The Mating (28 page)

Elise frowned. Marty and Marlene sounded like they deserved each other and she didn’t really want to know any more details about their relationship, but Marty wasn’t done. “Marlene thinks I don’t know that she’s seeing other guys, but I found some man’s clothes in the trunk of that car one time. I figure if she’s going to pull one over on me, I can do it back.”

They’d almost reached the car by that time, when Marty suddenly exclaimed. “Damn! I’ve got the wrong keys. Just wait by the car and I’ll be right back.”

Anxious to be on her way and away from Marty, Elise stood impatiently tapping her foot and checking her watch. She looked around without really noticing anything in particular until her gaze landed on a large truck and two men, who were busily loading a collection of steel drums onto the back of the vehicle. A sign on the side indicated it was a waste disposal company that recycled used motor oil. There were probably almost a dozen containers sitting there awaiting pickup. The men worked from the front of the clustered containers towards the back, their muscles flexing as they heaved each metal drum up onto the truck.

For some reason, Elise studied how the barrels had been arranged, and realised that there were three empty spots near the rear. Circular marks in the soil, and the compressed weeds, showed where the barrels had sat, while scraped lines on the ground showed how they’d been dragged away. That’s unusual, she thought. Why would they load those barrels first or…could someone have taken those other barrels? But who would want used motor oil? And—she looked up to see Marty approaching with the keys—why did she even care?

She took the keys and started the vehicle, anxious to get to work. Mr. Mancini hadn’t been too pleased with her when she’d been talking to Bryan yesterday, and she didn’t want to give him any cause for complaint today.

As she backed the car out of its parking spot, she frowned. Hadn’t the car been facing forward yesterday? She remembered that she’d seen the front fender, not the rear taillights. Not really sure why it should matter, she quickly rolled down the window, calling over to Marty who was now watching the oil drums being loaded. “Hey, Marty! Did anyone take this car for a test drive yesterday?”

“Nope. It hasn’t moved this week. Why? Is there a problem?” He leaned on the window and surveyed the interior.

“No, I was just…er…wondering how long it’s been since it was driven.”

“Well, like I said, about a week, but it should still be running fine.” Marty stood up and tapped the hood of the car. “You have a good day and I’ll have your car ready for you by two o’clock at the latest.”

With a nod, Elise rolled up the window and drove off. Turning to the right, she headed towards the Grey Goose, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. Something was bothering her, but what? Thoughtfully, she sniffed the air that surrounded her. The faint scent of perfume—Marla’s perfume—hung in the air and underlying it was the barely detectable scent of another werewolf.

Had Marla been in this car yesterday with another were? But when and why? And why had Marty lied about it? Or did Marty even know? Could it be Ryne who’d been in the car, using Marla’s perfume to hide his presence? That would explain the clothes that Marty had found in the trunk. Ryne might still have a set of keys for the vehicle, so he could sneak it out, use it, and then return the car with no one being any the wiser.

Stopping for a red light, Elise glanced around the interior looking for any clues that might prove Ryne had been in the vehicle. Nothing jumped out at her, just some dried mud on the floor. Hmm… Marla had muddy shoes this morning, but would Marla have keys to the car? Possibly, or—it hadn’t been locked yesterday—would Marla know how to hotwire a vehicle? It didn’t seem like the sort of skill the fashionable she-wolf would cultivate but…wasn’t Marty’s girlfriend supposedly interested in cars? And her name was Marlene. Marla, Marlene…? It seemed quite a coincidence. But why would Marla be moonlighting as someone else?

Marty said he and Marlene had been together six months ago. Would Marla want to date a mechanic while she was still seeing Ryne? If Ryne was anything like Kane for looks, then Marty would come in a poor second and really didn’t seem Marla’s type. That meant that Marla must have been trying to get something from Marty, but what? And what was Marla doing out at night getting all muddy?

Elise rubbed her temple, trying to figure this out. Someone had moved the car and Marty claimed he wasn’t aware of it. The car smelled like the perfume that Marla used, and there was dirt that could have come from Marla’s shoes. There was another unidentified scent in the car, and Elise made a stab in the dark and decided it could be Ryne’s even though she didn’t know him. After all, she’d met most of the pack so far, his was one of the few remaining unknown scents. Were Marla and Ryne still together? But what about the fight? She’d treated Marla’s injuries; surely the woman wouldn’t fall back in with someone who had abused her?

