Chapter 211: Mysterious death in the alley

The next morning.

Erick and Amber were having their breakfast together that morning. And surprisingly, it was a light breakfast, consisting of just toasts, eggs and sausages. Apparently, Amber was so tired that she overslept, resulting in Erick making breakfast, instead. Hardly the one who makes breakfast, thus why the meal was easy and simple.

Once they were done with breakfast, the two left home together where Erick would send Amber off to the daycare first before going off to his own office. When he finally reached his office, he parked his car and went into the building.

Greeting hello to the security guards and receptionist, he went ahead towards his office floor.

His office was actually one of the office cubicles on his floor where it was arranged in rows of twos. It was a partially enclosed workspace with its own computer, office table and swivel chair. Although it may seem packed, it does not feel suffocated for Erick. And since he was only an associate, naturally he would only work in a cubicle and not in an office, like his superior, Murray, who was an attorney.

Instead of going straight to work, he just sat on his seat as his mind wandered off,recalling his father's warning to him the night before. After all these years, why now? It has been ten years. They have been living peacefully, going about on their days with no worries and anxieties. Yet, this happened.

According to his father, someone has died in an alley in town. The cause of death was unknown and the body was found just a few minutes before his father had mindlinked him.

Although Lachlan had retired from the police force, his successor to the position still informed him of things. Back then, there were talks about Fergus taking over the position of the Police Chief once Lachlan had retired. But to their surprise, when Lachlan retired, Fergus had followed suit. It wasn't a surprise to the packmates who were still in the police force. They knew that their Beta would follow their Alpha everywhere he goes.

Moving back to the death case, it was uncertain whether it was a murder or a suicide but Lachlan wanted Erick to investigate the case. The latter had argued that he wasn't certain whether he could get near to the crime scene. Soon after he had said that, he then remembered Hamish. So, he immediately sent a text to Hamish that night as well, asking for help, which his best friend agreed and told him to meet up during lunchtime.

Erick leaned back against his seat, still lost in thoughts when someone had knocked on his cubicle wall. He looked up and saw Murray standing outside his cubicle, looking down at him curiously with papers in his hand.

He immediately stood up and greeted his superior.

"What's on your mind, bud?" Murray asked.

Erick shook his head. "It's nothing." Although his superior was aware that he was a shifter, it does not mean that he should tell him everything about the shifter world. Especially one who has no connection to it, like Amber.

Seeing that his associate was reluctant to share with him, he inwardly shrugged. As long as it does not distract him much from his work, Murray can let him off. He then handed Erick the papers in his hand. "Here, I need you to do research on this man for our next case," he told him.

Erick looked down at the papers and skimmed through. The man in the report was a caucasian man in his thirties with an army cut with a small mole above his right eyebrow. It was stated that he was one of the people who have signed the agreement on the building of the new tower in town, despite the protests and disagreements from the public. It appears that he was probably one of the owners of the building and that he had agreed to the construction due to the bribe funds.

"I need some dirt on him and some other guys here," Murray said, tapping on the papers Erick was holding.

Erick nodded. He was about to turn to his seat when Murray left, saying that he needed the reports on them by tomorrow morning.

Erick inwardly groaned. He wasn't sure whether he could finish by that day. It seems like he has to bring his work home today. He really could not miss the meeting with Hamish at lunchtime.

When lunchtime finally arrived, Erick immediately packed his stuff and brought with him; his notebook, pen, recorder and mobile phone to his car. Before starting his engine, he went to check his phone whether Hamish had shared his location. And when he did, Erick quickly drove over to the area.

Arriving at the site, there was a bit of commotion there where there were many crime scene tapes all over the place. There were people who had come over due to curiosity as they took out their phones to sneak in a picture of the scene. Some of the policemen had to block their attempts while warning them that the area was restricted.

At first, it was difficult for Erick to come close due to the crowd. Even though he recognized some of the policemen as his packmates, he did not want to bother them during their working hours. He then took out his phone and texted Hamish.

Shortly after, a young man walked out of the alley, where the crime scene was located. He pulled up the crime scene tape that was blocking the path to get out of the alley. Ignoring the shouts from the crowd and those reporters who were shooting questions, he continued his walk until he saw Erick.

He then stood in front of Erick, with both of his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a black trenchcoat, making him look elegant and suave. His hair was combed to a side, with his glasses perched on his nose. His face no longer shows the youthful trait that it used to have, giving him a more mature look.

Standing together with Erick, the two of them oozed sexuality and stunning persona. What used to be youthful handsome teenagers were now alluring and striking men.

"Did the Alpha send you a mindlink last night?" Hamish asked nonchalantly.

Erick nodded. "He said I should be of help to this case," he replied.

Hamish was quiet at first and then nodded in agreement. "You probably would be," he commented. He then turned around and said, "Follow me."

After informing the team leader that Erick was a 'specialist' that he had brought over to help with the crime, Hamish led the way to where the corpse was found.

Ahead of them, there were a small throng in one area. As Erick got closer, he could hear them talking about the corpse that they had found, sounding baffled and confused. They stated that there was no sign of struggle nor signs of any blood around. Yet the corpse was pale as if it was drained of its blood with its wrinkled skins. At first, they thought it was a work of a vampire since it fits their description of killing but then again, they could not find any bite marks in the body.

One of the evidence recorders crouch next to the corpse, trying to look for more proof but to no avail.

Hamish stood behind the man and asked whether there were any new finds. The man gave him a negative answer. The former then sent a mindlink to Erick, saying that he, too, had tried to sniff discretely for more evidence but he was at a stalemate.

Erick nodded. However, when he looked down at the corpse, his eyes widened.

"What the--!"