Текст книги "A Silver Wolf Christmas"

Автор книги: Spear Terry

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

Chapter 7

“To celebrate your first lesson on the slopes,” CJ said to Laurel as he paid for the champagne. And their first kiss and, as far as he was concerned, their first date. After that kiss on the slopes, he was moving this courtship business along.

Her wicked smile indicated that she knew he meant a lot more by the gesture than he was letting on.

Afterward, they dropped by the grocery store, and she picked out a seven-layer chocolate cake. She wasn’t kidding when she said she loved chocolate. He’d had to smile when she first saw the cake and her eyes lit up.

When they arrived at her house, it was still only four in the afternoon. She excused herself to run up and change out of her ski clothes. He ditched his ski jacket and pants on the arm of the couch.

She came downstairs wearing jeans, her peach sweater, and a pair of suede slipper boots. Something about the way she was so casually dressed made him feel right at home.

“Do you want me to open the bottle of champagne now?” he asked while she started to roast slices of beef, tomatoes, and garlic in a pan.

“Do you want me to do something extra special with it? Make it a Christmas drink?” she asked.

“Sure.” He opened the bottle for her.

“This will be poinsettia champagne. Just mix a little orange liqueur and cranberry juice, then add the champagne.” She mixed it up, poured them each a glass, and offered one to him.

He clinked his glass against hers. “To first lessons and much more.” He wanted her to know that this wasn’t just another day, but an important beginning for them.

She smiled and sipped her champagne. “And to kissing on the slopes—without an audience next time.”

He laughed and drank to that. He was glad she was all for it. “Still on for a run tonight?”

“I sure am. It’ll be the last time before the hotel is open. Do you want to look at this stuff again? See if we find anything that might tell us who was there about the time of the owners’ disappearance?” She motioned with her glass to the photos and other items that Brett had gathered for them.

“Yeah, sure.” He really just wanted to enjoy the time with her. But since learning what had happened to the owners seemed important to her, he’d do whatever it took to help her learn the truth as quickly as possible.

“I don’t see anyone labeled as Warren Wernicke’s sister in these pictures. Unless she was a mated wolf and took her husband’s name. Is there any way that we can get some of these photos blown up in size but still be able to keep the detail?” She turned her attention from the photos to CJ.

“We can certainly ask Jake to give it a shot.” CJ still didn’t see anything that he thought would help with learning the truth about the siblings.

Laurel finally sighed, stacked all the items at the end of the table, and began to set the table.

He helped her serve the meal, and then they sat down to eat. “I’m glad you had fun skiing.”

“It was great. I’ll probably be a little sore tomorrow with all the spills I took, but otherwise, I had a ball. I can’t wait to do it again when I have the chance. I imagine my sisters would love to try it too.”

“I’m sure any number of our ski instructors would be willing to give lessons.”

“Private lessons, right?” She lifted her poinsettia champagne and toasted him.

“Absolutely, but I’m only giving you private lessons.” He didn’t want her thinking he did this all the time. He ate another bite of the roast. “By the way, this is delicious. I love it.”

“Thanks. Just something really simple to make that tastes great.”

After they ate and put everything away, he hoped she wasn’t too tired or sore from skiing to run. He was really looking forward to it.

“Are you ready?” she asked as he put the champagne flutes in the dishwasher. “I thought we could have the chocolate cake when we get back. I’m too full to eat a slice now.”

“Sounds like a great idea.” He was thrilled she wasn’t going to bow out tonight and wanted to spend even more time with him after the run.

After she pulled on her snow boots, coat, and gloves, he drove her out to the woods on Darien’s property, rather than to the now-closed ski resort, and parked. “I wanted to show you a different place that we run.” He wanted to show her everything that was great for their kind here, now that she was willing to take the time to see the sights with him.

“We often run as wolves out here. This is Darien’s property—several thousand acres of forest, no hunting allowed. The title to the land is in Darien and Lelandi’s names, but it’s for the use of all pack members. There’s a river back there where we boat, fish, and swim.” He pointed in the direction. “Any of us who want to take a run out here can. It’s like the ski resort at night. Our safe haven for wolves.”

