Why a Wolf Cries, Julie Steimle [ebook reader macos TXT] 📗

coloring book, crayons, and a few other things for Maris to do as she sat in bed, and they hurried to the checkout. When they arrived back at the hospital, the bags of things surreptitiously stuffed in an emptied back pack, the media crowd appeared to have formed in an order that at least allowed a path for patrons to come and go from the building.

Audry and Skyler snuck their purchases inside the room without any interference.

Once Audry sat down again, each of them enjoying their scoops of ice cream, Maris asked for Audry to tell her another story.

“Tell one about the good wolf,” Maris said.  

Jean gazed at Audry warily. 

But Audry replied, “I don’t really know that many about the wolf. I’ve only seen him once before this, and that was when I pulled the bullet out of his leg.”

“Not even one?” Maris asked, begging.

“Ok. I know one, but it isn’t a happy story, and it is a bit scary. And I don’t have all the details. I heard this story from a man named Rhett Williams who survived a nasty wolf attack in Germany—and our good wolf helped save him.”

“Oh…” Maris sat up straight, eager to listen. “Go on. Tell it.”

Shrugging, Audry began what she knew. “First off, I don’t know how the good wolf ended up in Germany. But he did. Some really rich jerks like…” Audry struggled with what to say, as she was trying not to be specific with names as Rick Deacon was in the hospital and it was not kind to speak ill of the ill.

“Great Aunt Misty,” Maris supplied.

Jean smothered a laugh. Audry’s and Doug’s Aunt Misty Bruchenhaus was a bit of a fright. Pompous, extremely wealthy, and all her kids sent to private schools.  Jean hated her snobbery, especially how at family reunions she was constantly criticizing the choices their family were making. Living as a nurse was simply not prestigious enough.

“Actually,” Audry said, smirking, “Nicer than them. Aunt Misty would kill and skin the wolf, and use his fur as a rug. These rich folk are more… uh, foolish in thinking a wolf could be a pet. Not mean, just foolish.” Which really did describe the Deacons. Audry forgave them. Their enthusiasm for wolves just made them stupid. “Aunt Misty would call them new money—as would Great-Grandma Bruchenhaus, actually.

“Anyway,” Audry continued, “This rich college guy and three of his other friends went to hike in Germany. And somehow the wolf followed them.”

“How is that possible?” Jean asked, adding up what Audry also thought was impossible.

“I don’t know,” Audry said shrugging. “But it happened. I get this story from one of the men. And this is what he said.

“Now, there were even worse rich folk in Germany who also kept pet wolves. But they kept those pet wolves savage. In fact, they sometimes sic’d their wolves on people.”

“That’s disgusting,” Jean declared. “No one would do that.”

Audry shrugged. “Some rich folk are freaks. This rich German wanted to prove he was better than this American rich kid…” Audry paused, as somehow that felt right. She thought of Rhett and what he had said. “But the rich American idiot had warned his friends who traveling with him not to go near these scary Germans. However, his friends would not listen to him. In fact, against his advice, they went to tour the German rich guy’s medieval castle. But the German man really just wanted to attack the rich American, and he did not care about his friends at all. In fact, that crazy rich German decided he wanted to feed those American men to his wolves.”

“No way,” Skyler said, eyes wide.

Audry shrugged. “I told you. I spoke to one of the survivors.”

“No more of this story,” Jean objected, peeking to Maris whose eyes were wide. “It is too scary.”

“Oh come on, Mom. I want to hear it,” Maris protested.

Jean glared sharply at Audry. “If she gets nightmares, I am blaming you.”

Audry nodded. Looking to Maris, she said, “It is a scary story, and it does not end well. Maybe we should change it to a different story.”

“But this is about the good wolf, right?” Maris begged with her eyes.

Sighing Audry said, “Yes, it is, but is also about a foolish man who tried to save his friends from a big mistake. The story is that they ignored the advice from the stupid rich guy who knew these Germans were crazy. One of men got murdered by the crazy German, then he sic’d his wolves on them. But the rich guy tried to fight them off. And his wolf, our wolf, protected them. But he got hurt too. Just like when tried to stop the cougar from hurting you.”

“Really?” Maris exclaimed, eyes wide.

“Yes. And he survived,” Audry said. “My wolf. Someone stitched him up, and he was alive to save you.”

“He’s sounds like a superhero,” Skyler said.

A knock sounded at the door. In stepped Randon and Silvia.

“Hi.” Silvia waved then looked at the food Audry had brought in. “Oh… Randon, darling, I think we missed lunch.”

“Do you want me to go get it?” he said in earnest.

Silvia nodded. “If the cafeteria is open, or some corner store. Don’t go too far.”

He pecked her on the cheek then hurried off.

Smiling to Maris who stared back at her, Silvia said, “Remember me? I was here earlier.”

“Are you really a witch?” Maris asked, inching back into her pillow.

Silvia chuckled, peeking to Audry. “Not anymore. These days I just do herbal remedies, and wards against monsters and demons.”

Audry rolled her eyes, hoping this conversation would not give Maris nightmares.

“Are there really monsters?” Maris asked, nearly bug-eyed now.

