Hoosier Werewolf 2: Who Let The Wolf Out Read online

  They walked in silence to Chad’s car. Once inside, Dustin laid his head back against the headrest with a sigh. He felt a headache coming on and grimaced, rubbing his forehead. Opening his mouth to speak he turned his head to see Chad silently watching him. The expression on Chad’s face silenced him. It was a look that was all at once fierce, tender and filled with concern. It was possessive yet overlaid with determination as though Chad was reining in his desire, waiting for a signal from Dustin to let go.

  Dustin’s heart and stomach clenched while his breath picked up speed. Before he could say anything Chad turned away and started the car, breaking the spell that held him. He sat up and buckled his seat belt, his mind racing while Chad steered the car out of the parking lot. If he’d questioned it before, he did no longer. Chad wanted him.

  Dustin wasn’t about to deny that the feeling was mutual, but first he’d have to break it off with Jerry. He’d never been the kind to play games like some guys he knew. Pitting one lover against another or dangling several at once held no appeal. Dustin was, most of the time, a happy go lucky kind of guy but he was serious when it came to his love life. He was loyal to his lovers and he expected the same from them. When it came right down to it, as fun as dating was, he wanted a solid, long-term relationship with someone he could love and trust.

  Even though it complicated things, he could only be grateful that this trouble he found himself in hadn’t affected whatever Chad was feeling for him. Taking a steadying breath, Dustin broke the silence between them. “How did you get me bailed out so quick? I thought I’d have to spend the entire night in jail, if not longer.”

  “Luckily the charges against you were one of a group that already has preset bail amounts assigned to them. I just had to arrange for the bail to be paid, otherwise you’d have had to wait for a formal arraignment and a judge to set bail.”

  “At least I got accused of a convenient crime,” Dustin commented with tired sarcasm which he quickly swallowed. “Sorry, I shouldn’t bitch, I should be thanking you. I guess I’ll be doing that a lot before this is over. So Ethan and Crewe came up with my bail?”

  “It’s okay and no, they didn’t.”

  “Nick?”

  “Um, no, not exactly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It was a little steep.”

  “How much?”

  Chad named a figure that made Dustin blanch. “Holy shit. If they didn’t… then who?”

  “Me.”

  “You? You put up my bail?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Crewe and Ethan and Nick are my friends and because…” Chad glanced over at Dustin. “Look, it’s no big deal. I didn’t risk anything. It’s not like you’re going to run away and make me lose the bail money.”

  “Still, that’s a lot of trust to place in someone you barely know.”

  “Maybe, but in this case I don’t think so. I know it’s not escaped your notice that my um, feelings for you are more than just friendly. I want you to know, I didn’t do this with any ulterior motive in mind.”

  “I didn’t say that. I didn’t even think it.”

  “Good, because I don’t want you thinking I’m trying to buy…”

  “Don’t even say it. The thought never crossed my mind.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. Although once again, it should be me thanking you.” Dustin sighed. “So, are you taking me home?” He’d been watching the passing scenery and street signs, what could be seen of them in the growing darkness. The route they were on indicated they were heading for his apartment.

  “Yes, unless there’s somewhere else you’d rather go.”

  “No, this is fine. I’ve got a headache coming on. I just want take something and sack out for a while.”

  “That sounds like a reasonable idea. Do you feel well enough to answer a few questions?”

  Dustin snorted. “Sure. I’m not gonna pass out or anything.”

  Chad smiled. “That’s good news. First of all, I wanted to give you a little warning. Since I’m your attorney, I’m going to ask questions that might be potentially embarrassing or intrusive. I want you to understand that I don’t do this because of any personal motivation. Mostly.”

  “Mostly?”

  “Well I do have a question I want to ask that I admit is based purely on my own curiosity. For the most part though, the questions I ask will be necessary in preparing your defense and I need you to be truthful with me. Can you do that?”

  “Yes. Whatever you need.”

  “All right. The first thing I want to ask is why haven’t you told me you’re not guilty? With most clients it’s the first thing out of their mouths.”

  “Television.”

  “What?”

  “Television, you know, criminal shows. Every time someone is accused of a crime they tell the cops they’re innocent and the cops say, ‘That’s what they all say’.”

  “That’s what they all say,” Chad finished in unison with Dustin then laughed. “I see what you mean.”

  “I just thought I’d save myself from sounding like a cliché even though I am innocent.”

  “I know that. I just wondered.”

  “So you believe me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Would you believe me if I told you I could smell it if you lied to me?”

  Dustin turned his head and met the quick glance Chad sent him. Slowly he nodded. “I believe I would.”

  “Ethan said you were smart.”

  Dustin shot him a rueful smile. “Ethan is prejudiced.”

  “From what he’s told me, he has reason to be. So you’re a graduate student?”

  “Yes, I’m working on a degree in chemical engineering.”

  “That’s admirable, though not a good thing if we end up going to trial.”

  “What do you mean and how will we not go to trial?”

  “First of all the term chemical engineer suggests chemicals or in other words, drugs. It’ll stick in a judge’s or jury’s mind.”

