“Right-o,” I said, thoroughly uncomfortable with any talk about trust at this point.
I may have agreed to start fresh with Ben, but I would have an underlying trust issue with him until he proved himself trustworthy.
Call me crazy, but I prefer to think of it as a normal, healthy distrust, considering he infected me and left the scene. I know I had kind of forgiven him for it, but that doesn’t mean I’d forgotten.
“So, do you trust me?”
Damn. I was hoping he wouldn’t ask that.
“Not yet. Sorry, but I figure honesty has to be there for trust to take root and grow.”
“I understand. Well, I will do my best to earn your trust. I promise you that.”
“Show, don’t tell,” I said quietly.
It’s something I hear Kelly telling her daughter, Quinn, and Chad from time to time. She’s a pretty cool lady.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“When we get into the office they’re going to split us up and ask us a bunch of questions. Feel free to leave out what we were discussing before Grisly appeared. Maybe just say we were talking about The Facts of Life and other shows we watched.”
“Are you sure?”
“Look, don’t lie to them or anything, but the Bureau doesn’t need to know about our jaguars or any of the personal stuff; that’s private and not relevant to the case, in my opinion.”
“Thanks, Sam.”
“No problem. I don’t need them knowing about my private life.”
“I hear that. I won’t say anything. Do we let them know I am the jaguar that bit you? I feel like that might come up, especially since your coworkers saw me at the diner.”
“Yeah, they already know you sired me. If I were you, I’d tell them it was an accident that happened while you were feverish and you came into town to make amends.” It felt odd trying to get our stories straight, but I had the hunch it was the right thing to do.
If Ben told them he’d infected me, it’s possible they’d find it interesting that he came back for me. It’s only natural that they’d jump to wondering if he had anything to do with Grisly. Bianchi and Buono worked together as The Hillside Strangler, it wasn’t a far reach to question the timing of it all.
Hell, I had questioned it myself.
“You sure?”
“Look, I don’t think you have anything more to do with Grisly than what you said, but you have to admit, it looks suspicious you arriving here at the same time this all started.”
“I suppose it does.”
“I worried about it myself for a bit there.”
“Really? That kind of hurts.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, it hurts, but I understand why you’d think I came back with this killer. It doesn’t look good, but I swear I had nothing to do with him at all.” His plea sounded sincere.
“I believe you. My gut tells me you’re being honest about it. If it wasn’t for my sixth sense, I’d have you in handcuffs, and you’d be going into my office for a whole different reason.”
“So, the bear that came after us, that was the guy I saw at the motel, the one killing those women?”
“Yes. We knew he was a shifter, but we had no clue he was a bear. Hell, when we originally named him we thought he was human; we named him Grisly Adams because those he left behind looked like they’d been sliced up by a bear and we all agreed the TV show was pretty sweet. It’s a real duh moment for me.”
“Well, my mind wouldn’t immediately go to shifter, either. Especially if there was no scent at the places. I mean, if there had been a smell of shifter there, you would have known it. What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Fuck me.”
“Um….”
“There was a second scent.”
“What do you mean?”
“No, there was another smell of shifter left at the scene. How did it get there? Why didn’t I think about it until now?”
“I don’t know.”
“I just assumed the second scent came from the victim, but there was no animal hair.”
“Maybe she changed and then changed back?”
“Why would she change back? She stood a better chance of fighting him in animal form.”
“I have no clue.”
“What if he had an accomplice?” My stomach lurched.
“You mean what if the guy who just tried to kill us wasn’t the actual killer?”
“Right, what if he’s the killer’s puppet?”
“Bears are solitary. I doubt he’d be working with someone.”
“But he was. We have a witness who said Grisly told him that God told him to kill those who were unclean. What if the god Grisly was referring to was a person? The witness also said Grisly reeked of shifter; he’s the one that got us thinking shifter.”
“Interesting. Was he vamp or were?”
“Human.”
“Sam, humans can’t smell supers. They don’t have that ability.”
“This man does. I’ve met and sniffed him. He’s fully human.”
“Interesting. Does VonKarolinas know?”
“How do you know Wilhelm?” I gasped; if he’d been out of town for as long as he’d said there’s no way he could have known the leader of the vampire council.
“Wilhelm VonKarolinas was the leader back when I was changed. I was visited by him not long after, welcoming me into the community.”
“Oh.” I recalled my own visit.
It was after I had signed up at a shifter support group. One day my phone rang and this serious fellow was on the other end wanting to know if I was at home. He asked if I’d recently been diagnosed with virus 347-2. I told him I had and he came by with some intern or other to welcome me to the supernatural world and tell me the ground rules. He doesn’t do the meet and greets any more. I think they became too time consuming. The new law requiring consent will help change that, I’m sure.
“So, have you told him?”
“Not yet. I’m not a big fan of the vamp. He’s never deceived me, that I know of, but I just don’t trust him.”
“I think that’s a wise idea. The Council isn’t a forgiving group. They hold tightly to the reins keeping the super community in the closet.”
