Page 11

Calix swore under his breath and stared down at the spilled contents of the takeout container now frying on the hot asphalt of the hospital parking lot. They were still working with nothing and Troya had called to tell him he should meet up with Aodhan to see if anything else had happened once he’d left the party that night.

Eventually, Cal had told him some of the events, realizing staying quiet would only make him appear suspicious. He’d left out everything about the merman and the gruesome live mutilation, but had mentioned the masks and the weird aphrodisiac drug. Troya had joked that perhaps that was the reason Calix hadn’t wanted to share, and he’d let the Inspector believe what he wanted to.

Did that make him a bad person?

A man—with a tail—had been brutally tortured right in front of him, and not only had Cal sat there through it all, he hadn’t even reported it after the fact.

He wasn’t even sure he was planning on reporting it now, though he’d at least scheduled a meeting with Bruce, who was otherwise engaged with other crimes going on in the city. If he confessed to the chief what he’d witnessed, Aodhan would no doubt be called in for questioning. There was no reason for Calix to want to prevent that, aside from the fact he’d saved him that night at the reunion.

Cal believed strongly in karma.

Which was why he was standing there, forlornly staring down at his ruined lunch when the director of the hospital snuck up on him.

“Unfortunate,” Titus Mercer’s voice was cool, like icy spring water on a hot summer day, and before he realized it, Calix’s body was reacting.

A shiver passed down his spine, and his gaze snapped over to where the older man was standing on the sidewalk. He’d seen photos of him in the hospital and in the information packet about the case, but the pictures hadn’t done him justice. Neither, apparently, had Cal’s memories because he was looking a thousand times better than even his recollections.

Titus was tall with silky black hair he’d styled in a side part. He had on a pair of thick rimmed glasses and eyes so green Cal felt like he was being swallowed up by a deep, dark forest the longer he gazed into them. His charcoal pants were pressed, and he had a brown suit jacket over a dark turtleneck.

The last time he’d stood before Titus, Calix had just been found not guilty in a crowded courtroom. He didn’t want to be reminded of that awful time. Didn’t want the weight of the things he’d done back then to crush him even more than they already did. That was another reason he’d jumped at the opportunity to go to the Academy. To escape the people who thought they knew him.

And the people who’d maybe gotten close enough to catch a glimpse.

“Aren’t you hot?” the words burst off his tongue, and he snapped his mouth shut too late to stop them.

The corner of Titus’s lips twitched, but otherwise, he gave no reaction.

“It’s just,” like an idiot, Calix pointed up at the sun blazing overhead, “it’s basically summer.”

“The hospital has impeccable air conditioning, I assure you.” The Director glanced pointedly at the food on the ground between them. “It appears you’ve lost your lunch, Detective.”

“It slipped out of my hand,” he admitted with a shrug. “I’m clumsy.”

For some reason, Titus found that funny and didn’t even attempt to hold back his grin, chuckling before adjusting his glasses.

Cal didn’t know what to say, so he just continued to stare while the other man laughed at him.

“Would you like to accompany me?” Titus offered then. “I was actually just on my way to the hospital’s cafeteria. You might be surprised to learn the food we offer isn’t half bad. Certainly better than,” he motioned to the spilled lunch again, “scooping that up and trying your luck.”

“I’m actually here on business,” Calix said.

“If you’re here to meet with Doctor Solace, you’ll be forced to wait anyway. He’s currently in the middle of surgery.”

Cal’s shoulders tensed before he could help it, mind going to all the horrible things that might have happened to him at that party after he’d just left him there.

Titus laughed at him again. “He’s conducting an operation, Detective. He’s a heart surgeon, if you recall.”

“Yes.” He cleared his throat then forced himself to smile self deprecatingly, knowing people liked that shit. Liked it when they felt they had the upper hand and thought you knew it. “I apologize. Apparently I’m destined to play the fool in front of you.”

“You can make it up to me by accepting my lunch offer,” Titus motioned with the expensive leather briefcase in his right hand toward the hospital entrance. “Shall we?”

“Yeah, sure.” Not seeing any reason to refuse, Cal followed the director into the building. “I’ve been hoping to meet with you, so this works out.”

Not.

“Did Inspector Troya leave our interview unsatisfied?” The cafeteria wasn’t far from the entrance, and he moved them off to the left and down a single hallway.

“No, nothing like that,” Calix reassured. “I just like to speak with everyone personally, as the detective on the case.” That was a bold-faced lie. He’d been glad the job had been given to Troya and he’d been spared, but now that they’d run into each other like this, the need to save face was overwhelming.

Cal had always struggled with that though. With how other people perceived him. He’d been a loner through most of school because it’d been simpler than letting people in. It wasn’t like he was going to invite them over to hang out at the orphanage, and even with his part-time job in high school, he’d never had enough coin to spend frivolously.

It’d been easier to keep to himself, to not draw attention so the old taunts from when he and his classmates had been younger didn’t start up again. Many of his childhood memories were of him crying in Sister Grace’s arms, her reassuring him that the other kids were just being cruel, reminding him that his parents hadn’t left because they’d wanted to.

Then there was that whole thing in the locker room that Nero had walked in on. One mistake, one slip, had led to another.

Had led to his foot on the gas.

“You don’t seem like the chatty type,” the director said as they entered the cafeteria, leading him over to the selection station. “Perhaps you could teach Doctor Solace the importance of silence.”

