Beckett stared at the screen for a moment trying to comprehend what he was reading. "You have got to be kidding me."

He read and re-read the email from Professor Belle. It didn't make any sense. It couldn't be real. He had gone through all the trouble of contacting his assistant and writing to the Scrabble alpha himself. He had taken time out of his day and this was the thanks he got.

Thanks but no thanks. Not interested.

What the heck! Was this all an elaborate prank? Some kind of ploy by some tabloid or paper to confirm that he was in fact in Hope Springs? This was a strange way to get a story if that were true.

His fingers gripped the mouse so hard he heard it crack in his hands. He looked down and saw he had caved in a side. With a howl he threw it against the wall. He would ask Patrick to find him another.

This couldn't be a trick. He had looked up Belle. He was a professor at the community college in the next town. He taught business classes with a focus on entrepreneurship. He had lived in Hope Springs for years and had once been married. His wife had died in the mid-Nineties. An unexpected death from cancer. The obituary was terribly sad. They'd had one daughter, one Lenore Belle.

The daughter had been dating the son of the Scrabble Pack alpha and she had recently graduated from the community college. The Belle family seemed legitimate. If this was a prank, they were taking part in it. Didn't sound like something the professor would commit to. He couldn't find much about the daughter. Unremarkable except for her exceptional beauty. But Professor Belle was sincere. Beckett was many things, but a bad judge of character wasn't one of them.

Which meant that Lenni had actually turned down his help. He shot off an email to the professor voicing his displeasure. This was unacceptable behavior. You didn't just ask someone for help and then turn them down. Not when it had seemed so dire. He wanted an explanation beyond a "no thank you."

He got up to find Mrs. Potter while he waited for a more adequate reply. He found her kneading dough in the kitchen.

"I got an email back from the professor."

"Oh. Which job did she choose?"

"None."

She stopped mid-turn and pulled her hands from the dough. "Excuse me?"

"None. She doesn't want any of them."

"That's ridiculous," she huffed before continuing with the dough. "Why did he come out every day if she didn't want help?"

"That's what I said. I emailed him back asking what her problem was."

"Are you sure these people are above board?" She threw the dough viciously against the countertop and turned it again. "It would be a complicated scheme, but maybe they're trying to cozy up to you. See if they can get something out of the deal."

"That was my first thought too, but I looked into the family. They're established in town. Not exactly well-liked since the father is so eclectic. He's like the town weirdo. He's a nut but he's their nut, you know? I've seen him at the pizza place before and he seems pretty harmless."

"That doesn't mean they didn't get greedy. Maybe they saw an opportunity. Where is the girl working now?"

"That little bookstore in town. I think it's call Pat's Pages or something."

Mrs. Potter put the dough down and went to wash her hands. "I've been in there before. There are only two people who work there. I think I know the girl."

"Really? What's she like?"

"Nice. Very polite." Mrs. Potter said slowly as she dried her hands. "I have half a mind to go in there and ask her what she's thinking. That shop is going to close soon. They've already cut their hours."

"I'm going to go check for a reply from the professor. I'm pretty unhappy with this."

"Even if she doesn't take any of the jobs, you still did well," Mrs. Potter said gently. "You stopped that boy from harassing her. You went above and beyond."

"I just asked someone else to do the work," Beckett said gruffly. "I didn't do the leg work on the jobs, but I did write to the pack alpha. Either way, I'd like some kind of explanation."

He went back to his office and checked his emails. Nothing. He was going to be agitated until he got a better idea of what went wrong. He thought those jobs looked good. But what did he know? Maybe none of them were good for Lenni.

It was only a few weeks before he had to leave for Jasper's wedding. He should have known better than to get himself mixed up in something now. He had an important role to play in the wedding.

What if this were a tabloid story in the making? He didn't need a scandal before Jasper's big day. There was so much on his plate, and now this had thrown a wrench into it all.

He wished he didn't care, but he wanted to know what had gone wrong. He didn't deserve to be blown off like this.

He opened his web browser and searched for Lenni again. It was so strange not to have an online presence in today's age. Even he had private social media accounts. His buddy Jasper had run into the same problem when he met his wife. It turned out that his wife was the daughter of what was basically a shifter mob boss. A good-natured, law-abiding mob boss, but still someone who lived in the lawless, unregulated shifter lands.

He knew that the Belles were humans from town, but what if they were involved in some nefarious goings-on? Maybe the Scrabble Pack was having problems and the son needed the girl to extort Beckett. He could see that happening. Maybe the girl had seen a chance after her father met him in the pizza shop.

It sounded outlandish, but people had done stranger things to get a piece of his father's fortune. His stepmother had pretended to be a simple nanny while she was really cozying up to his dad. It had turned out well for her. Even if they divorced now, she would get a nice chunk of his fortune.

Maybe Lenni Belle was up to something and her father was the patsy that she tricked into helping her.

He checked for information about Ned Scrabble. He hadn't thought to look up information on the young wolf. He didn't care for the pack, but he didn't think they'd do anything to hurt him if he stayed out of their way. The alpha had been so nice when he'd gotten the letter. All the wolves he'd met in town were distant but still respectful when he ran into them.

There was nothing about any strife in the pack or a disagreement between the alpha and his son.

Beckett read into the evening until his fingers started to cramp. He shouldn't have thrown the mouse. It was probably still usable before that.

He shot an email off to a PI he knew. He wanted info on the Scrabble Pack and Ned in particular. He also wanted to know more about Lenni Belle. There might be something the investigator could find. He should have called his brother. Johan was a great investigator, but this was too personal.

Ned and Lenni had met on MateMe! too. That was Johan and his father's pet project. He knew they were secretly hoping that he would use the app to find a mate or at least date. Fat chance that would happen. There were so many problems and he might end up with a crazy who just wanted to date a rich shifter. He didn't know why they even let humans on the app. 

He stood up and stretched his fingers and back. He was obsessing over all of this. He knew he was but couldn't stop. He hated being told no. Not when he put himself out here like that. This was exactly why he didn't do it often. People were so fickle and difficult to trust. Reason 207 he would never use his family's little app. How could you ever trust someone you met like that?