“Under the bed.”
“What?” Ben asked, looking confused.
“We aren’t in the closet, we’re under the bed.”
“Um, okay?”
“I have a zombie friend that prefers the term coming out from under the bed when referring to the super community being exposed at large. He feels it’s fitting, considering what we are and all.”
“I suppose I can see that. That’s really cool that you know a zombie. What’s he like?”
“Oh, Bob’s quite a character. If you’re still around in a month or so I’ll introduce you. He’s gone north to pick up a vintage Donkey Kong game…. And I don’t know why I am telling you this. You don’t even know the guy, sorry.”
“He sounds interesting. Anyone who likes Donkey Kong has to be okay.”
“Bob’s better than okay. He really reminds me not to get too caught in the dark. He’s a good friend. Helped me out on the job once.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but that’s a whole other story and I still have questions for you.”
We pulled into the parking garage and I was lucky enough to find a space fairly close to the elevators.
I turned to Ben. “Look, you’re going to have to play this cool. It can look so bad for you if you don’t. I’m going off the idea that Grisly followed me from my house and then recognized you. It’s most likely what happened, anyway.”
“Okay, should I tell them that, too?”
“No, you just tell them the truth. That we were watching TV and he came thumping through the front door. They don’t need to know anything else right now.” I was violating about a dozen rules and regulations doing this, but I knew Ben was innocent and there was no time to waste.
I also knew that
somewhere out there someone was controlling Grisly somehow. I could prove neither of those things and felt it best if we stuck to the facts only. The facts would support everything that happened, anyway. We weren’t lying, just omitting an unimportant piece of the case.
I took a couple deep breaths and worked on controlling my emotions. I opened my door and told Ben to come with me. He followed me to the elevators and looked at me, then the elevator and grimaced. I remembered how I’d really laid into him in the elevator not too long ago. I suppose it would be an awkward moment for a while during our burgeoning friendship.
Chapter 15
AS WE WALKED INTO THE BUREAU there was commotion all around. People were working hard trying to figure out how Grisly found us and where he went after we fled. I was stopped about a half-dozen times by people saying they were glad I was okay as I bee-lined for Gerry’s office. Ben was close to my heels.
“Sam, what happened?” James asked as I walked by his desk.
“Not right now, Brady. I gotta talk to Gerry.”
I continued walking and didn’t bother looking back. I wasn’t trying to be rude, but people were hustling through the bullpen like ants on a mission. I didn’t want to accidentally bump into anyone.
When I got to my boss’s door I held up a hand to knock, but the door opened before my knuckles could touch the wood.
“Good, you’re here. Now get your ass in here and tell me what the hell is going on, Reece!”
“Well, sir, here’s what happened in a nutshell—”
“Brady!” Gerry shouted from his office door.
“Yeah, boss?”
“Take the witness to a room and ask him some questions.”
“Sure thing.” James walked over to the office and held out his hand to Ben. “I’m James Brady, it’s nice to meet you. Will you come with me? Can I get you anything?” James’s voice died out as Gerry closed the door behind him.
“Now, tell me everything that happened.” My boss sat behind his desk, loosened his tie, then reached into a drawer to pull out a bottle of Pepto Bismol he kept there for the really stressful days.
He took a deep swig and offered the pink concoction to me. I shook my head and he took another gulp, capped it, then returned it from whence it came.
“When I was at my house earlier I saw a bear and smelled that he was a shifter … but I just assumed it was a neighbor out for a run. Not to mention he was too far away for me to get a full scent and compare it to the crime scenes. I went to Ben’s house and Grisly must’ve followed me, somewhat. It took him a long time to move on us, so I’m guessing I must’ve lost him somewhere. Anyway, he knocked on the door, I got up to look out the peephole and saw him. He threw himself at the door and I grabbed the witness and went out the back. We got away in my car, but I got his full scent. I can tell the difference between him and another bear shifter easy peasy.”
“That’s great except the part where it won’t hold up in a court of law.”
“I don’t know, they are doing some new research in scent identification, maybe it can help. If I may be honest, I don’t think it’ll ever reach a courtroom. I’m fairly certain Grisly intends to go out swinging. He already thinks he’s fighting a war.”
“Fuck, this is bad.” Gerry swiped one big hand over his face and rubbed his jaw while he took a moment to mentally run through everything I had just told him.
“Yes, yes it is. But, hey, the witness is still alive, so hooray for that!”
“Sam, that apartment is thrashed. He destroyed everything. By the time the black and whites got there the guy had gone full rock star on it and injured a neighbor who tried to stop him and make a citizen’s arrest.”
“Oh, no! Did the neighbor get bit?”
“No, thank goodness, only punched in the face a couple times.”
“Well, at least he will live, and without being a shifter, too, so there’s a plus.”
“I really can’t think of it as a plus right now, Reece. A civilian was injured while you fled. That doesn’t look good.” As Gerry spoke a chill went through me.
