It was usually easy in Havenhart. Traffic accident? Sure. Domestic disturbance? On the occasion. But there had never been something as big as multiple disappearances, and something as deep as monster disappearances. Teresa Stone stared at the cork-board, all the smiles of faces long gone by now. As a psychic, she knew the thoughts of every passer-by, every eye and every villain… But she could not tell her own thoughts on the matter. Of course she could pin it on hunters, it was too oddly specific for it not to be hunter-related. Stone tapped her foot as she leaned back, knowing that it would be impossible to explain exactly why these specific people disappeared. Werewolves, Vampires, even the Shifters.

But no magicians. She knew nobody hunted her mother’s kind, not since the witch trials of the 1800s. The market didn’t call for witches anymore, after all, it wasn’t like they could produce thick coats of fur or special venomous glands. Magic became just smoke and mirrors to the humans. Even a few magicians join the sun market since it was easy to deceive your friends and get a nice, soft pelt. There were too many magicians like that, but they weren’t self hating. It was kill or be killed, after all. Although, the sun market wasn’t too welcoming to magicians; they were still a valuable asset for the fact they could be used to get in the ‘inside’ of monster communities.

So far, there wasn’t concrete evidence but her top suspects were Harrison Todd, Joel Stilts and Catherine Bennett. Stone always goes over the reasons for these three people in her mind. Harrison Todd, the human diner owner, was close to monsters. Joel Stilts, the jeweler, worked with silver. Catherine Bennett, the columnist, was always lying about her whereabouts. Maybe Stone thought too much on this, maybe it was because her fiancée went missing a week ago and she still couldn’t find her.

“Anything new?” Then came Damien Burns, her partner. Loudmouth, optimist and a great tracker. Burns laid his hat on Stone’s desk and folded his arms as he stared at the board with her.

“No, nothing. I’m just…” Stone paused, “Thinking.” Her eyes broke contact from the board and she looked at her partner, “And you?”

“Nada.” He shrugged his shoulders, But I know I’ll find something.

“What do you think, Burns?” Though she could always tell, it was courteous to ask instead of blurt it out loud.

“I think,” The man stood tall and straight as he began to voice his opinion, “We’d have a better shot at finding these people if we contacted some of the communities living here.” The reports would be tricky to write, though… It’s just a bridge further up ahead. No worries.

“It’s just a bridge, huh?” Stone hummed as she repeated his thought, sometimes it couldn’t be helped.

“Cut that out.” Burns glared at her and grabbed his hat off her desk, Why can’t you just predict where they are?

“It doesn’t work like that, you know.” It was more complicated than just a thought, it was actively reading one’s mind; which was useful during interrogations, “Not many folks trust me.”

“We can’t keep skirting around this, we need help.” Monster help. Why are you so hesitant, Teresa?

“I’m not hesitant, I’m…” Stone began to trail off, being uncertain of the answer. Perhaps he’d ask again later, as if she were a magic 8ball.

“You’re…?” His tone punched, expecting a clear answer.

“I’m thinking, that’s what I am.” She clicked like the snap of the fingers.

“Have at it, then…” The tall man sighed and slumped towards his desk, hat in hand. Burns laid back in his chair, exhausted. “Hey… Did you check High Aether Montoya yet?”

“No…” She furrowed her brows in confusion, “Why?”

“Lady hasn’t picked up the phone.” Burns sighed as Stone glared at the man, her face turning to disbelief.

“Burns,” She cleared her throat, “You’re joking, right?”

“What?” Am I missing something here?

“Mrs. Montoya is mute,” She stated, “Her husband is out of town and her kid was probably at school. Maybe that’s why nobody picked up.”

“Oh—“ His face dropped. He cleared his throat, embarrassed at his mistake, “I didn’t… Know.” How was I supposed to know that?

“Did you at least call any of the magistrates?” Stone sighed.

“Sure, um,” Oh crap. “I just need to..” She can tell, doofus, “You know…”

“Call Willower.” She glared at him. “That’s the High Magistrate- The vice president of the coven, if you will.”

“Yeah- Ok.” Burns scoffed and picked up the phone on his desk. He flipped through the rolodex as he held the phone between his ear and shoulder, dialed the number and relaxed.

Almost immediately, a man picked up on the other side. “Sweet Dreams Inn, how may I help you?”

“Hey, this is Officer Damien Burns from the Havenhart police department.” The voice wasn’t at all familiar, and very unlike Ashley’s, “Is Ashley Willower available?”

“They’re not here.” The man on the other end was blunt, and somewhat eerie to the Officer. Burns definitely did not want a run in with whoever this was.

“Could you tell ‘em to call back as soon as they arrive?” He sighed.

“Yeah.”

“And I also need your-” The phone hung up on the other line as soon as another word was uttered. “... Well. Never know who that was.”

“So, not there?”

