Storm Shift (The Charming Shifter Mysteries Book 1) Read online

  The guy squirmed in his restraints.

  She ignored him, breathing in the beauty of her beloved Alaska. She’d do anything to protect the land, the people, and the shifters. Now all she had to do was figure out who this jackass was and what he was doing poaching on her land.

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  He lifted his head and spat.

  She backhanded his head.

  “Bitch.”

  “You got that right. Now who the hell are you?”

  He lifted his head again.

  “If you spit at me again, I’m going to grind your head to a pulp with my boot.”

  He stilled.

  “Let’s try again. Who the fuck are you?”

  He closed his eyes and pretended to fall asleep.

  She sighed. The men of Alaska would probably get answers out of this guy. At least she’d been the one to take him down.

  Chapter 4

  Burly police chief Bryer Cisco, standing behind the counter, glared at Chia as she strode into the one and only Charming precinct police station.

  His glare made her feel spanked—and not one of those fun, “give it to me, baby” kind of spankings.

  The chief and her grandpa went way back. On many occasions, she’d seen them, bourbon in hand, cigars between their fingers, sitting on grandpa’s wraparound porch. They’d talk politics, argue, or arrange their next fishing trip.

  “What?” she said, coming to a stop in front of the counter. “No to double-parking in front of the station? There are no parking spots, anywhere.”

  He lowered his shaggy head and peered out the window. He looked as massive as an aging Grizzly. His lush hair, sparsely streaked with gray, only hinted at his age. He’d been with the department for forty years, moving up the ranks—which made him at least sixty. Yet, no one in his right mind would tussle with the chief, ever, let alone double-park in the parking lot.

  Her Jeep sat right out front, behind whoever had parked in the “Employee of the Month” spot.

  He crossed his arms over his massive chest. “How long you plan on staying?”

  “Not long, I reckon. I’ve got to get back to work.”

  He acknowledged her with a quick chin lift. “Beasley won’t need to head out any time soon, isn’t that right?”

  His gaze slid toward an officer sitting at his desk in the corner.

  Mike Beasley lifted his eyes from his computer monitor. “Oh, hey, Chia.”

  She nodded, wondering if she should call him Mike, still, or Officer Beasley. I am the town manager now. “Hey, uh…Officer Beasley.”

  “Go ahead and stay put. If you’re gone at quitting time.” He beamed at her. “Call me Mike, you know that.”

  Friends since high school, he’d hit on her at the local bar a time or two. But with his sweet smile and gingery hair, he was only cute in a Cocker spaniel kind of way. She preferred a more rugged kind of guy.

  “Why, thank you, Mike…I mean Officer Beasley.”

  He scowled and turned back to his computer.

  She turned back to the chief.

  His glare remained, effectively pinning her boots to the floor.

  “So, what then?” she said.

  “Can I have a word?”

  She tilted her head and studied him. “Sure thing. I need to question your new prisoner, however.”

  A stony expression crossed his face. “Can’t let you do that, Chia. Follow me.”

  He reached down and pressed a button. It let out a loud, annoying buzz, releasing the cheesy lock on the spring-top counter barrier. Swinging the barrier up, he held it high for her to enter.

  She walked toward the back.

  The chief followed.

  Mike’s eyes tracked her movement the entire way to the chief’s office, making her cheeks burn. Since being elected, she only wanted be regarded as a professional, not eye-candy.

  Chief Cisco reached around her to open the door.

  She stepped across the threshold toward his “neat as a pin” domain. Everything, down to the silvery stapler, sat in an orderly fashion. Even the books on the shelf had been arranged alphabetically.

  He closed the door behind her, then strode to sit at his desk. “Have a seat.”

  He gestured to one of the hard-back wooden chairs near his desk.

  She glanced out the glass pane of Chief Cisco’s office toward Mike…I mean Officer Beasley.

  His face expressionless, he continued to stare at her.

  She turned back to the chief.

