Save the Last Vamp for Me (14 page)

Brow furrowing, he thought about it for a minute before shaking his head. “None that I can think of right now.”

“Cool. I’m guessing we’re probably on the right track, because you have the same questions I do.” We heard Tabitha greeting someone, and when she received a response, I said, “Damian’s here.”

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A
fter I’d introduced the two men, I spread my arms out. “Ta-dah. Our case wall. How’d we do?”

Damian walked down to look over the first section. “Why are there so many vics here?”

“All members of the same family.”

He nodded and looked over the other sections. “No related vics with these?”

“None that we currently know about.” It wasn’t an actual lie, considering the context of his question.

Damian stared at Merriven’s photo. “Isn’t this the vamp who turned your friend?”

“Yup.”

“Did you celebrate his demise?”

I laughed. “Haven’t had time to yet.”

“Case keeping you that busy?” He stepped backward until his rear made contact with the table, leaned against it, and crossed his arms.

“Yeah.”

“Where’s Nick?”

I winced. “Leave of absence. We broke up.”

“Ah. Was it the arguing?”

“Got it in one.” Close enough anyway.

Damian nodded. “I completely understand.” He freed one arm to wave his hand toward the line of boards. “Well, this looks good. Now tell me how the vics are connected.”

“Lady Esme, Lords Holmesby, Merriven, and Tanaka were all council members.”

“What about her family?”

Soames glanced at me before responding. ”Ramon was Esme’s heir apparent to her council seat. He was a master too, but the other four weren’t.”

“All right. What’s the theory for why they were killed?”

My turn. “Politics. There’s two political parties, one that wants to stick to the old ways—killing when they feed—and the other doesn’t.” I paused for breath. “They were all members of the second party.”

“Uh huh.” Damian re-crossed his arms. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but when you spoke to me about Ginger’s situation, didn’t you mention she’d claimed Merriven was draining some of his blood donors?”

“Yes.” A hint of bitterness tainted my voice. “Not that anyone bothered to check it out.”

“Don’t be so quick to judge, Cordi. I did check, quietly, and the only person who made that claim against him was your friend.” Damian offered me a faint smile. “We can’t do full-scale investigations based on the claim of a single, unhappy vampire fledgling.”

That drove me to defend her. “She wasn’t lying.”

“Why do you believe her?”

“She never lied to me.”

Damian tucked his chin, focusing his sky-blue gaze on me. “Being a vampire wasn’t what she expected. She was abused and desperate. People in such situations have been known to mix lies with truth in order to convince others to help them.”

My anger rose. “Not her. Ginger wouldn’t do that.”

“How can you be so certain?”

Because she was my friend. I opened my mouth, intending to tell him that, and something slunk out of the back of my mind. Out from where I shoved all the nightmare-inducing things I’d seen.

I didn’t really want to look at it, but it was waving around in response to Damian’s question. Closing my eyes, I focused on it.

“Cordi?”

“Give me a minute. I’m remembering some...oh.” I shuddered and fought to put the memory back where it’d come from. It wasn’t mine. The memory didn’t want to return to the darkness, fighting my attempts to push it away, throwing blood across my mind between flashes of the terrified faces of two strangers. I knew the room they were dying in. Soames had taken pictures of it. And I learned something else too, before finally winning.

Opening my eyes, my heart racing and gasping for air, I focused on Damian. “I believe her because I saw her memory of one of Merriven’s ‘dinner parties’.” I pointed at the white boards. “That’s why I thought those two looked familiar when I first saw their photos. They were there.”

Damian dropped his arms. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“It was almost two years ago.” I hadn’t turned twenty-one yet, was still a scared kid trying to keep my abilities under control. “It scared me.”

He relaxed. “You buried it.”

“Yeah.”

“All right, let’s move on, unless you need a minute?”

“No, I’m good.” I fought the urge to tuck my trembling hands behind my back. The vamps hadn’t just eaten dinner. They’d played with their food first. “But that means those three all shared a secret. That’s how they’re connected.”

“Right.” Damian regarded the boards again. “Are you certain Esme’s family didn’t have the same secret?”

“Yes, because of the gargoyles.”

His head snapped around so he could see me, and Damian winced, lifting his hand to rub his neck. “Gargoyles?”

Soames jumped in to explain those, and Damian’s eyes bulged when he reached the part about Tase using me as a hiding place. “Wait. It touched you?”

“Yeah, he was pretty scared. It’s why I didn’t try questioning him, even though he has to be a witness.”

My warlock friend sputtered, his face flushing dark pink. “A witness? Is that all...good night, Cordi. Don’t you know what it means when a gargoyle...of course you don’t. Let’s put it this way: I know a coven of witches who’d sacrifice their own body parts to attract a gargoyle.”

Wow. “Okay, why?”

“Why, she asks.” Damian lifted his gaze to the ceiling. “My God.”

“Psychic here, not a witch,” I reminded him, feeling miffed. “It’s not like I’ve crossed paths with gargoyles before.”

“Right.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to get back soon. Go by the shop when you can, and ask David to tell you about gargoyles.”

“Okay. Where were we?”

Soames answered. “I think we’re stuck on how Esme’s family could be connected to the other three victims.”

“Right.” I nibbled my thumbnail. “First thought that comes to mind is that Esme discovered their secret. She was killed first.”

That received an approving nod from Damian. “Do you have any potential leads to work that angle?”

