The Shifter's Conspiracy (Paranormal BBW Werewolf Romance Novella) Read Online Free PDF Page A

opposite side of the table. His name was Eric something. Elias couldn’t remember his last name because he’d passed on the kid the second he got a whiff of his bad attitude.
    Once Elias had found out Eric had been assigned to the case for three weeks and had turned up nothing, he knew there wouldn’t be a spot open for him on the team. Eric had seemed so self-entitled, so fatuous. He’d accomplished nothing, yet expected everything to just be handed to him. But that wasn’t an option, not when Elias was involved, and certainly not in a case of this magnitude.
    His eyes made their way down the list, down to the last interviewee of the day: Tess Wilshere. Elias had never heard of her, but he sure hoped she would be a solid prospect; he really didn’t want to have to bring in any external personnel on this assignment. Bringing in outside people would alienate the department and strain his relationship with Commissioner Davis. These were important considerations.
    There was a knock on the door. He calmly put the paper back down on the table in front of him. It must be her , he thought.

CHAPTER 5
———

—Tess—
    As the elevator reached the eighteenth floor, I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. I looked behind me into the mirrored glass to make sure nothing about my clothes was awry. I forced a smile on my face, trying to look friendly and enthusiastic. Or maybe I shouldn’t look friendly. Should I look tough? Ruthless? I had no idea what exactly the FBI agents would be looking for, but I guess was about find out.
    The door to the elevator opened and I walked down the hall to the conference room where I knew they would be set up. Taking deep breaths, I told myself to be confident and self-assured, to stand behind my research conviction. Hell, in all likelihood I’d done more work than most people in the department and I knew that I was smarter. Maybe this was my chance to make a really big splash. I tried not to get too worked up, but I could feel my adrenaline kicking in. That was a good thing; maybe it would overpower my severe sense of nervousness.
    Rapping my knuckles conservatively on the door, I was greeted by a gruff voice that told me to come in. After one last deep breath, I turned the door knob and walked inside to find the tall, dark-haired Agent Chamberlain standing on the other side of the room ready to greet me. I walked over to the table where he was standing and introduced myself.
    “Detective Wilshere. Tess Wilshere.”
    “Hello, Tess. I’m Agent Chamberlain. Have a seat,” he said, motioning to a chair at the table directly across from him.
    “It’s nice to meet you,” I said, trying to maintain a congenial demeanor. I placed the files on the table in front of me.
    “Yes, yes, the pleasure is all mine. If we’re done with formalities, we should get started. What’s in those folders?”
    I looked down at the folders in front of me, almost as if confused by the question. It was then that I realized that the other agents wouldn’t be joining us for the interview process.
    “Um… that’s some research related to the abductions case. I thought Dr. Geiss and Agent Henderson would be joining us, too,” I said, motioning to the three separate copies.
    “No, they’re already working on the case, checking all the data your department has compiled so far, chasing down all existing leads to see if they have any merit. Besides, I like to interview candidates alone; it gives me a better sense of their character,” he said calmly, his eyes staring into mine in a sort of placid emotionlessness; he was all-business, perfectly controlled in his every gesture.
    “Oh, OK.”
    “Now tell me, what is your official capacity on this case?”
    “Well, um, officially, I guess, I’m not actually on the case.”
    “So what are you doing here?” he said, straight-faced as before.
    I couldn’t tell whether he was serious or just testing me. Was this a stress interview? Was he deliberately