FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Zikabar looked at the house from inside his car. This looked... gaudy. It was certain the realtor had called the design contemporary, when pushing it on the new owner, but really. One of the two balconies looked to be concrete and the other brick. He took a moment to consider the purple of the brick, heather, he decided the color actually was. Then the column of wood slates between the two. He didn't like it. It was a good thing he didn't have to live here, just talk with Mister Cormoran.

Zee got out of the car and strode to the house. Why the young Cormoran had chosen to live in a duplex he didn't get. He had enough money to buy the entire block. Zee had done a financial investigation on Denton's friend when he'd first obtained his name, and his money was all legal, a large part a family thrust, another investments, and then his impressive salary at the senior Cormoran's firm.

Martin's address was the left side unit, the one with the brick. He knocked and a moment later a cougardess holding a baby answered the door.

"Good afternoon," Zee greeted her after getting over his surprise. "I'd like to speak to Martin Cormoran, please."

She studies him. "And you are?" She was wearing bronze colored atheletic pants with white piping at the edge. Her shirt was daffodil yellow he decided, and not buttoned. She'd eather been feeding her baby, or was about to.

"Zikabar Malhotra Bodenman."

"And with what law enforcement agency are you with? You're too well dressed to be a police detective," she continued without giving him time to speak. "You don't look sleazy enough to be CIA, and you're too colorful to be FBI."

Zee smiled, he had on his arctic blue suit over a pear shirt. He quite like this ensemble. "I'm FBI special Agent

Malhotra, Ma'am."

She tilted an ear. The baby in her arms started mewing and she rocked him gently. "His my husband in trouble with the law?" she asked.

Martin was married to woman? Denton hadn't looked into his marital status, he knew him to be gay and to have enough orgies at his Senior Cormoran's house to make the buck envious. That he be married never entered Zee's thought. He didn't show his surprise.

"No, this is a personal matter, relating to a common friend of ours."

She checked her watch. A delicate gold and silver piece. "He should be done with his current business in a moment, please come in. I'll go check in on him."

The door opened to the living room, With a couch and two seats facing a fireplace. She went through a door in the wall, just before the stairs that lead to the first floor. Zee stared, the wall was the one dividing the units. Martin had bought both of them.

As he looked a naked armadillo walked by, then came back and smirked at him. He posed there for a moment before disappearing again.

Zikabar had to fight the urge to run after him. It was the same one who had been at Denton's orgy, The one who had dodged all his questions. What was he doing here?

The cougardess returned. "He'll just be a moment, he's showering."

"Thank you. I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."

She gave hi ma small smile. "Tessa." She offered him the hand not encumbered by the baby.

"I take it this is Martin's child," Zee said, shaking her hand.

"Anthony, yes." She repositioned him. "Why don't you go sit down, Martin will be down as soon as he's done." She indicated the seats in the other unit.

It was a mirror of the unit he'd been in. The fireplace on the far wall, a couch and two seat before it, but here they were caramel colored, instead of the sandy in the other unit. He stood by the couch, not wanting to abandon the position of authority just yet. He looked around for the armadillo, but he was nowhere to be seen.

A few minutes later the cougar came down the stairs, wearing a ivory colored bathrobe.

"Mister Malhotra," he said as he reached the bottom step and offered his hand. "I'm Martin Cormoran." They shook hand and the cougar indicated a seat. "Please, sit down." Martin sat on the couch.

Zee did so. "Before I start, I saw an armadillo...."

"Colby, I believe you met him at Denton's orgy."

"Since he was naked, I'm guessing you had sex with him?"

"Of course." Martin didn't give any sign of being uncomfortable with the question.

"I take it your wife doesn't object."

"Tess knew of my lifestyle before she agreed to marry me. She mentioned your visit was about a mutual friend. I'm guessing that is Denton."

Martin bringing the conversation to Denton was a clear sign to Zikabar the cougar wasn't interested in discussing his private life.

"Yes. I'd like you to tell me what you know of Denton's current difficulties."

The cougar leaned back in the couch. "I'm not aware that Denton is in any kind of trouble." His motion pushed the robe open slightly. Not enough to reveal anything, but Zee had the impression Martin was trying to make him uncomfortable.

