Chapter Text
Officer Harris tried to focus on the mint scented Vaseline he’d spread under his nose rather than the reek of a rotting corpse behind him. He hunched his shoulders as another blast of freezing rain pelted the alley. The warm weather of a few days ago seemed to be a thing of the distant past.
The 911 call had come in just after 5 a.m. and since the Sherriff’s Department handled all 911 calls it meant that he was the first on the scene, or third if you counted the two garbage men that had called it in. They’d used the forks on their truck to lift the large dumpster and that had exposed the body that had been rotting behind said dumpster. Once on scene he’d taped off the area and called for homicide detectives and a crime scene unit. He’d kept his distance from the corpse and the rest of the scene as much as possible, but he figured any evidence that might have been left had been thoroughly trampled by the garbage men. After he’d moved them back and taped off the area one of the men had come forward with a wallet. He’d said he’d been very careful to not touch the rest of the body but since he’d seen the wallet hanging out of the corpse’s pocket, he’d thought it would be a good idea to know who the guy was… ‘you know just in case the police ask, or somethin’.’ Taking a look at the tread on their boots and the impressions liberally scattered around the alley Officer Harris wasn’t holing out hope of the crime scene techs finding a track that didn’t belong to these two.
Harris had the wallet in an evidence bag, and he was just waiting for the form that would start the chain of evidence so that he could hand it off to the police department. The picture of the scowling bald man named Quincy Barnes bore little resemblance to the mottled and bloated face of the corpse. Especially with several deep long burned looking cuts across it. Including the slash through the man’s throat that looked like it had been cauterized on the edges. But he’d worked enough of these kinds of cases that he wasn’t surprised anymore by the way that bloat could twist and discolor a person’s features even discounting whatever the guy had been burnt or cut with.
Another blast of freezing rain nearly obscured the sound of feet behind him but not quite. He turned to see the grim face of Officer Wu.
“Does Alpha Spence Bridge mean anything to you?” Wu handed Harris the form for chain of custody and then took the wallet in its evidence bag.
“No. Should it?”
“It was what was left of a note in what was left of the guy’s pocket.” Wu rubbed a little more of the mint scented Vaseline under his nose. “I’m beginning to hate the weird ones.”
“You know what they say…”
Both men intoned “Keeping Portland weird.”
~~o0o~~
Eliot woke up to the sound of rain beating against the window. He took a moment to orient himself before he tried to move. He’d first developed that habit the second time he’d been held prisoner. It was always best to be sure of your surroundings and situation before revealing that you were awake. His wolf had been more than happy to tap into that habit that had nearly become instinct.
Ever since Hardison and Parker had started spending more nights than not curled up on his bed, Eliot’s wolf had gone out of its way not to disturb the pups when he was waking. He settled into the warm feeling of his pack. He wasn’t sure where Nate and Sophie were but wherever they were, they were in the full swing of their day. It had only been a little over a week since they’d been there for the full moon night, and he supposed it would be a few more months before they saw them again. Eliot checked the time on his watch, it was 5 a.m. From the look of them he figured that Hardison and Parker would be asleep for a few more hours.
It took a little finagling, but he was able to get his leg out from under Hardison’s wolf and his arm out from under Parker. After sitting on the side of the bed for a moment until the feeling returned to his toes, he got up and found a set of sweats and a water-resistant windbreaker. He padded quietly down the hall and waited to put his shoes on until he was in the stairwell. He wanted to get in a quick run before the other two woke for the day. He loved the new aspects of his pack now that Hardison was a wolf but at the same time, he felt like he hardly had a minute to himself to think or just be him. He hoped that a solo run would put him in a better more relaxed state of mind by the time he had to be Alpha again.
He started with a jog as he left the alley behind the pub. His muscles slid into the easy rhythm of his running stride as he turned the corner and started off down the street. He had always enjoyed running even before he became a wolf. He didn’t really have what was typically considered a runners build and that was one of the reasons he’d gone out for football instead of track. That and the cheerleaders. But none the less running had always been a great way to clear his head and get in a little exercise.
