NOVPUB
Chapter 192: Skeletons In His Closet
The silence that fell on the room after Rhett’s question was palpable. Isleen stepped away from the door, gazing at him with surprise etched on her face.
Probably cause he just tried asking about Cullen’s day.
She turned to Cullen who only shrugged slightly before replying. "My day was fine, thank you for asking, sir. And yes, I’m still a bit nervous, to be honest, but I’m getting set for the orientation tomorrow."
Rhett tilted his head slightly, trying to study the young man. Nothing. He still seemed clean. He couldn’t help feeling like he might just be wasting his time investigating this man. But he trusted his instincts, and his instincts told him to keep pushing forward. No one had suspected ’Liam’ either, but yet here they were.
"That’s good," Rhett said simply before slowly shifting to his main reason for being here. "I’m here to ask some questions about someone you seem to know. It’s not made headlines yet, but Nick Foster is dead. We couldn’t find his body, but his house was covered in blood. His blood."
He watched Cullen’s eyes bulge with shock, as he took a couple steps back. His voice shook with fear as he spoke. "What? When? How? I literally saw him last yesterday."
Rhett remained silent. The reaction was expected, not exaggerated. Especially since the young man had seen the victim the previous day.
The more he pushed, the more innocent Cullen seemed in his eyes.
Suddenly, Isleen who’d still been standing quietly there cut in. "You two could always sit down, you know? This sounds really serious."
He admired her considerate heart, but he wasn’t planning on sticking around long. He just wanted to do a quick investigation and leave.
Cullen, however, sat down, taking in a deep breath. "I... I can’t believe it. I just can’t. Nick was so full of life." He brushed his hand through his hair, his voice giving in to despair.
Rhett narrowed his eyes. If this was just Cullen acting, then he was doing a hell of a great job. 𝓃𝓸𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
"Yes, indeed. But, things don’t end there. You mentioned seeing him yesterday. Care to elaborate?" He queried, gazing at him intensely.
Cullen sighed, nodding his head before he began. "Yes. I went to the Wolf Claw bar to get a drink. But then, I spotted Nick inside and decided to say hello. We chatted a little and I got so engrossed that I forgot to get a drink. But soon, we had to leave for Motel Ethereal." Cullen paused, looking away with a guilty look in his eyes.
Bingo! Now that was suspicious. What were they going to the Motel to do? And why did he seem so guilty when he remembered it?
"Go on. Why did you two go to the motel?" He asked calmly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Cullen finally looked back to him, chuckling awkwardly before speaking. "We... We went there to meet a dealer. But we didn’t see him so I decided to just make do with what was available. Then, we went our separate ways, and that was the last I saw of him."
Rhett’s eyes widened at the mention of a ’dealer’. That could only mean one thing... Drugs. The idea that the Raven Wood pack could be a haven for drug dealers made him clench his jaw. It seemed he’d slacked off too much in that department.
No wonder Cullen seemed so guilty. But now, that only made his investigation a bit more complicated.
"You’re doing drugs, Cullen?" Isleen suddenly blurted out in disbelief, looking at her friend like she didn’t know him.
Did she know him? Everybody had secrets and there was no telling just how many skeletons Cullen had in his closet. That’s if he was still Cullen and not a blood-sucking vampire in disguise.
"Could you excuse us, Isleen?" Rhett turned his gaze to her, feeling irked by her constant interruptions. She opened her mouth, trying to find what to say, but eventually smiled wryly.
She got up, leaving him and Cullen alone in the living room.
Now he could focus entirely on his interrogation without feeling distracted by his mate’s presence.
"What time did all this happen? And do you have an alibi?" He pressed on, his tone becoming heavier.
Cullen nodded profusely, before replying. "Yes, I have an alibi. Our friend, Lupe. I think she’ll be back soon, she knows when I left. I left sometime after Isleen and Kylo went looking for little Liam. That should be around... One in the afternoon I think."
Rhett squinted his eyes, scrutinizing Cullen. There was no shift in his attitude. There was no uneasiness in his body language. His tone was what he’d expected from someone who lost a friend and was being interrogated. And he even admitted to doing something wrong.
The young man seemed clean.
He’ll bring in Lupe for questioning later. But as for Cullen...
"Alright, I think I’m done here." Rhett stood up, his gaze never leaving Cullen. But then he added. "But I’m keeping an eye on you. Especially because of your dealings with drugs."
To his surprise, however, Cullen smiled slyly, as he spoke with a hint of excitement in his voice. "Oh, come on, Gamma. It’s just some drugs. Nothing to be worried about, it’s not like I’m trafficking them or anything."
Rhett frowned. Now, this Cullen was a wild card. Maybe he’d spoken too soon when he said he was ’clean’. The thought that he hung around Isleen made him wonder just how she hadn’t been corrupted by his shenanigans.
He shook his head, deciding to ignore the young wolf’s remark. He turned to leave but then paused at the door.
Was he seriously going to leave? Just like that, without saying anything to his mate? He couldn’t give her space anymore. He didn’t want to give her space.
So, he stepped back from the door, searching for her within the house. He ignored Cullen’s curious gaze, as he relied on his smell to track her to her room upstairs.
Just then, he picked up the sound of her sobbing and panicked. By the moon, what had he done?
He burst into the room, managing to startle Isleen who looked up at him with tear-stained eyes.
"Isleen, we need to talk."
~~
[A/N]
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