*Keera*
“How is that even possible?” I asked in surprise, staring down at the reports from the autopsy we’d done on the victim. This had to be the fastest exam we’d ever done and yet we still couldn’t identify the cause of death. Looking at the reports one would conclude that he’d died of a natural cause but we all knew that was far from the case. At least, if the needle marks on the side of his neck were any indication.
Lexi shook her head confusedly, her forehead wrinkling. “This is unlike anything I’ve ever studied before,” She muttered under her breath. I turned to where the victim lay still with the white sheet spread over his body. He’d been identified as Jon, a bartender at one of the local bars in the pack. How the killer had managed to take him down in broad daylight was something no one understood.
My phone beeped in the pocket of my lab coat.
I carefully took my gloves off and read the message from Josie. She was waiting for me in the parking lot of the bar, so we could interview the other staff that worked there. I released a heavy sigh, my body deflating as I shifted my attention to Lexi. “There’s no way Grayson is going to be happy to hear about this shit,” I stated, waving the reports around in the air and angrily tossing them onto the table. I smoothed my hair, trying to get myself together.
How on earth has the killer been able to outsmart us for so long?
“Was that Josie?” Lexi asked, tilting her head towards my phone. I nodded, stacking the papers together and keeping them in one of the drawers. We rounded up what was left of our work in the lab and Lexi headed back to the pack house while I set out to meet with Josie. I still had to talk to Grayson later about getting CCTV cameras and setting them up in the pack. I couldn’t exactly explain it but I had the feeling he wasn’t going to agree so easily.
Josie was standing at a corner of the parking lot when I arrived, wearing black pants and a sky blue button down shirt. I tied my hair in a bun, scanning the entire scene. The bar looked a lot like it could use a bit of renovation. The paint on the walls looked faded and there were parts that had peeled off. I shielded my eyes from the sun so I could read the large sign in front of the bar.
Benny’s.
“The owner of the bar is a little old. Jon’s been in charge of the place for a few weeks.” Josie explained as she pushed the door open. The tiny bell above the door made tingling sounds as we stepped in, alerting the bartender that there were new customers. That was quick, I thought to myself, noting that there was already someone else managing the bar. What was even more startling, the new bartender looked a lot like Jon. Josie seemed to be having the same thoughts as me because she let out a low whistle beneath her breath.
“A bit strange, isn’t it?” Her voice was low but I could easily make out her words. The bar was a little quiet, most of the booths empty and unoccupied. People had obviously heard the news about Jon’s death and had made the safe decision to stay away from the bar for a while. No one could tell who the killer might have set his eyes on while he’d been taking Jon’s life.
Josie and I made eye contact and silently agreed to walk to the counter. A few heads turned in our direction as we walked. Most people appeared disinterested about our presence but a few gazes lingered suspiciously. “Benny said he was going to be here when we showed up,” Josie informed me. I felt a little impressed that she’d made sure everyone we needed to talk to was going to be present. It would. definitely save us the time and strength of returning to the bar.
“What can I get you?” The guy behind the counter asked, his hands moving in hurried circles as he wiped the surface of the counter. I tried to tone down my surprise at his uncanny resemblance to Jon but I must not have done a good job because the corners of his lips lifted in a sad smile. It occurred to me then why he looked a lot like Jon but I’d connected the dots too late.
He pushed his hair out of his eyes with his free hand, staring down at Josie and I. “We look a lot alike, huh?” He asked quietly, pain evident in his tone. Before I could let him know that he didn’t need to explain, he blurted, “He was my older brother.” He let out a deep breath, throwing the dirty washcloth in his hand on the table and digging his hand into the front pockets of his apron.
Josie and I sat down awkwardly on the barstools, not exactly knowing how we could get right to what we’d come for without sounding rude. Jon’s brother seemed to be in a mood to share. Then again, his sharing could also be to our advantage. “I’d never really thanked him for being there and stepping up to the task when our parents had died, you know?” He explained ruefully.
I roamed my gaze around the room, realizing that the number of eyes on us had increased. I met their gazes one after the other, making sure to keep mine cool and collected. They had another thing coming if they thought they could faze me so easily. I might not have the abilities that they had but if there was anything I had, it was the pistol calmly tucked into my waist.
