[LAPD] [Bullpen]
Chloe Decker sat at her desk, pen frozen mid-tap against a case file she had already read twice. Her attention was absolutely not on the paperwork in front of her. It was locked, unblinking, on Lieutenant Olivia Monroe's office.
Specifically, on the man inside it.
Inside, Alex was talking to Olivia. And Chloe had no idea what they were talking about.
Dan walked up beside her, coffee in hand, following her line of sight.
"So," he said, lowering his voice slightly, "what's your boyfriend doing here?"
Chloe did not look away from the office. "I have no idea."
Dan squinted at the office. "You think he is in trouble."
Chloe finally looked at him. "I don't think so. He'd have told me if he was in trouble."
A few minutes later, Olivia's door opened.
"Detective Decker," Olivia called. "In my office."
Chloe pushed back her chair and stood, ignoring Dan's exaggerated eyebrows. She smoothered her blazer as she walked over. Alex looked at her and gave a small, knowing smile, which did nothing to help her nerves.
'What is he up to now?' She thought.
Inside the office, Olivia gestured for Chloe to take a seat. Alex remained standing off to the side, hands clasped behind his back, looking far too comfortable in a police captain's office.
Olivia got straight to the point.
"Mr. Wilson is currently working on a new book," she said. "He approached the department looking for real-life inspiration. After reviewing his credentials and all the help LAPD have received from him over the years, we agreed to let him observe active police work."
Chloe blinked once. Then she looked at Alex.
"A book," she repeated calmly.
Alex gave her a wink, subtle but unmistakable.
"For the next two days," Olivia continued, "he will be shadowing you."
"You'll be observing only," Chloe said, directing the words at Alex. "No interference with investigations."
Alex nodded immediately. "Of course. I am strictly a notebook and coffee kind of guy."
Olivia watched the exchange carefully, then nodded. "Good. I expect this to be handled professionally."
Chloe stood. "Understood, Lieutenant."
Alex stepped forward and extended his hand toward Chloe, his tone polite.
"Looking forward to seeing you in action, Detective."
Chloe took his hand, giving it a firm shake. "As long as you remember who's in charge."
He smiled. "I would never forget."
Alex then turned and shook hands with Olivia. "Thank you, Olivia," he said with his signature smile.
"Oh, it's the least we can do for you after all the help we have received," Olivia replied with a polite smile.
Alex and Chloe walked out of the office together and back into the bullpen, the quiet hum of police work resuming around them as if nothing had changed. But everyone was looking at them, especially Alex. The world's richest man, the Golden Boy of Hollywood, was there right before them in person... It kinda looked strange and unbelievable to them.
Chloe glanced at him sideways.
"A book."
Alex nodded. "I told you I was looking for inspiration."
She shook her head once, but there was the faintest hint of a smile.
..
[Later That Day] [In the Car]
Chloe pulled the car out of the precinct lot, one hand on the wheel, eyes forward. Alex sat in the passenger seat with the case file open on his lap. It was a homicide case and they just got the information printed out.
"So," he said, flipping a page, "Randy Jackson. Twenty-six. Professional MMA fighter. Five wins, one loss. Undefeated as an amateur. Recently signed with a major promotion. Which means money and fame."
Chloe nodded. "Or resented."
Alex thought for a moment. "His last opponent threatened him publicly a week ago. It was caught on camera and shared everywhere. The man basically said he would ruin his career."
"Which makes him suspect number one," Chloe replied. "And also makes it too easy."
Alex smiled. "Ah yes. The universal law of homicide. If it is obvious, it is wrong."
She glanced at him. "You say that like you have solved murders before."
"I have watched an irresponsible amount of true crime," he said calmly. "Also, I am dating a detective. That adds plus ten to passive perception."
Chloe snorted despite herself. "You are not getting a badge."
"Yet," Alex said, flipping the page. "Girlfriend is Nina Wills. She is a YouTuber with a large following. She focuses on fitness, lifestyle, and couples content. There's no drama or scandals, which is oddly suspicious. Could it be that their public life is different from their private life?" He touched his chin, pretending to be in deep thought.
Chloe sighed. "You are not allowed to interrogate her."
"I would never," Alex replied innocently. "I would simply ask gentle questions while being devastatingly charming."
She shot him a look. "Alex."
He raised both hands. "Observing only. Notebook and coffee."
They stopped at a red light. Chloe glanced over again, this time softer.
"You could have told me you were shadowing me," she said.
He tilted his head. "And ruin the surprise?"
"You're enjoying this too much."
Alex smiled. "That is not true. I enjoy you when you are mildly annoyed but still smiling."
"I am not smiling."
"You really are," he said, pointing to the file. "You have a small smile on the left side. It's very cute."
She focused on the road. "Keep talking like that and I will assign you to paperwork."
"That would devastate me," he said. "Although I do look good holding folders."
Chloe shook her head, but her smile grew despite her best efforts.
They pulled into the parking lot of the training center. The building was modern and big, all glass and steel, with banners of fighters lining the exterior. Randy Jackson's face was everywhere, frozen mid-punch, sweat flying, eyes locked on an invisible opponent. The other cops have already sealed the area.
