Save the Last Vamp for Me (16 page)

“Anyway, I think Esme found evidence the other three were killing people. Merriven killed her and Lira, and maybe the attention that drew made Holmesby and Tanaka rethink being involved with Merriven. Or maybe Merriven decided a clean sweep was best.” I stopped to take a breath. “But there’s one final loose end: Angelique. She’s safe, and I bet he,” I pointed at the scruffy vamp. “Can probably help you find Merriven.”

Scruffy wilted when Derrick and Stone focused on him. “I was hired to take the woman, not kill her. I don’t know who wanted her.”

Whether he did or not, it really wasn’t my problem anymore. I felt certain we’d solved the case, and it was up to Derrick to find Merriven. “Betting you guys can take it from here.”

“Indeed. Escort the prisoner downstairs,” Derrick ordered. Stone complied, shutting the library doors behind them. The vampire lord gestured for Soames to join me on the couch. “We do have another matter to discuss.”

“The bodies.”

“Yes.” He stared at us for a moment. “It would be highly detrimental to our efforts to reveal them
en masse
.”

No freaking kidding. “Yes, I understand that.”

“However, because we are determined to build a working relationship with humanity, I can assure you that those poor unfortunates will find their ways home.” Derrick leaned forward, focusing on me. “We simply need time to formulate the least devastating method of revealing their existence.”

“You want me to keep my mouth shut for now. I did tell Mr. Whitehaven about them.”

Derrick sat back. “I expected no less. May I ask his response?”

“He said you’d probably tell people, once you figured out a way to do it so that it made your people look good.”

“Lord Whitehaven is wise.”

“So yeah, I’ll stay quiet. For now.”

Derrick smiled. “Thank you, Miss Jones, and you as well, Mr. Soames.”

––––––––

––––––––

T
he sun was rising as I drove home from the Palisades after dropping off Soames. We’d eaten dinner before returning to the office, and I’d walked him through writing and filing the case report.

It felt really good to have worked the case through mostly using plain old investigation methods. I felt like a real detective for the first time since joining Arcane Solutions.

When I pulled into the driveway at Mom’s, Tonya was coming down the block from the direction of the park. Leglin, Kyra, Bone, and Diablo clustered around her, all of their tails up and wagging. She preferred to take the pit bulls out when other people weren’t likely to be around. Less chance of anyone freaking out over their appearance that way.

I waited so that we entered the house together. It was completely silent. “Was Mom not up when you left?”

“She was in the shower.”

“Weird, the Chihuahuas should be, hey!” All of the big dogs took off for the kitchen, bumping us hard enough that we both staggered to keep our balance. “Guess they’re hungry. Mom?”

No answer from her, but a deep, mournful howl rose. I met Tonya’s wide eyes and shivered before rushing to the kitchen. She was a half-step behind me as I shoved the swinging door open. “Oh my God.”

“What?” Tonya scooted to one side, peeking over my shoulder. “Oh no. Sunny!”

She tried to push past me, but I stopped her. “Go. Call 911.”

“But....”

“Call 911,” I repeated, staring at Leglin. My hound stood at the end of the island in the middle of the kitchen, his huge paws inches from a pool of blood. “Now.”

Tonya retreated. The rest of the big dogs were clumped together behind Leglin, all staring at whomever lay behind the center island. I didn’t notice the Chihuahuas huddled under the kitchen table behind them, not at first. The pool of blood, and the blood splashed all over the cabinets had me transfixed. My gaze rose, following a slash of wet crimson upward. There was even blood on the ceiling.

I took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen, letting the door swing shut behind me. Another one before stepping around the center island to see where the blood had come from.

Red lay on his side, his throat and stomach ripped open. His open eyes stared at nothing, and his mouth was half-opened. Three severed fingers lay right in front of his muzzle, half-submerged in blood. They weren’t Mom’s fingers.

She was nowhere to be seen. I noticed two smeared lines of blood beginning at the edge of the pool and extending to the back door. The handle was broken and the door open a few inches.

That kicked me into motion. I rushed to the door, throwing it open, and out onto the back patio. “Mom!”

No answer. Closing my eyes, I mentally shouted for her over and over again, but to no avail.

Nothing to hear, not until a siren began wailing a few blocks away.

––––––––

––––––––

“I
t was vampires. Two of them.”

The cop questioning me blinked. “And you know that how?”

“My dogs can smell them, and the smaller ones were here. They saw what happened.” Speck shivered and whimpered, curled into a tiny ball in my lap. I covered him with my hand, feeling numb. My voice sounded far away every time I spoke. So did everyone else’s. “There were two vampires.”

