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It was nearly ten o'clock by the time Elisa left their room. While the pack leadership had been discussing the troubling events of the morning, Tally, Blysse, and Naomi had made sure the rest of the wolves got a decent breakfast. The Cygnet had a fairly well-stocked buffet which made it easier for them to eat their fill without raising suspicion.
They had flown in on a Saturday night, and they had an appointment with the title company to complete the paperwork for the sale on Monday. Since Agent Traxler and his silent partner had the nerve to come calling on a Sunday, that meant they had most of the day to kill.
Geoff wasn't that interested in sightseeing on a good day, and this was anything but a good day. After visiting the buffet with Lou and making sure the rest of the wolves were taken care of, he found himself back in the hotel room with nothing to do. He sat in the just-barely-comfortable office chair that the room came with, flipping the TV from channel to channel listlessly.
"So what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" Lou asked, stepping into the room. She'd been going from room to room, allegedly to see if anyone needed anything but mostly to make sure everyone was accounted for. Geoff really didn't think the government would jump from a stern talking-to right to kidnapping, but he'd been wrong too many times to totally discount the idea. They decided to keep the visit from the others for the time being; there was no sense panicking everybody. Part of him chafed at the deception, but he understood the rationale. The last thing they needed was a jumpy werewolf to do something stupid and sour their arrival even more than it already had been.
"Eat?" Geoff suggested.
Lou scoffed. "We just ate."
"So? It's not like we can get fat."
"That's hardly the point." She stood in front of him, arms crossed. The fact that he was sitting put him in a rare position where he had to look up to talk to her. Another wolf in his position might have been intimidated. He rolled his eyes slowly upward, his brows rising as he met her gaze.
"Well, you're the one that wants to do something, right? Feel free to suggest."
Lou smirked. "I thought you'd say something like that. I think we should go check out the property. We can't go in, but we can at least drive up to it."
Geoff didn't respond right away. It was, in truth, a really good idea, but he didn't want to let Lou see that in his reaction. After a measured pause, he gave a small bob of his head. "Alright. Let me grab the keys."
––––––––
GEOFF DIDN'T LOVE DRIVING on the highway, but he wasn't bothered by the traffic in the D.C. area. A Sunday afternoon wasn't going to expose them to rush-hour in all its glory, but even so the highway was thick with vehicles. He wove the rental car from lane to lane, squeezing through openings like a local.
Lou sat stiffly beside him. She was normally fairly talkative (often to spite Geoff's nature) but for most of the trip she said little. Her form was fraught with tension, emanating stress like a fever, and she was gripping the arm rest with white-knuckle intensity. She did a fair job of hiding her fear when others were in the car, but when it was just the two of them she was less self-conscious about it. It was one of the things that really underscored for Geoff just how much she trusted him.
After several minutes of silence, she finally spoke. "Do you mind slowing down?"
Geoff glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "I'm moving with the flow of traffic."
"I know." She bit the words out, frustrated. "But could you slow down anyway?"
He grunted. "That accident was like... two years ago. It wasn't your fault, and you don't even have any scars." He paused, then added: "You know we could survive almost any sort of car crash, right?"
"That's not the point and you know it, Geoffrey." That was his warning – Lou used his full name. He glanced at her once more and eased off the accelerator. Almost instantly, Lou relaxed. "Thank you." She spoke without looking at him, fixing her gaze steadfastly out the window, watching the scenery whiz by. He could feel the embarrassment radiating off of her. Geoff opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. Comforting words weren't exactly his forte. He focused on driving and left her to her thoughts.
Their destination was a defunct condominium complex south of Washington, D.C. proper. It was originally going to be called Cherry Hill Estates or something equally ostentatious, but financing had run out six months ago, just as the first phase of construction was finishing up. Since werewolf packs preferred to cohabitate, it was an ideal situation. The price included a lot more zeroes than Geoff was really comfortable with, but Lou got an unexpectedly large inheritance from an aunt or somebody and it put them over the top. From the pictures Geoff had seen, the buildings were livable as-is, though a lot of the finishing work remained undone.
There were ten duplexes already built out of a planned twenty, and the entire area was surrounded by a ten-foot-high brick wall. The best part, however, was that the back wall was immediately adjacent to a large national forest, which meant the wolves would have plenty of cover on the full moon.
All in all, a wayward pack couldn't hope for a better living situation, especially one so close to a large city.
At least, that's what Geoff had thought before their wake-up call this morning.
