Brotherhood of the Wolf

Chapter 10.2: Legacy (Part 2)

A car from behind honks impatiently. Snapping back to reality, Clayton turns left. The rear of the SUV fishtails on the wet pavement from the sudden acceleration, but I'm more worried about something else.

"My place is to the right. You know that," I say, thumbing in the opposite direction.

"Yes, but we can't drop this Cox connection now and I have access to university systems from home, which is this way," he says, speeding in the rain towards Ward Manor.

"Possible connection," I correct him, fearing that he's latched onto a lead that may turn out to be nothing at all. But at least that supports his sincerity in finding Jules and makes it less likely that he had anything to do with her disappearance. At this point, I'll take that as a win.

It only takes us a few more minutes of driving for us to arrive and Clayton leaves the car in front of the beautiful mansion. We run up the stairs and burst through the unlocked entry, but we still manage to get soaked.

A woman old enough to be Clayton's grandmother appears from a side door as we're shaking the rain off ourselves. Wearing a fitted suit and stylish glasses, I think that she might be family until she addresses him.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Ward," she says in that disinterested, yet formal tone of household staff speaking to their employer. "You didn't mention having a guest for the evening. We'll have to–"

"Just tea will be enough for now," Clayton cuts her off before turning toward me. "You like tea, right?"

While his not wanting to make a big deal out of me being here doesn't escape my attention, anything hot sounds good about now. So I nod. "Yes, please."

"Very good," the woman says, starting to turn, but Clayton isn't done.

"Barlow, this is Mrs. Adelaide. She runs the house," he says, subtly forcing the woman to officially recognize my presence. "If you need anything while you're here, she's the one to ask."

I'm less sure about what I could possibly need from Clayton's housekeeper than whether Adelaide is her first or last name, but I smile and shake the woman's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, but I promise I won't be a bother," I say, feeling like I should stay on Mrs. Adelaide's good side, but somehow already knowing that won't be easy.

And unsurprisingly, she just pulls her lips into a thin line and nods before speaking to Clayton again. "There's a fire in the study if that's where you'll take your tea."

"That'll be perfect," he says, reaching for me to follow. "Thank you, Mrs. Adelaide."

"She's kind of scary," I whisper when we've gone in opposite direction and I'm sure we're out of earshot.

Clayton laughs. "Don't I know it. But she's been with my family for as long as I can remember and I can't even imagine what I'd do without her."

"Is she a . . . you know, wolf?"

He stops in front of a door and looks at me. "No," he says with a shake of his head as he pushes down the handle and urges me inside.

I enter the very manly-looking room with lots of wood and leather. There's a large desk, a spacious sitting area and a well-stocked bar cart, plus the requisite built-in bookshelves and ornate fireplace. Thankfully and unlike in Clayton's on-campus office, there's no deer's head or any other dead animal hanging on the wall.

"What about Carlos?" I ask the question I've been curious about since the first day we met in the woods. "Is he part of the pack?"

Clayton goes to his desk and flips open a laptop. "That's also a no. And since you asked, I'm guessing that you still can't tell."