None of the Wolves were feeling friendly toward humans right now, so Simon didn’t bother to suppress the growl when he saw Montgomery and Burke waiting for them just inside the apartment doorway.
“Thanks for coming,” Montgomery said. “I appreciate it.”
“The lieutenant suspects that someone searched his apartment after Lizzy arrived in Lakeside yesterday,” Burke said. “I’m guessing it was sometime early this morning.”
Simon stiffened, insulted. “We’re not some damn sniffer dogs!”
“No, sir, you’re not,” Montgomery said, his usually courteous voice sounding strained. “But you can confirm if someone was here without me going through any official channels.”
Simon thought that through. Like wolves, terra indigene Wolves maintained territories where they hunted for food or grew foods their human forms enjoyed. But Wolves living in different territories would work together to protect themselves and the wild country from an invader. He’d thought of the police precincts in those terms: different packs who guarded a specific territory but would work together to guard the whole city of Lakeside. “You don’t trust the other packs of police.”
Neither human spoke. Finally Burke said, “That will depend on what you can tell us.”
<Since we’re here, I’ll give Montgomery’s den a sniff,> Nathan said as he pushed past the two humans.
Simon and Blair stepped inside. Montgomery closed the door.
While Nathan systematically explored the living room, Simon stepped toward the kitchen and sniffed. Then he looked at Montgomery. “Something stinks in there.”
“I meant to take out the kitchen waste when I got home yesterday,” Montgomery said, looking embarrassed.
<Old smells here,> Nathan reported as he sniffed the back and sides of the sofa.
When Simon relayed the remark, Montgomery nodded. “The sofa was here when I rented the place, left by the previous tenant. I haven’t replaced it yet.”
<Kowalski’s scent on some of the books,> Nathan said as he checked out a bookcase before returning to the sofa.
“Kowalski was here?” Simon asked.
Montgomery nodded. “He packed a bag for me yesterday.” He blinked. “You can tell he was here? You recognize his scent?”
“Of course,” Simon replied, watching Blair check out the kitchen, including fridge and cupboards. No reason for intruders to look in those places for the Lizzy or Boo Bear, but Wolves didn’t get invitations to look at human dens. Why waste the opportunity?
<He lives lean,> Blair said. Then he paused near the waste container. He crouched and sniffed around the top before getting down on his hands and knees to sniff the foot pedal that lifted the lid.
Simon watched Blair but noticed how Monty winced, probably thinking it was the garbage that was interesting . . . and noticed how Burke focused on the Wolf.
<Someone who isn’t Montgomery or Kowalski touched this container,> Blair said.
<Some new scents on the edges of the cushions,> Nathan reported.
Simon relayed the observations as the other two Wolves checked out the rest of the apartment.
“Ah . . .” Montgomery hurried forward when even human ears could hear Blair rummaging in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.
The three of them reached the bedroom in time to see Nathan shift his forepaws enough to pull open dresser drawers and poke around. Abandoning the dresser, the Wolf sniffed the clothes in the closet before standing on his hind legs in order to sniff the shelf above the clothes rod.