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Sliding the files neatly into my pack, I slipped it over my shoulders and began meticulously closing every cabinet, making sure each was locked and looked exactly the way I’d found it. I retraced my steps as I headed out, trying to make sure there wasn’t a single thing out of place. As soon as I stepped out of the maintenance exit, the door snicked shut behind me — I tested the handle, and it was locked tight.
I exhaled and took off down the alley. I had a long way to walk before I’d feel comfortable getting an Uber and picking up my car near the club. I still had a long night ahead of me.
Just as I suspected,the guards were still at the club when I picked up my car. I led them through a late-night drive-thru, making sure to leave as soon as I received my order so they couldn’t linger, and then we all returned to my motel room. As I stepped out of my Crown Vic, I gave them a cutesy little wave, balancing my Pepsi and breakfast sandwich in one arm as I let myself into my room.
Poor suckers.
It was either too early or too late for an egg sandwich, but I didn’t care. There were few things better than a soft biscuit, crunchy bacon, melty cheese, and a delicious egg. Top it off with a cold soda and I was good for hours — and I might very well need them.
I had nine new files to go through, spanning over the past six months. I pored over each carefully, adding notes to little cards and pinning them beneath the appropriate name. It filled in a few gaps for individuals. Still, there didn’t appear to be any apparent connections between those people outside of the fact they attended the same free clinic — and there was no relationship between any of these people and Cyn. At this point, shewasstill my main focus, which would put me back at square one.
Clearly, the free clinic wasn’t the nexus I was hoping it would be. Even if there was a shifter employee, there had to be something else leading the missing people to whomever… well, made them go missing.
What if it wasn’t a staff member? What if it was a doctor?
I knew some doctors floated between clinics and the thought made me pre-emptively tired. The idea of breaking into every free clinic in Austin made me want to crawl back into bed and pretend this was a bad dream.
My phone buzzed, and I retreated from my wall, grabbing it off the table.Demi. Well, I guess she’s up now.
I sat down heavily in my chair and decided to call her. She picked up on the second ring. “Hey, Demi. I saw you texted. What’s up?”
“Oh, I just wanted to check in with you,” she said, sounding a little sheepish. “I didn’t hear from you yesterday, so I was hopeful…”
I sighed softly, grimacing to myself. “I got a few leads at the Moonmate ceremony,” I explained, “but I’ve been trying to follow up on them. So far, no such luck.” I stifled a yawn.
Demi echoed my sigh. “Damn. Did I wake you, Iris? I’m sorry.”
I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see me. “No. Haven’t been to sleep yet,” I replied wryly. “Gotta strike while the iron is hot, and all that.” I paused for a moment, looking down at the files spread out before me. “Hey, do you remember where Cyn went during the week before she was missing? Anything that stood out to you as weird, or possibly anywhere she went more than once?”
Demi hummed thoughtfully. “Well, she went for a job interview at a local restaurant — Milo’s, I think it is. It’s just a pizza joint. I’m not sure how it went… other than that, it was all pretty regular. Grocery store with me. We went to the pharmacy down the street to pick up something for my mother. About a week earlier, she went out with one of her friends for dinner. I can’t exactly remember where, but it’s probably in my phone. I could text it to you.”
“Sure,” I said, not wanting to discourage her while she racked her memory. “Did she have any doctor’s appointments? I know you said she was in recovery — did she go to any clinics during that time? Any meetings?”
There was another pause. “I don’t remember any doctor’s appointments. She was part of a recovery program, but they only met twice a month. She’d have been expected to go two days after going missing.” Demi sighed. “Oh! She did go with one of her friends who was donating blood. I remember that because she came home disappointed; she didn’t know you couldn’t donate until you’d been sober for twelve months.”
I raised my brows, nodding to myself as I flipped my notebook to a blank page, scribbling the information down. “Do you remember where she went to do that?”
“Uhm, let me see. She said she took her friend for ice cream afterward. Sugar and Ice, that’s the place she likes to go. I think there’s a guy working there she has her eye on, but she hadn’t told me anything yet. I was hoping to get it out of her over lunch.”
“That’s really helpful,” I said, trying to keep her talking while her memory flowed. “Is it a regular clinic or a pop-up?”
“It was one of those mobile ones. It had to be, that area’s a strip mall with a pharmacy, supermarket, and a few clothing stores. I only go for the ice cream.” She laughed sheepishly.
I paused for a second. “Hey, the friend you mentioned — was she a shifter, too?”
“Yes. Claire Coolridge. She’s a member of Silverstreak as well.”
I jotted down the name. “Do you know if the clinic knew they were shifters?”
“Yes,” Demi said again, nodding. “It’s run by shifters, actually. There are several employed medical professionals. I think Remus does it on purpose — his dad started it. Making sure there were doctor’s offices specifically for us.” I could hear her start to say something, but it took a moment for her to get the question out. “Is there something wrong with the clinic?”
“I don’t know yet,” I answered honestly. “But it’s worth investigating, I think. This was quite helpful, so I’ll look into it today.”
“Should I still text you where she went for dinner with a friend?”
“Yes,” I replied. I had no idea if that was meaningful, but I had to cast a wide net and look for any relationship between the missing persons. “Right now, all information on where she’s been is good information, so if you think of anything else, feel free to text it, okay?”
“Okay.”