  “He likes you, you know.” Chief Cisco stabbed his thumb toward Mike’s desk. “He’s a good man.”

  Officer Mike Beasley’s head whipped back toward his work.

  “Yeah, your point?” Chia settled in the uncomfortable chair.

  “No point.” He straightened a stack of perfectly positioned folders, then folded his hands and placed them on the desk. “Look, Chia, I’ve known you a long time, since you were a kid.”

  “Yeah, so?” She cocked her head.

  “I’m proud of you for getting elected…real proud.” He fidgeted with a corner of one of the folders.

  “Thank you. And?”

  “Leon and Grace…your grandparents…they’d be pleased as punch.”

  “Uh huh.”

  Get to the point.

  He flattened his palms on the desk. “Look. The man you caught came in here babbling like a lunatic. You didn’t honestly take down that hunter all by your bitty self, did you? You had help from one of your…” He twirled one of his hands in the air. “Shifters? That’s what you call them, right?”

  “Why is it hard to imagine I managed to hog-tie him? You think I’m incapable of such a feat?”

  “No, I…” He swallowed. “Look, let’s just keep this on the down low, okay? If word gets around the station that someone such as yourself…”

  “A woman, you mean?”

  “No, a person of your stature…” He cleared his throat.

  “Short? Diminutive? Spit it out.” Grimacing, she vigorously scratched a non-existent itch on her head.

  He pumped his palms up and down, as if to tamp down her temper. “I have to keep morale up around here. We can’t have the men feeling emasculated by you. Just do your job, okay? Let us do ours.”

  Chia wanted to punch something…or, someone. She pushed to her feet. “Chief, I appreciate the show of support, I really do. You congratulating me in person for bringing in a bad guy warms my heart. Thank you so much.” She batted her eyelashes at him.

  His face reddened. “Look, Chia, I’m sorry but…”

  “But what? Because I’m a short woman I’m not allowed to do things a guy can do? Because it will make the men who work for you feel less than? Get a therapist over here, pronto, to help them out with their self-esteem.”

  “Chia, I…”

  “Are we done here? I need to see the perp and head back to the office.”

  Chief Cisco stood. “We’re done. Uh…thank you for bringing in the man for questioning. We can’t have hunters take pot-shots at the innocent.”

  “You’re welcome.” A generous smile crossed Chia’s face. “All I did was hog-tie him, chief. Your boys had to do the hard work of getting him down to the station and booking him.”

  She winked at him as she stood.

  The chief sighed. “We’re in for some change around here with you holding the reins, aren’t we? You’ve got your grandpa’s blood, that’s for sure.”

  “I consider that a high compliment. I loved him.”

  Chief Cisco stepped around the desk and put his huge hand on her shoulder.

  “We’re investigating their deaths, too, don’t you worry.” His voice came out scratchy and rough. “They were good folks. The best. I didn’t always agree or even understand some of their crazy notions…” He shook his head. “Never seen a human turn into something not human and I sure don’t want to start.” He smiled. Then, his expression grew serious. He cleared his throat. “So, uh…” He tugged at his c
ollar. “You’re not planning any big changes around here, are you? You’re going to focus on legislation and the like, right? Normal town stuff.”

  She squinted one eye, cocked her head, and peered at him. “What, exactly, are you referring to?” She folded her arms.

  The chief scooped a few paper clips from the desk into his hand and gently shook them. “You know…those, um…shifter things. Part animal, part human aberrations.” His hand squeezed the paper clips.

  “They’re not aberrations.”

  He poured the clips into a plastic holder. Then, he held up his hand, palm out. “My apologies. I don’t know what to call them.”

  “They’re not aberrations,” she repeated. “They’re people with different abilities.” She leaned her hips against the desk.

  He swallowed. Rubbed his chin. “Understood. I only meant that…” He said, in a low whisper, “People round here…most don’t know they exist. I think they’d freak if they knew they lived next door to a wolverine at night, the grocer by day. You catch my drift?”

