Free Night Howls by Amber Lynn Page A

with one of the human females in town. One of your flunkies has been seen spending a lot of time with her and we are here to bring him in for questioning. You are welcome to come along. You have been greatly missed at the Collective.”
    I glance over to Jake to see how he takes Frank’s statement. I know he didn’t have anything to do with the girl’s death, so as far as I am concerned, he isn’t going anywhere. Jake rolls his eyes and shakes his head.
    “What evidence do you have that indicates Jake was involved?” I ask turning back to Frank. My gun has remained trained on his chest. “All I have heard you claim is based on hearsay, probably from humans, so it doesn’t prove anything.”
    “She was attacked by a wolf. There is no questioning that fact. The witnesses are not only humans. We have had Collective people watching the humans closely to try to make sure the filming goes smoothly. Jake has been seen frequenting the trailer the woman’s body was found in. Someone even stated he was there just last night. I think those facts indicate he needs to have a little sit down with us, if nothing else to prove his innocence.”
    “And I say your witnesses are full of it. When was she killed? Jake was home by midnight. He was not freshly showered and wasn’t covered in blood, nor did he carry the smell of death.” For me, I have found the recently departed smell of fish guts. In my line of work, it can be hard to avoid the smell and I am happy that it hasn't always been there for me.
    “The signs indicate that she was killed just after dawn, but I still would like to have a chat with him. He might have seen something that will help us with our investigation.”
    “You can ask him your questions here. You don’t have to take him back to your dungeon. I have seen how you have worked over suspects before and I am not allowing that to happen to one of my people,” I assert.
    “I prefer not to, but for now you can have it your way. If I decide later that I have more questions, I will bring him in.” Over my dead body, I think to myself.
    “Will, you should probably be on your way. Things might get a little uncivil and I would hate for you to get a bad impression of paranorms,” I say wanting him out of here as soon as possible. There are no assurances guns won’t eventually be fired.
    “Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. You know where to find me if you change your mind about what we discussed,” he replies scurrying to get around Frank and out the door. It seems he isn't totally stupid.
    “You can have a seat if you would like,” I tell Frank still refusing to lower my gun.
    “I am guessing you are not going to join me, so I will stand. Jake can you tell us about your evening last night?”
    “Sure. I will go over all of my movements from yesterday, just to prove I am cooperating. I woke up around six at night. Jonas and Walt were already awake, so we had a quick meal together. Nyx, Sebastian, and Alex woke up not much later and joined us. Around eight or so, Nyx got a delivery from Tango Charlie. The order was messed up and she threw one of her usual fits. We went down to the movie set in time for her to exchange orders with them before anyone got hurt. We went back to her place and wished Sebastian farewell as he set off for a business trip.
    “After he left, I got bored and ticked everyone off enough that they gave me a few hours of free time. I headed over to Stacy's and engaged in some mildly boring coitus. When I was spent, I didn't hang around any longer than needed and went back to Nyx's, where I remained the rest of the night. I believe Nyx was correct in saying that I arrived before midnight. I am sure the security tapes will show me entering around 11:45,” Jake says finishing off his long ramble.
    “And you noticed nothing suspicious when you left Ms. Lehman's?”
    “No. Everything was pretty quiet. The humans seem to keep daytime hours for their shooting schedule, so I think most