Alpha Feud BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance Series - Books 1 to 5

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Eliza sat with glazed eyes in the briefing room as it filled up with the other members of the team. Oliver sat next to her. He offered her a doughnut and Eliza politely shook her head; her stomach was doing summersaults and she couldn’t think about eating. As the crew piled in, an excited buzz filled the room; everyone speculated about the headline of the day. Some people got out their smartphones and began researching the story, but it seemed to not have been covered yet. Eliza realized that their news station might be the first to get the scoop on this story. Perhaps Jim had pulled some strings with the police department. He certainly had his ways.

It felt like hours had passed until Jim finally walked into the room, even though it had only really been a matter of minutes. As he approached the projector, he had a spring in his step and a grin on his face. Judging by his bouncy attitude and slightly disheveled appearance, Eliza guessed that his happiness was about more than just progress at work.

“Well, looks like we have a big story today!” he began.

The hum of the room quietened down and everyone gave Jim their full attention. This was the sort of story that everyone had secretly been waiting for all of these weeks, and finally the universe had presented them with it. Nevertheless, the majority of people in the room kept their faces steady and somber, hiding their excitement.

“So, first things first. Freddie’s body was found late last night, and the autopsy is now underway. Therefore, the cause of death hasn’t officially been determined yet.”

The tension in the room seemed to increase. It was clear that everyone was bursting with questions. Jim, as the entertainment master that he was, kept silent for just long enough to stretch the anticipation. Then he continued.

“However, the on-site detectives determined that the most likely cause of death was an animal attack. Probably wolves, but this has yet to be confirmed. Statistically, it’s highly unlikely, since there are no actual confirmed wolves living in the wild in Indiana.”

There was a stir in the room. Oliver turned to Eliza to try and make eye contact but she averted his gaze. Her expressive face had to be controlled as much as possible, and she knew that eye contact would put her at risk of exposure. There were simply too many thoughts running through her mind; she wasn’t sure whether to be happy or upset about the cause of death. Surely, it was better if Freddie was killed by a dog or a wolf rather than by Hayden. However, her gut told her that this coincidence was too good to be true.

Eliza raised her hand lightly from the table to signify that she wanted to ask something. Normally Jim would wait until the end of a briefing to answer questions, but Eliza knew that he wouldn’t reject her.

Jim seemed surprised at her obvious impatience, but turned to face her nevertheless. “Yes, Eliza?”

“Have the investigators provided any estimates for how long the body was left in the forest until it was found?”

“Good question. Of course, we can’t give out any solid facts before the autopsy is complete, but judging purely by the condition of the body, they said it was probably left there for more than one night, but no more than three.

“Thanks, Jim.”

Shit. Hayden went to speak with Freddie two days ago, so this aligns with the amount of time that the body must’ve been in the forest. But if Hayden was behind this, how would he have coordinated an animal attack? Maybe he has connections to somebody who owns vicious dogs? It’s certainly the easiest way to cover his tracks...

Eliza was about to ask another question, but she didn’t want to draw any suspicion. She just hoped to God that nobody had seen Freddie come to her house two days ago.

Luckily, someone else was thinking along the same lines as her. Rachel raised her hand as well and Jim reluctantly nodded at her.

“Are they investigating any possibilities that this could’ve been a murder? Given Freddie’s reputation, it’s easy to believe that he has made some enemies. Perhaps a feud over d**g money?”

Jim shot Rachel an irritated look. One question, he could handle; two was pushing it. “They won’t know until the autopsy is complete,” he snapped.

After Jim finished his briefing, he took Eliza aside to prep her individually. As usual, she was going to be the on-site reporter, meaning that she would be heading into the forest with Oliver and the rest of the camera crew.

“So I hope you’re prepared for a b****y one. It’s a fresh crime scene, but I know you can handle it. See, you wanted a story like this and finally we got one! I know you’ll kick a*s. Remember, even though Freddie was a junkie and a dealer, I think that our viewers are craving a positive spin. I know that this guy was beginning to make a living the honest way, doing construction jobs and such.”

