08-06-2015, 12:14 PM
Samara smiled across the counter at Trent, though he had been less than friendly that evening. Still, she seemed content to have gotten him away from the others. She had surprised him when she brought beer, pizza, and a few rented movies to his apartment. Holding them up, she acted as if they were the answer to all their problems.
Trent poured them both a glass of soda, as Samara bit into the sardines, onions, and mushrooms pizza. He had nearly choked when he saw the toppings that she had gotten, but the other half was pepperoni which gave him some comfort. Though he preferred sausage and olive, he would take pepperoni over sardines any day of the week. Putting his own slice on a paper plate, he handed her the glass.
"What do you want to watch first? I brought all my favorite horror movies." She told him, before reaching for the plastic bag for them.
Trent shrugged, "Whatever you want." He mumbled taking a bite of his pizza.
She smiled at him and her eyes told him that she knew something, but was unsure of how to bring it up. Finally she found the courage in the silence between them, "Isaac tells me that you won't be seeing Corliss for a while. It's good to hear that, I was beginning to become worried about you."
He held back an annoyed groan, and made a mental note to chew Isaac out later. "Well, it was that or he would go tattle on me."
Her smile faded for a moment then quickly returned, "Well, leeches do have supernatural abilities, Trent."
"So, do werewolves."
She snorted, "Hardly, we don't have mind reading or the ability to make a man lust over you. Believe me if I had that it wouldn't be Corliss that Isaac was telling you to stay away from."
He tried to ignore her unsubtle advance. "Let's watch a movie."
As he made his way around the counter the phone rang. Answering it, Trent heard Isaac voice on the other side of the line. "Hey, Trent, guess what? We got another murder, just like Rylan's. Is Samara with you?"
"Yes." He responded.
He could hear Isaac swallow, "I'll get Coyle, and call the Macrea building for Corliss."
"What's wrong?" He had never heard his partner this distressed before.
"It's Kaleb Macrea, Trent. It's Kaleb fucking Macrea. This case just jumped into the high priority files, and worse yet, no matter who did this, there is going to be a war."
"Calm down, Isaac. Where are you at?" Trent asked, trying not to drop the phone.
"Same place as the first one." He told him.
Trent hung up the phone and looked at Samara, "Looks like we got another murder."
"Kaleb Macrea, I overheard." She stood up and grabbed her jacket, "Well, let's go." She looked disappointed as they made their way out of his apartment and into his car.
Trent said nothing to her, and they drove to the familiar crime scene. Isaac and Coyle were already inspecting the body by the time they arrived.
"What do we got?" Trent asked his partner.
"Six bullets, and it looks like one in the heart." Isaac looked upset, and so Trent patted his shoulder for reassurance.
"Why don't you get us some coffee?" He asked and Isaac nodded.
It was hard to see the body in the darkness, but everyone was equipped with flashlights. They would have to wait until the crime scene unit showed up with florescent lamps.
"Where the fuck is Corliss?" Coyle mumbled, "I know that bitch knows something about this. They are trying to set someone up, and they couldn't do it with Rylan alone."
"Don't jump to conclusions." Trent corrected as he looked around. "No shell casings, no blood splatter. It has to be another dump job."
The sounds of someone clearing their throat behind them, caused everyone in the alley to turn and face him. He was tall and slender, his hair dark as were his eyes.
"Greetings, I am Elijah Grant. I was sent by the Macrea clan." He told them before looking over the body with his sharp kine eyes. "Oh dear, it is indeed Kaleb Macrea. This will send shock waves throughout the Macrea clan."
"Where is Corliss?" Trent asked.
"Miss Macrea was removed from the case, it seems… how can I say this? It seems she became too emotionally involved, besides this is her fiancée. We can't have her investigating this, can we?" He kept his eyes on Trent the entire time he spoke.
"You guys had no problem putting her on her brother's case." Coyle barked.
Elijah acted as if Trent had spoken instead of the dog, "I would know nothing of that. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to make an unfortunate phone call to his father." Turning his back on them, he made his way out of the alley.
"What the hell is going on?" Samara mumbled the question.
"That's what I would like to know." Coyle responded and look towards Trent. "Something tells me that Corliss just made her way onto our suspect list."
"Our witness list at the very least." Trent told them before looking at the body again. "Only problem will be getting to her, it sounds to me like they want to keep her from us."
"And we definitely can't have that leech around when we do get to her." Coyle added.
Samara nodded her head and looked up as Isaac returned with coffee.
"Who the hell is that?" He pointed at Elijah.
"Corliss' replacement." Trent responded, "Looks like we are going to need to talk with her."
"How are we going to manage that?"
Trent cleared his throat, "I know someone on the inside, maybe she can help us."
It was late in the evening, and everyone had gone home, except for the captain. His light was turned on in his office, which wasn't unusual. He often claimed that he had a lot of paperwork to deal with, but almost everyone knew he just didn't want to go home. Three months earlier, he had lost his wife to cancer and the large house was just too empty without her. Trent had no idea why the captain had confided that in him, as he was known for having less then serious relationships. Yet, he listened to the man who had been there every step of the way for Trent in his career.
It wasn't a minute after they sat down, before Captain Alcott exited his office with a grin. The aging ex-marine still walked straight as his back would allow as he came to stand in front of their desks.
"I just heard the good news, excellent work, gentleman." He tapped their desk.
"On what, sir?" Trent looked at his partner wondering if Isaac hadn't told him.
Their captain raised his eyebrow at him, "For solving the Cullen case…" His words trailed off as he watched Trent's face contort.
