Dr. Biggerson and Matt were both waiting for Keegan by the time she made it into the office. The look of excitement on the coroner and detective’s faces had Keegan a little worried. The only time Sarah got excited about anything was when there was something truly unusual going on or she was about to head to a conference. Since Keegan knew she wasn’t going to a conference until next month and the case had by passed unusual by a mile she couldn’t help but be worried about what ever was going on.
Dropping her bag on her desk Keegan looked between the two. “Do I even want to know why you two are camped out at my desk at seven in the morning?”
“Judge Malone granted us our warrant for getting DNA samples” Matt started and Sarah broke in with a wide smile. “And he even is allowing us to take a mold of his teeth.”
Keegan felt her jaw drop in shock. “How did you manage that?”
“Judge Malone doesn’t like the fact an alpha could be using his status in order to hurt his people,” Matt replied. “He’s got a soft spot for supernaturals ever since he found out his boy was a wolf.”
“Huh,” Keegan rubbed underneath her chin as she filed the information away for later use. She scooped up her bag and grinned. “So what are we waiting for? Let’s get the bastard.”
Sarah let out a whoop of excitement as they all made their way up the stairs to grab Detective Cassidy and head over to The Jumping Bean where Matt already had officer’s watching Bryton to inform them if he was on the move and where he was going.
The Jumping Bean was full of the morning commuters and college kids getting their fix before the day started. The group of three detectives and the medical examiner wove through the crowd and made a beeline straight for Bryton’s usual table. He was sharing a muffin with Ethan Newton, unabashedly bestowing his affections on the man who was shifting uncomfortably under the attention.
Matt sat across from the men with the biggest shit-eating grin Keegan had ever seen on the detective. She, Sarah and Cassidy flanked his back and stood tall as statues behind Matt.
Bryton froze with a piece of muffin halfway to his lips. His eyes narrowed and Keegan could see the way they flickered to the diamond pupil and back to the human roundness. “What was so important that the Misery PD decided that they needed to interrupt my breakfast with?”
Matt pulled the folded up warrant from his pocket and slid it across the table “We have a warrant to collect your DNA and a mold of your teeth.”
“Oh,” Bryton plucked up the paper and his lips curled with a silent growl as he read over the legalese. Keegan watched the anger flit over his face before it was replaced with a stone cold look of indifference. “Might I inquire as to why you deem it necessary to have my DNA? Last I checked I was not a person of interest in any ongoing cases in the Misery Police Department. What has changed since then detectives?”
“We have stumbled across some information.” Detective Cassidy shrugged and smirked down at the leopard.
“You don’t just stumble across information, someone provides it. As I am being forced into cooperation then I believe I have a right to know why you believe me to be the perpetrator behind the deaths of the Barr’s and Elaine Philips.” Bryton slid the warrant back across the table and towards Matt. In the process he let it slid across spilt coffee and let the paper soak in it before Keegan reached over Matt’s shoulder and pocketed the damp papers.
“Let me put it this way,” Keegan flattened her coat back out from where she pocketed the paper. “You are the prowl’s alpha, it isn’t any secret around here. So when members of your prowl start showing up dead and you act like it is not a big deal there is enough suspicion that a judge will grant us whatever we need to close the cases.”
Bryton licked his upper teeth, showing a bit of fang in the process. “Well if it will eliminate me from the suspect pool then by all means, take what you need and be done with it.”
Sarah began digging through her bag and pulled on a pair of gloves, “You try anything funny you won’t be walking out of here with all your teeth Mr. Anderson.”
“Now why would I do anything to you.” Bryton opened his mouth allowing Sarah to scrape the inside of his cheek. She capped off the sample and tucked it into an evidence bag before she sealed it.
“I don’t know,” Sarah murmured, “But one can never be too careful.”
The detectives were all silent as they watched Sarah dart into dangerous territory as she placed the metal mould into Bryton’s mouth and instructed him to bite down. Keegan felt the heat of his gaze on her skin. She didn’t like the way he was looking directly at her. As if he were delving into her mind and picking out the most important pieces of her life.
After Sarah packaged up the mold and tucked it into an evidence bag Keegan ignored the wicked smile that curled around Bryton’s mouth. He waited for the detectives and medical examiner to leave before he spoke directly towards her, “The person who should really be worried knows it. Don’t you Keegan?”
Keegan swallowed down the anger and fear he elicited from her as she leaned across the table and into his space. “Your threats don’t scare me Bryton. If anything they show me how guilty and terrified of being caught you really are. I want you to know something. If you hurt any of my people, you will not make it to see another sunrise.”
Bryton clucked his tongue. “Threats like that cause people to lose their jobs detective. You might want to be more careful with what you say and who you say it around. There’s no telling when a cat will be over protective of their alpha.”
“An alpha who needs protection isn’t a true alpha.” Keegan shot over her shoulder as she ducked through the now thinning morning coffee crowd and out to the SUV.