The Assignment

Mara sighed as she glanced around the diner. There were only a handful of people there as the lunch rush had ended an hour ago. She was on her second cup of coffee since finishing her chicken salad and the waitress had already given her more than one pointed look, as did the few folks still hanging around.

She supposed the polite thing to do would have been to leave and go work from the privacy of her motel room, but she needed to be out in the town. It was the only way she'd get a feel for things. Get a sense of how people were dealing with the recent tragedies. Though from the looks of things, they were more concerned with her presence than the three hikers who died.

Forks was a small town, so Mara wasn't surprised by the looks. She was an outsider and she was sure that everyone knew her name, or at the very least what she was there for. She looked down at her open laptop, staring at the blank email. She had been there for almost a full day and still didn't have much, earning her several angry text messages from her editor, Richard. He wanted a story and he wanted it now. But the local police were stonewalling her and refusing to give her any information.

It was just animal attacks, the local police chief had told her this morning after she finally met him face-to-face. That was followed by, "We're not talking to press right now," before he sent her on her way after she had sat outside his office waiting to speak to him for nearly two hours.

"Animal attacks, my ass," she muttered.

Sighing, she grabbed her notebook and flipped through it, reading the notes she had. Most of it were her own ideas as to what could be going on. A few general comments on the town itself. Mara couldn't help but feel a chill as she drove back to the motel last night after her first failed meeting at the station. The forest that surrounded Forks had a bit of an ominous feeling, though she wasn't sure if it was the dark or the fact that she knew three people had died in it over the past few weeks.

This was her first big story for The Seattle Times and she was determined to do it justice. She wanted to do well for the families of the victims – telling the victims' stories was part of the reason she wanted to be a crime reporter after all - but she also had something to prove. To herself. To her boss. Without it, she was sure to be back writing up the police blotter. Or worse - sent back to the gen news desk writing about town hall meetings. This was her chance to finally prove to her editor that she could handle bigger stories.

And to finally make a name for herself, moving out of her family's shadow.

But in order to do that, she needed to prove that there was something strange going on in the small town. As soon as Richard mentioned it in the budget meeting, she got a feeling in her gut there was something there. The other reporters had laughed at her when she immediately volunteered to go, but Richard was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. He told her to check it out. If it was nothing, she would need come straight back.

"Suppose it's something you can get your feet wet with… should be straightforward…"

If only she could get her hands on the damn coroner's reports. At least then she would have something besides a weird feeling to prove these weren't just your run-of-the-mill animal attacks.

As if on cue, her phone buzzed. She looked over at it, frowning as she saw her editor's name flash on the screen. Sighing, she answered, looking around the diner.

"Hey, Richard," she said breezily, steeling herself for what was sure to be a tongue-lashing.

"I'm still waiting on your update. You've been there since last night. What's going on?" he growled.

"I sent you an update an hour ago," Mara said, fiddling with her pen.

"Yea, and it basically said nothing," Richard replied.

"Look, the local police chief is giving me the runaround. He wasn't in when I stopped by yesterday and he shut me down this morning. But just give me a little more time, I swear once I get the coroner's reports, I'll have something-"

"Do you or do you not want to keep working the crime desk?" Richard demanded.

"I can do this," Mara said, a steely look coming into her eyes.

"Then get me more fucking information, Mara," he said. "I don't care if you have to stake out the chief's home, you will get the information and find out if this is worth our time."

"It is," Mara insisted. "I can feel-"

"Yea, yea, I know. You feel it," Richard retorted. "Try a little less feeling and more reporting. You don't have your dad's chops for me to trust your 'feelings' just yet. If you can't do this, then I'm not above calling you back and sending Simmons in. He would have found out more by now anyway."

"I got it," Mara said, her heart dropping a bit. "You don't need to call Simmons."

"You've got 24 hours. If you can't make it worth my time by then, I'm pulling you out," he said. "Get it done."

"Yes, sir," Mara said, though Richard had already hung up. Sighing, she put the phone down and dropped her head into her hands, running her fingers through her wavy, brown hair.

"Get a grip, Mara," she muttered to herself, as she looked back at the screen. She had 24 hours to get the chief or someone in the police department to talk to her. She mentally started going through her options. She would keep going to the police station and demanding to speak with the chief and see the reports. Perhaps she could scope out the other deputies and find one who's sympathetic. There was also a local library. It was small, but she could get some of the town history. They hadn't released the names of the victims but surely if she hung out at the few coffee shops and diners in town, she could figure that out by listening into conversations.

Of course, all of this would be easier if she had cooperation from the police.

She was hitting a brick wall and she couldn't help but wonder what her father would have done. He had always had a knack for finding the most hidden of secrets. It was what had made him such a good investigative reporter.

"Excuse me," a male voice said, causing her to jump slightly. Mara looked up into the blue eyes of a tall blonde man around her age. He was smiling down at her and seemed friendly, which was odd. So far everyone had gone out of their way to avoid her. While dressed casually in jeans and a plaid button-up under a jacket, she could tell he kept in shape. He also looked vaguely familiar. "Couldn't help but overhear… you wouldn't by chance be that reporter from Seattle, would you?" Mara smiled tensely and nodded.

