Or, maybe I was a fool, convincing myself of the impossible so that I might feel a bit better about what I was doing. Either way, exhaustion and weariness set in, taking hold of my soul.
I nodded and let the man lead me over to his car. All the while, I was aware that he could kill me at any moment. I tried to stare at his hands to see if I could compare them to the killer’s, but I’d been so busy trying to survive each time I came face to face with the killer that I remembered nothing about him.
The man opened the door for me and gave a silly half-bow. He cocked a playful grin. “I bet Maddox doesn’t do things like that for you. I’ll give him an earful when I see him again.”
I balked. “I don’t even know your name.”
He straightened. “Ah, that’s right. Isn’t it?”
Was I being too harsh? I mean, having someone hound my every step with the intention to kill was a bit exhausting and had me on high alert everywhere I went. To me, it seemed fair to be suspicious of everyone around me. What if someone didn’t deserve it, though? What then?
He thumped his closed fist against his chest. “I’m Sebastien Vance. Everyone around the office calls me Bastien, though.”
I could give him a chance. It wouldn’t kill me.
I…didn’t think.
Finally, I gave a nod and climbed into the passenger seat. Bastien was careful as he closed the door for me. He made sure that I was out of the way then softly pushed the door shut until it clicked.
Playful, he slid over the hood of his car to get to the driver’s side. It made me laugh and smile despite my hesitation. He threw himself into his own seat and cranked the key into the ignition.
As we pulled onto the road, I twisted and peered into the backseat out of curiosity. There was nothing that might rattle around, but I did notice a few dirt smears on the seats. A faint, familiar smell hung in the air.
Bastien noticed me looking. “Ah, I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.”
Panic hit me.
“My dog passed away last week.” His voice tightened. “I know I should have taken him to the vet to get him cremated, but I wanted to lay him to rest with the family. We have a plot out on the property.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
Bastien regaled me with stories about his dog, about how they’d climbed every mountain in the range together and even faced down black bears side by side. I laughed and told him that black bears weren’t the big threat that everyone thought them to be, especially with how used to humans they’d become in recent years.
The conversation distracted me for a bit too long. When I realized that we’d been driving for a while, I thought to ask Bastien where we were headed. I hadn’t given him directions back home. Was he taking me to the station?
“Bastien?” I asked hesitantly.
He quickly glanced my way. “What has you worried, ma’am?”
Once again, I wondered if I was being paranoid. He seemed like such a nice man. I could see why he and Maddox were friends. Yet, I nervously pulled at the rosary around my neck because I couldn’t shake an awful feeling creeping up my spine.
Maddox
Bursting through the station doors,I ignored the receptionist who asked me where I’d been. She gave pursuit, but I was more interested in scenting the air. When I decided that the scent on the paper wasn’t hers, I turned and sniffed.
The room smelled awful. There was too much body odor from sweaty uniforms. The smell tickled my nose until I sneezed.
“Allergies?” someone asked.
I leaned into them and sniffed. They reared back from me. I was vaguely aware that I was acting odd, but the beast in me drove me forward the moment I knew this person wasn’t the one I was looking for.
People called my name, but I continued tearing through the station. The killer’s scent was here. It was faint, like he hadn’t been here in a while. My own scent had faded and could only be found near my desk. It made me go from desk to desk to see if I could narrow it down.
“Good to see you again, Detective Green,” the captain said with a snide tone in his voice.
My job would be on the line if I didn’t answer him. While my beast didn’t care about having a job, I did. It was the only way to pay for rent and food. I straightened and faced the captain.
Hands on his hips, he looked me up and down with the most unimpressed glared I’d received since my training days. He waved a hand at me. “You’re an absolute mess.”