“What makes you think those two men are still alive?” Viktor asked. “Think about it, babe. If Carmine was the one who arranged for her death, then don’t you think he’d want to tie up some loose ends once her body was found? Perhaps even before that? Babe, you could be looking for two men whose bodies are simply somewhere else. Probably in another park somewhere, preferably out of town.”
Ant felt Viktor shudder and kept his chuckles to himself. That quicksand business was going to affect his mate for quite some time. “We’ll think about it in the morning,” he said. His eyes stillclosed he tilted his head to one side. “Can you look? Have I got those hickey marks like Bridget had?”
“Your colleague is an amateur in the neck biting department. The marks on your neck are a lot darker than hers.”
Ant didn’t know why that gave him a sense of satisfaction, but for some reason, it did. “Why do people mark each other like that? I’m not thinking about paranormals. They mark each other like we did, to let other people know that they are claimed by their fated mate. But why do non-paranormal beings like to mark themselves that way?”
“I always thought it was something young people did,” Viktor explained. “A way of declaring to anyone with working eyes that ‘hey, somebody let me get close enough to them to have sex.’ I can’t think of any other reason why they would do it, except for the fact that it feels really enjoyable at the time.”
“It does,” Ant said, “but remind me to wear a collared shirt tomorrow, would you please? I have a reputation to uphold and I’m not putting makeup on my neck just to cover marks, especially if they’re as strong as you say they are.”
Ant let Viktor’s quiet contentment lull him into sleep. He was almost there when he had another thought. “Hey, V,” he said softly. “What do you think about using your wonderful powers to help me find out what’s causing these issues with Captain Bains and Hammond? That might help us get closure on Carol’s murder a lot quicker.”
“I’m intrigued by the idea,” Viktor sounded sleepy, too. “But to repeat the wonderfully wise words you said earlier, we’ll talk about it in the morning.”
Ant was always happier when he and his mate were on the same page.
Chapter Sixteen
I could get used to being Ant’s invisible shadow, Viktor thought, as he followed Ant, unseen, into the police building. After a brief discussion over breakfast, Ant called and made an appointment to see Captain Bains. The first thing the captain asked was would Viktor be attending, but Ant lied and said he believed Viktor was busy all day, at which point the captain let him know he’d be available at ten o’clock that morning.
“Bridget’s right,” Viktor had said when Ant disconnected the call. “I must be a bad influence on you. That’s two different people you’ve lied to now.”
“It wasn’t a lie.” Ant met his eyes steadily over his coffee mug. “I am sure you’ll be busy all day. We have a lot to do, don’t we?” He picked up his phone. “Now to call Hammond and see if he wants to see me at all. If I confront him in his office, it will be more difficult for him to lie and tell me he can’t find Carol’s case file.”
Viktor had driven them to a parking lot two blocks down from the police station, still visible while he was driving for obvious reasons. But once he had exited the car, they quickly ducked down an alley where Viktor shimmered until he could no longer be seen. Able was confused for a moment, especially when he sniffed the ground where he believed Viktor was and couldn’t pick up a scent. When he couldn’t sense Viktor at all, he pressed up against Ant’s leg, his tail still wagging as they left the alley.
That lovable mutt stays loyal, even when he doesn’t have a clue what we’re doing,Viktor thought fondly as he flanked Ant’s other side. He didn’t want Able to get confused if he stroked him. Able was in work mode.
Viktor’s vampire side was keen to assist Ant in every way possible as well. His idea was to shift and become invisible thatway. But Viktor pushed him back. It was going to be difficult enough walking the streets and not bumping into anyone, although being with Ant and Able helped. People tended to give the highly recognizable figure a wide berth.
Once they arrived at the captain’s office, the receptionist looked slightly alarmed. “Oh, you’re here, Doctor Channon,” she said. “I… Uh… I… Uh, I see you have an appointment. But the captain is busy on the phone right now and can’t be disturbed.”
“That’s very irregular. I have an appointment,” Ant said. “I called, and Captain Bains gave me this time slot specifically, I assume, so there would be no delays.”
“If you wouldn’t mind waiting.” The receptionist was young and clearly nervous, given she started shuffling papers on her desk. “I can’t tell you how long he will be, but I can assure you if he knows you’re coming, it’s not likely to be long. If you could just take a seat?”
Ant glanced at his phone. “I’m afraid I have numerous other appointments today,” he said quietly and politely. “It is not possible for me to wait longer than five minutes.” He held up his phone, showing the receptionist he had actually set a timer.
“Once this timer goes off, I will be leaving. So, if there is a way for you to convey that message to the captain, I would appreciate it. I understand he’s a very busy man and that things come up, but my time is valuable, too. Thank you,” he added almost as an afterthought, which for Ant it probably was.
The seats were those hard plastic chairs that most waiting rooms around the world seemed to have. For some reason, whoever had designed them never factored in the seated person’s comfort. They were usually on rickety frames that were only held together at all because the seat part was fully molded as onesheet of plastic. Viktor absolutely hated them and saw them as a blight on decor and society in general.
He chose not to sit down. He didn’t want to cause an issue if someone believed the seat next to Ant was free. He had a quiet chuckle imagining a persons’ reaction if they sat down on him and ended up feeling more bumps on their butt than the plastic chair suggested. While Viktor was confident nobody could see, sense, smell, or hear him – Able had confirmed that - he already knew from his fun times with Ant that if anyone touched him in his invisible form, he could be felt.
What we were thinking this morning seems to be true. Ant’s voice wafted through Viktor’s mind, even as, to an outside glance, he appeared to be a young man checking his messages on his phone.I can sense, even from here, that the captain is upset about something. It appears we arrived at the right time.
Viktor wasn’t so sure, although he didn’t say so. He had agreed with Ant’s suggestion over breakfast that Captain Bain’s actions were likely being monitored. That was why Ant had suggested that if he had an appointment, ostensibly without Viktor, that maybe Captain Bains would be more forthcoming.
It was a long shot, in Viktor’s opinion, but he didn’t see the harm. If the room was bugged, then he couldn’t see why Captain Bains would spill any secrets, even if Viktor wasn’t there. But, he did trust that his mate had senses he didn’t have, so maybe it would be useful for Ant to see the man personally. Captain Bains was one of Ant’s unresolved issues.
Viktor also understood that Ant was annoyed with Carmine’s apparent dismissal of Ant’s efforts to find Carol’s killer. In Viktor’s eyes, that meant Carmine was guilty – end of story. But to Ant, coming up with an idea where a séance would presumably provide so much information from Carmine oreven Carol directly… Ant had hidden it as best he could, but Carmine’s behavior clearly confused him. Not Viktor – Carmine was guilty period. He clearly didn’t want Ant finding out about it.Stupid idiot should never have dangled that Carol carrot in front of Ant in the first place.
Viktor focused on the timer. It was exactly four minutes and fifty-two seconds later when the door to Captain Bains’s office opened, and the man poked his head out. “Doctor Channon, I am so glad you’re here. I apologize for keeping you waiting. Please come in. Your service animal as well, of course.”
Viktor scowled, unseen, of course. Being made to wait had been a power play. It was something Viktor had seen numerous times. Tony used to do it, making people wait half an hour, an hour, or even longer sometimes, before graciously granting them an audience.
Captain Bains wasn’t being gracious, but he had been trying to exert control over the conversation before it had even started. He thought it was really smart of his mate to use a timer to take back control – again even before the meeting started. Viktor approved.Point one to Ant.
