The Patient Wolf (Wicked Urban Fantasy #1) Read Free Page A

Andres’s lurid imagination. “And what if Mrs. Andres ever learned the whole truth about what goes on in this town? She’ll never recover from the shock,” she added to herself.
    “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Mrs. Andres,” she said, trying hard not to laugh out loud at older woman, who really was a kind soul. “The dog was probably a stray. It couldn’t belong to Shannon Kelly—that’s our new neighbor by the way.” Ana emphasized the word neighbor, hoping to help Chris and his sister out a bit by reminding Mrs. Andres that they were now a part of the neighborhood, not suspicious strangers. “The police said they’ve had reports of a stray dog for several months, and she’s only been here in Rivelou for a few weeks. And besides, she’s a police officer, so I’m sure she wouldn’t have a mean dog. Not one that kills people. Did you hear if they caught the dog? Or if they know who it…” Ana gulped and stumbled over the word, “killed?”
    “No, they didn’t catch that dog, sweat pea, and they don’t know who the man was yet.” Mrs. Andres leaned in and whispered, “They said on the news he didn’t have any sort of identification on him. Now what sort of man walks around at night with no wallet?” She leaned back. “Not that I’m one to gossip.”
    “Maybe he was just out for an evening stroll,” put in Ana.
    “That’s exactly what I said,” Mrs. Andres declared, despite the fact that she had said nothing of the kind. “The poor man probably just went out for an evening stroll. Who remembers to take their wallet with them when they are just out getting the air? And here comes some mad dog and just up and kills him! What is the world coming to when a man can’t just take a walk in his own neighborhood without getting attacked and killed?”
    Mrs. Andres was off again, and Ana knew she’d talk all day unless stopped. She wanted more information about the killing in Mitchell Park, but she also didn’t want to be late to her job. Maybe she would be able to listen to a news report on the office radio before Monica, her office mate, insisted she turn to an all-music station.
    “I have to go now, or I’ll be late for work.” Ana cut in quickly, and turned and walked off in haste. She didn’t want to Mrs. Andres to see her giggling. The older woman would certainly give her a lecture on laughing inappropriately at the death of a neighbor. It would never occur to her that Ana was really in stitches at Mrs. Andres, herself, and her rather unusual views on the neighborhood, the city, and the world, and how it had changed—not for the better—in the last twenty years.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 4
     
    Ana worked as an administrative assistant, or admin for short, in the history department of the university. When she got to work her friend and fellow admin, Monica, was just as ready to gossip as Mrs. Andres had been. But, of course, it wasn’t about anything that she had heard on the local news. Monica didn’t believe in listening to the news. “It just starts your day off wrong to hear all that bad stuff about murder and rape and the economy,” she was fond of saying.
    Maybe Monica had a point, Ana thought as she neared the office. Hearing about a man killed by a dog just a short time after, presumably, the same animal had attacked her, had definitely put a damper on her day. She really needed to get hold of Chris, she thought to herself. She had dropped him at home. She was sure he hadn’t planned to go out again, but she wished she had gotten his phone number just so she could reassure herself he had not been the victim.
    She had little time, though, to think about the dog attack, or the victim, because Monica began talking as soon as she got inside the door.
    “Dr. Fontaine is in Tormisano’s office. I can’t imagine what he wants with the old coot,” Monica said, making a face toward the office door of their boss, the head of the history