By twelve-oh-six, the rain had turned Cross Timber into a city of blurred headlights and shining streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Water ran in hard sheets down the station windows. Lightning flashed behind the detective bullpen, turning the glass white for an instant before leaving the room in monitor glow again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Night Shift office no longer looked new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It looked occupied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Case files covered two desks. Alicia Monroe\u2019s photograph rested beside Mark\u2019s open notebook. A printout of Cedarline\u2019s badge-access log sat under Gabriel\u2019s elbow. Thane stood at the wall map with one claw resting against the eastern edge of town, where red marker lines traced the route from Cedarline Contracting to the trailhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cedarline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trailhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
East Ridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three places. One missing hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark sat at his desk with a department IT technician on speakerphone and three windows open across his monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSay that again,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark did not look up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMarin\u2019s company laptop is not connecting from her home network.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhere is it connecting from?\u201d Rusk asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark\u2019s claws moved precisely over the keyboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVehicle hotspot.\u201d He clicked through another screen. \u201cThe white crossover assigned to her has an active mobile connection. IT can identify the vehicle account, but the telematics feed is delayed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow delayed?\u201d Voss asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSix minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel looked at the weather radar on the side monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSix minutes feels generous tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark\u2019s eyes narrowed at a string of numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLast ping was east of town. Near East Ridge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rusk swore under his breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The East Ridge project had been stalled twice that year\u2014first by financing, then by weather. Half-built model homes sat along muddy graded roads, surrounded by stacks of lumber, wrapped insulation, portable work lights, generators, and unfinished utility trenches. Beyond the development, the ground dropped toward an old low-water crossing and a county road that became unreliable whenever the creek rose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane studied the map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf she gets across the crossing before it floods, she has the old equipment yard and the county road.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel turned toward him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf she does not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe is trapped on the site.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss took the warrant packet from the printer tray and skimmed the first page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPatrol gets both exits. Thane, take western containment. Bell and the west-side units are yours. Rusk, you and Gabriel approach the site office and trailer row. Mark, you stay mobile with me until we have a confirmed structure, then you move where the evidence needs you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark looked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can work the telematics from the command unit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd when we have a scene?\u201d Voss asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI work the scene.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rusk grabbed his keys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo one enters alone. No one chases her into an unstable structure without confirming what we have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane looked at Voss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe has Alicia\u2019s phone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe may,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe is deleting the records.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe may destroy both.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss met his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For one second, the rain seemed to get louder against the windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Voss said, \u201cYou are detectives now. Use what you are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel went still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark\u2019s ears lifted slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFind her. Preserve the evidence. Bring her in alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rusk opened the office door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMove.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Humvee fought through the storm like a stubborn green animal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane drove with both hands planted on the wheel, windshield wipers slamming back and forth across the glass. Water pooled in the ruts of the access road. Mud sprayed high behind the tires. The headlights cut only a few yards into the rain before the darkness swallowed them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel sat in the passenger seat, case bag at his feet, listening to dispatch traffic through one ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark rode in back with his laptop tethered to a portable hotspot and a charger plugged into the rear power port. The screen reflected pale light across his gray-white muzzle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTelematics updated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane glanced at him through the rearview mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEast Ridge main gate. Eleven fifty-nine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAny movement after?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCould be delayed,\u201d Gabriel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is delayed,\u201d Mark answered. \u201cThat does not mean it is wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane turned onto the unfinished development\u2019s access road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The site gate stood open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Patrol units had already set up at the north exit and the old creek crossing. Red-and-blue light pulsed across rows of unfinished homes. White rain jackets moved between portable floodlights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The white crossover waited beside the site office trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its engine ticked softly beneath the rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A reflective safety vest hung in the rear window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel looked at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s Eli\u2019s vest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot his,\u201d Mark said. \u201cThe type he saw.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRight. That sounded better in my head.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane shut off the Humvee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The night rushed in around them: rain, wet construction wood, diesel from a portable generator somewhere deeper in the site, soaked earth, fresh-cut lumber, cold metal, and the muddy river smell rising from the creek bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bell was waiting beneath the trailer awning with two patrol officers, rain darkening his uniform shoulders. He saw Thane step out of the Humvee and gave him a short nod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPerimeter is locked, Detective. North gate and creek crossing are covered. West team is standing by. What do you need?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane looked toward the white crossover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKeep the western access closed. Put one unit at the road cutoff and one on the rear footpath. Nobody approaches the east structure until I know where Marin is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCopy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane stepped toward the crossover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The smell hit him before he reached it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bleach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lavender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wet fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alicia\u2019s blood\u2014not fresh enough to overwhelm the rain, but there, trapped beneath the rear hatch seam and soaked into the cargo mat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He crouched beside the rear tire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The red clay in the treads matched the service road behind the trailhead. There was wild mint caught in the narrow grooves of the rubber, green leaves flattened hard against the mud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane looked toward the unfinished homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The scent trail left the crossover and cut east.