NOVPUB
Chapter 38: _ More bones
As Rhett stared at the picture, what he saw was a normal family of five smiling happily with Cora. What could have gone wrong with them or prompted them to jeopardize everything they had all stood for?
"One more question, Cora." Rhett proposed. "Tell me about this family. Who they were... all of that."
Cora had fallen into an emotional state. She sniffed. "They — were good people." She gave a bitter laugh. "I mean, they were just the typical kind of fairy family. Aella would always invite me in to come spend time with them as I have no family of my own. You see, she doesn’t want me to feel lonely. And this family, her family — they would treat me right, feed me even and you would never be able to tell that we weren’t related. It’s so sad that bad things happen to good people." She wiped a tear off. "Aella and her family are innocent. I can bet my life on it. Something must have happened. Someone must have taken them."
She was right. Bad things happen to good people. Like his ex-wife – she was a good woman who didn’t deserve to die but she did. It was how the world worked. How death worked. How fate worked. It sucked. Just the way it sucks that the vampires who were bad seemed to have the upper hand in this war.
"If they are alive, we will find them. For now, we’ll keep in touch with you. The beta will escort you to the composite drawing unit. Thanks for your time and cooperation." Rhett finalized but Darius didn’t seem to enjoy his conclusion.
He turned to Rhett with a daring look. "Why would I escort her when you are here?"
"Because investigating suspects is my job, not yours, Beta."
"Well then, ask Farkas or something. Escorting witnesses to the composite unit isn’t my job too!"
"You know what’s not your job, dear Beta?" Rhett clenched his jaw, forcing himself to breathe. "Being here." He flung the chair aside and stood up. "Come with me, Cora."
Instantly, Cora obeyed. It was obvious that she was relieved Rhett would be escorting her and not the scary Beta. If only she knew that he wasn’t much of a good man; Rhett thought. He was a man who kissed his son’s girlfriend. Who stalked her, and watched her get dressed from outside her window.
He was a man who wondered what having his son’s girlfriend under him would feel like. He wasn’t a good man. But then, if he were to consider why he was doing it, perhaps, he wasn’t entirely bad. The holy one wanted that to happen for the greater cause.
But then again, that didn’t mean whatever happened for the greater cause would be termed ’good’ no matter how bad it was. It only meant that such kinds of ’bad’ were justified. He was a justified bad man – a bad father.
.
He opened the door of the investigation room with Cora scurrying behind him. Farkas rushed to him.
"I saw the hot argument. What happened?" He asked Rhett.
Rhett pointed at Cora. "She knows the missing family and has filled us up on some details about them. You need to take her to the composite drawing unit. I can’t let Darius investigate the other suspects alone. He’s reckless. We need to get something sketched."
"Come here." Farkas gestured for Cora to come closer. "I’ll get it done. You hang in there with Darius. It will soon be over." He patted Rhett’s shoulder.
As Rhett stood, hands on his hips, exhaling and thinking about how he had twenty-nine more fey to investigate with Darius around. "It’s demanding." He muttered under his breath but didn’t get the chance to whine when the entrance door banged open.
It was a soldier. "We found more bones, sir." He said to Rhett.
Rhett should be surprised but he wasn’t. At this point, nothing could surprise him anymore. To be honest, he was expecting it. Already, he could guess whose it was.
"By the Queen!" Cora exclaimed in shock.
Rhett hated when a civilian overheard such unverified information. She needed to leave now.
"Oh, God. Where?" Farkas asked the soldiers but Rhett interrupted before he could answer.
"I’ll take care of it, Farkas. You take Cora."
Farkas agreed and left. Rhett had to go back to Darius.
"Your dream has just come true. A new situation just came up. You get to handle the investigation all on your own. Congratulations." He sarcastically announced.
Darius frowned. "What happened?"
"New bones were found."
"Where."
"I’m about to know. Try not to break bones while I’m away, Beta." Rhett jeered, walking away.
.
When he arrived outside the investigation room, he found the soldier waiting for him. "Where is the crime scene this time?" 𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"Same woods, sir but different axis." answered the soldier.
Rhett sighed. It just kept getting worse. "Let’s go."
.
He marched out of the precinct with three other soldiers, their boots echoing in the sterile hallway. They were on their way to the van, when three figures emerged from the automatic doors, making Rhett halt in his tracks.
Coming into the headquarters was Kylo, looking so tired – or down, Isleen by his side, and that strange little boy Rhett couldn’t quite place. But it was the sight of Isleen that truly snagged his breath.
An electric jolt shot through his wolf. His gaze locked onto hers, and even across the distance, he could feel the spark ignite. It wasn’t just physical; it was an echo deep within his soul, a recognition that sent a tremor through him.
She didn’t seem all too excited as his wolf was to see her. She tried to hide from his gaze. His wolf, however, didn’t care. He stirred happily with a low rumble vibrating in his throat. It was a possessive sound, yes, but laced with a tenderness he hadn’t felt in years. The sight of her, the scent of her, it was a homecoming he just realized he would always crave.
"Dad," Kylo said and that was what it took to snap Rhett out of his reverie.
He did feel quite guilty to look his son in the eye. "Kylo." He said and turned to Isleen. "You didn’t listen to me, did you?"
"W — what?" Kylo blurted. "What do you mean she didn’t listen to you, Dad?"