“Yeah. No.” Burns leaned back on his chair, like a ragdoll.

“You should contact the Public Pack.” The psychic suggested, “It would be beneficial.”

“Why me?” He leaned further back into his chair, he dreaded Pack meetings.

“You’re the wolf,” Stone shrugged and continued mockingly, “Isn’t that how it works?”

“You’re still hung up on that?” He exhausted.

“A little.” Stone laughed, then cleared her throat, “Go to Labyrinth Library, see if you can check on the High Aether. If anything, her daughter should be there by now, it’s almost 4 PM.”

“And you?” He asked, though was only answered by a stare. He cringed and sighed, “Right, the board.”

“Attaboy.” She grinned.

“Don’t.” He stood up, putting his coat and hat on. “I’ll go check out the library, but if she’s not there I’m calling it a day.”

“You know you can’t do that,” She said, but he was already halfway out the precinct. She rolled her eyes and stared back at the board, back to deliberating.

Harrison Todd. Joel Stilts. Catherine Bennett.

Harrison Todd had been Havenhart’s number #1 monster ally since the Koziol family left the state. He was cheerful and loved by all, his diner hosted many coven meetings. Of course, any human who frequently communicates with monster is prime suspect. Although, his protectiveness of monsters could come from his shifter daughter. Stone, however, was keen on suspecting him as either a witness or an accomplice to the kidnappings. There was a lot of leverage, a big guy like him that’s protective of his monster family; Stone wouldn’t be surprised if he was being threatened to take part of the heinous crime.

A jeweler who works with silver was dead set to be a werewolf hunter. Joel Stilts was also, unsurprisingly, a proud gun owner; Which made two ticks off the hunter checklist. He was also quite adamant on his daughter learning how to fire a gun, the man was a hard boiled bomb more than an artist. She still couldn’t wrap her head around how someone could make such intricate art but would absolutely yell if someone so much as stepped on a twig on accident. There was a lot of reason to suspect him, and he was possibly the least surprising suspect.

What was it about Catherine Bennett, a mere columnist? She was human, stays up late for a couple nights ogling at anything that moves between the hours of dusk and dawn. If anything, she was more like a conspiracy theorist. For all anybody knew, it was a charade and a ploy to get monsters known to the mainstream. She has written several, rejected, pieces about the possible existence of ‘other terrestrial forces’, absolutely denoting the fact they are from Earth and not another saucer crazy person who wore tinfoil hats. Bennett was a known liar, anyway. It’s not a shock if she helped and wants to expose monsterkind to the world.

Yet it was all so loose. Her top three suspects would definitely have motive, yet there just wasn’t enough to go off of. Only monsters of value had been kidnapped, all around their homes and in the dead of night; stomping hours for most monsters. Maybe she wasn’t looking deep enough, maybe the suspect was actually a monster, or that multiple people could be behind this. Investigations were slow and any suspect that allowed a search of their home were clean. It was harder to document monster crimes, especially when it would be odd to be suspicious of normal household inventory like garlic or silver.

Burns was right, however much she hated to think that. They themselve should have started contacting more of the monster community as they had the resources and they had the knowledge; Both officers were personally affected and yet Stone couldn’t think to move away from the board. All the pins were in the right place, all the photos and all the evidence. All 9 victims from the start of July to September. One would think the town would take more initiative in trying to find it’s townspeople, though with the mayor being a wizard perhaps it wasn’t a shock there was nothing being done. There had already been several search parties with werewolves and vampires, the monsters with the stronger sense of scent, hearing and sight. The coven had yet to do anything. Again, not a surprise.

Most magicians tried to separate from other monsters, it was the idea that they were more special and a purer representation of the elementals. Stone thought it was ridiculous, of course, though she has caught herself entertaining the idea that made her feel important. Some part of her still believed in her mother’s stories, of how the elementals were purely demonstrated through a magician’s raw power. Stone knew how much that sort of thinking hurt every monster, though- but especially to the monsters who have physical features. She knew it hurt Burns and her fiancée.

The coven’s reluctance was unsettling, hopefully Burns would reach either the High Aether or the High Magistrate. The more the investigation was put off, the more the desperate families would call to check in. Some haven’t given up, others were worse for wear and confiding in the possibility they were never to see their loved one again. Though, the coven shouldn’t be blamed, Stone wasn’t about to admit the faults of the government. She chalked it up to the old ‘crimes like this are harder to handle’, always swept under the bed until you needed it again.

Time to do something long passed, everyone in the police department knew. Especially Stone. Perhaps going back to the areas of interest would clear her mind, instead of being holed up in the precinct the way she was. The officer grabbed her jacket off the chair and head out, bidding goodbye to the secretary. Maybe the scene of the crimes could help her connect something, theorize more on how the victims were kidnapped. She drove silently to the location of the first kidnapping; Havenhart’s dentist clinic.