Brock's Punishment(9)

Pulling the sheet back, the coroner exposed the victim, Paul Darren. Shaw walked around the metal slab, inspecting the human from various angles.

“I removed his clothing and placed the items inside an air-tight plastic bag so that the evidence wouldn’t be compromised. His wallet, wristwatch, and keys were inside his jeans pocket. Those items were removed and placed into evidence bags as well. I haven’t performed the autopsy yet. I was told the fewer disturbances to the body, the better.”

“Yes, thank you.” Shaw moved toward the man’s head and inspected his neck wound.

The bite marks were obvious to Shaw. He’d seen similar marks before. The wolf’s mouth fit perfectly around the human’s throat. Shaw slowly leaned forward, careful not to touch the body, and placed his nose near the neck. One sniff and he knew that the killer was shifter. The telltale pine smell was prominent, along with a softer note he didn’t recognize. Questions ran through his mind, but he kept them to himself for the time being.

“Ranger, come over here and tell me what you scent.” Leaning back, he made space for Ranger to check out the victim.

After only a few seconds, Ranger stood up straight and said, “shit,” confirming what Shaw already knew.



* * * *



Shit. Shit. Shit.

Ranger walked away from the dead body and paced back and forth in front of the main doors leading back into the hallway. He felt cramped and uncomfortable inside the stark white space. He’d been hoping and praying that a shifter wasn’t involved, but now he knew without a doubt that it was a wolf kill. He recognized the scent. It barely lingered on the flesh, proving that one of the men he cared for and respected had in fact disobeyed a strict paranormal law.

Placing his hand inside his pocket, he carefully pulled his cell phone free. Ranger kept one eye on Shaw and the coroner while punching in his security code.

“Tweezers?” Shaw asked, holding out his hand, and the coroner obliged his request putting a pair on his palm.

“What do you see?” the coroner asked.

“I see a few strands of fur inside the wound,” Shaw muttered.

It wasn’t surprising that Shaw was a good agent. The man Ranger knew years before in the military had been diligent and hard working. He didn’t take time for fun, instead he was dedicated to his job.

As the two men continued talking, Ranger quickly typed out a text message to Gideon Channing, his Alpha.

Heads up. In New Orleans on a case. Dead body—Paul Darren. Killed by wolf shifter.

Ranger hit the send button before dropping his phone back into his pocket. He felt a little bit better. At least now, his visit wouldn’t be a surprise.





Chapter 5




With the evidence in hand—victim’s clothing, wallet, keys, and the fur that was inside the wound—Shaw strode out of the New Orleans Police Department. As soon as he was in the fresh air, he took a deep breath, relieved they were leaving the scent of death behind.

“Where are we going now?” Ranger asked.

“Paul Darren’s house.” Shaw tossed the wallet at Ranger and the man quickly opened it, surveying the driver’s license for the human’s address.

“Okay.” He clicked the unlock button on the key before opening the driver’s side door and sliding into the seat.

From his movements, Shaw knew the man was disappointed and worried. He could relate. He didn’t want to punish a paranormal. Unfortunately, the world they lived in was black and white. A human was dead—the reasoning behind it didn’t matter—and now, someone needed to deal with the consequences of their actions.

He didn’t say anything to Ranger as the man drove. There weren’t any words that would make the job easier. Being an agent came with a price. You couldn’t turn a blind eye, even if the person in question was a friend or family. It took only minutes to reach a small house. Ranger pulled the car along the curb and shut the engine off.

“Do you want to wait here?” Shaw offered.

“No,” Ranger whispered as he got out of the car.

They walked side by side to the front door. Shaw removed the tape that ran along the doorframe before pushing the door open. The smell of industrial cleaners assaulted his nose and burned his sinuses before he could even step back.

“Wow,” Ranger murmured.

“It’s a cleanup. That means this is the crime scene.”

“I guess we can’t consider this self-defense.”

“A shifter against a human.” Shaw shook his head. “It won’t be considered self-defense.” For the most part that was true. Shifters and other paranormals were stronger and faster. They could easily overpower a human or get away from a situation. “Unless the human has a gun and clear intention to do harm and the shifter can’t physically remove themselves from the situation. Unfortunately, the laws against paranormals aren’t similar to human laws. We’re supposed to be smarter, that’s why the consequences are harsh.”