Hidden Moon (Nightcreature 7)

Her head lifted. "Where?"

I pointed in the direction of the mountains.

"You sure?"

"No. "

Instead of getting annoyed, which was what I expected, Grace merely nodded. "Howls are weird that way. Can't pinpoint their location unless you're a wolf. And two can sound like a dozen. "

"But one just sounds like one, right?"

"Right. "

"One is what I heard. "

"Good. We don't need a pack out there. I'd have to call the DNR. " She made a face. "I'd like to avoid that if possible. "

No one cared much for the hunting and fishing police - aka the Department of Natural Resources - and those who hunted cared for them least of all. Probably because sportsmen, and -women, were throwbacks to a time when hunting and fishing kept a person alive, and pioneer spirits like those became seriously annoyed when someone tried to regulate them.

"Is Cartwright coming back?" Grace asked. "You should probably tell him what's going on, let him know we'll be in the area tomorrow. "

"I already did. "

"And?"

"He said as long as you're gone by dusk, you have his permission. "

"I don't think I need his permission. "

"The contract," I reminded her.

"Extenuating circumstances outweigh a contract. There's a potentially rabid wolf roaming the forest. Cartwright will just have to lump it. "

"You're sure? Maybe I should have Catfish take a look at that contract. "

Catfish Waller was the only lawyer left in Lake Bluff. There wasn't much call for legal advice in a town that existed on tourism. Sure there was the occasional personal injury or real estate disagreement. But the big cases were found in the big city, which was where all of our lawyers had gone - except for Catfish.

Seventy if he was a day, Catfish spent his free time, which meant most of his time, smoking a cigar on the front porch of his combination office and living quarters. He'd never been married, probably because no one could stomach the cigar.

"No need to bother Catfish," Grace said. "I know what I'm talking about. "

Grace headed for the front door, pausing with her hand on the knob to glance at me. "You gonna be okay?"

"Sure. "

Her head tilted, and her blue-black hair swung across her hip. "Seriously. Do you want me to stay? We could make popcorn. Watch movies. "

I smiled. "Thanks. But you need to be sharp tomorrow. Or as sharp as you can be on the small amount of sleep you're going to get, thanks to me. "

Grace shrugged. "I've made do with less. If you're scared, I'm right here. "

And she would be; I knew that, had always known it. Even though she'd been hurt when I left, angry when I came back, if I needed her, she would be there. No matter what.

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"Grace," I began, "I should have kept in touch after I left. "

"Yes, you should have. "