"Mara Winslow," she said, holding her hand out. "Suppose I stick out around here."

"Mike Newton," he replied, shaking it. "And you do a bit." As soon as he let go, he sat across from her. Mara closed her laptop, unsure of why he was speaking to her. "Running into trouble with the police?"

"Yea, you could say that. They don't seem to be very forthcoming with information about the recent attacks," she replied, glancing down at her notebook.

"Seems to be the way they go. Forks isn't really open to outsiders," he said, leaning back in the booth. Mara frowned.

"This has happened before?" she asked.

"This isn't the first spat of weird animal attacks, yea," he replied. "Though I was in high school the last time it happened. A lot of crazy animals in the woods. Think they said it was bear attacks or something..." Mara reached for her notepad and pen.

"When was that?" she asked, glancing up at him.

"Around 2006 or 2007," Mike said, a look of contemplation coming over his face. Mara quickly scribbled something down and then stopped, looking up at him.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked. Mike shrugged.

"You were looking a bit down, so I thought maybe I could help," he replied. "Not to mention, it sounded like the conversation with your boss didn't go so well from your end of it."

"You want to help me?" she asked, not quite believing it.

"You seem like a trusting person," he said, smiling warmly. "And, well, you don't seem like the type of reporter to exploit a story." Mara sighed and smiled.

"To be honest, my editor just said that if I don't get something more in 24 hours, he's going to call me back to Seattle and send someone else," she said. "I could use all the help I can get."

"Well then, Mara Winslow, let's see what I can do," he said. "I'm Forks born and raised, so I'm sure there's something I can help with."

"Can you get me copies of the police reports?" she asked wryly. Mike chuckled.

"I don't know about that, but I could probably put a good word in with the chief," he said. Mara frowned.

"How do you plan to do that?" she asked. "I'm pretty sure he hates me."

"You don't recognize me, do you?" he asked, amused.

"Should I?" Mara asked. Mike glanced down at his hands and then back up at her.

"I work in the police station. Deputy. I saw you when you came in yesterday, though today is my day off," he said. Mara's eyes widened as she blushed slightly, embarrassed that she hadn't caught that. She always thought she was an observant person, but she had been so focused on getting into the chief that she didn't notice anyone all that much. Though she then realized she must have seen him in passing – that's why he looked familiar.

"Sorry about that. I tend to have a one-track mind sometimes," she said.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I don't know if I can get you those reports, but if it helps, I can show you around the accident scenes. If we leave now, we can get to at least one and back to town before it gets dark."

"You would do that?" she asked. "Isn't that against some sort of police protocol?" Mike shrugged.

"Chief Swan would probably be angry if I gave you the reports without permission, but I don't see any harm in taking you out there. We've already picked up everything there was to be found and the sites have been opened again. Not that many people are out hiking at the moment," he said.

Mara started smiling as relief filled her. It wasn't much, but it was something.

"Ah, sure. Let me pack my stuff up," she said quickly, grabbing her laptop. She quickly threw everything into her bag, tossed some money on the table, and stood at the same time Mike did.

"And just to save my ass, everything is off the record," he said, glancing down at her. "And I hope you've got comfortable shoes. It's a bit of a hike."

Mara glance down at her feet, glad that she had thought to put on a pair of hiking boots that morning. She barely got out into the forests since her father died when she was 15, but still kept a pair around just in case. Seemed they'd finally come in handy again.

You always need a sturdy pair of boots, Mars Bar…

"I know my way around a hiking trail," she commented, shaking the memory away as they walked out and she headed to her small SUV. "I'll just follow you?"

"Sounds good," Mike called out as he walked over to a newer truck. Mara quickly climbed into her car, tossing her bag into the front seat as she buckled in, then turned it on. Music immediately filled the car as she pulled out and followed Mike.

"I'll get you your damn information," she said, smiling to herself.

Mara frowned as she looked around the clearing, taking in her surroundings. She wrapped her arms around her as a chill went down her spine. It was a warm day for fall even though it was overcast, but as soon as she stepped into the area, it was as though the temperature had dropped suddenly. She wished she had thought to grab her thicker coat from her backseat rather than run out there in just her leather jacket. Even the hoodie underneath didn't provide much warmth.

Something felt wrong. She couldn't explain it, but the air around the clearing felt thick and heavy. She glanced around, getting the feeling that something sinister was lurking just beyond the branches. Watching her.

It was the same feeling she had gotten when she walked into her house that night. The night she discovered her father's body in the study. It's how she knew the truth about his death.

Pushing the memory aside, she slowly started walking the perimeter, her sight set on the center where Mike had told her the body had been found.

"You seem to be into this. You got some reporter spidey sense?" Mike asked. Mara glanced over at him, offering a slight smile.

"No. Just getting a feeling for what the victim's final moments must have been like. Helps me write the story," she said, starting to walk towards the center of the clearing. "Granted it's all conjecture at this point. I'd have more to go off of if I had those reports or photos."

