22. Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Cooper
I always get to the murder scene late, after the killer has been gone for hours, but this time, it’s going to be different. I want to prevent another supernatural woman from dying, so that means I have to track the killer before he or she decides to strike.
There will be a killing tonight, it’s a pattern now.
That’s why I have to get up from my comfy bed and get on with my day, or I should say evening now. Zel and I spent the whole night and some of the morning in my realm, so she might still be sleeping. She’ll probably wait until the last minute to get up so she can get as much sleep as possible, but she knows how important this is.
I sit up from my bed and nearly fall back down. I glance down at my torso, and it still looks pretty raw. Purple and red bruises stain my sides. My body is still sore from the two fights I had last night, but my wounds will heal. Others weren’t so lucky. Edwin’s face flashes in my mind, his laugh, his unwavering loyalty. He was a good friend, a reliable carriage driver, and he died because of me. The ache in my heart burns like a raging inferno, and I know that no amount of healing can mend that wound.
I think about calling Diana, my healer, to expedite the process, but decide against it. I have too much work to do, and all she’s going to do is make me take the day off. I shower and get dressed slower than usual but I manage, then head to my office downstairs. I try to avoid Zelyah’s room at all costs. If she is awake, she could be getting ready for her date with Easton, and I’m not in the mood to see her happy. Plus, I now have two idiots living in my pool house that I need to avoid. Those prickly bastards get on my nerves, and I can’t say that I wouldn’t jump on the chance to throw a few more punches if they get in my way.
How the hell did I get myself into this mess? Oh, right . . . Zel. She is the only reason I’m letting them stay here. I still need her help, and my hope is that they will leave for their next assignment soon.
My office has been cleaned up. My books are picked up from the floor, and my broken vase, seats, and shelves have all been replaced. I have housekeepers that maintain my house and keep it tidy. My father made me bring them to this realm as help. He said no royalty should subject themselves to doing lowly chores, but I’m starting to think they report to my father. There’s not much I can do about that situation. My father will bring me back to Faerie if I tell him I no longer want them here.
I sit in front of my computer to log in, and as I glance down at my phone, I see a missed call from Tyler. He must have called when I was in the shower. I hope he has some good news. Something that I can use to find exactly who this person is. So far, we only have one witness who doesn’t remember anything. Radnor is going at it nonstop trying to push her for answers. I call him back, and he picks up on the fourth ring before it goes to voicemail.
“Hey, Coop.” He’s panting. He probably went out on a run in his shifter form.
“Hey Tyler,” I reply.
“That was a cheap shot,” he yells. “Sorry man, just sparring with Benji, and since he was getting his ass kicked, he decided to lay one on me while I was distracted.” The other man on the line chuckles. “I’ll be back to finish what I started,” he says, talking to his brother.
I wait about a minute before I start to talk again. “What did you find out?”
“Any idea why they’re covering up a human case?”
I’m eager to find out what he knows. “Nope, no idea why.” I rest my head in the chair. “Did you find anything?” I ask hopefully. I’ve hit every dead end on this case. I’m coming up empty everywhere I turn. I’m starting to believe I’m losing my touch. Nah, can’t be. This fucker is just too good.
“All the document says is keep out and stop looking .” O . . . kay that’s a first.
“I uh—I’m not sure what this means.” I’m completely baffled. “Was there a name or some other type of information?” I ask eagerly, but I already know the answer to this question.
“Not a single name. There is no other information but that document. It was tough to get into this file, so whatever this is must be really serious.” His breathing is even now. “I’ll send you the proof so you can take a look.”
I log in to my email and open the file. There’s nothing there except those words. Whatever this was, they wanted it hidden badly, but why? We don’t get involved in human affairs.
“I dug deep, and that was the only thing I found. I was surprised that the only thing in here was that useless note. The real details may have never been uploaded in the first place when they were scanning the files to the computer. They used this note as a fake placeholder to make it seem like the information was there. Maybe there’s a paper trail somewhere.”
“Thanks, man, I appreciate the help.” I can count on Tyler; I know he’ll be discreet with this information.
“No problem. Let me know if you need more help or if you need me to hack another file. I’m intrigued by this case.”
“Yeah, so am I.”
After our goodbyes, I hang up the phone and stare at the photo a moment longer to see if I can find anything out of place or any other clues, but I come up empty. I spend the evening looking through the FBI human database, but there’s nothing out of the ordinary that matches this case. So, this case never made it to the human FBI. Some cases don’t when it involves a supernatural, so this was most likely done by a supe, not a human. The supernatural women have nothing in common besides being murdered the same exact way. Why is this individual so important that I don’t even have access to the photo? There’s no name, no description, absolutely no information to go on to try and find this woman’s family. Is this a coincidence, or is there something more that I’m missing?