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not toward the office trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not toward the north gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Toward the lowest row of model homes near the creek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He followed it only as far as the marked western perimeter, then stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The trail was not clean. Rain fought it. Construction dust, wet drywall, old smoke from a generator, and raw lumber layered over each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Marin\u2019s scent remained beneath the noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lavender detergent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Floral sanitizer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sharp copper edge of panic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Alicia\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not the device itself, exactly. Electronics had their own smell when warmed by a hand and enclosed in plastic. Oil from fingers. Screen-cleaner residue. The faint warmed-metal scent that lingered in a pocket or bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane looked at Bell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMarin left the crossover on foot,\u201d he said. \u201cShe is carrying something handled at the trailhead. Likely Alicia\u2019s phone or evidence from the vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bell looked toward the unfinished homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDirection?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEast. Toward the model home nearest the creek.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bell studied the rain and the narrow route between the structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou want the west side held?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHold the west side. Nobody comes out through that rear line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bell turned to the patrol officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou heard Detective Thane. West line. No gaps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark came around the front of the crossover with an evidence light and a camera hanging from his neck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have a match,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss joined them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTalk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark held up a photo on his phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe reflective safety clip recovered at the trailhead has a torn plastic attachment point. This vest has the matching torn loop on the lower rear strap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel leaned closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo the vest was in both places.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLikely,\u201d Mark said. \u201cIt still needs lab comparison, but the damage pattern aligns.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He moved the light toward the rear cargo area without opening it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlso, the industrial dust from the service road contains gypsum, red clay, and a fine aggregate consistent with the East Ridge site material. We collected trace transfer from Alicia\u2019s crossover at the trailhead. The same blend is on Marin\u2019s cargo mat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss looked between Mark and Thane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCan we say she transported Alicia?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot yet,\u201d Mark said. \u201cWe can say the vehicle likely traveled between the trailhead and this site. We can say the trace material is consistent. We still need to establish timing, content, and contact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood,\u201d Voss said. \u201cKeep every word of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A gust hit the site hard enough to rattle loose plastic sheeting against the nearest frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane\u2019s head turned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Faint beneath the generator hum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A lighter wheel clicking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then the soft crackle of paper catching fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel\u2019s ears rose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou hear that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRear room.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel tilted his head, listening through rain and the constant fluttering slap of plastic tarps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne person,\u201d he said. \u201cMoving slow. Something metal in one hand. Phone in the other, maybe. I hear the screen tapping against something when she shifts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rusk looked toward the nearest unfinished model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhich room?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBack side,\u201d Gabriel said. \u201cLaundry or utility room. Generator is close.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark glanced at the construction plan taped to the trailer wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He traced a finger across it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cModel Four. Rear utility room opens onto an unfinished mudroom. The generator is outside the back wall. Permanent power is not connected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss lifted her radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnits hold perimeter. No one approaches the east structure without direction. We have a suspect inside with a possible ignition source and evidence. Fire-rescue stage at the nearest safe point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She looked at the trio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNight Shift. Show me the room.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The unfinished model home had no front door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just a rough opening beneath a temporary plastic flap that snapped wildly in the wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inside, the structure smelled of wet wood, drywall dust, exposed insulation, and generator fumes. Rain hammered the roof sheathing overhead. Water blew through gaps around the windows, running down bare studs and pooling in pale streaks across the unfinished floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rusk and Gabriel took the front opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane pointed Bell toward the narrow overhang along the west side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStay with me. Watch the rear opening and keep Gabriel\u2019s exit clear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bell nodded once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith you, Detective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They moved along the side under the narrow overhang, careful of exposed nails and uneven ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss and Mark stayed outside the immediate entry path, protected behind a stack of wrapped lumber with a clear view through the open wall framing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The portable generator chugged near the rear of the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its exhaust mixed with the storm air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The room beyond it glowed orange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A metal trash can burned low beside a plastic folding table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin Cole stood near it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She had shed her rain jacket. Her lavender sweater clung damply to her arms. Her hair had come loose from its careful work knot. Alicia\u2019s phone shone in one hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the other, a cheap silver lighter trembled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She looked smaller than Thane expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That did not make her less dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The phone was evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lighter was fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The house was unfinished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The generator was running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rain had not made the structure safe. It had made it worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel stepped into the open front room but stopped well short of the rear utility area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMarin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She turned sharply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lighter came up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rusk\u2019s hand hovered near his weapon but did not draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy name is Detective Gabriel,\u201d Gabriel said. \u201cI need you to put down the lighter and the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin laughed once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a broken sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel\u2019s voice stayed low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen help me understand. But do not burn the evidence while you do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know what she was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe know Alicia found irregular payroll records.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lighter clicked again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every part of him wanted to close the distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The woman was cornered. The room was unstable. The fire was growing. One movement could turn the entire structure into a trap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane stayed where he was, listening for the next thing that changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin looked through the half-built room toward the sound of the storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe was going to destroy the company.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel did not nod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He did not soften the words for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe was going to report what she found.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t understand.\u201d Marin\u2019s voice rose. \u201cYou think those numbers mean theft? You have no idea what it takes to keep a company afloat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen tell me,\u201d Gabriel said. \u201cTell me what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin stared at the phone in her hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe came in with that stupid report.\u201d Her breath shook. \u201cShe had screenshots. Notes. She said she was going to take it to the owner on Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid you meet her at Cedarline?