“I know, he actually did a one-day painting job at my place during the weekend,” Eliza said glumly.

“Oh, dear, I’m sorry. This must be so strange for you; having seen him less than a week ago, and now he’s dead.”

“I know,” Eliza sighed. “Don’t worry about me though, I’m fine. Tell me about the story.”

Jim looked relieved to get the green light for continuing to talk. “Ok, so I was thinking... we can go for the recovering addict angle. A man who was about to make things right, when his past came back to haunt him. No matter whether it was murder or whether he got himself into this trouble, we can still spin it as some kind of karmic retribution for his past deeds. But through his suffering, he’s absolved of his sins, and he’s in heaven.”

“Sounds good,” Eliza confirmed.

There was a silence, and Jim glanced up at her. “What? What is it?”

“It’s nothing.”

“No, Eliza, I can tell that something’s on your mind. Just say it.”

“Well, between me and you... do you really think this could be a wolf attack? You said it was statistically improbable, so like, what are the chances that it really happened?”

Jim looked thoughtful. “Well... statistically speaking, the last time that there was a wolf attack was over twenty years ago. So it’s rare, that’s all. Doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”

“Was it exactly twenty years ago?” Eliza confirmed.

“No, I think it was just over that... I should probably double check. Keep getting distracted because I have to keep calling the goddamn morgue and their autopsy people.”

“Pathologists,” Eliza corrected.

“Exactly. They should be getting back to me anytime now. Excuse me... I’ll need to make one more call.”

Jim walked off. He was a jumble of excitement and frustration, and despite her anxious state of mind, Eliza still felt some joy in seeing him this way. Finally, the Jim she knew and loved was back.

>>

By the time that the broadcast was ready to begin, it was already 5:30 in the evening. The darkening skies gave the scene an eerie feel, which was ultimately completed by the noticeably large traces of blood that were still on the ground. There was TV-style crime scene investigation tape drawn over the ground. In fact, the whole place felt a bit surreal... like it was crafted for a movie set.

The day was surprisingly calm for November, and Eliza got away with sporting a light jacket. She pushed her shoulders back, held her head high and raised the mike up to her lips. Oliver held up three fingers, then two, then one.

“It is with deep regret that I must announce an untimely death in our community. A local man known as Freddie Dormund, 27, was found dead today, right here in Pinewood Forest.”

She paused for a moment and allowed her tone to change from factual to empathetic. It was strange; Eliza was so bad at faking her emotions in life, but in front of the camera, she was the world’s greatest actress. Her trick was to allow other emotions to influence her tone. At this moment, she allowed her concern for Hayden’s fate into her speech, in order to fake her sympathy for Freddie.

“Freddie was a beloved member of the community, and despite his recent mishaps with the law, he has been on a steady path to recovery from his former addictions. In recent months, Freddie had shown the will to improve his health, his career and his relationships.”

Once more, Eliza switched her tone. She looked straight into the camera and allowed her eyes to well up with just enough water to let them glisten, but not enough to cry.

“In fact, Freddie came to work for me just this weekend, and did a wonderful job of painting the outside of my house. His hard work only goes to show that Freddie was serious about making a new life for himself. It is therefore an even greater tragedy that his untimely death coincided with his road to recovery.”

Eliza paused again, this time turning away from the camera and touching her right hand to her ear.

“I have just received information that the autopsy reports are back.”

She raised up one finger to the camera in order to signify that she was listening to her earpiece. The short wait was good for live TV because it prolonged the audience’s anticipation. Eliza was beginning to feel uplifted by her put-on persona and this gave her the willpower to push forward.

She looked back at the camera, her tone serious and sharp. “Our source tells us that the autopsy has revealed that Freddie passed away two days ago. The autopsy has also confirmed that Freddie Dormund has died as a consequence of fatal wounds from a wolf attack.”

