To Hide the Truth

Embry stopped and lifted his nose to the air, sniffing. There. It was strong this time.

He's still in the area, he said, taking off at breakneck speed through the forest. He could hear the rest of the pack around him, all of them moving sleekly in and out of trees. It had started as just another patrol, but Quil got a strong whiff of the vampire's scent and within minutes they had called in the rest of the packs and started to give chase.

We're going to take this bloodsucker down tonight!

Stay focused! He's evaded us this far. We can't get overconfident!

There's something up ahead. I think it's a body.

Embry, Quil, check it out with me. The rest are going to keep on the trail with Sam.

Embry slid to a stop as he came into the clearing. The moon lit up the area, though he didn't have much difficulty seeing in the dark. He trotted up to the body lying in the clearing and assessed it before looking back at Quil and Jacob.

He's already gone, he said.

Damnit! Don't people know to stay out of the woods?! Jacob shouted. Embry looked back down at the body.

It's fresh. We can't be that far behind, he said.

We wait to hear back from Sam before we let Chief Swan know, Jacob said. I don't want anyone from town out here until we know it's safe.

The three of them started sniffing around the clearing, looking for anything that might help them in case the vampire got away. There was a howl far off.

They're coming back, Jacob said. Quil and Embry were already hearing Seth and Leah, though. The vampire had gotten away. Again. The trail went cold at the ocean. Again.

Dammit, Quil said. Thought for sure we'd get him this time.

We should phase out. Makes it easier to talk, Jacob ordered. The three phased back and quickly dressed as the rest joined them in the clearing, doing the same. They all looked at Sam and Jacob.

"This guy, whoever he is, he knows the area. It's the only way he could have managed to evade us this whole time," Jacob said. Sam nodded, looking over at the body.

"It's okay to call Chief Swan. My pack will watch the coast in case he comes back, though I'm sending a couple back to bring over some cars to make it look like we were out here hunting. You should have Seth and Leah watch the woods around the clearing. You can join them after you talk to the chief," he said. He was silent a few moments before looking at Jacob. "I think it's time to call in the Cullens." Jacob nodded.

"I'll get them on the phone after we call the chief," he said. Sam's pack took off through the trees with Seth and Leah, while Jacob pulled out his phone and started talking to Chief Swan.

"Who do you think this is? One of those vamps that were here for Nessie?" Quil asked. Embry shook his head.

"They were with the Cullens. Even if they weren't vegetarians, they wouldn't do anything like this," Embry said.

"You seem pretty trusting," Quil replied. Embry shrugged.

"I'm surprised the Cullens haven't insisted on coming down by now," he said.

"Same," Quil replied. "Though we only know that Edward, Bella and Nessie are in Vancouver. The others could be far away." They both looked over at Jacob, who glanced at them.

"Yea, you should probably get down here," they heard him say before he turned his back and walked off a bit.

"Who do you think they'll send?" Quil asked.

"Hoping it's the tracker. Could make our life a lot easier," Embry replied. Quil frowned.

"Yea, but he's Volturi," Quil replied.

"Not full-time anymore, from what I heard," Embry said. Quil just shook his head as Jacob walked back over.

"Chief and the rest are on their way. We're to stay here for statements," he said. "And the Cullens are sending Rosalie, Emmett, Demetri and Cess. Should be here by tomorrow at the latest. They happened to be nearby. Esme and Carlisle were in Vancouver with Nessie, but Bella and Edward are in Europe and Alice and Jasper are somewhere in Nepal. Traveling."

"So, now we wait…"

Mara laughed as she reached for her wine glass, glancing at Chief Swan. Even though he was the one that invited her to dinner, he seemed slightly uncomfortable having her in his house, even after a couple beers. Perhaps he was still sore that Mara had accused him of covering up a murder. She was actually surprised when he invited her over. Sue, on the other hand, was the perfect hostess.

"I swear, I have never eaten roast this good since my Grams," Mara said, focusing on Sue.

"Stop, you'll make me blush," Sue said.

"I'm serious! I mean, I do a fair amount of cooking on my own, but I haven't mastered a roast just yet," Mara said, smiling. "Mom still insists on taking care of Thanksgiving and Christmas on her own."

"Yes, but that cobbler recipe you gave me, you must be good if you can do that," Sue said, chuckling. Mara shrugged.

"I did learn that one straight from my Grams," she admitted.

"So, I hear you've been spending time with some of the guys from La Push," Sue said casually, causing Mara to choke on her wine. Even Charlie cracked a smile.

"I will never get used to how small towns work," Mara confessed, putting her glass down as her cheeks heated up.

"My son and daughter still live out there - Seth and Leah Clearwater," Sue said smiling. Mara's eyebrows raised as she recognized Seth's name. "Heard you met with Embry Call last night." Mara looked over at the woman, sensing she knew a lot more than that. Did the entire town of La Push know about the date?