Calix quirked a brow. “You two don’t get along?”

“Oh, on the contrary, Aodhan gets along with everybody. That’s the problem. Nurses, patients, even members of the cleaning staff, he’ll talk their ears off if they let him.” Titus selected a sandwich and moved down the line.

“Sounds like you guys should switch positions,” Cal replied, reaching for a salad, only to hesitate when an uncomfortable feeling he couldn’t identify settled in his gut. Maybe he was hungrier than he thought. He grabbed one of the sandwiches from the tray Titus had gotten his from instead.

“Here.” Titus held out a zip berry soda, one already set on his tray.

Caliz opened his mouth to reject it, originally wanting water, then changed his mind when the soda suddenly seemed appealing. He took the can and added a cookie to his tray for good measure. Maybe he needed sugar.

Without asking, Titus paid for both of them at the end of the line, scanning his multi-slate before Cal could even think to stop him.

“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll get it next time.”

The director merely smiled and brought them over to a table set in the corner of the large cafeteria, away from the more crowded areas. He took a seat and waited for Cal to do the same before asking, “What makes you think we should switch jobs?”

For a moment, he was blank, then he remembered what they’d been talking about and he shrugged. “Aren’t directors supposed to keep everything running smoothly? Seems like there’d be a lot of socializing involved with that.”

“Ah.” Titus popped open his soda can and then offered it to Calix, taking the one off his tray when Cal frowned but accepted. “That’s true. Most of my day is spent dealing with one problem or another. Alas, I was never very good with hearts.”

Cal took a sip from the drink, setting it down to open his sandwich and decided to overlook the kind—yet weird—gesture. He’d never had anyone open a soda for him before, and it was becoming more and more apparent that Titus was good at the socializing part of his job, even if he didn’t particularly enjoy it.

“Just brains, right?” Calix quipped.

“You have no idea.”

“Why’d you give it up?”

“You mean why stop if I was so good at it?” Titus shrugged. “I still do the occasional surgery. Was that not in your report?”

“We didn’t get a full report on you,” he said. “You aren’t a suspect.”

“You don’t think I’m capable of sawing people’s heads off?” the director joked.

“I didn’t say that.” Cal ate his cookie and then confessed, “I don’t really know enough about you to say whether you are or aren’t capable of that sort of thing.”

“Sort of thing?”

“Committing a crime of that magnitude.”

“Murder.” Titus wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned back in his chair, fingers strumming on the tabletop next to his half-finished sandwich. “It’s definitely a messy affair. I’m a bit of a neat freak. A bit…particular, one might put it.”

That unsettling feeling in his gut was starting to return, only Calix no longer thought it was due to hunger. His skin prickled, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to rise, but he couldn’t pull his eyes off the director, almost as though instinct kept his gaze on the other man.

On the potential threat? Why? His reaction made little sense, but Cal wasn’t about to ignore it.

“I heard most of Aodhan’s department went on that trip to Vitality,” he kept his tone casual. “Did you happen to go with them?”

“It was Aodhan’s brother’s wedding,” Titus told him. “I got an invitation, and I attended, yes.” He tipped his head. “Why do you ask, Detective?”

“Just wondering if you happened to notice anything strange while you were there.”

“I believe I already answered questions along those lines the other day, or did your Inspector not share his notes?”

Troya had mentioned he’d gotten the creeps from Titus, but like an idiot, Cal was only now recalling that detail. Was this what he’d meant? Nothing had changed, they were still sitting in the cafeteria, hardly alone even though there wasn’t anyone near enough to risk being listened in on, and yet Calix couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off…

Wrong.

“Are you feeling all right?” Titus asked. “Your demeanor has changed. Is it the food? Did something not agree with you?” He lifted the top piece of bread off of his own sandwich, inspecting the ingredients. “It looks fresh, so that shouldn’t be it.”

As the director spoke, the anxiousness he’d felt slipped away, slowly at first, noticeably. By the time Titus had pieced his sandwich back together, the feeling was gone altogether.

What the hell?

“What’s going on?” Aodhan walked up to their table, hands stuffed into the front pockets of a white lab coat. He was clearly displeased, his lips pursed into a thin line as he practically glared at the man seated across from Cal.

Titus crossed his legs and rested his folded hands in his lap. “Doctor, have you finished with Mrs. Grayson already? Record time.”

“What are you doing?”

Calix glanced between the two of them, sensing the hostility. Guess they really didn’t get along after all. He stood and reached out, placing a hand on Aodhan’s arm. “I’m here for you, actually. There are some things we need to discuss.”

His multi-slate rang then, interrupting their conversation. Amory’s name flashed across the screen, and he popped out the earbud attachment and put it into his left ear before accepting the call.

“Hey, I think you should get down to the corner of Prix and Dash,” her voice came through, the sound of sirens whirring in the background. “There’s been a murder but…Look, just come, okay?”

“I’m at the hospital,” Calix said. “I can be there in ten.”

“Pull into the back of the diner,” she instructed.

“Got it.” He turned to the others as soon as Amory hung up. “I have to go. Thanks for lunch, Director. Doctor—”

“We’ll talk later,” Aodhan offered.

“Thanks.”

Calix only glanced back once before leaving the cafeteria, frowning when he saw Aodhan had taken his seat across from Titus.

The annoyed expression remained on the doctor’s face, yet the director appeared unfazed. If anything, he seemed…intrigued.