Eliza paused again as she listened to Jim’s voice in her earpiece, and repeated his words into the camera. “The last time that a wolf attack occurred in Birkbridge was in 1994. The police department will issue a statement tonight about the details of the attack and will give an official warning for appropriate conduct. The police chief is currently working on a plan to ensure the safety of our citizens. In the meantime, it is advised that all residents stay away from the forest areas, particularly from Pinewood Forest. An open vigil will be held outside of Mr. Dormund’s house tomorrow evening at six. Everyone who wants to pay their respects is welcome.”

After rounding off the broadcast, Eliza decided to go straight home. She knew that Jim would probably want her at the office, but she was also aware that he would want to have a lengthy conversation with her about the awesomeness of the broadcast. The show that day really did blow everything else they had done in the past year out of the water. She decided to text him with an excuse about how the blood on the scene had made her queasy. This was half true; not because Eliza was afraid of blood, but because she knew who it belonged to. Her attempted r****t was dead, and she had been the one to report about it. Was this just the irony of life or was there something more to it? After being a reporter for five years, Eliza did not believe in coincidences. There was some missing link between her, Hayden, Freddie and the wolf attack, but she couldn’t seem to find it.

On top of all this, there was another uncomfortable piece of information that was now clawing at the back of Eliza’s mind. It was something that Jim had said into her earpiece during the broadcast. However, despite the niggling feeling at the back of her mind, Eliza couldn’t excavate what it was in particular that bothered her. There were so many other things on her mind at the moment that she couldn’t find what it was in particular that had struck her as odd.

Eliza decided that after getting a change of clothes at home, she needed to go see Hayden. The reward of getting closer to the truth of what had happened would be greater than being alone with a potential killer. Her gut told her not to worry, and Eliza had never regretted trusting her intuition. After all, her aversion to Freddie turned out to be completely justified. She simply didn’t feel as if she were in any danger with Hayden, despite the fact that he could easily be dangerous. In fact, the dangerous aspect was what drew her toward him in the first place. She somehow knew that he was capable of hurting other people, but she knew that he would never hurt her. And the way that he had rescued her the day that Freddie attacked her only went to show that he would protect her no matter what.

During the drive home, Eliza’s phone rang. Andrew’s voice came out of the speaker, and she could detect the beer in his tone. Andrew never got completely drunk; he was a big guy and he knew how to pace himself. But he was also not one to hold back on beer night with the boys. She pictured him at the Beer Cave, sitting with his friends and watching tonight’s broadcast. He would’ve pointed at the screen, leaning back slightly on his stool as the intoxication set in, and said, “That’s my girlfriend!” as if everyone didn’t already know.

“Hey, sweetie! Amazing job today, wow, but wow, I mean I can’t believe Freddie died.” Andrew paused and she heard him taking a drag of a cigarette. He knew she didn’t like him smoking every time he drank, but he did it anyway. “I guess he had it coming for being such an a-hole,” Andrew whispered. “But no, I don’t mean that. It still sucks.”

She heard the bar stool move. Even though she could barely make out the sound of Tom’s voice, she didn’t know what he had shouted. Andrew shouted something back that sounded like, “Yeah, thanks, man, I will!”

“Hey, are you there still? Sorry, had to move to a quieter place.”

“I’m still here.”

“Oh, ok good. Tom says congratulations, by the way.”

“Thanks.”

“Listen, did you want to celebrate? I could get out of here now. I’ve had a bit to drink but I could get a cab. And Tom even said he could drive me home. He’s not drunk.”

Eliza could tell that Andrew didn’t really want to leave the bar, which was all for the best since she needed to see Hayden anyway. “It’s ok, sweetie, I actually promised to go see Melissa tonight.”

“Ok then, are you sure?”

“Of course, we have a lot of stuff to talk about. She has some stuff going on, family stuff.”

“All right then, beautiful, I understand. See you at home, ok? I love you.”

“Love you.”

Eliza hung up and felt the car go silent. She jogged from her car, now parked in her driveway, to the front door for no particular reason. After the attack, she didn’t feel completely comfortable outside of her own home.