As he headed down the Waterfront Park Trail a cold wind blew up off of the river pelting him with freezing rain. He pulled his hood up and brought his wolf to the fore. He loved the complex smells that came with running next to the river. Hardison’s wolf was still struggling with scents but not nearly as badly as it had been just after they’d come back to the pub after he’d been turned. He still didn’t like to run near the river though. It was still too much. Eliot couldn’t help categorizing and identifying the scents as he ran. There was something calming in naming all the scents that came to him as he passed by.
Eventually he turned and ran west on Jefferson St. There were so many restaurants along this street that he really counted it as a treat for the nose. There were, Cuban, and Indian restaurants, coffee shops, and pizza places, a vegan place and Egyptian cuisine. He smelled the Thai place on the corner of 13th, but he kept going. 13th would have taken him back to the pub, but he wanted just a little more run first. So he crossed over the 405 and kept going until he came to 16th street. This street had a few more twists to it and wasn’t quite as much of a straight shot as 13th and it brought with it a whole new host of scents.
As he ran, he thought about his packs dynamics. Even though Hardison was the only other wolf in the pack his previous position in the pack hadn’t felt like it had changed much. But Parker, whom he’d known for a long time was his second, was really stepping into that position. They’d found that there was some quirk in the bonds of the pack that prevented Parker from giving a true order. He and Hardison could feel a nudge in the bonds when she tried but Hardison didn’t have to obey. But outside of experimenting for experimentations sake he didn’t think that Parker ever tried to order Hardison around. Not that she needed to, Hardison and his wolf adored Parker in a way that always made Eliot smile. Nate and Sophie were still there in the bonds and while it made him sad, he knew that someday they wouldn’t be. So while he didn’t try to remove their connection he didn’t work to strengthen those bonds either.
He was beginning to get a sense in the bonds from some of the others that they knew but it wasn’t a pack connection, at least not yet. Although it did remind him of when his bonds first started forming with the team. He sometimes felt like he could get a sense of what Tyrel or Brian or even Julio was feeling. It tugged at him in a way that didn’t make sense to him. Ever since Hardison had become a wolf Eliot had spent a lot more time working with his bond connections. Maybe he was being overly sensitive and there really wasn’t anything there. After all, Parker couldn’t feel anyone outside the team when he’d asked, and Hardison still didn’t have the control to really get much out of the bonds that wasn’t being pushed by someone else. He decided that it was more likely that his senses were playing tricks on him. Maybe it was a scent, but he’d misinterpreted some subtle change in scent as a supernatural connection.
As Eliot pondered the new sensations in the bonds a scent grabbed his attention. He was passing by two houses that had been designed to look mostly like Victorians but were too new and a little too Portland-esque. The smell was too faint to be coming from the houses. He continued across Kearny St and focused more on his surroundings as the scent got stronger. It wasn’t coming from the cab company on the corner and the scent of the restaurants down the street certainly weren’t enough to cover the smell. The closer he got to Marshall St the more certain was that he knew what he was smelling. A dead body. Not just any dead body though, a dead werewolf. He couldn’t help it as his wolf grasped his connection to Hardison, even knowing the scent didn’t belong to Hardison.
As he crossed Marshall, he saw the officers working the scene. The squad cars had their lights on, and crime scene tape had been stretched out around the mouth of an alley. Eliot crossed to the far side of 16th Ave to stay clear of the goings on and none of the officers spared a glance at the random morning jogger.
There was something familiar about the scent though. Something more than werewolf too. The image of the bald man that had been stalking Nate and Sophie through the airport came to mind. And suddenly Eliot was sure that the dead man and the wolf from the airport were one-and-the-same. He thought one of the officers looked familiar, but he didn’t want to draw attention by stopping to get a better look. Eliot moved past as quickly and discreetly as he could.
He turned under the 405 and sped back to the pub.
~~o0o~~
Officer Harris watched as the ambulance rolled away, lights off. He and Wu were waiting for the last of the crime techs to finish up and then they could all go on to the next part of their day. Wu was in his squad car and Harris was leaning against the corner of the building. He caught the glimmer of movement from the corner of his eye and turned to see what was there.
At first, he thought she was a child. The height, narrow shoulders, and Care Bear t-shirt all added to the impression of a young girl. She had hair that was a shade somewhere between rust and orange and it was frizzed out around her head in a tangled lion’s mane. When he took a closer look at her face, he was sure she was older than he had first thought. There was something about her face that made him think she had downs syndrome but not quite. He couldn’t be sure if she was special needs, but he thought it was likely.