As the light changed to green, Elise decided she’d have to tell Kane about her suspicions. She’d forgotten to mention seeing this car yesterday, but now with possible evidence that Ryne and Marla had used it last night, he had to know. If Ryne was sneaking around town in this car, then they could lie in wait and capture him when he came for the vehicle, next time he felt the need of a ride. And Marla? Well, she’d broach that subject carefully. Kane still had a bit of a blind spot when it came to the woman.

*****

Elise made it to work with a few minutes to spare. It was another busy day, so there wasn’t much down time, but she did notice Mr. Mancini staring speculatively at her a few times. She smiled at him and he nodded in acknowledgment, but there was no return smile. Surely, he wasn’t still upset about Bryan? When she’d been hired there’d been nothing said about not meeting friends on the premises and it had been after her official work hours. Chewing her lip, she decided to let it pass for today. If he still seemed upset with her tomorrow, she’d ask him what the problem was.

With her shift finished at one o’clock and her car not ready until two, Elise decided to wander the mall for a while to fill in time. Halloween was over and Christmas decorations were starting to appear. She shook her head in amazement at how the stores seemed to push the season more and more each year. Still and all, the displays were lovely.

As she paused in front of a clothing store, she recalled the green sweater she’d seen there a few weeks ago. Maybe with her next paycheck she’d treat herself. There was a substantial balance in an account that Kane had set up for her, but she was still reluctant to use it. Perhaps once they’d been together longer, it wouldn’t seem so strange to accept money from him.

Entering the store, she scanned the racks, but couldn’t find the sweater anywhere. Humph! Wasn’t that always the way? When you finally had money, the item you wanted was gone. A sales lady approached, asking if Elise wanted any help and she inquired about the green top, just in case there was one in the back. After a few moments, the woman appeared and regretfully explained that there was one in the back, but it was on hold. Making a mental note to return in a few days, in case the sweater made its way back onto the shelves, she turned and began to wander down the mall again.

Two familiar faces could be seen a short distance away and Elise grinned in anticipation. Zoe and Phoebe were headed towards her. Maybe they could stop somewhere together and have a coffee. Waving, she made her way over to where they were. “Hi! Fancy meeting you here.”

The two women looked at her coldly and didn’t reply.

Elise felt her smile falter. Something was wrong, but what? She tried again, glancing at the bags in their hands. “So, have you bought anything interesting?”

Zoe narrowed her eyes and spoke from between clenched teeth. “I am so mad right now, I could smack you.”

Shocked, Elise stared at her supposed friend for a moment before gathering her wits about her. “Smack me? But why? What did I do?”

“Don’t try and act so innocent. We know all about it. Rose told us.” Phoebe glared and crossed her arms.

“Rose?”

“Yes, Rose. She saw the whole thing and told me this morning. You’re just lucky she hasn’t told Kane yet!” Zoe’s voice was getting louder and they were starting to attract attention.

“What did Rose see? What’s she going to tell Kane?” Elise was starting to feel panicky. She wasn’t sure what the problem was, but it sounded like it would be something that would upset Kane, and after last night, that was the last thing she wanted.

“You know perfectly well what we’re talking about.” Zoe stepped closer to Elise who had to fight the urge to back up.

“How could you? Especially when he obviously worships the ground you walk on! I thought it was so great when Kane brought you here; that you’d be perfect for him. Apparently, I was wrong!” Phoebe looked on the verge of tears. “Come on, Zoe. Let’s get out of here!”

As they stalked off, Elise watched them leave feeling as if she’d just been run over by a steamroller. What had that been all about? Rose had definitely been acting strangely last night and apparently, it was because of something she thought Elise had done, but she hadn’t had any real contact with the girl in over a week! She walked back to the red sports car and slowly climbed in, still puzzling over the strange encounter.

An awful thought suddenly popped into her head. Kane had mentioned Rose was in town yesterday to pick something up at the Gallery. What were the chances that Rose had seen her meeting with Bryan? Frowning, Elise replayed her time with her old friend and groaned. To an onlooker, it might have seemed really bad. They’d hugged several times and hadn’t she called out “I love you” as she drove away? That could easily be misinterpreted as her seeing someone behind Kane’s back!