  “Oh, I caught it, all right.” She stabbed the air between them with her forefinger. “I think I owe it to my grandparents to make this town a little more tolerant, don’t you?”

  The chief looked toward the ceiling, then, back to her. “Go easy on us, okay?”

  “Civil rights, baby,” Chia said, standing tall. “They’re not merely for African Americans or gays. They’re for all beings. I couldn’t rest if I didn’t follow through on some of my grandpa’s visions for the future.”

  Chief Cisco pursed his lips and blew a lungful of breath. “Anyway,” he said, dismissing the topic. “You can rest assured we’ll determine if it was merely an accident, or…”

  He shrugged.

  She let out a sigh. “I do appreciate that. The whole thing seems so…odd…sudden…” Fresh tears pricked her eyes. She swiped them away with the back of her hand. “Let’s see to this hunter, shall we?”

  They stepped from his office, heading out to the main floor.

  Mike’s eyes stayed glued to his monitor, as if she’d somehow offended him.

  Whatever.

  Officer Danny Darco opened the door from the back, striding out to the main floor to join them. He held a notebook at his side.

  “Chia! Good to see you.” He moved the notebook to his left hand and reached out to shake her hand. “Congrats on the new position. Make us proud, will you?”

  “Thanks, Danny. That’s the plan.” She took his hand. “Can I talk to the perp?”

  Danny shook his head. “He’s getting his eye looked at by the medic. Plus, I don’t think he wants to see you anytime soon. He thinks you’re a witch or something. Luck must have been on your side today, right?” He chuckled. “You probably stunned him with that rock so he went down easy.”

  She scoffed. “Right. That’s it. He fell like a lamb.”

  She couldn’t stop the eye roll.

  Danny stood grinning at her. “You might want to hear what we learned already and get on your way.” His gaze drifted toward Mike. “Hey, Beasley, you want to hear?”

  Mike lifted a hand but didn’t look up. “Busy.”

  “What’s the matter with you?” Danny asked.

  “Nothing,” Mike muttered. “I said I’m busy.”

  Chia tugged on the hem of her shirt. She didn’t want to make enemies in her new role as town manager, but she also didn’t want to lead men on…nope, I want something different than a Charming guy.

  Danny strode toward an empty desk and placed the notepad on its surface. Flipping open the cover, he fished free a sheet of creased paper. From the looks of all the crease marks, it had been folded into a tiny square.

  “What’s that?’

  “It’s a list of names, some of them residents. We found it in his pocket. Turns out he’s some sort of bounty hunter.”

  “No shit? Grandpa used to tell me about them. They’re not supposed to hunt in these parts. Matter of fact, no one’s supposed to hunt in or near Charming.”

  Chief Cisco and Danny side-eyed one another.

  “That’s a loose agreement,” the chief said to her. “You know that. You can’t stop a man from hunting.”

  “Yeah, you can.” Chia’s hands flew to her hips. “That’s one of the first laws I’m going to put into place.”

  Again, Chief Cisco and Danny side-eyed the other.

  “Uh huh.” Chief Cisco folded his arms across his chest.

  Danny did the same.

  “What? Are you guys going to arrest him?” Chia stared at each man.

  “He swears he didn’t shoot Megan. Said he found her that way.”

  “Right,” Chia said. “I find him chasing Megan, she’s hysterical…that’s not enough to book him?”

  “Nope,” Danny said, shaking his head. “We can hold him for seventy-two hours but that’s it. We don’t have bullet casings, or any other kind of evidence. For all we know, he could have been passing through.”

  Chia’s threw up her hands.

  The Chief and Danny stepped back.

  “Passing through? Ask Megan. Talk to her. She’ll tell you.” When the chief’s attention started to shift toward Danny, she blurted, “If you two exchange secretive looks at one another again I’ll punch one or the other of you—probably both. Book him, for Christ’s sake.”

  Danny licked his lips. “I’m, uh…I’m afraid we can’t question Megan.”

  “Why the hell not? She was plenty lucid when I left her.”

