The Mating Season: A Paranormal Shifter Romance Read Online Free Page B

of us is getting any younger, but you’re the oldest and still haven’t picked. They are more after you to get it over with, than me.” Tony laughed.
    “Tell me about it,” Keith groaned over the phone. “Seriously, it sets my teeth on edge the way they’re breathing down my neck every year. It’s not my fault I haven’t found anyone yet. Not like I haven’t been looking.”
    “Anyway, I’ll talk to my deputy and see what we can do to buff up the surveillance. We might be out of the way, but since we’re connected to the outside, it might not take much for this guy to find her. We need to keep her, and the rest of the town, safe,” Tony sternly told his cousin.
    “Oh, I know. If this guy has no problems shooting two people in front of their own daughter, I doubt he would think twice about gunning us down.”
    “Yes, and we’re too few in numbers as it is, my friend. We can’t afford to lose any more. Predator Springs is slowly dying. We’re having too many boy children and not enough girls for them to pick from. We’re bringing in new blood but that dilutes our own. The elders are getting pretty worried.”
    “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll let you get back to your job, eh? I’m probably gonna have a few more beers and hit the hay. I promised I would help Kim with her garden tomorrow.”
    Tony smirked. “What’s this thing about backing off?” he teased.
    “Oh come on, you helped her move in, I can at least help her last through the winter.”
    “True, true. Remember, don’t do anything I wouldn't do. I think after I’m done here, I’m gonna poke around the woods for a bit. Walking around at night always helps clear my head. Since you dropped this murder bullshit on my head, it’s going every which way.”
    Keith smiled. “Yeah sounds like a plan. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I might be able to get something out of her by then.
    “Right on. See ya,” Tony said as he pushed the button and ended the call.
    Tony leaned back in his creaky old office chair and stared at his computer screen pensively. He opened up the national database that the RCMP kept regarding open files. Every local police department had access to this database. It helped keep everyone in law enforcement on the same page regarding criminal activity.
    He typed Smiley Rockborne’s name and date of birth into the search fields and hit enter. The database pulled up all the information regarding the murder case, as well as crime scene photos. Tony winced at the sheer brutality of the evidence.
    Two adults, one male and one female, lay in a crumpled heap, and blood pooled in a wide area around them. There was a photo of a pile of shredded clothes in the corner. A 30-0-6 rifle, one used to hunt large game such as elk and moose, was in the evidence folder, along with two slugs.
    Photos of the blood on the walls, close ups of the victims and the results from the rape kit that was taken from Kim, he read through it all with morbid fascination, and a single minded purpose to catch this guy. No wonder she was so damn skittish around him, he thought. She had been through absolute hell. He decided to tell Keith about what he had found in the case file. Not the gory details, mind you, but just the important things. If anything, it would add an extra pair of eyes to look out for that psychopath.
    Tony had enough of looking at the grizzly crime. He had plenty of details in his mind to want to put the son of a bitch away himself. It would look good on his record, too. Band police chief put away wanted dangerous fugitive. Yep, it would definitely make him look pretty good.
    He got up from his desk, and looked outside at the full moon low in the sky. Yes, he needed to go for a walk to clear his head, so he could focus on the hunt for Smiley. He opened the station door, stepped out, locking it behind him. Tony started towards the woods, walking through a field that had a low creeping mist about it, and the sounds of frog mating chirps echoed through