Chuck is Still Not a Good Liar
Carsick? I puked on a priest, and that’s all you got?
You couldn’t blame it on my porcupine impression?
Or maybe say I had too much tequila? Malachi grumbled as he plodded along with her to the site of the break-in.
This time they were moving to a back door that was tucked under a large awning and shielded from the street by a brick dumpster enclosure.
Large trees, possibly older than the church, shaded the area, keeping it dim and shadowed.
Dark, dingy, secluded. Nice setup for a horror movie, he added with approval.
“You know I’m not a good liar,” Chuck vocalized as quietly as she could, glancing around casually to see if the detective could hear her.
“I can’t just drop a truth bomb on him. ‘Oh, don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with him physically.
It’s because he’s a demon and you prayed in a dead language.
That’s highly offensive to his kind.’ They’d haul me off for a psych eval and give me a padded coat! ”
Huffing with laughter now, Malachi’s shoulders shook. And it was offensive! Demons are people too! Why is it so difficult for someone to take my sensitivities into consideration? Besides, you’d look gorgeous in a white jacket. You look beautiful in everything.
A small smile curved her lips upward as she kept making her way to the door. “Behave now. Kass is getting close.”
“What was that?” Kassidy asked.
“I was telling Malachi that you are going to show us where to start, up close!” Chuck nodded confidently to sell the small fib.
The detective eyed her briefly as if he wanted to challenge the statement, but a slight grumble from Malachi had him stepping quickly to the door.
“You talk to him a lot, I’ve noticed. Anyway, back to the case.
It was the same thing here. The door was open, but still locked, and again, no unaccounted keys.
In and out, took relics and metal objects.
Low cash value, more of the historical aspect of them.
Still no actual vandalism or wanton destruction of property.
” He gestured toward the door he had quickly unlocked, then hurried back so Chuck could evaluate it.
“Okay Malachi, let’s get a good sniff here. Scent,” she called, tapping the frame and biting the inside of her cheek as he glared at her haughtily.
Definitely biting you later. And not in a fun way, he declared as he lowered his nose.
After repeating the same scenting process as he’d performed at the first building, Malachi quickly located the room where the theft had occurred.
The scent was the same, slightly stronger, but not by much.
It was still enough to tell him that it was most likely the same culprit and almost certainly a demon.
He relayed this to Chuck and hurried back outside without waiting for her command, desperately needing air without the cloying stench of sanctity.
“He sure doesn’t seem to like churches,” Kassidy observed quietly, his tone hinting he wanted to ask more. At her pointed stare, he shrugged and glanced around Chuck’s shoulder at the interior of the building, trying to figure out what was wrong.
“Not really; I’m guessing it’s the quiet and dark. He was a rescue after all.” Chuck brushed past him, heading toward her SUV. As she grabbed the handle to open Malachi’s door, she called, “Next location?”
In the silence of the vehicle, Malachi shifted back to human and sighed heavily as he banged his head against the panel.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, sighing once more.
“I’m making this much harder for you. For once, I truly don’t mean to be a pain in the ass.
I know you don’t like to lie. I can see how much it bothers you.
” He waved at her aura that had flashed yellow and gray while she made excuses for him.
With a quiet laugh, Chuck’s shoulders began to bounce with amusement and her aura turned pink.
She glanced in the side mirror before changing lanes, then reassured him.
“It’s okay, Mal; you’re trying, and I appreciate it.
I know this is hard for you. It means a lot that you’re doing it anyway.
Now, what do you think is the deal here? With the demon.”
“Hmm,” he replied absently as he raked his fingers through his tangled hair, wincing as they caught on a snarl. Snapping his fingers, the silky black locks smoothed out in stylish waves. He shook his head, enjoying the feel of the layers brushing over his neck.
“Yes, you’re pretty; answer my questions,” Chuck called.
There was no hint of irritation in her tone; she just liked teasing him about his hair because he frequently accused her of being obsessed with it.
She claimed she wasn’t; he knew she was, and she knew that he knew.
It was a small game they played, that he usually won. In his opinion.
“Sorry,” he drawled, lowering his voice and adding some extra raspiness as well.
He doubled down on his seduction tactics by letting his shadows slip through the grate and wrap around her fingers.
“I wanted to look nicer for you, my heart.” He stroked his shadows up her arm and smiled deviously as her skin pebbled with goose flesh at his silky touch.
“You make me so incredibly happy, Kelly. I want to make you even happier. Cherished.” He paused, then whispered, “Desired.”
A wistful moan escaped her as she flexed her fingers, letting his shadows slip between them, holding her hand.
