Cindy Spencer Pape - [Guardian Investigations 01] Read Online Free PDF Page B

right?”
    “Ri-i-ight…”
    “Well, you can’t possibly believe you’re
the only one, can you? You’ve got to assume there are other people out there
who are just as different as you are, maybe even more so.” He kept his eyes
fixed straight ahead on the road and didn’t once turn to read my expression.
    “Hmm. Guess I hadn’t really thought about
it one way or another.” Though I should have. It did seem awfully egotistical
to assume my family was the only one out there with out-of-the-ordinary gifts.
“You’re saying that Guardian caters primarily to other psychics? Maybe even
implying that your family is another—gifted one?” Was Evan a psychic himself? I
could live with that. I’d never been involved with another one, but depending
on what his powers were, it could be cool. It would sure be nice not to have to
downplay or hide my abilities.
    “Not exactly.” He grimaced. “Or rather, not just psychics. The Carters—the couple whose daughter is missing—they’re
werewolves.”
 
     
     
    Chapter Four

    Werewolves.
    Silence reigned in the Jeep for the next
several minutes as I struggled to come to grips with what Evan had said. I’d
have accused him of making up stories, but every instinct I had—both psychic
and feminine—told me that he was telling the truth, at least, as he believed
it. I wondered if my brother knew one of his partners was crazy.
    But if Evan was crazy, then God help me, I
was buying into the madness. Granddad had told me to listen with my heart, and
my heart was telling me to trust the big burly man beside me. Finally I spoke.
“So if they’re werewolves, can’t they just track the bad guys by scent?”
    Evan nodded slowly. “Normally they could.
But in this case, some kind of chemical was used to mask the trail. Derek
Carter and his wife both got a whiff of it and were nearly poisoned. Both of
them were unconscious for a while and woke with their sinuses burnt out.”
    I thought about that for another minute.
“So that implies that the kidnapper knew they would try to use scent. So our
unsub probably knows what kind of people he’s dealing with.”
    “Yep.” His knuckles had gone white on the
steering wheel in sharp contrast to his sun-bronzed skin.
    “And the daughter—presumably she’s a
werewolf, too? Or doesn’t it work that way?”
    “It is a hereditary thing, but she can’t
turn into a wolf yet. According Derek and Leah, the changing doesn’t start
until puberty. Since Ericka is only eleven, she doesn’t have the fur or fangs
yet.”
    “Any ideas on who snatched her? Or why? I
don’t suppose there’s a chance of a simple ransom and retrieval, is there?” I
knew better, of course. Like I said, nothing in my life ever works out that
easily.
    “Doubtful.” Evan shook his head. “Derek
thinks it’s a cult thing. A while ago, they were approached by a
quasi-religious group who tried to recruit them. They call themselves Sons of
the Wolf. They’ve borrowed a bit from Native American traditions, added some
Druid mythology and mixed in a handful of bat-shit insane.” He swallowed hard.
“Tonight’s the full moon, so they’re probably planning some kind of ceremony.
Derek’s big fear is that they plan to use Ericka as a sacrifice.”
    “Fuck!”
    “Yeah.” His hands flexed on the wheel.
“Still up for this?”
    “Oh, hell yes.” Now more than ever. No way would
I allow some psychotic bastard to get away with this. Not while there was
breath in my body. “So tell me every damn thing you know about the Carters.”

    * * * *

    By the time we turned onto the
well-maintained two-lane private road, Evan had given me as much background as
he could about the Carters, the cult and werewolves in general. What he knew
wasn’t much. Derek Carter had inherited a small fortune but, through smart
investments, had turned it into a large one. Apparently he was part owner of
several major
Silicon Valley
firms. Leah
Morrison Carter was also a hereditary werewolf, but from a more middle-class
background in
Montana
or somewhere, where