Shifters: A Samantha Reece Mystery Book 1 by Jaime Johnesee (libby ebook reader txt) 📕

"Hey, um, Sam. I just want to thank you for making sure I’m safe. You know, you can send Agent Stork home. I'll be okay." I grinned at the uncomfortable tone to his voice. Let him suffer.

"Oh, I can't do that, Ben, you witnessed a serial murderer leaving the scene of the crime. If he finds out, he'll probably kill you. No, I'm afraid Sheila, er, Agent Stork, will have to stay there until my partner and I can take you into the office in the morning for questioning."

"You can take me in tonight, you know."

"Nope, I'm afraid my partner and I are off duty now. Hey, we will see you in the morning. Have fun with Sheila." I tried, and succeeded in, not laughing out loud. Points for me.

"Aw, Sam, come on."

"Sucks when things you don't ask for are thrust upon you, doesn't it?"

"Touché. See you tomorrow, Reece.” His voice was tight, almost pitiful sounding.

"Goodnight, Ben." I hung up the phone and got out of my car, still unsure how to feel about my maker. As I fumbled with my keys I debated his good and bad qualities.

There was something about him, sure. It was probably more about sire bond than anything of substance. It's just that when I was near him I felt whole. I felt like this loneliness I've lived with my entire life was gone. Like there is a hole in my soul that is only filled when I'm near him.

It sounds stupid and overly romantic when I say it out loud and I flushed red with embarrassment before I finally opened my front door and walked inside. I caught the faint scent of shifter as I walked through the door and turned around. A large grizzly bear was across the street staring at me intently. I tried to pull in its scent, but he, or she, was too far away. All I could catch was the faint tang of shifter.

As I watched—fully prepared to step inside and slam, and lock the door, if need be—the bear turned and sauntered away. I wondered if I had just met a neighbor or if there was something more to the bear's visit. Being on the edge of town I assumed that perhaps it was a shifter that needed to run and they'd somehow wandered into my neighborhood by mistake. Perhaps they were drawn by my scent. To be safe, I shut and locked the front door behind me and checked out my house with my gun drawn.

Nothing was missing and the only smells in the house had been there when I left. I had a difficult time sleeping that night. Not that it’s anything new; I've always had a hard time sleeping. My shrink says it's because nighttime was the worst time for me as a child and I learned early that real monsters wore human faces.

I always thought it was because I loved the beauty and stillness of the night. Then again, I didn't get a degree in psychology or psychiatry, so I'm most likely wrong about it. Every time I fell asleep I saw that bear in my dreams. It was standing around the 7-11 while I got a Slurpee, and it was hanging out at the Publix while I shopped for groceries, and when I got a call about another body, the bear was there in the background with other bystanders. I tossed and turned and dreamt of that damn shifter all night long.

The next morning I woke up so exhausted that I felt as if I hadn't slept at all. I turned off the alarm clock and dragged my butt out of bed and into the shower. I went for slightly cool in order to wake up faster, but all that wound up doing was making me cold and tired.

If I wasn't in the middle of an active investigation I would have called in sick and taken my cold whiny self back to bed. Then I remembered I had to grill Ben today about what he'd seen and suddenly I was wide awake and raring to go. If Ben had seen Grisly it would be our first major break in the case, aside from the priest.

The priest had been helpful, but he hadn't fully seen Grisly Adams. The vague sketch produced by the artist wasn’t detailed enough to help us catch Grisly, but it would help cement his fate in court.

All I wanted to do was stop the guy who had been slaughtering lycans as if he was nothing more than a freaking fancy blender on some infomercial. I got dressed and found myself trying on several different suits in a fog. After yelling at myself to just pick something, I decided to go with a light grey silk suit that brought out the blue in my eyes and made my black hair stand out.

I mentally kicked myself for losing track of time and my surroundings while dressing; it wasn’t like me and I blamed the lack of sleep. I grabbed my gun, slipped it into my holster, then strapped my backup around my right ankle. I was walking out the door with a bagel in hand when my phone rang.

It was Quinn asking to meet at Ben's place.

We decided we'd start by questioning him there and move to the office if we needed to. Once we had everything in place, I hung up, began scarfing my bagel with cream cheese, and slid into my car. Turning the key and firing all eight of her gorgeous cylinders to life always made me grin like a loon. There was something about the rumble of her engine that could make even the worst day a little brighter.

Chapter 8

I PULLED INTO BEN’S LOT and noticed Sheila's car was gone and Quinn's was there. I took a deep breath to steady myself and walked up to the door. I said some nasty things the last time I'd been here. The guilt