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Chapter 4 - The Sheriff

The next morning at breakfast Joss told John that she had an appointment to visit Sheriff Scott Berke, the man who'd been Sheriff when John's parents were killed and the man who cleared John of any involvement in the murders. He was retired and living with his daughter in Tacoma.

"Do you want to come with me?" she asked.

"I should stay here and be seen. I have a couple more people I want to talk to. Besides, I think Berke might be more comfortable talking to a fellow law enforcement officer without the son of the victims around. Berke was a good man and good sheriff; he'll be honest with you."

Joss stood up and gave her mate a kiss, "I'd tell you to try not to piss anyone off, but I know you better than that."

John kissed his mate back with a smirk on his face, "And that's why you love me."

Joss drove to a home on the outskirts of Tacoma where the man who had been Sheriff, and in charge of the investigation when John's parents had been murdered, was now living in peaceful retirement with his daughter and her family. Joss was ushered out onto the deck of the home that overlooked Puget Sound.

Sheriff Scott Berke was a white-haired man who looked to be in his late 60's or early 70's. Joss's Wolf senses were unable to read him, so he wasn't Wolf. He was sitting in a comfortable looking wooden armchair, looking out over the Sound. As soon as he spied Joss he hopped up, surprisingly spry for a man of his age, and shook her hand.

"Delighted to meet a fellow officer!" he exclaimed. Joss liked him instantly.

He waved Joss to the seat next his and they sat down. The ex-Sheriff poured Joss a glass of lemonade.

"So you're John Davis's mate. I thought he was dead. No one had heard from him for so many years."

"Yeah, we're getting that lot," Joss said wryly.

"Well, I'm glad I was wrong. He seems to have done very well for himself," Berke said looking Joss over with a smile.

"I'm flattered,' she laughed.

"Good, that was the point." Berke smiled back. "But I'm guessing you aren't here to collect compliments."

"No, I'm not, but they are appreciated." Joss took a deep breath, "Have you heard about Dave and Trisha Hunter?"

Berke nodded somberly, "Yeah, it's a shame. I hear they were good people."

"Did it strike you as odd…"

Berke finished the sentence for her, "…that they died in the same manner as John's parents? Damn straight it did." He looked out over the Sound again, "That's why you're here, that's why John finally came back, isn't it?"

"Yeah. When John heard about the Hunters, he had to come back."

"Please tell him that I'm sorry about what happened after his parents died." Joss could see the genuine regret in the man's watery grey eyes.

"What did happen? John never really understood. He still doesn't."

Berke gazed down into his glass of lemonade and swirled the ice around. "You read my report on the murder of his parents?"

"Yeah, I have. But I'm more interested in what wasn't in the report. Why did you think his parents were killed? Why did his friends run him out of town afterwards?"

Berke nodded, "I understand. I think it's going to take a Wolf to solve this case anyway. I'll bet my life someone in that pack knows what happened."

Joss leaned forward. "Tell me what you know, please."

Berke glanced at her and then back down into his drink. "Honestly, I don't know much more than what was in my reports. I'm convinced it was Wolf on Wolf violence and someone in that pack knows more than they are willing to say."

"Do you think someone in their own pack killed them?"

"Yes," the sheriff stated flatly.

Joss got a chill from that simple little word. She was stunned by how sure Berke was. But if it was an inside job, it would certainly explain a lot. Berke struck her as an intelligent officer, free from anti-Wolf bias. If he was this positive, he had to have some good reasons. "You sound pretty positive. You know killing your Alpha is considered a terrible crime in Wolf culture?"

Berke nodded, "I do. I think that was part of the problem. The deaths were just too horrible for the pack to understand and anyone who knew or suspected anything, just didn't want to believe it."

"But they were willing to believe that John had something to do with it, despite the fact he was exonerated by you, " Joss probed.

Berke's eyes met hers, "I think that was part of it, quite frankly. If the killer could pin it on John, no one would look for the true killer any further."

"But John? He'd known those pack members all his life, they knew him! He was going to be their Alpha someday. How could they think he would do something like that?" Joss was trying desperately to understand.

Berke looked thoughtful, "Now, you know I'm not Wolf, but I like to think that I knew the locals pretty well and considered most of them friends, so keep that in mind as you listen to me. The Wolves of Puyallup are a pretty insular group. Even in that small town they kept to themselves as much as possible. They lived in the same neighborhood; they socialized together; they married each other.

"John never fit that mold. After high school, he left and went into the military. He wanted to see the world, to get out there. A lot of the pack, including his girlfriend Lisa and best friend Everett, didn't understand."

Berke took a sip of his lemonade. "John was too big for that little town. Not that he was arrogant, but I could tell he was meant for something more. I'm sure I was not the only one who saw it. But that bred some resentment."

"But to think he would kill his parents?" Joss was still struggling to understand.

Berke paused for a moment; he seemed to be searching for the right words. "He'd been gone for the better part of four years by then. Oh, he came home on leave now and again, but he'd changed. He was basically a stranger to them at that point. And they were angry with him for becoming a stranger.

Berke cocked his head to look at her. "You're from New York, how many members of your pack are from somewhere else?"

Joss was surprised by the question but realized that Berke had asked it for a reason. She thought about it for a few minutes and then shrugged, "Oh, I don't know, probably about half of them I would say. I've never really thought about it to tell you the truth."

