“Half the club on occasions. I didn’t only serve him drinks, Rys. I danced with him, and yes, maybe flirted a little, but I was only messing. He knew I didn’t mean it.”
“Fuck.”
He paled a little, fingers tapping on the table. “There are plants in the Fae Realm that have hallucinogenic properties. Some of them so bad they’re illegal.”
“Is that common knowledge?” Just because I knew nothing about all this didn’t mean others didn’t.
Axel shrugged. “I guess it’d be easy enough to find out. I’d tell someone if they asked. There’s no chance of anyone getting hold of any, so it doesn’t matter who knows.”
This was all information we should probably be giving to Max.
My loyalty to my cousin and the need to find who did this to Callum warred with the need to protect my pack.
Axel sighed, sounding resigned. “I should probably call Max before they come looking for me, right?”
“I honestly don’t know what the best course of action is here.” I gave him a helpless look and then immediately wanted to kick myself, because I was a fucking alpha. Maybe not Axel’s, and he probably wasn’t looking for my protection, but I felt it anyway. I needed to do better.
“Okay,” I said, putting a little more conviction in my tone. I’d been training to be a solicitor before I took over as alpha. I knew more than enough to steer Axel through this. “Max is questioning Falon and Callum’s mother about Callum’s whereabouts over the last week or so. When was the last time you saw him at the club?”
“Night before last, I think.” He frowned. “What day are we?”
“Tuesday.”
“Saturday, then. I saw him Saturday night.”
Goddess above, two nights before he went feral.
“And did you talk to him?”
Axel groaned. “Talked, danced, played wingman while he chatted up a few people. Loads of witnesses saw—”
I sat forward, suddenly seeing a way to approach Max that wouldn’t make Axel look guilty. “Callum left with someone?”
“I don’t know about that. He chatted up a few guys and a couple of women, but I had to leave earlier than him that night. Not sure if he actually followed through with any of them.”
Good enough. “Okay, here’s what I think we should do.”
GABRIEL
Max stoodin front of our information board, pen in hand.
We’d spent all morning and half the afternoon talking with Falon, Callum’s mother, and most of Falon’s pack. According to them, Callum was your typical just-registered teen. A little on the lazy side, but friendly to everyone, kind, funny, nothing that screamed persistent drug user. But then, anyone could have secrets.
As I knew only too well.
The main thing that had come up during our investigation was that he’d started going out more as soon as he’d turned eighteen. Not much of a surprise considering, once registered, Callum was allowed in the paranormal nightclubs.
Why wouldn’t he want to check them out?
Max uncapped the pen and wrote MIDNIGHT off to one side. “We know this was his favourite club.” He tapped the board. “And we also know he was there Saturday night. Two nights before something made him lose control and attack his own mother.”
“You think he met someone?” It seemed the most obvious option, but also way too easy. Not that cases didn’t go like that, because sometimes they did. I just got the feeling there was a lot more to this.
Max hummed. “Maybe. Nothing else stuck out from what we learnt this afternoon. He hadn’t seemed out of sorts, hadn’t complained of feeling ill. No arguments with anyone. That his mum knew of, anyway. I think the club is our best bet for now.”
“Agreed.” I glanced at the time on my phone. Three forty-five. No wonder I was starving, breakfast had been ages ago. “But can we please eat before we go over there?”
Max grinned. “Yeah, don’t want you wasting away on me.”
