Under Devil's Snare (Under Series Book 2) Read online

  Jamison sensed Macke’s anger flare. The sheriff wasn’t a huge fan of the Panthera and barely put up with them. Macke wouldn’t even have known about the shape changers if her previous partner hadn’t been one. It was only on Nicky’s deathbed that she had told Macke the truth.

  “Are you being a smartass, because if you are...”

  “No, I’m being sincere. I know we don’t always see eye to eye, Sheriff, but I brought you in on this for two reasons. One, as local law enforcement you deserve to know when federal officers are investigating a crime in your jurisdiction.”

  “And the second reason?”

  “The second reason is that you’re damn good at your job.”

  Macke’s ire faded and she let out a tense breath. “Fair enough, until this is over you’re my new best friend. Everything I find out I’ll share with you, but I expect the same in return.”

  “Deal.”

  “Good, now let’s get the hell out of here and let these people do their jobs. You look like you haven’t slept in a week and I don’t want to have to fill out the paperwork when you keel over.”

  Jamison accepted the attempt at humor with a wan smile and followed Macke out of the clearing. They parted ways as Jamison climbed into the Park Service’s Range Rover. She headed for her office at Paul Smith’s Visitor’s Center, her thoughts far away. On days like this, Jamison wished she was still a pieta, the Panthera version of a private eye. As a pieta, she’d be free to investigate these crimes exclusively. Since becoming an elder and accepting the promotion to captain for this region of the Adirondack Park, she sometimes felt she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. She wanted nothing more than to shirk the balance of her responsibilities and concentrate on catching whoever was victimizing these women, but the Panthera Council would never accept that.

  Gravel crunched under the Range Rover’s tires as she pulled into the Paul Smith’s Visitor’s Center parking lot. Jamison shut off the engine, but sat for a few minutes. The sunset over the mountains was a masterpiece of orange, red and purple hues. Through the backdrop of pine, sycamore, ash and maple trees, Jamison thought this the most beautiful area in the world. That someone would come here to stalk and kill innocent women filled her with a quiet rage that threatened to bring her beast out of confinement. She wanted to change into her jaguar form and stalk the killer as he had stalked his victims, to feel her claws rend the flesh from his bones. Jamison realized that desire came from her animal side, from the part of her that cried out for the justice of the natural world. Unfortunately, that time in history of taking life to avenge another had come and gone.

  This killer had a human face and Jamison couldn’t allow her cat to seek retribution. She would investigate using her higher reasoning. She would find out who had committed these crimes and she would bring them to justice. Human justice. If her abilities gave her an advantage along the way, Jamison was fine with that. She took the keys from the ignition and climbed out of the vehicle, locking the door before she slammed it shut.

  A light still burned inside the office. Jamison’s secretary, Jeanie Kraus, looked up from the document she was reading when the door opened. Jamison met her eyes through the black-framed glasses and noted the compassion in her gaze. Jeanie seemed to have aged in the last few weeks, and Jamison could have sworn there were a few more strands of gray in the beehive hairdo. Sorrow deepened the lines beside her mouth making Jeanie appear older than the fifty-six Jamison knew her to be.

  “Was it...?” Jeanie’s voice trailed off. She hesitated and then tried again. “Are you all right?”

  Jamison nodded once. The gesture felt stiff, forced. “Have the others checked in?”

  “Yes. Ranger Thomas said they’ve arrived at the original campsite and the detectives are setting up lighting equipment so they can check the area. I think she’s in for a long night. Ranger Latimer said the forensics team is mopping up. He doesn’t think they’ll be much longer.”

  Unsurprised by the update, Jamison only grunted. She rubbed her eyes and couldn’t help thinking what a nightmare all of this was. Jamison considered telling Jeanie to go home, changing into her jaguar form and heading into the woods in search of two-legged prey. However, the killer seemed to be on a two-week cycle and unless he escalated, scouring the woods would prove a waste of time.

  “Why don’t you go on home, Captain Kessler? You look beat.”