“That’s really nice. I have to say that while we were living in Florida, we were on our own. We had to be extra careful to avoid being seen. No gray wolves exist in Florida. Lots of forests though. We always ran at night.” She smiled. “This truly has been a nice change of pace.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. We have a great place here. Great for raising wolf families, and you can’t say that about a lot of locations. I’ll take you down to see the river.” To give Laurel some privacy, he left the truck, shut the door, and removed his clothes, then opened the door and tossed them inside.

She had stayed in where it was warmer, removed her clothes, and shifted. She leaped out of the truck. She probably wasn’t used to shifting in the cold that much. She looked nice and warm now in her gray fur coat, her chest and face tan, her pretty green eyes alight with excitement as she looked him over. He was freezing in his naked human form, so he quickly locked the door, then shifted.

They ran side by side, enjoying the snowy breeze ruffling their fur as they made their way to the river. He could smell the sexy she-wolf, the snow, the pine trees, and fresh water. He always loved running as a wolf, but running with a she-wolf he was interested in courting? He hadn’t realized it would feel so different. Like he couldn’t be himself because he wanted to impress her. With his brothers or cousins, he could run with them, tackle them, and just do whatever he was used to doing. He had loved watching Laurel take her sister Ellie down. And then when her sister Meghan tackled her next.

They were cute, but he didn’t feel that he could play with Laurel like that. Not yet, anyway. He’d love to when they got to know each other better. With humans, it was easier—take her out to dinner, to a movie, a ball game, anything that the man thought would interest the woman. With wolves, courtship was much more physical. It had to be. They didn’t have any other options. Yet he definitely didn’t want to come on too aggressive and push her away. On the other hand, he didn’t want her to think he was a beta wolf since she obviously was not a beta herself.

He got closer and rubbed up against her a little, which was definitely a show of courtship. He hadn’t just brushed up against her to indicate he wanted her to go in a different direction.

She looked at him, and he thought she was wondering what he was up to. Hell, he could pretend he wanted to go in a different direction, or he could tell her what else he was thinking. He brushed up against her again and licked her cheek. Now, he had told her in no uncertain terms what his intentions were. She showed her beautiful teeth in a small smile, right before she tackled him.

He couldn’t have been any more surprised or delighted. Due to his wolf’s nature, he would normally give it his all, and that meant he’d tackle her and take her down. Would she see that as too aggressive? If he didn’t take her down, would he look weak? He hated overthinking this.

Their mouths clashed. He touched his tongue to hers as she growled at him, purely in play, but he was taking this a human step further. In a pinning effort, she rested her chest and forearms on his chest as she continued to bite at him in play, her tail wagging vigorously, her whole butt wagging at the same time. He was on his back, his tail wagging also, and loving every bit of their interaction. He realized he didn’t need to show how aggressive he could be. Just taking his time with her like this was a perfect wolf way to get to know her. He bit back in a gentler way, getting in the licks he wanted that were as much a human’s interaction as a wolf’s. He let her have her way with him.

Not that he was acting like a beta wolf in the least, or he would have tucked his tail against his belly, flattened his ears, and let her completely dominate him. When she looked like she wasn’t getting enough of a reaction from him, maybe that he wasn’t challenging her enough and acting too submissive, he changed his posture subtly. He got ready to take charge, trying to keep from revealing his intent. She was wary enough to recognize he was going to make her pay—in a fun way.

To avoid payback, she jumped back from him. He leaped from his prone position and with a quick, strategically placed lunge, he pinned her this time against the soft snow. She was even more aggressive when he brought her down. He could tell she liked it when he wasn’t letting her win the confrontation too easily. They were both growling, and if any humans heard them, they would think the wolves were having an angry fight.

She was beginning to wear down as he rested on her chest, and they began to kiss, wolf style, licking and nuzzling each other. He was absolutely in heaven. He was so glad he had suggested going on a run with her and that she was having just as much fun with him. Then he heard an unfamiliar “woof” in the woods south of them. He quickly got off Laurel, and she rose to her feet. Both smelled the breeze, but the wolf was downwind of them, which meant he or she could eventually smell CJ and Laurel.

He imagined it had to be one of the wolves in their pack, but he hadn’t heard enough of the woof to recognize it. He waited and watched. A black wolf, then a gray, and finally a third wolf, also gray in color, came out of the woods. All three headed for the river, then stood at the water’s edge. CJ tried to recognize them. He sniffed the air again. But he couldn’t smell them, and they didn’t look familiar.