"We haven't solved it yet, as a matter of a fact, we just got back from another body. Killed in the same manner as Cullen."
He stood with his mouth open for a moment, "I just got off the phone with some Macrea elder about three hours ago, who wanted to thank me personally for my people's role in the case. He informed me that he was most pleased that the killer was another kine, and that they would be dealt with accordingly."
"That's news to me!" Isaac barked, though he was trying to add humor to the situation, his annoyance was clear.
Alcott looked between them for a moment, "You didn't know that it was solved, eh?" He began to chew on his inner cheek, "This reeks of kine cover up."
Trent smiled, as he was glad to hear his captain say what he had been thinking. "What do you want us to do?"
"Find out what they are burying, while working this new case." He nodded, then looked at Trent, "What are you thinking?"
He shrugged, "Our kine investigator was suddenly replaced for this 'new' case, and I am beginning to question if perhaps she was part of this."
"As in?"
He looked at his partner then back to Alcott, "I don't know, but I have gained some trust with her. Perhaps, she will be a little more forthcoming with me. I just don't see how she wouldn't know something about this."
Alcott gave a nod, "Alright, get your paperwork done and go home. It's late." He said looking at the clock on the wall. He began to walk back to his office, but turned back around to face Trent. "You know, I wasn't going to say anything, but…"
Trent looked up at his captain, and leaned back in his chair.
"I don't want to know where or how you got those bite marks on your neck. It's really none of my business, but it is my job to ensure that all my agents are clean. So, lets just go with… if I catch you with those again, I will report it to the Upper Circle and get you suspended. And don't think turtle necks will stop me."
He gave a sharp nod to Alcott, before the man flipped around and headed back into his office.
"I told you to button your shirt all the way up." Isaac teased, before pulling out a beige folder.
Ignoring him, Trent pulled out his wallet, and the business card that his sister had given him. "Going to call my inside person." He announced before picking up the phone.
After four rings, he was about to hang up when he heard the soft voice from the other end answer.
"Ellice?" He said, he hated calling her by that name, but decided that she would go on the defensive if he used Eleanor.
"Trent?" She whispered and he could hear someone else talking in the background.
"Can you talk?"
There was a long pause, and through the phone several doors opening and shutting could be heard. "I can now."
"I need a huge favor…"
Ellice snorted, "Are you sleeping with Corliss?"
Trent fought the urge to drop his mouth open, knowing it would catch Isaac's attention. "Sort of."
Ellice cleared her throat, "How dare you judge me for what I chose to be and then…"
"This isn't the time or the place, Ellice." Trent snapped, "I really need a huge favor, you can yell at me afterwards."
She didn't say anything, but he could still hear her breathing.
"Have you heard about Kaleb Macrea?" He asked and she moaned a yes. "They took Corliss off the case, and have told my boss that Rylan's murderer was found. I need to get into contact with Corliss…"
"Have you waited for her to contact you?"
"Well, uh, no. I just saw her earlier but I didn't think she would after she was removed…"
Ellice sighed heavily, "Let me give you her cell phone number, but wait until tomorrow to call her. She is with Adriel right now comforting him after the loss of his son."
Trent gritted his teeth, trying to hold back the jealousy he felt as he wrote the number down. Of course, he had no idea if comforting meant that she was sleeping with him or just speaking with him, either way it made his blood boil. "Alright, and what if she won't talk to me?"
"She goes to some artist's studios on Saturdays. I've never really paid attention when others talked about it. I'll find out for you, if she won't talk to you. Something tells me though that she will."
"And why is that?"
Ellice chuckled, "Call it a hunch. I need to go, you interrupted at… ah… an awkward moment, bye."
Before Trent could stop her, she hung up on him. Isaac stared across the desks at him. "She gave me Corliss' cell phone number. Said to call her tomorrow."
Walking down the stone stairs, Corliss made her way into the basement of the building. It had been turned into a temple several years ago for both weddings and funerals. Mostly made from graying stone, there were red velvet curtains laying around for decorations, and an alter at the end of the room. She knew that behind the small divider wall were coffins, not for the living vampires, but instead for the ones long past.
On the alter, Kaleb's body lay with a transparent white sheet covering him. Adriel had scared everyone out of the temple, and his tantrum could be seen in some broken statues and ripped curtains. He was kneeled before the alter, his body hunched over, as he cried into his lap. She pitied him, as this was his last son, the other two had died in previous years.
Adriel never remarried after his wife was killed, though the elders had often demanded that he did. Corliss saw no other way for him now, he would have to marry someone to give birth to his heir. Though Adriel had daughters, he would refuse to give them his estates. Not that Marcellus would ever allow that to happen, after all he was trying to take over the clan. And this was all part of his scheme, and though she had wished Adriel to be removed, she suddenly felt responsible.
She had thought they would take over through votes, and by proving he was an unfit leader. Not by destroying his very soul and taking away the only son that he had left. Corliss walked down the cool hall, until she was standing behind him.
"Adriel?" She whispered, and reached her hand out to touch his shoulder.
He said nothing as Corliss laid her hand on him, and after a moment he slowly turned around. Still on his knees, he wrapped his arms around her waist and cried into her abdomen. Rubbing her hands over his hair, she began to hum a soft melody, before mumbling the words.
"Who would do this, Corliss?" He sniffled.
She didn't respond, just continued to stroke his hair. Her eyes wandered up to Kaleb's body, and the peaceful look that he had.
