Page 143 of Wolf's Mark

“Is Doctor Willis available? I assume she’s here since she’s not at her house or at the morgue,” he continued.

“Yes, she’s here, but quite a bit under the weather. She can’t be bothered so you’re going to need to go through me.”

He wasn’t happy about my proclamation, and I didn’t give a shit.

“Mr. Wolf,” Agent Walker said. As he grabbed a file from one of the other agents’ hands, I knew instinctively this was show and tell time.

He placed a series of vivid color photographs of a woman’s dead and mutilated body on the desk.

“Unfortunately, murders occur everywhere, agent. Does this have anything to do with my family or my business?”

“This is our former agent, a girl who was working her first case.”

Why in God’s name would they give a new agent a case with the horrific murders and seemingly paranormal activity? Unless they hadn’t believed anything strange was ongoing.

“I’m sorry for your loss. I don’t understand what that has to do with me.”

The other two agents were highly uncomfortable.

“Well, you see,” Agent Walker said as he walked away from my desk, scratching his head. “There were hundreds of murders of this nature, most with bodies disappearing within twenty-four hours. I know what you’re thinking, the possibility is nuts. Now, we’ve had several doctors and scientists working on what the hell could be going on, which was why Agent Drummand asked for Doctor Willis’ help. The previous victims were placed in various holding containers, but always managed to get outof whatever cage we put them in. They were violent, destroying property and as you might imagine, people were afraid. That prompted military involvement, bodies sent to a very secure facility. Nothing worked.”

He stopped long enough to see if I was bothered in any way. I was surprised he was sharing this information, but it would appear they were at a crossroads.

I said with my elbows on the arms of my chair, my fingers steepled.

“However, in the last twelve hours, nothing has occurred. The victims of such horrible brutality remain dead. Our scientists are scratching their heads.”

“Well, I guess that’s good for society. I still don’t know what this has to do with me.” I laughed and both my brothers did as well. We could play this any way the man wanted.

“Mr. Wolf. May I be completely frank with you?” Now Agent Walker appeared sheepish, but it was all an act. One he was good at.

“Absolutely. I appreciate frank discussions. I don’t like wasting time.”

“Of course. I’m very well aware of your family’s history. As Doctor Willis was told likely prematurely, your family and the Wolfen Corporation have been under investigation for some time. The truth is for decades.”

Another moment passed as he allowed the information to sink in.

“And for what reason?”

“Because…”

The other two agents laughed uncomfortably.

“Because it’s long been suspected you come from a line of wolves with the ability to shift into human form.”

As expected, both my brothers took a second before laughing. I simply stared at him and finally shook my head.

“We’ve heard that before,” Riker said quite casually although I sensed his anger. “Imagine if we were that magical.”

This needed to be played correctly or the humans who’d suddenly decided to take up arms against us would continue.

“Agent Walker, I’m well aware my family and now our billion-dollar company have been investigated by every law enforcement agency in the country. Given none of you have ever found any improprieties in our business operations, you and all those before you decided to make your endeavor personal. Yes, we have the last name of Wolf. However, do you really believe that humans can shift into creatures of the night?”

I allowed the concept to formulate in their peon minds.

All three agents laughed, Agent Walker becoming slightly embarrassed. But he wasn’t necessarily backing down. He’d be trouble in the future. I sensed it.

“You’re right, of course,” he stated. “But there have been some unexplained deaths over the last few decades in and around this lovely town. Murders similar to what we’ve been witnessing across the country. Any idea why this might be occurring?”

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