Alex stared out the window. "He was a rising star..."
"Which usually means a long list of people who wanted him knocked down," Chloe said as she parked.
Alex closed the case file. "Alright, Detective. Lead the way."
She opened her door and paused, looking at him. "Remember. You are here to observe."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "I promise to behave."
She raised an eyebrow. "That was not reassuring."
He grinned. "You love me anyway."
Chloe stepped out of the car. "Unfortunately."
Alex followed her, still smiling, eyes already scanning the scene ahead.
Officer Sarah met them near the stairwell.
"Second floor," she said, pointing up the stairs. "Third room on the right. No one's been in since patrol secured it."
Chloe nodded. "Thank you, Sarah. Keep the floor locked down."
"Yes, Detective."
They climbed the stairs together. Alex noticed everything without meaning to. The faint squeak in the railing on the seventh step. The scuff marks near the wall where a heavy bag had been dragged too many times. The smell of disinfectant layered over sweat and metal.
At the end of the hall, the third door stood open.
Ella Lopez was already there, crouched near her kit, snapping on gloves. She looked up and beamed when she saw Chloe. "Hey," Then she noticed Alex. Her smile widened by a dangerous margin. "Oh. Hey. Wow. Hi. You are very much real in person."
Alex gave a polite nod. "I get that a lot. I am Alex."
Ella grinned. "I know. I've heard so much about you from Chloe, and I'm a big fan of your work. I've read your books, and they were just..."
Chloe cleared her throat. "Ella."
"Right. Dead guy." Ella straightened, snapping into work mode while still smiling. "Victim is Randy Jackson. Male, twenty-six. Found by the morning cleaning staff. No signs of forced entry. Body is exactly how he was found."
Chloe pulled on gloves and stepped into the room. The space was half office, half training overflow. A desk sat against the far wall with framed fight posters and a half-empty protein shaker. A duffel bag rested near the bench. The body lay on the mat near the center of the room, sprawled on his back, eyes half open, frozen in surprise.
Alex stayed just inside the doorway, hands clasped behind his back, exactly where Chloe had told him to be. He did not need to move closer.
He focused.
The room unfolded in layers. The faint metallic tang in the air that was not blood. The way the mat beneath Randy's shoulders was slightly indented, as if he had fallen straight down rather than been dragged. The angle of the desk chair, turned just a little away from the desk, suggesting it had been used recently. The open protein shaker on the desk. The residue inside clung unevenly to the sides.
Chloe knelt beside the body. "No visible wounds."
Ella nodded, crouching opposite her. She examined the body for a few minutes. "No defensive injuries either. Which suggests he did not see it coming or did not have time to react."
Chloe gently checked his pockets. "Phone is here."
She pulled it out carefully and set it into an evidence bag.
Ella leaned in closer, scanning Randy's face and neck. "No ligature marks. No injection site that I can see yet. We'll know more after the autopsy."
Alex's gaze flicked to the shaker again, then to the small trash bin near the desk. Inside sat an empty supplement packet, torn cleanly down the middle. The label was facing inward.
He did not say anything.
Chloe stood and looked around the room slowly. "He was alone?"
"Yes," One of the officers replied. "Security confirms no one else entered after he arrived. Cameras show him coming up here around nine last night."
Alex shifted his weight slightly. "Detective, may I ask a question?"
Chloe glanced at him. "Go on."
He gestured subtly with his chin toward the desk. "Is that shaker something he used regularly?"
Ella followed his line of sight and nodded. "I think so. Fighters love their powders. Protein, electrolytes, pre-workout, post-workout. Basically, science milkshakes."
Alex hummed softly. "And those are brought from home or supplied here?"
"Both," Ella said. "Gyms sell some. Fighters bring their favorites."
Chloe watched Alex closely, reading him the way she always did. "You see something."
"I see possibilities," he replied smoothly. "Which is all I am allowed to see."
She gave him a look that said she would be circling back to that later.
Ella stood and pulled out a small camera. "I am going to run tox first. If something was added to his system, it should show up."
Chloe nodded. "Bag the shaker and anything edible."
"Will do," Ella replied.
Alex's eyes drifted to the doorframe, then to the floor just outside the room. A faint smudge near the threshold, barely visible. Not a footprint exactly, more like a dragged toe.
He stayed where he was.
Chloe rose to her feet and looked at him again. "You are being suspiciously quiet."
He smiled faintly. "I am being professional."
"That is new."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "I promised to behave."
Ella glanced between them and grinned. "You two are adorable, but I am going to need you to stop flirting before the corpse."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Focus, Ella."
"I am focused," Ella said cheerfully. "Focused on the fact that this guy did not die from a punch or a fall."
Alex bent down slightly before the body and noticed something that a normal human doesn't notice with the naked eye. "Interesting... Do you wanna know the cause of the death?"
---
[POWERSTONES AND REVIEWS PLS]
Support link: www.patr eon.com/UnknownMaster
[4 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers] [No double billing.]
+ [Reborn in Castle: 3 chs- Early access]
--