After dinner, they sat around Lewis' living room, mostly in silence. Without divulging much in the way of detail, Goren had explained what had happened in Steve and Kelsey's apartment and why he wanted them to stay with Lewis. He felt they would be safe there. Lewis was all for it. He enjoyed Steve's company and they worked well together. And having Kelsey around wasn't going to hurt his feelings in the least.

Goren was sitting on the couch, leaning back with his arm around Eames, who leaned against him. His other arm was propped beside him, and he pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed. His head was throbbing. Eames was lost in thought, absently caressing his wrist and the back of his hand. Across the room, Steve sat on the floor against the wall, and Kelsey was sitting between his legs, leaning back against him. His arms encircled her protectively. Lewis was reclining on a beanbag chair, tossing a baseball up and catching it. He had offered to let Bobby and Alex stay as well, but Goren refused, saying they had already made arrangements to stay at Logan's. What he didn't say was that he was afraid if they did stay, the danger that seemed to follow him would come down on his friend. He wasn't sure why Steve and Kelsey's apartment had been ransacked, but he felt the odds of whoever it was finding them here were much more remote if he and Eames were elsewhere. He didn't feel bad about staying with Logan; Mike was part of the team investigating the case.

"Bobby?"

He opened his eyes to look at Kelsey. She seemed to think carefully about what she wanted to say. "Do you know anything about what the Navajo call skinwalkers?"

"A little. They are called witches and shape shifters."

She nodded. "Evil witches with the ability to transform their bodies into animals, right. They are feared and condemned among the Dine."

Steve tipped his head forward. "The what?"

"The Dine. The People. Dine are what the Navajo call themselves, like the Comanche called themselves Nemena. Every tribe has a name they call themselves, and it usually means 'the People.'"

"When did you become an expert on Indians?"

"It's always a good idea to connect with your roots."

"And your roots are Indian?"

"On my mother's side, yes. My grandfather is Navajo and my grandmother was Comanche. Just because I inherited my father's northern European features does not change the fact that I am Dine and Nemena."

He nodded in agreement and leaned back. He was used to her intelligence and her forthrightness. He kissed her head as she turned her attention back to Goren. "My grandfather lives on the reservation in northern Arizona. From the time I was six or seven until I left home, I always spend the summers with him. When I was thirteen, there was a lot of odd stuff going on out there. It began in the spring, and my parents hesitated sending me, but Grandpa promised he would watch out for me. He did not want to miss our time together, and neither did I. My grandmother had died the year before, and he was lonely. Most of the problems involved the mutilation of livestock but several people had been killed. The local law enforcement officials believed the people had come upon Satanists mutilating cattle and became victims themselves. The tribal police and the elders said it was a skinwalker. Grandpa agreed with them, and by the end of the summer, so did I." She was quiet for a moment. "I was a curious kid. I didn't believe in tribal superstitions. The poison of the white culture I was being raised in, Grandma used to tell me. So late one night, I snuck out and went looking for Grandpa's 'skinwalker.' I was determined to prove to him that witches and ghosts didn't exist. I was the one who learned a lesson that night. The killings stopped by the time the first snows came." She pressed herself more firmly into Steve. "The things the papers said...it reminded me of that summer."

Goren looked thoughtful. "You saw something," he said gently.

She nodded; he waited. "I heard...an awful sound, in a nearby pasture. A neighbor's place. I was like a scream of terror, but I never heard a human make that kind of sound, and it was cut off in mid-scream. Then there was a dead silence. It was like the world was holding its breath. No crickets, no night sounds, not even the wind. I crept into a gully and looked into the pasture. A steer had made that horrible sound and...something...was gutting the poor animal...with its hands and mouth. I never saw a knife. It...walked like a man...but it didn't move like a man. Its skin was dark, much darked than the Dine were, and its eyes...glowed. I only had the moon to see by, and it wasn't full, so I couldn't see it well...but I saw enough to know that whatever it was, it was only part human. I stayed where I was and didn't move a muscle until it was done with the steer, and then it ran off. It was much faster than a man. It jumped over the far pasture fence and was gone. I ran home as fast as I could and tried to forget what I saw. I just figured everyone would tell me I was dreaming. Finally, about a week later, I told my grandfather what I saw. He told me it was a skinwalker and brought me to see a medicine man who blessed me and gave me a talisman to wear for protection." She pulled out her necklace. It was a silver charm, inlaid with coral and turquoise. "I still wear it."

Goren could feel Eames shudder beside him and he tightened his arms around her. Kelsey gently rubbed the talisman and slid it back into her shirt. "Do you think I imagined it?"

"What do you think?"

Eames nudged him. She hated when he answered a question with a question. He gave her a squeeze but remained focused on Kelsey. She was looking back in time through her memory. Slowly she nodded. "I know what I saw. It was real. Could this be related to it?"

"As in the same person? No. The same phenomenon? Maybe."

"So I'm not nuts?"

He smiled. "No. You're not." He tightened his arm around Eames again. "We'd better get going or we'll be sleeping in the car."

"I'll kick his door in first and then make him play sentry."

Goren laughed. "That'll make you a popular houseguest."

