No, I thought. He would be weak all the way up to sundown. Truth was, I was weak, too, although not as weak as before, back when I didn’t own the ring. I was operating, I suspected, at about eighty percent, which wasn’t that bad. The problem being, of course, when I got to full strength at sundown, Gunther would be fully turned, too. And he would be at full strength, as well.
And a full-blown werewolf.
Another thing: I was feeling a tad guilty about my time with Fang the other night. Yes, he had talked me down and given me the world’s best advice on how to beat the thing within me, but I was still feeling some guilt about us in my bedroom, holding hands.
I would tell Kingsley about it. He would understand. I hoped.
With all of that settled in my mind, I planned to get to Big Bear well before Gunther turned. Of course, I still had to find his kill cabin, which I highly doubted doubled as an observatory, as purported.
So, I settled back for the two-hour drive, mentally going through how I would face a partially-turned werewolf, when my phone rang.
Restricted number. These days, that was never a good sign.
“Moon Investigations,” I said.
“Sam, it’s Sherbet.”
“Do you always refer to yourself by your last name, Detective?”
“Almost always. We have your daughter.”
I sat up. “What do you mean?”
“We found her in the park, drunk as a skunk. You need to come get her.”
Chapter Thirty-five
I had Paulo alter our course and we headed out to Fullerton along the 57 Freeway.
Now, with the Lyft driver waiting for me outside—I might have compelled him to wait for me, I didn’t, after all, want to lose him—I found my daughter in Sherbet’s office, sitting before his desk with her head buried in her arms, as a female officer stroked her hair. Sherbet himself sat back in his desk and didn’t look too happy. Then again, I couldn’t remember the last time Detective Sherbet looked too happy.
“We found her in Hillcrest Park, drinking with her buddies.”
“Who found her?”
“One of our boys. We got a report of some kids drinking and smoking and making general asses of themselves. Turned out to be true. The others scattered like frightened fish. This one tried to scatter. Turned out she was too drunk to scatter, and instead, fell flat on her face. Don’t worry, she’s okay. Just a few scrapes.”
Tammy moaned, her face still buried in her arms.
I thanked the female officer, who gave Tammy a final pat, and gave me a consoling smile, then got up and left. I had a distinct impression that the officer had been there before, with her own kids.
I took the seat next to my daughter, except I very much didn’t feel like stroking her head. It was all I could do to not chew her ass out. I took a few deep breaths.
Easy, Sam, came Sherbet’s telepathic words.
I’m too pissed off to be easy about anything, I shot back, and she can hear you, so be careful.
He nodded, then said aloud, “Should have figured.”
“Is she still drunk?” I asked.
“My guess: yes. We probably should have had her checked out at St. Jude’s.” He shrugged. “She didn’t look sick and responded well enough.”
“Can you leave us alone?” I asked him.
“You do realize that I’m a busy homicide investigator, right? And the busy part isn’t necessarily a good thing.”
Please, I thought to him.
He sighed and his cop mustache fluttered a little. Then he hefted his thickish body from behind the desk and made his way toward the door.
“Thickish?” he said.
“You know what I meant,” I said.
He might have sighed again, and then left us alone, shutting his office door behind him.
Chapter Thirty-six
I checked the time...2:30. Less than four hours.
“Less than four hours for what, Mom?” asked Tammy, her face still buried in her arms.
“Never mind that,” I said, and threw up a mental wall about all things wolfish.
“You’re hiding something, Mo—”
“Never mind what I’m hiding, young lady. Do you care to explain yourself?”
“No. And quit shouting. My head...”
The stench of beer wafted from her as well as the blood from the scrapes on her face. Like a shark, I can smell fresh blood within a few dozen feet. Not always a good thing, especially in a room full of women.
“Gross, Mom,” said Tammy, obviously following my thoughts.
“Don’t change the subject, young lady.”
“Hey, you’re the one talking about—”
“Never mind that, Tamara Moon,” I said, using her full name, which meant that I meant business.
Instead, she giggled. “Relax, Mom. Sheesh. Everyone drinks a little—”
I moved her chair around to face me, dragging it easily with one hand over the carpet. Tammy, whose head had been propped up on the desk, pitched forward, “Hey!”
“Don’t ‘hey’ me, and look at me when I’m talking to you.”
She did, and for the first time, I saw her bloodshot eyes and puffy lower lip. I stood and paced in Sherbet’s office, glancing at the clock overhead. 2:45. I didn’t have time for this...and yet, I had to make the time.
“How long have you been drinking?”
She shrugged. “A few months now.”
“Where do you get the alcohol?”
“Friends. Friends of friends. Mostly we steal it from—”
I spun around and nearly yanked her to her feet...at a police station, no less. Inside a clear glass office, no less. Sherbet, who was talking on his cell phone in a nearby cubicle, raised a hand and lowered it, motioning for me to calm down. Good advice.
“Relax, Mom. Sheesh. We didn’t steal from stores. Just from parents, mostly.”
“Have you stolen from me?”
She looked away, “Maybe a bottle...”
“Tammy!”
“...or two,” she finished.
I sat again and ran my fingers through my hair and knew I was making a scene. I had to calm down about this. Then again, I’d never faced anything like this before—whatever this was. Teenage rebellion? Jesus, she was barely a teen. If this was a taste of what I was in for...well, I was in trouble.
“Relax, Mom—”
“You tell me to relax again, and so help me God, I will bend you over my knee right here—”
“No, you won’t. You would never embarrass Sherbet like that...and risk going to jail, even though I don’t think any jail could hold you.”