Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)(15)

“Now, go. If you need a place to sleep tonight, cabin fourteen is empty.”

*

“We should probably leave,” Lucas said for the eighth time.

What if Mrs. Chi came back and could tell Della who’d done this? She needed to know. Needed to find the idiots and make them pay.

“I saw them,” she muttered, her gaze on the front of the jewelry store as they wheeled a body out on a stretcher. Her chest filled with a knot of hurt.

“Saw who?” Lucas asked.

“The weres. There were three of them.”

Lucas spoke in a whisper. “We don’t know if weres did this.”

“Their scent is here,” Della said. “I’m sorry if this insults you, but we are both pretty sure what happened.”

“Just because they were here doesn’t mean they killed anyone,” he said in a low voice.

“We won’t know that until someone looks at the evidence. And if someone doesn’t inform the FRU, this evidence might not be available to them.”

Lucas closed his eyes as if trying to digest her words.

“Let’s contact Burnett.” Della pulled her phone out of her pocket and typed a text.

*

Chase dropped a hand over his eyes and sighed. The stench of fresh paint filled the space and was giving him a headache.

A knock at the cabin door echoed through the thick wooden walls. He didn’t have to guess who it was. He’d heard and sensed Burnett land outside the second his head hit the pillow. And he’d been counting his lucky stars that Burnett hadn’t planned on interrogating him tonight. He’d eaten just about all the crow he could stand.

“Come in,” he said, getting up, knowing Burnett could hear him.

By the time he got dressed and entered the living room, Burnett was sitting on the sofa—in the dark. His eyes weren’t bright, a good sign. The man nodded to the chair across from him. Chase followed orders and sat.

“Douglas Stone.” Burnett said the name—nothing else. He didn’t actually say he wanted information, but it was implied. And since Chase had already pissed the man off, he decided not to push it.

He stood and walked to the table in the adjoining kitchen and pulled out the file from his backpack. Walking over, he handed it to Burnett.

“It’s everything we have on him.”

Burnett opened the file and thumbed through it. The only sound in the dark air was of the papers rustling. He finally looked up.

“Most of this information is fifteen years old.”

Chase nodded. “I know.”

Frustration tightened the older vampire’s expression. “Do you know how hard it is to find someone with this outdated information?”

“Difficult. I know. Not impossible.”

“But improbable,” Burnett hissed.

“There is one new report from a council affiliate at the end of the file. A Douglas Stone was questioned in a different murder.”

Burnett turned a few more pages, read, then looked up. “In France?” He inhaled again. “That’s what you were doing there?”

Chase nodded, hoping the fact that he’d actually saved Miranda Kane would make Burnett less inclined to be an *.

“Was Della’s uncle with you?”

“Yes.”

Burnett continued to stare. “But you don’t know where he is now?”

“No.”

“Because you told him not to tell you?” he accused.

Again, Chase decided to tell the truth. “Right.”

Burnett looked down at the file. “In France, you came up empty again and couldn’t find him?”

“We have proof that someone fitting his description, using the name Don Williams, flew back to the U.S. All of our attempts to locate a Don Williams in France and neighboring countries have come up empty. It must have been an alias. Right now they’re searching here in the U.S.”

“And?” Burnett asked.

Chase paused. “Nothing has come up. I’ve searched for weeks. But the FRU has tons more resources to find people.”

Burnett arched an eyebrow. “We do. Unfortunately, when looking for the real scum of the earth, it’s not those resources that usually turn something up. It’s who you know, other scumbags, who are willing to talk.”

“So I should go through my scumbag list?” Chase asked with a touch of sarcasm, but then he had an idea and immediately adjusted his attitude. “I see your point.”

Burnett nodded. “Oh, I heard from the FRU again. They are expecting you to work full-time. Have you actually finished your primary education?”

“A year ago,” Chase said.

“And college?” Burnett asked.

“I took one semester and I might go back on my own later, but I’m eager to start my career with the FRU.”

Burnett closed the file. “Working under me and living here, there will be rules.”

Chase didn’t care much for rules. “I’m sure we can compromise.”

Burnett’s eyes grew just a bit brighter. “I don’t compromise. You’ll either follow them, or you’ll find yourself living somewhere else.”

Chase’s gut tightened. “What are the rules?” If Burnett said he couldn’t be near Della, all bets were off.