Page 76 of The Doctor's Wolf: Part Two
“Hey, Mil.You did well, watching my place with Clement,” Adler said, and Mil looked up at him, proud, even as Gordon brushed fingers through her hair.
“Maxim said you were finally done,” said Clement, following Mil in a far more measured speed.
“Done with this case,” Adler said and thought,Not done with this damn conspiracy.
Gordon turned to him, giving him the kind of look that said his mate had heard and agreed.
Bryan gave Clement some side-eye, which Clement returned in kind.
“Uhm, thanks for looking after Mil, Clement,” Gordon said to Clement, who just shrugged it off.
“We should go home,” Adler said.“Though I’ll be in touch about the case, and Gordon as well.”
The Lares nodded.“We’re always happy to have you visit,” Bryan told them with a wink.
“Please remember that there are books here for the little one, just like in the library,” Clement grumbled, more like an accusation than an offer.
Mil nodded.“Clement is nice.He said I can come here and check out the books.He’s good at telling stories.He promised he’ll teach me another cocktail soon.”
Adler chuckled, too full of feeling not to.My pack, my mate.
Gordon smiled back at him.“Yeah, and mine.”
The next few days, Adler spent being busy.There were things to do regarding the Highgate case, and his normal workload on top of that.
Eventually, one evening when things had mostly settled and when the official murder cases had been marked as concluded, he and Gordon sat down with the case files spread out between them in Adler’s living room with a bottle of wine.Mil had gone to bed, tuckered out after another visit to her granny earlier.
“We don’t know where that day shifter even comes from,” Adler told Gordon.“He’s not from New Amsterdam, and Highgate traveled a lot.An obscene amount.Even Heath is having trouble tracking it all.”
“He kept him, this Daniel person?”Gordon asked.“Like…what, a lover?Partner in crime?”
“Yeah, and maybe all of the above.”Adler tossed Gordon a list of aliases for the day shifter.
“He must’ve been feeding off of him for a prolonged period, that’s what I can tell you from examining him,” Gordon said.
Adler growled.He hadn’t liked the exam, not one bit, but Gordon had first volunteered and then insisted, and of course he was qualified.Also, with Maxim in the room, there really hadn’t been any reason for worry.
But he’s my mate.I’ll always worry.
Gordon rolled his eyes.“Every time, detective.You’re thoughts are very consistent.”Gordon looked through the files and picked up one of the photos Daniel, or whoever he was, had taken.It showed Raven, naked, not in charge of what was happening to him.“What those two did to Raven…”
“Yeah.They’re evil.Let’s hope Maxim can get something out of either one of them.”Or if he doesn’t, maybe he can do what a hunter does.
“Yes, agreed.On both counts.”
They went over a few more accounts Maxim and Heath had gathered that lined up with what Corinne had said.Highgate had opinions, and with every lecture, he tried finding those who shared them.He’d talk to people, spread his way of thinking, almost as if he were planting seeds or networking to overthrow the established order.
“I wonder how he got the college kid and what he wanted with him.”Raven was still silent about it and Maxim adamant the young vampire take whatever time he needed to disclose whatever he felt comfortable with.
Gordon looked up.“I think that one’s pretty obvious.Raven figured out Highgate either was or was pretending to be the real author of Sherlock Holmes, he approached him, and something about him attracted Highgate.Maybe because he was excited about the whole Sherlock Holmes thing, about being able to prove his theory.Then Highgate used the excitement to control him.”Gordon looked away, and Adler watched his mate carefully.“I think it was like that with Paula, you know.She was very excited to be in love.If there were warning signs, she wouldn’t have been able to see them.”
“Sweetheart—”
“It’s fine.It’s fine, Adler.”Gordon nodded as if to reassure himself.“I don’t know why, but I always assume I have to talk about her death.It hurt so much, still does.But she also had a life.Can you imagine that she loved being out in the sun?She forced me outside too, made me get sunburned.”
Adler reached for his mate’s hand.“I can’t really imagine that, sweetheart.Did you turn red?”
“Like a lobster.”
