Oliver nodded. “True, and when I tried to speak with his brothers they told me to fuck off at the door.” He shrugged. “But what can you do?”
“What about Green?” the inspector said, and now that Blake was looking at him, he really did have a permanent wedgie face.
“Robert Green,” Oliver continued. “Solicitor. Family man. Husband, two children—Ava and Teddy—five-bed family home on the outskirts of West Newton. For all intents and purposesthey were the ‘perfect’ family unit. However, there was one problem. Robert Green was a known adulterer. Couldn’t keep his knot in his trousers. His wife’s words, not mine. Healsoliked to frequent the Nock and Ore.”
“Jilted lover?” another detective said, leaning forward like he was watching an episode of Jeremy Kyle.
Oliver nodded. “Maybe.”
The same detective tipped forward in his chair, obnoxiously spreading his knees and tapping a pen on his notepad. Stanley Lloyd, alpha, and an absolutely fucking prat. “Are you going to find out, or what?”
Oliver flashed his canines, holding his gaze for a little longer than was comfortable. “That’s for you fuckers to figure out. I’ve got the domestic abuse department to run. No insult intended, boss,” he said, glancing towards the inspector.
Blake caught Stanley’s eye, showing his own fangs before tilting his head towards the door. Stanley paled and shuffled out of the room without another word.
“So what did Maginty, Stewart and Green have in common?” Oliver continued. “As far as we know, they weren’t friends and lived vastly different lives. However, theyallfrequented the Nock and Ore Pub. Maginty used to collect his drugs in the alleyway at the back. Green previously met different people for sex, and Stewart… Well, we highly suspect that Stewart had a pregnant mate that he was trying to keep secret from his family.”
“And they were all alphas,” Lily piped up.
“Exactly.” Oliver nodded, and Blake wondered if there was some hope for the young detective yet.
Oliver was about to continue when thundering footsteps echoed down the corridor. Everyone turned and watched as a very out of breath Wallace doubled over outside the glass partition. Blake stood, opening the door and bracing a hand on Wallace’s shoulder.
“Wall—”
“Maginty…” He cut Blake off, breathing hard. “Maginty’s just… Bloody hell I’m unfit… We’ve just had a hit on Maginty.”
Ushering him inside, Blake pulled up a seat and settled him in the corner of the now silent briefing room. When he’d finally caught his breath, he handed Blake a bundle of papers.
“In there. Maginty’s DNA. We’ve had a seminal hit for the Falkington gang rape. Full profile. He was one of Reuben Atkinson’s attackers.”
CHAPTER 23
PRICKLY BUSINESS
Blake
Blake’sentire body went cold. Reuben Atkinson. Reuben. Ru. It was Falkington’s case, so he didn’t know the details of the investigation, but he knew the name. Reuben’s photograph had been on the daily briefing page for almost a month, but with the murders, he’d barely paid any attention to it. Even when Pember had mentioned an omega called Ru, Blake’s brain still hadn’t made the connection.
Swallowing, he looked down at the paperwork. There it was in black and white, a full profile hit for semen both inside Reuben and on his clothing. There was no question Maginty was involved, and now he was dead.
Blake was vaguely aware that Wallace was still talking, and excited chatter began to fill the previously quiet briefing room. He looked at the inspector, then at Mark and Caitlin. All of them were staring back at him as though he might hold all the answers.
Clearing his throat, he was about to start dishing out orders when Lily tapped his shoulder. Her usually tight bun looked uncharacteristically frazzled. “What should we do, Sarge?Expedite the rest of the swabs? See if there's any link to his armed robbery associates?”
Blake clenched his teeth, mind racing as he gripped the paperwork. “No,” he said, brain settling on one singular line of enquiry. “Can you get me the CCTV of Zayne Stewart at the Nock and Ore? The one with him at the bar with the pregnant omega?”
Lily cocked an eyebrow. “Sure, but we already?—”
“Please, DC Jones. I want to see it for myself.”
She nodded, turning on her heel and striding towards the exhibits room. Within minutes she returned, presenting Blake with a crumpled disk sleeve. He plucked it from her hand and began walking towards the viewing room. Mark and Caitlin were calling him, but Blake grabbed Lily’s elbow. “I need your help with something,” he said, steering her towards the room containing a multitude of screens and disk readers.
The disk spun to life, and when the screen finally lit up, Blake sighed. As expected, the CCTV quality was so poor it was impossible to make out any fine grain details. Therewasa male omega standing at the bar with Zayne Stewart, that much was obvious from his height and build. The omega also had blonde hair and, judging by the roundness of his belly, was roughly six months pregnant.
Blake pinched the bridge of his nose, mind reeling. Pember had said it was difficult to tell that the omega he’d met, Leo, had a bump. But he’d also said he was wearing loose clothing, which was unusual in itself. Omegas generally didn’t hide their pregnancies.
Blake watched the interaction on the screen. It appeared cold, with Zayne barely looking up from his pint glass as the omega sipped on a blue cocktail. It didn’t look like they were arguing, and there were moments of conversation here and there, but after four minutes and thirty-six seconds, the omega slapped the bar and walked out without finishing his drink.Zayne watched him go, shaking his head before returning his gaze to the bar. His shoulders held the slant of a defeated man.
