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

have to gain by using my house as a crime scene? Other than the fact that it already was a crime scene. Of course, that suggests they knew it was a scene and they wanted the body found. But why had they put it there? Was it meant to scare me or frame me?

What the hell was I going to do?

Would Gerry, Sal, and old Blue Suit be able to keep me out of this or would I be thrown to the wolves? As I changed, then dressed, I worried about my future. For the first time since I became a shifter I was afraid of what the future held for me. I knew they wouldn’t find any direct evidence, because I hadn’t killed anyone, but boy was I looking bad here.

I talked it all through with Quinn and answered every question he asked. Well, every question but one. He asked if I was alright and I just shrugged it off. I couldn’t lie to him and I most certainly was not okay.

“Why are they targeting my house, Q?”

“I have no clue. Maybe because you saw through their ruse? Maybe they’re pissed that you stopped Grisly and killed two of their informants.”

“So are they trying to frame me or warn me?”

“Was there a note?”

“No.”

“I’d call it a warning.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. I will do everything I can to support you, sis, you know that, right?”

“I do.”

“We will find out who is behind all of this. Know that, too.”

“I do. I just don’t understand why. It makes no sense to kill Eddie Caldon and dump him on my land. Inside my wall, no less.” Things were looking a little more on the bleak side than I’d prefer, but I felt certain they’d be able to clear me soon.

I wasn’t lying, had alibis for the murders, and I was an honest agent with an exemplary record. Whoever set this up was either not good at planning or was sending me a big nasty warning to leave it alone.

I ever tell you about the time I rescued an injured rattlesnake? Big nasty warnings don’t scare me. I do what I need to, regardless.

“I think it’d be good if you went to stay with Chad a few days.”

“I don’t.”

“Come on, Sam, you’ve pissed off a mighty big enemy in AFWA. You obviously can’t stay here.”

“No. I wouldn’t stay here or with you and Kelly, either. I’ll probably hole up with Alex or get a room somewhere. Maybe I’ll go down to Mobile and beach bum it for a few days.”

“Sam, I think Mobile is a good idea, but I don’t think you’re going to be allowed to leave town.”

“This sucks.”

“Look, we all know Grisly wasn’t your fault, but with this Sheila situation, and with Caldon being found dead here, it makes you look really bad.”

“Really? I thought it made me look like humanitarian of the year.” My snark increases with my anger and I was getting really angry.

Not at Quinn, obviously, but at whoever was causing me so much strife.

“Hold your jokes until you’re away from people,” Quinn whispered.

“Why?”

“Because it makes you look cold and callous. You really don’t want anyone thinking you’ve got something to do with this.”

“You know I don’t, but come on, Q, anyone who knows me knows I’m no cold blooded killer, except bunnies. The rabbits would rat me out.”

“Sam, be serious for a moment, please.”

“Never been more serious in my life, Q. I’ll be okay.”

“And if the AWFA member is higher ranking than Sal?”

“Don’t say that, man. I don’t even want to think it.”

“Start thinking it. You need to be that paranoid. Right now someone really is out to get you.”

“Well, who has the authority to order Sheila and her intern friend here? If they’d have succeeded they would have killed me and they’d have to report that to someone. My guess is that someone is the last stop on the Grisly express.”

“That makes sense. Other than Gerry, who has rank to order Sheila?”

“Caster over in Violent Crime. Though I haven’t seen him all week, I think he’s on vacation.”

“It couldn’t be Gerry. Nah, never.”

“Not in a million years.”

“Sal?”

“I don’t know Sal that well, but I do know Gerry trusts him and I trust Gerry.”

“I just hope this ends soon. Find out who sent them and you’ll find your guy.”

“You sure?”

“I don’t know, but I have to have hope. For now, I just got a text saying to take you back with us for questioning. Call your lawyer, Sam.”

“Yeah, about that … I don’t have a lawyer.”

“I will have Kelly call one for you.”

“Thanks, Quinn.”

“Always.”

He walked me out and I went with him back to the office. This time around they only grilled me for six hours. I was put on paid leave (after a few days) and the rest of the Bureau still thinks that I’m out on it. Really, Sal and MacDonald (aka Blue Suit) had me on the AWFA’s tail. I was tracking down the roots they’d tried to plant in our office.

They’d found a diary at Sheila’s place. Apparently she blamed me for her husband, the bank manager’s death. She felt that my being a shifter had hindered my abilities as an investigator and that if I’d caught the robbers earlier he wouldn’t have died.

I’m still looking into things, still digging up people sent in to spy, but little by little we are cutting off their info and substituting false information. So far it’s been effective. Two AWFA members killed a baboon shifter outside of a bar and we managed to stop AWFA’s attempts to cover it up.

We made the baboon shifter out as a sweet shy man who was bullied and killed by a crazy fringe group. I was finally cleared of any wrong doing in the shenanigans that took place on my property and put my beloved house up for sale.

Alex was still in the hospital; apparently a fragment from the bullet had been lodged in an artery and was pushed into his blood stream. He