Shifters (Feline english version)

Chapter 21

A discreet knock on the door pulled me out of the state I was stuck in. I didn't even know how long I'd been there brooding. Jude's muffled voice came through the door and finally pulled me out of my numbness.

- 'We have some news.'

Up in a split second, with puffy eyes and a red nose despite the cold water, I joined Jude who was pacing in the living room. Just from his attitude, I knew that I would not like the infamous news. He stopped when he heard me arrive and, good for him, made no comment on my looks.

- 'The bullets are made of an alloy of lead, iron and titanium. Pretty unusual for ammunition according to our dear inspector, but... the problem is that none of these metals are harmful to us,' he said as he continued to draw a line in the carpet.

- 'Perhaps not separately,' I thought aloud. 'Perhaps it is the combination of the three metals that has particular consequences on metamorphs?'

This at least had the power to stop Jude in his back and forth movement. He gave me an incredulous and astonished look that gradually changed, to become apparently as intense as his reflection.

- 'Thank you for your astonished look! It says a lot about the credit you give to my intelligence,' I said, barely joking. 'What made me think about it was that the little piece I pulled out of your wound looked like... oxidized, I would say.'

I shrugged: after all, I wasn't a chemist.

- 'Yes, it has to be... But why didn't I think of that before?!'

He hit the call-back button on his cell phone and I heard him ask Worth to take the tests a little further, then he hung up.

- 'Did you keep the fragment? Worth would like it back.'

I took him out of my pocket and handed him a small piece of folded paper containing the precious piece of metal. He opened it carefully and made a surprised whistle.

- 'It looks like it's been chewed up!'

- 'Yes. Apparently by you! These are the only news you had to tell me?' I asked, full of hope and apprehension.

- 'Worth is inquiring about recent purchases of these three types of metals. See if it leads anywhere, but otherwise nothing new.'

- 'Do you have something to make me "feel"?'

- 'It's too dangerous right now, you're...'

- 'Stop, that's it, I've waited long enough. Dangerous or not, I'm going to go! You do as you please,' I snorted, before taking a firm step towards the door.

- 'Without a starting point, you'll go around in circles!'

- 'Then help me, god damn it!'

At the same time, his cell phone rang again. I stopped and approached him to hear his interlocutor better. This was not very useful, as the conversation lasted only a few seconds.

- 'Worth is coming.'

On that note, he left without a word, nor a look for me.

I wanted to follow him, then stopped myself. We were both frustrated and angry, not the best cocktail for a quiet conversation. So I decided to wait for him inside and took the opportunity to think about our options, which, I must admit, were not very numerous. As I recalled all the events of the last few days, a plan began to sprout in my mind. I needed a couple of clarifications, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was the answer to finally know who was behind all this. I closed my eyes and tried to relax while waiting for the confrontation, which I knew would happen very soon.