Page 5 of Midnight Whispers
Iven came out of the house, shaking his head. Cass had worked for Iven long enough to know his expression meant they had a dead body. “It’s a crime scene.”
Cass nodded. “This one’s alive, but in a bad way.”
“The boy in the house is a wolf shifter. He’s younger than this one. There are…rooms in the basement. It looks like jail cells down there.” Iven shook his head.
“Got anything on the third wolf?”
“His scent isn’t as strong. He might have left the area hours ago.”
“He might be our perp.”
“Probably. And he’s pack.”
“Do you recognize who he is?”
Cass shook his head. It was hard to distinguish one person from the next when they weren’t close by. “Scent trail is too old.”
“So much for our domestic violence call.” It sometimes happened when the caller gave them the wrong information. They’d learned to expect anything.
Sirens wailed, growing closer. An ambulance followed two police cars. As soon as the paramedics arrived and took over the victim's care, Cass followed Iven into the house.
As they went through the crime scene, Iven created a spell, wiping away their presence. The dead boy had succumbed to a series of beatings, by the look of him. He lay on his back with one of his legs twisted under him in the middle of the living room floor. A coffee table had been broken, showing there was a struggle. Magazines and a mug were strewn about. The dead guy’s eyes were open and lifeless. “He hasn’t been dead very long.”
Iven made a sound of agreement. “I think our victims escaped.”
Cass made his way to the open door of the basement.
“No one reported a pack member missing.” Cass would have been the first person to know about it. They’d have a report at the station if that was the case.
Cass took the stairs down. There was blood on the handrail and wall. “The blood belongs to our two victims. Not the perp. If he is our perp.”
“Can you tell anything more about him?”
“He smells like grilled meat and greasy food. Like he’s eaten in a restaurant before coming and going.”
“The diner.” It was worth checking out.
“Yeah. Maybe. We’ll check with Darlene and find out if she noticed any pack acting strange lately.”
Cass shook his head. “I can already tell you the answer to that. Every pack member is acting strange, including me.”
“Besides the new alpha taking the reins. I know that leaves a bunch of wolf shifters on edge. It would us warlocks too, if we weren’t such solo creatures.”
“So solo you’ve never told your youngest son what he really is.” Cass had some harsh judgements about that, not that he’d ever voiced them beyond the little he’d just said. Iven beat himself up enough. He didn’t need Cass’s help with making him feel even more guilty.
“Can we focus on the crime scene?”
“It’s more than just the alpha being new. It’s the policies he’s trying to implement.”
“Like what?”
“Like taking us back to the 19 fucking 50s. Like making sure everyone of mating age mates. And paying a higher tithe to the pack. People want to keep their freedom and their money.”
“I had no idea.”
Cass shrugged. “It’s pack business, mostly. Not worth mentioning.”
“Except it might have something to do with our dead body and victim.”
