of nowhere.” She raised both hands and clasped them over her head, stretching her stiff back.
Pulling his eyes from the purple shadows showing under her freckles, Michael nodded. “I was afraid of that.”
“Tell me you found something in the files.” Her shoulders sagged for a minute before she sat up enough to grab her coffee.
It was difficult to hide his frustration. Michael was distracted by Becca’s declining condition. When he’d heard her heartbeat accelerating he’d barely kept his pace human as he came to evict the forward young detective who had upset her. He couldn’t step on too many toes without jeopardizing the cooperation they needed for the investigation. Still, Becca was suffering in ways he didn’t understand and there was nothing he could do about it. The nagging worry that somehow giving her an unprecedented amount of blood had caused her harm gained momentum. He needed to bring Black into the loop. His fear of losing her outweighed his concern that Black would wield it over her, or him.
“Michael?” She was looking at him. “Want to let me in on whatever you’re thinking?”
“Is that decaf?” He nodded at the cup in her hand. “You should watch how much caffeine you take, it isn’t good for you.”
She screwed up her face. “Of all the things I do and see in a day, I don’t fear my coffee.”
Letting go of the argument for the time being, he filled her in on what he’d seen in the boxes upon boxes of evidence collected at the scenes. “There wasn’t anything new in the files.” Reluctantly, he added, “I think the detective is right, it’s time to visit the crime scenes. We might notice something they haven’t. Something that will point to a location.”
“I was thinking about that. If something’s controlling it and we know it’s here because it’s only attacking locally, and Ryan and Gabrielle didn’t find anything last night, do you think it’s living indoors?” She tossed back the last of her hot beverage, lifting an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to comment. The corner of her mouth lifted when he didn’t. “I’m thinking whatever is using this thing is hiding it as well.”
“That’s a good guess.” He was fascinated by her deductions once again.
“So what are we looking for? Is there a specific ‘type’ of thing that would be using it? Any precedent we can use to go on?” She yawned again.
“We’re going to drop you at the motel. I’m going to look at the crime scenes with the detective while you get some rest.” Michael knew she wouldn’t agree. He was right.
Her features clouded, eyes flicking up to the open room full of River Falls’ finest behind him. He could guess they were being watched from the way she carefully controlled her anger. “We have a killer out there only we can understand, only we can stop. I’m not going back to take a nap while you take a civilian into danger.”
“He’s not a civilian, he’s a police officer. They’re trained.”
A rough laugh erupted from her mouth. “Yeah, not for this.”
His eyes narrowed. Her stubbornness was not what he loved about her. That word stopped him. He couldn’t think like that. Creatures like him didn’t get to be in love. Having her in his arms, even briefly, had been a blessed reprieve from his isolation and its time was coming to a close.
The detective reappeared before they could go any further into their discussion. A brief rap of knuckles on wood announced him, although both already knew he was there. “Ready to roll?” he asked tightly, possibly sensing the tension between them. “We’re gonna be hard pressed to see ‘em all before we run out of daylight.”
Chapter 9
They were on the second to last crime scene when dusk began to cast long shadows across the snow. The bearing of the towering trees shifted from sentinel to stockade, silently threatening to reach down and touch
Pulling his eyes from the purple shadows showing under her freckles, Michael nodded. “I was afraid of that.”
“Tell me you found something in the files.” Her shoulders sagged for a minute before she sat up enough to grab her coffee.
It was difficult to hide his frustration. Michael was distracted by Becca’s declining condition. When he’d heard her heartbeat accelerating he’d barely kept his pace human as he came to evict the forward young detective who had upset her. He couldn’t step on too many toes without jeopardizing the cooperation they needed for the investigation. Still, Becca was suffering in ways he didn’t understand and there was nothing he could do about it. The nagging worry that somehow giving her an unprecedented amount of blood had caused her harm gained momentum. He needed to bring Black into the loop. His fear of losing her outweighed his concern that Black would wield it over her, or him.
“Michael?” She was looking at him. “Want to let me in on whatever you’re thinking?”
“Is that decaf?” He nodded at the cup in her hand. “You should watch how much caffeine you take, it isn’t good for you.”
She screwed up her face. “Of all the things I do and see in a day, I don’t fear my coffee.”
Letting go of the argument for the time being, he filled her in on what he’d seen in the boxes upon boxes of evidence collected at the scenes. “There wasn’t anything new in the files.” Reluctantly, he added, “I think the detective is right, it’s time to visit the crime scenes. We might notice something they haven’t. Something that will point to a location.”
“I was thinking about that. If something’s controlling it and we know it’s here because it’s only attacking locally, and Ryan and Gabrielle didn’t find anything last night, do you think it’s living indoors?” She tossed back the last of her hot beverage, lifting an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to comment. The corner of her mouth lifted when he didn’t. “I’m thinking whatever is using this thing is hiding it as well.”
“That’s a good guess.” He was fascinated by her deductions once again.
“So what are we looking for? Is there a specific ‘type’ of thing that would be using it? Any precedent we can use to go on?” She yawned again.
“We’re going to drop you at the motel. I’m going to look at the crime scenes with the detective while you get some rest.” Michael knew she wouldn’t agree. He was right.
Her features clouded, eyes flicking up to the open room full of River Falls’ finest behind him. He could guess they were being watched from the way she carefully controlled her anger. “We have a killer out there only we can understand, only we can stop. I’m not going back to take a nap while you take a civilian into danger.”
“He’s not a civilian, he’s a police officer. They’re trained.”
A rough laugh erupted from her mouth. “Yeah, not for this.”
His eyes narrowed. Her stubbornness was not what he loved about her. That word stopped him. He couldn’t think like that. Creatures like him didn’t get to be in love. Having her in his arms, even briefly, had been a blessed reprieve from his isolation and its time was coming to a close.
The detective reappeared before they could go any further into their discussion. A brief rap of knuckles on wood announced him, although both already knew he was there. “Ready to roll?” he asked tightly, possibly sensing the tension between them. “We’re gonna be hard pressed to see ‘em all before we run out of daylight.”
Chapter 9
They were on the second to last crime scene when dusk began to cast long shadows across the snow. The bearing of the towering trees shifted from sentinel to stockade, silently threatening to reach down and touch
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