They were a long ways off, looking out across the river, and weren’t aware that CJ and Laurel were watching them.

Laurel stuck close to him as she observed the wolves too. Her ears were perked, her tail straight, her posture as wary as his.

As soon as the wolves caught CJ’s and Laurel’s scents and looked their way, CJ only hesitated a second before doing what any of his wolf pack members would do. He lifted his head and howled for the pack. He could have run with Laurel back to the truck, but that might trigger the three gray wolves’ natural inclination to take chase and hunt them down, particularly if they were all wolf and were trying to establish a wolf pack here. If they were lupus garous and were trouble, no telling what they might do. So his only option was to call for the pack and to stay there with Laurel.

A few of his pack members living in the vicinity would hear him howl—Darien and his family, Darien’s brother Jake and his wife, and a few others scattered about in the wilderness.

The three wolves stood their ground for a moment, as if they were trying to decide whether they wanted to challenge the local wolf pack’s authority. Then the lead wolf turned and ran off into the woods, vanishing from sight, and the others quickly followed.

CJ didn’t chase after them. He was sticking close to Laurel. He doubted she or her sisters had been involved in much wolf-to-wolf combat, so he wasn’t about to leave her on her own. He wouldn’t be foolhardy enough to chase three male wolves down on his own anyway.

A few minutes later, Jake and Darien howled, letting him know they were coming. They would also have alerted several pack members about the unknown trouble. It hadn’t been a false alarm, particularly if the three male wolves had decided to attack them. But it was also a way of showing pack unity and reinforcing that this was their territory as far as other wolves or lupus garous were concerned.

Jake and Darien soon reached them, and CJ shifted to speak with them. “Three large, gray male wolves were standing next to the river down that way. One was black, the others gray. As soon as I howled for you, they hesitated, then took off.”

Darien shifted then. “Reinforcements are coming. We’ll check it out. Why don’t you and Laurel head back in?”

“Will do.” CJ was disappointed that they couldn’t run farther, just the two of them. He liked exploring the wilderness and giving her a taste of what it was like living here.

He shifted and so did Darien. Then Darien and Jake loped off in their wolf forms, ready to tear into the intruders if they had to. CJ was torn between helping them or leaving with Laurel. The three male wolves outnumbered them. But he reminded himself he needed to get Laurel home safely. He’d never expected to run into any difficulties with other wolves.

When they returned to his truck, he shifted and unlocked the back door for her. This time, he climbed in with her and shut the door.

“Sorry about that.” He began pulling on his briefs in the chilly truck. He tried to give her some privacy as she shifted, then began pulling on her panties. He couldn’t help but notice that she was watching him too. “We usually don’t have any trouble out here.”

“It’s not your fault. I find it refreshing to see a wolf pack come to its members’ aid. If they weren’t from your wolf pack, were they real wolves? Or who else might they have been?”

“Taking a wild guess? The Wernicke brothers. If they’re related to the previous owners and Warren and his sister were wolves, then these men have to be. But if they are wolves, they’ve been hiding the fact that they’re lupus garous, and Darien won’t allow them to run here. Not until he knows what’s going on. Still, I’m sorry our run was cut short.”

“Maybe after my sisters return and are able to manage things without me for a while, we can do it again.”

“I’d love that.” He lifted her head and waited only a heartbeat for her to pull away. When she didn’t, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, their berry-and-orange-champagne-flavored breaths mingling. His body throbbed with need, just like when they’d kissed earlier on the ski slope, making his blood burn. He felt her heart thundering against his chest. He kissed her again, feeling compelled, his hands raking through her silky, red hair, her fingers gripping his shoulders and keeping him close.

He was surprised but grateful that she seemed to have changed her mind about him and the pack. He absorbed her heat and softness, smelled her sexy pheromones. Too wrapped up in the feel and smell of her, he was powerless to stop this madness. He wanted this and her, wanted to convince her to stay as long as it would take to truly court her.

Until someone pounded on the window. Laurel jumped a little in his arms, and he turned to see the windows all fogged up. He wiped the nearest one with his arm and saw Darien, dressed now, frowning at him.

CJ opened the door. “Did you find them?”

“Yes, and I lectured them. I thought you were taking Laurel home.”

“I am.” CJ couldn’t help feeling defensive. He knew Darien had everyone in the pack’s best interests in mind when he ruled about things, but CJ really didn’t want his interference in this.