She stopped in the middle and looked over at him. Mike rolled his eyes and sighed.

"You didn't get it from me, but… they had these weird bite marks," he said. Mara's eyes widened as she dropped down into a crouch, studying the ground.

"Weird how?" she asked.

"I certainly didn't recognize them, but then again, these are the first animal attacks I've seen in person," Mike said. "It wasn't pretty."

Mara looked around the ground, seeing faint traces of blood left on the leaves and underbrush.

"Must have been bloody," she said.

"Yea," he said. He stepped towards her. "You're seriously not weirded out by this?" Mara shook her head.

"Not the first crime scene I've seen," she said, straightening up, though she continued looking at the ground. She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of pine, wet leaves and something else. It was a musty and vaguely smelled of rotten fruit. Mara wrinkled her nose slightly, as she recognized it immediately. It only confirmed her gut feeling that the death that took place here was intentional.

She had never told anyone about the feeling she got whenever she went near a crime scene. The first time it had happened was with her father but she didn't understand it at the time. Once she got older, she had written it off as some sort of weird reaction to the trauma. But then when she shadowed a crime reporter in high school, and then again in university, the same feeling and smell had appeared whenever she walked near a murder scene. It happened enough that she knew it wasn't just something in her head. She wondered if perhaps her father had the same thing.

It was crazy when she thought about it too much or said it out loud to herself. Who would ever believe that she could sense when someone was murdered?

"Right. Crime reporter and all," Mike said.

"Something like that," she replied, not wanting to get into the details. "Can you at least tell me an approximate time of death?"

Mike shrugged.

"It's anyone's guess. All I know is they were discovered anywhere between a day and three days, give or take, after they died judging from the decomp. Lucky we found them when we did. There are a lot of trails around here. If they had been farther out, it could have been weeks or months," he replied. Mara nodded.

"And there was nothing at all to suggest this could have been anything other than an animal attack?" she asked. Mike chuckled.

"You are going to get me in trouble, Mara Winslow," he said. "As far as I know, there wasn't anything. But they were strange, I'll give you that. Whatever did this was pretty strong."

"What made them strange?" she asked, stepping towards him.

"Again, can't really share that," he said. Mara started chewing on her bottom lip as she looked out around the forest again. She heard something, causing her to whip her head around.

"Did you hear that?" she asked. Mike looked over into the direction she was staring in.

"Probably just some animals," he said. "Though might be a good idea to get back to town. Certainly, would not want to run into whatever's been killing those hikers if it's hanging around."

Mara nodded as she moved to follow him back down the trail towards where they had parked.

"Are these attacks anything like the ones that happened before?" she asked, looking up at him. He had a few inches on her.

"Maybe," he said. "I'd have to look at the old reports to be sure. But, really, animal attacks are not uncommon around here. Not sure why The Times is interested." Mara smiled slightly.

"Suppose it's just a hunch," she said. "My editor mentioned something about animal attacks in a budget meeting and I volunteered to check it out. Probably the most woodsy of the bunch, anyway. My family used to go camping a lot."

"You do have reporter spidey sense," he said, smiling down at her.

"Again, not a spidey sense, just… seems like it could be something. Regardless, I think the families at least deserve to know the truth," she said. "Even if it's just animal attacks."

Mike studied her, his curiosity piquing. She was interesting and unlike most people in Forks. He knew that Chief Swan would probably yell at him once he found out he was helping her, but he also felt that there was something strange about the whole situation. The chief had been insisting it was just animals and they were to focus on tracking down the creature causing them rather than looking into the deaths themselves.

He wanted to know if the chief was covering something up just as much as Mara and figured the best way to do that was to help her.

"So… what's your next move?" he asked.

"Keep working the chief," Mara replied. "Spend some time around the locals, see if I can get the names of the victims, at least. Talk to their families. They'll probably only tell me what the chief has told them, but I could at least learn about the hikers who died. Get their stories out. Probably spend some time going through old news articles as well."

"Seems like a decent start," he replied. "And I can see if there is anything I can do to wear down the chief."

Mara smiled as they reached their cars. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a card, handing it over to him.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," she said. "Here's my number if you come up with anything."

"No problem," he replied, taking the card and looking down at it.

"I should get back to my motel. Need to send off another update," she said.

"See you around, Mara," Mike said, waving as he walked over to his truck.

"See you."

Was going to wait until tomorrow to post this, but thought, what the hell. Let's jump right into it. And yes, I do have a thing with reporter protagonists. Not apologizing for that – I am a reporter myself, so I tend to use things I know (though disclaimer – not a crime or investigative reporter… so wish I could have been). But I will say that even though they are in the same line of work and there are similarities, Mara and Cecily and still very much two different people.

Also, this one takes place about three years after "The Turning of Cecily Stewart" and focuses on the wolves. My interest was piqued on that side of things when I was working on the previous story and ended up starting and completing this story in about a week. Plus, I started reading a few stories on the wolves and just fell in love with the idea of doing my own story on them.

And yep, that's right – this story is completely finished. Just posting it. ^_^ Hope you enjoy!