"I know you were involved in what happened to him in the Spring. Since then Denton had spent a lot of time at your father's house. Considering the number of people there each time, I'm guessing those were orgies."

Martin kept his gaze on Zee. "Am I under surveillance?"

"No, but Denton is a dear friend to me and my husband. You are an unknown to us. Denton clearly trusts you, but I have yet to determine if his trust is justified."

The cougar smiled. "Denton strikes me as someone capable of making his own decisions."

"I have no intention of intervening in your friendship, even if my husband worries about him. But this isn't the reason I came here. I know Denton is in trouble. Someone, or a large group of them, have seen to it he lost the job he adored. He will not confide in us, but I am certain you know what his happening. I am asking for your help in protecting our friend."

Martin closed his robe before leaning in, which told Zee the previous action had been intentional. "Mister Malhotra, I don't know of what you're talking about. Denton hasn't mentioned being in any kind of trouble, and even if he is. As I've gotten to know him, I've come to realize that he is quite capable of handling anything that comes at him."

He was lying. Zee was sure of it, but he didn't have Marcus' talent for reading people. He tried to find something he could use to get the cougar to open up, but he had nothing. He was going to comeback with his husband at some point and have this discussion over.

"I see," Zee said, standing. "I'm sorry you aren't capable of helping me. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me."

Martin stood and the shook hands.

"I'm sorry too, but don't ever hesitate to come talk again, if I can ever help, I will."

Zee nodded. Oh, he would be back.

Martin saw him out, and Zee's phone buzzed as he walked to his car. "Special Agent Zikabar Malhotra Bodenman, speaking."

"Zikabar, it's Johanson. We have another lead, and this one is solid. A call just came in, our killer was sighted not thirty

minutes ago. The team's heading there now."

His phone beeped and he read the message.

"I have the address, I'll head there too."

He slotted his phone in the dash and started the car. The map came up, he set it for vocal directions only and started driving.

His phone buzzed and the ID 'Lover Boy' appeared in the bottom left of his windscreen.

"Hello Love. How is your search going?"

"I cracked it," Marcus replied excitedly. "I found the common link between the victims."

"Do tell," Zee prodded.

"It's your list."

"What list?"

"Twelve of the sixteen victims have the same last names as the families you're looking into."

"The serial killer is targeting unimaginably wealthy families? That seems unlikely, Considering how clean those families are, I would have expected them to be more involved in capturing him."

"No, none of them were rich, but they shared the last name.

That's can't be a coincidence."

"You said twelve of the sixteen did."

"My guess is that your list is incomplete."

Zee thought on that. Marcus was certainly right, there had to be more than the twenty or so names he currently had. "Have you told anyone about this?"

"Not yet. The rest of the people at the brain have realized I've worked something out, but as far as they know I'm still fine tuning it."

"I'm on my way to the latest sighting." Zee sent Marcus the address. "Can't you sit on the information for a while. If we're lucky we'll capture him and we won't have to reveal that I have an interest in the basement."

"We don't have to tell them about the basement, you found a lot of those names on your own."

"Still, it will come up. Since you aren't currently busy, can you see if the owner of the residence at the address is on the list?"

Marcus took a moment before answering. "Farmer isn't on the list."

Zee nodded to himself. "Then this sighting is probably another goose chase. Prepare your report, love. When I get back we can work out how we will break the news to the team that heir boss is performing career suicide right now."

"Don't think that was love. This isn't as bad as it looks."

"Marcus, hun, you warned me how my superiors would look upon me if they found out about my side project in the basement.

I will need a miracle to keep my job."

"You're too good, they'd never dare get right of you."

"You are contradicting yourself. I love you for it. I need to let you go, the traffic is getting heavier."

"I love you, take care and see you soon."

"I love you more than I can describe. I'll be back shortly

I expect."

Traffic fluctuated so much that it took him over an hour to reach the house. He was two blocks away when he knew something was wrong. He could see the flashing light, police and ambulance. Bureau vehicle were parked on both sides of the road and his people were going through the debris of a living room. The entire front facade of the house was scattered on the front yard.

As he got out of the car he spotted a familiar Dependence coming to a stop at the other end of the block. Denton got out of it and they locked gaze for a moment.