  “Megan’s dead. The bullet hit here.” He pointed to a spot on his torso. “Walking must have made it travel, piercing the lung. She stopped breathing by the time she arrived at the hospital.”

  Certain her legs were going to give way, Chia reached for the corner of the desk to steady herself. “She’s dead?”

  “Afraid so,” Chief Cisco said. “We got the call right before you arrived.”

  “She can’t be dead. She looked so alive.”

  Chief Cisco tugged at his earlobe. “I’m sorry, Chia. It’s true. There’s nothing you could have done.”

  Chia let out an exasperated gasp. “You mean I should have left her to freeze to death by the side of the river.”

  “Not saying that.” The chief studied her. “You did the right thing. You couldn’t have known.”

  She released the desk and paced in a circle, trying to come up with a plan. Finally, she stopped. “You need reasonable doubt to put this guy away for murder, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Well, hold him for seventy-two. I’m going to find your reasonable doubt.”

  Without another word, she pivoted and headed out the door to power up her double-parked vehicle and find answers.

  Chapter 5

  Chia’s bones shook with rage and grief as she made her way back to Charming Administrative offices. Megan, dead? The notion seemed incomprehensible. At least I gave her a moment of happiness, hot chocolate warmth, and female support before she departed this world. Town slut, indeed.

  Before turning onto the main road that led through town, she passed the bland building housing the Blue Horizons Mortuary and Bone-yard. On impulse, she braked, backed up, and veered into the parking lot. She clambered out of her Jeep and made her way inside.

  Walt stood fussing with a gorgeous arrangement of lilies at one of the gilded stands. He turned when her footfalls hammered against the tile floor.

  “Ms. Petit,” he said, making that nasty throat clearing maneuver again.

  Suit clad, as usual, he stood making that same damn pope-like smile. A backdrop of solid mahogany paneling framed his lanky body. “I don’t have any news…”

  She waved her hand at him. “Whatever you have to say right now, zip it. I need only one thing—I want to see my grandparents.”

  His eyes slid toward an inner door and back to her. “They’re not quite ready for viewing.”

  “Well, I’m not quite ready to let them go but there’s nothing I can do about that, can I? Where
are they?”

  He huffed out a sigh. “Follow me.”

  He trekked lightly across the room and opened the inner door.

  Chia strode through the entrance. There, she found steps leading downstairs. “This way?”

  “Yes, please.” He flashed his pope-worthy smile.

  She proceeded and he followed.

  The walls leading downstairs were covered with vintage purple flocked wallpaper.

  Chia ran her hand along the textured paper, needing a sense of something solid before she cast her eyes on her grandparents. At the landing below, she paused.

  Two doors stood before her.

  “Which one?”

  “The one on the right, please,” Walt said.

  She took a deep breath. Her hand trembled as she reached for the doorknob. Pushing it open, she entered. Her nose crinkled, assaulted by smells.

  The room stunk like formaldehyde and other chemicals used to keep the dead lifelike for the living. The tiled floor sloped to a drain in the center of the room. Morgue refrigerators lined the wall, concealing the dead inside climate controlled cubicles.

  Her grandfather’s remains lay on a stainless-steel gurney.

  The mortuary artist froze on her stool, her makeup brush poised in the air.

  “No, no, no, no, no!” Chia marched toward her grandpa, staring at his clownish make-up. She snatched the brush from the artist’s hand and waved it in her face. “Did you know him? Did you know Leon Buissan?”

  The artist tugged at the scarf covering her head. “No, I…I live in Anchorage. I was asked to come down to help out.”

  She sought Walt’s eyes.

  He stood frozen, hand on the doorknob, blinking, as if clueless what to do.

  “Well, head on back to Anchorage.” Chia waved the brush in the direction of North. “You’ve made gramps look like a hack actor from the 1920s. He’d be ashamed to see himself like this.” She pulled the sheet covering his torso over his face. “Where’s grandma?”

  The scarf-haired artist pointed at the sheet-covered body in the corner.