27. Twenty-Seven

twenty-seven

Spike

"No fucking way," I whispered, my eyes bugging wider as I lifted up my notes, comparing them with the data displayed on my computer screen.

I was beyond fucking furious, but I'd also be lying if I said a tiny part of me wasn't a little sick to my stomach. I almost wished the wise idea to pursue this grand fucking theory had never popped in my head, but after finding that dead cat on Charlotte's porch last night, I just knew it couldn't have been a coincidence.

But fuck, man… FUCK.

Why did I have to be right?

"Where is he?" an angry voice shouted, forcing me to look up from my computer screen and swiftly rush to my feet when Charlotte came storming around the corner. Peter was right behind her, calling out for her to stop. "Where's Phoenix?"

"He's not here," I said when she paused in front of me, her chest ruthlessly heaving.

Aside from her being royally pissed, she looked stunning today in her button-down and black dress-suit. I suppose that surprise office fuck must've knocked more sense in her than I thought. I was almost disappointed.

"He and Chief left to go pick up Karl. They should be back any minute now."

"You care to explain to me what the hell is going on?" she commanded, her eyes narrowed.

She wasn't going to like what I had to tell her, so to avoid her making a scene in the middle of the precinct, I had her follow me out the door leading to the interrogation rooms. Annoyingly, Peter was hot on her ass.

"Sorry," I told him, blocking his access to the hallway. "Unless you're working the investigation, you have to stay out here."

"Come on, Detective Hutch," Peter pleaded. "It's just me."

"He's right, Peter," Charlotte sadly agreed, a frown on her pretty face. "You can't come in here. Just do me a favor and keep watch for Detective Rhodes. Come get us if they get back before we're done."

He didn't look happy, but instead of arguing, he just bobbed his head and spun on his heel. I grabbed Charlotte's hand and then guided her to the nearest door across the hall.

"What the hell is going on, Spike?" she asked worriedly as I shut the door. "Please tell me this is just some huge misunderstanding."

"I wish I could," I said when I turned and approached her, pressing a delicate kiss to her mouth that she quickly returned, my hand on her cheek. "I'm sorry, Charlotte, but it's true. One of the follicles matched with Karl."

She pulled away from me with a hand against her mouth, her skin paling like she was about to get sick.

"I-I think I need to sit down, Spike."

There was a table in the heart of the room with two chairs pushed in on either side. I slowly walked her over to one and helped her sit down. She tucked her hair behind her ears and took in a few calming breaths before her chin lifted and her eyes met mine.

"Tell me what happened when you went to interview Amber. Don't leave anything out."

"There's not much to say," I replied, sliding into the seat next to her. "Her story is basically the same. Phoenix and I asked her about the extra hairs and if she knew who they could've belonged to, but she swears up and down she doesn't know. She also swears she hasn't been seeing anyone else outside of Daniel either."

Charlotte made a face, growling low under her breath. "When did the results come in? Was it before or after you interviewed Amber?"

I didn't mean to, but in that moment, I couldn't help but stare dumbly at her, unsure how or why the hell that even mattered. "When Phoenix and I got back, we were called inside the captain's office and were told one of the follicles matched to Karl."

"And what about the other follicle?"

"The other one didn't pop up any matches in CODIS, but the good news is that it does match the DNA we recovered in Delilah's case."

Charlotte straightened in her chair, her eyes lighting up for just a brief moment. "It does?"

I nodded. "It does."

But then I sighed, looking away from her as I prepared myself to break the rest of the news.

"That's not all, Charlotte."

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked, swallowing hard when I reached for her hands and grasped them tight, worry painted on her face.

"I'm going to ask you a serious question, and I need you to answer it honestly."

"Wh-what is it?"

"Are you without a doubt, 100% sure it was Karl who sent you those texts and packages?"

Charlotte nodded without a speckle of hesitation. "Yes, it's him. I-I mean, if not him, then who else?"

"Okay." I heaved in a breath, trying to think of the best way to explain this to her without pissing her off. "Karl knows you're a member of The Flirty Sanctum."

Charlotte said nothing at first—just stared at me long and hard like she hadn't fully heard me, until finally, little by little, her face fell.

"Wh-what?"

"When I found that dead cat on your porch last night, my first thought was the motherfucker was beyond sick. But then I'd come to understand it was a message. That the cat itself was symbolic, representing the cat mask you wear at the club."

"Oh my God." Charlotte's lips parted, tears filling her eyes. She got to her feet and began to pace with her hands on her head, shaking it vigorously. "Oh my fucking God!"

"I wasn't going to look into it at first. I held off because, well, I didn't want to go behind your back and have you furious with me. But, when Phoenix and I got back and found out Karl's DNA was a match to one of the follicles, I took it upon myself to investigate. Aside from Phoenix, nobody else knows about this but you. However, given what I've found and with Karl being a cop, I don't have a choice, Charlotte. I have to report what I found to Captain Burgess."

"And what exactly did you find, Spike?" she asked nervously.

As much as I hated seeing her this way and knowing that it would only get worse from here, I let out a sigh and got to my feet, reaching for her hand.

"Come on. I think it's better if you see it for yourself."