She felt like she’d barely fallen asleep when she heard Adam on the phone, heading down the hall. He peeked into her room only wearing his boxer briefs and saw her eyeing him. “Hey, I’ve got to go in to work.”
She groaned. She wouldn’t have to go in for another two hours normally.
“I can call Josh to come by and watch over you, and then he can drop you off at work. I’m having your car taken out of impound and can have it delivered either here or at work, but it might be a while before someone can get to it.”
“You can have my car delivered to the bureau.” She really didn’t want to have to go in before she had to. “I’ll call Josh and see if he and Brooke don’t mind me being over there until I need to go to work.”
“Okay.”
“What’s the situation you have to deal with?” She grabbed her phone to call Josh.
“A police officer pulled a man over for speeding, and he looked like the description of one of the men who sold the stolen boat to Rivers. Rivers just picked the guy out of a lineup.”
“It’s amazing how these criminals can get away with so much, but then their downfall is disobeying traffic regulations.”
Adam smiled. “That works well for us. Oh, and other good news—they found wig hair, about the color of your hair, in your car and house and on our kidnapped victim. No fingerprints on the steering wheel or doors.”
“That’s great news about the wig though. Now we just need to find the wig at Phyllis’s residence—”
“Or fibers in her own car. Do you want some coffee?”
“Yeah, sure. One teaspoon of sugar and lots of milk or cream.”
“You’ve got it.” He went to the kitchen.
She hurried to get dressed, then called Josh on her cell phone. “Hey, I hate to bother you and Brooke like this, but—”
“Adam said you might need looking after if he couldn’t do it. We’ll be glad to have you over for as long as you need to be here.”
She was glad Josh knew the story, but she wished she didn’t have to impose on everyone. “He was called in early to work. I don’t have to go in for another couple of hours”—at least that she knew for now—“and I don’t have my car back yet. Adam could drop me off at your place and I could help you get ready to open the antique shop, and then, if you don’t mind, you could drop me off at the bureau when I have to go in to work.”
“Yeah, come on over. You can have breakfast with us. Adam too, if he has time.”
“I don’t think so, but I’ll let him know. And thanks bunches.”
“No problem. We’ll both be glad to see you. And congratulations on getting the full-time position.”
“Thanks.” She still preferred the part-time job. Then they ended the call and she joined Adam in the kitchen. “Okay, Josh said for you to drop me off at their place, and he’ll take me to work.”
“Good show.”
She sipped some of the coffee he had made for her and smiled. “Perfect.”
“Good. I’ve got to get dressed.”
“Josh invited you to breakfast.”
“No time.” Adam hurried off toward his bedroom.
“I told him you might not have any.”
“Thank him for me for the offer though.”
“I will. Oh, and what did he say when you told him he was replaced by a pretty she-wolf?”
“He laughed and didn’t believe me at first. He thought I was pulling his leg.” Drawers opened and shut in the bedroom.
“I was surprised too. I wondered how Josh would view it.”
“Well, if it had just been a female detective, no big deal. But when she was also a wolf?” Adam chuckled. “Tori’s been great to work with, and though she’s a lot different in her methods than Josh, she’s eager to be a real help in the investigations. She’s great at her job.”
“I’m so glad for you. I know you were getting really inundated with work.”
Adam came out of the bedroom and joined Sierra. “I sure was. Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah, sure.” She went back to the guest bedroom and grabbed her purse. On the way to Josh and Brooke’s house, she said, “So now one of the men who stole the boat has been arrested?”
“Yeah. He’s claiming salvage rights.”
“He can’t do that.” At least she didn’t think so.
“No.” Adam laughed. “Criminals will come up with anything to get out of a jail sentence. If they had turned the boat over to the police when they found it, that would have been one thing. We would have learned sooner that the man who owned it and his companions had gone missing. Taking possession of the boat and trying to sell it was a criminal act.”
“Is there any tie between them and the drowned men?”
“We’re asking anyone who saw the boat on the river that day to give us a call. We’ve had a lot of calls from boaters who saw the men one of the days before they drowned—they’d been fishing and were friendly to other boaters—but not anyone who saw the other men piloting the boat. Except for the officers of the River Patrol Unit. At least not for now. We’re still trying to learn if there was any foul play. We didn’t find any human blood on the boat at least. Just some traces of fish blood.”
“Were there any fish onboard the boat?”
“No. And all the gear the men had onboard was still onboard. That’s another way to realize a boat you’re buying may be stolen—if personal stuff belonging to the owner is still onboard. Most people who sell a boat would clean it up and only leave items onboard that belong with the boat.”
“Okay. If I bought a boat, I’d stick with a showroom boat dealer. Growing up, I loved to go out with Mom and Dad and Brad on boating trips. Dad had motorboats for a long time, and then he got sailboats. They’re all fun, though for wolves, sailboats are really nice. Quiet. He always had a motor on one though, just in case we were becalmed. No wind meant we weren’t going anywhere.”
“That’s for sure. I really enjoy my boat, but I get so busy with work, I don’t have time for it. I even thought of selling it.”
“Oh, no, you can’t do that!”
Adam glanced at her and smiled. “Don’t tell me that if I didn’t have a boat, you wouldn’t go out with me.”
“Oh, for sure. I love boating. That’s just what I need. A wolf boyfriend with a boat.”