Feral Dust Bunnies (Offbeat Crimes Book 4) Read online

  When Mom came home around ten, they were snuggled together on the sofa watching Gaslight—since it turned out they both liked old thrillers—with Wolf’s head on Jason’s shoulder and Audacity on his chest.

  “Look at you,” Mom said as she stuck her head in. “Dozing off to Ingrid Bergman like an old married couple.”

  “Oh, hey, Dr. Tudosz. No dozing.” Jason urged Wolf up so he could stand just as he covered a huge yawn. “But I should probably get home. Some of us do have to work in the morning.”

  “I’ll be going back to work,” Wolf grumbled. “Probably.”

  “We’ll see what Dr. Moreau says tomorrow.” Mom’s voice came from the kitchen, giving them some privacy to say goodnight. “Thank you, Jason, for keeping Alex company.”

  “No problem at all,” Jason called back and turned to Wolf with a grin. “Not at all. I’ll call you tomorrow. See how you’re doing, all right?”

  Wolf tugged him closer by the belt loops and gave him one more searing kiss. “All right.”

  He had so many things he wanted to say and didn’t know how to say any of them, so he ended up feeling awkward when he let Jason leave without another word. He heaved a slow breath as he watched Jason drive away, already a lonely Jason-shaped ache caused by the empty spot beside him.

  Chapter Eight

  “Hey, Mom!” Wolf called from the front hallway where the mail had just dropped through the letter slot. “What do I do with all these…things?”

  He did sometimes get mail. Insurance stuff. Announcements from the Fraternal Order of Police. A couple of regular catalogs. But he’d never received anything like this. The aggravation of running into something he didn’t understand coupled with the frustration of being denied work for a second day made him snarlier than he wanted to be. He was still growling at the fancy envelopes and all the stuff inside when Mom came up from the basement.

  “Don’t bellow, sweetie. What’s the matter?”

  “These. Here.” He thrust the invitations at her. “What is all this… This?”

  Mom patted his shoulder. “Deep breaths, Alex. Let’s go through one thing at a time. Probably better if we sit at the kitchen table. These old-fashioned invitations can be frustrating for born humans, too.”

  With Mom sorting the thick envelopes, he already felt better as he sat down. Then he felt bad because she’d probably been busy and he was a jerk for not trying to figure things out himself. “Mom—”

  “It’s all right to be anxious about things sometimes. And you know it’s okay to ask for help. But you have to work on putting whatever it is aside and asking for help before you get so frustrated. It’s not healthy.”

  Mom’s voice was unusually distant and chilly, so he knew what she’d been working on downstairs. Now he felt even worse.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She sighed and patted his hand. “You’ve had a lot going on lately. Also, you have a kitten about to climb you.”

  Audacity put her tiny claws into his ankle since he wasn’t wearing socks. Before she could try to climb skin, he picked her up and let her see what they were doing on the table. One of the little tissue paper inserts became fascinating, so Wolf balled it up and let her bat it around.

  “All right. This big piece is the invitation to the wedding. Don’t lose that since it tells you where and when.” Mom handed over the largest paper from the invitation addressed to him.

  Mr. and Mrs. Patrick and Sara Monroe and Mr. and Mrs. Arne and Madhup Soren

  request the pleasure of your company to celebrate the wedding of their sons

  Kyle Monroe and Vikash Soren

  Saturday, September 24th at three o’clock in the afternoon

  Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts

  128 N Broad St

  Philadelphia, PA

  Dinner and dancing to follow

  “They’re getting married in an art museum. You can do that?”

  “You can get married anywhere you like, really, as long as the place is willing to rent out the space.” She handed the next bit over, a much smaller card with a couple of blank lines with the text. “This is your RSVP. What you send back to say you’re coming.”

  “Can’t I just tell them?”

  “Sure. But people forget and it’s easier to have things written down. With a regular party, it doesn’t matter. If you have a catered party, you need to know how many people to expect.”

  “Seems like a lot of trouble,” Wolf grumbled.

