We gave our names and told him the same thing I’d already said, sticking to the story that we’d randomly stumbled across the car on the way home. The asshole cop returned and continued to interrupt with questions about why we were out so late. It was starting to get me pissed. I wanted this over with so I could go home to check on Maddy.
“Just so I’m getting this straight,” Keck said. “You just happened to be out on the highway in the middle of the night, and just so happened to find a dead body? You still haven’t given me a good reason why you were out so late.”
“Officer,” Felipe said. “Is it against the law to be out late? I’m confused as to whyyou’reconfused.”
“Watch your mouth,” Keck snapped. “We’re asking the questions here. Now, were you out late for some…I don’t know…shifter thing? Need some time with the moon or something?”
Duggan grabbed Keck’s arm and tugged him away. He whispered to his partner, low so he thought I wouldn’t hear it, but they must not have known how sensitive our hearing truly was.
“Bryce, for fuck’s sake, quit it,” Duggan hissed.
“Doug, I’m telling you, these guys are hiding something.”
“I know you’re still pissed about Shawna, but this?—”
“This isn’t about that, goddammit. If she wants to end our marriage for some shifter cock, then good riddance. This is about the job.”
“Enough, Bryce. Enough. These guys are shooting straight. Let’s do the job, okay?”
“Whatever.”
They came back over to us, Duggan looking embarrassed and irritated, Keck looking like he wanted to bite through steel. Duggan nodded toward the car. “We’re gonna search it real quick. If you guys can stand by your car?”
“Sure thing,” I said, leaning back against the hood next to Felipe.
The two cops went through the car even more thoroughly than we had. It took a while for them to get to the rear and check over the body. They never touched it or the surrounding areas—at least they knew how to do this part of their job.
After staring at the body for a few seconds, Keck turned around and looked at us. “Okay, son, last chance. Do you want to tell us why you killed him?”
“Excuse the fuck out of me?” Felipe barked.
Keck’s hand went back to his gun. “Watch your mouth! You heard what I asked.”
This time I did roll my eyes, and I made sure he could see it. “Officer, how stupid do you think we’d have to be to kill a guy and then immediately call the cops? That sounds like the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Nobody ever said shifters were smart. You?—”
“Okay,” Duggan broke in. “That will be enough of that. Mr. Lorenzo, you and your friend are free to go. Don’t leave town in case we have more questions.”
Keck turned and looked at Duggan like he was out of his mind. “Doug, are you serious? You can’t do this. These guys had something to do with this. We can’t let suspects go.”
Duggan gave his partner a look that finally shut the other guy up. He glanced at us again. “You’re free to go. Thanks for your time.”
Felipe and I got into the truck and pulled away. I glanced through the window and saw the two cops arguing, close to a shouting match. Felipe shook his head. “Fucking bigot.”
I nodded in agreement. “Can you turn your scanner back on? I want to see if we can find anything else out.”
Felipe brought his app back up and I put his phone in the cradle. Before we got home, we heard the call come in that the crime-scene team had found the dead guy’s wallet. The name was Johnathan McGuire.
Felipe and I looked at each other. That was the name of the nurse’s husband. The one who’d been kidnapped. Javi had killed the guy.
“Fuck,” Felipe muttered.
I pulled my phone out and called Luis. He needed to know.
The phone rang six times before he answered. “Huh, hello?” He sounded groggy, and I remembered it was almost four in the morning.
“Luis, it’s Nico.”
