Page 20

CHAPTER 20

Frankie

Melides State Park was northwest of Acheron city and ran along the west coast. The park had cliffs overlooking the ocean which made it popular for people looking to dump things they didn’t want found.

A lot of suicides happened here too and almost all of them were successful thanks to the height of Melides Cliffs. It wasn’t necessarily because of the rocks at the bottom either, but because of the river bar at the mouth of the Achelous River.

That whole area was very dangerous due to the rough currents and treacherous waters where the river met the ocean. Crossing this bar was actually so dangerous that sailors had nicknamed it the Graveyard of the Pacific.

The coastline may be dangerous but the state park itself wasn’t. As long as people stuck to the trails and the viewing areas they’d be fine. The odds of an accident happening was really low based on the number of visitors, even in the summer.

Despite how many came here to hike, no one has died from a bear encounter since the 70s. Black bears were pretty common, but that was about it. Grizzly bears did show up on occasion but it was really rare.

Other than that, the only dangers were human.

I looked up at the trees surrounding the relatively empty parking lot. It was a bright, sunny day but it wasn’t too hot. It was barely 80 degrees per my smart watch and it felt even cooler thanks to the wind.

Shrugging my motorcycle jacket on to hide my gun hanging from my leather harness, I checked the pockets to make sure I had everything I needed.

Soren closed the passenger side door and slipped his backpack on. I didn’t know why he needed a whole backpack, but I didn’t ask.

With his background, it was probably just a habit. Something he needed to feel in control and comfortable in a new area or situation.

He pulled on a black baseball cap and came around to join me. With the hat and no glasses, he looked like a completely different person. I really liked how he looked with his glasses, but this ‘incognito celebrity’ look of his was insanely attractive.

Why were all his shirts so tight? Was that on purpose? It almost felt like he was hoping I’d look at his bulging arm muscles every time he moved.

It was working too. I kept catching myself staring at him out of the corner of my eye.

I forced myself to study the parking lot instead of my rookie, annoyed with myself. I really couldn’t afford to be distracted right now.

Not at a crime scene.

At least it looked like the cops had blocked off the parking lot from public entry, but there weren’t that many people here. Just the forensics vehicles and a few patrol cars.

“Seems like they’ve already secured the scene,” I murmured as I shielded my eyes from the sun to get a good look at the area. “Do you know what happens at a crime scene, Hart?”

He fell into step beside me and we headed toward the entrance to the park where two officers were standing guard. “They secure the scene. Search for evidence. Then document and gather that evidence to identify and prosecute the perpetrator.”

“Perfect.” I gave him an encouraging smile. “What does that include?”

He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck.

Was he actually self-conscious right now? It really was hard to tell with him, but if he was…that was kind of adorable.

“When the police secure the scene, they isolate it and ensure safety,” Soren went on, his deep voice low and soft just like when he’d read through the information Garcia sent over. “They’ll take photographs and notes. Then they’ll identify, label, and tag evidence. Once that’s done they’ll establish a chain of custody.”

Wow, he’s really done his reading.

I stopped a few feet away from the cops keeping people from entering the park and gave them my back so I could focus on Soren. “How do they establish a chain of custody?”

His one red eye glowed under the summer sun and the red fleck in his brown one was like a single rose petal settling on the water’s surface. It was really distracting.

“They meticulously document every transfer of evidence from the moment it’s collected at the crime scene,” he explained, jerking me back to reality. “Every time it’s handled by a different individual to where it’ll be stored or analyzed is written down – who handled it, when and where, as well as the condition of the evidence so there’s a clear, unbroken record.”

“Exactly.” I patted his shoulder and smiled up at him, proud that he could remember all that already.

It was like he’d read it straight from the procedural handbook too. His explanation might even be verbatim. I’d have to check when we got back to the office because if Soren had a photographic memory, that would be incredibly helpful.

“The chain of custody maintains the integrity of that evidence,” I told him as I watched an unmarked police car pull up to the checkpoint. “The reason we need to know about that is because sometimes, we’re allowed to handle evidence that belongs to the police, and the last thing we want to do is mess with the integrity of it. That would cost us our job as well as our reputation.”

“Got it.” Soren nodded once and then moved to stand beside me, facing the approaching vehicle. “Has that happened before?”

I crossed my arms over my chest as I watched Garcia park his car. “Yeah, but it wasn’t our fault. Last year evidence from a case we were asked to consult on was tampered with and the cops in charge of that case put the blame on us. The only reason we didn’t get fucked sideways was because Lucy is insanely finicky about keeping separate records.”

“Should I do the same?”

I looked up Soren, wondering if he’d actually be helpful or if I’d end up doing all the work myself.

Well. I wouldn’t know until I tried.

“Sure.” I pulled out the second phone we used specifically for these situations. “This is one of Lucy’s backup phones we use solely for the cases we work on with the police. Record everything. Video and audio. Take pictures as well. You don’t need to tell everyone, just the officer in charge of the crime scene. Once we have permission, keep it running until we’re no longer in the presence of the police.”

He hesitated before taking the phone from me. “Are you sure you trust me to do that?”

No, of course not, but he didn’t need to know that. “It doesn’t matter. You have to learn either way.”

I’d keep my own recording and compare the two when we were done.

Soren took the phone from me and opened it by tapping the button at the bottom. “This is an old phone.”

