Chapter 47 ~Hey, Xander~
(Xander's POV)
It's been two days, and Fiona was still missing. No one had any clue where she was - heck, no one even knew if she was still alive.
Dakota was still at the hospital, as the doctors said she'd be released later, and probably undergo rehab, although she swore she didn't need it.
I was driving with Calvin in the passenger seat, to Fiona's parents to see her dad.
I could only imagine how devastated he was.
I pulled into the alley that led to the house, and surprisingly, her dad was on the balcony… but he wasn't alone.
“Hey, Calvin, is that a cop?” I turned to him, wishing my eyes were deceiving me.
Calvin groaned. “Yup! Just… you know what to do. Play it safe.”
I don't know why Fiona's father was involving the cops when I explicitly told him not to. This could quickly turn messy.
We walked to the balcony.
Fiona's dad looked over at us, and his eyes barely lit up in recognition when he saw me.
Seeing how worried he looked, I wasn't even angry that he involved the cops, the poor man must be devastated.
“Xander.” He called out to me and turned to the cop. “This is Xander, Fiona's mat… boyfriend.”
Yup… bad idea!
He turned to Calvin with a puzzled look on his face. “And this is-”
Calvin shook hands with the cop. “I'm his cousin, and also a friend of Lu… Fiona's.”
The cop regarded us with suspicion before returning the handshake. “I'm Inspector Chadwick.”
Fiona's father spoke. “He's the one investigating Fiona's case.”
“Yes, yes,” the inspector nodded and turned to me. “You must be devastated by her disappearance. The case is quite… odd, no?”
I felt uncomfortable under his unflinching gaze. “It came as a shock to everyone.”
“There are rarely cases of disappearances in Vermont.” The cop said, still glaring at me.
When I said nothing, he continued. “I hear you were the last person to see her before the alleged abduction. Is that right, Xander?”
This was slowly beginning to look like an interrogation.
I breathed out. “Well, she lives with me not so far off, so… I mean, yes. I was.”
“Where is the exact location of this place you live in?” The cop inquired.
What do I tell him?
Nightfang pack?
I could see that he was already noticing my fidgeting.
The question hung in the air for a while unanswered, while I thought of what to say that wouldn't put us on some sort of suspect list, and at the same time, didn't expose the fact that we were werewolves.
“I mean, I have to know a few details… it's nothing more than protocol, of course.” The cop spoke again.
“We recently moved out of our family house because of a fire accident, so for now, we stay at a hotel.” Calvin butted in, saving my ass.
“Were is this hotel?”
“Hillspring hotels.” I blurted.
Yup… that was a poorly thought up lie. Hillspring?
The inspector nodded, but I could clearly see a faint smirk on his face, showing that he didn't believe me. “Did you and Fiona have a fight?”
“It was a minor disagreement.” Calvin responded on my behalf.
“Moving forward, I'd like to get answers solely from Xander.” The cop said, and Calvin nodded while passing me a look. “What was the cause of this ‘minor disagreement’?”
I looked at Fiona's father, and in a small voice, I said. “We had a fight because… well, someone kissed me.”
If her dad was shocked, he showed no expression.
“Who?” the cop asked.
“My childhood friend.”
“Childhood friend indeed,” He responded with a light chuckle. “Does this ‘childhood friend’ have a name?”
“Dakota Reign.” I muttered. “Actually, she's at a hospital now.”
The cop scribbled something down on his paper, saying nothing.
He turned to Fiona's dad. “We'll file a missing report, and I'll let you know if I find out anything.”
He looked at me one last time, then he left.
Calvin excused himself afterwards to give Fiona's dad and me some time alone. “I'm in the car.”
I could see her dad was incredibly worried, so I sat with him for a bit after Calvin left.
“How's Fiona's mom faring?” I asked to make small talk.
He shrugged. “She's okay.”
That ‘she's okay’ sounded more like, ‘She's okay for now.’
–-----
I walked up to the car afterwards to meet Calvin so that we could go back to Nightfang, but he wasn't in the car.
“Xander!”
I turned to see him waving me over from a distance.
I jogged to where he was.
It was the exact spot Fiona’s belongings were found that night. “This is where she was captured.”
Calvin nodded. “I know.”
He bent down to the ground and raised a stone with some blood trails on it. He handed it over to me.
I held up the stone with my brows furrowed.
What could this mean?
“Someone probably attacked her, and she landed on that stone.”
He bent to the ground to pick up what seemed to be an animal's fur tucked in the grass.
I took it from him and smelled it. “This is fur.”
He nodded.
“It could be from a dog or another animal.”
Calvin shook his head. “I doubt it. The texture feels wolf-like, and I can't sense any other animal around here.”
I sniffed the fur again.
Unusual!
“I can't get a scent.”
Calvin retrieved it and placed it on his nostrils. “It must be masked by some charm or something.”
How? A charm?
“But why?” I was perplexed. I lowered my voice. “Is it a rogue?”
“They wouldn't put in this much effort,” Calvin sounded convinced. “I'm suspecting someone with an agenda. Maybe Loki.”
Very possible!
“We have to find out.” I nudged Calvin.
“Come on, let's head back to Nightfang. This is more serious than I thought.”
–-----
I climbed the stairway that led to my room, clutching a bottle of water.
I was tired.
Exhausted.
Uneasy.
And if we had to figure out this case, we needed to be well rested.
I opened the door that led to my room, ready to take a long nap.
But what I saw had the bottle in my hand falling to the ground and water splashed all over my floor.
It was Nova, fully made up, dressed in lingerie.
She was in my bed!
When I walked in, she licked her lips sensually and smirked. “Hey, Xander.”