Page 104 of Claws & Cover Ups
I close my eyes. “I received a text from him saying he’s leaving for a conference that I know for a fact is fake. The house is in chaos. There’s stuff here that doesn’t belong to Elliot. And there’s a chair in the middle. It’s still empty,” I say, feeling drained, helpless for the first time in years.
Serena gasps but recovers quickly. Good, I need sane Serena right now. “Okay, who was the last person to see him or talk to him?”
I think about what Sam said. “I think it was me. I came from his place for that interrogation yesterday,” I remind her.
“Right. Did he say or do anything different? I know this is difficult right now, but Ireallyneed you to think, Nick,” she says.
I nod. He was acting weird, but it was because of the nightmare. Or maybe the nightmare was brought on by something. Maybe he’d seen the killer the night before? No, that doesn’t make any sense. He won't just stay here waiting to be abducted. My brain is not working.
“I don’t think so?” I tell Serena.
“Okay. That’s okay. So you decided to check on him because he wasn’t replying to you?”
“Yeah, and his friend called because he sensed something and insisted I come here.” That’snottrue, though, is it? I was already planning to hunt down Elliot before Sam called. Why?
Everything comes back in a rush. The list of buyers. Elliot’s clinic being one of the first ones in the latest update.
I know whyIignored all the other names on that list and stopped at Elliot’s clinic. Why I suspected him immediately.
But why did Dominic?
Why didn’t he filter out the names like he’s been doing for months now? The list was updated two days ago, after all. Or did he do it and stop when he got what he was looking for?
Because he found the Vigilante Wolf Hunter?
Why not tell me then? Unless he wanted the Hunter all to himself. I think back to the last murders. He was in the city for both of the human murders. He could have easily slipped under the radar.
This is not enough evidence, though. I should not be doubting a friend like that. He has done nothing to deserve this. Except for going off the grid as soon as the Vigilante Wolf Hunter was found.
Except for the timing of Elliot’s abduction, which was exactly like the other two victims.
Except for the alarm bells blaring in my head, pointing me in his direction.
If this is true, Dominic’s been looking for Elliot for a long time. Way longer than me.
Doesn’t mean I’ll let him keep him.
“Nick? You still there?” Serena's voice brings me back to Elliot’s driveway.
“Hey, yes. Can you find out when Officer Dominic Adler’s last shift was?” I ask. I need something concrete before I go accusing not just an LAPD officer but also a Bureau agent of multiple murders and abduction.
“You have something?” she asks.
“Yes, but I need to be sure.”
“Give me two minutes,” she says and disconnects the call.
I dial Dominic’s number, knowing before the message even starts that it’ll go straight to voicemail. Because now that my brain has made the connection, it won’t accept anything else. If I look at the facts separately, there’s nothing really pointing towards him, other than the obvious fact of having Elliot’s name on the list, unless he wanted me to see it.
But there are small details, like the fact that he had access to all the information about the case, which helped him stay astep ahead, always.
“You think it wasDom?” Matt’s voice startles me.
I turn to find him frowning at me.
“Why would he do that?” he asks.
“Because he thinks Elliot is the Vigilante Wolf Hunter,” I say. I realize my phrasing is vague, but I need to focus on getting Elliot away from Dominic right now. I can’t deal with everyone’s opinions about whether he deserves our help.
