Page 30 of In the Monster's Wake
Jasper couldn’t think of anything worse.“That won’t be necessary.And while I did go over the archives, hunters don’t write everything they know in those documents.Are you sure you’ve never encountered Kester before?”
“I’d have told you if I had.If you’re trying to find excuses to explain your lack of results, it won’t work.”
Leroy was definitely hiding something, but Jasper wouldn’t be able to get whatever it was out of him.He knew his father.Jasper might be stubborn, but no one was as stubborn as Leroy.“Do I have to remind you that I’m not a hunter?I don’t work for you and haven’t in a long time.I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do, but I don’t answer to you.”
Leroy scowled.“I’m aware.It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do a good job.You agreed to do this.So do it.”
Jasper resisted the urge to scream, but it was a close thing.His father really was a stubborn asshole.“I’m doing everything I can.It would just be easier if I had more information.”
“Being a hunter is hard work.”
“It’s even harder when you’re breathing down my neck and not telling me everything.”
“Who said I wasn’t telling you everything?”
Jasper stared at Leroy.“Fine.Keep your secrets.I’m not a hunter, anyway, so I guess I don’t have a right to that information.”But it would be nice to know if the information Leroy was hiding had to do with Kester or if he was just being an asshole.Jasper suspected that his father had a lot of secrets.Some of them might be linked to Kester, others might not be, but until Leroy wanted Jasper to find out, he wouldn’t.
And Leroy definitely didn’t want Jasper to find out.
Jasper rubbed his face with a hand.“Look, I have to go.If you have any information I need to find Kester, please let me know.You have my number.There’s no need for you to keep popping up at the apartment.”
“You can avoid my phone calls.You can’t avoid me if I come around.”
Dammit.Leroy knew Jasper too well.“Yeah, well, I’m not going to avoid answering if you call because I need all the help I can find to deal with Kester.Just call next time, okay?”
“Maybe.”
That was all Jasper would get from his father, and it was fine with him.He needed to go.He’d told his father to leave Corey and Kerry alone, and it looked like he might.Hell, he probably wouldn’t have barged in if Corey had told him that Jasper wasn’t home.Maybe Jasper needed to spend more time away from the apartment.
Or maybe Leroy needed to stop being a dick.Unfortunately, Jasper knew his father well enough to be sure that wouldn’t happen anytime soon.
* * * *
ARCHIBALD AND BRAITHwatched the scene in front of them.Neither of them said anything, but they didn’t have to.They both knew what the other was thinking.
Kester had struck again.
The scene was horrific.Archibald wasn’t surprised when he noticed two of the police officers throwing up.His stomach churned painfully, but he’d seen things like that before.Unfortunately, they didn’t shock or disgust him.They made him angry and pushed him to find Kester even harder, but how?
He’d been doing everything he could to find the monster.He and Braith had been visiting nightclubs and talking to people.Jasper had been helping, even though he was human.So far, the only information they had was that Kester was in town and that everyone was terrified of him.It wasn’t enough for them to find him, and it hadn’t been enough for them to stop him.
He’d killed again.
“How long do you think it took him?”Braith asked without looking at Archibald.
“Knowing him?It could’ve been as little as ten minutes.I suspect he likes to take his time when he can, though.”
Braith glanced around.“It looks like this happened recently, so I don’t think he had much time.It’s not that late.He wouldn’t have wanted anyone to see him in the daylight, so if he waited for darkness to take advantage of this alley, he was probably fast.”
Archibald wasn’t sure that Kester thought that way.He didn’t plan his murders.He just reacted to things, and more often than not, his reaction was to kill.
There was no way to know what this poor deceased monster had done to him.Hell, there was no way to know what the monster had looked like before Kester had gotten his hands on them.He’d torn the monster to pieces, and Archibald couldn’t see all of them from where he was.
Kester didn’t take any care when he killed.He didn’t think.That was what made him dangerous and impossible to catch.Archibald couldn’t put himself in Kester’s shoes, which was a relief because the thought of being Kester made him want to throw up like those police officers.
“You think they’d let us get closer to take a look?”Braith asked.
Archibald snorted.“Not even if you pay them.They might not care about monsters, but humans saw this.They’re going to want answers.”