Oh great! What if Rose had already told Kane? How would he react, given all she’d heard about his parents’ relationship? She could only hope that Kane had been busy all day. As soon as she got home, she’d have to find him and tell him the whole story before Rose put her own spin on things. Then she’d have to go to Rose and find out who else she had told the story to… Hitting the steering wheel with her hand, Elise cursed herself for ever having listened to Marla and her harebrained scheme!

Thoroughly deflated, Elise turned the key in the ignition and drove to Marty’s.

By the time she arrived home, Elise’s stomach was in knots over the prospect of talking to Kane. Even though she hadn’t done anything wrong, it still wasn’t a conversation she was looking forward to. After all, who knew what Rose might have said? It had been an innocent meeting but apparently Rose was willing to believe the worst of her and jump to conclusions, which was rather upsetting given the fact that she had tried her best to be pleasant to the other girl.

Mentally, she played out what she’d say to Kane and how he’d react. How did she start? ‘Did you hear a rumour about me?’ probably wasn’t a good opening line. Neither was, ‘You know that rumour Rose told you about me and another man…?’ No, just a straight out explanation would be best. She would simply explain that she’d had lunch with Bryan but what with one thing and another, it had completely slipped her mind. Not because she was trying to hide anything but simply because it wasn’t that important. Yes, that sounded good and it was the truth. She nodded, satisfied with her plan.

Now all she had to worry about was Kane’s reaction. Surely, it wouldn’t be that bad, her rational side told her. Kane wasn’t one to jump to conclusions; he’d listen calmly and understand. Unless, the other side of her brain told her, Rose had got to him first. After all, he really hadn’t liked Bryan the one time they’d met. He had told Bryan to stay away and, implicit in that command, she was to stay away from Bryan as well. In a round about way, she’d directly disobeyed his orders. That wouldn’t go over well at all.

Elise suddenly realised that she’d been standing on the porch for some time, staring blindly at the door. Swallowing hard, she wiped her sweaty palms on her pant leg and stepped inside.

The house was unusually quiet and she strained to hear a sound that might indicate where everyone was. When nothing reached her ears, she gave a sigh of relief. She’d have to face the firing squad eventually, but any reprieve was welcome.

Peeking into Kane’s office, she saw that it was empty. A late afternoon sun streamed weakly into the room, leaving the corners in shadow. The smell of leather, mixed with the unique scent of Kane, permeated the space and drew Elise inside. Tucking her hands in her back pocket, she looked around wondering where Kane might be.

The desk held the usual piles of paper and the answering machine was blinking, indicating several messages were waiting for Kane’s attention. Briefly she wondered if he’d replaced the tape or not—the quality had really been poor this morning. Impulsively, she wrote a reminder on a sticky note and attached it to the machine. While at the desk, she noticed that the computer hadn’t even been started yet for the day. Had he even made it into the office? Seeing nothing that would provide an answer to her questions, she exited the room, shutting the door behind her.

Next stop was the kitchen. Despite the fact that it was mid-afternoon, there was no sign of Helen or dinner preparations being made. The coffee maker held the dregs of the morning’s coffee and the dishes weren’t done. Something was definitely up; Helen never left her kitchen in disarray. Heading to the message centre on the fridge, Elise scanned the notes and found the answers to everyone’s whereabouts.

Carrie had gone into early labour and John and Helen were at the infirmary with her. Ah! That explained the state of the kitchen. Well, since first births usual took a considerable time, it wasn’t likely she’d be hearing from them anytime soon. Elise thought for a moment and then frowned. The baby was only a few weeks early but still there was always a chance of complications. She crossed her fingers and sent positive thoughts towards the infirmary, hoping both mother and baby would be fine.

The next message was from Kane. He’d been called away to the lake region. A patrol had found something that needed his attention and he wasn’t sure when he’d be back. Relief washed over Elise as she realised she wouldn’t have to tell Kane about Bryan for awhile. This was immediately followed by a large dose of worry. What if someone else told him first? The longer he was gone, the greater the risk and the more likelihood that others in the pack would hear the story. It had only been twenty-four hours since she’d met with Bryan, but rumours spread notoriously fast. Putting a stop to it was paramount.