  “Hmm. Yes. Though from what you’ve said it sounds like this is what the families wanted more than what the grooms wanted.” Mom handed him a pen and pointed. “You fill out your name and then you put a number in the other spot since you could bring a date if you want.”

  “Oh. Guess I should ask Jason before I make him into a number.”

  “Good call.” Mom smiled finally and a bit of dark lifted from Wolf’s heart. “The other bit is for the engagement party coming up Saturday. It doesn’t have anything to return but you do need to tell them if you’re coming or not.”

  “And do I bring something to that? And ask Jason?” Wolf leaned across trying to see the other envelopes Mom was hoarding. “And what are those?”

  “Might be nice to bring a little present to the engagement party, and of course you ask Jason.” She gathered up the remaining envelopes. “These are my invitations since I’m invited, too. Maybe I’ll take Audacity as my plus one.”

  “You can do that?”

  “Maybe. We’ll see. If your whole squad is going and so are we, I don’t know who we’d get to babysit.”

  Wolf gathered everything in a more-or-less pile to take up to his desk. “Weddings are complicated.”

  “Humans make them complicated.” She put her envelopes in her stack of mail on the counter and kissed the top of his head. “We make a lot of things complicated.”

  He certainly knew it by now. His past relationships had proven it. When he thought about Jason though… Jason wasn’t complicated. At least not yet. Too much. He’d wait until after work to call and ask.

  Oh. I’ll be asking Jason out. On a real date. The realization pleased him and daunted him. He would be doing the asking this time—reciprocating like a real human adult. Sure, they weren’t strangers at a bar, and it wasn’t as if they hadn’t spent time together. Still, Wolf took his social strides forward where he could.

  Though when he did call, he felt a little let down. Jason said he would have to check to see if he had a family dinner the night of the engagement party. Not having a yes or no ruined Wolf’s momentum and he didn’t even ask about the wedding. There was the complication with Jason. He did have a large family he liked to spend time with, even if they chose to ignore parts of who he was. Wolf would have to remember that they had first claim on him, as was only right.

  Pack came first.

  * * * *

  The next morning, Dr. Moreau finally released him back to work. She laughed when he used the word finally. It had only been two days, but for Wolf it had been endless. He was on desk duty, but anything to get back to the squad room was fine with him.

  When he arrived with just Audacity since Krisk had been getting a ride from Shira, he dropped his kitten off with LJ and Hunter and retrieved one of the fold-out maps of the city from the rack near the lieutenant’s office. Obviously curious, Krisk came over to Wolf’s side of the desk as he spread it out.

  “Okay. So the first little mummies we found were close to Old City, right?” Wolf circled the intersection where they had been to respond to the ‘alien’ call. “The second one was all the way up closer to your place, past East Falls.”

  Krisk nodded and circled the spot on the street where Wolf had come across Audacity and the unhappy, frightened dogs.

  “Right. Exactly. Then the third time, when we actually saw the thing.” Wolf circled the spot in the Olde Kensington section of the city. “That’s a wide area. I mean, I guess it’s possible? If these pop in and out like Carr’s attack books did?”
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br />   Krisk stared at the map, brow ridges crested, tail thumping. Just as he raised his head, maybe getting ready to suggest something, Hunter raced in and snagged Wolf’s hand.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Of course, Hunter couldn’t tell him and only tugged harder until he limped along behind her. LJ floated near the back corner of the squad room, wringing his sleeves and when Wolf arrived, he pointed to Audacity. The kitten bounced in that strange straight-legged, uncoordinated angry kitten move she had, back arched, fur fluffed, spit-hissing at nothing.

  “Baby wolf is fucking cray!” Edgar squawked from the nearest desk, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. “Total cray.”

  “Shush, Edgar. She’s not.” Wolf crouched next to him, though Audacity didn’t acknowledge him except to switch from hissing to her version of growling. He thought maybe there had been a rat or a big spider but the only thing in the corner was a good-sized dust bunny. “There’s nothing there, baby girl. Nothing but dust.”

  As soon as he said it, the thought hit him. He gathered Audacity up, letting her hide in the crook of his arm as he squinted at the corner. Nothing but dust. But the shape. The color.

  “Dust bunnies,” he whispered.

