Stopping outside the steamer, Felipe bit back a laugh as he held Oliver’s arms and whispered, “You pretend to go.”
“Oh...” Oliver’s cheeks burned as he slid into the passenger seat. “So what did you learn during my bumbling subterfuge? Please tell me you didn’t shimmy down a drainpipe or something equally dangerous.”
“I climbed down the fire escape and walked across a stone ledgewhileholding onto the railing. Oliver, I can feel your heart beating in my ears. I’m fine, and I tested the stability of the rail before I climbed out,” Felipe replied, steering them back toward the Paranormal Society. “I was able to peer into Dr. Thorn’s bedroom window. He wasn’t in, as you already somehow know, but the room didn’t look ransacked or hastily packed. I could see a hairbrush and shaving kit on the dresser, but the window was locked on the inside. I wasn’t daring enough to climb to the living room windows in broad daylight. What did you learn?”
“I was trying to stall a little longer, so I told him I was an acquaintance of Dr. Thorn’s. I figured the worst that could happen is he would bring me down to say hello, and I would tell him it was the wrong Dr. Thorn. Anyway, he told me he hadn’t seen the man in over a week and asked if I knew whether he went on holiday.”
“That lines up with Joe’s timeline. I’m betting Yates fired Thorn and paid him enough to get out of town without spilling his own secrets. It’s obvious Yates knows what’s going on, but I don’t know if he condones killing patients. If it became public, he would have too much to lose. If we can prove it, he’s still liable, but I’m sure he’ll try to weasel out of it by saying he had no idea and would never cover it up. Once we have Joe out tonight, maybe we can get him to sit down with an artist and give us Dr. Thorn’s likeness. Then, we could bring that to the docks and train stations, ask if anyone’s seen him recently.” Glancing at Oliver, Felipe flashed him a bright smile and settled his hand on his knee with a squeeze. “Good job, by the way. I know you never anticipated being a field agent, but you’ve done well. I’m proud of you.”
Oliver swallowed against the glow of pride radiating across the tether to meet his own. While he didn’t always make the easiest choice in the moment or catch onto Felipe’s meaning as fast as he should, he was trying so hard to be a good partner and a capable investigator. If Felipe said he was doing a good job, he meant it, and that meant the world to Oliver.
Chapter Seventeen
Behind Closed Doors
“Icannot believe youtwo went out to interrogate someone without me. I should have you written up,” Ansley snapped from the backseat.
Felipe rolled his eyes. “We merely looked at bachelor housing. We’re both bachelors after all, right, Oliver? Besides, there was no one to interrogate, as we told you three times.”
“You still went against direct orders.”
“Not really,” Oliver supplied. “Anyway, the plan still is that I’m with you, Ansley, and Felipe will follow Joe?”
“I would rather work alone, but if you insist—”
“We do,” Oliver and Felipe replied in unison.
Felipe wasn’t letting Ansley wander through the Institute for the Betterment of the Soul alone after seeing him at the Green Daisy. They were working as a team, and Ansley’s confidence needed to be tempered by Oliver’s cautious nature. He had already given Oliver a talk about standing up for himself in front of Ansley and what to do if he got too much pushback. His partner seemed ready, but he didn’t put it past Oliver to let Ansley bully him anyway. Even if he did, Oliver’s eyes would be on him and whatever evidence he found, so Felipe could focus on investigating the basement. Parking the steamer half a block away from the institute in the shadow of another building, Felipe pictured the path to the back door Joe outlined in his notes. It wouldn’t be too difficult to reach, but they would need to be careful to stay to the shadows to keep from being seen where the wards and main building intersected.
“Everyone ready?” Felipe asked as Oliver handed him his bag.
“Yes.”
As they stepped out and double checked that everything in their packs was secured, Ansley added, “Do you think Oliver should carry a gun too?”
“Oliver should not,” Oliver answered, “and neither of you should plan to get into a shootout tonight. There are too many people.”