“It’s fine.” Josie said reassuringly when I remained quiet. “Just like everyone else, you also thought he was going to be with you for a long time. He shouldn’t have been taken away from you like that.” He sniffed, nodding his head in agreement. I turned to Josie when he began attending to some customers who had called his attention. “We have to get right on with this,” Josie mumurred a little impatiently, voicing my exact thoughts. “There’s no time for chit chat.”
“Can we talk to Benny now, uh. . .” I began, trailing off when I realized he hadn’t given us his name.
“Ron,” He completed, replying that he had already beeped Benny and he was going to be out of his office at the back in a few minutes. Apparently, he’d known who we were right from the start. It made me wonder if he’d carefully put up a show to take our minds off of him. He asked what he could get us again and we just replied that we only needed water.
Ron stared at us for a while, looking like he was debating whether or not he really wanted to say whatever it was on his mind. I saw his slight shrug right before the words came out. “My parents were in debt to Benny before they died, you know?” He said on a whisper, looking around dramatically to see if anyone one was listening in. “It’s why I had to step up as the bartender so Benny doesn’t let out the secret.”
The secret.
Why was he letting us know this? Did he simply want to be the first person to let us know about it? Or was he only trying to make us get suspicious of Benny?
This sleepy little pack weren’t as tight knit and loving as they appeared to be after all. How had his parents ended up being indebted to Benny? If he was saying the truth about the supposed secret, that is. Speaking of secrets, I made a mental note to speak to Gabe later about Elena’s supposed boyfriend. I was just curious to find out who he was and see if I could figure out how they’d met in the first place.
Footsteps sounded a few moments after Ron had let us in on the big secret, and an aging man with salt and pepper hair appeared in our line of sight. He introduced himself as Benny and gestured for us to follow him to his office at the back. It took a whole four hours for Josie and I to conclude the interviews on Benny and the rest of the staff working for him.
Jon hadn’t signed in yet at work the day he’d been found dead. Ron had said he’d returned home the day before from work to the small apartment they shared and that was the reason there’d not been any missing person case before his body had been discovered. That had been about three hours ago. We were all back in the pack house rounding up with dinner. Grayson had asked that I come up to his office when I was done so we could finally talk.
I forced myself to not stare at my reflection in any of the polished surfaces in the hallway as I made my way to Grayson’s home office. It didn’t matter how I looked. It shouldn’t matter how I looked. I knocked on the door waiting for a reply before I pushed it open and stepped inside. The inside was a bit dark but my eyes quickly adjusted to the room. Grayson was sitting in a chair behind the long desk, his hands clasped together and laid carefully on the table.
His gaze pinning me in place.
Suddenly I cursed myself for not checking my reflection at least once in the mirror. I mean, what if I had something stuck between my teeth? It was extremely embarrassing for one to have a conversation with food stuck between their teeth. I dragged my gaze away from him, choosing to scan the room instead.
Somehow, the room was exactly as I had pictured it. There were no decorations aside from the few paintings on the wall. The books on his table were neatly arranged, all the surfaces in his office looking clean and dusted. Grayson was actually an extremely organized person.
It was something I grudgingly admired about him.
“Are you going to stand there forever?” He drawled, shooting me a mischievous glint in his eyes. What was that look all about? I wondered. Did he think I was feeling nervous? The thought had me straightening my spine and walking further into the room. A shiver skittered across my body as he ran his gaze down the length of my body. He nudged his head in the direction of the seat across from him, indicating that I should sit down.
I let out a deep breath as I lowered myself onto the seat and dragged it closer to the table. Our gazes locked and the silence in the room grew so loud it was almost deafening. The events of the other night replayed in my head and for a second I wondered how I’d ever been able to go around the pack acting like nothing had happened between me and their beloved Alpha. I wondered how they’d feel if they found out things were slowly changing between us. If they found out the way he looked at me whenever we were alone.
Like he wanted to spread me apart and drag his tongue over every inch of my body.
My breath quickened. His eyes darkened.
“You don’t want to keep having those thoughts, princess,” He mumurred hoarsely, leaning back in his chair. I tried to get a word out but my mouth was suddenly dry. My eyes shifted to the aircon to the left side of his head. Was it just me or was it actually hot in here? I didn’t let myself bother about his words. I already knew he couldn’t read my thoughts. Aside from communicating through the mind link, werewolves could only do that with their mate. I cleared my throat, choosing to delve straight to the point.
“I think we should get CCTV cameras set up in the pack.”