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Authors: Carol Lynne,T. A. Chase

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BOOK: Dracul's Revenge 02: Anarchy in Blood
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ANARCHY IN BLOOD

Carol Lynne & T.A. Chase

91

Considering how many cuts Gray imagined were on the body, he wasn’t shocked to hear there was blood on the napkin. He was surprised the killer had missed something as easy as that.

“Didn’t the lab techs find out the killer washed the bodies before he dumped them?”

A shuffling of paper let him know Kaplan was going through his own files.

“Hmmm...you know, you’re right. Then why?”

“Why would he have forgotten to check to make sure he hadn’t left any evidence behind?”

“Oh wait. Bert just faxed me some pictures.” Kaplan coughed. “It seems like the asshole didn’t clean this one up before he dumped him. If he didn’t do that, then it could explain how the napkin got missed.”

Okay. That was odd. Had the killer gotten interrupted in the middle of his torture and decided to get rid of the victim before he got caught? Or had someone gotten close to his hiding spot and frightened the man?

Gray shook his head. That didn’t make any sense at all. As meticulously cleaned as the other bodies had been when they were found, something really drastic would have had to happen for the killer to change his M.O. so radically. It was confusing, and ultimately, nothing Gray needed to worry about.

“Was the newest one a blond young gay male?”

“Well, he was young, male, and blond. Whether he was gay or not, I can’t tell you. They only just identified him. I can tell you that there were signs of him having engaged in sexual intercourse very close to his death. Now, I have no way of knowing whether it was consensual or not. Considering the fact that the perp tortured him, I’m thinking he wasn’t in any condition or place to protest what was being done to him.”

“Fuck. I’d love to get a hold of this bastard in a dark alley and choke the living shit out of him,” Gray muttered, his rage building until his hands shook with it.

“I agree, only I have to admit, I’d probably slit his throat and watch him bleed out like he did with his victims.”

Gray didn’t doubt that if Kaplan were ever to run into the murderer, he would kill him as slowly and painfully as the man seemed to be dispatching his victims. The deep streak of ruthlessness running through Kaplan was one of the things that made him a good soldier and a great investigator.

ANARCHY IN BLOOD

Carol Lynne & T.A. Chase

92

“Tell me what you’ve found out about the photographs and the person who leaked them to the media.”

More shuffling and Kaplan grunted. “I have some feelers out to some of the celebrity photographers I know.”

“Meaning paparazzi?”

He could almost see Kaplan roll his eyes.

“Yes. If anyone can tell me who took those photos, it would be one of them. Or they can point me in the right direction. They weren’t taken with a phone or anything like that.

They’re too crisp, so I’m thinking it was a digital camera. What we need to figure out is if they were taken as part of the event or was someone already targeting Douglas.”

Standing, Gray paced the length of his living room. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Considering we believe the person behind the release of the photos was Broomfield, I think it’s a logical leap to believe he was already working on getting something to expose the President. Never hurts to have blackmail material, even when the person you’re blackmailing is the most powerful man in the country.”

“Doesn’t say much for the intelligence of the V.P. and those backing him,” Kaplan muttered.

Gray snorted his agreement, but then again, he never had much faith in Broomfield’s general humanity overall. After seeing how the man had reacted when Douglas confronted him the previous night really drove home how full of hate and bigotry Broomfield was.

“Oh, by the way, Douglas had an argument with Broomfield last night, while the Senate Majority Leader was in the room.”

“Holy fuck! What kind of game is Douglas playing? Broomfield isn’t a man to piss off.

Douglas might be the President, but if he wants to be more than a one-term wonder, he’ll need the right people to support him in the next election.”

Shrugging even though he knew Kaplan couldn’t see him, Gray suggested, “Maybe he’s finally tired of living a lie and thinks the country’s ready for the truth. Or he simply enjoys pissing Broomfield off and knows this could just push the man over the edge.”

“Could it be a very high edge he gets pushed over?” Kaplan laughed.

“And I’d like to be the one who pushes him off, just to make sure it gets done right,”

Gray joked.

“I think there would be a line of people wanting that job.”