“Can I help you with something miss?” Harris tried to put on a warm smile.
The young woman stared at him for a moment.
“Are you okay?”
“My little sister is missing.”
“Okay. What’s your sister’s name?”
“My sister is missing.”
“Okay. What’s your name?” He crouched down so that he was closer to eyelevel with her.
“Melody. My little sister is missing.”
“Your name is Melody?” He pulled out his note pad and clicked his pen.
She nodded.
“Okay Melody. How long has your sister been missing?”
Tears pooled in Melody’s eyes. “My sister is missing.”
“I’ll do my best to help you find her.” He could see the frustration and the need to communicate written clearly on Melody’s face, but communication seemed to be a limited thing. “Can you wait here for just a minute? I have to go and talk to the other police officer over there and let him know what’s going on.”
Harris walked quickly to Wu’s squad car. “Wu, I think we might have a missing kid.”
“Missing kid?” Wu looked up from his papers.
Harris tilted his chin at Melody. “Got a young woman with special needs saying her little sister is missing.”
“Names?”
“Her name is Melody, but she can’t seem to tell me much more.”
Wu got out and locked up his car. “Let’s see what we’ve got.” He pulled a notebook out of one pocket and a sucker out of the other. He ducked under the crime scene tape and crouched in front of Melody. “Officer Harris says you need some help. My name is Wu.”
Melody stared at him. “My little sister is missing.”
“What’s your sister’s name?”
Tears spilled down Melody’s cheeks and her hands balled into fists.
“Do you live near here?”
With a grunt Melody repeated “My sister is missing.”
“Why don’t we go and look for her?” Harris held a hand out and Melody took it. “Wu, why don’t you see if we have any reports on missing kids in the area and Melody and I will hit a couple of the storefronts here.”
Wu nodded.
“Alright Melody, let’s go look for your sister.” Harris held Melody’s hand as they walked to the first storefront. There was a specialty seamstress bridal shop and while the sign on the door said they were closed for another hour Harris could see someone inside. He beat a fist against the door frame in a way that made the whole door rattle and Melody flinch.
He saw a middle-aged woman behind the counter give him a shrewd glare. He held his badge up against the window. “Portland Sherriff’s Department.” He called loudly.
With a puff of breath to blow a loose strand of hair out of her way the woman came to the door. She opened the door but kept it on the chain. “I’m closed for another hour.”
“Have you seen a young girl around here?”
The woman glanced at Melody before looking back at Harris. “No. I haven’t seen her before.”
“Thanks for that.” He kept a smile on his face. “We’re looking for her sister. Have you seen any other kids in the area this morning?”
“No. It was dark when I got here, and I usually come in the back. And no, I didn’t see any kids there either.”
Harris reached into his jacket and pulled out a business card. “If you see anything, I’d appreciate a call.”
The woman took the card and waited until Harris stepped back a little before relocking the door. Harris, still holding Melody’s hand, walked around the corner to the next storefront. Next was a private residence and while more friendly the answers were much the same. No one there recognized Melody or had seen any children in the area. As they walked a little further down the block Harris tried talking with Melody again. “How old is your little sister? It would help if I could tell people how old she is.”
“My little sister is missing.”
Harris gave her hand a squeeze. “Can you tell me how old you are?”
Melody sighed and Harris could see her frustration.
“It’s okay. If there’s anything else you can tell me I’d like to hear it, but we’ll keep looking. Okay?” They turned the corner and passed a large cutout of a cartoon lumberjack. Inside Jack’s Place it became apparent that people could engage in lumberjack themed activities like axe throwing. Melody pressed herself into Harris’s side. Harris couldn’t help noticing Melody’s sudden unease and he supposed that it would be a little unnerving to see axes that were bigger than you were.
The woman at the counter smiled at Melody and gave her a little wave. After hearing what Harris had to say the woman called all of her staff to the front but no one had any information that Harris could use. Harris left the lumberjack’s with a business card and he and Melody headed next door to the florist shop. The answers were basically the same at the roofing company, and the waffle house.
Wu was waiting for them on the next corner. “Did you get her to tell you anything else?”
