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Chapter 188: Homicide Without A Corpse
Rhett stood there for several minutes, staring blankly at the door while several thoughts flashed through his head.
He wanted to go after her. He wanted to force her to reveal what was really bothering her while looking into his eyes. But then, he had to let her go.
He couldn’t force anything. It was obvious that she’d begun succumbing to all the pent-up sadness and despair she’d been hiding all this while. If she wanted space, he’d give it to her. But why did he feel so pained?
The usual control he had over his emotions faltered at that moment, allowing a wave of overwhelming frustration to wash over him. He gripped his chest, his heart feeling like a heavy weight bringing him down.
He struggled to catch his breath, as he made to sit on one of the beds.
Argh! What was this he felt? Was this how it felt to get one’s heart broken? Was this the feeling he heard young people talk about?
It felt like his heart had been shattered into a million tiny pieces. It felt like his whole world had come crashing down. But it wasn’t like he’d been dumped by Isleen or anything.
Isleen had regretted what they’d done. Even after he’d marked her, even after he’d tried showing that he was willing to take their relationship further, even after he’d let himself feel vulnerable around her... she still chose to break his heart by avoiding him like a plague after they had a night of pleasure.
"Moon goddess, please make this pass." Rhett prayed silently, gritting his teeth. He brushed his hands through his hair, his frustration only increasing.
Just then, his phone rang, but he barely paid any attention. But when he heard it ring again, he couldn’t ignore it anymore.
Oh well... this might just be the perfect distraction.
"Hello?" Rhett picked up the call, after checking and seeing that it was Farkas. He did his best to make his voice as stoic as possible—not wanting Farkas to worry about his emotional state.
"Rhett, there’s a case that needs your attention here." Farkas’s tone at the other end was laced with solemnity, and more serious than usual.
Rhett couldn’t help frowning. A case that needed his attention? Could that mean...
"There’s been another murder. And let’s just say, this one has us scratching our heads." Farkas supplied, confirming Rhett’s suspicions.
He knew the murderous vampire wouldn’t resist killing someone again. But it also felt a little too sudden. As if he wasn’t cautious about being caught anymore.
"Alright, send me the address. I’ll be on my way." Rhett uttered as he got up. This was no time for him to sit down lazily, like some defeated dog.
He’d deal with his situation with Isleen later. Right now, duty called and he needed a distraction from the annoying feeling he felt in his chest.
He freshened up quickly in his room’s bathroom, his worries washing away for a moment under the warm water of the shower. When he got out, he checked his phone and saw the address sent to his message box as he’d requested.
He quickly got dressed and rushed out of the hotel, driving off to the address.
On getting there, he saw the house—a small duplex close to the outskirts of the park – already sealed off with yellow tape. He got out of the car, strutting freely to the house.
On opening the door, Rhett felt nauseous from what he saw. The living room was literally painted with blood. The walls, the floor, and even the ceiling weren’t spared from the crimson-red droplets. It was a disturbing sight, even by Rhett’s standards.
A few officers were at the crime scene, some of them taking pictures and taking notes on the crime scene. Rhett searched until his eyes landed on Farkas, who was already heading to him.
"Talk about a blood bath, huh?" Farkas murmured as he stood beside Rhett.
However, Rhett was uninterested in Farkas’s attempt at humor and asked with a low tone. "What’s the status report on the owner of the house? Are they also our victim?"
"Yes, our victim is the owner of the house. His name is Nick Foster, thirty-one years old, male. He has a mother in the pack who he rarely relates with." Farkas replied, putting on a serious demeanor now.
Rhett frowned. The victim seemed like someone who hid details about himself from the public eye. But why?
"Where’s the body?" Rhett asked, looking around to find the victim’s body. However, Farkas scratched his head, a troubled look on his face.
"Remember when I said the case had us scratching our heads? Yeah, that’s why. There are no bodies, Rhett." Farkas replied.
No bodies? How strange indeed...
Rhett paused, taking a closer look at the living room. The television had been destroyed as if something or someone crashed into it. There was a dent in one of the walls, broken pieces of it lying on the floor.
"It’s obvious that the victim fought fiercely for his survival." Rhett sighed, shaking his head with pity.
He got closer to the walls, sniffing the blood with his enhanced sense of smell. With that disgusting but insightful action, he was able to tell that the blood belonged to only one victim.
"If the body isn’t here, do you think the vampire stole the victim’s flesh?’’ Farkas asked him in a whisper.
Not a lot of the pack’s officers knew about the vampire imposter prowling the pack. The reason was that Rhett was still careful not to alert the killer that they knew. He needed him to feel safe until they were able to fish him out and put him down if possible.
"I don’t know. My instincts are telling me that there’s more to this case that we’re not seeing yet. I feel like this bastard is right under our noses." Rhett grimaced, teeth gritted.
Finally, after a few minutes, he came to a decision. "Increase patrols in the woods. Maybe we’ll be able to find the victim’s body there. Also, narrow down the list of the last places he was seen before his death. We’ll have to interrogate some people."
Farkas nodded his understanding. Rhett nodded too and was about to leave when he paused abruptly on seeing someone stepping into the crime scene.
As if his day couldn’t get any worse...
"Yet another innocent citizen killed under your watch, Rhett."