“I fled to protect our witness and get him to a secure location. That was my job at the time, right?” I allowed the ice that had formed in my veins to creep into my voice.
“I know that, you know that, hell, your witness knows that, but to the public it looks like a federal agent ran away from a crazed sociopath they were building a case against and allowed Joe Civilian to get harmed in the process.”
“Gerry, this isn’t like you.”
“The young man that got hurt is a city councilwoman’s son.”
“Fuck.”
“The kid is being cool about it but Mommy Dearest is foaming at the mouth and calling for your badge. I’m sure it’ll be straightened out and you’re right, your duty was to ensure Mr. Fitzpatrick’s safety. We’ll keep Fitzpatrick here until the Marshals show.”
“So, they’re still coming to take him?”
“As long as Grisly is out there, we need the witness safe. The Marshals are far better equipped for that sort of thing than we are.”
“I know, but come on. The Marshals are extremely skilled at helping human witnesses. You know that in this case they aren’t going to be any better equipped than I am. You know they don’t have as much training with supers, Gerry. You know we are better suited for watching over Fitzpatrick.”
“That may be so, Sam, but it’s not my call anymore.”
“Fuck!”
“There’s nothing I can do about this.”
“Well, there’s something I can do about it. I’m going to find and kill Grisly.”
“Why does it mean so much to you that we keep this witness here? What aren’t you telling me, Reece?”
“What do you mean?” I tried to play innocent but I was never very good at it.
“Usually you can’t wait to hand a witness off to WITSEC. Why is this guy different? You have a relationship with him you haven’t told me about, aside from the thing you mentioned about him biting you?”
I sighed and let the truth set me free. “Yeah. He’s sort of a little more than just some guy to me. We have what I term a sire bond, but it’s sort of like having feelings for him.”
“Dammit, Sam, you should have told me that from the start. You’ve mucked up this case something fierce with this shit.”
“Sorry, Gerry. I’m working on breaking it.”
“It doesn’t matter. What the hell do you think the city councilwoman will say if she were to learn of this?”
“She’d probably insinuate that I didn’t do my job because I was too close to the witness.”
“Not only would she insinuate it, Sam, she’d be right.”
“Gerry, I would have done the same thing if it had been any other witness and you know it!”
“What I know is that you need to go home. You’re suspended until I can get this mess sorted out. At least that will keep the councilwoman happy and possibly keep the case legally on track.”
“Aw, Gerry, come on! You can’t pull me off this case. Besides, Grisly knows where I live.”
I thought pointing that out would be helpful for me. I was stupid.
“Well, then, I’ll send a protective detail with you.”
“Not necessary,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Doesn’t matter if it is necessary or not, it’s protocol and I’m going to need to hold on to your sidearm until you’re cleared for duty.”
“You can’t do this, Gerry. Please.”
“Sam, you haven’t given me much choice.”
“This is bullshit and you know it. You’re bending over for this councilwoman. Besides, I tried to pull the connection thing when I did my best to get out of babysitting duty. You asked if I was still able to follow my duties. I said yes. Now you’re punishing me for doing the right thing? You’re letting them screw me to cover your own ass, and I have to say I’m really disappointed in you for that.”
“I’m following protocol. You might rememb
er, we’re government employees not vigilante superheroes. Look at your empty holster if you need to be reminded of that. I’ll send someone with you when you leave. First, though, I need to take your statement.”
Chapter 16
I SPENT ABOUT FOUR HOURS GETTING GRILLED. I went over everything twice. Gerry assured me I’d done everything right, aside from withholding my personal connection to the witness. Luckily, they didn’t go down the road I did and start asking if maybe Ben had ties to Grisly.
So there was that.
On my way out for the night I got a gut punch and was told they couldn’t spare anyone to watch me and Ben, so we would have to stay at the office until the Marshals arrived. At least I’d get to hang out with him again. I still had some more questions for him.
“Sam, what’s going on?” Ben asked when I walked into the conference room they were keeping us in.
“A city councilwoman’s son was injured by Grisly fleeing your apartment. The son apparently tried to stop our bear and was beat to hell.”
“Oh, no! Brandon is such a nice guy. I hate that he got hurt because of me.”
“Brandon?”
“Yeah, his mom is a real hoot. I’m good friends with both of them. Want me to call her?”
“That’d be great, too bad it’s too late.”
“What do you mean too late?” Ben asked, voice rising in pitch to match his alarm.
“I’m suspended.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Sam. I thought you were going to tell me Brandon was dead. Jesus.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“You didn’t, you simply nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“Look, I’m sorry. I just… Well, this job means the world to me.”
“I can see that, but you didn’t have to freak me out like that.”
“Sorry.”
“Yes, you said that.”
“It’s all I can say or do right now. Accept it or don’t, that’s on you.” I stalked over to a chair in front of the large console they had on the wall for cyber meetings. I turned it on and tried to find something on TV to watch. The news and infomercials were all I came across. I turned on one for some food dehydrator and went over the case in my mind.
Shifters: A Samantha Reece Mystery Book 1 Page 14