Wow, this story is really coming along! It's so exciting watching the plot thicken and get to the important events. The only drawback is, there's only a few more chapters left. Still, it's not done yet and as always, thanks again for any reviews/favorites/follows and/or just simply clicking the button to check my story out. It means a lot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

Chapter 6

When Raven invited Old Man Thompson to come visit the Tower, she honestly did not know what to expect. From his given nickname, she had assumed him to be an elderly, frail man. She pictured a grandpa like figure, maybe one with a white beard, a wide smile and gaping teeth.

Instead, Raven was faced with this… behemoth. This six and a half feet tall man, who made even Cyborg look tiny in comparison. It was a bit daunting, this muscle bound man in his late fifties.

However, not wanting to be discouraged by this sudden revelation, Raven stood calmly in the Titans Tower Common Room, waiting as Robin and Cyborg escorted the big man inside. Now most people upon seeing the Tower for the very first time would react to being either impressed or intimidated. Mr. Thompson was neither of these things. He just looked tired and a bit bored.

Starfire hovered nearby, looking uneasy. She glanced at her but Raven managed to keep her face neutral. Soon, there was an awkward feeling hovering in the room, everyone was uncomfortable.

"So…what did I do to deserve this formality?" Mr. Thompson began, his deep voice breaking the silence, his black eyes darting to each of the Titans in turn. "You kids need my help or something? I'm not exactly the superhero kind. If you're having trouble doing the job I asked…"

"No, of course not, we are working very hard." Robin assured him, smiling while he walked across the room. "I just wanted to ask a few more… follow up questions. It seems there were some new revelations in this old house on Sparrow Lane, something that's more than teenagers breaking in and staying past their welcome. How long has this been going on Mr. Thompson?"

"Ten years…maybe fifteen." The big man guessed. "Why does it matter? I want them out now."

Raven raised her eyebrow skeptically. "That seems like a pretty long time to put off selling your house. Is there any particular reason why you wanted to wait this long? Any secret reasons?"

"Of course I have a reason! I live a busy life!" Thompson said defensively. "I am the CEO for Bob's Used Cars, the shop in downtown Jump City. Do you know how much work goes into managing a big company? I am tired of managing a property I want nothing more to do with."

"You own a used car shop? That's so cool!" Cyborg commented excitedly, his attention suddenly sparked. "I bet you get some great deals on car parts. Maybe you could help a fellow out? A "we help you; you help us" kind of thing? 'Cause I was hoping to fix up my baby and…"

Cyborg was quickly silenced with a glare from Robin.

Raven just rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently. "Anyway…" She added in her monotone voice. "Yesterday, two of my teammates and I went to investigate the house. We did not find any squatters but we did find two surprises, a hidden bunker in your basement and the murdered body of a young woman in her late 20's. Now you understand why that is suspicious."

"What? You don't think I had something do with this?" Mr. Thompson chuckled. "I haven't been in that basement in years! The place is practically falling apart! How do you know it wasn't one of those squatters? They are a shady sort; I would not be surprised if they did the girl in."

Robin put his hands up in mock surrender. "We are not accusing you of anything, Mr. Thompson. We are just covering all the bases, making sure we know every fact. Maybe you know this girl, maybe you know the killer. I just want to check something. It will not take long."

Cyborg turned on the TV and pushed a button.

A quick slideshow of pictures from the crime scene begin to show up. One by one, there was a new image. There was the house with the yellow police tape around it, the beer cans scattered on the main floor and various pictures of the weird looking bunker hidden away in the basement. Finally, there was the picture of the young woman. Her petite face stared up into the camera, her pale eyes still wide open.

"It can't be…" The older man mumbled to himself. "That can't be her."

Raven studied him suspiciously. "So you do recognize the woman? Who is she Mr. Thompson?"

For a man who looked so intimidating, Mr. Thompson now looked visibly taken aback by the picture. He could not even look at the slideshow anymore, he was so upset. Sitting down on one of the red couches in the Common Room, he was hunched over and looked both sad and angry. He started mumbling under his breath; finally he looked at Raven, his eyes shining dark black.

"That woman is…or was my son's girlfriend, Adam's girlfriend." Mr. Thompson explained. "She was such a sweet girl. Adam and Deanna were very close growing up but for some reason, Adam just couldn't handle the commitment or the responsibility of a relationship. He had this weird superiority complex, always thinking he was better than anyone. So if I had to choose, I would bet every dollar I have that Adam killed her."

"That's a pretty bold statement. Was he violent towards the girl?" Raven said quietly. "You seem to be so sure your son did it."

For a brief moment, Raven thought about the picture of the boy and his family. She thought about the baseball bat with the name Adam but mostly, Raven thought of the cold aura that still lingered in the house, all the anger and resentment that festered there, years after an argument.

"It was all his fault you know!" Mr. Thompson continued. "He was so ungrateful! Adam thought he was smarter than me, that he was too good for football or someday taking over Bob's Used Cars. All that kid wanted to do was tinker in his workshop, building weird looking robots out of spare parts. I thought Deanna might help him change, but he still remained the same, self-absorbed person who called himself Adonis. It made me sick, the way he treated his girl and how he only thought of himself. How could this wimpy little nerd really be my son?"

Breathing heavily and exhausted from his long rant, Mr. Thompson was unaware of Starfire's sudden gasp at the name Adonis. Nor did he notice Robin's deep frown or that Cyborg glanced warily at Raven who stood stock still, her expression now unreadable and her body language tense.

"You don't think it is the Adonis we know?" Starfire asked suddenly "The one who joined the Brother Hood of Evil? The one who had attacked our friends after being affected by that mutagen chemical? If it is that Adonis, we should find him and stop him! He is a murderer now!"

"Way to state the obvious Star." Raven said irritably.

"Well then we should do the obvious and arrest him." Starfire exclaimed. "He hurt you Raven! Remember that? How can we just sit here when he could be out killing more innocent people?"

Robin started pacing around the room, Mr. Thompson and Cyborg looked at each other skeptically and Starfire was angry, muttering to herself. Finally Robin stopped and looked at Mr. Thompson seriously. "We don't know if it was your son, but the Adonis we know does have a history of criminal behavior. I also have one more question; did you allow Adam to live at that house?"

Mr. Thompson frowned. "When I moved out in 1998, his mother had recently died of cancer and I did not want to set foot in that horrible place. It had too many memories. I loved my wife but seeing that house reminded me of her and those days of her slowly dying. For some reason, Adam was stubbornly determined to stay there, despite it all. He would do everything to stop me from selling it. He scared off all the potential buyers until finally I let him live there. He was 18 by then and to be honest, I was sick and tired of looking out for him. I haven't talked with him in years, if that's what you're wondering."

There was an awkward silence as the Titans took all this in.

"I guess Beast Boy was right." Raven admitted. "There really was a monster living in the house. It just wasn't a ghost. Monsters can come in many shapes and forms, murderers in particular. If it was Adonis, then he had been released early from prison and returned to his family home."

Cyborg's eye widened and he laughed out right. "Wow, did you seriously say Beast Boy was right? Did those words really come out of your mouth! I think this has got to be a first. Yo Beast Boy! You probably wish you could have recorded that, huh? Beast Boy?"

The team looked around in confusion. Beast Boy was gone and nowhere to be seen.