  “I’d rather be here, Jeanie. I just don’t feel right going home to rest while this murderer is still out there.”

  “I know,” Jeanie allowed. “But you’re not going to do any good by exhausting yourself and I’m sure Lee will want to know that you’re okay.”

  The mention of her partner brought the first real smile to Jamison’s lips. Even now Jamison could picture Lee’s flashing blue eyes. “Okay, you win. Why don’t you head out, too? It’s getting late.”

  “I’m right behind you.”

  “No, now.” Jamison wasn’t about to take a chance with Jeanie’s safety, regardless of the killer’s time cycle. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

  Chapter Two

  “I KNOW YOU’RE worried about her. I am too, but what can we do? It’s not like there isn’t reason for her to be upset.”

  Lee Grayson grumbled her response into the phone. She’d called Jamison’s twin sister hoping to commiserate over the latest series of events. Instead she had to listen as Dinah came up with perfectly reasonable excuses for Lee to let Jamison have some space. That her partner now dealt with two unsolved murders in the span of as many weeks made Lee want to do everything in her power to help. Since that was impossible unless she found the guilty party herself, there was nothing for her to do except worry. Jamison was hardly sleeping at all, and when she did, it was not well. When she wasn’t searching for clues during her daytime working hours, she was in cat form prowling the forest. Somehow, she blamed herself for these deaths and nothing Lee said would ease that guilt.

  “I guess, but do you have to be so logical about it?”

  Dinah laughed and her voice sounded a little tinny through the phone speaker. “It’s only normal to want to protect the person you love but until this thing is over, you’re just going to have to allow Jamison to deal with things in her own way. Just be there for her. That’s the best thing you can do.”

  “Fine, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  “Of course not. Are you on your way home?”

  “Yes, Cleo and I have been up on Regis Mountain taking some sunset pictures for my next showing.”

  “How is my girl?”

  Lee glanced over at the beagle in question and smiled. “Right now, she’s passed out and snoring. I swear I’m going to have drool all over my leather seat.”

  “When is your next show?”

  Lee understood that Dinah was attempting to distract her from worrying about Jamison. Although it wouldn’t really help, she still felt grateful. “In about six months. Jasmine is really riding me to get some new proofs to her.”

  “Jasmine, that’s your agent in New York, right?”

  “That’s the one. Hey, I’m pulling onto Mafdet Lane now and I need to get Cleo’s dinner. Is it all right if I call you tomorrow?”

  “Call me anytime, Hon, and remember that we’re still on for that helicopter ride up to Wolverine Summit next week.”

  As she cleared the tree line, Lee spotted a white rectangular box on the manor’s front porch and felt another smile tug her lips. As busy as she was, Jamison still found time to show Lee she was thinking of her. “I’m looking forward to it.” Lee ended the call just as she rolled to a stop. Cleo roused herself, stood up and shook her entire body. When she finished she looked over at her master as though wondering why the door wasn’t yet open.

  “Are you finished?” When the dog cocked her head to the side, Lee grinned and opened the door.

  Cleo didn’t wait for an invitation. She climbed across Lee’s lap and bailed out of the Mercedes. It still surprised Lee a little
that she could hear Cleo’s paw pads strike the ground under the thick grass. She heard the small bits of sand and gravel slide against each other as they accommodated the dog’s weight. Being Panthera had its advantages but there was also a downside. When Lee tried to sleep at night, Cleo could wake her up simply by scratching. The sound was like sandpaper rasping through the inside of Lee’s brain. She still hadn’t adjusted to all of her body’s changes. Lee hadn’t even known about the Panthera before her arrival in Harmon a year ago. The discovery that she was one was an added shock. It seemed that being around the community and the rampaging behavior of a lion shifter had triggered her own latent abilities. Now, all this time later, she still had difficulty with transforming by effort of will alone. Perhaps eventually she would develop more control, but she wasn’t overly worried.

