*Keera*
I took my seat at the conference table, tapping my fingers on the desk and making sure everyone was present. “Alright, let’s get started,” I said nodding. “Josie, Kathleen, you guys paid a visit to the victim’s home?” I asked with a raised eyebrow, flipping the file in front of me open. Elizabeth Turner, brunette, 5’1″, sixteen. Hardly paid anyone any visits, was one of the quieter types, didn’t get involved in gossip around the pack. I ran my gaze over my file, staring at the sentence I’d highlighted the night before which had caught my interest.
She had trained to become Elena’s volunteer but hadn’t gotten picked.
Josie leaned forward, her eyes locked on mine. “We spoke to the sister of the latest victim,” Josie began, fiddling with the pen in her hand. She slanted a look at Trevor and the rest of the team before meeting my gaze again. “She mentioned that her sister had been acting strangely in the days leading up to her death. Her exact words had been,” Josie glanced down at her iPad. “Withdrawn, anxious, and isolated from friends and family.”
Withdrawn? Anxious?
Had she discovered something?
Kathleen picked up the thread. “We also found out something we hadn’t noticed before,” My heart raced when she paused for effect, meeting each of our gazes head on. “All the victims have a connection to… you guessed right, Elena’s volunteer, Dahlia.” She picked up the remote and scrolled down to the first victim, explaining the connection each of them had. From being neighbors to her, to paying her a visit in Elena’s house when they needed some kind of treatment.
One of the teenagers had even been a former friend of Dahlia’s.
“We have to bring her in for questioning,” Lexi said, slapping her hands down on the table. I noticed the rage emanating off her in waves and I couldn’t help but resonate with her. If Dahlia was indeed the killer then she might have been the most ruthless one I would ever have come across. How a young pub such as herself had managed to stomach killing that much people was something I didn’t think I could ever understand.
How could she have become so cold?
Josie shook her head. “No, we can’t.” She stated, still shaking her head “We can’t afford to underestimate her or make her think we’re on to her. Say we bring her in for questioning and she answers all our questions. Then what? She would know we’re onto her and try to lay low for a while.” Josie hair behind her ears. She spoke with the confidence of someone who had seen the scenario play out multiple times. “And how long would that be for? Two more weeks? A month?”
Trevor agreed that she had a point.
While every clue we had might be pointing to her, we had to be patient until we had more solid evidence. Kathleen tapped away on her iPad and a footage came in the screen. “I tried to piece the camera back as much as I could so I could get the last footage,” She explained, adjusting the glasses she was wearing. “But this was all I could get.” She rewound the video but it wasn’t clear enough for us to see who it was.
All we could make out was someone hitting the cameras with the hockey stick we’d discovered at the crime scene. We’d already dusted it for prints but it came clean. Whoever it was must have worn gloves and Ginny had told me almost everyone in the pack had gloves because of the winter season. We couldn’t even see the video clearly enough to guess if it was a female or better still, Dahlia, who had shattered the cam.
Whoever it was was wearing an oversized hoodie and sweatpants and they had turned their face away from the camera, despite having a mask on. According to Nyx, almost every teenager in the pack had all three items; hoodie, sweatpants and mask, so beginning a search would be of no use. Especially since we didn’t have any prints to compare to. I combed my hands down my hair, grunting with frustration. We were close, I could feel it, but at the same time it seemed like we were still grasping at straws.
I remembered the book Elena had given me.
“You guys,” I called, moving to take the book out of my bag. I carefully pulled it out and circled back to my seat, noting the curious glances they shot me. “Elena had given me this book at the beginning of the case,” I summarized. “It contains a few things I had though might be of help; ancient werewolf book, the herbs they used for their medication, illnesses they were prone to, and… potions.” Joe leaned back in his seat. “They apparently believe some of the potions they’d been handed down had been gotten from witches but that’s not the best part.”
I flipped the book open, turning it so they could see.
“One of the pages had been ripped out.” Lexi breathed. I nodded, letting them have the book so they could inspect it. Lexi immediately matched the missing page to the table of contents and reached the same conclusion I had. “It’s a page about potions.” She passed the book to the others, her eyes narrowing as wheels turned in her head. “Why does it feel like it has been taken out on purpose? Is Elena aware of this?” I tapped my finger against my chin.
“I’m not sure.” I met Trevor’s gaze. He hadn’t said a word for the entire duration of the meeting, choosing instead to sit back and let me take the lead. “She definitely hadn’t said a word about a missing page when she’d handed me the book, so it’s either she doesn’t know about it or she knows but didn’t think it would be important.” I had a strong feeling neither was the reason. Something about the missing page felt sinister. I snapped my fingers.
