“Now that sounds like fun. I love your Argyle sweater. It makes me think of skiing.”

  “I had to bring out all my sweaters and a heavy coat for this trip.”

  “I bet.” Then she helped him log into the office computer. He had his own office as a special agent. She hadn’t hired a secretary yet because jobs were hit and miss, but the more people knew about her being here and ready to help their kind, the more calls she was getting in. So she would have to hire someone to begin fielding calls soon, she figured.

  “While we’re waiting for the wolves to come out of sedation, do you want to visit the pub?” Rowdy asked.

  “Yeah, let’s go.”

  5

  Justine and Rowdy soon arrived at the pub. A few early arrivals were already drinking. "A couple of bears," Justine said low for Rowdy's ears. "The rest are humans."

  "Do you know them?"

  "No, but I can smell their scents. The two we just passed, the burly guys, are bears." Then Justine sat on a barstool and ordered a soda.

  Rowdy did too.

  White and gold lights decorated the pub, a Christmas tree in one corner was filled with plain red, green, and white bows and wooden and fabric bears. A large hand-carved bear stood poised with teeth bared next to the bar as if it were the bouncer for the establishment. She’d figured it was a bear establishment once she’d seen it.

  When the bartender, who was a bear—black-haired, six-four, and bearded—brought their drinks, he smiled at Justine, but frowned at Rowdy, probably because she was with a human.

  "We're with the United Shifter Force," she said low to the bartender. "We're looking into a fight between a jaguar and a couple of wolves."

  "He's with you?" the bartender asked, motioning with his head in Rowdy’s direction.

  "Yeah. He works with our force." She introduced them and the bartender said he was Bran McConnell, his clear green eyes focused again on Rowdy.

  "It can’t be easy for you when you can't even tell if any of us are shifters," Bran told Rowdy.

  "That's why I'm eager for someone to bite me."

  Bran smiled. "You rile up a drunk bear in here and he's liable to bite you. But you might not live through the ordeal."

  "He wants to be a wolf," Justine explained.

  Bran shook his head. "Bears are where it's at. So why haven't you turned him?"

  "We just met," Rowdy said, not wasting any time to respond.

  Bran smiled again. "Good luck with that." He said it to Rowdy, not to Justine.

  "We're just working partners. You know the trouble wolves can have during the full moon phase," Justine said. "We wanted to know if you had seen wolves or jaguars in the place that could have been having issues with each other last night."

  "Jaguars? No. But we did have a couple of raucous wolves in here who were pissing off bears and humans alike."

  Justine showed him pictures of the men on her phone.

  "Yeah, that’s them. I had to bodily throw them out of here before they riled up too many more of my patrons." Bran snapped his fingers. “You’re the woman who turned in a couple of our teens to our sleuth leader after they were breaking into beehives a couple of months ago. I heard all about it.”

  “We had to rescue them after they fell through the frozen lake today,” Justine said. “Well, actually, Rowdy did.”

  “Knowing those two brothers? I believe it. They’re good kids, if they get the right kind of guidance. I have to admit a lot of us go through the same phase. Some of us never grow out of it. If you need my help with anything, you’ve got it. I’ll even turn you, Rowdy, if you ever decide to be one of us.”

  “Thanks for the information and for the offer,” Rowdy said.

  “No problem. I hope you catch the jaguar who was involved. I wouldn’t think that would be a fair fight.”

  “You’re right. The wolves are lucky he didn’t kill them.” Justine thanked him too and then they left the pub.

  That night, Rowdy really wasn’t sure about going to see Justine’s parents. He could just imagine them being shocked into silence. He hoped that wouldn't be the case, but if he were a parent and he was hopeful his daughter would find a nice wolf to mate and she brought home a human instead, he wouldn't be happy. He really wanted to take his own vehicle in case he had to leave. But he went along with what she wanted, hoping this wasn't a mistake.