"Who would kill my son?" He screamed and then shoved her back.
Falling on her bottom with a loud thud, she watched Adriel stand up and tear down another curtain that hung from two pillars. She immediately jumped to her feet and ran to him.
"Adriel, stop, this won't help anything!" She begged him, and grabbed his face within her hands. "Adriel, please." She whispered when he began to calm down. "Who ever did this needs to be punished, and you can't lead us if you are down here throwing fits."
He nodded and took several deep breathes.
"Now," She began, rearranging his clothing and using the sleeve of her shirt to wipe the tears from his face. "you are going to go upstairs, and you are going to take charge of that council. You have to show them that you are not weak, and are still capable of running this clan."
"You are right. Marcellus could use this opportunity to portray me as incompetent."
His words shocked her, as she had no idea that Adriel knew that Marcellus was trying to take his position. "Right." She responded after a delayed moment. "I'll stay here with Kaleb until you send down others for the watch."
He looked down into her eyes, "You know about Marcellus' treachery, don't you? He has come to you."
Corliss knew better then to lie, "Yes, he has."
Adriel didn't push the matter any further, he seemed content enough to believe that she had sent him away. Once he felt that he had a hold of himself, he headed down the long walk way and up the stairs. Corliss came to stand beside the alter and looked over Kaleb's body.
She touched his hand through the soft cloth, "I'm so sorry, Kaleb. I swear I didn't know." She sniffled, "This is all my fault. I am so sorry."
In the kitchen Trent picked up his phone, and stared at the piece of paper with Corliss' number on it. He had never called her before, even after their feelings had been expressed he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Isaac sat across from him, and Samara and Coyle had taken positions on the couch.
Trent had hoped that Corliss would have called him by now, though she did say she would be busy until Monday. Thinking on that, he began to wonder if she knew of Kaleb's death beforehand. Hitting the talk button, he turned off his phone and looked at his partner.
"What?" Isaac asked.
"Wouldn't today be a day of mourning? Like it was for Rylan?"
Isaac nodded, "You're right, should we head down to the cemetery?"
Coyle popped up from the couch, "Turned out to be a bust last time we did it."
"Not true, we found out about Corliss' relation to Rylan." Samara told him, her eyes were on Trent and not her brother. She had pulled her hair back in a rather sporty looking pony-tail. "Call her anyway."
Trent nodded, and hit the talk button again before dialing the number. After three rings, a man's voice answered. Initially, he was afraid it might be Adriel, and instinct told him to hang up. Yet, the cop in him demanded that he say something. "I'm sorry, I must have the wrong number."
"Are you calling for Corliss?" The masculine voice asked.
"Uh, yes. Is she there?"
There was a long pause, "Corliss is being punished and is not allowed access to her belongings at this time."
Trent arched an eyebrow, "Why are you answering her phone? Shouldn't you let it go to voice mail?"
"May I ask who is calling?" The man ignored him.
"Tell her that Trent Monte called her, and it's urgent that she get in touch with me." He waited for the man to reply, but nothing was said. "Hello?"
"Corliss says to stay away from her and make no attempts to contact her." With that the line went dead.
Trent felt a pain in his chest, but he shook the thought away. He wasn't about to believe that message unless it came straight from Corliss' lips. He hung up his own phone, while everyone stared at him, waiting to hear what was said.
"Apparently, Corliss doesn't want us to make contact with her ever again." Trent spoke the words confidently, while trying to hide the pain he felt.
"Hmm." Isaac rubbed his chin, "Things just got more interesting, wouldn't you say?" He was asking Samara and Coyle, and it wasn't about the case.
"That's enough out of all of you." Trent snapped, before any of them could answer. "Something isn't right here. They said that Corliss is being punished, but what for?"
Samara shrugged, "Who knows? They punish each other for eating at the wrong restaurant. Doesn't necessarily have to do with the case."
Coyle shook his head, "No, I think that Corliss might know something."
"Have you heard anything from Elijah?" Isaac asked.
Trent shook his head, "I doubt we ever will, unless it's something that only we can look into." He grabbed his phone, "I have to call my inside agent. She said that if I can't get to Corliss that she'll get us in to see her."
"You can just say you are going to call your sister." Isaac told him, as Trent walked around the counter, his eyes glaring at him.
"Thanks, because I wanted them to know my sister is a kine. That helps a lot, Isaac." Trent meant the dogs, but they had already been informed by Isaac previously of his sister's condition.
Isaac was about to tell him that, but decided it was best not to let his partner know that he was sharing his life story. They all watched Trent disappear into the bedroom to call his sister in private.
"You are lucky that I was here." He told her, as he put on his black tie. They were preparing for Kaleb's funeral.
"I would have just let voice mail get it, if…"
"You have to cut all links with him in order for our plan to work. No one is going to believe that I turned him, if you are the one who is being seen with him." Once he was finished in the mirror, he turned around to face her.
Corliss sighed, before staring angrily into Marcellus' eyes. "You didn't have to kill Kaleb."
"I didn't kill him, nor did I order anyone to." He came to stand in front of her, and placed his hand on her chin forcing her to look at him. "Don't accuse an elder of any wrong doing without proof, Corliss."
"Who else would have done it? You were the only one who knew."
Marcellus grinned, before dropping her jaw. "I did not touch him. I only informed those who would care."
"Those who would care? What does that mean?" She jumped to her feet, as Marcellus walked to the door.
Placing his hand on the doorknob, he looked over his shoulder. "You know well enough, Corliss. Come now, we have a funeral to attend to."
