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.”“And you might say that I’m about to serve you another helping.”“What are you talking about?”“That’s why I called you last night, and left you three more messages today.Sammy Paulson isn’t the only member of your pack who’s gone down in the woods lately.”The Alpha’s response to that news didn’t bear repeating, but it did prompt Eli to quickly and quietly outline the situation with the unconscious Lupine he’d delivered into Josie’s care.“Any idea who it might be?” he concluded.“No, but give me ten minutes and you can be damn sure I’ll find out.” Pulling a cell phone from the pocket of his jeans, the Alpha flipped it open, then looked back at the sheriff.“You don’t think they’re related, do you? Sammy and the female you found last night?”Eli hesitated, waiting to see who would win the war between his head and his gut.Stalemate.“I don’t see how,” he finally said, forcing out the reluctant conclusion.“The female was shot, either accidentally or on purpose, and we have no way of knowing that Sammy didn’t have some kind of heart defect or something that caused him to collapse.Shifters might be immune to a lot of contagious diseases, but we aren’t immortal, and there’s a lot of leeway between a germ and a congenital anomaly.”Rick looked as dissatisfied to hear that as Eli had been to say it.“Maybe, but I wouldn’t exactly call myself a happy camper right now.”“Me neither.”The Lupine sighed.“I need to make some calls.”“Right.Do you plan to come to Dr.Barrett’s office? Take a look at the patient yourself?”“Not tonight.There are still things that need to be done here.But as soon as I find out who she might be, I’ll send someone over.”“I’m sure the doctor will appreciate that.”“Tell her she can expect me tomorrow, though.Whoever she’s got in her office, I’m going to want to see for myself.”Eli nodded.“I wouldn’t expect anything else.” He took a step back and nodded toward the fire.“If you or Mrs.Paulson needs anything, you know where to find me.”Rick’s mouth twisted ruefully.“You know, that’s your biggest problem, Eli: Everyone always knows where to find you.”Turning away, Eli snorted and started back into the forest.His search through the shooting site could wait until daylight.With the area taped off by his deputy earlier in the day, he was reasonably comfortable that no one would tromp through it tonight, especially not with Rick and other members of his pack out.The Lupines would prove an effective deterrent to passersby.And they deserved their privacy.All mourners deserved to be left in peace.Despite the Alpha’s half-joking words, Eli had the very uneasy feeling that his problems were about to get a whole lot bigger.The thought sank its burrs into him and clung, riding him all the way back to the road, refusing to be shaken even as he climbed behind the wheel of his truck.It needled him as he started the engine and followed him all the way back to town, as persistent as the lonely, heartbreaking echo of howling wolves that carried sharp and poignant on the cold night air.CHAPTER FIVEJosie kept the door to the kennel area propped open so that she could hear if any of her patients made a sound indicating that they required attention, but so far the evening was proving as tedious as the paperwork she filled it with.Sighing, she rubbed a hand over her forehead.If she were honest with herself, Josie would have to admit that the only sound she cared about at the moment was one indicating that the Lupine in the other room might be waking up.And the only reason she had no patience for any other part of the job she loved was that her mind couldn’t stop chewing on the problem of this particular case.All her life, Josie Barrett had known that she wanted to be a vet, and she had pursued her goal with a single-mindedness bordering on compulsion.She had all but coasted through her training, not due to any particular academic brilliance or inherent intellectual genius, but simply because she spent all her spare time reading and studying a subject that fascinated her.She found the mechanics of animal physiology riveting, and nothing satisfied her so much as puzzling out the solution to a problem with only the clues provided by careful observation and testing.Human physicians could ask their patients questions if they needed guidance for a particular problem, but all Josie could do was watch and feel and test and treat until she found the right answer.And in return, she got to see a creature who had been ill or in pain recover and thrive.She couldn’t have asked for a greater sense of personal satisfaction
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