“And get this,” I continued almost excitedly. “If Dahlia is indeed our killer, it would make a whole lot sense. She definitely had to have had access to books while she’d been training to become Elena’s volunteer.” Ginny had said the page was supposed to be a masking potion according to the pattern of the book but I didn’t let the team know because she had said she could also be wrong. We’d decided that she would look further into it and get back to me.
“I’m going to keep a really close eye on Dahlia from now on,” Joe vowed, his tone light and calculated. “Doesn’t matter if she notices or not. One thing she’s not going to do is come out and ask directly.” I agreed. Especially if she was guilty. We rounded up the meeting a few hours later after discussing the implications of the missing page and tossing ideas around. Joe and Trevor would move the cameras around a bit so we could still get footage of the eastern border, where the smashed camera had been placed.
We weren’t taking any chances.
The team began to disperse, each member tasked with a specific assignment. “Keera, can I have a word?” Trevor asked. My heart stuttered as I met his gaze. I continued picking up the files on the table as Trevor approached me. Josie was the last person to leave the room. She met my gaze just before she disappeared out the door, concern obvious in her expression. Trevor leaned against the wall, watching me as I cleared out the room. “It’s about Grayson.” That halted me in my tracks and I turned to face him.
“What about him?” I asked cautiously.
Trevor locked his eyes on mine, seemingly choosing his words carefully. Had he found out about Grayson and me? I had a feeling he had. What I couldn’t understand was why he seemed so chill. I’d expected disappointment at my lack of professionalism, not… was that concern? “I know something’s changed between you two.” My heart skipped. A part of me had held out the hope that he would talk about something else. He really did know about us. “I don’t know how or why it happened but I wanted us to address it.”
“Trevor, you’re right.” I sighed, unable to meet his eyes at first. I reeled my emotions in and met his gaze head on. “I tried to fight it, Trevor. Honestly. But being around him… it was all too much. One minute we were just partners, and the next… it’s like everything shifted.” Trevor’s expression softened. Could he tell how frustrated I was at the situation and how angry I was with myself for even being in this position? I know nothing good could come out of our arrangement but I’d still gone along with it.
“I’ve seen the way you look at him, Keera,” he said gently. “And I’ve seen the way he looks at you. You’re both trying to deny it, but it’s there. The question is, what are you going to do about it?” I shook my head. I already knew what I was going to do about it. Absolutely nothing, like I’d intended in the beginning. So what if I’d lost my grip on reality and gave in to getting tangled beneath the sheets with him. I knew better now. Or at least I hoped I did. We had dipped our toes in the water and it had gotten us nowhere.
“There’s nothing to do about it.” I replied, folding my arms across my chest. “Asides letting it wane.”
“Hhmm,” He responded wordlessly, clearly holding something back. I wanted to ask him to say whatever he had on his mind but I didn’t think I actually wanted to hear it. He pulled me into a warm hug, dropping a featherlight kiss on the top of my head. “Don’t get your heart broken, yeah?” He whispered, exiting the room. I watched him walk away, his words echoing in my mind. I shook my head, pushing his words and finishing up. I turned after locking the conference room door, startled when I almost bumped into Ria.
“What on earth is wrong with you?” I demanded, touching a hand to my chest.
She stepped back, a sly smile spreading across her face like a slow-burning fire. Her eyes sparkled with amusement, and I could sense the malice lurking beneath her polished exterior. “Keera, darling,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You get scare way too easily.” She blew on her nails dramatically, looking like she could pass on as a character from mean girls. Her lips formed a mocking pout. “Don’t tell me you didn’t get to play hide and seek when you were little.”
My stomach twisted as I met her gaze. “What do you want, Ria?” I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral.
“Nothing,” She replied airily. Her eyes darted over my shoulder to the conference room. “I had thought you guys forgot to lock the door after your little meeting,” She explained sassily. “Didn’t know you were still in the room.” Since when did she start caring whether or not the conference room door was locked? Her footsteps receded as she walked away with a little wave of her fingers. “Have to start keeping an eye on things if I’m going to end up being Grayson’s mate.”
The devious wink she shot made me want to drag her by her hair.
I rushed to my room before anyone would ask why my face burned with annoyance. I walked into the bathroom, splashing water from the sink on my face before changing into some casual clothes. I had barely composed myself after Ria’s taunts when I heard the door to my room open and close. Who the hell had entered without knocking. My heart thudded and my breath hitched. Grayson. He didn’t bother meeting my eyes. He simply turned and secured the door. My eyes widened.
“What are you doing?” I hissed. “Please leave.”
His eyes pierced into mine.
“I’m not going anywhere until we’ve had a conversation, Keera.”