Chapter Eighteen
When Lamar arrived at the precinct Saturday morning, he was met with two things: the signed arrest warrant for the being masquerading as Paul Parker and a missing person report, also for Paul Parker.
Fuck.
“Hey. Wasn’t sure I’d find you here on a Saturday.”
Lamar looked up, surprised to find Genov shuffling his feet next to the desk. “Hey, yourself. Just trying to clear a few things up. They lifted your suspension already?”
Genov nodded. “Yeah. Chief says you had a lot to do with getting the charges dropped. Thanks.”
Lamar shrugged. “Just do me a favor and keep it in your pants while we’re working together, okay?”
Genov nodded sheepishly. “Yeah. That was a bonehead thing to do.”
“No argument there,” Lamar snorted. Glancing at his watch, he stretched. “You working this afternoon?”
Genov nodded again. “Yeah. Kind of figured I left you in enough of a lurch.”
“Let’s grab some lunch,” Lamar suggested, stretching his arms over his head. “I can fill you in while we eat.”
“A fucking shapeshifter blew me? Are you serious?” Genov kept his voice low even though the small sandwich shop was all but empty. “Why?”
Lamar shrugged.
“And it was Parker?” Genov was still trying to wrap his head around it.
Lamar bit a chunk off of his pastrami on rye and nodded. “Basically. It was the same being who was pretending to be Parker, anyway.” He sighed. “His wife says she hasn’t seen him since we went to his work, though. He’s in the wind.”
Genov’s face paled. “Now what?”
Before he could answer, Lamar’s cell phone buzzed with an incoming text message. Swiping over the screen, he straightened up in his seat. “We finally have an identification on the vic from the club.” He looked over to Genov, a slight frown wrinkling his brow. “I need to go talk to Ms. Clauneot.”
“Ahh..” Genov hedged, looking away.
Lamar bit back a sigh. “Do you want me to drop you at the precinct?”
Genov shrugged apologetically. “She didn’t request a restraining order or anything, but it was suggested that I keep my distance.”
“It’ll be fine,” Lamar huffed. “Just apologize when we get there and don’t try to fucking touch her, okay?”
“No problem.”
~*~
Standing on the porch ofAfter Nine, Lamar watched in silence as Genov stuttered his way through his apology to Mandy. When he finally quit speaking, she nodded and held the door open.
“Come on in.”
“Thanks.” Lamar stepped inside. “Is it okay for him to be here? He can wait in the car.”
“It’s fine,” Mandy said calmly, gesturing for them to follow her down the same hall that they had entered through the first night. As she swept along the marble tile floor, Lamar noticed idly that even in jeans, a sweatshirt, and sneakers, she moved with the same regal sophistication as she had in her evening wear. “Come on into the office.”
Sitting in front of the computer at a desk in the corner, she tapped a few keys and looked up expectantly. “What was the man’s name?”
“Thomas,” Lamar said, checking his phone. “Steve Thomas.”
More key clacking and Mandy looked up with a frown. “Here he is.” Turning the monitor toward the detectives, she continued. “He’s been a member for several years, but only visits a few times a year.”Her eyes widened. “He was the sponsoring member who brought the other dead man in to join.”
