When Sirens Screech (Bedlam in Bethlehem Book 4)

by Nicole Zoltack

  “You wanna put down the vamps as badly as I do, huh?”

  “If there really is a war going on, we need to get to the bottom of it.”

  “We meaning you and me? Or all of us?”

  “You didn’t tell them about our venture to see the werewolves and what it entails.”

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?” he asks.

  Someone calls for Diego in the background. A woman. With a Spanish accent.

  “Your date wants you,” I say. “We can talk later.”

  “Date?” He laughs loudly. “That’s my pain in the ass hermana. She can wait for a few.”

  “Your sister?”

  “Yeah. It’s her birthday, and she always has to have a huge splash for her birthday. Big ole family reunion type deal. But I told her I couldn’t leave Bethlehem right now.”

  “So you had them all come here. You think that’s smart?”

  “Smarter than not going. Lucinda can hold a grudge harder than a vice. Trust me. It would be worse to be on her bad side.”

  “I hope you’re right,” I murmur.

  “I’m always right. Call around. If no one can go out with you, wait until tomorrow. Promise me.”

  I debate a moment and hang up. I don’t want to make a promise I know I won’t keep.

  Immediately, he calls back. I decline.

  So he sends texts.

  Promise me.

  Clarissa.

  Please.

  Be smart.

  Damn it.

  Then there’s a long string of Spanish that I can only guess what it means.

  I do call Angelo, Travis, and Marlon. No one answers. It’s kinda pathetic that I have no life. Angelo and Travis are probably busy with their wives. Who knows what Marlon is up to.

  I’m the only one who has nothing.

  Whatev. I’m not gonna sit here and mope. Not gonna do nothing either.

  I arm up and climb into my car. Fury has me foot pressing a little hard on the gas. For hours, I stalk the night. I don’t see any fog, and I don’t hear any howls. Doesn’t matter. I don’t turn around for home.

  Finally, around the midnight hour, something finally sparks my attention.

  Silver eyes.

  They’re flashing in the darkness, kinda like how the red eyes of the vamps have at times.

  Like before, I can’t be certain if the silver eyes really are there or not. I’ve hallucinated vamp eyes before. At least, I think they were hallucinations at times. It’s possible, given how fast vamps are, that I really had seen their eyes and nothing else.

  But when I blink a few times, and the eyes remain, I turn my wheel around so that I can chase them down. Even with the headlights of my car, I can’t see who or what the silver eyes belong to.

  The person moves fast. Not vamp fast but fast enough that I’m driving about twenty miles an hour. Gradually, I realize he or she is leading me toward the South Side. Toward a bad area.

  I blink.

  The eyes are gone.

  What in the world? Am I chasing ghosts?

  I screech to a halt and glance all around. To the right, I spy a guy hanging up and putting his cell away. A hand reaches out and snatches him, pulling the guy into the dark alley.

  Nope.

  I park right here in the middle of the deserted street, turn on my flashers, and hop out of the car. In no time at all, I’m approaching the duo as quietly as I can.

  “Give me your wallet,” the snatcher grumbles.

  The other guy mumbles and holds up his hands. It’s too scared to move.

  Does the mugger have a gun? A knife? I can’t tell.

  So what do I do?

  I grab his shoulder.

  He whirls toward me and takes a swing. With ease, I block him. My hand flies up, and I bust his nose. Hard. He staggers back. Blood gushes everywhere. I shake out my hand. Damn. I nearly broke it.

  My thumb slips, and I accidentally call Diego instead of the station.

  “Diego, sorry. I didn’t mean to call you.”

  “What happened? You went out? With who?”

  The guy who was nearly robbed takes a step back. I glower at him, and he stops. The mugger is wobbling down the alley.

  “Hold on.” I tuck the phone between my shoulder and my ear, grab my cuffs, and arrest the dude. He doesn’t put up much of a fight.

  “Where are you?” Diego asks, sounding amused.

  I tell him. Ten minutes later, he arrives.

  “You’re gonna get it if you’re found out,” he says.