  When they arrived at her parents’ home, he realized it wasn’t far from Justine’s place on the lake. He admired the modest, one-story, red-brick home surrounded by snowy woods, Christmas candles in each of the windows, and Christmas lights hanging off the roof and around each of the windows, making it appear festive and welcoming. Even the path from the driveway to the house had little lights lighting the way. It didn't lessen his apprehension about meeting her parents though.

  She knocked on the door and her mother answered it, her dark hair like Justine's, except peppered with silver, and the dad smiling from the open kitchen, a serving spoon in hand. "Just in time," he said.

  Jingle Bells was playing in the background and the scent of cinnamon spice filled the air.

  "My mom, Georgiana, Georgia for short, and my dad, Frank, Francis, but no one calls him by that name," Justine said. "And this is Rowdy Sanderson, my temporary partner."

  "Welcome," Georgia said, her smiling composure not slipping in the least even though she was close enough to Rowdy now as she took his coat and Justine's that he knew she smelled he was human. Her eyes were smiling with intrigue and the same pretty clear green as Justine's. "So how long will you be staying for?"

  "As long as Justine needs me until Martin can hire someone to help her out," Rowdy said, relaxing a little.

  "Good. We worried that she'd bitten off more than she could chew when she had no one to help her with cases. Come in and tell us a little bit about yourself."

  Rowdy liked Georgia. He knew she had to be surprised to learn he was human, but she truly was welcoming, no airs about it. He shook Frank's extended hand. He was dark haired also, but his eyes were more amber than green.

  "I'm glad to be here to help all I can." Rowdy explained where he had come from before he worked in Houston and how he came to work with the wolves and jaguars. And of course, that he wanted to be a wolf like them, though he knew wolf shifters were reluctant to deal with a newly turned wolf.

  He was glad the dad hadn't reacted any differently than the mother, seemingly fine that Rowdy was human. Maybe it really didn't matter to them as long as he watched Justine’s back and helped keep her safe while she was working.

  "You know those Arctic wolves in the area were newly turned, or at least the four private investigators were and so were two of their mates," Georgia said, buttering a roll. "Once we met them, we were delighted to make new friends and they were grateful to meet more of their kind. I couldn't imagine how they survived on their own until they had more of a handle on their shifting. They hadn't chosen to be bitten either. I think you're courageous to want to be one of us."

  Maybe making friends with the white wolves was the reason Justine's parents were fine with it. “I know a couple of the Arctic wolves already.”

  "That’s great. We're so glad you're here," Frank said. "How do you like Minnesota?"

  "I've liked what I've seen so far. I'm really more of a winter-weather person than a hot-weather person, so I really felt at home when I began to see snow."

  "Oh, us, too," Georgia said.

  "And I love outdoor activities, so I hope to go water rafting and paddling when it's viable, though I might not be here that long if Martin hires someone else for the job." Rowdy knew his boss was working hard to find someone for Justine's branch to partner up with her.

  "So what is the deal with this new case you're working on?" Frank asked.

  Rowdy figured they'd bring it up. Everyday no problem cases were one thing, but a jaguar shifter who could have easily killed the two wolves? That was an entirely different matter.

  "My dad is a retired insurance fraud investigator, and he is always interested in solving criminal cases," Justine said as they took their seats at an oak table and began passing around dinner rolls, a large serving bowl of mashed potatoes, another of carrots, gravy, and a platter of prime rib roast.

  Already Rowdy's stomach was grumbling, and everyone smiled at him, courtesy of their wolf hearing.

  "Eat up before the food gets cold," Georgia said.

  Justine told her parents what they'd found so far, but they didn't have much to go on.

  "Remember we have the Christmas wrapping activity tomorrow morning for the charity event for kids, right, Justine?" Georgia asked.

  "Oh, Mom, I'd forgotten about it, what with this new case and all."

  "Well, we want Rowdy to come too," Georgia said.

  "But we have this deadly business to take care of," Justine said.

  "I can keep working on it while you're wrapping presents," Rowdy offered. "That's part of the great thing about me being here. If you have something else to do, I can continue to look for clues."

