Page 61 of The Devil's Embrace

“I spoke to him once or twice a year,” Calix corrected in a clipped tone, but even though he was frozen inside, he wasn’t fooling either of them.

“Sit down, Cal,” the Inspector snapped, and even though he’d never followed his authority, the soothing balm of having a straightforward order got Calix into motion, at least a little.

He didn’t sit, but he did step away from the body, finally tearing his gaze off the still face that only yesterday had been colored with life and possibility.

“How did he die?” He swallowed the lump in his throat and forced himself to say more firmly, “How did Bruce die?”

Bruce, who had been placed on this table and would later be placed in a casket and placed in the ground. The one person who’d believed in his idiotic teenage self, despite all the noise from the public and the evidence that could have leaned either way. If not for Bruce and Titus, Cal wouldn’t be here right now, he’d be locked up in prison on the other side of the city.

“Where’s Amory?” he demanded before either of them could answer his first question.

Troya grasped the back of his neck, obviously tense. “We can’t find her.”

“She’s disappeared,” Mitri confirmed. “I tried calling her a dozen times, but her multi-slate is off, which isn’t like her. I’m afraid whoever did this got to her, too. The last thing she told me yesterday evening before leaving the hospital was she’d gotten a call from Bruce and planned on meeting with him.”

“It wasn’t a meeting,” Cal corrected. “It was an interrogation.”

“Pardon?”

“There’s reason to believe she’s involved with the murders, either as the killer we’re after or as an accomplice.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“What are you talking about?” Troya rested a hand on Mitri’s shoulder and frowned at Cal. “We’re looking into Rhett Elliot still, aren’t we?”

“Yes, but—”

“According to the head nurse I spoke with this morning,” Mitri interrupted them, “Rhett never showed for his shift last night.”

“What?” Calix swore. “Why weren’t we notified?”

Mitri stared at him wide-eyed. “Amory said she was going to tell Bruce once she met up with him and go from there.”

“Fuck.” Troya turned and punched the metal door of the mortuary cabinet directly over the one that housed Bruce.

“There’s no way she did this,” Mitri insisted. “I know her! She would never! Being an officer of the law is her life! She’s wanted this job since she was in grade school!”

“Yet she chose to stay here and attend regular training instead of joining the Academy?” Troya set his hands on his hips. “Why is that? If her big dream had always been to be a cop?”

“Here,” Mitri snapped. “She wanted to be a cophere, specifically. Multiple paths can lead to the same destination, Inspector. Amory has always believed in cleaning up Emergence streets. Hunting down the corrupt and the monstrous—”

“What did you just say?” Calix stopped him. That word. Monstrous.

The man who’d fucked him in the woods that day had called him that.

Right after Cal and Amory had gotten separated.

Mitri’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Just that—”

Cal’s multi-slate rang then, and concerned it might have something to do with their missing suspects, he answered, not even bothering with the earpiece. “Detective Valimir.”

“Detective,” Titus’s cool voice came through the speakers, “I’d appreciate it if you could come to my office.”

“I’m kind of busy.” The last thing he wanted to do was confront the director and have another weird misfiring of his emotions. Seemed like whenever he was around the older man, he felt strange, and right now, he needed to keep his wits about him.

“It’s rather urgent, I’m afraid,” Titus said.

“So is this. I’m sorry but—”

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