Chapter Four #2
“Nope,” I say confidently. Am I sure this will work? No. Do I think this is morally abhorrent? Absolutely. Am I going to do it anyway? Yup. Can’t cling to laws and morality when you work for a secret agency that does whatever it takes to keep humans safe and away from our secrets.
***
“Fuck. I haven’t slept a wink for the last two days. And we still have nothing?” Serena whines from the passenger seat.
I sigh. “Tyler drove to the set from his house early in the morning. Filmed two scenes. Drove back. Traffic cameras show he made it to his home on time. No one has seen him since,” I recite. To summarize, we’re fucked.
“He was abducted in broad daylight, and no one saw it happen? How can that be?”
“Maybe we’ll find something here?” I offer. I park in one of the parking lots of the studio that houses the set of The Pack. Strange choice of name considering werewolves haven’t lived in packs for decades now. “The evidence is not leading us anywhere. Let’s hope we at least find a motive.”
We meet one of the show’s producers, Laura Bryant, at her office.
“We sent an assistant to check on him when he didn't show up for the shoot on Friday, and his calls were going straight to voicemail. No one opened the door, so we were concerned. That’s why we asked the assistant to go in. Elena knew the code to his door lock. When the assistant found him, Tyler was dead. So, he called the police,” she tells us.
“Was he acting suspicious or scared recently?” Serena asks.
“I wouldn’t know much about his personal life, sorry. I only have a formal relationship with most of the cast and crew. They wouldn’t share these things with me,” Laura says.
“Did he have any disagreements with anyone on the set?” I ask.
Laura’s eyes go wide. “You think someone from the show could have done this?”
“We’re not ruling out anything at the moment,” Serena says curtly.
I smile at Laura. “Sometimes, we don’t really know people as well as we think we do.” I give her a pointed look. “We’re investigating this from every angle right now.”
She nods. “Look, so many creative heads coming together always creates some friction. Enough to kill? I really doubt it. Besides, Tyler was new to the industry. He knew not to ruffle feathers.”
“Anyone in particular he disagreed with often?” I tilt my head.
“Maybe the director? Hayden Holt. He’s old-school, and sometimes these young actors have their own ideas about what works. But the guy has been doing this for decades. I don’t see how Tyler could have annoyed him into murder.”
“And how was his relationship with other people on the crew?” Serena asks.
“He was a friendly person. I’ve never heard of any rift. He was close to quite a few people, as far as I could tell. You should definitely talk to his hair and makeup team and to Elena, who plays Romila on the show. They’ll have more information for you,” she says.
“And where were you on the day Tyler was found?” Serena asks.
I look everywhere but at Laura. “We had an off-site shoot. Most of the crew, including me, was out of the city for a week. We got back a day after Tyler was found. You can check the hotel records,” she answers confidently.
“We will,” Serena says. “Thank you for talking to us, Laura. We’ll be in touch if we need anything else,” she adds.
Laura nods. “Feel free to talk to anyone on the set today,” she says as she walks us out of the office. Then she turns to me. “And I’ll be seeing you at dinner soon?”
I pout. “I canceled one time.”
“Mm-hmm. Come prepared to expand on that flimsy excuse,” she says, holding my gaze.
I force down a shiver. Laura can make the most serious criminals confess. It’s a shame she didn’t go into the crime side of the Bureau. But from what I hear, showbiz isn’t for the weak of heart either. “Yes, ma’am,” I salute, walking backwards because Serena was getting antsy standing in one place.
Serena looks at me as we’re walking away. “I would never understand how the ME landed her. She’s so hot,” she says. Oh yeah, Laura is also married to one of my best friends and fellow Bureau Agent, Marcus.
“Shhhh.” I hush her. Laura does not need a bigger ego or a power trip.
“What? She’s already inside the office. She can’t hear us.”
Oh, she can hear us. Loud and clear. I’ll hear about it too. Soon. And Serena definitely has a type. Tall, blonde, muscular, straight werewolves.
“Yeah, yeah.”
The rest of the interviews are almost the same, like they were all handed a script before we arrived.
“He didn't seem worried about anything,” Elena tells us while we sit in her trailer, her eyes closed as the makeup artist works on her eyelids. “He was excited about his girlfriend coming back. You should maybe talk to her?”
“He was a talented actor. Saw things a bit too black and white, though. An artist needs to see the grey. Channel it. Bring it to the screen.” Hayden, the director, muses when we corner him near the craft service table.
He blinks at our blank faces. “Uh… sorry for boring you with this, it’s clearly going over your heads. Anyway, I wouldn’t know if he was worried about anything. We didn’t have that kind of relationship.”
Everyone had alibis, and no one thought Tyler was worried about anything.
“Do you believe them?” Serena asks as we make our way back to the car.
“Did I join the force yesterday? They’re all lying. Let’s figure out who’s hiding something dangerous.”
Serena nods. “Let’s go through the tapes today and see if we find something.”
“I’ll go check with the ME if he has anything for us yet.”
***
I can't stop thinking about my conversation with Matt the entire drive to the Coroner’s facility. The idea of dating Elliot for information is insane. I blame Matt for basically cornering me into it. He might as well have suggested it himself. So, yeah, if anything goes wrong, it’s Matt’s fault.
Then again, there’s no point in pretending I’d be able to walk away without fully learning what’s up with the guy.
I’ve never been able to leave a puzzle unsolved.
This would keep me up at night, become a huge distraction in my work, and bug me to no end until I get to the bottom.
And the only way to achieve that is to get closer to Elliot.