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid you argue?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid you hurt her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin\u2019s face crumpled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe fell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel did not rush to fill in the space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rain slammed against the half-finished roof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The generator sputtered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The paper in the trash can crackled louder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTell me what happened,\u201d Gabriel said again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe was going to ruin everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlicia was going to report theft.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was not theft.\u201d Marin\u2019s eyes flashed. \u201cI was keeping things moving. The projects were bleeding. Vendors wanted money. People needed jobs. I moved funds where they had to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou used inactive employee accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI borrowed from them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou created a vendor that did not exist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI made it work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou took money that was not yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin looked at him like he had struck her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she looked toward the rear door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane saw it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The thought of running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ground beyond the door sloped toward the creek. Rainwater was already pouring through the back opening in a widening stream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The drop beyond the threshold was hidden in darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A person could take three steps and disappear into the drainage cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss spoke over the radio from outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThane. Report rear terrain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He answered without taking his eyes off Marin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWater rising behind the structure. Ground drops past the rear door. Mud is unstable. She cannot see where she would step.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss\u2019s voice came back calm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUse it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane spoke then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not loud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not threatening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMarin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou are not going to hurt me?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question hung in the unfinished room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane could hear Gabriel breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Could smell Bell\u2019s attention sharpen beside him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He looked at Marin\u2019s shaking hand around the lighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the water moving behind her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin stared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane kept his voice low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut you need to put the lighter down and come out. The water is rising behind you. The ground drops past that door. You cannot see where you are stepping.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can get out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot that way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her eyes flicked toward the rear door again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lighter trembled harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A gust tore through the exposed framing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plastic covering one wall ripped free with a violent crack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A section of temporary exterior bracing shuddered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane heard the change before anyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wood under strain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A long, splitting groan from the side wall nearest the utility room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEast wall is going,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark\u2019s voice snapped through the radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI see it. The temporary brace is pulling loose from the sill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss answered at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThane, you have scene safety. Can you stabilize it without crossing the fire line?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane keyed his radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBell, take the rear exit with Rusk. Keep Gabriel\u2019s path clear. Fire-rescue Lieutenant, I need a shore brace on the east wall now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bell did not hesitate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOn it, Detective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fire-rescue lieutenant answered through the noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMoving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not toward Marin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Toward the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The unfinished exterior frame leaned inward as the wind pressed hard against loose plastic and wet sheathing. One of the diagonal temporary braces had come free at the top. The wall was not about to collapse like a building in a movie, but it was shifting enough to turn the narrow room into a crush point if it gave way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane planted both feet in the mud just outside the open framing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His claws dug deep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He put one shoulder beneath the sagging beam and both hands against the wet stud wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wood groaned again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then stopped moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The force of it drove through his arms and spine, heavy but manageable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rain ran down his muzzle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mud sucked at his feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behind the wall, Marin stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lighter remained in her hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel took one careful step forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMarin,\u201d he said. \u201cLook at him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane held the wall in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not looking at her like prey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not growling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not demanding anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just holding the danger away from everyone in the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have choices,\u201d Gabriel said. \u201cBut burning the phone is not one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen explain it later,\u201d Gabriel said. \u201cYou can tell us what happened. You do not get to decide what it means alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI did not mean to kill her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The room went still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even the generator seemed quieter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel\u2019s voice softened, but did not forgive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen do not make us guess what happened. Put it down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fire in the trash can flared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rusk moved closer with the extinguisher he had taken from the entry station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin looked at the burning papers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then at Alicia\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then at Thane holding the wall against the storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She dropped the lighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It struck the wet floor with a small metallic clink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel did not move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe phone too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin held it for another second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then let it fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The phone hit the floor beside the lighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rusk moved first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He crossed quickly, kicked the trash can away from the wall, and discharged the extinguisher in a short burst. White foam swallowed the fire. He recovered the lighter and phone with evidence gloves from a pouch at his belt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvidence secure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMarin,\u201d Gabriel said. \u201cWalk toward my voice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She took one step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her knees gave out before she reached him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bell and Rusk had already cleared the side exit. The fire-rescue lieutenant and another firefighter forced a temporary shore brace into position beneath the shifting frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane kept the wall steady until the lieutenant looked toward him and raised a hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBrace is holding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane tested the pressure once, felt the load transfer into the new support, and stepped clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bell called from the side exit, soaked through and breathing hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClear route, Detective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKeep it clear until we have her out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wall held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He moved into the room only after the path had been cleared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin was on her knees in the wet floor dust, sobbing into both hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane approached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMarin Cole,\u201d he said. \u201cYou are under arrest for the murder of Alicia Monroe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She looked up at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou said you wouldn\u2019t hurt me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He guided her hands behind her back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No pressure beyond what was needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No anger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cuffs clicked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane secured the cuffs, checked their placement, and released Marin\u2019s arm the instant the restraint was complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No extra pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No warning squeeze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No need to prove anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bell remained at the clear exit, directing the transport officer toward the safest route through the mud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin folded forward, crying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel crouched several feet away\u2014not touching her, not comforting her, just keeping his voice steady.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMedical is going to check you,\u201d he said. \u201cThen we are going to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin did not answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The storm moved through the open walls around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And for the first time that night, the case stopped running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first scene at Cedarline told the story better than Marin ever could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By two in the morning, Voss had a search warrant team at the company office. The building\u2019s security footage was recovered before the storm could knock out the external backup connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark stood beside Voss in the mobile command SUV as the video played.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The footage was grainy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alicia entered the office at 7:41 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin met her near the finance wing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They spoke in the hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neither looked calm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 8:03, the two women entered the loading corridor near the rear exit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The camera angle caught only part of the space. Stacks of wrapped materials blocked the far end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alicia raised a hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin moved closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The audio was poor, but the argument was unmistakable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 8:10, Alicia turned toward the exit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin stepped in front of her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alicia shoved past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin grabbed her arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The video shook once as a forklift passed outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then came a hard sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Metal against something solid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the camera cleared, Alicia was down behind the stack of materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin stood frozen for two seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she looked toward the camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looked at Alicia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And ran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She returned six minutes later with a rolling equipment cart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 8:24, the cart moved toward the rear exit beneath a tarp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alicia\u2019s badge never registered out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin\u2019s did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark watched the timestamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then pulled up the vehicle telematics beside it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
White crossover leaving Cedarline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
White crossover at the trailhead service road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
White crossover at East Ridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The path existed now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not as a wolf\u2019s certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not as a hunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark opened the phone recovery report from the digital-forensics technician working across the lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVoss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe phone log confirms a remote lock at 9:31.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom Alicia\u2019s phone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMeaning?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark looked at the vehicle record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMarin left Alicia\u2019s key fob inside the crossover. Then used the companion app on Alicia\u2019s phone to lock the vehicle from outside after she staged the body.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The locked car had been deliberate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The phone had not been missing property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It had been the tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark stared at the recovered activity log.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMarin did not take the phone because it mattered to Alicia,\u201d he said. \u201cShe took it because it could lock the car, erase the files, and show where she had been.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPut that in the warrant supplement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark\u2019s claws clicked softly against the keyboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt also contains the login record for Alicia\u2019s payroll folder. There is an audio file from the meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCan we recover it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cProbably?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark looked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is enough to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss\u2019s mouth shifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the interview room before dawn, Marin gave them pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not a confession anyone would call clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not a story that spared her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel sat across from her. Priya joined by secure video from home, hair pulled back and expression already alert despite the hour. Rusk stood near the observation window with his arms folded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin looked exhausted now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her lavender sweater had been bagged as evidence. She wore a department-issued gray shirt. Her hands rested on the table, cuffed in front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel placed a printed still from the Cedarline footage between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alicia in the loading corridor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin facing her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou argued,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin stared at the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe was going to ruin everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlicia was going to report fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was not fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI took money. I moved money. I paid things that needed to be paid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou used inactive employee accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was going to put it back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou created a vendor that did not exist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was keeping the projects alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou were stealing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin looked at him with something like hatred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe did not understand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel\u2019s voice stayed level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe understood enough to save the records.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin looked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat happened in the loading corridor?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe shoved me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe fell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cInto what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe steel cabinet?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel did not push the answer into her mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He let it stay there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, Marin whispered, \u201cShe hit her head.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWas she alive?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin\u2019s eyes filled again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid you call for help?