“Lira had a sister. We were thinking of finding her, see if she knows anything.”

“Good plan. How about any psychic leads?”

“Nope. My abilities may as well be on vacation.”

“Aw.” He grinned. “You’re having to play this old school.”

“Yep, and it kind of sucks. But it’s fun too. I mean, having to put everything together like it’s a giant puzzle with a thousand pieces. Not the dead people part.”

“Wait until you solve it. You’ll feel high for days.” He checked his watch again. “I have to go.”

“Thanks for helping. I owe you a lunch.”

“Out, or will you cook?”

I laughed. “Your choice.”

“You’re cooking then. Good luck.” He shook Soames’s hand, gave me a peck on the cheek, and left.

Grinning, I rubbed my hands together. “Let’s find Lira’s sister.”

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A
ngelique Herrera proved relatively easy to locate, thanks to an online directory. She didn’t answer when I called, and I didn’t leave a message. “It’s not even seven yet, so let’s drop by and see if we can catch her at home.”

“Sure. Dinner after that?” Soames asked.

“Yes, I’m starving. Had to share my breakfast with the dogs.” Everyone else had left for the day, including Mr. Whitehaven. I locked up behind us when we left.

David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” poured from my car’s speakers when I started it, and Soames instantly began singing along. He had a nice voice.

Angelique’s apartment complex was near the community college. I drove the maze of parking lots until Soames spotted her apartment number. “That one, right there.”

There wasn’t an empty spot to borrow for parking. I drove out and around, parking on the street behind her building. The sun had sunk below the horizon by then, leaving the sky the dark blue that precedes full dark. No stars visible, obscured by too many street lights. Even with all the lighting, I shivered. “Let’s go see if she’s home.”

After we walked around the end of her building, Soames touched my arm and murmured, “There’s a vampire on the roof of the building across from hers.”

I didn’t look up, though I wanted to, but I did drop my mental shield a few inches. “I don’t feel anything, so it can’t be a master vamp.”

“What do you want to do?”

“How about this?” I grabbed his arm, glanced upward, and teleported to the roof and behind the vampire. The vampire rose from his crouch, peering over the roof’s edge, as I let go of Soames.

The shifter wasted no time leaping into action, taking one long step to grab the vampire’s arm, whirl it around, and take a swing. I winced at the crack of fist on jaw, but cheered when the vamp dropped. “Woohoo. Nice punch, dude.”

“Thanks. Don’t suppose you have handcuffs?”

“Nope.” I removed my thin, faux leather belt. “Will this work?”

“Let’s find out.” Soames took the belt, and flipped the vamp face down. Roughly five seconds later, he’d pulled the vamp’s arms back and wound my belt around his victim’s wrists before buckling it tight. He rolled our prisoner back over, and hefted him up onto a shoulder. Soames stood up in a smooth movement, not a sign of strain on his face. “Can I get a ride down?”

“What, you can’t jump?” I grinned to make certain he knew I was teasing, and walked over to take hold of his elbow. “Going down.”

Soames looked at me when we appeared in front of Angelique’s apartment door. “Really?”

“He was watching her, not us. Let’s see if we can find out why.” I knocked. Soames listened, nodding when he heard someone on the other side.

“Who is it?”

“Angelique Herrera? My name’s Discord Jones, and I’m a private investigator. We’re here about your sister, Lira.”

“She’s dead.”

Well, at least I wouldn’t have to break that news to her. “I know, and you have our sympathies. May we speak to you for a few minutes?”

“Do you have a badge?”

“No, ma’am. I can show you my PI license though. Just a minute.” I hurriedly dug out my wallet, and opened it to display my license. Holding it up to the peephole, I said, “Here it is.”

Silence, followed by the sliding of a dead bolt and Angelique opening the door a crack. Just enough for me to see part of her face, including one dark brown eye, and the chain still in place. “Let me see it again.”

“Sure.” I moved to give her a good look of my license. “My associate here is Soames, and the lump on his shoulder is a vampire we caught watching your place.”

Her eye widened. “You caught a vampire?”

I smiled. “He’s a shifter, and I’m a psychic. Poor little vamp was outclassed tonight.”

She swallowed hard enough that I heard it. “Why do you want to talk to me?”

“We’re investigating your sister’s murder.”

Her one-eyed gaze flicked from me to Soames before she moved out of sight and pushed the door closed. The chain scraped as she removed it, and she opened the door wide, stepping back. “Come in.”

“Thank you.” She was tiny, four-one or -two, and no bigger around than a toothpick. Her slender neck bore a lot of round, white scars, and looked too fragile to support the weight of her thick, black ponytail, much less the dozen or so necklaces she wore. Angelique was barefoot, dressed in black leggings and an oversized, rose pink, cowl necked sweater.

In two steps, I was clear of the entryway and entering her living room. Soames followed me, dumping the vamp on a floral-patterned couch. I scanned the room while Angelique relocked the door. It was spotless and comfortably furnished, but the mini-blinds had a slat out of place right about eye level for our hostess to have been watching out the front window. Soames noticed that too, but didn’t say anything. He leaned against the wall by the couch, hooking his thumbs in his belt loops.

I sat down on one of the chairs that matched the couch. Angelique took the other one, pulling her feet up and wrapping her arms around her bent knees. “What do you want to know?”

Straight to the point. “Did your sister have any enemies that you know about?”

She shrugged. “She was a vampire.”

“And you were a blood donor.”