“Melody hasn’t been able to tell me anything new.”
Wu snapped a picture of Melody with his phone. “I’ll help you canvas this building but after that I think you better call Social Services.”
“Bosses told you to drop this one like a hot potato?”
“Pretty much. But I haven’t taken my lunch yet this week so…” Wu trailed off with a shrug as the three of them headed into the apartment building.
Even splitting up it still took them nearly an hour to cover all the apartments in the building. No one recognized Melody and no one had seen any other children that they didn’t recognize.
“Want me to call in Social Services?” Wu asked Harris with a sad smile at Melody.
Melody looked up at Harris while she clung tightly to his hand. “My little sister is missing.”
“I know sweetheart. We’re trying to help.” Harris looked at Wu. “I think I got a little more time on my lunch break.”
“Good luck.”
Harris waited until Wu had driven away. “Well Melody, I got one last thing we can try but then Wu is right. I’ll have to call Social Services to get someone that can help take care of you.”
~~o0o~~
Something chirped on one of Hardison’s screens and Eliot looked around for the device but couldn’t see it from where he was washing breakfast dishes. “Hardison. You got somethin’ wantin’ your attention down here.”
Hardison chuckled from the top of the stairs. “That could have been taken all the wrong way.”
“Shut up and find whatever is chirping over there.” Eliot indicated the corner where Hardison’s desk was.
Hardison pulled a tablet off the stack of electronics and tapped at the screen a couple of times.
“Looks like Officer Harris is on the front porch, and I think he’s got a kid with him.”
“Officer Harris?” Eliot dried his hands on a dish towel before moving to see the image on Hardison’s tablet. With a hand on the back of Hardison’s neck he looked at the screen. “That’s one of the Sherriff’s Deputies from when Perrine…?” Eliot couldn’t find a way to finish the question.
“Yah, he’s one of the ones that came here after we searched for Noah.”
Eliot felt a flair of anger and guilt at the memory. A neighboring wolf that he’d started dating had been responsible for the deaths of several children in their area. Eventually he and Rebeca, an Alpha to the north, had worked together to kill Perrine and the man that had been pursuing her, but it still left him feeling guilty.
“Wasn’t your fault.” Hardison gave Eliot a half smile.
Eliot nodded. “I wonder what Harris wants.”
“Let’s find out.” Parker dropped down one of her lines right next to them.
Eliot turned at the bottom of the stairs. “Let me check in on Brian and I’ll bring out some coffees.”
“Hot chocolate!” Parker called as she skipped next to Hardison.
“And two hot chocolates.” Eliot muttered when he saw the girl sitting with Harris on the front porch.
Hardison paused to take a deep breath before he opened the door onto the porch. Parker slid her hand into his and he gave it a gentle squeeze as they headed to the table where Officer Harris was sitting.
“Officer Harris is there something we can do for you?” Hardison pulled a chair out for Parker before he sat across from Harris.
Harris checked his watch. He hadn’t expected to see anyone yet since it was another twenty minutes until the pub opened. “Nice to see you again Mr. Hardison. This is Melody.” He tilted his head at the young woman sitting next to him.
“My little sister is missing.”
Hardison could smell her desperation and he was pretty sure that if she clenched her fists any tighter, she just might draw blood.
Hardison raised an eyebrow at Harris.
“She wandered up to a scene not far from here and told me her sister is missing. She’s been able to tell me her own first name but not much else. Another officer and I did a quick search but didn’t find anything. Melody here, is adamant about her sister but she won’t or can’t give us her last name and she hasn’t given us any details on the sister. I don’t know if we’re looking for a teenager or a toddler. City cops and officially the Sherriff’s Department have written this off. I was hoping you might help.”
“With what? What do you think we could do that you can’t?” Hardison frowned. Something about Melody caught his attention. It was a scent, but he didn’t know what it meant.
“Sparky.” Harris drummed his fingers on the table for a moment. “I don’t know why, and I got no proof but somethin’ about this situation bothers me. I don’t want to go home thinking I could have done more.”
“You want E… Sparky to look for a lost kid?” Parker frowned.
“We need some kind of probable cause to get a k-9 unit and we just don’t have anything.”
“Give us a minute.” Hardison took Parker’s hand and led her back into the pub.