It took Ellice two weeks to find out about the studio that Corliss attended, and the news got better as well. She went there alone, and therefore would be easy enough to find and talk to. The artist was a famous kine painter by the name of Roman Sinclair, he was known for his work with live nudes both kine and werewolf. But his most famous piece was of a red headed kine standing in front of an army of werewolves, Adjacent Death, as it was titled.
Trent had seen the painting many times before, but only really remembered it because the kine had been nude. He realized on the drive over that the kine in the painting had probably been Corliss, as Ellice explained that she was one of Roman's favorite models. Since all races were welcome within his studio, Coyle and Samara tagged along. They had been the ones to locate Corliss' car within the parking garage at the museum, where Roman rented his studio.
The inside of his studio was rather large, plenty of room for costumes, make-up tables, and even changing rooms. Trent wondered why the guy wasn't just a photographer instead of an artist, though Samara told him that there was more artistic license as he could add scenery after the fact.
Immediately upon entering a small kine with short black hair and thick glasses approached them. The glasses had to be mere aesthetic, as kine had perfect eye sight. "May I help you?" He asked.
"Mister Sinclair?" Isaac questioned, he had guessed because of the amount of paint the man had on his white overalls.
"No, I am his assistant. May I help you with something?"
Trent surveyed the room to find at least twenty people walking around the studio. His eyes settled upon an altered werewolf, their snout long, and teeth flashing. Lightly dispersed hair covered the seven foot frame, and at the werewolf's feet was a nude Corliss. A collar around her neck, and a chain leading up to the werewolf's hand. A thin kine stood behind a canvas painting the two in front of him.
Feeling his breath caught in his throat, Trent reminded himself to exhale. It had only been two weeks, but he had almost forgotten what Corliss had looked like. Her red curls flowing across her breast, allowing only the slightest hue of pink from her nipples to be seen. He had nearly forgotten the desire that she created for him, and had been certain that he was over her lure. All it took was a glimpse to rip down the dam that held back his emotions.
"We need to speak with Corliss." Coyle told the assistant.
"She is busy right now, but Mister Sinclair is almost finished. Have a seat, please." He pointed to the fireplace in the corner, where three purple velvet chair and a bear rug were.
Trent allowed everyone to sit down, and remained standing as they waited. It gave him a better view of Corliss, though he didn't tell the others.
"I remember this scene from another one of Roman's paintings. Something like forbidden love, it showed a werewolf with a kine. He likes to do that kind of thing." Samara commented.
"A kine with a human, ma'am." Roman's assistant told her.
"Oh, was it a human?"
He gave a nod, as he offered everyone coffee cups. "It was a werewolf model, but in human form disguised as a human, I guess you could say. It was called Contraband Feelings."
Samara grinned; a little taken back that the kine had called her ma'am and had answered her question without any disrespect.
After several silent moments, Corliss appeared in a white robe that she kept closed with her arms. "I thought you were told to not get into contact with me." Where the first words from her mouth; her eyes upon Trent.
"We need to speak to you about Kaleb's death. This is all business." Trent told her.
Her stance remained firm, "Well?" She looked back and forth between them, when no one said anything.
"Why were you removed from the case?" Samara asked.
"Because it was my fiancé's death, and before you ask about why I was allowed on my brother's case; it was because we were not close." She snapped her answer, but Trent thought it sounded rehearsed.
"Someone spoke to our captain, and told him that Rylan's case was solved. Why didn't you let us know?" Isaac asked this time.
"Because someone else already contacted you. Besides, they didn't think it would be a good idea for me to make contact with all of you again. And no, I won't tell you who the murderer is."
"Who is the murder?" Samara questioned as soon as Corliss said that she would not answer.
Corliss rolled her eyes, "Anything else?"
"Considering that Kaleb was killed in the same manner as Rylan, it only helps the case if you tell us who is being punished for Rylan's death." Trent almost reached out for her hand, but realized that eyes were upon them.
She sighed, "Look, it's not the same killer alright. It's a copycat, and I would look at the Faustos."
"Corliss?" Trent grabbed her arm as she was about to turn around. "We really need your help here, we have less to go on then with Rylan. The new investigator refuses to share anything with us, so please."
Looking into his eyes, she saw the pain within and nodded. "I am being punished for Rylan's death. I was the one who killed him, because I found out about his betrayal to the Macreas. I believe the Faustos may have killed Kaleb to get back at me for killing him. Even if they disowned him; they still consider him part of the family, me as well. Which was why they didn't kill me directly."
Trent didn't buy a single word that she had spoken, and she knew that he didn't believe her. Shifting from foot to foot, she waited for another question, but none came.
"Alright then, goodbye." She spun around and headed to her changing room.
"What do you think?" Isaac asked him.
"She's full of shit." Samara barked, and Trent nodded in agreement.
"She's protecting someone, but who?" The question came from Trent's lips. "Head down to the car. I am going to speak with her privately."
Isaac grabbed his shoulder before he could leave, "Don't do anything stupid, Trent."
The only reason that he even let him go was because he knew that Corliss trusted him and would probably talk. Otherwise, he would have sent Trent to the car and gone himself. As he walked out to the car, he wished that he had been the one to lose that coin toss in the motel parking lot. Not because he wanted to be in Trent's shoes, but because he knew that none of this would have happened to his partner.
Trent poured them both a glass of soda, as Samara bit into the sardines, onions, and mushrooms pizza. He had nearly choked when he saw the toppings that she had gotten, but the other half was pepperoni which gave him some comfort. Though he preferred sausage and olive, he would take pepperoni over sardines any day of the week. Putting his own slice on a paper plate, he handed her the glass.