She decided to take a much needed shower in order to clear her head. Despite the lengthy conversations that Eliza had with herself in the car, she could still feel that something was bothering her. As she soaped her hair and massaged her scalp with her fingers, she could feel that the hidden fact was at the tip of her tongue. What did we say during the broadcast that was so important?

At that moment, Eliza realized that she could re-watch the program online. Ever since Jim’s network had expanded, he had hired a team of young people. Their sole purpose at the company was to establish an online presence; and they had succeeded marvelously. This meant that every single show was uploaded onto the Internet, almost directly after it aired in real-time. This allowed loyal viewers to catch up on any missed broadcasts immediately, without having to wait to watch the re-runs in the morning. Jim, who came from humble beginnings, believed that traditional TV schedules were a thing of the past. News should be accessible for anyone.

Eliza rinsed herself hurriedly without bothering to untangle her locks in the process, threw on a towel and staggered over to her laptop. She went on the Birkbridge Newsline website and, as always, the team of yuppie geeks had proven themselves worthy of their jobs. The broadcast was online.

She let the video load for a few moments and hit play. Eliza watched herself on the screen. She looked different than usual. There seemed to be a newfound confidence in her stance and an indecipherable look in her eyes. She barely recognized the person she was looking at. Clearly, the past week had had a greater impact on Eliza than she had even realized.

Still, she couldn’t figure out what had bothered her. The voice from the laptop continued speaking in its tough, powerful manner. “...the autopsy has also confirmed that Freddie Dormund has died as a consequence of fatal wounds from a wolf attack. The last time that a wolf attack occurred in Birkbridge was in 1994. The police department will issue a statement tonight...”

Eliza hit pause. There it was! 1994. That date; that was what had bothered her. But why? She took a moment to think. 1994 was... twenty-three years ago. Why did that date seem so important?

Then it hit her. Her father had spoken to her the day before about his research. Eliza remembered that he believed he’d made a breakthrough because he noticed a pattern in the hirings and firings of the Birkbridge mines and Millstone Firearms. He had told her that twenty-three years ago, both organizations had hired vast numbers of personnel.

But how could this have anything to do with wolf attacks? Suddenly, the coincidences were becoming unbearable. Freddie was killed by a wolf on the same day that he tried to r**e her. The last wolf attack in their town had occurred in the same year that her father was investigating to be the peak of expansion in two major local industries.

Eliza realized that she would never be able to find the missing puzzle pieces without doing some research. Even though her father insisted on the importance of field research, her experience in journalism proved that the Internet could be an effective source for a quick fix of information.

She clicked open a new tab and started typing into the search bar: 1994 Birkbridge wolf attack.

Eliza scrolled down until she found a headline that satisfied her. It read Married couple killed in wolf attack while visiting Birkbridge, Indiana. She clicked on the story and began to read. Under the main headline, the subtext read Husband and wife killed during hike in the forest, leaving behind two sons.

She read the entire article, which detailed the story of a young couple who travelled to Birkbridge with their sons for a vacation. The parents had gotten up early one morning and ventured into the forest for a stroll, leaving their two boys to sleep in the camper. The parents were found dead four hours later, with bite marks over their body. Eliza noticed that, strangely enough, they had been found by none other than Andrew’s father, who had told the police that he had heard ‘strange sounds’ while hiking in the woods. Apparently, he ran in the direction of the noise and, surely enough, had found two dead bodies that were still warm from the life that had just left them. Andrew’s father. Yet another coincidence, she thought without enthusiasm.

The children were seven and eight years old at the time. Eliza scrolled down and saw a picture of them, but the caption didn’t feature their names. The two boys appeared mischievous and angelic at the same time; they looked as if they’d come straight out of a children’s fashion catalogue. Since the article was photocopied entirely from an old newspaper, the photo was black and white. Nevertheless, it was clear that the younger boy’s hair and features were lighter than his brother. Even though one was older than the other, they were still the same height. They reminded Eliza of...