  “But drugs aren’t my field of study. I’m concentrating on polymers and compounds that can be used for things like body armor for troops or law enforcement.”

  “We’ll have to emphasize that if your case comes to trial. Which brings me to the second part of your question. I have an investigator looking into some things. Things that may shed a light on how those drugs came to be in your apartment. If we can prove they were planted, the charges will be dropped.”

  “That would be great, but it’s also something I can’t help you with. I don’t know how they got there or who would put them there. Do you know where they found them? In one of my stereo speakers. The cleverest place I can think of to hide things is under the bed.” Chad’s deep chuckle soothed Dustin’s ruffled sensibilities.

  “You may be a bigger help than you think possible. Let’s approach this in a logical manner. Who has access to your apartment? How many people have keys?”

  “Me of course. There’s a spare at the house so Nick and Ethan can come in whenever they want. My landlady, Mrs. Winters, has a spare. And there’s just one other person.”

  “And that would be?”

  “Jerry Knowles,” Dustin admitted hesitantly. “We’ve uh, been seeing each other for a while.”

  “Yes, I heard,” Chad replied dryly. “So let me ask you this. Did you bring those drugs into your apartment?”

  “No.”

  “Do you think Nick or Ethan did?”

  “Hell, no!”

  “What about Crewe? He’s a possibility now that he and Ethan are together. He’s had access to whatever is in the house you share with Nick and Ethan which would include the key to your apartment.”

  “No, I definitely don’t believe that. Crewe’s a straight up guy. He wouldn’t have anything to do with drugs.”

  “What about Mrs. Winters?”

  “She’s seventy-three!”

  �
��Does she have any relatives or friends who come and go freely in her home? They could possibly have used her spare to get into your place.”

  “I don’t think so. From what she’s told me, all her relatives live out of town. Her kids finance trips for her to come visit them. I rented the apartment from her about a year ago and I don’t think she’s had more than a dozen visitors in that time. Most of those were elderly ladies like her and the occasional drop in from her minister.”

  “So if it’s not you, Nick, Ethan, Crewe, Mrs. Winters or anyone connected with her that leaves one person.”

  “Jerry? You can’t be serious.”

  “Do you know where Jerry is right now?”

  “I imagine he’s home.”

  “I can tell you for a fact he’s not. Jerry Knowles has left town and no one seems to know where he’s gone.”

  Chapter Two

  “Are you sure?” Dustin demanded, “We don’t exactly live in each other’s back pockets but he usually let’s me know if he’s going to be away.”

  “My investigator checked with Knowles’ employer. Knowles claimed there was a death in the family and asked for a week off. He left two days ago.”

  “Well, that’s a reasonable explanation.”

  “Knowles’ only known living relative is his mother and my investigator spoke with her. She’s healthy as a horse. She also substantiates the fact that there are no other relatives in Jerry’s life.”

  “I don’t understand. What’s all this mean?”

  Chad looked over at the young man sitting in his car and his heart twisted in sympathy. Dustin was one of those genuinely nice people who saw only the good in others. He was incredibly smart, but also amazingly naïve. It was an endearing quality. One that was about to get him hurt.

  “My investigator, a former police officer, has some contacts within the police force. He tells me Knowles’ name has come up in an investigation they’re running. He’s a suspected drug dealer. They also think there’s a leak in the department. They had a sting planned, but some of the players they’d earmarked for pick up have gone underground. We think Knowles is one of those who were warned. I believe, and my investigator concurs, that Knowles planted the drugs in your apartment.”

  “But why?”

  “To divert suspicion from himself. Do you know what brought the police to your door?”

  Dustin shook his head.

  “An anonymous tip. A man called claiming that he found a couple of tabs of ecstasy on his kid. He said he got his kid to give him the name of the guy he got the pills from. The name he gave the cops was yours.”

  “But that’s ludicrous! If I was selling drugs I wouldn’t be handing my name out with them.”

  “The tipster said his kid’s a freshman at the university and that’s how he knew who you were. He’d seen you on campus.”

  “That’s quite a story. It’s a neat little package with a ribbon tied around it for good measure.”

  “It’s too neat.”

  “Does anybody else think that?”

  “As a matter of fact, they do. I can’t go into details but let’s just say you’ve got some guys on your side down at the precinct. Between them and me and my investigator we’re going to get you out of this.”

  “I still don’t understand how Jerry would think that diverting suspicion to me would get him off the hook.”

  “I’ve seen a picture of Knowles. Did you ever note the resemblance between the two of you?”

  “No, not really. I mean were both about the same height, same weight, same hair color… oh, shit.”

  “Exactly. I think he deliberately picked you out to play scapegoat for just this kind of scenario. It would be easy to mistake one of you for the other. Which leads me to believe that he also knows who the leak is in the department. Why have this contingency plan in place unless you know there’s a good chance you’ll get to use it? And the only way he could count on that is knowing there was someone who’d warn him.”

  “So in other words, he suckered me from the very beginning. I was nothing but, what did you call it, his contingency plan? Talk about a blow to the ego.”

