Page 27 of Miami Heat (Urban Heat 3)

“Can I get either of you some coffee?” Stine asked.

“No, thank you,” Adam said. He got straight to the point. “What can you tell me about the…uh…” He glanced at Sakura. “Body of Yvonne Keith? Anything unusual?”

Stine appeared to check his notes. Adam had informed him of whom they were coming to discuss and gave a plausible cover story that Stine seemed to accept. As a part of his previous work with the Keith family, Adam kept false credentials in support of Sakura in case he had to get into places that were off limits.

“When you called, I checked the database and the physical records, and I found a lot of information missing. I don’t understand it,” Stine said, and Adam’s hope faded. Stine continued. “However, I like to keep my own personal notes to add my thoughts. The file on my computer is missing, but I have a paper backup. I’m old school.” He winked, and Adam sat forward, interested.

“So you do have information?” Adam prompted.

Stine opened a desk drawer and pulled out a file folder. He opened it, and Adam saw that several photocopies of pictures lay stacked inside. He handed a few to Adam and some to Sakura. Then he held up another to show them. “If you see here, here, and here.” He pointed with his little finger to several spots along the wounds. Adam checked on Sakura and found her lips tight. She appeared paler than usual.

“Okay?” he whispered. She nodded. Adam didn’t think she was, but he knew she would never admit it. He longed to take her into his arms or at least to hold her hand, but neither of them wanted Stine or his people to know her true identity. If she were simply a colleague of his as he had indicated, there was no reason she should have an emotional response to the pictures.

“Go on, Dr. Stine,” Sakura encouraged.

“The wounds are consistent with a sharp object, probably a knife or a sword.”

“A—A knife?” Sakura choked. “But I was led to believe they were caused by a…” She coughed. “An animal.”

The man frowned. “No, I’m sure of this. Besides, how would an animal that could do this much damage get into a motel room, unless someone put it in there?” He stroked his jaw. “I suppose that could happen. I’ve seen stranger situations in my line of work. Desperate people perform desperate acts to cover their tracks.”

“Is there anything else you can share, sir?” Adam asked.

“The wounds are precise, too ordered, as if they were made cover something.”

Adam thought about it. Someone could have made the knife wounds to cover a shifter attack. That wasn’t unheard of, but why take away all evidence as if it had never occurred? Why provide a cover for a shifter kill then throw in more suspicion by making that evidence disappear? Unless by looking into the murder, Sakura had stirred a sleeping enemy who wanted to hide his involvement. While she had arrived under a false identity, at least one set of shifters knew who she was, and they had made use of their knowledge by making her one of them. On top of that, Roger with a foot in each world—both in the Keiths’ employment and a shifter himself—could have informed any number of others of her presence in Miami. Then he disappeared before Adam could question him. Or wring his neck.

Adam stood. “Thank you for your help, Dr. Stine. I greatly appreciate it.”

“Of course.” Dr. Stine stood as well. “I’m thinking it might be a good idea to reopen the case.”

Adam stiffened. That had not been their intention.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the resources or the time. The most I can do is pass on my suspicions to the lieutenant who headed up the initial investigation and let him make the call. Trust me when I tell you there are more cases like this one than I care to admit. Well, I wish you luck in your search for answers.”

Stine shook Adam’s hand again, and after Sakura expressed her own gratitude, Adam escorted her to the exit. Neither of them spoke a word until they were in the car. Sakura was the first to speak. “Do you think they did it to hide that they were responsible?”

He knew she meant shifters. She hadn’t accepted what she was just yet. “It’s possible, but whoever did this had to know your family would call them on it. Did your dad ever say who specifically did this?”

“No, I don’t think he ever had a name. He and the men with him just hunted the guy and killed him. End of story. The beast’s background didn’t matter to any of us. My dad made sure we all realized how dangerous shifters are. Believe me, as hard as it was to look at a picture of my mom, it did fuel my hatred to kill every last one of those fuckers I came across.”

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Do you still feel that way?”

“Don’t ask me that, Adam.”

“Okay, how about we visit the motel you found?”

She looked at him. He still didn’t like her coloring and the obvious strain in her beautiful sienna gaze. “Why would we go there? I told you the room has been cleaned out, probably reused.”

“It might be pointless,” he agreed. “But you were human the last time you visited, and so was your dad.”

Sakura gasped. “You’re right.” Then she frowned. “But it’s been five years. Would there be anything left?”

“Can’t hurt to see.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

They arrived at the motel not much later, and Adam frowned in doubt. At his side, Sakura chuckled.

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