  “Yeah, well. Whatcha gonna do?” I shrug.

  “Look, I’ll handle this. You should go see your doc.” He grimaces.

  “Diego.” I swallow hard.

  “Your hand’s gonna swell. Go.”

  The look he gives me isn’t smoldering. It isn’t sexy. It isn’t fun or lighthearted.

  He’s hurting. I’ve been playing it off as a silly crush, but to him, it’s more. It’s genuine. It’s real.

  Despite the major pain in my hand, I feel something even stronger.

  I am so friggin confused, and I hate that I am.

  Chapter 8

  Do I follow Diego’s suggestion? That would be a big, fat nope. I mean, I do leave the scene of the crime, which, honestly, is just another item on my terrible cop duties list. It’s really getting to be a long list. Just because it was Diego’s idea doesn’t mean I should’ve listened. Sure, the lieutenant and Rex didn’t tell me directly not to go out hunting by myself.

  But Diego did warn me about it.

  Well, I guess you could say that Rex did tell me in a convoluted kind of way.

  I hop into my car and drive to CVS. In the bathroom, I wash my hand. It really is swelling. I buy a thing of Five-Hour Energy, ibuprofen, and an Ace wrap. Back in my car, I pop three pills and down the energy drink. Only after the last swallow do I question if that combination had been a smart thing to do. Oh, well. Carefully, crappily, I doctor my hand as best I can. Of course, I used my right hand to slug him. Because having your dominant hand out of commission is so smart.

  I hadn’t meant to hit him that hard, but I did just have that karate class. Where I train to punch and kick as hard as I can every time.

  Whoops.

  That I left him behind might leave the door open to him suing. Charges could be filed against me. Then again, he would have to admit that a woman got to him. I’ll just have to hope that his ego is large enough that he won’t do that.

  Still, it’s a Hell of a gamble.

  Damn it. Maybe this concussion is messing with my head and affecting my thoughts more than I thought. I am clearly not thinking straight right now.

  Now that my hand is as good as it’s gonna get, I start up my car again. It’s a little after one by now. I’m too excited and eager to stay out here to bother going back home. Duh. Five-Hour Energy. I’m so gonna regret this coming the morning.

  Once again, I take to the streets. When my gas light turns on twenty minutes later, I grab some. As I finish pumping, I hear a faint voice. I glance all around. The place is dead. No cars drive by. There’s no one around.

  Locking my car behind me, I walk toward where I think the sound is coming from. The voice never gets any louder, but maybe it’s humming. Or singing. I can’t tell.

  I pause and twist around in a circle. The sound seems to be coming from all sides. No matter what I do, I just can’t get a bearing on it.

  “That’s it. I’m done. Auditory hallucinations mean it’s past bed time, Five-Hour Energy or no.”

  So that’s what I do. I go back home. Toss and turn in bed. Attempt to sleep. Eventually, I do. My phone buzzing from a text jolts me awake at five.

  Yeah, so regret that energy drink right now because I’m already dragging and I just woke up.

  Groggily, I slap my hand on my nightstand to grab my phone and knock it onto the floor.

  Of course.

  Through bleary vision, I hang half off the bed to locate my phone. Having secured i
t, I flop back onto my stomach on the bed.

  It’s an ABP about a strange crime.

  This guy stole all the silver from a pawn shop. There’s a grainy pic of him too. Must’ve been from security footage.

  The guy’s eyes.

  Their silver.

  Chapter 9

  Maybe I do have some energy after all because I manage to get ready and to the station in fifteen minutes. On my way to the lieutenant’s office, Diego pulls me aside.

  “The mugger’s not pressing charges against you,” he murmurs, hardly moving his lips.

  A huge weight lifts off my shoulders.

  “How did you convince him of that?”

  Diego’s pales slightly. Given his skin complexion, that doesn’t happen easily.

  “Diego, what did you do?” I ask, horror dawning and churning my stomach something terrible.

  “I told you I would handle it. I did. Don’t question my methods.”