  “Now Daddy Wolf is cray!” Edgar croaked.

  “Hush up, Edgar,” Amanda said from behind him. “Wolf, what’ve you got?”

  Wolf stood slowly. In his gut, he knew he was right. He just had to say it the right way. “Audacity’s scared of dust bunnies. And she’s not scared of anything. She’s not just scared but she’s angry scared at them. It wouldn’t make any sense. Except that thing that attacked me and Jason, that gray, shifting thing… It had to be some kind of monster dust bunny that had killed Audacity’s mom. That’s why she’s so mad when she sees them. That’s why it could do the things it did in that house and slide out under the door to get away.”

  “Cray!”

  “Edgar, look.” Carrington slid up next to the neon raven. “I have a shiny new pen I’ve never even used. I think I’ll keep it in my pocket. Where it will be safe.”

  A disgruntled croak came from Edgar. He cocked his head to examine the pen with one shining eye, hopped onto Carrington’s shoulder and promptly stole the tempting pen, which he took to his perch.

  “There. A little quiet and sanity.” Carrington blew out a slow breath. “I hate to say it but as improbable as it sounds, I think Wolf has something. When I entered the house afterward, there was still a strong…well, strong to me at any rate, scent of built-up dust separate from the grease-layered dust in the house itself.”

  Amanda stared at him. “You can smell different kinds of dust?”

  “It’s a gift,” Carrington said with a mock-offended sniff. “My point is that when we put it all together, Wolf’s explanation is the most reasonable. So, do you think we’re dealing with a single feral dust bunny? Please say yes.”

  “Um…” Wolf took Audacity back to the map and pointed out the known sites. “I wish I could. I guess someone could’ve transported it? But I can’t see one monster dust bunny covering all that ground in such a short time.”

  Carrington rubbed at his temples with both hands. “You’ve brought us such lovely options, Wolf. Either we’re dealing with multiple killer dust bunnies or we’re dealing with a single one and a human accomplice who purposefully plants it in locations where we, or perhaps specifically you, are likely to be.”

  “I…oh.” Wolf sat so hard on his chair that Audacity squeaked. “I never thought of that.”

  “Wolf being targeted doesn’t seem likely, though.” Vikash leaned against the desk beside Carrington. “How would anyone have known he was being sent on that first call? Or that he would stop for groceries on his way home for the second incident?”

  “What if someone knew his normal patrol route?” Kyle had joined them at some point. Why was everyone still here? Oh, right. They hadn’t had roll call yet. “And maybe was stalking him, just timed it wrong on that second attack that got Audacity’s mom.”

  Carrington stood, arms crossed, and strode over to address the kitten. “Young lady, I’m going to have to ask you not to leave town. You’re the only witness we have to a full attack.”

  Mew, Audacity shot back and batted at the vampire finger pointed at her. It might have been agreement or back off large predator but at least she wasn’t scared anymore.

  “You can’t be fucking serious, right?” Vance stood up from where he’d been staring at his dark computer screen. “We’re not listing some flea-bitten mangy stray as a witness.”

  “Baby wolf!” Edgar called from his perch, taking time out from his latest masterpiece.

  For two heartbeats, anger simmered under Wolf’s skin. He growled at Vance, who paled but stood his ground. Krisk moved toward him. Jeff moved toward Vance. The air crackled with building violence.

  Wolf held up a hand and forced himself to fill his lungs without a growl. “Yeah. Baby wolf. She’s mine, Vance. My kid. I know it’s not the same as you and your kids. I get that. But I’d protect her with my life, which I know you get. And she doesn’t have fleas. Anymore.”

  Vance’s expression twisted. His face went fire engine red. Then he nodded, ducking his head, muttering, “Okay. But the baby wolf can’t talk or sign a statement.”

  Carrington opened his mouth to say something and Wolf turned on him before he could start. “And you’re not using her as some coalmine canary, Carr.”

  “Goodness, the alliterative when angry effect has hit our Wolf, too,” Carr said as he held up both hands and backed off. “I wouldn’t—”

  “What the hell is going on in here, Loveless?”

