Page 26 of Miami Heat (Urban Heat 3)

“Too far above you?”

She rolled her eyes at him, and he laughed.

“You’re loving this, Adam, but I’m serious. We can’t risk having weird mutant children who are half bear, half fox. That’s creepy and gross.”

He seemed disappointed. “We’ll work through everything. There’s time. Meanwhile, how is your investigation going?”

“It’s not. I’ve learned nothing. No, that’s not true. I learned where my mother was killed, but that’s all. Everything went to hell fast, and I haven’t had the chance to find out more.”

“Well, you’ve got me now. We can figure it out together. Esta bien?”

She nodded. “Bien.”

Chapter Ten

Adam stood behind Sakura’s chair as she shot off an email to her dad. He frowned. “Are you sure about this?”

Sakura paused in typing, her lips moving as she reread the wording she’d chosen. “We already figured out Roger’s left Miami. I don’t know if he’s headed back to San Diego or what. Either way, he’s not what the family thought he was. They should be warned. I’m not going to say he’s a shifter—although I can’t explain why—but I’m telling Dad not to trust him. He’ll believe me and be more cautious when dealing with Roger. You better believe though when I catch up to him, his ass is mine.”

“All right, it’s your call. We have more than enough to deal with here. The hunters can handle themselves. I got us an appointment with the medical examiner’s office at three.”

“Mm, you’re so resourceful.”

He shrugged. “I charm when necessary and threaten when it doesn’t work.”

Sakura peered at him over shoulder. “Which was it this time?”

“I’m not telling you.”

She laughed, and he was glad for her good mood over the last couple of days. While they had planned to get moving on the investigation, they had hardly stirred from bed. When they had, they had discovered Roger fled Miami. Adam noticed a couple fox shifters watching them when they did venture out, but Sakura made no indication she knew, and he had no reason to tell her. As long as Deveron and his men kept out of his way and stayed away from Sakura, he didn’t care what else they did.

That afternoon, Adam took Northwest Fourteenth Street, which sat off Twelfth Avenue and continued to Northwest Tenth Avenue, also called Bob Hope Road. Once he’d turned onto that street, he passed the Miami Transplant Institute and kept driving until he reached the building that housed the Medical Examiner Department, Records Bureau. After slipping into a parking spot, he stepped out of the car and jogged around to hold the door for Sakura. She quirked an eyebrow at him, but offered a slight smile. If he didn’t know any better he would think his mate was happier and freer than she had ever been. Was it the fox that did it or his change? Either way, he figured she would not admit the truth should he broach the subject, so he kept his observations to himself. For the moment, he decided to enjoy this new Sakura and help her solve the mystery around her mom. When it was over, well, he had some plans formulating in his mind, which he believed would work out great for the two of them.

They walked into the building and located Transcriptions, the secretary of which scheduled appointments for the medical examiners. The unit also produced reports for autopsy protocols, neuropathology, and microscopic exams. During his conversation with the secretary, she had shared that the building housed two research rooms should any research be needed. His mind had produced all kinds of scenarios for what one could study within these walls, and most of them made him cringe in disgust. What he never wanted to see now that he was one of them, was studies done on a shifter. Then again, this probably wasn’t the facility for it. A shifter might be sent off to some secret lab in DC.

Adam touched Sakura’s arm to signal her he would do the talking this time around. He expected annoyance, but she acquiesced and stepped aside. The pretty blonde smiled at him, and he returned it with caution, sensing rather than seeing Sakura stiffen. “Hello, I’m Adam Martinez. I believe we spoke on the phone. I have an appointment with Jon Stine.”

“Of course, Mr. Martinez, I remember you.” The chirpy voice had dropped low and sultry. Adam caught Sakura’s forefinger just before she raised it to point at the woman. He kept her tight to his side, and she frowned at him, but he kept his gaze on the blonde.

“Yes, before we see him, I wanted to ask you about any records you might have on file for Yvonne Keith.”

The woman swiveled to her computer. “If the incident happened after nineteen ninety, then we have the records here. If it’s between nineteen fifty-six and nineteen eighty-nine, then they’re off-site, and I need a few days to get access to them. Plus, I’ll need you to put the request in writing.”

Adam waited with limited patience while she ran through procedures he had already familiarized himself with. He found it comical she called the murder an “incident” and r

ushed to inform her the death had occurred well after nineteen ninety. Soon they were handed a bunch of papers, and Adam sat down with Sakura to peruse then. Right away, he saw there was missing data and glanced at Sakura.

“There’s nothing about the bear attack,” he whispered, careful not to allow the human to hear. He frowned. When had he begun thinking of himself as anything but human, separating himself and Sakura from the secretary? Was it part of a self-awareness that developed the more time passed?

“It doesn’t have anything in here about the stab wounds,” Sakura commented. “There are whole chunks missing. All of this is useless!”

Adam stood and approached the secretary. “There’s missing paperwork here, and there’s not one picture included. Do you have anything else on file?”

The blonde shook her head, curls bouncing. “I’m sorry. That’s it. I don’t know where the rest could be. We keep meticulous records. We have to because often they’re depended on for depositions in court. I shouldn’t admit it, but I checked the computer, and there’s even less there. It’s weird.”

“Thanks.” Adam turned away. No, it wasn’t weird. Hiding shifter existence was the name of the game with both the Keiths and shifters themselves. The original report from Kasen Keith, Sr., Sakura’s dad, was that he’d found Sakura’s mother dead, the apparent victim of a bear shifter attack. Had the shifter been there at the time, and did Kasen Keith kill him?

A short while later, the medical examiner entered, and Adam stood to shake his hand. Jon Stine seemed like a reasonable man with nothing to hide, yet it could be an act. Adam and Sakura walked with him to his office and sat down.

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