“Well, since the comet only comes by every 164 years, it’s hard to say,” Blanche said. “When it came by in the 1600s, there were no humans living in that area of Blue Moon Junction; it hadn’t been settled yet. So there’s no way to know what kind of effect it had then. And if it caused a surge of shifters in other parts of the world in the past, they obviously kept it hidden so they wouldn’t be run out of their villages with torches and pitchforks. And now, two descendants of Original Shifters have disappeared, right before the comet is due to pass by.”
“Well, that is interesting. I’ll tell Mr. Brewster about it, and see if there’s any way to work it into the story,” Coral said. “Of course, there’s nobody living out there in the area where the three ley lines converge, so it’s possible it will have no effect at all this time.”
Blanche stood up to go. “If you do any more snooping, you better call me,” she said. “It’s getting dangerous out there. It sounds like things are starting to heat up around here.”
“I will do that,” Coral promised.
After Blanche left, Frederick glanced over at her. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
She shrugged, turning on her computer and grabbing the stack of obituaries from the wire basket on her desk.
“Eh.” She tried to sound indifferent.
“You can’t go investigate on their property, you know. They could have you arrested.”
“Only if they catch me,” she said in a low voice, glancing around. “I’m a wolf. And I run fast. If they see a wolf on the property, in the unlikely event they even stop me, how would they know whether it’s a shifter and not a real wolf?”
“They’re likely to shoot first and ask questions later,” he said.
She shrugged unhappily. She could still see the haunted look on Molly Friedman’s, and Mrs. Kirby’s faces. She couldn’t imagine having a family member disappear. She had to help them.
“I don’t know that the publisher is going to agree to let you trespass,” he said.
“Then don’t tell him. I’m not planning on telling anyone else. I’ve got to go, Frederick. There are people missing, and nobody is helping them. The police might even be in on it. I don’t trust anyone at this point.”
“All right, then I’m coming with you,” he said.
“What?”
“I can sling a camera around my neck before I shift. Safety in numbers, right? And if there’s anything there, you’ll need proof. You know how Mr. Brewster is. He won’t print anything without proof.”
She considered that. “I guess you’re right, but you do understand that what we’d be doing is both dangerous and illegal?” she said.
“Yeah, yeah. I eat danger for breakfast.”
“You eat way too many jelly donuts for breakfast, but okay. I appreciate it,” she said.
The rest of the afternoon went uneventfully, and Coral stopped by the grocery store on her way back to the house.
Her stomach tightened in a knot when she realized that Flint was there with several other bear shifters, who she recognized from the family brochure. One of them was his mother, Blue McCoy. That had been her nickname since she was a young child, because of her love of blueberries, and she’d grown up to be an award winning maker of blueberry jam.
The McCoys were in the produce aisle, piling fresh corn into baskets. Coral turned and tried to slink away before she was spotted, but it was too late.
“Hello, Coral,” Flint called out.
She pasted a big fake smile on her face and turned as if she’d just seen him.
“Oh, Flint! How are you?”
His mother’s face lit up as Coral walked up to them. A teenaged bear shifter girl, tall and pretty, looked over Coral curiously, and a grade school aged bear shifter leaned over and sniffed her hand. Flint, flushing, grabbed the young boy and pulled him away.
“Stop that, Rupert!” he scolded. He shook his head apologetically at Coral. “My family. They’re nothing but a bunch of animals.”
“Coral! You’re the young lady he’s been talking about non-stop. You simply must have dinner with us tonight,” Blue said.
Flint actually blushed, which nearly made Coral laugh out loud. Ha! The bear was blushing!
“Well, I, ah”- she said, trying to think of an excuse.
“So we’ll see you at 6 p.m.?” Blue said. “Is there anything in particular that you like?”
“My mom can cook anything,” Flint bragged, glowing with pride. “She’s the best cook in all of Florida.”
“Oh, now don’t be boastful!” his mother smacked his arm affectionately. “I’m sure Miss Coral here is no slouch in the kitchen herself.”
“Actually, the sad truth is that I pretty much heat up everything out of a can,” Coral said. “It’s not my mother’s fault. She’s an excellent cook, and I was always kind of a bookworm in school. I never really made the time to learn how to cook.”
“Well, it’s settled then. We’ll make a nice beef stroganoff, and I’ll teach you how.”
Crud, she thought. How could she refuse an invitation like that? And from a big cuddly bear like Blue?
“All right,” she said. “Well, if I’m not imposing…”
“Nonsense! We’d love to have you. And it’s important for a young lady to know how to cook. After all, some day you’ll want to get married and have cubs. And you’ll have to be able to feed the family, right? Of course, you can borrow my recipe book any time,” Blue said cheerfully.