“I’m calling a meeting. I talked with the wolves, assuming they were the Wernicke brothers, and told them if they want to stay in town or visit in the future, they will obey pack rules. Which means no more using hunter’s spray to hide their scents.”

“So we don’t know for sure if it is them.”

“Not for certain. They stood their ground but didn’t make a move to fight or run off, so I knew they were lupus garous. But I couldn’t smell them. None of them shifted to speak to me, only acknowledged with a slight bow of a head that I’d called a meeting and they’re to be there in an hour. I wanted you to come too since you’ll be watching things at the hotel.”

“What about Laurel?” CJ preferred that she go with him. Not that anything bad would happen if he dropped her off at her house, but he wanted a chance to drop her off properly, not in a rush. And besides, they were nearly to Darien’s house. Taking her home and returning would take too long.

“She can visit with Lelandi,” Darien said, casting him an elusive smile.

Laurel shook her head. “That’s okay. I can go home. I’ve got a lot of things to do before tomorrow.”

CJ didn’t think she really did. He took her hand in his. Perhaps not the smartest move in front of his cousin, but he didn’t want to take her home just yet. “Are you sure? Lelandi would love to visit with you for a bit. We’re almost at Darien’s home. And then I’ll take you home after the meeting.”

He was certain Lelandi would be very welcoming, but he had another purpose in mind—he wanted Laurel to get to know Lelandi better. To make friends with her. He knew they hadn’t had time to see much of each other socially because Lelandi was busy with the toddlers, the pack, and her psychology business. And Laurel and her sisters had been so busy with renovating the hotel.

“I’m sure it would be an imposition—”

“No imposition at all,” Darien said.

“All right. As long as it doesn’t take too long,” she said.

“If it does, one of the men can take you back to your place.”

“Okay, thanks.”

When Darien left, CJ climbed out of the backseat of the truck and sat in the driver’s seat.

Laurel moved up front too. “That was…awkward.” She fastened her seat belt. “I felt like a teenager caught kissing a guy in front of the pack leader. Not that we didn’t already kiss in front of a few people at the ski resort, but it’s…different.”

CJ chuckled. “I’m sure Darien’s used to it.”

“He’s used to you kissing she-wolves in your truck?”

CJ laughed. “No. Other pack members getting caught at it. His brothers. My brothers.”

“Tom and Elizabeth on the slopes?”

“Yeah. That was the talk of the pack.”

“So what do you think Darien will say to the men?”

“He’ll tell them again not to use any more hunter’s spray. And no hassling you or your sisters about the hotel. He’ll probably ask about their connection to the previous owners.”

“Maybe I should sit in on the meeting.” Laurel looked out the window as they drove to Darien’s home.

“We can ask Darien when we get there.” Considering how much Darien and Lelandi wanted the women to remain in the pack, CJ knew Darien would agree to just about anything where they were concerned.

Chapter 8

When they arrived at Darien and Lelandi’s house, the two-story home was all lit up with Christmas lights and looking festive in its woodland setting. All it needed was a couple of wolves sitting on the front porch to make it perfect.

Laurel took a deep breath. “It’s beautiful.”

“It is. They have big celebrations on the back acreage every season of the year. Since the pack has grown, they have a building now for events, parties, and pack business if the weather is inclement. But for this, we’ll just meet in the conference room. If it was just four or five of us, we’d meet in Darien’s office. But there’ll be more than that.”

“Who else will be there?”

“Sheriff Peter Jorgenson, Deputy Trevor Osgood, and Darien’s brothers, Jake and Tom. Me, because I’m a deputy sheriff.”

“And you’re watching over the situation at the hotel.” She leaned over and gave him another kiss on the lips.

He was about to lean in for more, but she turned away when she saw Lelandi coming outside to greet them. Laurel smiled. “Almost got caught—again.”

CJ just laughed. He was definitely kissing her good night when he dropped her off at her place later.

Lelandi welcomed Laurel as they headed inside.

Glad the two women seemed to get along, CJ said to Laurel, “I’ll ask about you sitting in on the meeting.”

“No, that’s okay.” Laurel smiled. “I’d rather visit with Lelandi.”

Right then and there, CJ felt something change between them. As if this meant she was considering staying for good and wanted to become friends with Lelandi. At least he was hopeful.

