Thirst

by Jacquelyn Frank

  They arrived at the crime scene in short order and as expected there was a large crowd pressed up against the police barricades. There were several officers controlling the crowd and she showed her badge to one of them, leaving Rafe behind at the barricades.

  She found Jimmy easily—right next to the dead body. This time it was a woman in an alley in the snow, slumped forward over her own legs. Her hair was in a bun, which was pulled to the side off kilter and half hanging loose. Clearly visible on the back of her neck were bite wounds.

  “Another alley, another body. Only it’s a female this time. Our guy doesn’t seem to have a sexual preference. I hate to say it, but I think we’re looking at a serial killer.”

  “Any witnesses?”

  “Not that have come forward. ME says it took place about six hours ago. She’s been sitting here freezing in this alley all night long, poor thing. Damn, I want to get this guy,” Jimmy said fiercely.

  “I do too,” Renee said, glancing over at Rafe.

  Jimmy followed her gaze.

  “Isn’t that the same guy who came to the precinct yesterday?”

  Renee refused to look at Jimmy, crouching down to inspect the body a little closer.

  “Do we know who she is?”

  “Oooh, avoiding the question. It must be serious. Well, you’re not wearing the same clothes as yesterday, so that’s a plus.”

  “James, mind your business. Who is she?”

  “Iona Carter. Twenty-six. We have to inform the family.”

  “My favorite part,” she said with a sigh.

  “I know. But I gotta say, you always do it as well as can be expected. They prefer hearing it from you than me. Maybe it’s because I’m too pretty,” James said.

  “Ha! Hardly. Give me some gloves.”

  Jimmy handed her a pair of gloves and she snapped them on. She reached out and brushed back the straggling hair from her bun.

  “Maybe we can get DNA from the saliva,” Jimmy said.

  “Maybe,” Renee said noncommittally. She didn’t even know if vampires had DNA. They had to have DNA. Everything had DNA. And what would that DNA look like under a microscope? Would you be able to tell it wasn’t human? Was Rafe’s entire race in jeopardy just because of a little saliva?

  “Well, Stella will swab the wound. She’ll find something. It doesn’t look as though she fought much. Other than her hair being mussed, there’s no sign of a struggle. Maybe he used a weapon to subdue her before he bit her.”

  “Maybe,” Renee said again. “We’ll have to see if Stella finds any bruising. I think he just overpowered her.” Or used hypno on her, Renee thought. It was something they would never be able to see in a physical exam. “Outside of this bite we’re not sure it’s the same guy. Stella will have to compare dental impressions.”

  “C’mon. It has to be the same guy. There can’t be two people running around biting people on the back of the neck. What I can’t figure out is why.”

  Actually, there could be hundreds of people running around biting people on the back of the neck, she thought, once more glancing in Rafe’s direction. His expression was serious and brooding. This had to be stressing him out. Every body put his people one step closer to exposure. They had to find this guy and fast.

  “Here’s the kick in the pants,” Jimmy said. “With the first guy it was a heart attack that killed him. I figured he got scared to death and it triggered a heart attack. But this girl’s young and looks healthy. There’s no sign of trauma other than the bite. Who gets bitten to death?”

  “There must be something else,” Renee lied. “Maybe he smothered her or cut off her air somehow.”

  “Wouldn’t we see bruises around her mouth? Inside her lips where her teeth might have cut into her?”

  “Maybe there is but we just can’t see it yet. It’ll be up to Stella to tell us what’s what. Makes no sense to stand here guessing all day.”

  “Hey. We’re detectives. Guessing is an integral part of what we do.”

  She laughed softly. “I supposed that’s true. But we guess with facts. Draw conclusions more than guess. Let’s canvass the crowd. Maybe we’ll get lucky and someone saw something. Doesn’t hurt to hand out a couple dozen business cards.”

  Jimmy nodded and they both rose up to full height. They tackled the crowd together, Renee working as if it were a case needing to be solved instead of one she already knew most of the answers to. Jimmy wanted to know why and she already knew the answer to that. All she wanted to know was the who and how she was going to handle it once she found out who the perpetrator was. She supposed she would have to go to Rafe with it. She didn’t know anyone else other than the members of the committee and most of them had made it clear they weren’t interested in having much contact with her. Except the one who had wanted her help.

  The coroner came and took away the body. The crowd dwindled now that there was nothing to gawk at. Renee was thoroughly chilled by the time she met up with Jimmy again.

  “Anything?” she asked, even though she could tell just by looking at him that he had nothing to be encouraged by.

  “Zip. But maybe something will shake loose once we leave. We get calls into the tip lines all of the time.”

  “Yeah…when we can sort through them all and weed out the crackpots.”

  “Hey, aren’t you the one who is supposed to think positively and I’m supposed to be the cynic?” Jimmy asked.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just cold.”