With the werewolf serial killer on the loose, a high-profile celebrity murder case, two other open cases, and new Bureau issues that will inevitably crop up, I’m stretched too thin.
And I’m a dog dad now. I have responsibilities.
I can’t keep up my stalking hours anymore.
And with the results I have to show for my work, I need to change tactics.
Then again, I could easily pass Elliot’s case on to the Bureau on grounds of suspicion.
We have an entire protocol for following up on humans who’re aware of our existence.
It might need some convincing because an agent has already interrogated Elliot, but I can swing it.
I haven’t done it already only because I want to be sure before burdening my colleagues with another case.
They’re also just as busy. I’m just taking one for the team.
Maybe Matt is a genius, and I didn’t realize it until now. Not that I’ll tell him, he’s so humble he might refuse to take credit for this brilliant idea.
It’s decided, I’m going to ask Elliot out.
I park the car and put on my mask in the hope of avoiding the scents that’ll haunt me for years to come.
No dice. I’m hit by sharp smells of the lingering cold, metallic trace of death under layers of disinfectant.
Marcus greets me with a frown that’s permanently etched on his face. “Are you ever not frowny?” I ask, genuinely curious.
“Yes. When you’re not around,” he says dryly.
“I’m a delight and you know it,” I tell him.
We stand over Tyler’s body after I’ve put enough menthol under my nose to never smell anything ever again.
“He was hit on his head multiple times, and the other injuries suggest the killer cut him with a sharp object,” Marcus points to the shallow but painful-looking cuts.
“Knife?”
“Maybe,” he says pointedly.
“You don’t think…” I raise an eyebrow. Another reason to hate this place is there are always humans around, so we can’t talk about possible werewolf involvement.
He shrugs. “Honestly, I can’t be certain. The cuts aren’t clean, so it could be anything. Even a dull knife.”
“So, not enough to narrow down our suspect list?” I ask. Not that it’ll do much. The Pack has many werewolves in the crew. But explaining the new suspect pool to Serena would have been a fun challenge. Maybe I could have bribed her by letting her put things on my murder board?
Marcus shakes his head. “It seems like the killer wasn’t just trying to hurt him to cause pain. More like they were torturing him for information,” he says.
I nod. We already knew it was personal. But torture? Even though it doesn’t narrow down the suspect list, we’re now looking for a really strong motive.
Marcus decides to become a gentleman and walks me back to my car.
“Do we know anything about the other body yet?” I ask him when we're well out of everyone’s earshot.
“Oh yeah, it’s the same combination of drugs. One for paralysis, the other for inducing a heart attack. And like all the other seven bodies, they didn’t show up in procedural bloodwork, and the autopsy showed clear signs of heartattack,” he says.
“Anything else?”
“No, there are no signs of resistance and no syringe marks, so the chemicals were consumed orally. The concentration must be extremely high since chemicals take much longer to enter the bloodstream when swallowed.”
“So, it's someone he trusted.”
“Can even be a human,” Marcus shrugs.
“Or a very smart and calm werewolf who did not want to leave any evidence.”
“I still think it's a human because why go through the trouble of gaining someone’s trust, securing the drugs, and then waiting for them to take it when you can just slit someone’s throat.” Marcus drags his thumb across his throat.
I give him a side-eye. “You scare me, man.”
Marcus waves me off. “At least, I’ll make it quick and painless,” he smirks at my bulging eyes. “Did you meet the new Bureau agent Meena had transferred to LAPD because you apparently need help?”
“Not yet, but now I’m worried she doesn’t believe I’ll be able to hunt down the killer,” I think out loud.
“Just take the help, man. They’ve been on this case for years and have no leads. You need a proper team,” he says sagely.
Well, not bad advice. From what I’ve learned from our conversation so far, we’re still firmly in the no-lead territory. I should take help from my team.
“You will probably run into him on the field. And you can call him or any one of us for anything you need with the case,” he recites.
“Meena got you, too?” I ask.
Marcus snorts. “You really need to learn to delegate, Nick,” he mocks.
“Fuck you too.”
For his comment, I subject him to a hug before driving away. He grumbles the entire time.
I have no time to check on Elliot today because I need to pick Mickey up from Oliver’s.
Matt and Oliver had happily volunteered to babysit.
Their exact words might have been ‘Oliver just wanted to meet him. What do you mean you’re leaving him here?
’, but I know they love Mickey and want all the cuddles.
I spend the night cooped up in my office, looking at feeds from the recent werewolf victim’s doorcam. No one went in or out the day he was found. It’s suspiciously uneventful until a patrol officer shows up for a welfare check.
I look up the drugs Marcus mentioned. They need prescriptions, so they can be tracked.
I pick up my phone and call Meena. “What am I hearing about this new patrol officer?” I ask as soon as she picks up.
“It’s me being the best supervisor and making sure my agents don’t run themselves ragged without any sleep. Mental hospitals are expensive, you know? You need to learn to delegate,” she stresses. “Now, did you need anything, or you just called me to complain about how no one gets you?”
I roll my eyes. “I need his info. I have work for him.”
“He’s been here two weeks and you haven’t given him any work yet? That’s honestly worrying, Nicholas. At least, you’re learning. I’m emailing you his profile,” she says, and my phone vibrates.
I sigh. “Thanks. I’ll reach out,” I tell her, already typing.
“You do that.” She disconnects the call.
“Yes, you take care of yourself, too. Bye,” I say to no one.
Time to get this party started. If we can get the names of the suppliers and the frequent buyers of these drugs, we can start creating a suspect list.