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe was going to report me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo you put her on a cart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin covered her face with both hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou drove her to the trailhead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou put her in her car.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou locked the car from outside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin\u2019s shoulders shook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou took her phone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel leaned back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou can explain your choices later. But every time Alicia needed help, you made another choice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin lowered her hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the first time, she looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not through him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not at the room around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI panicked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel nodded once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPanic is not the same thing as an accident.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No one spoke after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was nothing left to improve by making her cry harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The evidence already held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mara Monroe came to the station after sunrise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rain had passed, leaving Cross Timber washed cold and silver beneath the morning light. Water dripped from every tree along the station lot. The air smelled clean in the way it did only after a hard storm had beaten everything down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mara sat in the family interview room with a paper cup of coffee she had not touched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss sat across from her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel stood near the window. Mark had a thin folder in his hands. Thane remained by the door, not looming, not distant\u2014just there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss spoke first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have someone in custody for Alicia\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mara closed her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her breath caught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMarin Cole. Finance director at Cedarline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mara stared at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMarin?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe and Alicia met at Cedarline last night,\u201d Voss said. \u201cAlicia had uncovered financial fraud involving company payroll records. During the confrontation, Alicia was seriously injured.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mara pressed one hand over her mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMarin did this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat about Nate?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel stepped forward slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNate was investigated,\u201d he said. \u201cHe had sent threatening messages. He had reason to be angry. But the evidence confirms he was at the sports bar during the time Alicia was transported to the trailhead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mara looked down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI thought it was him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA lot of people did,\u201d Gabriel said gently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe was awful to her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe may have been,\u201d Gabriel said. \u201cBut he did not kill her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mara\u2019s eyes filled again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark opened the folder in his hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour sister saved records,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mara looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe documented the irregular payroll payments. She kept notes. She created a file with the information Marin was trying to erase.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid that get her killed?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question sat in the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark did not answer quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he said. \u201cMarin\u2019s choices got her killed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mara looked down at the untouched coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane spoke then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe made it hard for someone to erase what they did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mara\u2019s shoulders shook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This time, when she cried, no one tried to make it better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was no better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel handed her a tissue box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark set Alicia\u2019s recovered notes folder on the table but did not push it toward her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss explained what came next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The medical examiner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The prosecutor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The evidence process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The long road through court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was not comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it was truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And sometimes that was the only thing detectives could offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By sunrise, the Night Shift office looked like it had survived a small war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three empty coffee cups sat on Mark\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel\u2019s chair was turned sideways, one foot hooked beneath the edge of the evidence cabinet. A half-eaten protein bar had disappeared somewhere under a stack of reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane stood before the wall map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A new case card had been pinned beneath a red line running from Cedarline to the trailhead, then east to East Ridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ALICIA MONROE
HOMICIDE \/ FINANCIAL FRAUD
MARIN COLE \u2014 IN CUSTODY<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Below it, Mark had added another card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NATE WILCOX \u2014 CLEARED \/ NOT RESPONSIBLE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel came up beside him, holding a fresh cup of coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFirst night as detectives,\u201d he said. \u201cWe got a murder, fraud, a rainstorm, and a woman trying to set paperwork on fire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark looked up from his report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTechnically, she tried to set paper on fire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel turned toward him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou are going to be exhausting in this office.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe office is already exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane looked at the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alicia\u2019s photograph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nate\u2019s name moved out of the suspect column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marin\u2019s arrest card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The route between scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The facts that had refused to line up until the team gave them room to be wrong first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe almost had the wrong answer,\u201d Thane said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark joined him at the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe had the first answer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel leaned against the desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen we did the work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voss appeared in the doorway with a fresh stack of overnight reports tucked beneath one arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood,\u201d she said. \u201cLearn from this one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rusk followed behind her, coat still damp at the shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd do not get attached to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel accepted the coffee Voss handed him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDetective work is glamorous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rusk looked at the case board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is paperwork with consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane looked at Alicia\u2019s photograph one last time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He did not feel triumphant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He felt responsible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Outside, the storm had passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The evidence had not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Night Shift had its first case.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By twelve-oh-six, the rain had turned Cross Timber into a city of blurred headlights and shining streets. Water ran in hard sheets down the station windows. Lightning flashed behind the detective bullpen, turning the glass white for an instant before leaving the room in monitor glow again. The Night Shift office no longer looked new. […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wolf-detectives"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150\/revisions\/152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/nightshift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}