"What do you want to watch first? I brought all my favorite horror movies." She told him, before reaching for the plastic bag for them.
Trent shrugged, "Whatever you want." He mumbled taking a bite of his pizza.
She smiled at him and her eyes told him that she knew something, but was unsure of how to bring it up. Finally she found the courage in the silence between them, "Isaac tells me that you won't be seeing Corliss for a while. It's good to hear that, I was beginning to become worried about you."
He held back an annoyed groan, and made a mental note to chew Isaac out later. "Well, it was that or he would go tattle on me."
Her smile faded for a moment then quickly returned, "Well, leeches do have supernatural abilities, Trent."
"So, do werewolves."
She snorted, "Hardly, we don't have mind reading or the ability to make a man lust over you. Believe me if I had that it wouldn't be Corliss that Isaac was telling you to stay away from."
He tried to ignore her unsubtle advance. "Let's watch a movie."
As he made his way around the counter the phone rang. Answering it, Trent heard Isaac voice on the other side of the line. "Hey, Trent, guess what? We got another murder, just like Rylan's. Is Samara with you?"
"Yes." He responded.
He could hear Isaac swallow, "I'll get Coyle, and call the Macrea building for Corliss."
"What's wrong?" He had never heard his partner this distressed before.
"It's Kaleb Macrea, Trent. It's Kaleb fucking Macrea. This case just jumped into the high priority files, and worse yet, no matter who did this, there is going to be a war."
"Calm down, Isaac. Where are you at?" Trent asked, trying not to drop the phone.
"Same place as the first one." He told him.
Trent hung up the phone and looked at Samara, "Looks like we got another murder."
"Kaleb Macrea, I overheard." She stood up and grabbed her jacket, "Well, let's go." She looked disappointed as they made their way out of his apartment and into his car.
Trent said nothing to her, and they drove to the familiar crime scene. Isaac and Coyle were already inspecting the body by the time they arrived.
"What do we got?" Trent asked his partner.
"Six bullets, and it looks like one in the heart." Isaac looked upset, and so Trent patted his shoulder for reassurance.
"Why don't you get us some coffee?" He asked and Isaac nodded.
It was hard to see the body in the darkness, but everyone was equipped with flashlights. They would have to wait until the crime scene unit showed up with florescent lamps.
"Where the fuck is Corliss?" Coyle mumbled, "I know that bitch knows something about this. They are trying to set someone up, and they couldn't do it with Rylan alone."
"Don't jump to conclusions." Trent corrected as he looked around. "No shell casings, no blood splatter. It has to be another dump job."
The sounds of someone clearing their throat behind them, caused everyone in the alley to turn and face him. He was tall and slender, his hair dark as were his eyes.
"Greetings, I am Elijah Grant. I was sent by the Macrea clan." He told them before looking over the body with his sharp kine eyes. "Oh dear, it is indeed Kaleb Macrea. This will send shock waves throughout the Macrea clan."
"Where is Corliss?" Trent asked.
"Miss Macrea was removed from the case, it seems… how can I say this? It seems she became too emotionally involved, besides this is her fiancée. We can't have her investigating this, can we?" He kept his eyes on Trent the entire time he spoke.
"You guys had no problem putting her on her brother's case." Coyle barked.
Elijah acted as if Trent had spoken instead of the dog, "I would know nothing of that. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to make an unfortunate phone call to his father." Turning his back on them, he made his way out of the alley.
"What the hell is going on?" Samara mumbled the question.
"That's what I would like to know." Coyle responded and look towards Trent. "Something tells me that Corliss just made her way onto our suspect list."
"Our witness list at the very least." Trent told them before looking at the body again. "Only problem will be getting to her, it sounds to me like they want to keep her from us."
"And we definitely can't have that leech around when we do get to her." Coyle added.
Samara nodded her head and looked up as Isaac returned with coffee.
"Who the hell is that?" He pointed at Elijah.
"Corliss' replacement." Trent responded, "Looks like we are going to need to talk with her."
"How are we going to manage that?"
Trent cleared his throat, "I know someone on the inside, maybe she can help us."
---***---
Entering into the station, Trent and Isaac took a seat at their desk as they began their paperwork for their new case. The two dogs had also returned to base to inform their captain of the day's events. Though Elijah was not pleased with the arrangement, he announced he would contact them soon. Which to Trent meant that he would investigate on his own, and give him whatever information the vamp thought would help himself.It was late in the evening, and everyone had gone home, except for the captain. His light was turned on in his office, which wasn't unusual. He often claimed that he had a lot of paperwork to deal with, but almost everyone knew he just didn't want to go home. Three months earlier, he had lost his wife to cancer and the large house was just too empty without her. Trent had no idea why the captain had confided that in him, as he was known for having less then serious relationships. Yet, he listened to the man who had been there every step of the way for Trent in his career.
It wasn't a minute after they sat down, before Captain Alcott exited his office with a grin. The aging ex-marine still walked straight as his back would allow as he came to stand in front of their desks.
"I just heard the good news, excellent work, gentleman." He tapped their desk.
"On what, sir?" Trent looked at his partner wondering if Isaac hadn't told him.
Their captain raised his eyebrow at him, "For solving the Cullen case…" His words trailed off as he watched Trent's face contort.
"We haven't solved it yet, as a matter of a fact, we just got back from another body. Killed in the same manner as Cullen."