"Just… blowing off some steam," Mara said, keeping her voice light.

"That so," Sue said knowingly. Charlie just looked back and forth between his wife and the reporter, suddenly realizing what Sam meant by keeping her distracted. Though he wouldn't have thought setting her up with one of the guys from the reservation would work. Granted it was a better option than her spending time with Mike Newton. "I'm pretty good friends with his mother, Tiffany."

Mara felt the blood drain from her face. Had he told his mother about her? Oh, god. She hadn't even mentioned him to her mom yet, though she had said that she was getting to know some of the locals.

"Really? He seems really close to her," Mara said, focusing on her dinner as she took a bite.

"She's a good woman. Sweet. I think she'd like you," Sue said, reaching for her own glass.

"Dear god, let this end," Mara thought to herself.

God must have been listening because at that moment, Charlie's phone rang. He looked at the screen and then excused himself. Mara watched him go, wondering if there was any way she could sneak after him and listen in. She looked over at Sue, who's previous amused expression had changed to one of worry.

"Do you think it's another hiker?" Mara asked.

"Shouldn't be… we've been warning folks from going out after dark," Sue said, her brow furrowed. The concern was clear in her face.

"What is it?" Mara asked, fear starting to sneak into her own heart.

"Honestly, I don't know," Sue said. Mara looked down at her plate, suddenly remembering that the guys at La Push were helping hunt down whatever was causing the attacks. Her heart stopped as she looked back towards where the chief had left. Surely Embry was fine. He couldn't possibly be hurt. All the guys were large. Surely if they were out in the woods, they were capable of taking care of themselves. Even against a serial killer.

He came back in, a grim look on his face. He stopped when he saw Mara, surprised by the worry there.

"That was Jacob," he said. "They were out hunting and came across another body. I'm headed out there now."

Mara immediately jumped to her feet and was sliding on her coat.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" he asked, scowling at her.

"I'm going with you," Mara said, reaching for her bag.

"No, you're not. You can stay here with Sue or you can go back to the motel, but you are not going out to the accident site," he said. Mara looked up at him.

"If it's just animal attacks, why are you so worried?" Mara asked, challenging him. Charlie was silent. "And if you don't let me go with you, I'll just go out there myself." He stared at her a moment before sighing.

"Fine. But stay out of the way," he warned. Mara nodded and followed him as he walked out of the kitchen, grabbing his coat and gun on the way towards the door. "And for god's sake, do not inform your editor until I've cleared it."

"Yes, chief."

Mara was out of the car and jogging towards the clearing before Charlie had even turned it off. Lights had already been set up with Mike and another deputy putting tape up around the clearing. This was something new. The previous sites were located farther off from the trails. This one was closer.

"Ms. Winslow!" Chief Swan shouted after her. "MARA!"

She reached the police line and was about to crawl under it when a deputy, she vaguely remembered his name was Ryan, stopped her.

"Sorry, Ms. Winslow, police officials only," he said. Mara glared at him and then looked over towards the clearing. There was a tarp covering the body. She studied it a few moments as the heaviness start to creep in. It wasn't as strong since she was still a ways off, but it was there nonetheless. Off to the side, she saw an officer talking to three men. Her eyes widened when she recognized them.

"What are they doing here?" she asked, looking at Ryan.

"They discovered the body," he replied.

"I thought I told you to wait," Chief Swan said, reaching the tape. Mara turned to him, frowning.

"Don't worry. Mr. Deputy here didn't let me pass," she spat back. Charlie sighed and stooped under the tape.

"Watch her," he said to Ryan as he started towards the group of men. Mara kept a close eye on them, wishing she knew how to read lips. Swan sent the officer away and stepped closer to the men, speaking with them. Jacob was talking as Swan nodded his head and looked over at the body.

"Was this one just like the others?" Mara asked, her eyes still trained on the group. Ryan snorted.

"I am not about to tell you anything," he said. "I like my job and don't care to lose it." Mara just shook her head as she scowled at him. When she looked back at the group, they were all looking at her. Embry looked back at them and said something, then walked over to her.

"Mara, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was at the chief's house for dinner when the call came in. Got him to bring me along," she said. "What were you doing out here at night?"

"We were trying to track down whatever is causing this," he said.

"Where's your gun?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her as she took in his shorts and t-shirt.

"In the car. I'm parked over there. Put it up when we found the body," he said, nodding his head towards the group of cars nearby. He was suddenly glad that the pack had thought to bring his over. She glanced over, seeing his old jeep and looked back at him.

"Doesn't seem to be normal hunting attire," she replied.

"Mara," Embry said, sounding slightly exasperated. She was already in her bag, digging out a notebook. "Come on, I told the chief I'd take you back to your car."

"No, I have work to do," she said, not looking up at him.

"You're going home. There's nothing to see here and that thing might still be out there," he said, his voice stern.

"I need to do this," she said, glaring at him.

