Sloan smirks dangerously. “Don't worry about it.”
We all constantly worry about it.
The conversation naturally moves to the recently recovered bodies since all of us are involved in the case in some way or another. We’re all self-diagnosed workaholics. Comes with the territory of having two full-time jobs.
“I still can’t figure out what they were trying to achieve.The size and angles of the lacerations on their fingers definitely suggest they were trying to fit in claws. But was it a wolverine experiment gone wrong, or were they trying to figure out a way to shift humans? I don’t know,” Marcus says, frustrated.
“Whatever it was, it wasn’t making them strong,” Camilla adds. She was the doctor who tried to save the two humans who were still breathing when I found them. “It might very well have killed them.”
“At least one for sure. But for the other four found in the fire, it was smoke inhalation. The chemical cocktail and botched surgeries sped the process up,” Marcus points out. “I also think…Okay, this might sound weird, but maybe this Dalton guy killed the two people in his apartment out of pity,” he adds hesitantly.
“Mercy killing?” I ask, surprised.
“I don’t know. Their insides were all but melted. They were suffering from multiple organ failure. They would have died by themselves soon enough. Why else would he want them dead instantly?”
“Because he’s a sick person?” I suggest.
Nick hums. “I see your point, Marcus. But Matt could be right, too. He did run away right after murdering them.”
“Maybe he was going to get help to dispose of the bodies,” Sloan suggests.
“I guess the only way to know for sure is to find the guy or some solid evidence,” I say. “Did you find information on the owner of the apartment?” I ask Nick.
“Yeah, both were owned by a shell corporation. Now that the humans got the FBI involved, we should know soon enough. Meena told me the one at your place was rented by a similar corporation. So, your man Dalton is definitely not clean.”
When we leave, it feels like I understood the case better before I learned all this new information.
As I try to piece things together, I get a text from Oliver. Our text chain looks awfully empty for people who’ve been hanging out almost every day for the past week.
I’m going grocery shopping for the party. Any requests?
I park in front of our apartment building.
I can join u. Where r u?I reply. There’s no way in hell I’m letting him pay for anything related to this ridiculous party. In fact, I was prepared to file a claim with the Bureau at this point.
He drops me a pin to a place hardly ten minutes away.
As soon as I spot him, I want to grab him by his waist and kiss the hell out of him. But that would be wrong with a capital W.
Oliver already has a cart full of stuff by the time I get to him.
“How many people do you think are invited?” I look at the overflowing cart, confused.
“Recipes take ingredients, Matt,” he says.
What recipes require a large pack of fennel seeds, I wouldn’t know. So, I leave it up to him.
While we stroll down aisle after aisle, Oliver keeps adding to the already brimming cart. Before it can overflow, I run to the front of the store to grab another one. Might as well get into the spirit.
He smiles at me thankfully, giving me the full cart and taking custody of the new one.
“What are you planning to make?” I ask, staying away from the conversation we’re both clearly avoiding.
“Honey-glazed ham, garlic chicken pasta, a charcuterie board, and gingerbread for dessert,” he recites while my eyesalmost bulge out of my head. “And since your friends are bringing mac and cheese and Jell-O shots, I won't bother with them.”
“You were planning to make Jell-O shots?”
“I’m young and cool, Matt. Of course, I was going to have Jell-O shots at the party. But I get why you’re surprised, old man.” He hip checks me, his eyes laughing.