Heading into the conference room, CJ felt lighthearted about the way things were going with Laurel. Normally he would have felt somewhat annoyed that the pack had to deal with lupus garous who were bound to give them trouble. Only Darien and Jake were in the room. Everyone else was still on their way.

“How did they act when you met up with them?” CJ asked and took a seat at the long conference table.

Darien poured himself a cup of coffee, then sat down at the head of the table. “They were growly. Belligerent. They didn’t like being taken to task. But if they’re going to stay here, they’ll have to get used to pack rules. Or they’ll have to leave the area. Since they never shifted, just nodded in agreement, I can’t say any more than that about their behavior.”

Jake took a seat. “Do you want me involved in this?”

“As sub-leader, you need to know what’s going on. Same with Tom. So just keep your eyes and ears open. If you learn anything about them, let me know.”

Tom arrived then and smiled at CJ. “I hear Laurel’s with you. And that you had fun on the slopes today with her.”

CJ figured that when Darien called the meeting, he’d told Tom about CJ and Laurel running together. And apparently Tom had already heard about their kiss. CJ said, “She wanted private ski lessons.”

Tom’s smile broadened. “Hell, is that what they’re calling them these days?”

Everyone chuckled.

“Where is she?” Tom asked.

“She’s visiting with Lelandi.”

Tom’s lighthearted expression said he was glad CJ was making progress with Laurel. It was the first time that Laurel, or either of her sisters, had visited with Lelandi.

Laurel was too unpredictable for him to believe he was really making progress with her. It would take a while before she changed her mind for certain about staying, if she was even interested. He still felt something other than the desire to join the pack had brought her and her sisters to Silver Town.

Trevor and Peter arrived after that. Then they waited for the Wernicke brothers to show, but by the time an hour had passed, they still hadn’t.

Darien never liked to be kept waiting when he’d summoned lupus garous—for good reason. It was a sign of disrespect, unless they had a good excuse. Of course, everyone had talked about other subjects, and at one point, Lelandi and Laurel had peeked in to see if the men had arrived yet and then gone back to visiting.

Darien tapped his fingers on the table. He was a patient man, but this business with the Wernicke brothers was already wearing thin with him. CJ knew the feeling.

* * *

Laurel had wondered why CJ and the others were taking so long to speak with the Wernicke brothers. When Lelandi saw how much the delay was bothering Laurel, she had taken her to the conference room. Laurel loved that the pack leader was so attuned to watching out for a pack member. Maybe some of it had to do with Lelandi’s psychology training.

Laurel could tell Darien wasn’t happy about the delay. He was tapping his fingers on the table, and the smile he offered her and Lelandi was strained. Laurel didn’t blame him one bit.

She was somewhat apprehensive about visiting much with Lelandi because the pack leader was a psychologist. Laurel was afraid she was analyzing her every word and action. On the other hand, Laurel thought she might learn something important from Lelandi.

“I hope you know how much you and your sisters being here means to us.” Lelandi took a sip of her Black Forest cocoa. It had chocolate sprinkled on top to form a Christmas tree in a reindeer-decorated mug. Laurel wanted to replicate the cocoa for her own guests when the hotel was open.

“At one time, Sheriff Sheridan Silver suggested we tear down the hotel because it was an eyesore. As it continued to deteriorate, it would be a hazard to anyone sneaking inside, despite it being boarded up. You know how it is when places are put off-limits.”

“Right. Some want to see what’s in the forbidden place.”

“Exactly. And the word had spread that the place was haunted. Many wanted to see if it truly was. Including Darien and his brothers and cousins. But no one who has been in there has been injured. The consensus was that the building was part of our heritage—like the tavern and Bertha and John Hastings’s bed and breakfast. Those buildings were some of the first and are still standing proud.”

“I so agree. I love old buildings. And I love restoring them to their former grandeur.”

“Which you have done.”

“Thanks.” Laurel smiled. Lelandi wasn’t just trying to convince her they wanted her to stay with the pack; she truly did love what they had done with the hotel.

Though Laurel had asked CJ why no one had bought the hotel before this, she wondered if Lelandi knew of a different reason. “Do you know why it was abandoned for so long?”

“Oh, it was a boardinghouse for years before it was a hotel. Miners, drifters, a couple of women with no family stayed there. Then the silver mine closed and the drifters moved along. Eventually, it was remodeled and opened as the Silver Town Inn.”

