Chapter 38 #2
He shook his head, frustration evident on his face. “The jacket is too bulky, and it covers their hair, too.” He paused the video on a frame where the figure was closest to the camera. “Can't see height properly because of the angle. Can't even tell if it's a man or a woman.”
“What about their hands? When they're holding the bucket?”
He zoomed in, but the footage was too grainy because of the darkness in the room. "Can't tell. Looks like they’re wearing gloves."
“Dammit,” I muttered.
Julian's expression darkened, and he slammed the laptop shut, clearly angry with himself. “This footage is completely useless.”
“It’s like that person somehow knew the camera was there. But there’s no way that can be true.” I sighed and leaned back in my seat, rubbing my temples. “I guess they just dressed up like that in case someone spotted them breaking in that night.”
“Yeah.” Julian pulled out his phone, his expression shifting into something cold and businesslike. “I'm calling the concierge service.”
“The what?”
“It’s the Club's twenty-four-hour phone service.” He was already dialing, with the call set to loudspeaker. “Any member can call, give their name and code, and they'll organize pretty much anything.”
The phone barely rang twice before someone answered.
“Concierge service,” a smooth, professional voice said. “Name and code, please.”
“Julian Valcourt. Code seven-seven-four-nine-delta.”
“Verified. How may we assist you, Mr. Valcourt?”
“I need to speak with our main contact in the Blackthorne Harbor Police Department. It's regarding an open investigation.”
“One moment, please.”
There was a brief pause, some clicking sounds, and then another voice came on the line. Older and male, with the gruff tone of someone who'd spent decades in law enforcement. “What do you need, Mr. Valcourt?”
“Detective Morrison," Julian said. “I need information on a case from early October. Vandalism and threats at Blackthorne University, reported by Violet Calloway.”
“Calloway,” Morrison repeated. There was the sound of typing. “Ah, yeah, I remember that one now. Blood everywhere, threatening message on the wall.”
“What happened with the case?”
“Stalled out,” Morrison said. “There were no prints anywhere, apart from Miss Calloway’s own prints. We took samples of the blood, but unfortunately, they went missing.”
Julian's expression sharpened. “Why?”
There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute. “I assumed you already knew the answer to that question, Mr. Valcourt,” Morrison finally said, his voice carefully neutral.
“No, but I can make an educated guess,” Julian replied. “Dean Weiss assumed the Club was behind the incident, and she asked you to make the whole thing go away.”
“That’s correct. Was she wrong?”
“Yeah, she sure as fuck was. We didn’t do it.” Julian's jaw clenched. “Anyway, when you say the samples went missing… are they actually missing? Or can you still get hold of them for me?”
“They were incinerated.”
“Fuck.”
“Sorry I couldn’t be of more assistance, Mr. Valcourt. We were trying to protect the Club.”
“I know. Thanks anyway, Morrison,” Julian muttered.
“Anytime. Give the Council my regards.”
The line went dead.
I sat frozen, my mind racing. “So what now?”
Julian was quiet for a moment, his jaw working as he stared at his phone. Then he looked up at me, his expression determined. “I'm going to your dorm.”
“Why?”
“The cleanup crew might have missed something if it was small enough,” he said, already standing.
“Like blood soaked into carpet fibers, or traces on the bed frame underneath the mattress. If I can get a sample, we can have it tested privately and find out what sort of animal it came from. That could possibly help us narrow it down to a specific butcher, and that could help us track down the killer.”
“I'm coming with you,” I said, rising from my chair.
“No.” His tone left no room for argument. “You're staying here.”
“Julian—”
“Violet.” He moved closer, his hands coming up to frame my face. “The safest place for you right now is here. At the estate. Behind locked doors with security everywhere.”
"But we think the killer could be a Club member," I said. “Which means they have access to this place.”
“Which is why I'm putting a guard on your door,” he said firmly. “No one comes in or out except me. And Roman, if I'm not back by dinnertime. I'll have him bring you food.”
“So what am I supposed to do in the meantime?” I asked, eyes narrowing.
“Just stay here and wait. I know it’s hard, because this is your investigation, but…” He trailed off, and his voice roughened. “I need to know you're safe.”
The raw emotion in his eyes made my protests die in my throat.
“Okay,” I said softly. “I'll stay here.”
Relief flooded his features. “Thank you.” He pressed a quick kiss to my forehead, and my breath caught, unexpected warmth twisting through the fear. “I'll be as fast as I can.”
“What if you don't find anything?”
“Then we keep looking,” he said. “We'll figure this out, Violet. I promise you.”
“Okay,” I murmured.
Julian hesitated, like he wanted to say something else. Then he just nodded and left.
I stood there for a moment, listening to his footsteps fade down the hallway. A few seconds later, I heard his voice in the corridor; muffled but authoritative. He was talking to someone on the phone. Arranging for the guard he'd promised, probably.
Then silence.
I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold despite the warm afternoon sunlight streaming through the window. Julian would find something. He had to. Because right now, we had nothing.
No solid evidence. No suspects. Just a grainy video of a figure in a dark jacket and the unsettling knowledge that someone dangerous was watching me. Someone who didn’t want me getting too close to the truth.
I turned away from the window and sank onto the bed, my legs suddenly unsteady. All this time, I'd thought Julian was the threat. Or Roman. But I'd been looking in the wrong direction the whole time, and whoever was really behind it all had been free to watch me. To threaten me.
It made me wonder… what else had I been wrong about? What else had I missed?
A sudden knock at the door made me jump.
“Miss Calloway?” An unfamiliar male voice called to me. “I'm Dean, from estate security. Mr. Valcourt asked me to stand guard outside your door.”
I exhaled shakily. “Okay. Thank you.”
“I'll be right here if you need anything, miss.”
I was safe. Julian had made sure of it. But as I sat there in the quiet room, waiting for him to return, I couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere out there, someone else was waiting too.
Watching.
Planning their next move.