Page 3 of Shadow Running
“Sure thing,” he said.Dante was one of my best friends, along with being the co-owner of Shadow Blade Investigations.He was a wolf shifter, but unfortunately—he was a lone wolf.He’d been excommunicated from his Pack, except for his great-aunt Tilly, who loved him regardless of his supposed failings.She commanded enough power in the Pack so that the council of elders couldn’t fault her for still talking to him.
Dante was also the most flamboyant man I’d ever met, and he reminded me of Owen Wilson’s character out of Zoolander.He was a lot smarter, though, and he was far less conceited.Today, he was wearing a black turtleneck, a pair of patchwork jeans, and a retro 70’s flowered overshirt, along with leather moccasins.His hair—long, shaggy, and blond, coiled down to his shoulders.
I dumped my bag on my desk, shrugged out of my leather jacket and hung it on the coat rack in the corner of my office, then settled down to thumb through the mail.Sophia had sorted out the outstanding bills as well as the junk to deal with at the front desk.The remainder included a few requests for help, and there was one letter addressed to me that looked personal.
Using my letter opener, I ripped it open and shook out the page.As I opened it, letters glued on the page made up a one sentence threat:leave him alone, he’s mine!
Sighing, I tossed it on my desk as Dante entered the room.“Your stalker’s at it again.”I pointed to the letter.“We have to do something about this, Dante.Rowan’s not going to stop until we force her.”
Dante groaned.“Crap.She’s been quiet for while and I was hoping she was over it.I swear, the woman’s moods change with the moon.She’s barred from my building, and I haven’t had a problem with her since she broke into my apartment.”He sighed.“Maybe it’s time to confront her.”
“Do you think she’ll listen?You should get a restraining order.”I didn’t think that Rowan would pay much attention.She was obsessed with Dante, and while she hadn’t been escalating the past month, she was still fixated.
“I’ll call Destiny and ask her.”Destiny was our contact at the police station.But she had already told us that unless Rowan tried something—apparently more than breaking into Dante’s apartment—there wasn’t much the cops could do.
“I wish that we could blink and make her go away.And no, I’m not talking about offing her.I may be half-demon, but Idohave a conscience.”
Dante shrugged, looking frazzled.“I still feel I need to confront her.I have to at least tell her to stop—I’ve done so before, but this time, I’ll be so blunt that there won’t be any mistaking what I’m saying.I’ll record it.That way, I’ll have more proof when I apply for a restraining order.”Dante frowned.“So, what’s going on this morning?”
“Benny’s coming in.He has something he needs to talk over with me and—” I stopped as Sophia buzzed me.“Yes?”
“Benny’s here.Should I send him back?”
“Yes, please.”I glanced at Dante.“He’d better not be bitching about his landlord.”
“With Benny, you get what you get,” he said.
As Benny entered the office, I was pleasantly surprised to smell that he’d taken a bath recently.Goblin BO was funky, but he smelled like lavender, of all things.
“Hey, Legs.Dante,” Benny said, nodding.“Thanks for seeing me.”
“Sit.Do you want some coffee?”I pointed to a chair near Dante.
“Water, please.And…”
I knew what he was about to ask.“Dante, can you grab Benny a doughnut or something, and a bottle of water?”
Dante exited the room, returning a moment later with a bottle of water and a plate of doughnuts.Benny licked his lips as he chose a chocolate frosted cake doughnut.
“So, how’s it hanging?”I asked.“What did you need to see me about?”
“I’m fine, though I can always use any jobs you want to throw my way.But I’m worried about a friend of mine.”He set the doughnut down on a napkin and his shoulders slumped.His usual sarcastically cheerful demeanor vanished.
“Another goblin?”Dante asked.
Benny shook his head.“He’s human.Every week, I meet Greg—that’s his name—in Reacher Park, down near the waterfront.We play checkers, and I take him some sandwiches and fruit…whatever I can afford.He always shows up, rain or snow or sun or clouds, once a week, never fail.When it’s cold, we meet in the indoor pavilion, which the park keeps heated.”
I didn’t react, but to hear Benny say he performed acts of charity startled me.It seemed out of character.Or maybe I had never seen that side of him.
“What’s Greg’s story?”Dante asked.
“Greg Swift lives in the Soldiers of Misfortune homeless encampment.He’s a veteran from some war over in the Middle East.He fell through the cracks in the system, and has been living on the streets since his mid-forties.He’s probably about fifty-five or so now.Anyway, he never misses our weekly meetings.Until last week.I thought maybe he was sick, so I waited, but yesterday he missed our meeting again.So, I went to the encampment to look for him.”
“What did you find?”Dante asked.
“The only info I could get was that he hasn’t been seen since the night after our last meeting.So that’s been two weeks.”Benny shook his head.“Greg’s on the spectrum.He has a set routine and never varies from it unless something actively gets in his way.”
“And you want us to find him?”I immediately found myself thinking that Greg might have vanished for one very, final reason.