  After grabbing her camera bag from the floorboard, Lee followed the dog toward the house. She glanced around the yard, not really expecting anyone but somehow still unsettled that she and Cleo were alone. With Jamison at work and Lee’s apprentice, Lindsay, in school that wasn’t a surprise, so she shook off the feeling. Climbing the steps onto the manor’s wide porch, Lee picked up the florist box from the swing. For a second it felt like something moved inside. She dismissed the notion as the product of an overactive imagination and pushed open the front door.

  Greeted by the comforting sight and smell of home, Lee felt the tension of the day vanish. She cruised through the circular foyer and dropped the flowers onto the dining room table. She wanted to see what Jami had sent her, but Cleo wasn’t that patient.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” Lee responded to the barking.

  Seeming satisfied that her master wasn’t ignoring her dietary needs, the dog padded into the kitchen. She waited beside her bowl, brown eyes following Lee’s every move. Lee poured kibble into the dish and filled a second container with fresh water. Then Lee poured herself a glass of iced tea before heading back into the dining room. A smile of anticipation curved her lips as she set the tea down and reached for the flowers. It wasn’t like Jamison to send her flowers so soon. The last delivery had only taken place a few days ago, but she wasn’t complaining.

  Lee was already planning where to display the bouquet and wondering where she’d stashed her other vase when the bow came off.

  She peeled back the lid and reeled back from her first glimpse inside.

  “Jesus Christ!”

  The words ended on a very cat-like hiss. A snarl passed her curled lips but she didn’t notice, too riveted in disgust by the prize awaiting her. There was a bouquet of long-stemmed roses inside the box. They were dead and already starting to crumble. The other objects packed inside with the foliage were what held her attention.

  Snakes twisted obscenely through the shoots, twining and undulating over each other. Predominately dark brown or green, the snakes had three yellowish stripes down their sides and back. Lee spotted beetles in an array of colors mingled in the tangle of serpents. They competed for space with the serpents until one attempted to escape confinement by crawling over the box’s edge. Regaining her wits, Lee slapped the insect back inside. She grabbed the foul parcel and strode for the kitchen door, bypassing the beagle who barely glanced up from her dinner. Lee didn’t stop until she reached the edge of the woods where she tossed the whole mess, box and all, into the brush.

  For long moments she stood there shuddering. When she could think again, Lee wondered why in hell someone would send her something so awful. There was no way Jamison would do such a thing. Then again, Lee assumed the flowers were for her. It was possible someone was sending Jamison a message. She hadn’t actually seen a card. Regardless of the intended recipient, Lee still had the same question: Why?

  She watched the snakes eventually slither away. The shadows from a fading sun couldn’t make the sight any less disturbing. Cleo left the house through the dog door and soon joined Lee’s side. When her master didn’t respond to her presence, Cleo lay down in the grass and rested her head on her paws. She didn’t show any interest in the package.

  Lee was still there when Jamison pulled up in front of the house. She heard the engine shut off, but the door didn’t open. Lee realized Jamison could see her standing to the side of the manor near the woods and probably wondered what she was doing. She sensed her partner’s concern but, still new to her Panthera abilities, couldn’t always communicate telepathically. Finally, the door opened and she heard hesitant footsteps as Jamison exited.

  She heard Jamison’s hiss of revulsion halfway across the yard. Suddenly Jamison was beside her and a comforting hand rested on Lee’s shoulder.

  “What the hell?”

  Lee smiled but there wasn’t any humor in the gesture. “That is a truly excellent question. At first, I thought they were from you, but unless your romantic streak has taken a turn to the dark side...”

  Jamison removed her hand and Lee felt her shifting around. When she stepped toward the mess, Lee saw she had tugged on a pair of black leather gloves. Jamison knelt down and picked up the florist box, taking the time to flip the remaining live contents into the weeds.

  “The fact that these are harmless garter snakes doesn’t really make me feel any better,” Jamison confided. “Someone intended this as a threat.”