“Uh huh. Do you, ah, talk to your dogs often?”

I looked up, having been staring at Red’s body. Tonya was in the living room, being questioned by another cop. “Yes, actually, I do.”

“I see.” His expression made it clear he thought I’d lost my mind.

“I’m a psychic, not a nutcase, Officer,” I checked his name tag. “Rothman. Being able to communicate with dogs is one of the perks.” Not strictly true, but whatever. “Call Detective Herde or Schumacher, or hell, for that matter, call Chief Stannett. Any one of them can vouch for me. I’ve helped you guys out several times.”

“Oh.” His face brightened. “You’re that Jones.”

“Yeah.” I saw a familiar face enter the kitchen, but couldn’t dredge up the paramedic’s name. “Are they taking Red?”

“Yes, ma’am. Coroner will need to look him over.”

“I want him back.” I’d find somewhere nice to bury him. He deserved it. The evidence of how hard he’d tried to save Mom was splattered everywhere. “Tell them that.”

“I will.” Rothman stepped away to speak to the paramedics. My head hurt, and my eyes felt hot and swollen though I hadn’t cried yet. My chest ached, and my hands were cold. I stroked Speck’s shivering body.

“Discord.”

“What?” The familiar-looking paramedic was standing in front of me. “You kept touching the damn arrow.”

“Yep, that’s me, the Toucher of Arrows. Name’s Mike.” He smiled, his cornflower blue eyes scanning my face. “I’m going to check you over, okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Right. How about we pretend I’m the expert and let me decide whether you are?”

“Whatever.” I let him do his thing. “Is Tonya all right?”

“Understandably freaked the hell out, but not hysterical.” Mike checked my eyes. “I’m sorry about your dog.”

“So am I.” His partner had finished bagging Red’s body. I licked my lips, which felt dry and hot. “Did Rothman tell you I want him back?”

“Yes, and I will personally let the coroner know you will be in to claim him. When’s the last time you ate? Slept?” Once I’d answered his questions, he patted my shoulder. “You need to eat something and get some sleep. Don’t make me come back here because you collapsed from exhaustion.”

My stare made him shake his head. “I mean it, Missy. You won’t help your mother if you don’t keep yourself in good running order.”

“Yeah.” I blinked, the fog beginning to lift from my brain. I needed to make a phone call. Two phone calls, one of which I wasn’t looking forward to making at all.

Dad needed to know what had happened.

––––––––

––––––––

“I
t’s not your fault,” was the first thing Dad said once I’d stopped babbling. “Do you need me to come over? I can be there in fifteen.”

“No. I need to get everyone out of here so I can do something about finding her.” I scrubbed my hand over my wet cheeks.

“All right. I love you, Cordi, and I have faith you’ll find her. Call me for anything. Tell me if I can do anything. Okay?”

Yeah, right. Like I was going to stick him in the middle of this mess when Mom was already missing and one of the dogs was dead. “Okay, Dad. Love you. Bye.”

“Keep me posted. I mean that. Bye.”

Ending the call, I opened the bathroom door to check my room for cops. No one had come in.

Good, because I didn’t want them overhearing the next call.

––––––––

S
tone’s phone rang four times before he answered in a sleep-graveled voice. “Hello?”

“Listen up, you son of a blood-sucking bitch. You tell Derrick I want my mother back,” I snarled. “Alive and unharmed. We said we’d keep quiet. There wasn’t any reason to...”

“Miss Jones?”

“...to take her and kill my dog.”

“What?” He sounded more awake.

“You heard me. I want her back now, or I’m coming and I’m going to start burning the Barrows to the ground when I get there.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “Tell me what’s happened.”

“Two vampires broke into my house this morning.” My voice broke. “They killed one of my dogs and took my mother.”

“You have my deepest sympathies, but I swear we know nothing about it, Miss Jones. My mas...father believes you to be a woman of honor. He believes you’ll keep your word.”

Which meant Derrick had no reason to kidnap Mom. But if he hadn’t taken her, who had?

“Miss Jones, are you there?”

“Yes.”

“You’re certain it was vampires?”

“Yes.” Oh God, what was happening to Mom right now? What if she was...I cut that thought off.

“Can you bring me a photo of her?” Stone asked.

“Why?”

He responded in a patient tone. “We’ll need a photo so we know who we’re searching for.”

Oh. “I can bring one.”

“The quicker, the better. I’ll gather some men. We can begin searching immediately.”

A single tear escaped. I hadn’t expected help from him or Derrick. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Meet me in the library,” he said before ending the call.

I left my bathroom at a fast walk, and ran directly into Officer Rothman. “Sorry, can’t talk now.”