A loud crash resounded through the bar. The air was filled with the sounds of war-cries, screams of panic, and snarled threats. A wave of bodies rushed for the exits, clearing a space around the main conflict.

Lexie swaggered toward the two men. "Bobby. Grant. You boys need to use your words or get out back to finish this."

Bobby Coughlin rounded on the lean, amazonian brunnette. "Stay outta this, Gartell. This mongrel needs a lesson in manners."

Grant Holthaus simply narrowed his eyes and cracked the knuckles in both hands methodically.

Lexie shook her head. "Bobby. Now don' make me haul you to a cell to cool down. You know I will."

Bobby eyed her closely, then flicked his gaze behind her. Lexie knew her deputy, Otto Hollander, was looming there. That's why she'd hired him. He was hard to rile up but good at looking intimidating.

"Dammit, Gartell," Bobby whined. "This damn coyote cheated."

Lexie let one of her eyebrows arch upward. Bobby must be at least a dozen drinks in if he was getting whiny already. It was only just after 9pm.

Grant finally spoke up. "I didn't cheat." His soft words cut through the loud country music in the background. "Just 'cause I had a good hand don' make me a cheater."

Lexie turned back to Bobby. "You got any proof he cheated?" The lycanthrope mumbled a half response. "Maybe you shouldn't bet on a middlin' hand when you been throwing back shots, eh, Bobby?"

Lexie turned to Grant, giving the latranthrope a steady look. "You know wolves ain't fond of coyotes, Grant. Why do you let him talk you into cards when this is how it ends more often then not?"

The coyote shifter flushed. "Dunno. Just like the game."

Lexie nodded and waved her hands. "You boys get home." She cut off their attempted protests quickly. "Y'all lost your rights to a night out when you started a fight indoors. You know the rules. Now git on home."

She met Grant's eyes. "That mate of yours is probably missing you somethin' fierce. What is she? Six months?"

Grant's face immediately softened. "Five. And she's doin' just fine. Maybe I should get her somethin' sweet...."

Lexie felt her lips twitch as she suppressed a smile. The coyote wondered out the door with the wolf grumbling on his heels. She nodded to Otto who followed them out to make sure they got into their cars and drove off. After that, it was their business what they did.

Lexie sauntered up to the bar. "Hey, Pete. Any damage?"

The corviothrope grinned. "Nah. They jus' got a bit rowdy's all."

Lexie grinned, saluted and strode for the doors. She'd hang around in the area, but she didn't like to stay in the bar. It hurt Pete's business with her there on the clock.

Instead, she checked in with Otto and slid into her car. She'd make a few runs up and down Main, then find a place to park and watch for DUI's.

"Chief Gartell?" Lexie's radio snapped and crackled, reminding her that the department needed to upgrade their equipment.

Lexie snatched up the reciever. "What's up, Gabby?"

"Um, we got a call about a- uh, a body." Gabriella's voice broke.

"Who and where?" Lexie asked.

"Unidentified. The Crowders called it in. Said they found... um, found it along the treeline on their land."

The girl was new, eighteen and fresh out of high school. She was a quick learner but Lexie hadn't had time to go over how to deal with heavy crimes yet. They just didn't come up that often.

Lexie heaved a sigh. "Get the doc outta bed and have her meet me out there. Use the report template to start the report. I'll go over it with you when I get back."

Gabby sighed, but she sounded relieved. "Roger that, Chief."

Lexie turned over the engine and was soon speeding down the road out to the Crowders' place. It had been years since she'd had to deal with a homocide. Not since her rookie days in Billings. Rural Montana was just too insular for that kind of thing to be common.

It was seldom that the shifters in Bobcat Ridge got into that kind of trouble, and even more rare that anyone else got the upper hand with a shifter. The idea that there had been a homocide didn't sit well with Lexie. She just hoped it had been an accident.

A few moments later, Lexie pounded her fist on the door to the Crowders. Otto and Doc, a crow shifter and cousin to Pete the bar owner, were on their way, but Lexie wanted to get this taken care of quickly. Word would spread fast once the sun came up.

In fact, her first stop after this was cleared up was going to be her dad. Todd Gartell was the leader of the local Pounce. All the mountain lion shifters were under his command, or at least as much as any cat species could be under control.

The Crowders were agriogatathropes, mountain lion shifters, like Lexie and her father. They would likely be letting her dad know as soon as she got out to the crime scene. She assumed they hadn't done so already, since her phone hadn't given her the notification for a text from him.

The older couple appeared in the hallway, visible through the lacy curtains covering the window in the front door. They peeked out and hurried to open the door when they saw Lexie.

"Chief, thank you for coming out so quickly." Miles smiled nervously but it didn't reach his eyes.

That worried Lexie. She glanced at Shelly, who stood dry-washing her hands.

"No problem, Mr. Crowder," Lexie said, using her calm police chief voice. "If you could show me where it is...? Mrs. Crowder, would you please wait here? Otto and Doc should be along shortly, and they will need directing."

The woman nodded, relief shining in her eyes. Miles relaxed when his mate grew less tense.

Miles and Shelly Crowder were semi-retired, but they were solid people. Now in their early 60s, they mostly kept to themselves with only a few social groups to keep them connected to the rest of the town. That was typical enough of cat shifters, so no one really thought much of it. When the pair showed up at a potluck, they were friendly to everyone and well-liked.

Miles pulled his boots on while sitting on one of the chairs arranged on the huge porch. He still looked a bit shaken, so Lexie kept the conversation on the bad weather that had recently come through.

Finally, he was ready and Lexie gestured for him to lead the way. She heaved a breath as quietly as she could. No need to let the man know how shaken she was over her first body as chief of police.

She didn't know what was waiting for her. She just knew Bobcat Ridge was never going to be the same quiet town again.