Benedict's POV
I returned to the basement less than an hour later.
That tray couldn't stay down there. Leaving Victor with anything that could become a weapon was asking for trouble. Even starved and broken, he possessed a dangerous cunning.
The steel door waited for me in the dim hallway. I retrieved the key from beneath my shirt and turned the lock. The mechanism clicked smoothly, and I stepped into the sterile white chamber.
The cage dominated the center of the room exactly as always. Inside, Victor hunched over the empty tray like some feral animal protecting scraps.
He had devoured everything. The plate looked as though he had licked it clean. Both glasses were drained completely. Even the parsley garnish had disappeared.
But something felt wrong.
I counted the items on the tray without moving closer. Plate. Two glasses. Napkin. Spoon.
The fork was missing.