  She gave him a dark look and he suspected she was glad to have something that would keep her from having to wrap presents.

  "Nonsense," Georgia said. "Unless you have a lead to track down and the bad guys might get away during that time, both of you should come and help. In fact, if you do, it will take half the time to do it. Two hours max, maybe an hour, depending on how fast the two of you wrap." Georgia smiled.

  "It's our annual gig," Frank said. "Once I retired, there was no getting out of it."

  Justine laughed then. "You always took off to help us. It was a family affair to spread some Christmas cheer."

  "Yeah, sure, I'll help." Rowdy didn't want to sound like a Scrooge at Christmastime.

  "Excellent!" Georgia said. "And we have a Christmas party to attend on Sunday night at the lake where the Arctic wolves have their homes. Wolf run, great food, Christmas games, if Justine didn't tell you about it yet."

  Justine frowned at her mother for mentioning the wolf run because obviously Rowdy wasn’t a wolf.

  "Uh, she didn't, but then I just drove in from Houston today." Rowdy smiled. “I know Owen Nottingham and his mate, Candice.” He explained the avalanche story again and how he knew the white dogs reported to have rescued the sledders were really Arctic wolves, which wouldn’t have lived in the area that the accident occurred.

  "Oh, wow, that’s great. You must be tired from that long drive."

  "He has to be," Justine said, not allowing him to deny it. "That's a twenty-two-hour drive and he arrived before noon. Then he had to rescue the boys from the lake." She explained all about that adventure.

  Though Rowdy had only had to rescue Kenny. Both her parents seemed impressed, and he felt good about earning the wolf shifters’ respect.

  "Those boys sure do get themselves into trouble,” Georgia said.

  Frank carved up some more of his prime rib. “I can’t believe we were out doing some last-minute Christmas shopping when that happened, or we would have been there to help.”

  “I thought you were done—” Justine abruptly stopped and smiled. “Okay, yeah, I need to do a bit more too.”

  “Where are you staying while you’re here, Rowdy?" Georgia asked.

  "In a cabin owned by wolves on Birch Lake. I'm going to love it there."

  "Oh, my, yes. You'll enjoy it," Georgia agreed.

  They finally finished eating dinner and then said their good nights. On the way back to the office so Rowdy could pick up his car and head back to his cabin, Justine said, "Sorry you got rooked into helping us to wrap Christmas presents. I had hoped that with this case pending, my mom would realize we might be busy. But when I took this job here, Mom had her heart set on doing this as a family again."

  Which reminded Rowdy of how close wolf pack families could be. “I don’t mind at all.”

  "Good. Oh, and I didn't know what to expect concerning their reaction to you being human, but I told you they would be nice about it."

  "Yeah, I guess it helped that your parents like the newly turned white wolves in the area." And that gave him an idea. What if he could convince one of them to turn him?

  "It did." Justine sighed. "I swear my mother was even considering biting you when you told them your story."

  He chuckled. "I wouldn't be averse to it."

  "That's what I would be afraid of."

  When they finally arrived at the office, Justine said good night to him.

  Then he headed home and thought the day was a success. He was becoming part of the wolf shifter community here and earning a good reputation among the bears too. He liked working for Justine. And he liked her parents. In fact, he suspected Georgia was ready to turn him so that he could be an eligible bachelor wolf for Justine, in case she didn't want to turn him herself. But still, he thought the best chance he might have of being turned was to see Owen and Candice again. Of course, if one of them bit him, he would be a white wolf then, not a gray. He thought he could blend in better with the local wolf population as a gray wolf.

  He parked at his cabin and saw two brown bears, one a little darker than the other, both of them not fully grown, and they saw him and hightailed it into the woods. One looked suspiciously like Andrew.

  They had to be shifters. Regular bears would be hibernating this time of year in Minnesota. He headed inside his cabin and thought he had made the best decision he could have in volunteering to work with Justine, though he hadn't expected the agent to be a woman, a beautiful woman, who appeared to be just as detail oriented as him on a mission. If he'd had a wolf’s night vision, he would have gone back to the scene of the crime and looked for more evidence, but that would have to wait until first light tomorrow.