"Let's go," she said as she got up.

Lewis got to his feet. "So all this spook-talk...it's not just for Halloween?"

Goren shook his head. "Not this time, it's not."

Lewis grinned at Eames. "He used to get me so damn scared I was afraid to go home in the dark."

"But staying at my place was even scarier because you did go home."

"Only when your dad was there...or your mom was about ready to go into the hospital."

He batted Lewis' ear affectionately. "This should be a cakewalk for you then." He looked at Kelsey. "Are you going to be okay? I know how...nightmares can be."

"I'll be fine, Bobby. Watch your backs."

He nodded and winked at her. "Stay aware, little girl."

She smiled at him. For some reason, she didn't mind when Bobby called her 'little girl.' Maybe because he did so with affection and a smile. "You, too, big guy," she answered.

Lewis kissed Eames' cheek and gave Goren a hug. "You guys be careful."

Goren slid his hand behind him and from the small of his back produced his backup piece. He handed it to Lewis. "Try not to shoot yourself in the foot. Remember what I taught you, and never shoot blind. Know for sure what you're shooting at." He let his eyes roam around the apartment. It looked secure enough. "Lock it up tight, man."

Lewis slid the gun into his pocket and seemed to relax a little. "Promise."

In the hall after the door closed, Goren waited until he heard the deadbolt engage and the chain rattle. Then he followed Eames toward the stairs. She looked at him. "Are they safe here?"

"For now. Lewis will call me if anything spooks him, believe me."

At the bottom of the stairs, she slid her hand into his. He tipped his head forward. "Are you all right, Alex?"

She didn't reply as they walked out of the building and headed for the car. Finally, she slowly shook her head. "I admit, this is a bit...unsettling."

"A bit?"

"Okay, more than just a bit. What do you want me to say?"

"Just be honest and stay in touch with your fears. That's how you master them."

"Be bigger than the things that scare you?"

"Something like that."

The drive to Logan's was silent, each of them lost in their own thoughts. As they headed up the stairs to his second floor apartment, she asked, "Are we bringing any danger to Logan?"

"Mike's a big boy, and he's part of this case. We have to assume that makes him a target, too, so we're not putting him in any further danger. That's the only reason we're staying here." He knocked on the door. "There are always risks, Alex. But I won't bring any more risk to innocent people."

She nodded in agreement as Logan pulled the door open. "Find any more tomatoes?" he asked with a grin.

"Actually we did," Goren answered. "You and Barek weren't around so we decided to save the surprise."

"Please tell me you're shitting me."

"At this point, I wouldn't dare."

"Where?"

"Steve and Kelsey's apartment."

"No."

"Ask Alex if you don't believe me."

"I didn't say that. I just...why?"

Goren dropped wearily onto the couch and rubbed his temple. Eames took over for him. "We don't know why, but that party...both Steve and Kelsey were there."

"I thought he said it was a small party."

"That was the first place they went. They ended up at this party. They were hurt in a fight and taken down to Wildwood. While they were being dumped, this...whatever it is...attacked the party. Two of the victims were involved in the fight."

Logan sat down in a chair. "Remind me not to work on any more cases with you two."

"It is convoluted, isn't it?" Goren muttered.

"Is that what you call it?"

"What do you call it?"

"You don't want to know. Barek's gonna just love this. Did you guys eat?"

"Yeah. We just came from Lewis'."

"Got a headache?"

He just nodded. Logan disappeared into the kitchen, returning with three beers and two aspirin. He handed out the beer and dropped the aspirin in Goren's hand. "I'll take the couch; you guys can have the bedroom." When Goren opened his mouth to protest, he said, "You know this couch, man. You want Alex sleeping on it?" He shook his head and Logan continued, "Then we agree Alex gets the bed. Now which of the two of us should sleep in there with her?"

"Ok, ok, I get it. Fine."

Logan grinned at Eames. "You just need the right leverage...unless it's you. You can talk him into almost anything."

Goren threw his bottle cap at him. "Shut up, Mike."

Logan laughed. "The sheets are clean, in case you're worried. Wake up call is seven."

Eames smiled. "He'll be up at five-thirty."

"Yeah, but he knows better than to wake me up before seven. He did that once. It wasn't pretty."

Goren almost smiled. "I think I still have a scar from that."

"Bullshit. I didn't hurt you...bad."

They laughed and Logan went down the hall for a pillow and blanket. Not long after, everyone was settled for the night. Eames settled her head into the hollow of Goren's shoulder and rested her hand on his chest. "What's going on, Bobby?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this is really...testing the strings of reality here."

"Before we're done, I'm afraid those strings are going to be broken."

"Tell me you're beginning to think this werewolf is for real."

He gently tightened his arm around her and kissed her head. "Go to sleep, Alex. I don't know what I think yet."

He caressed her side lightly until she drifted off, then he focused his gaze on the ceiling and let his mind recount Kelsey's story. Skinwalkers...shape shifters...witches...werewolves... With Halloween just over a week away, it was almost laughable. Almost. Six bodies removed the humor from the situation entirely...and replaced it with a terror all its own.