  “Yeah, but who are they threatening, me or you?” Lee felt a chill and crossed her arms. “Usually I’m the one receiving flowers.”

  Standing, Jamison turned toward her and shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m going to need a sample of your fingerprints for elimination purposes. I doubt any shop delivered these and maybe we’ll get some prints from whoever did.”

  “Okay, I understand you’re looking for whoever dropped off that box, but can’t you leave that nasty thing out here? I’m not sure I want it in the manor.”

  “I understand, baby, but I can’t leave it here. I can’t risk exposing any evidence to the elements. I’ll have to run it over to the lab and I don’t want to wait until morning. We’re using the M.E.’s office for our investigation since the facilities are closer than driving to Lake Placid and we have everything we need here in Harmon.”

  Jamison’s compassionate tones didn’t make her feel any better when Lee caught on to what her partner was thinking. “Do you think this is related to your case somehow?”

  “It must be. The timing is just too coincidental. If we’re lucky, we’ll find some prints and our suspect will be in the system.”

  “But you don’t really believe that, do you?”

  Jamison shook her head. “I wish I could say yes, but whoever is committing these murders is far too careful. Still, it’s worth a shot. If nothing else, our suspect just made a critical mistake.”

  “How so?”

  “They just made it personal.” Jamison didn’t wait for Lee to respond. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  The focused and angry expression told Lee that whoever did this was about to have a firestorm rain down upon them. She watched Jamison remove her cell phone from the holster as she walked toward the truck. The call was answered quickly.

  “This is Ranger Kessler. I may have something. Meet me at the Harmon Medical Center. You’ll find the morgue in the basement.”

  Lee could hear a female voice respond on the other end of the call, but Jamison flipped the cell closed without really listening. She jumped into the truck and roared off down Mafdet Lane a few moments later. Standing in the dark, Lee suddenly had the impression that she wasn’t alone, that something malevolent crept upon her from the shadows. There wasn’t really anything there, just a sense of paranoia caused by the recent delivery. She’d have felt better if Jamison just stashed the box in the pickup overnight and took it to the lab later.

  Taking another look around the yard, Lee almost expected to see Benny. The raccoon, admittedly not a pet, nevertheless served to help Lee feel centered. When she first became medicine woman to the Panthera the little guy had come out of nowhere when she needed him most. Jamison had explained he was
her counter, an icon meant to balance her emotions. Indeed, he usually made an appearance when she least expected it but always when most essential. Apparently, this wasn’t one of those times.

  With a sigh and shake of her head, Lee started back to the house. Benny had been absent more and more over the summer and she hadn’t seen him in weeks. Maybe he had a new family to care for and she was no longer the priority. Somehow she felt neglected.

  Cleo followed her back into the house and Lee closed and locked the back door. She proceeded throughout the manor making sure she secured all doors and windows, both upstairs and down. A sensation of disjointed reality settled over her as she moved. Flashes from the previous year zipped through her head, not just the good times since meeting Jamison, but also the incident with a brutal, lion-shifting butcher that almost killed them all. Among the victims was Lee’s former girlfriend, Debra Mason.

  Lee had never seen Debra’s body; the coroner wouldn’t allow it, but her imagination had helpfully filled in the blanks. She still struggled with those reconstructed images a year after the fact. She hadn’t been able to help Debra and thought she’d always carry the blame for Debra even being in the area. In the end, Lee could only attend the funeral and try to suppress tears she had no right to shed. Seeing Debra’s mom and dad and the small gathering of New York’s well-dressed upper elite grieve for the tragically short life made her feel like more of an outsider. She had returned to Harmon as quickly as she could, back to Jamison where she felt safe, but Lee would never be able to escape the remorse she bore.

  Lee shook her head, forcing the unwanted images away.

  “Sorry, girl, I didn’t mean to zone out on you. Must be the...flowers...that pushed me over the edge.” Lee stroked the dog’s hard skull and smiled when Cleo contentedly closed her eyes. “Come on, I need to get cleaned up before Jami gets back.”