  I gape at him. Diego’s always been a cop who follows the rules. Some cops might accept bribes but not him.

  And I wouldn’t think he’d ever be the kind to pay a guy off.

  “What did you do?” I ask through gritted teeth.

  He sighs and rubs the back of his neck. Then he leans in close to whisper in my ear, “I found drugs on him during my pat down before the others arrived.”

  “You copped him a deal.”

  “Yeah. Because he was a slick one, that guy. As soon as you left, he spouted off about how it had been unconstitutional for you to punch him. He claimed he had no weapon on him, yadda, yadda, yadda. He would’ve made your life miserable. Could’ve stripped you of your badge. I was the one who told you to go.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I was the one who left.”

  He’s close, so close that I can smell the bacon he had this morning. The heat of his body sets me on fire, and I have to step back.

  “You shouldn’t have done that. Should’ve let me face the consequences.”

  “It’s done. Drop it.” His dark eyes glitter with disappointment and frustration. “You went out alone.”

  “I couldn’t wait.”

  “Did you see anything worthwhile at least beside the mugging?”

  I shrug. The silver eyes are something. I think. Rolf never had them until recently. Then I saw them last night. Had I been trailing the guy? I might’ve been able to prevent the crime if hadn’t lost him?

  Wait. He stole silver. All the silver. Sterling silver and the pure stuff? Because of vamps? Only pure silver affects vamps. Not alloys.

  Diego grimaces. “You know, Clarissa, I can read you. You’re hiding something. Don’t you think that if anyone deserves to be let in on the secret, it’s me?”

  I shrug again. He has a point.

  “If you didn’t see something, maybe you heard something?”

  My lips curl up. “A faint voice that came from everywhere and nowhere. Trust me, Diego. You want no part of me. I’m going crazy.”

  “Anyone would go crazy if they had to deal with no one believing them about vampires. And then the whole werewolves/Amarok mess. You’re entitled to a little freak out session. Just no more punching guys?”

  “Not even if the goon deserves it?” I whine.

  “Not even then though.” He tweaks my nose. Cute. Endearing even.

  But then he cups my cheek.

  I slide to the right, wiggle my fingers in a playful wave, and make my way to the lieutenant’s office.

  Rex is already inside. Of course. I’m starting to really hate that guy.

  “What do you want, Tempest?” The lieutenant narrows his eyes at me.

  Man, am I going to be in the doghouse for a long while.

  “I thought I would see about the goon who stole all the silver. Do we have any leads? What did he want the silver for? Is it vamp related at all?”

  The lieutenant leans back in his chair and drums his fingers on his desk.

  “Hunter, fill her in,” he dictates.

  “He’s giving up nothing,” a sullen Rex reports. “He’s playing dumb. He’s acting like he has no idea why he did it.”

  I rub my neck. Might as well ask even though I already know the answer.

  I take a deep breath. “May I question him?”

  “Permission denied,” the lieutenant says. “Hunter, leave my office.”

  Rex does but only after throwing a glower my way.

  Even though I’m not asked to, I shut the door behind him. “Sir, please. I know and understand that why I did was wrong.”

  “Good. Now, you need to accept and understand that your actions have consequences. You cannot allow a suspect to go.”

  “Sir, it was the only way to save those people!”

  “People that we don’t even know for certain had actually been taken,” he points out.

  “For argument’s sake, let’s say they had been. Without Amarok’s cooperation, we would never have found them. How can you search for people you don’t even know are gone? You can’t, sir. I did what was best for the city, for her people.”

  “The issue is that you went about it the wrong way. Releasing Amarok was not your call to make.”

  I hang my head. “I’m sorry, sir. Nothing like that will ever happen again.”

  “For your sake, I hope you don’t pull another stunt like that. Honestly, I should have your badge in hand already.”

  My swallow lands awkwardly in my stomach. “My job means everything to me,” I whisper.

  “I understand that. Hell, I appreciate that. But there’s a right way to go about things.”

  “The letter of the law is more important than the spirit of the law?”