  At her home that night, Justine took a shower and thought about Rowdy and the impression he'd made on her parents. The good impression he'd made. If he hadn't, they wouldn't have mentioned her wrapping presents and invited him to come along, or to come to a wolf party that would be shifter attendees only. She was glad he knew a couple of the Arctic wolves though. That should help him feel more at ease among them. She was proud of her parents for being so open minded also.

  She would tell Cameron and Faith MacPherson, the wolves who were in charge of the white wolf pack, that she was bringing Rowdy to the party. She wanted him to enjoy himself like she planned to. And maybe she could meet that hotshot bachelor wolf pilot too. She hoped Rowdy would mingle and get to know everyone so she wouldn't have to feel she needed to be with him every minute of the night.

  She dried off and then threw on a long, Christmas gnome T-shirt and called Faith. "Hi, this is Justine and I wanted to let you know that I'm bringing the agent that the Houston branch loaned to me to the party. He's human. Rowdy Sanderson. Owen and Candice know him."

  “Ohmigod, yes! He’s here? We can’t wait to meet him.”

  6

  Justine couldn't believe it when Rowdy joined her in the woods at dawn to look for anything important at the crime scene. She had only arrived about ten minutes before that. She had assumed he wouldn't get into the office until eight, when they normally worked, unless they had a lead.

  "I didn't expect you to come out here," she said, finding a blood trail she hadn't seen yesterday.

  "I watched the sunrise on the lake, then headed right over. I suspected you would be here."

  She smiled at him, appreciating the compliment. "I missed this blood trail yesterday."

  "I did too. In fact, if you hadn't pointed it out, I probably would have missed it today too. Can you smell what it was that left the blood?"

  "A jaguar. So he must have been injured in the fight. I'm not surprised since there were two wolves and they can hold their own for a while, but the jaguars' bites are killing machines. They can bite through a tortoise shell they're so strong. When you worked with the jaguars and wolves, you must have actually witnessed fights like that, right?"

  "I did. The jaguars took on the rogue jaguars. The wolves were acting as bait."

  "I imagine you felt left out."

  "I wish I could have helped more, that's for certain. Like the situation with this blood. I might have smelled it before you had pointed it out to me if I were a shifter."

  They continued to search the area, and this time Rowdy found some jaguar fur on a thorny bush. He bagged it. "If we don't get any DNA evidence off the bites on the wolves, maybe this will give us some DNA."

  "If he’s in the system."

  "Right. You know I keep thinking the jaguar was the aggressor, but it's entirely possible that the wolves were the stalkers and attacked him."

  "True, though they would have to be crazy to do so." Justine got a call from the doctor then. "What did you learn?" She put it on speakerphone so Rowdy could listen in.

  "The blood alcohol toxicology report came back—.13 percent. Loss of judgement can occur, slurring of words, obvious physical impairment."

  "Okay, so they were inebriated, probably after going to the pub and being so antagonistic there that they had to be tossed out and could have started a fight with a jaguar they couldn't finish. Especially if the jaguar was drunk too."

  "There was nothing we could find in any databases that showed the jaguars were in the system."

  "So you had enough DNA evidence from the saliva," Rowdy said.

  "Some."

  "We've got some jaguar fur. Maybe it has some roots that will give us an indication of who he was. And I've collected a few blood drops, so the jaguar was injured," she said.

  "Okay, drop those by when you have time. Also, I called to tell you the wolves are awake, but I couldn’t get anything out of them," the doctor said.

  "We’ll be right over," Justine said.

  When she and Rowdy couldn't find anything else in the woods, they dropped off the new evidence with the doctor and then he led them to the room where the men were staying.

  The doctor folded his arms across his chest. “They intended to leave, but we need to learn what happened, so I had to have them restrained. The fair-haired man is Roger Cummings and the other is Fenwick Livingston.”