“It still works great so why get rid of it?” I pulled my necklace out of my shirt and pressed the button on the flat side of the pendant to start my own recording. “Do you know how to use it?”

Soren gave me a look that asked if I was being serious right now and I quirked a smile at him. “You’re good at computers but phones aren’t necessarily the same thing.”

“I’m just surprised it has service,” he told me honestly. “It can get spotty out here.”

I checked my own phone to make sure I could make a call if I had to. There were only a few bars, but my necklace didn’t just record video and audio, it also had a tracker on it and the only person who had access to the data was Lucy.

If something happened to me, my father knew who to call.

“James.” Garcia reached out to shake my hand as he strode over. “You got it here before me. I hope you didn’t break any traffic laws to make that happen.”

“Me? I would never.” I grinned as I shook his hand. “I’m sorry about the confusion earlier. I never got your email or I would have replied immediately. I’ll have someone look into how the email was deleted so we can prevent anything like that from happening in the future.”

“I appreciate it.” Garcia pushed his glasses up his nose and looked up at Soren, his eyes widening. “I know Parker just had her bonding ceremony, but I honestly thought she’d be joining you. Who’s this?”

I didn’t let my smile falter as I slapped Soren on the back like the two of us got along great. “This is my rookie, Soren Hart. He’s a new recruit with the same skills as Parker. I’m training him while she’s on her honeymoon.”

Soren offered his hand and Garcia stared at it for a moment before reluctantly shaking it.

I may not get along with alphas, but I never had issues with betas or omegas. Garcia was an average beta with above average intelligence. He was extremely physically capable but he wasn’t a normal cop or even your typical detective.

“Hart, Garcia is a behavioral analyst in the violent crimes unit. He’s almost always my point of contact when working with the police.” I kept my hand on Soren’s shoulder and tilted my head at Garcia, keeping that stupid smile on my face. “This big guy may look scary but he’s very well behaved. I promise.”

Working as a beta in a very heavily alpha dominated field wasn’t easy. I knew that better than anyone. Garcia didn’t ever work directly with alphas if he could help it which was why he and Lucy had gotten along so well.

“I’ll take your word for it.” Garcia sighed and pulled a manila envelope out of his messenger bag. “This is the hard copy of everything I already sent over. Once you’re ready, I’ll take you to the crime scene.”

I took the envelope and pulled out the report. “Do I have permission to record audio and video as usual?”

“Yes, permission to record is granted.” Garcia pulled his badge off his belt and held it up for me to record but I jerked my chin at Soren. The beta didn’t hesitate to show the massive alpha beside me his badge. “Are you ready?”

Soren nodded and tapped the phone. “Go ahead.”

“I’m Detective Thomas Garcia from the Acheron City Police Department.”

Garcia stated his unit and badge number for the record as well as the date and time. Then he gave verbal permission for the Genesis Armed Detective Agency to record for our own documentation and safety.

He was a good dude for a cop and I liked working with him, but I had a bad feeling things might get difficult with Soren around instead of Lucy. I really hoped I was wrong though.

I looked over the report done by the patrol officer who was the first on the scene.

An early morning hiker was the one who found the head, displayed on one of the more popular hiking trails. I read through the dispatch report from when the hiker called it in.

Checking my watch, I quickly did the math.

The call came in at 0801 and an officer was dispatched to secure the scene a few minutes later. Officer Walker arrived at 0813. Once it was confirmed to be a real human head and not a prank, he’d reported it and the violent crimes unit was sent in. That unit arrived at 0847 and per my call log, Garcia had called me at 0924.

Roughly two hours since the original call came in.

I looked up at the streetlights surrounding the parking lot and then swiped over to my notes app.

There was an office here somewhere but not at the parking lot closest to the crime scene. It looked like someone had already put in a request for any footage and records available, but I’d prefer to get my own copies if at all possible.

Was Soren really as good as Lucy? Could he get the unaltered files we needed without getting caught?

I eyed him as I made another note using the code Lucy and I had made together one summer. The rookie seemed dependable and capable. He’d even used a paracord he got from who knows where to hang the phone around his neck.

Sure, those knots were innocent and probably used by the military all the time, but the way the paracord framed the back of the phone was a little too artistic.

I was pretty sure that was actually a half-moon friction knot used in Shibari.

Soren’s expression was neutral and he kept his attention on Garcia, graciously accepting another copy of the packet he’d given me. Soren didn’t speak or ask any questions. He just listened as Garcia explained what the crime scene was going to be like and what to expect.

It looked like Soren’s unprecedented silence was helping the beta warm up to him which I honestly hadn’t expected.

My rookie was full of surprises.

It made me question what I even knew about this alpha. I didn’t think he was as bland and as easygoing as he pretended to be. It was almost statistically impossible for him to be so relaxed and unbothered.

Soren may not be the typical legacy alpha, but I’ve met people who didn’t have a single drop of red in their eyes at all who could still use their pheromones to dominate or outright ignore a legacy alpha at their strongest.

That didn’t necessarily mean Soren Hart could do the same thing, but he was still an alpha. That meant he had the same instincts I did and I knew from personal experience how hard it could be to ignore those instincts in modern society.

It was in our nature to protect and provide.

Obviously, personal preferences made a huge impact on who we wanted to protect and provide for, but…

Did he really not care about anything?