“The Records Department has been short-staffed since I arrived, so I started cozying up to the guys working there. When one mentioned they rarely got to take breaks, I offered to cover for them when I was in the precinct. They happily agreed. I’m left alone in there, so I can pull the reports and snap photos without anyone noticing. I’ve pulled every raid record from the past year and photographed every arrest report in the files.”
“And then what? How’d you determine who was missing?” Emerson asked.
“I went in search of every man there was an arrest report for. I’ve found one from nearly every raid who hasn’t been seen since those reports were written.”
“They never faced a judge?” Emerson asked. “I thought the penalty for being caught was prison?”
“There are too many of them for the courts to handle. Most are let go with a warning the first time they’re caught,” Randall said. “Those actually released, that is.”
“I’d not heard that before,” Emerson murmured. “But I’m sure those arrested are too afraid to come back to play at the club and tell their tale.”
“You said ‘those actually released’,” Dash said. “Are you suggesting the Guard is behind this?”
“If they’re not the ones doing it, someone in that precinct is helping whoever is,” Randall said. “I’d lay odds.”
“What about the alpha who died? I haven’t heard that they made the man’s name public or shared any more details.” Dash said.
“The name has yet to be released, but the investigation has already been closed,” Randall said, his face showing obvious disgust.
“What?Why?” Dash asked.
“The coroner ruled it a heart attack. They’re supposedly still trying to find next of kin to share the news with—and then it’ll be over,” Randall said.
“They’re hoping to wait out public interest, and it’ll fade away, name never revealed,” Dash said.
“Possibly. I guess we’ll see,” Randall murmured.
“A guy who might be alpha-attracted and possibly at the Lucky Dragon on the night it was raided just drops dead of a heart attack? I saw those gung-ho Guards you stopped. They were itching for a fight.”
“Perhaps he wasn’t in great shape prior to the raid. Add in the panic and an adrenaline-fueled race for his life, itmayhave caused a heart attack,” Randall said.
But there was something on his face that made Dash doubt he believed that.
“You’re not buying it,” Dash said to Randall.
“I don’t know,” Randal said, shaking his head. “There’s never been a body found after a raid and for all we know, it could be someone who wasn’t even in the club that night. There are a lot of homeless men living in that area and drug use is rampant down there. I…”
When Randall didn’t continue, Dash prodded. “You what?”
“I haven’t been able to get my hands on the coroner’s report, but I did get a peek at the body when I went to the scene,” Randall said, eyeing Emerson with a hard stare.
“And?” Dash asked.
Randall turned his attention to Dash. “There were too many bruises for me to trust the coroner’s findings without question. But I’m also no doctor. Could it have been lividity? Perhaps. It can occur within thirty minutes, but with the amount of bruising I saw, it should’ve taken eight to twelve hours to reach that level. The time of death was calculated to be within an hour of the body being found. It just doesn’t add up to me.”
“You think he was beaten?” Emerson asked.
“I’m not ruling it out. But like I said, I don’t know if this is tied in—or just some random alpha who got his ass beat at the wrong place and time.”
Emerson lifted a couple of the rap sheets and looked at the mugshots again before lowering them and eyeing his brother. “You’re going above and beyond for men your crew considers unworthy. Aren’t you afraid of the backlash that might come if they find out?”
“Of course I’m afraid of being caught,” Randall snapped.
“So why go to the lengths you’ve gone to?” Emerson asked.
“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Randall answered. “These men don’t deserve to be ignored just because of… who they are. They’re still citizens of the province I’ve sworn to protect.”
Dash fought a prickle at the backs of his eyes. He glanced at Emerson and noticed a shine in his eyes, too.