ANARCHY IN BLOOD

Carol Lynne & T.A. Chase

93

“True.” Gray exhaled sharply. “Okay, so all you can tell me at the moment is that the photos were taken with a real camera, not a phone. That helps us because at events like these, the photographers have to register and get passes. It should be easy to track down which one was at both.”

“I’ll get Tina working that angle. She was having dinner with Gus last night, but I haven’t heard back from her yet. Don’t know if he gave her anything or not.”

Gray couldn’t resist. “He could have given her something that she’s not interested in talking to you about.”

“Fuck you,” Kaplan snapped. “Have a good day, boss. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

“Bright and early.”

Kaplan hung up and Gray set his phone on the end table before heading back into the kitchen to finish making his tea. As he turned the heat back on under the tea kettle, he went back over what Kaplan had told him.

Things were escalating at an alarming rate. The fourth body in almost as many days, and this time it was more violent. Gray wasn’t sure if they would find anything on that napkin stuck in the victim’s mouth, but if they did, it might mean a break-through for the case.

His own case, or at least his company’s case for Aaron was moving along as well. Now that they knew it was a professional camera that had taken the photos, they could narrow their search down. Find out who the hell thought they could get away with something like that and why they did it in the first place. Both pictures leaked to the press were misleadingly intimate photos, taken out of their context to incriminate the President for some reason.

His tea ready, he went back to the living room and flopped down on the couch, taking care not to spill the hot liquid on himself. He leant his head back and closed his eyes. Maybe a nap was in order, just in case Aaron broke free at some point that night and they could spend some more time together.

ANARCHY IN BLOOD

Carol Lynne & T.A. Chase

94

Chapter Eight

Satisfied that his plan was working, he sat back in his chair and sipped at a glass of real wine. The holy wine, as he liked to think of it, was almost gone and he still had work yet to be done.

I wonder what would happen if I mixed the holy wine with a regular bottle? Would it give me
the edge I need without being full-strength?
Although the original idea had been to use the holy wine only long enough to execute his plan, he enjoyed the way it made him feel.

He stood and walked over to the hidden wall safe and extracted his humidor. Carrying it back to his chair, he opened the elegantly carved wooden box and removed three vials of blood, one from each of his dead lovers.

Licking his lips at the tempting sight, he settled them back into the velvet-lined box.

“Someday,” he whispered. He made a mental note to contact the fellow Knight he’d hired to try and recreate the holy wine. Hopefully Armand would give him some good news. He’d found himself rather addicted to the power the holy wine evoked.

A knock at the door startled him. “One moment.”

He quickly shoved the humidor onto the expansive bookshelf. “Come in.”

* * * *

Exhausted, Aaron climbed between the sheets and waited for Gray to join him. It was almost one in the morning, not especially late, but after the day he’d had, Aaron was wiped out.

Gray pressed against Aaron’s back and began kissing his neck. Although Aaron loved Gray’s attention, he was simply too tired to reciprocate. Still, Gray’s body was warm and strong, and Aaron wished he had more energy.

“Something wrong?” Gray whispered in Aaron’s ear.

“No. I’m just tired. Does that make you mad?”

Gray scooted away before rolling Aaron onto his back. Leaning up on one elbow over Aaron, Gray kissed him. “This isn’t all about sex for me.” Gray grinned. “That’s a fantastic ANARCHY IN BLOOD

Carol Lynne & T.A. Chase

95

perk, don’t get me wrong, but I know sex every night for the next fifty years is a little much to ask for.”

Aaron smiled. Spending every night with Gray had a nice ring to it whether they had sex or not. He turned onto his side and wrapped an arm around Gray’s waist. All afternoon something had been weighing on him. “Does it bother you that I didn’t give you the details on the most recent victim?”

Gray shook his head. “I know you didn’t keep anything from me just to be a prick. You had your reasons, and I respect that. There’ll be times when I’ll have to do the same.”

Aaron nodded in understanding before snuggling back in. He hated that their Sunday had been cut short, but he hoped there would be plenty of Sundays to come. Leaving Rick alone at the end of the night had been hard, but with rumours flying, everyone involved felt it was the prudent thing to do. He’d spent the evening watching movies with Rick and Nathan, the two men sharing stories of their time spent in University together. Aaron hadn’t known until that evening how deep the bond between the men ran.