He stood with his mouth open for a moment, "I just got off the phone with some Macrea elder about three hours ago, who wanted to thank me personally for my people's role in the case. He informed me that he was most pleased that the killer was another kine, and that they would be dealt with accordingly."
"That's news to me!" Isaac barked, though he was trying to add humor to the situation, his annoyance was clear.
Alcott looked between them for a moment, "You didn't know that it was solved, eh?" He began to chew on his inner cheek, "This reeks of kine cover up."
Trent smiled, as he was glad to hear his captain say what he had been thinking. "What do you want us to do?"
"Find out what they are burying, while working this new case." He nodded, then looked at Trent, "What are you thinking?"
He shrugged, "Our kine investigator was suddenly replaced for this 'new' case, and I am beginning to question if perhaps she was part of this."
"As in?"
He looked at his partner then back to Alcott, "I don't know, but I have gained some trust with her. Perhaps, she will be a little more forthcoming with me. I just don't see how she wouldn't know something about this."
Alcott gave a nod, "Alright, get your paperwork done and go home. It's late." He said looking at the clock on the wall. He began to walk back to his office, but turned back around to face Trent. "You know, I wasn't going to say anything, but…"
Trent looked up at his captain, and leaned back in his chair.
"I don't want to know where or how you got those bite marks on your neck. It's really none of my business, but it is my job to ensure that all my agents are clean. So, lets just go with… if I catch you with those again, I will report it to the Upper Circle and get you suspended. And don't think turtle necks will stop me."
He gave a sharp nod to Alcott, before the man flipped around and headed back into his office.
"I told you to button your shirt all the way up." Isaac teased, before pulling out a beige folder.
Ignoring him, Trent pulled out his wallet, and the business card that his sister had given him. "Going to call my inside person." He announced before picking up the phone.
After four rings, he was about to hang up when he heard the soft voice from the other end answer.
"Ellice?" He said, he hated calling her by that name, but decided that she would go on the defensive if he used Eleanor.
"Trent?" She whispered and he could hear someone else talking in the background.
"Can you talk?"
There was a long pause, and through the phone several doors opening and shutting could be heard. "I can now."
"I need a huge favor…"
Ellice snorted, "Are you sleeping with Corliss?"
Trent fought the urge to drop his mouth open, knowing it would catch Isaac's attention. "Sort of."
Ellice cleared her throat, "How dare you judge me for what I chose to be and then…"
"This isn't the time or the place, Ellice." Trent snapped, "I really need a huge favor, you can yell at me afterwards."
She didn't say anything, but he could still hear her breathing.
"Have you heard about Kaleb Macrea?" He asked and she moaned a yes. "They took Corliss off the case, and have told my boss that Rylan's murderer was found. I need to get into contact with Corliss…"
"Have you waited for her to contact you?"
"Well, uh, no. I just saw her earlier but I didn't think she would after she was removed…"
Ellice sighed heavily, "Let me give you her cell phone number, but wait until tomorrow to call her. She is with Adriel right now comforting him after the loss of his son."
Trent gritted his teeth, trying to hold back the jealousy he felt as he wrote the number down. Of course, he had no idea if comforting meant that she was sleeping with him or just speaking with him, either way it made his blood boil. "Alright, and what if she won't talk to me?"
"She goes to some artist's studios on Saturdays. I've never really paid attention when others talked about it. I'll find out for you, if she won't talk to you. Something tells me though that she will."
"And why is that?"
Ellice chuckled, "Call it a hunch. I need to go, you interrupted at… ah… an awkward moment, bye."
Before Trent could stop her, she hung up on him. Isaac stared across the desks at him. "She gave me Corliss' cell phone number. Said to call her tomorrow."
Walking down the stone stairs, Corliss made her way into the basement of the building. It had been turned into a temple several years ago for both weddings and funerals. Mostly made from graying stone, there were red velvet curtains laying around for decorations, and an alter at the end of the room. She knew that behind the small divider wall were coffins, not for the living vampires, but instead for the ones long past.
On the alter, Kaleb's body lay with a transparent white sheet covering him. Adriel had scared everyone out of the temple, and his tantrum could be seen in some broken statues and ripped curtains. He was kneeled before the alter, his body hunched over, as he cried into his lap. She pitied him, as this was his last son, the other two had died in previous years.
Adriel never remarried after his wife was killed, though the elders had often demanded that he did. Corliss saw no other way for him now, he would have to marry someone to give birth to his heir. Though Adriel had daughters, he would refuse to give them his estates. Not that Marcellus would ever allow that to happen, after all he was trying to take over the clan. And this was all part of his scheme, and though she had wished Adriel to be removed, she suddenly felt responsible.
She had thought they would take over through votes, and by proving he was an unfit leader. Not by destroying his very soul and taking away the only son that he had left. Corliss walked down the cool hall, until she was standing behind him.
"Adriel?" She whispered, and reached her hand out to touch his shoulder.
He said nothing as Corliss laid her hand on him, and after a moment he slowly turned around. Still on his knees, he wrapped his arms around her waist and cried into her abdomen. Rubbing her hands over his hair, she began to hum a soft melody, before mumbling the words.
"Who would do this, Corliss?" He sniffled.
She didn't respond, just continued to stroke his hair. Her eyes wandered up to Kaleb's body, and the peaceful look that he had.
"Who would kill my son?" He screamed and then shoved her back.
Falling on her bottom with a loud thud, she watched Adriel stand up and tear down another curtain that hung from two pillars. She immediately jumped to her feet and ran to him.