By the time he exited the highway, the steel and concrete of the city had started to give way to rolling hills and trees that would eventually become Maryland. Supposedly the place was as close to the border as one could get while still enjoying a D.C. mailing address. He took the exit and turned left, onto a sweeping four-lane road that could properly be called a "boulevard." A few miles farther along, a right turn took him onto a narrower road leading to the complex.
By the time they reached the entrance, they were far enough away from the main thoroughfare that one could begin to forget they were a stone's throw away from the nation's capital. There was a gatehouse but no gate, so after exchanging a quick look with Lou for confirmation, Geoff wheeled into the complex itself.
So much for "we can't go in."
The road was asphalt, and despite the winter they'd just been through it still looked to be in good repair. Immediately after turning in, there was a single-story building on the right with space for four or five cars to park out front. The front of the building had a steepled roof and wood trim that echoed the style of the duplexes visible further on. The back of the building had a flat roof and narrow windows set high off the ground. Clearly this was some combination of leasing office and community center.
They drove over a speed bump and the road curved sharply right around the community center. It was flanked by a wide concrete sidewalk on the right, and by the complex's outer wall on the left. Just before the first cluster of buildings the sidewalk ended abruptly, terminating in a gash of naked earth where the work had stopped. The open soil was dotted with clumps of weeds, which would run to riot as spring continued if not dealt with soon.
The road swept back to the left more gently after that initial turn, and the first cluster of buildings was just off the apex of the curve. They looked relatively nice to Geoff, and as far as he could see all the glass was still intact. That was a plus. The sod which had been meticulously laid out the previous fall was now riddled with crab grass and was in desperate need of a good mow. He could see dirt paths lined with rotting boards where more concrete walkways were meant to be poured. Seeing the place in person for the first time, Geoff was satisfied; there was plenty of work to be done, but it had solid bones.
The buildings were nearly identical, two stories tall with two units in each structure. There was some variability on the internal floor plans, but each had at least two bedrooms. Their colors alternated between moss green and some kind of reddish-brown that probably had its own special name, but Geoff didn't know what it was. The paint was fresh enough that it wouldn't need a touch up. Overall the aesthetic was relatively inoffensive, if slightly rustic. It would do.
"Stop," Lou said suddenly, breaking his chain of thought. Her voice was tight again, but it couldn't have been speed related. Geoff glanced quizzically at her, but her attention was focused straight ahead. When he didn't immediately do as she said, she spoke again, more urgently. "Stop, dammit!"
He jammed on the brake, the car's hood dipping sharply and jostling them both. "What is it?" he barked.
She didn't even notice the rough stop. Her gaze never wavered. "Someone's been here." She pointed. Beyond the first cluster of buildings there was a large open area with some playground equipment and an outdoor pool half-full of green, moss-covered water, clearly meant to be the complex's outdoor recreation area. As he continued driving forward, the road widened to include parking spaces on either side as it passed the pool area before narrowing again and making a sharp right turn before the next cluster of duplexes. The front door of one of them was halfway open.
"Inspectors, maybe?" he asked.
Lou shook her head. "No. Cash sale, remember? There's no bank to insist that we get the property inspected and you said it was a waste of time. Besides, inspectors should know how to close the door fully."
"Point taken." He'd let Lou handle most of the details around the purchase of the property; he didn't really have a head for finances and contracts. He just signed where they told him to. He eased the car back in motion. "Maybe it was vandals or something. Stupid kids messing around."
"Maybe." Lou didn't sound convinced. He supposed he couldn't blame her. His own internal alarms were going off, but he was not ready to assume this was at all related to their visitors that morning. He wasn't the conspiracy theory type by nature.
They pulled up to the unit. It had a short driveway that terminated in a garage, with a semicircular path leading from the driveway to the concrete slab that served as the front porch. The porch and driveway had already been poured, but as with the sidewalks behind them, there was only a dirt trench where the path would go.
"Shall we?" Without waiting for a response, Geoff turned off the ignition and got out of the SUV. The driveway was to the right of the front door, so he was closer than Lou. He started picking his way through the dirt path toward the front door.
Behind him, he heard a car door open, and slam shut. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lou demanded.
Geoff stopped but kept his eyes on the front door. Without looking back toward Lou, he spoke. "I kind of assumed that would be obvious." To emphasize the point, he gestured toward the slightly open door, palm up.
Lou made a noise in the back of her throat, a strange amalgam of a snort and a growl. A human would not have been able to make that sound. "Do you think it's smart for just the two of us to go in there by ourselves? We have no idea what is going on here."
