the write-up, though.”

  Jack did as I instructed, his shoulders stiffening when he got to the last paragraph. “Holy … .”

  “You saw it, too.” I was a little proud of myself for the discovery. “According to that piece, Ethan and Lisa were supposed to add to their family a few months after the article ran. I never stumbled across mention of a kid anywhere, did you?”

  “No.” Jack rubbed the back of his neck as he processed. “Harley said that she heard rumors that Lisa and Ethan broke up a year ago. Then a couple months later they announced their engagement. How much do you want to bet Lisa lured Ethan back by claiming she was pregnant?”

  “That sounds right out of a soap opera,” I pointed out. “In this day and age, who can get away with faking a pregnancy? All Ethan would have to do is transport her to a doctor’s office and demand a test.”

  “Except Ethan seems the trusting sort. Harley said he was shaken up when he cheated on her.”

  “He should’ve been shaken up. Cheating isn’t nice … or acceptable.”

  “Duly noted.” Jack’s smile was sly, but he avoided commenting on the elephant – er, werewolf – in the room. “What if he was so shaken up because he was drugged and only thought he’d cheated on Harley?”