11 Caretaker

Selene knew he could feel her scowl burning into the back of his head. She followed Elliot through the Salem Police Station, making their way toward the exit. She could feel the stares they were getting as they passed officers in the halls, through the bullpen, and toward reception. Selene was used to the stares they tended to get; it came with being supernatural beings. Mortals would find their attention drawn to them for some unknown reason. Mortals would find some way to make their stares sensible. Usually, Selene was attractive, and Elliot had a stage presence that commanded attention even when he did not want it. It was something about the way he walked, a confident swagger that came stock with his heightened ego.

Elliot stopped just short of the entrance to reception, nearly causing Selene to run headlong into him. Selene stepped around him and looked at him. "Why'd you stop?"

Elliot held up a single finger, leaning up against the wall to his left. Selene bit her tongue and leaned against the opposite wall. She stared at him, her hands folded in front of her, tapping her foot on the linoleum. Elliot stood perfectly still, watching down the hall.

"Do you have your amulet?" Selene asked impatiently.

Elliot nodded in response but said nothing. Selene breathed a heavy, audible sigh. After a long moment, she resigned and turned toward where he was looking. The hall was empty for a long minute. Two women emerged from a door near them. Each of them had a lab coat slung over the opposing arm. They were laughing, despite looking exhausted from a long night of work. Selene looked toward Elliot, who was trying to inconspicuously watch them. Suddenly, a grin spread across his face. Selene looked back at the pair and noticed their hands had intertwined as they headed toward the exit.

Elliot turned toward Selene, "Now, we may go."

Selene looked at the couple and back at her partner. "Do you know them?"

Elliot feigned confusion. "Who?"

Selene paused for half a moment. Elliot turned the corner and started toward the exit. Selene sped toward him, her scowl deeper now. They passed through the glass doors and into the sunlight. Elliot winced, and Selene watched him closely. When he continued toward the parking lot, Selene was convinced his amulet was on him and working. She followed with a sigh of relief.

"You were eavesdropping again, were you not?" Selene accused as they walked.

Elliot did not look at her. "I would never."

"It is quite literally your profession," Selene said. "It's an invasion of privacy."

"I was bored and thirsty," Elliot said. "It was a choice between entertaining myself or draining everyone in the building."

"The lesser of two evils is still evil," Selene argued. She thought for a moment. "Were you planning on playing matchmaker again?"

Elliot stopped in his tracks and looked at his partner. "They belong together."

Selene shook her head. "That's not for you to decide." She lowered his voice. "Mortals are not something for you to play with their emotions."

"I do it for the greater good." Elliot started walking again.

"Oh, like the monster hunter and my court's princess?" Selene shot back, her eyes narrowing.

Elliot spun on the spot, looking visibly angry for the first time since he had been released. "I still maintain I was in the right. There were complications beyond my control. There is still hope for them yet."

Selene rolled her eyes and started walking, spotting the car across the way. A cherry red BMW she had had for nearly a decade. She managed to keep it in nearly mint condition of the years, despite the number of miles she had put on it. She had worked on it over the years, adding several upgrades and improvements to keep the technology with the latest on the market and beyond. With her and Elliot's connections they had made over the years, not to mention her magical inclination, her vehicle was certainly one of a kind, and the only one currently on the road that can keep up with Elliot Carson.

Selene unlocked the car and Elliot begrudgingly got in. Selene sat in the driver's seat and a moment later they were on the road. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Elliot had his arms crossed and looking out the window at the city passing by.

"Where did you set us up?" Elliot asked.

"A small Bed and Breakfast on the outskirts of town," Selene replied. "Quiet and the landlady didn't ask many questions."

"Is the boy there?"

"Should be," Selene said. She looked over at her partner. "Now that we are alone are you going to tell me what is actually going on? Why are we splitting up?"

"I believe the cases may be connected," Elliot answered, not looking at Selene. "We need to investigate both to see how."

"Why not tell them that?" Selene asked.

Elliot smirked. "The detective will only slow me down. I cannot be sure if we can trust him with the truth just yet. That's where you come in."

"You want me to evaluate him?" Selene asked.

"To the best of your ability. The read I got from him…he seems too close to the rulebook than I particularly like. But you're better at reading people."

Selene shook her head. "Why don't you evaluate him?"

Elliot turned to Selene finally, his face expressionless. "That would involve me spending time with him. I do not believe that would end well for either party."

Selene rolled her eyes again. "I will evaluate him and if he needs to be brought into the fold, he will. How deep do you think this goes?"

Elliot paused, turning to the windscreen to watch the road. "I cannot be sure. From what the boy told me of what he remembers, and looking at the house, there are certainly similarities. Though the latter is on a larger scale."

"Do you think the victims are alive?" Selene asked.

"I caught a scent leaving the house before the detective barged in. It was a few days old but pungent. More than one leaving, and if they staged the scene, they wanted the police to believe the girls were dead." Elliot paused for a moment, contemplating the options. "I believe they are alive, but I do hope they are killed soon."

Selene looked at Elliot, shocked. "That's horrible."

"No, it's not." Elliot said, "In contrast to the alternative, death for those girls would be preferable for all involved."

"What do you mean?" Selene asked, concern leaking into her voice. "Elliot, what is going on?"

"Werewolves," Elliot said. "I believe we are dealing with a pack, somewhere in the area. Relatively young, as well. That crime scene was sloppy, which means they were trying to cover their tracks quickly."

Selene frowned. "But if they are young, why take the girls? It would make more sense for them to act on their base instincts and feast."

"You are correct, of course," Elliot said. "Which is precisely why I am flummoxed. If I had been able to investigate the scene further…"

"If you had waited you might have been able to," Selene said matter-of-factly.

Elliot shook his head. "No, I needed to see it while it was undisturbed. Pictures do not help me in a case such as this. I needed the evidence untampered."

"And how did that work out for you?" Selene mocked.

Elliot scowled. "Not well."

Selene was smiling victoriously as they pulled up to the rather large house. A sign by the road read Historical Salem Bed and Breakfast. A wrought-iron fence ran around the boundary of the neatly manicured lawn. The house was a three-story, shingle-style home. The front porch wrapped around to the side of the house and stocked with rocking chairs and a singular chess table on the side. The house looked like it needed a fresh coat of paint and to be re-shingled, but it would suffice for their needs.

Selene stepped out of the car, ensuring Elliot was following before heading for the house. "I only rented two rooms on the second floor and one on the third for you. I instructed the landlady not to disturb you when you arrived. I also informed her of your all-liquid diet so she would not feel obligated to make breakfast for you. Speaking of," she stopped in her tracks on the steps leading up to the porch to face Elliot, "when was the last time you fed?"

"I had a bag a few days ago, that was the last of my store," Elliot replied.

Selene nodded. "We need to restock as soon as possible. You need to feed."

"I've got that covered," Elliot interjected. Selene narrowed her eyes. "I'm going to take care of it tonight."

"As long as it's not fresh," Selene warned. "With a triple homicide, the town is going to be on edge."

Elliot rolled his eyes. "This town has been on edge since the witch trials, I know how this area like the back of my hand."

Selene nodded. "As long as you feed soon, and you need rest out of the sun."

Elliot nodded. "I will leave closer to sunset and I will be back before morning." Elliot looked up, confused. He sniffed the air, looking toward the upper floors of the house. "The boy's gone."

"Pardon me?" Selene looked alarmed, her fist clenched.

Elliot sniffed the air again. "Scent's fading, heading toward the city. Been gone a few hours." Elliot looked back to Selene again. "Good luck." He headed into the house and closed the door behind him, leaving Selene looking confused.