No body was found behind the elementary school.

As wonderful as that news was, we didn't hear it from Detective Merrickson. Actually, we didn't hear from my sister-in-law's brother at all after that night. Any new developments in the case (which were miniscule), were heard on the news or read about in the paper. There was no mention of our involvement in the case, which annoyed me somewhat. It really bothered Rachael, especially when she read the article about how the police dogs miraculously picked up the trail. I didn't blame her, but I understood why it had to be projected that way. We weren't exactly licensed or under contract with the police.

However, a few more days went by and Jimmy Grabowski was still missing.

On the third day after our excursion, my best friend Garnet Ross texted me while I was at work, asking if I wanted to join her for a jaunt in Nettles Park that evening. I was not good at keeping secrets, so it was a testament to my self-control that I hadn't let Garnet in on our involvement. How well I could keep that secret when in person was another matter.

Still, I hadn't seen Garnet in a while and I was desperate for some social interaction away from my family. So I agreed.

Nettles Park was on the southside, right across from the local community college. I pulled into the parking lot, texted Mom to let her know I arrived, and got out, looking for Garnet's beat-up blue Impala. She wasn't here yet, so I locked the car and took my string bag over to the changing station. Nettles Park was set aside mainly for shifter use—it included male and female changing rooms, a set of lockers and a rack for your safety vest.

After slipping out of my jeans, T-shirt and jewelry, I coded a locker to my thumbprint and set my things inside. Garnet popped in while I was hanging my vest up on the rack. She was a few inches taller than me, with a heart-shaped face and a massive, tangled mass of red hair that practically shouted "Scottish heritage". Small black fox prints dotted the backs of both shoulder blades.

We exchanged greetings and I made some adjustments to the rack while she took off her clothes. Apparently the last woman in here had been a bear. My snow leopard form was twice as large as a regular big cat, but there was no way I could slip into my vest with the rods set that high.

Once the final knob was tightened, I shifted. Padding forward, I stuck my head and front paws through their respective openings. Garnet wrapped the Velcro strap around my middle and stepped back to wait her turn. I gave the vest a little shake to settle it and pulled free of the little hooks that held it up.

It took Garnet a few minutes to lower the rack to vixen height. Since it would get rather crowded in the locker room, I went outside to wait. A surprised feminine gasp caused my left ear to swivel in that direction; my head soon followed. A forty-something woman stood next to the water fountain, clutching her hand to her chest in shock. No one can really be prepared to see a giant snow leopard emerge from a building, I suppose.

I nodded to the woman and sat down on the grass, wrapping my long, thick tail around my feet. The breeze was warm and stirred my fur; summer wasn't that far away, which meant I'd have to renew my cold charm at the Rose & Thorn Emporium soon. Summers were not fun when you had a plush fur coat meant for cold mountain climates.

Garnet's muzzle poked the corner of the locker room. Her fox fur was a burnished, ruddy color, with dark black points and a white chin and belly. The funny thing was that while she was taller as a human, as a snow leopard it was I who had the height advantage.

**Ready?** she sent. As we had been best friends since middle school, we were close enough to communicate telepathically.

Rising, I nodded.

There were several trails that wound through Nettles Park. Garnet and I struck out for the longest one—a trail that went through the trees and had several hills to climb. There were signs all around that spring was in full force: vast carpets of bright green grass; a multitude of flowers in their carefully-cultivated beds; birds darting from tree to tree. I paused by one oak to sniff at the scent markings: three wolves, one puma, and a grizzly—all of them shifters.

Garnet scratched her cheek with the tip of one black-tipped paw as I rubbed the gland above my right eye across the bark of the tree. We retained our intelligence and autonomy while in the shift, but some animal instincts cropped up now and then. I sighed softly; too bad those instincts didn't translate into search and rescue.

We moved on, catching sight of the aforementioned puma before she slunk out of sight. Some people liked to play the animal to an extreme degree, disappearing for days and surviving off muddy pools of water and squirrel meat. They called it "going back to nature", a movement I found ridiculous. I liked my warm bed, conventional home, and meat well-done.

After a slight dip in the trail, then the path branched off—one side wide and clear, the other contained a medium-sized hill that was more rock than grass. Normally, we took the easy path, but today I suddenly craved a challenge. Ignoring Garnet's protests, I turned right and began climbing the hill, huge tail serving as a balancing tool. Instinct once again kicked in, unasked for but welcomed as my claws found tiny cracks and crevices without me having to think about it. Muscles straining, I pulled myself upwards, a feline grin stretched across my muzzle. This was what I needed—a good, old-fashioned workout to clear my mind of all the negativity.

I popped over the top of the hill and settled off to the side while Garnet struggled. Her big, bushy tail jerked as she fought to stay in one place, small, delicate, non-retractable claws seeking purchase in the flaky rock. Muscles bunching under a sleek coat, she launched herself up the hill, grass and rocks flying beneath her paws.

**I hate that hill,** she said, glaring at me. **What the hell was that all about?**

My good humor evaporated like fog. **I ...** Shit, I can't tell her, I realized. We'd promised Detective Merrickson, after all. Garnet studied me, head cocked to one side. **I've had a rough couple of days,** I told her instead. It wasn't exactly a lie, per se—I merely omitted several key facts.

Garnet was silent for a moment, no doubt trying to judge how much was truth and how much was bullshit. But although we could be quite expressive in animal form, certain indicators just didn't translate. For once, I hoped that she didn't see though me.