  “There are gray areas. I’ll be the first to admit it. But that’s not up to a detective to determine. That’s my job.” He jabs his thumb toward his chest.

  “Understood.”

  As we’ve been talking, I’ve kept my gaze on his desk. Now, I risk looking up. There’s frustration in his eyes but also acceptance too.

  “You’re a Hell of a cop,” he grumbles. “Don’t you dare change that statement to you were a Hell of a cop.”

  “That won’t happen, lieutenant. I swear.”

  “Good. Dismissed.”

  “Sir? Won’t you reconsider allowing me the chance to question the suspect?” I hope he’ll say yes, but I fear he won’t change his mind.

  Fear wins.

  “If you have questions for him, you can feed them to me. Do you think he’s a vampire? A werewolf? Something else? God help me if there is a something else.” He mutters the last bit.

  I shake my head. Silver eyes are new by me. I haven’t a clue what we’re dealing with.

  “I just know something isn’t right,” I finally offer.

  “Oh. A hunch.” The lieutenant wearily wipes his brow.

  I try not to blow up. If Rex had said this, I wouldn’t have held back.

  Still, I have to say something to that.

  “Yeah, a hunch. They’ve saved people—”

  “At the expense of others. You aren’t a god, Clarissa. My answer is no.”

  Chapter 10

  I’m speechless. Me? Have a god complex? Hardly! I know I make mistakes. I know I’m flawed. I’m so far from perfect it’s not even funny. I’m damaged goods. I’m not good for anyone.

  “I’ll tell you what,” the lieutenant says, his tone slightly less harsh now. I guess I’ve really been pushing his buttons lately.

  Honestly, I’m not mad at him. I deserve to be punished like this for what I did. I knew it was technically wrong. I honestly believe that my actions saved people.

  Then again, it’s entirely possible that Amarok played a massive trick on me. It all could’ve been a setup. Convenient for Amarok, there’s no way to prove or disprove his line about the people he supposedly kidnapped.

  No one’s come forward to say that they had been squirreled away and was let free. Of course, he seems to have the ability to make people not realize their loved ones are gone. Surel
y Amarok can manipulate the victims so, once they return to their lives, will never realize they’d been gone in the first place.

  It’s enough to make my head hurt.

  “You can watch the interview,” the lieutenant adds. “Hunter’s had no luck, so I’m gonna talk to him myself.”

  “Thank you, sir. I appreciate it, sir.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” he grumbles.

  I follow him to an interrogation room and stand at the two-way glass. The suspect, Greg Diamond, already sits, cuffed to the table. He lifts his head and stares the lieutenant when he enters.

  His eyes. They’re decidedly brown now.

  The lieutenant goes over a fairly standard list of questions. Who are you? What’s your occupation? Why had he robbed the pawn shop? Why only take the silver? What did he need it for?

  Diamond answered the questions to some extent. I wasn’t concerned with his responses. Instead, I watch his body language. He seems genuinely perplexed and scared. His answers never change or contradict. Diamond has no idea why he’s here.

  So, the lieutenant has him watch the footage that reveals him robbing the pawn shop.

  “How’s that for having never been there before?” the lieutenant questions. “Do you understand why I have a hard time believing you when I can see with my own eyes that you were there?”

  “I… I…”

  “Do you deny that that’s you?”

  From my vantage point, I can watch the footage too. It’s pretty damning. There’s a clear shot of his side profile. Not from the front. Not a direct shot. It’s almost like he recognizes where the cameras are. Like he didn’t want to be seen.

  But right at the end, there is a clear shot of his face. It’s the one that they sent out to everyone. I’m sure the reason why we needed to grab him immediately was due to the nature of the stolen goods.

  We’re vamp-obsessed here at the Bethlehem Police Department.

  I’m not sure who found him or where, but it might have been the quickest find ever.

  Hm. Silver eyes. That faint voice. Is there a connection there?

  Diamond is once again claiming he has no idea how he got there or why.

  I knock on the door. A long moment later, the lieutenant opens it a crack.