"Adriel, stop, this won't help anything!" She begged him, and grabbed his face within her hands. "Adriel, please." She whispered when he began to calm down. "Who ever did this needs to be punished, and you can't lead us if you are down here throwing fits."
He nodded and took several deep breathes.
"Now," She began, rearranging his clothing and using the sleeve of her shirt to wipe the tears from his face. "you are going to go upstairs, and you are going to take charge of that council. You have to show them that you are not weak, and are still capable of running this clan."
"You are right. Marcellus could use this opportunity to portray me as incompetent."
His words shocked her, as she had no idea that Adriel knew that Marcellus was trying to take his position. "Right." She responded after a delayed moment. "I'll stay here with Kaleb until you send down others for the watch."
He looked down into her eyes, "You know about Marcellus' treachery, don't you? He has come to you."
Corliss knew better then to lie, "Yes, he has."
Adriel didn't push the matter any further, he seemed content enough to believe that she had sent him away. Once he felt that he had a hold of himself, he headed down the long walk way and up the stairs. Corliss came to stand beside the alter and looked over Kaleb's body.
She touched his hand through the soft cloth, "I'm so sorry, Kaleb. I swear I didn't know." She sniffled, "This is all my fault. I am so sorry."
In the kitchen Trent picked up his phone, and stared at the piece of paper with Corliss' number on it. He had never called her before, even after their feelings had been expressed he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Isaac sat across from him, and Samara and Coyle had taken positions on the couch.
Trent had hoped that Corliss would have called him by now, though she did say she would be busy until Monday. Thinking on that, he began to wonder if she knew of Kaleb's death beforehand. Hitting the talk button, he turned off his phone and looked at his partner.
"What?" Isaac asked.
"Wouldn't today be a day of mourning? Like it was for Rylan?"
Isaac nodded, "You're right, should we head down to the cemetery?"
Coyle popped up from the couch, "Turned out to be a bust last time we did it."
"Not true, we found out about Corliss' relation to Rylan." Samara told him, her eyes were on Trent and not her brother. She had pulled her hair back in a rather sporty looking pony-tail. "Call her anyway."
Trent nodded, and hit the talk button again before dialing the number. After three rings, a man's voice answered. Initially, he was afraid it might be Adriel, and instinct told him to hang up. Yet, the cop in him demanded that he say something. "I'm sorry, I must have the wrong number."
"Are you calling for Corliss?" The masculine voice asked.
"Uh, yes. Is she there?"
There was a long pause, "Corliss is being punished and is not allowed access to her belongings at this time."
Trent arched an eyebrow, "Why are you answering her phone? Shouldn't you let it go to voice mail?"
"May I ask who is calling?" The man ignored him.
"Tell her that Trent Monte called her, and it's urgent that she get in touch with me." He waited for the man to reply, but nothing was said. "Hello?"
"Corliss says to stay away from her and make no attempts to contact her." With that the line went dead.
Trent felt a pain in his chest, but he shook the thought away. He wasn't about to believe that message unless it came straight from Corliss' lips. He hung up his own phone, while everyone stared at him, waiting to hear what was said.
"Apparently, Corliss doesn't want us to make contact with her ever again." Trent spoke the words confidently, while trying to hide the pain he felt.
"Hmm." Isaac rubbed his chin, "Things just got more interesting, wouldn't you say?" He was asking Samara and Coyle, and it wasn't about the case.
"That's enough out of all of you." Trent snapped, before any of them could answer. "Something isn't right here. They said that Corliss is being punished, but what for?"
Samara shrugged, "Who knows? They punish each other for eating at the wrong restaurant. Doesn't necessarily have to do with the case."
Coyle shook his head, "No, I think that Corliss might know something."
"Have you heard anything from Elijah?" Isaac asked.
Trent shook his head, "I doubt we ever will, unless it's something that only we can look into." He grabbed his phone, "I have to call my inside agent. She said that if I can't get to Corliss that she'll get us in to see her."
"You can just say you are going to call your sister." Isaac told him, as Trent walked around the counter, his eyes glaring at him.
"Thanks, because I wanted them to know my sister is a kine. That helps a lot, Isaac." Trent meant the dogs, but they had already been informed by Isaac previously of his sister's condition.
Isaac was about to tell him that, but decided it was best not to let his partner know that he was sharing his life story. They all watched Trent disappear into the bedroom to call his sister in private.
---***---
Marcellus dropped Corliss' cell phone beside her on the bed, and finished buttoning up his shirt. The night before he had come to her, and didn't mind that his scent would be left all over her bed. Not that Adriel would be visiting her room anytime soon, as he had engulfed himself in the council. Something that Marcellus made clear would prove a difficulty in their tasks if it continued."You are lucky that I was here." He told her, as he put on his black tie. They were preparing for Kaleb's funeral.
"I would have just let voice mail get it, if…"
"You have to cut all links with him in order for our plan to work. No one is going to believe that I turned him, if you are the one who is being seen with him." Once he was finished in the mirror, he turned around to face her.
Corliss sighed, before staring angrily into Marcellus' eyes. "You didn't have to kill Kaleb."
"I didn't kill him, nor did I order anyone to." He came to stand in front of her, and placed his hand on her chin forcing her to look at him. "Don't accuse an elder of any wrong doing without proof, Corliss."
"Who else would have done it? You were the only one who knew."
Marcellus grinned, before dropping her jaw. "I did not touch him. I only informed those who would care."
