Bound to Shadows (Riley Jenson Guardian 8)

"I know that. " There was a sharpness in his voice that suggested annoyance, even if it didn't show in his expression. "And yet you obviously just shadowed. "

"Look, I've been nothing but honest with you. I don't know who and what I am. I don't know what I can and can't do. I'm trying to uncover all that and, the minute I do, I'll let you in on the secret. " I paused, my gaze searching his and once again seeing little. "How come you keep tracking me down? Have you got some sort of weird ability to sense trouble before it starts?"

"Something like that," he said, voice short. "So tell me, just how is breaking into a crime scene going to help you recover your memories?"

I gave him a thin smile. "As I've repeatedly said, Landsbury's murder reminds me of another. If I uncover his killer, maybe I'll shake loose some more clues as to how and why I was involved in investigating that other murder. And that, in turn, just might lead to a revelation about identity. "

He stared at me for a minute, then said, "Did you find anything?"

I hesitated but decided I'd better be honest. If he did have some sort of psychic gift, lying would only get me in deeper trouble. And right now, I needed someone on my side.

An odd thought, given that Evin was supposedly my brother.

"There's a notebook in the bottom drawer that lists some rather chilling details about ten local girls. "

The only reaction Harris had was a slight flaring of the nostrils. Yet I could feel his anger - a rush of heat that briefly seared the air.

"You placed it back exactly as you found it. "

"Of course, but why - " I stopped, studying him. "You're using it as bait. "

"Yes. We don't know whether his partner is in town under an alias, but if he is, then it's possible he'll know about the notebook and attempt to recover it. "

"Good plan, except that I doubt the partner had anything to do with Landsbury's murder. "

"No, but if we can flush him out, we can get him out of harm's way. "

Meaning Harris did think it was a revenge killing. "So you think someone in this town might have realized what Landsbury was up to?"

His expression was noncommittal. "If someone had, they would have gone to Remy. "

I frowned. "Why not you? You're the cop, not the pack leader. "

"I'm here for the benefit of the tourists. State law dictates we have fully trained police officers in charge when a pack town is open to humans. "

"Then you have no control over the wolf population? How does that work?"

"In town, I have the say and the power to control pack members when necessary. Beyond town, it falls to pack rule. "

Which was the basic setup of most packs. "But this murder happened in Dunedan itself, so why would they go to Remy rather than you?"

His smile was slightly bitter. "Because I am not well liked in this town. "

I raised my eyebrows. "But they respect you. I saw that in the pub the other night. "

He snorted softly. "They respect my previous achievements. They respect my fairness. They do not respect me. "

"Because you're not a full-blood West-pack wolf. "

"Yes. Packs tend to be very insular, and outsiders are not welcomed easily. "

"That must have made your mother's life hell. "

"It did. But my father was pack second, so no one said anything openly. My peers, however, showed no such restraint. "

"Then why did you come back here?"

"Because I could no longer stay in Sydney. "