Page 21 of Shadow Seeking

“Okay, conference room?” she asked.

I nodded, then headed for my office. As I closed the door behind me, I could hear the faint strains of music coming from Carson and Orik’s office. I didn’t mind music, as long as they didn’t overpower the firm with it.

As I settled into my chair, I decided to start with a text to Angela.murdoch seems to be doing well. he and jangles are getting along a lot better than i expected, so unless something unexpected happens, consider him a permanent fixture in my house.

wonderful,she texted back. i’m so glad to hear it. i wish i could take him but it wouldn’t work, given i’m allergic.

I stared at her text. okay. i’m going through her office this afternoon. i’ll talk to you after i see what’s there.

After I set my phone down, I turned to the mound of paperwork. We still hadn’t cleared out our files from the last case. I sighed and began sorting out the important documents that had to be scanned from the ones that could just be filed. Even though Sophia was our secretary, we all pitched in with reports and paperwork.

After I made it through the pile of papers, it was nine, and we had half an hour until the first appointment of the day. After visiting the bathroom, I poked my head in the breakroom. The coffee was on, a box of pastries sat on the counter, and Orik was fiddling with one of the light fixtures.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Light’s flickering, so I’m checking the connection.” Orik was a talented handyman, despite his protests that he wasn’t good with plumbing. He saved us a pile of money in bills. He had built the house he and his wife lived in, with the bare minimum of help, and everything had been permitted and met inspections.It was a snug four-bedroom house, too, so it hadn’t been a small project. He was always ready to help out a friend, too, when needed.

“If you need any supplies, bill them to the firm,” I said, picking up a chocolate cake donut covered in sprinkles. “Okay, we’ve got a meeting at 9:30. Conference room.”

As I left the room, Orik grunted, returning to the wiring. I trusted him, but I had no desire to help him. I knew nothing about electricity except how to turn on a switch, and that it could give you a nasty bite if you weren’t careful.

I was slipping into my chair when I got a text from Benny.

hey, thanks. i appreciate the work, legs. you’re all right.

I snorted, then went back to my work.

Tana Weathers was a coyote shifter,and she was the current director of the Supe Community Action Council. She was a thin woman, on the gaunt side, dressed in a pink sheath dress with a white pea coat over the top. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a smooth ponytail, and she had coffee-brown eyes and naturally tan skin. She carried a camel color briefcase and looked every inch the professional.

“Good morning,” I said, standing as Sophia escorted her into the conference room. “Have a seat, please. Allow me to introduce our crew.” I made introductions all the way around and Tana gave each person a nod of acknowledgement as she greeted them.

“Do you mind if I record our meeting?” I asked.

“Go right ahead,” she said. Her voice was pleasant, a mid-range that bordered on monotone. It felt almost like it was a studied performance, but I also knew that coyote shifters oftenreceived more than their share of suspicion, along with an entrenched view that they were stupid and impetuous, thanks to the coyote and roadrunner cartoons. They had to work harder for respect than most shifter types, so they often had a ‘practiced’ feel to their demeanor.

“So, Sophia told me that the SCAC was vandalized?” I asked, after I turned on the recorder and took her name, along with the statement that she agreed to being recorded.

Tana sighed. “Yes, it’s been happening off and on for the past six months, but this time, it was more than a slur painted on the front door. We always have our share of crazies calling to tell us what freaks of nature we are and that we’re mutants, aliens, or whatever their flavor of the day is. But this is different.”

“What happened?”

She pulled out her tablet and opened it up. “This happened last Friday. I have photos, and I can send them to you via email, or I can text them. Here we go.” She propped the tablet up on the table and scrolled through various photos that all looked like promo and event pictures.

The pictures were appalling. In one, someone had hung an effigy of a half-wolf, half-man creature in front of their front door, with the words “The only good shifter is a dead shifter” spray painted on the door. The second was of shattered window. It was barred, so they couldn’t get into the actual building, but they had taken the opportunity to turn on the garden hose and spray water through the broken window, leaving the hose on to flood the building.

“That’s fucked up,” Carson said.

“So fucked up,” Dante said. “Was anybody hurt?”

“Only the people who needed our help and had appointments this week. We can’t do any intakes or give out any vouchers until this mess is cleaned up. We’re working on it, but it’s costing money that would have gone to the clients we help.”For the first time, the smile slipped and I saw the anger below the surface.

“Do you have any idea who’s doing this? You said you get harassed regularly.”

She shrugged. “That’s the thing. Most of our regular crackpots are relatively mild. We get some graffiti tags, we get protestors out front, but they don’t try to stop people from entering the building, nor have they ever done anything violent before. There are several groups who don’t like us. We received a letter two weeks ago from one of our regular haters. I wrote it off, because it’s the same sort of crap we get about twice a year. But then the damage this morning…Well, we’ve never dealt with this.”

“Did you bring the letter with you?” Dante asked.

“Yes. After the other day, I thought it might be a good idea.” She brought out an envelope and handed it to us. I motioned for her to set it down on the table, which she did.

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