  Remaining silent, from the corner of his eye Chad saw Dustin turn away to look out the window. He was obviously not thrilled at the topic of conversation and Chad could certainly relate. Dustin had been hurt by someone he apparently trusted. If that wasn’t bad enough, his personal life had just been marched out into the light of day to be examined by who? A man he was just getting to know. Someone who might be a potential lover. Someone he’d want to see him in the very best light.

  Chad was determined to let Dustin know that his worth hadn’t suffered in Chad’s eyes. If anything it made Chad want him more. It brought his protective instincts to the fore. No one would ever hurt his mate again. He’d make sure of it, but right at this moment there was a question he needed an answer to. Chad knew it was selfish with Dustin hurting this way but he had to know.

  “What about the heart?” he asked, softly.

  “What heart?” Dustin answered, his question distracted and confused.

  “Your heart.”

  “What about it?”

  “You said it was a blow to your ego that Jerry had used you. Was it a blow to your heart too? Do you love him?”

  Dustin sighed. “In a way. We had fun together, you know? I genuinely liked him, loved him I guess, whatever you want to call it. I mean not in an ‘I want to marry you and live with you forever’ kind of way but I thought we were more than friends. Hell, we were more than friends, we were lovers. I can’t believe he’d do this. I… I thought he liked me.”

  Chad turned the car onto a quiet, residential street and quickly found the house that matched Dustin’s address. Dustin’s apartment was over Mrs. Winter’s garage. He pulled into the driveway and turned off the ignition. Turning to Dustin, he examined him closely. A frown marred the space between Dustin’s eyebrows, his shoulders were slumped but the tension and unhappiness were obvious in the way his fingers picked at an invisible spot on his jeans.

  As bad as he felt for Dustin, Chad was also elated. Dustin hadn’t been in love with Jerry. He’d cared yes, but he’d recover. Chad was going to make it his personal business to heal whatever wounds Jerry’s disloyalty and betrayal had inflicted. Starting now.

  “He probably did like you.”

  Dustin snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  “It may have started out with him wanting to use you but I seriously don’t see how he couldn’t have come to like you. I wouldn’t have been able to resist.”

  The lingering glance Dustin gave him from beneath his lashes made Chad’s stomach flip. Bold yet strangely vulnerable and innocent, it sent hot blood rushing to Chad’s groin. Dustin’s obvious squirm communicated his embarrassment. Chad was willing to bet if enough light had been coming in the windows, there would have been a blush heating Dustin’s face. Unable to stop himself, he reached out and brushed his fingers over the skin and light stubble on Dustin’s cheek.

  “Do you blush like Ethan?” he asked softly.

  “Not as much, thank God, but yeah, occasionally. It’s stupid.”

  “I think it’s sweet.”

  “That’s ’cause you’re not the one doing it.”

  “Probably.”

  Dustin looked away, his eyes widening slightly as he looked out the window. “There’s Mrs. Winters.”

  Chad looked over to see an elderly lady peeking out her front door. “Come on, she probably wants to know what’s going on.”

  The two of them exited the car and approached Mrs. Winter’s front door. It was only as they got closer that they could see she was flanked by a tall man wearing a minister’s collar. Chad frowned slightly. Something about the situation was giving him a distinct feeling of unease. His feelings were about to be proven correct. Before Dustin was able to do more than utter a greeting, Mrs. Winters was informing him that he was being evicted.

  “Evicted? Why? I’ve always paid my rent on time
and never made excessive noise or anything.”

  “I will not have a drug dealer living under my roof. I’ve never been so embarrassed in my entire life. The police showing up at my door with the entire neighborhood looking on! I’m sorry, Mr. Parks, but you’ll have to go. I inspected the premises for damages. Since everything is as it should be, I’ve written you a check refunding your security deposit.” She handed him the check. “You’re rent is paid up until the twenty-fifth and you have just that long to vacate the premises.” The door was summarily closed in their faces.

  “Well this just keeps getting better and better,” Dustin commented calmly.

  Chad took a deep breath. He could almost smell the slow burn of Dustin’s anger as it blossomed and grew. While he couldn’t blame him for the emotion, Chad knew he had to head off a public outburst. The young man was in enough trouble as it was. They didn’t need Mrs. Winter’s calling the police.

  “Move in with me,” Chad blurted out.

  Dustin looked at him in shock. “What?”

  Chad took a deep breath. “I need you to stay close to work with me on your case. You’re going have to be out of here in a few days. It’s possible but unlikely you’ll find another apartment in that time which means your only other option is to move back home. That’s going mean a round trip commute of nearly four hours everyday between home and school. Stay with me until we get this mess settled. You’ll still be close to school and you can even hunt for a new place.”

  “What about my stuff?”

  “You have furniture?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Storage?”

  “I suppose. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Didn’t we go through something like this over the bail money?”

  “Well, yeah, but…”

  “No buts. Go upstairs and pack enough for a couple of days. We’ll come back in a day or two so you can decide what else you want to keep with you and what you want to go in storage.”

  Dustin gave him a sort of exasperated yet wondering look. “You’re the most decisive man I’ve ever met. A problem comes up and wham, you solve it.”

  “I don’t like lollygagging around.”