  Several officers jumped guiltily, Hunter dashed around to hide behind Krisk and Carrington straightened to his not-really-that-impressive height. Even though she wore heels, Lieutenant Dunfee had emerged from her office without a sound.

  “Something of a breakthrough in the mummification case, ma’am,” Carrington answered for all of them since he was the one she glared at.

  “Hmm.” She strode over, everyone still in silent expectation as she took in the map and her officers. “Looked like the prelude to a riot to me.” She pointed to Wolf’s desk. “Map.”

  Wolf hurried to bring it to her.

  “Up on the board, Officer Wolf.” Then she pointed to Audacity. “You. Is this your information?”

  Mew.

  “I see. You couldn’t have imparted it earlier?”

  Miiw. Mew.

  Lieutenant Dunfee snorted. “Yes. Sometimes it does take more than once. They can be a little dense.”

  Wolf wasn’t certain whether she meant wolves or humans or males in general or just anyone who was not Lieutenant Dunfee but he wasn’t about to ask. Instead, he tacked the map up and returned to the relative safety of his fellow officers, now gathered in a close knot facing the board.

  “How does she speak kitten?” Kyle whispered to him.

  “I don’t know. But it was pretty clear, I thought,” Wolf said with a shrug.

  Their fearless leader put her morning roll call papers down and clicked her fingers at Edgar who brought her a highlighter from his stash. “All right, from the beginning. Take me through what we know.”

  Wolf did most of the talking, since the encounters had been his, with Krisk putting in a text here or there to the lieutenant and Carrington and Amanda coming in toward the end with their observations.

  “So Audacity’s severely out-of-character reaction to dust bunnies—”

  The lieutenant’s sharp nod cut Carrington off. “Yes. I believe we all understand the conclusion drawn. I don’t disagree with it. Our focus now needs to be on location and apprehension of these dust-based entities.”

  “Sorry, ma’am, but how the hell are we supposed to find dust?” Vance griped.

  “Not an easy task, I know.” She pointed with her highlighter to Carrington and Wolf. “But we have two officers who claim to be able to catch their scent. I need you both out on patrol until further
notice.”

  “It’s summer!” Carrington protested.

  “I haven’t been cleared for patrol, ma’am,” Wolf added.

  Dark eyes fixed them with a hard gaze. “I’m clearing you, Wolf. Just don’t engage in any foot chases. And you, Officer Loveless, wear a hat. Zacchini can scrape you off the sidewalk as necessary. Focus on areas north of the Vine Street Expressway. That’s where the pattern says it or they are lurking. I’m willing to regard the suburban attack as an outlier for now, possibly aimed specifically to target or attract Officer Wolf’s attention.”

  “What if we locate one, ma’am?” Amanda asked.

  “The reports from Dr. Moreau are disturbing. The animal husks recovered were entirely necrotic tissue—dead tissue before some knucklehead asks. Entirely dehydrated. The brief contact the entity had with Officer Wolf’s leg produced necrotic tissue of the same type, though only in a small area, luckily for Wolf. For your continued health and welfare, all of you, avoid all physical contact.” Lieutenant Dunfee whistled for Edgar, who swooped down from his perch and retrieved the offered highlighter. “Zacchini, do you still keep a shop vac in your truck?”

  “I got one, ma’am. But just the one.”

  “Let’s get one in every squad car this morning. Might not do a damn bit of good but better than nothing.”

  * * * *

  None of it amounted to anything that week. Both Wolf and Carrington rode patrols with the windows down, noses to the crazytown circus of scents a city in the heat of summer could provide. Nothing. Not a hint of that horrible burned ozone smell that Wolf knew so well. They drove side streets, got out and walked alleys. Nothing.

  The only incidents were Carrington’s more frequent collapses until even Lieutenant Dunfee became concerned and told him he was taking two days leave whether he wanted it or not. Since he’d been lying on the floor in the squad room at the time, his only answer had been a half-hearted salute.

  By Friday, Wolf was completely frustrated. Not only had the trail gone cold but he hadn’t heard from Jason since he’d asked him about the engagement party. Maybe he would ask Mom…