Page 42 of Sullied Saints

“No,” Dean agrees.

The snow starts to fall heavier, losing its floatiness and turning to sleet. We retreat back into the dark, destroyed hall. “Shit, we could have caught this guy. Easily, if the last creep was anything to go off,” I say.

“Maybe we still can,” Dirk comments, and from the look he gives me, I know what that means.

***

I’m in Tristan’s cell as much to check on him as to question him.

His eye is no longer swollen, though still blackened, and the cut on his lip is scabbed over, circled in a bruise. Judging by how slowly he moves, standing as I step up to the glass, I can guess his ribs are bandaged, too.

“We found him,” I say.

Tristan tilts his head in question.

“The one attacking those women. You were right. He ran a budget gym, the one common place we found between all the women. He’s been arrested.”

He nods slowly, as though none of this surprises him.

“How are you feeling?”

“About the arrest?” Spreading his hands, Needler shrugs. “Pleased as I can be, I suppose. I’d handle him differently, personally.”

“Not what I meant.”

He gives a small, unconvincing smile. “Sore.”

I know there’s more than that. He’s worried about Cassandra, about everyone they ever knew. The ones who hurt them and the ones who helped them. One can presume they weren’t all bad. I walk to his meal slot and put a case file in. It’s thin; today’s, the fake Cocooner. Tristan eyes my movements but doesn’t act, doesn’t say anything.

“Another fake. The scene was trampled. There’s not much to go on.”

“Alright,” he says, which could mean anything coming from him.

My jaw tightens. “You knew the cops would do that to you if I was in your cell,” I say, gesturing to his black eye.

Tristan snorts. “I don’t knoweverything.” I stare at him until, with a shrug, he admits, “But yeah, I suspected that much.”

Sighing through my nose, I press my fingers to the bridge of my nose. “Thank you.”

“Mm,”

Since the gratefulness didn’t quite come out sincere, I decide to throw him something else. “There’s been no news on Cassandra yet. They’re focussed on Dirk for now, and on you.”

“Their interest will shift soon enough.”

“Then help us find her first,” I implore. “We’ll lock her up. She’ll be as safe from them as they are from her.”

“Really? Given thegentleapproach of your force, I’m finding that hard to believe.”

My lips tighten. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

“A lot of things shouldn’t have happened.”

“Look, we know she’s hiding out, probably sticking to one place given her online presence right now. And since you’re so concerned with the outing of your shared history, we can confidently guess that you knowwherethat is. Tell us, for God’s sake!”

Tristan straightens, though he winces slightly as he does. “I won’t tell you.”

I groan. “Tristan, I can’t keep you here if…”

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