He drifted to sleep with the faint smell of tobacco drifting past his nose every time Gray exhaled.

* * * *

Aaron opened for Gray’s delving tongue. He moaned as he tried to push himself further into Gray’s embrace, needing more than the confines of the car allowed. “Let’s call in sick.”

Gray chuckled. “Neither of us are the type, and you know it.”

Aaron stared at the handsome face of the man he was falling head over heels for. Now that he’d finally found someone he wanted to spend all his time with, his life wasn’t even his own. “Maybe I’ll get lucky and Rick won’t need me to stay late.”

Gray leant in and gave Aaron another kiss. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Just call me when you’re ready to leave.”

With one last kiss, Aaron was out of the car and back to work. He made his way through security and past a larger than normal Secret Service detail. The hair on the back of his neck prickled as he walked towards his office.
What the hell’s going on?

ANARCHY IN BLOOD

Carol Lynne & T.A. Chase

96

A growling Dudley met him when he entered.
Oh shit.
If the dog was there, so was Larissa. Aaron glanced at Janice. “What’s with all the extra Secret Service?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s not good. Benjamin Wetherby was here when I came in and soon after, the First Lady arrived.”

Aaron took off his coat and hung it in the small closet. “Is Cameron in there as well?”

“No. I believe Mr. James went back to his office.”

Aaron nodded and headed for the door. “Then that’s where I’ll be if anyone’s looking for me.”

He quickly walked down the hall and knocked on Cameron’s outer door, deciding to bypass the Chief of Staff’s secretary. “Sir? It’s, Aaron.”

The door opened and a haggard-looking Cameron beckoned him inside.

“What’s going on?” Aaron asked, taking the offered seat.

“Blaine Matthews gave a statement to the police,” Cameron sighed, sitting behind his desk.

“What?” Aaron’s mind went to the large red-haired Secret Serviceman who’d spoken ill of the President a week earlier. “I thought there was an unspoken rule that the security detail kept the President’s secrets.”

Cameron nodded. “There is. Matthews went to Wetherby two days ago and told him about Rick’s disappearances. Wetherby told him to shut up and do his job. Evidently Matthews didn’t like that response because Benjamin found a letter of resignation on his desk this morning along with an admission that Blaine was going to the police with his information.”

“I don’t understand why he’d go to the police. Does this have to do with the rumours surrounding Rick’s sexuality? Did Matthews see something?”

Cameron shook his head. “I don’t know if he saw anything or not. According to Wetherby, Blaine thinks Rick’s disappearances are tied into the murders.”

“What?! That’s crazy.”

Cameron pulled a sheet of paper out of his desk drawer and handed it across the desk.

“These are the dates Matthews gave Wetherby.”

Aaron took the paper and scanned the list of dates. A few of them were more than six months old. “What the hell? Has he been keeping a fucking log or something?”

“Apparently,” Cameron mumbled, running his fingers through his hair.

ANARCHY IN BLOOD

Carol Lynne & T.A. Chase

97

Aaron shook his head as he continued to read over the list. “I just don’t understand.

Why would Matthews go to the police with this? Rick’s already told Wetherby that he doesn’t leave the White House without his detail. What’s so wrong with the man wanting some privacy once in a while?”

“Nothing. That’s just it. Presidents have always been given leeway within the White House. No one wants to be shadowed constantly, not even the most powerful man in the nation. There are rooms specifically designed to give the President complete privacy.”

“So why then? Why would Matthews go to the police?”

Cameron rose and walked around the desk to sit in a chair beside Aaron. He reached over and pointed to several dates on the list. “Do you recognise those?”

Aaron’s breath caught in his chest. “It has to be a coincidence. Surely the police have to understand that. No wonder Wetherby told Matthews to shut up.”

Cameron rubbed the back of his neck. “Unfortunately, it gets worse. Fucking Bloomfield is using the information for his own agenda.”

“How so?”

Before Cameron could answer, his secretary’s voice came over the intercom just as Aaron’s cell phone rang. “Mr. James, the President needs to see you in his office.”

BOOK: Dracul's Revenge 02: Anarchy in Blood
11.84Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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