Page 88 of Meant for Her

No sooner had they climbed back into the truck than Malia’s phone rang. “It’s Seth.”

“Hey, I’m putting you on speaker, if that’s okay.”

“Sure. Trevor and I did a little research at Pete Rizolli’s ranch. We did not see any cows.”

“That’s disappointing.”

“There were a few horses grazing, but that’s all.”

“I appreciate you taking the time to look.”

“Let us know if we can help again.”

She disconnected and turned to the men. “What do you think?”

“Gotta love dead ends.” Maybe it was time to just move on, but damn, losing those six cows would set them back a lot. He might consider it only if the bank agreed to let them pay the loan back later than expected.

Luke tried not to snap at Ryan or Malia after they returned from visiting her cousin, but he was too pissed to be completely civil. Too many things weren’t adding up. Or maybe it was that he didn’t like not knowing everything. Whatever the case, he thought it best if he kept his distance from both of them—at least for a day.

* * *

The next morning, he, Ryan, and Malia went to the Midvale hospital to get a DNA test done. Dr. David said he’d personally see to it that onlyspecial peoplehandled their blood.

Luke had no idea if anyone could tell from their DNA if he was a werewolf or not, but he assumed they could. However, if it could prove that his father was dead, he’d do it.

It was around two that afternoon when he received a phone call from the sheriff. Luke inhaled, waiting for the bad news. “Sheriff.”

“I thought you should know that I arrested Pete Rizolli for murder.”

That was fast, though Luke wasn’t sure if he should be happy or sad. His father probably deserved it. “Did the arrest indicate who he killed?”

“You mean whether or not the dead body belonged to your father?”

“Yes.”

“No, but someone died. And since Pete knew where the body was buried, he’s involved somehow. I should mention that Pete claims he’s innocent of murder.”

“Don’t all criminals say that?”

“Yes. However, he knows who did kill the man in the grave.”

That was an odd turn of phrase. “He used those words?”

“Yes. It was strange to me too. I’m calling because Mr. Rizolli wants to give us the name of the person who shot the man in exchange for a reduced sentence. If Pete was there when the man died, he’s an accessory. Actually, he’s an accessory if he buried the body too. I’m not forgetting that he turned in a falsified death certificate. The list could probably go on if I looked into it more fully.”

The only part that Luke understood was the false death certificate. The problem he had was the dead man hadn’t been killed in the werewolf fashion, so why not report the man’s death right away? He shook his head. Luke just couldn’t wrap his head around things.

Then there was the issue of Pete serving time in a human jail. If provoked, he might shift, and the world wasn’t ready for that. On the other hand, he needed to be punished if he was aware of what happened.

“What do you need from me?” Luke asked.

“Pete wants you and Ryan to come down to the station. He’ll tell his side of the story but only if you’re there.”

Another odd request, but since Luke wanted answers, he’d go. “We’ll come down now, if that’s okay.”

“See you soon.”

Malia had stayed the night but then had returned home since on her days off, she usually spent it preparing for her medical entrance exam. It was probably better that she wasn’t here. Otherwise, she’d want to go, and Luke wasn’t sure how forthcoming Pete would be if she was with them.

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