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he’d failed to pick up clues as to the identityof the murderer. And how the killer had obscured potentially useful evidence, like a scent.
    If Patrick hadn’t been sure the cops would still be around, he’d have sneaked back under the cover of darkness early this morning. He’d still head there a little later, after checking out of the B and B. Maybe that wasn’t the best decision. Normal people would stay in a nice, comfy inn, out of the way of a murder investigation.
    He wasn’t normal people.
    He had to look like one, though, so his excuse would be that he needed to be at the ranch for the dogs’ sake, which was true.
    But when he was alone, near enough to accomplish his real goal, he would extract the most important contents of his backpack: the elixir and the light that triggered its usefulness.
    As a wolf, he would be able to use enhanced senses to find any trace the murderer had left—and there was bound to be something, at least tonight, when the kill was so fresh.
    Because he could not be there alone tonight, the best Patrick could hope for was that the crime scene guys found everything there was to find and handled it perfectly.
    Unlikely.
    So it would be better from his perspective if they found nothing at all.
    At least they might not still be hanging out there collecting evidence tomorrow night. If so, that would give Patrick his opportunity to conduct his own hunt for clues pointing to Shaun’s murderer.
    While he shifted into his wolf form.

Chapter 5
    T he moment she opened her eyes that morning, Mariah was wide awake. She immediately headed for the shower in the small bathroom attached to her room.
    Her first thoughts were of Patrick Worley, and seeing him in the business center the night before. He had been sweet, walking her to her room, despite his own grieving, when she’d felt so freaked out about the murder of his friend.
    Poor Shaun. She’d barely met him, but he seemed nice enough. Why would anyone have killed him—and as brutally as Patrick had hesitated to describe? And in this small town, where residents probablyknew everyone else who lived here. Her curiosity was on high alert. Shaun had worked at the same dogsled ranch as Patrick. Did that have anything to do with why he died?
    Unlikely, but she would consider writing a separate article on the ranch, its dogs and its mushers—and use it as an excuse to look into Shaun’s murder, as long as her new research didn’t interfere with her nature article. Her boss, who owned more than one publication, would love that.
    But poor Patrick, too. Shaun’s death had clearly been hard on him. She would have to see if there was anything she could do to help him through this difficult situation…within reason.
    For her own sake, though, she should probably stay away from him.
    She’d dreamed about him. She couldn’t quite remember her nighttime fantasy, but judging by the sensitivity of her body this morning, it had been steamy. Or maybe that was actually a daylight reaction, resulting from her ongoing attraction to him.
    Which was absurd. Yes, he was one hot guy. Maybe she should satisfy her curiosity, indulge in a one-night stand. That might even help him get his mind off his friend’s death, too, for a little while. Do a good deed both for herself and for him.
    But what if, instead of feeling satisfied, she only wanted more?
    After showering, she fixed her hair, put on a minimal amount of makeup, and dressed nicely but casually. She had a meeting later with the science teacher at the town’s high school, for a local perspective on wildlife.
    When she was ready to go, she glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Eight-thirty, the time she’d told Patrick she’d be at breakfast.
    After locking her door, she hurried downstairs.
    The inn’s breakfast area was crowded but not full. The room sounded alive with low conversation and the clinking of plates. About a dozen