Book 2 - Page 57 (1/2)

“What did Angelina say?”

“She doesn’t know who the mastermind is. Ritka knew, but wouldn’t say. Since Hosstene was my accountant at the factory, she cleared Larissa’s checks without a word to me.”

“If Ritka was the only one dealing with this guy, do you think they had s.e.xual relations?”

“Doc Featherston conducted an autopsy and confirmed she wasn’t a virgin, yet officially, she’d never been mated.”

Lelandi let out her breath. “So he might have been her lover, too. But no male seems to be unduly upset at her pa.s.sing.” She glanced back at Silva, looking abandoned.

“Later. I want her to stay with Carol for now and keep her company. She needs someone to talk to until she can settle into her new life.”

“Hrumpf,” Lelandi said. “She’ll brainwash her.”

Darien stared down at Lelandi as he walked her to his new SUV. “Brainwash her?”

“Sure, tell her that the grays were the first lupus garous.

” Darien laughed. “I’m staying out of this one.”

“Can Trevor guard the house?”

“Carol thinks he’s involved. She told Tom all that she suspected. I have Uncle Sheridan checking Trevor’s story out, and in the meantime, he’s got jailhouse duty.”

“I think he’s being set up. Why not have him guard me, and you can have someone watch him just in case. When you’re not around.”

“What are you up to, Lelandi?” He helped her into the SUV.

“I just want to talk to him.”

Jake climbed into the backseat.

“I was seeing his sister,” Darien said, sounding tired.

“I know.” She took his hand and kissed it. “But then you had a vision. But not exactly a vision.”

“The dream where I first found you. I knew then I had to have you, no other. Trevor was angry, his sister heartbroken. He didn’t care so much about how his sister felt, but that he would have had more leverage with me had I mated her. When Larissa came to Silver Town and we were mated, Annie took off for Green Valley and mated with a gray there. I understand she’s happy and due to have twins in the spring.”

“Do you think Trevor could have been blackmailing Larissa?”

“Anything’s possible.”

Surprised Darien would permit it, Lelandi sat on one of the sofas, waiting for Trevor to join her in the sunroom, ready to question him about his mudslide story. The snow fell steadily outside the windows and a fire blazed in a rock fireplace centered in the room, giving it a homey, comfortable ambience—which didn’t fit the mood of what she was about to do. Trevor’s face couldn’t have been any stonier and his icy glare held her gaze when he stalked into the room. But she steeled her resolve while Jake remained outside within earshot.

“Please, have a seat.”

Not removing his jacket, Trevor shoved his hands in his pockets and ignored her.

Fine. “You lied about the mudslide when Tom and I were shot. You said you were taking care of accident victims.”

Trevor continued to glower at her.

“Deputy, I don’t believe you did anything malicious to contribute to my sister’s death. I know you hated her. That you wanted Darien to marry your sister, hoping she could convince Darien to make you sheriff some day and not Peter.”

“You have no authority questioning me. You’re just Darien’s b.i.t.c.h.”

“Yes. And Larissa was my sister. You’re right. You don’t have to tell me anything. But how long do you think it’ll be before Darien discovers you lied about the mudslide? Do you want to die for someone else’s crime?”

“I was seeing someone,” he mumbled under his breath, his gaze s.h.i.+fting to the fire.

OhmiG.o.d, no wonder he hadn’t been interested in Silva. He was already hung up on someone else. But why keep it a secret? “Someone Darien didn’t approve of?”

Trevor refused to look at her.

“Someone who was already mated?”

He jerked his head around and cast her a chilling glare. “No, d.a.m.n you. Just because your sister hooked up with three different mates, doesn’t mean any of the rest of us do.”

Needing his cooperation, Lelandi stamped down a hasty response. She hated the shameful way her sister had carried on with another male when she was mated to Darien, yet she couldn’t help feeling Larissa was the victim of her circ.u.mstances. If her people had allowed for divorce, she would have been fine. “Then who?”

“You don’t need to know who she is.”

“You’ll need her alibi.”

“Why? Silva was the shooter. Ritka and her friends were the blackmailers.”

“But Silva wasn’t the shooter.”

Trevor’s eyes widened.

“Who was the mastermind who killed Hosstene?”