“What about the Wernicke brother and sister who ran the hotel? Didn’t he vanish, and his sister disappeared after that?”

“Darien’s having the sheriff and Trevor look into it. Since CJ is watching over the hotel and these men for now, he really can’t do it. Darien didn’t know anything about the disappearances. Or maybe he heard something in passing years ago, but his father would have been the pack leader back then so he would have dealt with it. I didn’t live here at the time. So I don’t have a clue.”

That’s what Laurel had thought. She’d already crossed Lelandi’s name off the list of suspects.

They heard a commotion in the other part of the house and then some conversation that she couldn’t quite make out, but it sounded like the Wernicke brothers had finally arrived. She really did want to sit in on the conversation, but Lelandi said, “So how did you hear about the hotel? And why did you decide to buy this particular one when there must be hundreds of listings of other hotel properties available all over the States? It’s not advertised as a wolf-run resort and town, so we know it wasn’t for that reason. We don’t recall that you passed through here before. So it wasn’t that you knew about us for that reason either.”

Laurel never thought the conversation would end up going in this direction. And she really didn’t want to keep up the charade with the pack leaders. If they were involved in a crime, so be it. If they weren’t, she was certain now that they’d want to learn the truth and handle it.

“Our aunt was staying at the hotel and then she…vanished.”

* * *

As soon as the Wernicke brothers took seats at the conference table, not explaining why they were so late, Darien came straight to the point. “Are you related to the previous hotel owners—Warren and Charity Wernicke?”

“They were our aunt and uncle on our father’s side,” Stanton said. CJ assumed he was the one in charge of his brothers.

Looking pack-leader stern, Darien sat up a little taller. “I see. So what is your purpose here? I don’t believe it’s to schedule a ghost-buster’s TV show. Even if you had planned to, Laurel MacTire has said no to giving you permission. So why stay?”

“We’re here to learn who murdered Uncle Warren and Aunt Charity,” Stanton said, his eyes just as hard.

“They disappeared without a trace. No one knows what happened to them,” Darien said. “My father was pack leader at the time. But now that the issue has been brought up again, I’m starting a fresh investigation. So again, I ask what your purpose is in coming here. To search for clues? Why do you suspect they met with foul play? And why come now, of all times?”

CJ imagined that the men were here to either seek revenge or to lay claim to the property. But like Darien, he wondered why now, after all these years?

“Someone made them disappear. Our father, Warren and Charity’s triplet brother, said that someone in your pack murdered them.”

The Silver brothers and cousins all stared at Stanton as if he had accused each of them personally.

Darien calmly said, “I see. And when did he tell you this?”

“A couple of weeks ago. Right before he died.”

Way too convenient, to CJ’s thinking. Darien’s brow arched, and Jake and Tom smiled a little.

Stanton ignored their reactions and continued. “But our dear dad clasped my hand and begged me to learn the truth.”

CJ considered the other brothers’ expressions. They were keeping straight faces, looking somber for the occasion.

“Why did he wait so long in telling you this?” CJ asked before Darien had a chance. He knew it wasn’t the proper protocol. Darien was the pack leader and he was asking the questions. But the words just slipped out before CJ could stop them. Hell.

Stanton switched his attention to CJ. “He and Warren had a falling-out some years ago. Dad wanted to make amends with him. They did, but then they were busy with their own lives and didn’t speak for a number of years. He didn’t know the man’s name, but Dad said Warren had trouble with one of the members of the pack.”

Darien folded his arms. “So you don’t have anything to really back up your claim.”

“Dad was dying and then we had to clear up his estate. But he mentioned that Warren had been seeing a woman, another man was involved, and both were with your pack. Then Warren ended up missing, presumed dead. Their sister disappeared shortly after that. Dad thought she probably learned the truth about what happened. We’ve been busy with a current TV production and couldn’t get away until now. Then we learned that someone had bought the hotel that rightfully belonged to our family and renovated it. When we heard it was the MacTires, we wanted to see what they knew about our aunt and uncle’s disappearances.”

Darien opened his mouth to speak, but CJ frowned, irritated to hell with the lies Stanton was telling, since he couldn’t back any of it up, and asked, “Why would Laurel and her sisters know anything about your aunt and uncle when they only moved in six months ago?”