Shrugging, Silvia peeked to Jean as she said, “The worst monsters are simply bad human beings. If you listen to your mother and aunt, and do what they tell you, I don’t think you have to worry about them.”

Jean smiled. She nodded approvingly.

Yet Silvia continued, saying, “But if you pray to God, you will have all the help you really need. That I know for a fact.”

Audry stared at her. This was something different. Silvia never really talked about God before. But then Silvia did not seem religious. She wondered if Randon was. To be honest, she hardly knew anything about Randon.

“Now, I happen to be a professional hair stylist,” Silvia said, coming nearer. “Can I brush and style your hair? I’m quite good. And it usually makes people feel better when I do it.”

Audry nodded vigorously behind Silvia’s back, mouthing that she was the best.

“Sure!” Maris agreed, grinning.

Silvia pulled up a chair and scooted it behind Maris so she could prop her up and chat comfortably. Then she began to talk. “Tell me about yourself. What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Smiling, feeling the hairbrush go through her hair as Silvia gently stroked and handled her thick locks, Maris openly shared what she dreamed of when she would be an adult.

Skyler fled the room after a while, sick of the ‘girly’ behavior as they talked about girly things. He didn’t come back until after Randon returned with Doug. Both walked in, finishing a whispered conversation between them in the open doorway.

“…I have a good friend who has rather toxic blood—and not the one here in the hospital,” Randon said. “My best friend actually. A cult group attacked him this past year and forced some poisonous blood down his throat. Yeah. Blood. Because of that, his blood type has changed. And since you are from the east coast and you are into blood pathology, I was wondering, would you would be interested in helping him in a certain research project? He’s looking for a cure for his condition, of course, but also for those somewhat infected by the same disease.”

“I’ll help out anyone studying peculiar blood pathology,” Doug replied with shining eyes. He looked like a child being offered a lifetime supply of candy.

“It has to be on the down low, of course,” Randon said as they continued to stand in the doorway, not quite aware they were being overheard at least by Audry. “We can help you with your research also. Funding…”

Audry got up and walked close to Doug as if stepping out of the room, whispering, “Be careful. He’s connected to the Deacon family.”

“I know that,” Doug replied as she did go out a bit. “I met this guy just down the hall talking with—” but then he paled, realizing whom he was talking to.

She let him feel the burn for being caught in the act of hiding information from her. Narrowing her eyes on him, she said, “I know who is in the hospital, Doug. Skyler fessed up. And besides, we found out about the car crash at the canyon village.”

Doug looked to Randon who nodded, not embarrassed at all. “Oh. Well, Mr. Deacon won’t be happy about that. He did not want you to get you involved.”

“With the media circus going on outside?” Audry huffed. “Who could miss it?’

Her brother shrugged. There was no point in denying reality.

And that’s when Tom Brown marched past the door, rather nonchalantly.

Audry stuck her head out. “He really is here?”

Randon cringed, covering his face with a hand. “Yes.”

Doug stepped into the hall and peered out also. He peeked to Audry. “You know him?”

Audry nodded. “Sure do. He fixed my car once, among other things. He’s a bit of a troublemaker, but he’s a good guy. But why is he here?”

“To guard Rick,” Randon replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He didn’t seem to care if she knew of now. “I know no one better to do it.”

Nope. She had to agree. No one was better than a CIA agent to guard Rick Deacon. The problem was, Tom was not subtle. In fact, he got bored when chaos wasn’t happening. He seemed the type of person who would make up a wild story to tell the media…though not one to incriminate Rick. Rather, he’d stage something weird to make them run around the city over nothing. The fact that Tom was just strolling was unnerving.

“I suppose you know who else is here,” Randon murmured, letting her guess.

She nodded. “Yes. Andrew. Skyler told me.”

Skyler ducked away, seeing his father’s chastening looks. Clearly they would have words later.

“Don’t blame him.” Audry watched Skyler escape back into the room. “I doubt he told me everything.”

“But you know this Andrew?” Doug remained surprised as it seemed to him that her world was coming into theirs, from the dangerous animals to the people out of her crazy stories.

Meeting his gaze, inching further into the hall to give Maris more privacy, Audry nodded. “Of course I do. He’s Rick’s best friend, and he’s also Jessica’s husband. He’s also a doctor. He would come in a situation like this. And I’ve told you about Jessica—the police officer who arrested Harlin? She was my good friend long before they got married. And I’ve been to their apartment a number of times since they got married. They even gave their baby my middle name. Didn’t I tell you this?”

“What?” Doug nearly laughed as it really did make the world small. “His wife? Their baby?”

Audry nodded. “Yeah. She was a real good friend, somebody I could really count on.”

He stared at her. “And why did you leave New York again?”

Audry sighed with a peek to Randon, then whispered. “It just got too weird.”

Overhearing her, Randon nodded at that. He pulled open the door and went into the room, waving at his wife, Silvia, who was tying off Maris’s hair, adjusting things for the perfect shape. It looked adorable.

Inching closer to Audry, Doug whispered as they followed Randon in, “I think I want to hear your stories about all that again—this time without Maris and Skyler listening. Because I get the feeling that these friends of yours would do anything for you, including leave you alone if you wanted them to—which is, weird.”

Audry nodded.

“Point of fact, they’re all in realm of their own. Beyond what I would think of as