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and opened the door of his office, clearly my cue to leave. “For starters, I don’t have a 45,000 square foot home to live in while I save the world. Second of all, you’re the only one who can do what you do.”
    “Ah, yes,” I said. “My great claim to fame is being the world’s only female Were Whisperer.”
    “We all have our purpose, Alex. You just happen to have a slightly more unusual purpose.” He circled around the desk, placing a hand on the small of my back as he all but pushed me out of the door. “Say hello to Meg for me.”
    “This had better be worth my while,” I mumbled, taking the hint.
    He leaned against the doorframe as I moved past him, crossing his arms over his chest. “I have no doubt it will exceed your expectations.”
    I dug in my heels, turning to face him. Richard was up to something; I could feel it in my bones. “What do you mean by that?”
    He shrugged. “I’ve seen the cat around, and I think that you’ll find him…interesting. Besides, I thought you liked cats.”
    “I do like cats. I like big cats. You know, lions and tigers and jaguars. Those kinds of cats.”
    “Well, you shouldn’t have any problems with this one.”
    He began pushing the door closed behind me, then abruptly opened it before I could move away. “By the way, we’ve got a new guy working with the department. His name is Tristan. Try to avoid him, but if you do run across him in your travels, try to be a little more charming than usual. With luck, he won’t be here for long.”
    Richard ran the entire Special Investigations unit of the Phoenix PD, and I had worked with him a long time. If he was warning me away from someone, he meant it.
    “Contrary to popular belief, I’m generally a pretty charming person, Richard. Why would you automatically assume that I would piss him off?” I hesitated, cocking my head suspiciously. “And why are you telling me about a new hire?”
    He waved his hand and returned to sit at his desk. “Don’t worry about it. You may not even meet him. Just be polite if you do happen to cross paths.”
    I didn’t like the sound of that. “Why would I avoid him, then?”
    “I’ve just got a feeling the two of you won’t get along well. And from what I’ve seen, he has a quick temper.”
    But from the sound of his voice, he was quite sure. The secrecy bothered me, but I left it alone. No point in worrying about something that hadn’t happened yet. Besides, Billy was the only fulltime detective for this specially formed department, and served as my officially appointed chaperone when I was out and about on government jobs. Chances were good I wouldn’t even run into the other guy.
    Richard nodded towards the door.
    “Okay, okay. I’m going.” I stepped onto the busy floor of cubicles and the chaos of ringing phones as irate people screamed at one another.
    Time to go visit Richard’s mysterious cat…

I stared into the cat’s bright blue eyes. Its magnificent white fur was tipped in soft brown making his slightly matted fur look like someone had dipped him in coffee. Yet, his startling eyes reflected intelligence and a strong spirit.
    Meg had chosen to sit in the flowered armchair furthest away from us both, nearest the door as if she were planning the fastest escape route from me. The elderly woman wrung her hands nervously.
    “Do you really think you can help him?” She asked. Her anxious eyes swept over my face in search of hope, but reflected only doubt.
    “Maybe…” I nodded cautiously. Animals, especially cats, are unpredictable at best and I hated making even a slight commitment. “I’ll need some time with him, though. It may take more than one visit.”
    “I can pay…” Meg watched me carefully. She was no fool, but when it came to her cat, she could be. What’s worse is that I knew she would be. What is it with old women and cats?
    This silver-haired, obviously skeptical, but still overly trusting grandmother had a good heart and I had no