Page 249 of Chameleon Killer

Still nothing.

“Where is his blood?” What the hell was the point of this discussion if he was going to be so close-lipped?

“Mallory.”

“Where?”

“I don't know.” He blew out a breath but it didn’t feel like a forced answer so much as a rushed one that he was trying to play as forced.

Too fast. Way too fast. There was no quick side-eye or slip in his expression. Just the forced breath that tried to tell me I squeezed it out of him. But it was bullshit.

“You're lying.”

Brewster's expression hardened. “Be very careful.”

“Or what? No credentials, Elliot. Currently, no position of authority. What are you going to do? Scold me?” This wasn’t my first rodeo and we’d been playing with fire since the beginning.

“Because you don't know what you're talking about.” His snap turned into a growl.

“You keep saying that,” I countered. “And excuse me butchering The Princess Bride quote, but I really don’t think that phrase means what you think it means.”

His eyes changed. Something dark moved behind them. Then disappeared. This was—Elliot Brewster. Probably more him than he’d been except for that moment in the kitchen. That moment when we let the masks fall or ripped them off.

“The sample was destroyed.”

My smile vanished.

“When?”

“Routine disposal.”

“When?”

“After testing.”

“Date.” That was Flint joining me in hammering him.

“I don't remember.”

I stared at him. Elliot Brewster remembered everything. Names. Dates. Behavioral changes. The number of times I failed to return his calls.

But not this?

“Bullshit.”

Flint's hand came up to rest on mine. My coffee cup was empty and we hadn’t placed an order, but I had a feeling the “fuck off” energy swirling around this table was keeping our waitress at a distance.

Brewster leaned forward. “Do you understand what Simon is doing?”

“Yes.”

“No, you don't.”

Patronizing son of a bitch. “You keep saying that.”

“Because you keep proving it.” His voice had risen enough that someone two booths away looked toward us.

Flint’s expression barely flickered. “Watch your tone and lower your voice.”