"Those who would care? What does that mean?" She jumped to her feet, as Marcellus walked to the door.
Placing his hand on the doorknob, he looked over his shoulder. "You know well enough, Corliss. Come now, we have a funeral to attend to."
It took Ellice two weeks to find out about the studio that Corliss attended, and the news got better as well. She went there alone, and therefore would be easy enough to find and talk to. The artist was a famous kine painter by the name of Roman Sinclair, he was known for his work with live nudes both kine and werewolf. But his most famous piece was of a red headed kine standing in front of an army of werewolves, Adjacent Death, as it was titled.
Trent had seen the painting many times before, but only really remembered it because the kine had been nude. He realized on the drive over that the kine in the painting had probably been Corliss, as Ellice explained that she was one of Roman's favorite models. Since all races were welcome within his studio, Coyle and Samara tagged along. They had been the ones to locate Corliss' car within the parking garage at the museum, where Roman rented his studio.
The inside of his studio was rather large, plenty of room for costumes, make-up tables, and even changing rooms. Trent wondered why the guy wasn't just a photographer instead of an artist, though Samara told him that there was more artistic license as he could add scenery after the fact.
Immediately upon entering a small kine with short black hair and thick glasses approached them. The glasses had to be mere aesthetic, as kine had perfect eye sight. "May I help you?" He asked.
"Mister Sinclair?" Isaac questioned, he had guessed because of the amount of paint the man had on his white overalls.
"No, I am his assistant. May I help you with something?"
Trent surveyed the room to find at least twenty people walking around the studio. His eyes settled upon an altered werewolf, their snout long, and teeth flashing. Lightly dispersed hair covered the seven foot frame, and at the werewolf's feet was a nude Corliss. A collar around her neck, and a chain leading up to the werewolf's hand. A thin kine stood behind a canvas painting the two in front of him.
Feeling his breath caught in his throat, Trent reminded himself to exhale. It had only been two weeks, but he had almost forgotten what Corliss had looked like. Her red curls flowing across her breast, allowing only the slightest hue of pink from her nipples to be seen. He had nearly forgotten the desire that she created for him, and had been certain that he was over her lure. All it took was a glimpse to rip down the dam that held back his emotions.
"We need to speak with Corliss." Coyle told the assistant.
"She is busy right now, but Mister Sinclair is almost finished. Have a seat, please." He pointed to the fireplace in the corner, where three purple velvet chair and a bear rug were.
Trent allowed everyone to sit down, and remained standing as they waited. It gave him a better view of Corliss, though he didn't tell the others.
"I remember this scene from another one of Roman's paintings. Something like forbidden love, it showed a werewolf with a kine. He likes to do that kind of thing." Samara commented.
"A kine with a human, ma'am." Roman's assistant told her.
"Oh, was it a human?"
He gave a nod, as he offered everyone coffee cups. "It was a werewolf model, but in human form disguised as a human, I guess you could say. It was called Contraband Feelings."
Samara grinned; a little taken back that the kine had called her ma'am and had answered her question without any disrespect.
After several silent moments, Corliss appeared in a white robe that she kept closed with her arms. "I thought you were told to not get into contact with me." Where the first words from her mouth; her eyes upon Trent.
"We need to speak to you about Kaleb's death. This is all business." Trent told her.
Her stance remained firm, "Well?" She looked back and forth between them, when no one said anything.
"Why were you removed from the case?" Samara asked.
"Because it was my fiancé's death, and before you ask about why I was allowed on my brother's case; it was because we were not close." She snapped her answer, but Trent thought it sounded rehearsed.
"Someone spoke to our captain, and told him that Rylan's case was solved. Why didn't you let us know?" Isaac asked this time.
"Because someone else already contacted you. Besides, they didn't think it would be a good idea for me to make contact with all of you again. And no, I won't tell you who the murderer is."
"Who is the murder?" Samara questioned as soon as Corliss said that she would not answer.
Corliss rolled her eyes, "Anything else?"
"Considering that Kaleb was killed in the same manner as Rylan, it only helps the case if you tell us who is being punished for Rylan's death." Trent almost reached out for her hand, but realized that eyes were upon them.
She sighed, "Look, it's not the same killer alright. It's a copycat, and I would look at the Faustos."
"Corliss?" Trent grabbed her arm as she was about to turn around. "We really need your help here, we have less to go on then with Rylan. The new investigator refuses to share anything with us, so please."
Looking into his eyes, she saw the pain within and nodded. "I am being punished for Rylan's death. I was the one who killed him, because I found out about his betrayal to the Macreas. I believe the Faustos may have killed Kaleb to get back at me for killing him. Even if they disowned him; they still consider him part of the family, me as well. Which was why they didn't kill me directly."
Trent didn't buy a single word that she had spoken, and she knew that he didn't believe her. Shifting from foot to foot, she waited for another question, but none came.
"Alright then, goodbye." She spun around and headed to her changing room.
"What do you think?" Isaac asked him.
"She's full of shit." Samara barked, and Trent nodded in agreement.
"She's protecting someone, but who?" The question came from Trent's lips. "Head down to the car. I am going to speak with her privately."
Isaac grabbed his shoulder before he could leave, "Don't do anything stupid, Trent."
The only reason that he even let him go was because he knew that Corliss trusted him and would probably talk. Otherwise, he would have sent Trent to the car and gone himself. As he walked out to the car, he wished that he had been the one to lose that coin toss in the motel parking lot. Not because he wanted to be in Trent's shoes, but because he knew that none of this would have happened to his partner.