“You do,” she whispered fiercely, gripping the tendril of darkness tightly in her grasp.
“Mal, you know you do. Now stop distracting me and answer my question.” She didn’t let go of his grip even as a smirk curved her lips.
Smiling softly with a sappy expression he would deny vehemently if ever accused, he leaned closer.
“Definitely a demon. Pretty sure it’s the same one, but the smell was still faint, so it was hard to be sure.
As we check out the other locations with more recent break-ins, I should be able to confirm it.
I guess we need to figure out what that looks like for Kevin. ”
“Kassidy,” she corrected automatically and groaned at his smug grin. “But you knew that.”
“Must have slipped my mind,” he declared innocently. “Hey, speaking of Kassandra, thanks for letting him know—”
“Down!” she shouted, panic strangling her voice.
Shifting back to dog form, Malachi crouched low in his compartment, glancing about frantically.
Peering through the window, he noticed Detective Roundtree pulling his car alongside, staring into their vehicle with a furrowed brow and pursed lips.
He even slowed so he stayed next to them far longer than was necessary.
Shit, Malachi growled as he glared back, snarling at the man’s stupidly luxurious mustache. Do you think he saw me? The human me?
“Hope not,” Chuck responded with a tiny shake of her head.
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and straightened her shoulders, training her eyes on the road ahead.
Speaking from the corner of her mouth so Kassidy wouldn’t see, she murmured, “Just… stay down until we get there. Should only be about five more minutes.”
Sitting quietly, Malachi kept his profile low until they arrived at the next church.
When she parked and let him out of his compartment, he stretched long and hard, leaning forward to stretch his hind legs, then leaning back to stretch his front legs.
He’d decided that acting like he’d been napping was his best bet.
A large yawn showed his fangs, and at Chuck’s laughter, he lightly nipped at her fingers.
His tail wagged hard like a metronome needle, smacking into her thigh with a steady beat.
Giggling, she ran her hands down his back, digging her fingers into his thick pelt, ruffling him hard. “Hey, buddy, did you have a good nap? Who’s a good boy? Who’s my Mal-Mal?” she gushed in a sing-song baby voice as she kept scratching.
Don’t overdo it, Chuck. There’s only so much of that shit I can stomach. He wagged his tail harder and let his tongue loll out while giving a happy bark like the best boy.
Detective Roundtree casually strolled next to them and stood quietly.
Slipping his hands in his pockets, he stared at the pair, his expression neutral, giving no hint as to the direction of his thoughts for a moment.
Finally, he cleared his throat. “Shall we?” He tilted his chin toward the entrance of the building.
“Yeah, sure!” Chuck replied cheerfully, giving no hint that anything was amiss or that she was aware of his scrutiny. Her aura flickered yellow with uncertainty, but outwardly she was her usual perky, happy self. She signaled with her hand, a silent command to act.
Malachi dutifully heeled at her side, trotting along while discreetly testing the air.
He caught a faint whiff of demon leading toward the entrance and frowned.
This time the scent led straight to the front.
As they drew nearer the main door, the scent swelled like a musical crescendo, revealing it was unmistakably their same vandal.
He paused, growling low, then dutifully applied his nose to the trail.
Pausing once more, he alerted, indicating he had picked up on something similar.
“Follow, Malachi,” Chuck ordered quietly, tapping Kassidy on the arm to bring his attention to the fact that her partner was alerting.
“Looks like he’s already caught our suspect’s trail.
Let’s see where he goes.” Releasing the leash, she let him lead now, slowly following as he traced the tracks around a tree in a circle before meandering down the sidewalk.
At one point, the trail moved up onto a low concrete wall as if the demon had been walking it like a balance beam before leaping back to the sidewalk.
“Huh, odd,” Kassidy voiced quietly before Chuck shushed him into silence. His mustache fluttered briefly in irritation.
Continuing his tracking, Malachi finally led them right to the main door where he stopped and alerted once more, rotating his ears forward.
A low whine sounded as he kept his muzzle firmly pointed at the locks.
His eyes briefly shifted to Chuck, where he gave her a sly wink, angling his head so the detective wouldn’t see.
“Impressive,” murmured Kassidy, his tone now full of awe.
At Chuck’s inquiring stare, he hastily added, “You didn’t even have to tell him.
He recognized the scent from the other scenes.
For this location, they did break in through the front door, so him alerting here is on point.
He’s amazing, Chuck! You’re lucky to have such a great partner. ”
“Yeah, Malachi is pretty amazing. I’m grateful he chose me that day.” Chuck winked back at the demon smirking at her feet while the detective reached for the door handle.