"The chief isn't going to give you anything tonight and you can't see a damn thing anyway," Embry replied. "Chief Swan said that he'll talk to you in the morning and tell you everything they find." Mara looked up at him and then over at the chief, who was now crouched on the ground, lifting the tarp.

"Fine," she said. Embry sighed in relief and stepped under the tape, leading her over to his jeep. Mara kept looking back over her shoulder.

"Don't know why he let me come if he was just going to send me back as soon as I got here," she huffed as she climbed in. She buckled in and crossed her arms in front of her as Embry started the car.

"Did you give him any other choice?" he asked.

"Not really," she replied. She kept looking towards the site as they started to pull away. "I need to get back there."

"Why?" Embry asked, glancing at her.

"Just… I need to," she said, not looking at him. Embry was silent, waiting for her to further explain, but she didn't.

"Is it important to the story?" he asked softly. Mara nodded. "Okay… well… once the police have cleared out, I'll see about taking you out there tomorrow." Mara looked over at him, confused.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked. Embry chuckled.

"You're going to do it anyway. At least I can be there to look out for you," he admitted. Mara looked back out the windshield, though she kept glancing at him.

"Thanks," she said.

"Mara, you should know by now that if you need anything, all you have to do is ask," he said, smiling slightly. She kept glancing at him but started to feel her anger dissipate.

"I'll remember that," she said.

"Now, guessing you left your car at Swan's place?" he asked. Mara nodded. "We'll head there and then I'm following you back to the motel."

"I'm not going to try going back out to the site," Mara said, rolling her eyes.

"I know. It's for my own peace of mind," he said. "Another person was killed tonight." Mara studied him.

"You don't think that the animal would come into town, do you?" she asked. Embry sighed. He knew that she didn't think it was an animal. But he could also sense a hint of fear in her voice.

"It's going to be fine," he said. "But I would feel better if you stayed in your motel room with the door locked the rest of the night."

"Got it," she said.

"Shouldn't have been surprised to see Mara here," Quil commented after Embry walked off.

"That damn reporter is going to be the death of me," Charlie said.

"She's getting too close," Jacob said with a sigh.

"Speaking of, you really think it's a good idea for her to be getting so close to Embry with all the… you know?" Charlie asked, looking over at him and Quil. Jacob glanced at Quil and back over at the police chief.

"Trust me, it's okay," Jacob said. Charlie studied him a moment before nodding.

"Need to know stuff?" he asked.

"Yea," Jacob replied. Charlie sighed and looked over at the body.

"Suppose I'll finish up here and then try and figure out just what to tell her tomorrow," he said. "I'll send Mike over to get your full statements and then you can go. Tell Embry to come by tomorrow so we can get his." He then walked off, going to inspect the body.

"Wait, he doesn't know about imprinting?" Quil asked quietly. Jacob shook his head.

"Felt it best to keep his knowledge to a minimum. Besides, how do you think he'd react if he found out I imprinted on his granddaughter?" Jacob asked, looking over at Quil.

"Fair enough," he replied. "How long you think this will take?"

"Don't know," Jacob said, looking around for Newton.

"Hopefully it's not too late. I've got work tomorrow," Quil replied.

"Me too…"

Mara stood at the window and watched through the blinds as Embry got back in his jeep then drove off. She couldn't lie to herself - she was seriously tempted to hop back in her car and go back out to the site. But she also knew that the police would still be there and wouldn't give her anything. And even though Embry had said he was going home and would give his statement to Chief Swan tomorrow morning, if Jacob or Quil were still there, they would tell him. She had promised she wouldn't go, so she would keep it.

And as much as she wanted to call Richard right away and tell him, the chief hadn't given her the go-ahead. Even though she didn't trust the chief, she found in just the few days she had been in Forks, she had developed a bit of loyalty.

Not to mention she didn't want to shut off the flow of information just yet.

Sighing, she moved away from the window and stepped around the piles of documents over to her suitcase, pulling out a pair of pajamas, then making her way to the shower. It had been another long day of interviews and research, and to be honest, she was tired.

She started the hot water and let it run while she got undressed, then stepped in, just standing there for a few minutes letting it pour over her and release the tension in her shoulders.

Going to the scene had been a bust. And even though she was going back out tomorrow, she really had hoped to see one of the bodies for herself. The diagrams in the reports weren't good enough and she felt there was something missing. Something that would fill in the blanks and give her the evidence that she needed. Mara wasn't an expert on animals or bite marks, but if she could just see them, she would have something to work with. Maybe call up an expert and get a second opinion.

She quickly washed her hair and body, then got out, drying off. After she dressed and pulled her hair up into a wet bun, she walked out and looked at the piles of reports, articles and such lain around the room. Going to the stack of photocopied articles, she sighed and sat down picking them up.

Maybe if she read through them again, something would pop out at her.

She was missing something. And she was damn sure going to find it.

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