Alex was silenced. Tragedy was everywhere, hemming them in like a thicket of thorns. “And yet you’re helping us, when there could be a chance—”
“It’s personal for my family, too. We want to find the truth about this as much as anyone. But we know what the truth isn’t.” She met Alex’s gaze. “Don’t you, Alex?”
Alex had no answer. After a moment she said, “They didn’t have any suspects before?”
“The cops never did have a solid lead, and the black wolf Howie’s bunch suspected disappeared shortly after. Maybe this time…” She shook her head again and picked up the scrap of wolf’s pelt. “No more time for talk now. Come on. Kieran’s way ahead of us.”
Alex looked up in alarm. Kieran could have run if he’d chosen to. But as they walked, she saw his footprints continuing at a slow, steady pace, directly toward the reservation.
“You’ll need transportation and supplies to get out of town,” Julie said, as if she were discussing an everyday event of no particular significance. “I’ve already got Deanna and some of her friends out scrounging stuff from town. You make a list of things you need from the cabin.”
Alex hesitated. “There’s a private journal I keep. I left it next to my bed. I’d really like to have that.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell Deanna’s bunch to get it and restrain their curiosity. Mike is still keeping an eye on Howie and the cops.”
Alex swallowed. “Julie, I… don’t know what to say.”
“It’s okay. I’ll do enough talking for both of us.” She grinned her old Julie grin, and Alex found it impossible to meet her friend’s eyes. She fixed her attention on the ground instead, breaking trail through the deep snow.
She hardly noticed when they cut through the woods to Julie’s mother’s backyard. But when Julie stopped and Alex finally looked up, they were standing in front of a cottage well behind the main house, fenced in by a tangle of birch saplings. Kieran was waiting for them, staring toward the north.
“Grandma’s place,” Julie said. “You’ll be safe here for the time being.”
“You could get into trouble helping us,” Alex protested. “If they find us here—”
Julie pushed her hands into her pockets. “Cops won’t get anywhere near here for some time. I told you I had people working on this from every angle.” She tilted her chin toward the cottage. “You two go in there and rest for a bit. Grandma’s taking care of some stuff, and you’re going to need to be ready for what’s ahead of you.”
While she spoke Kieran joined them. He gazed at Julie so long and intently that even the unshakable mechanic shifted a little under his stare.
“Thank you,” he said softly.
Julie nodded. “You saved Tracy. And maybe you can help us again some day.”
“If I can.” Something passed between the two of them that Alex didn’t understand. Kieran returned Julie’s nod and started toward the cottage door without a single glance at Alex.
“You, too,” Julie said. “Something tells me you’ve got a long road ahead of you.”
Alex held her ground. “The same thing that told you what Kieran is?”
Julie smiled wryly. “You could say that. It isn’t easy to explain.”
“It can’t be any harder than trying to explain a… shape-shifter.”
Julie barked a laugh. “Yeah. I see your point.” She sobered and touched Alex’s arm. “It must have been tough keeping that to yourself. It explained a lot when we figured it out.”
Alex shook her head. “I still can’t believe you know. Or that you can accept it so easily. If I thought I could convince you that you were crazy…”
“You don’t have to. I already know. I sensed the day I met Kieran that there was a difference about him.”
“I remember. You acted strangely, and I couldn’t figure out why.”
“I told Grandma what I suspected, and she said I should bring you both over to meet her.”
Alex exhaled slowly. “I always thought there was something going on during our visit.”
Julie nodded. “When Grandma talked to him she saw a lot more than I could. She had her suspicions, but when that wolf saved Tracy at the pond—well, it wasn’t that hard to figure out.”