"Believe me, in Puyallup, they think about it and they circle the wagons against strangers. I'll bet you and John were probably in town only about ten minutes before the entire pack had been alerted to your presence."

"Why are they so closed off?"

"Puyallup isn't New York. Discrimination against Wolves was rampant until fairly recently and they more or less developed a siege mentality. There are still plenty of folks who wouldn't let their daughter marry a Wolf, and 'No Wolves Allowed' was a common sign not too long ago.

"The Sheriff before me loved to hassle them. I was considered quite liberal because I told my deputies that they couldn't pull over a Wolf unless they actually did something wrong."

"Wolves were harassed?" Joss sighed.

"Yeah. I put a stop to that. Once it became illegal to discriminate on the basis of being a Wolf, it put a stop to the signs, but there are a few places where they still aren't really welcome. One of the florist shops in town just last year refused to take on a wedding because the groom was Wolf."

Joss caught herself in a snarl, and immediately pressed her lips together to repress it. Berke caught her and laughed, "It's OK, Detective. Any right thinking person would be angry at that."

Joss flashed an apologetic grin at the sheriff, "Sorry, I actually haven't been Wolf for very long, just over a year. I'm still having some control issues."

"John turned you?" Berke was quite curious.

Joss nodded, "I was dying, I had a gunshot wound in the gut and I was bleeding out. John turned me to save my life."

Berke gave her mischievous grin, "Now that is one beautiful love story!"

Joss laughed, "Whether it is or not, it's our love story!"

Berke smiled at her and then looked out over the Sound, his mood grew pensive, "It's too bad Conrad and Laura never met you. I'll bet they would have been happy for their boy. I'd like to think I knew Conrad well enough to say he would have loved you."

Joss leaned over and laid her hand on the sheriff's forearm as it rested on the arm of the chair, "Tell me what happened. Not what's in your report, but what you think happened."

Berke continued to stare off over the Sound while he spoke, "I wish I knew, Jocelyn. Conrad and Laura were strong, strong Wolves, it would have taken a lot to overcome them. They were both born Alphas, both came from Old Bloodlines. As you know they were both dead before the explosion."

Joss nodded and rattled off the facts from the coroner's report, "No signs of smoke inhalation in the lungs, extensive stab wounds to the chest. The explosion was probably just to cover the assassin's tracks."

Berke sighed, "I think Laura died first. Conrad had been in town earlier that day running errands, apparently he dropped by to see me at the station, but I was in court. I think Laura was dead before Conrad got home. She fought like a tiger, she had extensive defensive wounds on her. I think Conrad came home shortly after. Who knows, maybe he felt something was wrong at home, they did have strong bond. He also had extensive defensive wounds on him so I'm sure there had to be more than one killer and they had to be Wolf.

"There wasn't a lot left of the house after the explosion, but we did a find a knife that matched the wounds on Conrad in the rubble. There were some fingerprints on the handle that we were never able to identify. They weren't Laura's or Conrad's or John's; I am sure they belong to one of the murderers. There was another set on the front door; we never figured out who they belonged to either. "

Berke turned and looked at Carter, "It was personal Jocelyn. Both of them had multiple stab wounds, many more than was needed to kill them. Nothing was taken from the house that we could find, not that there was a lot left after the explosion. Someone in that pack knows something, you're going to have to figure out who it is and lean on them, hard."

Joss squeezed the old sheriff's arm, "Where do I start?"

Berke looked Joss straight in the eye, "Matt Ellison. He resented the Davises, because they were the Alphas. His boy, Everett, was John's best friend but it was obvious that John was the Alpha and Everett the Beta. Matt didn't like that. He can't stand to be second to anyone; he always had to have the last word, even when the other person didn't even want to argue."

Joss nodded, "Jealousy is a strong motivator."

"When I questioned pack members after the murder they were scared, and Matt was well-known as a mean son of bitch, no offense intended."

Joss laughed, "None taken." Then she got serious, "What do you think was Matt Ellison's involvement?"

Berke shook his head, "I'm not sure, but I do know that without Conrad Davis to keep him in line, he kept the rest of the pack cowed until they picked a new Alpha couple from out of town."

"Who was that?"

"Trisha Hunter's parents, Cora and Sam. Sam was a born Alpha, but his older brother inherited his parent's pack, so he was looking for his own."

"Where are Cora and Sam now?"

"Dead. They died in a plane crash going back east to visit family a few years ago, and Trisha and Dave took over the pack since Trisha was the first born of the Alpha couple."

"Who takes over the pack now?"

Berke shrugged, "Trisha and Dave didn't have any kids yet, and even if they had they would be too young anyway. They will have to pick an Alpha from the pack or bring in one from outside. I hear Everett is throwing his hat into the ring so to speak."

Joss checked her watch and realized that it was time for her to go. She'd promised John to be back by a certain time. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"

Berke shook his head, "Just watch your back and John's. Whoever did all this is vicious and will not hesitate to kill again. And please, solve this case. You know how us cops all have at least one case that follows you, that you can't let go of?"

Joss nodded, "Yeah I got couple myself."

Berke sighed, "This one was mine. Conrad was my friend and it hurt to see his son treated so shabbily."

Joss smiled, "I think I can promise you that John and I will solve this."

"Thanks, Jocelyn. Take care now." Berke escorted Joss out to her car and he waved as she drove off.