Don't Moose With Her (Bearbank Book 1) by Ariana McGregor Read Free Book Online Page A

Katie froze and Dana made an effort to calm herself. “Sorry, not Leo. He’d bring his partner and I do not want to see him. Can’t we call someone else? Please Katie? I can't deal with him right now.”
    Katie nodded. Her eyes filled with sympathy. “Ok, I’ll call and speak to the boss. He’s a shifter and he can send someone shifter-friendly over to the house. Someone who won't bring a jerk with him.”
    Dana nodded as Katie picked up her phone and dialled.

Chapter 13
     
     
    The morning had been an exercise in frustration. Ethan had tossed and turned all night, unable to forget the look on Dana’s face. Now he was tired and grumpy. His wolf was sulking, a silent presence in his mind, refusing to interact with him. His partner had been coldly civil all morning, saying nothing personal, only talking about case-related matters. Ethan was furious at his wolf, his partner, the universe, and at himself. What was he supposed to do? He wasn’t mate material. Not even close.
    They had spent the morning chasing down people from the bar on the night Becky was abducted. Nobody seemed to know anything. No one had noticed anything unusual. Ethan’s temper grew shorter with each useless witness. The Shifter Stalker had been among them and nobody had even noticed. He knew he was being unfair. It's not like the stalker wore a T-shirt identifying himself as a serial-killing psychopath. Still, he was in a foul mood and unable to snap out of it.
    They had reached the last witness, Hazel Matthews, a pretty fox shifter with red hair. When they asked about Becca’s human admirer from the bar, she nodded.
    “That guy?” Hazel said. “That’s Andy. Andy Woods. He works as an accountant in the next town over. He has a stepsister here, so he visits from time to time.”
    “So he’s not new to the area?” Leo asked.
    Hazel shook her head. “No, his mother married a shifter and they lived here for a while when he was a kid. It didn’t work out but they only moved to the next town. He’s always been back and forth. He’s a nice guy. He wouldn’t hurt Becca. He clearly adored her but he was a little shy and she was oblivious.”
    “I’ve heard that she was paying him more attention on the night she disappeared,” Ethan pointed out.
    “Yeah,” Hazel agreed. “The last few times he was in, Becca spent more time talking to him. They seemed to be getting along really well. I thought maybe she’d finally realized that he liked her.”
    “Do you know where we can find him?” Ethan asked. It didn’t seem likely that he was their killer. Why kill her when it was going well? Also, if he was local, he couldn’t have committed the previous murders. Still, it needed to be checked out. Perhaps he travelled often.
    “I don’t know his address but his step-sister is Mandy Lockhart. She’d be able to tell you,” she answered.
    “I know her,” Leo said in surprise. “I didn’t know she had a step-brother.”
    Hazel shrugged. “It was a long time ago but they always got along well, so they stayed in touch. She’ll know where he lives and works.”
    “Thanks, Hazel.” Leo smiled at her. “You’ve been a big help.”
    “I heard rumours,” she said uncertainly, looking down at her feet. “That the Shifter Stalker is here. Is that what happened to Becca?”
    “We think so,” Leo stated with a sigh. “If you receive any mysterious gifts or letters, you should contact the police immediately. In the meantime, be careful about going out alone and keep an eye out for anything unusual.”
    “I’m always careful,” she stated. “But I’ll be extra cautious now.”
    Thanking her, they walked back to the car, the silence awkward once more, now that they didn’t have their witness as a buffer.
    “Mandy Lockhart will be at work at this time,” Leo said, breaking the silence. “She works as a secretary for a law firm. We can catch her there.”
    Ethan sighed. “Look, Leo...”
    “Unless it's case related, I don’t want