"You're right, we don't. It could be nothing at all. Or it could be something, but by the time we go all the way back to the hotel and come back, whatever it is will be gone. Or it could be something, but it's already been here and gone, and we don't have anything to worry about. Two out of three scenarios we'll be fine." He paused for a second, then added: "And I'm fairly sure we could handle the third, anyway." With that he continued forward, giving Lou no opportunity to argue. She would either back him up, or he'd be on his own.
She backed him up, but the agitated energy she was radiating told him Louisianna was far from happy about doing so.
When they reached the front door, Geoff nudged it open with his foot. There was a swirl of dead leaves and other detritus that had accumulated inside the house, but not nearly as much as there would have been if it had been that way since construction shut down. Whoever it was had been in there recently.
Geoff stepped inside, moving to his right so Lou could follow through and close the door behind them. He didn't hear anyone else in the house, which was good. Less good, however, was the lingering scent in the air. It wasn't something he immediately recognized: acrid but with a fruity aspect. It certainly wasn't a holdover from the construction workers; any trace smells they left would be long gone. The fact that he was able to pick up anything at all meant that whoever it was had been there in the last few days.
"Do you smell that?" Lou asked.
"Yeah."
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure. I'm still trying to–" He cut himself off when it clicked.
"What?" Lou stepped closer to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Though she wasn't trying to pull him around, he turned to face her anyway. "I think we can cross punk kids off the list. They probably wouldn't be wearing aftershave."
Lou made a face, her nostrils flaring. "Is that what that is?"
He nodded. "Pretty sure. If not aftershave, then something like it. Cologne maybe."
"Yeah, okay." She didn't sound mollified by the revelation. In truth, neither was Geoff. He would have much preferred to find the place marked up with spray paint or something, but as they moved deeper into the unit, nothing else seemed amiss. Immediately to their right was a small coat closet, and just beyond that a white aluminum door that he guessed led into the garage. Rather than confirm his suspicion, he pressed forward with Lou at his side.
A few steps farther inside, they reached a staircase leading up. It marched along the left-hand wall, took a ninety-degree turn, and continued to the second floor. The main hallway continued further, through a small arched opening that was formed by the rise of the steps as they passed overhead. Geoff decided against the stairs, proceeding through the arch and onto tiled kitchen floor. The back of the unit was one wide open space, with a large, carpeted area on the right that he supposed would be the living room. The kitchen was spacious, with a broad island forming a barrier between the living and cooking spaces. He could imagine some bar-top chairs pulled up to the far side of the island so someone could entertain while they cooked.
There was no furniture or appliances, but the cabinetry and countertops had already been installed. The countertops looked like some kind of black stone, with glints of something shiny embedded within. He didn't care if the material was synthetic or not; it looked expensive. The cabinets were plentiful, made from dark cherry wood with brushed nickel hardware. In another kitchen the combination would have made the room seem dark, but the living room windows were nearly floor to ceiling, and with little to block the light it was a nice effect. He also noted that the ceiling in the living area was recessed about a foot compared to the kitchen, which opened the space up and almost made him forget there was a floor above it.
"Not too shabby," Geoff remarked.
"Admire it later," Lou said. "We're already in it, let's keep looking around."
Considering the unit was completely uninhabited, there wasn't much "looking around" to be done. Apart from the open door and the ghostly scent of aftershave, there were no signs that anyone had been inside. They followed their noses and found the scent in nearly every room. The upstairs was not quite as impressive as the main floor, but they found two spacious bedrooms, one with an attached bathroom, a second bathroom in the hallway, and another room that was too small to be a bedroom – perhaps a den or study.
The two of them combed the house as methodically as they could and found no signs that anything had been moved or disturbed. All the electrical outlets and light switches seemed to be firmly in place, though Geoff didn't have the tools with him to take any of them out of the wall and look for signs of tampering. He wasn't a spy by any stretch, but he knew enough about the basics of household wiring to recognize something that wasn't supposed to be there. He wasn't about to start ripping out the drywall just yet. Maybe later, once he'd found and unpacked some of his tools, he could do a more thorough search.
After a very unproductive twenty minutes, they returned to the front door. Their car looked undisturbed and neither of them picked up scent nor sound of anyone else in the area. They had the place to themselves, or so it seemed.
Geoff let out a low hiss between his teeth and turned to Lou. "Well?"
She was silent for nearly a minute. Finally, she shook her head, sounding as unsettled as he felt. "I'm not sure if I'm happier that we didn't find anything than I would be if we'd found something."
He understood what she meant.