**Geez,** Garnet said after a minute, shaking her head, **I didn't realize the custom woodworking business could be so exhausting.**

Oh, thank God, I breathed, relaxing. **Yeah, it's just been one order after the other. Everyone's stressed out,** I told her, wincing at the sudden pang in my heart. Who liked lying to their best friend?

**Gotcha.** She turned, lifted a paw, then set it back down. A spark of savage humor lit up her purple eyes. **Well, just for that, we're fording the stream.**

Well, there was my retribution for lying. Garnet really did know me too well—she would have to exploit my weakness: that stream was full of frogs. I hated frogs ever since Wyatt decided to put one in my backpack on the first day of kindergarten. Somehow, it managed to wriggle its way into my lunchbox. Let's just say that I was the loudest, most vocal crier that day.

**Fine,** I grumbled good-naturedly. Lifting my right paw to my muzzle, I swiped my tongue along the edge and passed it over my ear. The tip of my tail spasmed.

Frogs.

Ugh.

I bounded down the other side of the hill in several strides while Garnet leapt, her paws barely making a sound on packed dirt. She trotted forward for several strides before pulling up and waiting for me. Once I pulled shale from between my pads, I moved on to join her.

I heard the stream bubbling several yards off. In another few steps, I smelled it—fresh, running water. We rounded the bend and stepped off the path. The trail wound around the stream—down to the left and across a covered bridge—but we were going to forego the long route.

This promise better be worth it, Merrickson, I grumbled as I padded down to the bank. A thick cluster of bushes sprouted at the water's edge, a natural deterrent to any adventurous child who wanted to go for an unsanctioned dip.

**You first, Miss Kitty.**

I glared at Garnet and earned myself a vulpine snigger. Better be worth it. Shaking my head, I grit my teeth, pushed through the bushes—and stopped.

**Don't tell me you got stuck...** Garnet wriggled her thinner frame next to mine.

We fell silent, staring at the figure crouched down and almost completely enclosed by the bushes on the opposite bank. At first, she looked human, albeit dressed for a Renaissance Fair. Her skin was a warm, golden-brown; vivid, chestnut-colored hair hung to mid-back in a thick braid. Emeralds and citrines, each the size of my thumbnail, were strung throughout her locks with silver chains.

The woman's clothes were all patterned in muted tones of browns, greens and greys, cunningly crafted to match the surrounding landscape. She wore a long, belted tunic that split on either side, a pair of trousers that hugged her willowy frame, and calf-high brown boots that had seen some wear and tear. As we watched, she appeared to be writing something on a small notepad with a fountain pen. She paused, stuck the pen in her mouth, then absently tucked a loose strand of hair behind an ear.

A pointed ear.

**Holy shit,** Garnet breathed, her muzzle close to my cheek. **That's a goddamned elf!**

Half-formed thoughts spluttered and died before I could even pass them onto Garnet. They were real—dear God, they were real! No amount of plastic surgery or special effects could mimic what nature had bequeathed to this woman. The crest of her ear arched sharply upwards, giving it a vaguely triangular shape.

In that moment, I wasn't certain if I made a sound, but suddenly the elven woman's chin tilted up. We locked eyes—purple shifter to eerie silver. She cursed in a lilting Celtic-sounding tongue, snatched up her pen and pad, spun about and leapt over the bushes with all the form and grace of a trained show jumper. As soon as her booted feet hit the ground, she was off running, long legs taking her far away from us.

I was bounding through the brush and half-way across the stream before I realized what I was doing. I stopped ankle-deep in the cold, rushing water, staring at absolutely nothing.

Shit.

My tail lashed down and up, flailing water in all directions. Garnet splashed down beside me. **Did you see where she went?**

**No,** I grumbled, thumping my tail down. Droplets rained down on my back. Too pissed to care, I lurched out of the stream and jumped onto the bank where the elf had crouched just seconds before.

Garnet waded out. **What're you doing?**

**I don't know.** I nosed around the place where she'd been, saw the imprint of her feet and lowered myself to the ground. Placing my paws on either side of the impressions, I stuck my nose in the center of it. Far from being the stale trail we had followed a few days ago, this scent was super fresh. Without time to erode it, I caught the subtle nuances that had worn away: mint, sandalwood, and ... earth. Beneath all of that was the heady "other" scent that had sent the police dogs running away.

Gathering my feet under me, I kept my nose to the ground and began following the otherworldly trail. I was distantly aware of Garnet trotting along behind me, but I was more interested in following this path to the end.

But what would I do if I found her? Bare my claws and demand answers? Shift and rend myself vulnerable? I guess I would find out when I caught up with her.

With my nose almost fused to the ground, I nearly slammed face-first into an oak tree. Jumping backwards, I sneezed, a big, violent sneeze that flashed a lot of fang. I scrubbed a paw across my face, sniffed, and set my nose back to the ground.

Wait ... where was the trail? Confused, I backed up and caught it up from the last point. There, I followed it to the tree ... where it vanished.

How ... ? How was that possible? Did I miss something? My heart rate sped up a notch and I swallowed my panic. Desperate to pick it up again, I spun around for a second time but was met with the same results.

**Aly?** Distantly, Garnet's mental voice drifted towards me.

I heard her, but ignored it. I knew what I had to do.