  “Well, head on home. I’ll notify the family. We’ll tackle this when we get the ME’s report on Monday.”

  “Are you sure? I can come with you on the notify.”

  “I’m a big boy. I can handle it. I’ll be very sensitive.”

  She looked at him dubiously a moment, but she knew he was fully capable of doing it on his own. Hell, he had taught her how to do it.

  “All right. I need to get somewhere warm.” She gave Jimmy a fist bump, then turned and walked toward Rafe.

  He was staring steadily into her eyes as she approached him, his look intense. She couldn’t read if he was angry or worried or both. He just seemed somehow…darker…than before.

  “Come on. Let’s go warm you up,” he said, making her wonder if he had heard her tell Jimmy she was cold. Was his hearing somehow as supernatural as the rest of him, or was he just empathetic to her situation?

  “Our friend has struck again,” she murmured.

  “It may not be the same guy.”

  “Same hunting ground. Same MO. We’ll compare bite marks to know for sure.” She rubbed the back of her neck where she knew she had similar bite marks. She’d had to wear her hair down because of them.

  She thought then of what would have happened to her had someone other than Rafe found her. Maybe they had. Would she even know if another vampire had fed from her?

  “How do I know you’re the first and only friend to…to use me for energy.”

  “Because we can tell when a friend has been there before us. It’s sort of like marking territory.”

  “So there’s been no one but you?”

  “No one. Probably because of your job. We tend to steer clear of those in investigative professions. Just in case.”

  “In case?”

  “It’s not as though we leave zero trace. Hypno is very strong, almost unbreakable except by the friend who instituted it in the first place. However, it wouldn’t be the first time someone noticed something was out of place. For instance, if a friend feeds too often from the same place. The source becomes depleted, open to any number of diseases and conditions it normally would fight off. Have you ever heard of someone incredibly healthy suddenly turning ill for no reason? Like I said, we leave traces. No one has figured it out as yet, but we take no chances.”

  “You took a chance and look what happened.”

  “I did. And had we not been attacked you would never have known the difference. I would have just been an acquaintance or friend.”

  �
��It felt more like dating,” she corrected him.

  He smiled at that, a smooth secretive smile.

  “I suppose it was. I was too fascinated by you to treat you any other way. Believe me, I was not trying to deceive or mislead you.”

  “If I felt that you were I wouldn’t be here. I understand why you did all that you did. You were protecting yourself and your nation.”

  “I’m very glad you see it that way. I would never hurt you.”

  “I know that,” she said softly, looking up into his eyes. He stopped their progress, turning her to face him. He cupped her face in his gloved hands and tipped her head back. He bent his head and touched his lips to hers. It started out as a gentle kiss, but it quickly grew more intense. More heated. But before they could get carried away, he pulled himself away from her. He reached down and took her hand. Then he chuckled and held up their joined hands.

  “Are you going to take these off?”

  Renee looked at their hands and saw she was still wearing the blue latex gloves from the crime scene. She laughed sheepishly and stripped them off, stuffing them into her coat pocket. She pulled out her winter gloves and tugged them onto her stone-cold fingers.

  “Better,” she said.

  “No doubt.”

  Rafe led her to the car and before she knew it she was inside and the heat was on, warming her cold bones.

  Chapter 19

  “Do you have a nice dress?” he asked her as they were driving back toward his building.

  “Define ‘nice.’ ”

  “A gown.”

  “Yikes. I haven’t worn a gown like…ever.”

  “There’s a diplomatic dinner tonight and the attire is formal. I was hoping you would come with me.”

  “Oh no. I don’t think so,” she said adamantly. “A human in a roomful of va—friends who want nothing to do with her? No, thanks. I’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”

  “Those human colloquialisms always amuse me. One would think someone would protect a sore thumb by covering it, not sticking it out. Now, as for that, you will not be the only human there. And no one will make you feel unwelcome. You are accepted now.”

  “Accepted as what? A canapé?” She rolled her eyes. “There’s still a chance someone will want to eat me.”

  “There’s a chance of that if you go undercover as you are planning. A far greater chance. A far riskier proposition. You will be protected by me at this party.”

  Which was more than he could say if she were to go undercover. The very thought of it made him ill. He had been trying not to think about it and since she had not brought it up he had put it out of his mind. But now he had brought it up and he knew he was going to regret it.

  “I would much rather get this undercover thing under way. You said it was crucial we get close and find out what the plan is this weekend. So stop wasting time and help me figure out a cover. Something fast. Something believable.”

  “We’ll have to consult with Danton. He already texted me that he wanted to see you.”

  “Really? When were you going to tell me this?” she asked irritably.

  “I’m telling you now. You were a little busy a few minutes ago.”

  She settled. “So what do you think he’s going to say? Will he have suggestions or is he expecting us to come up with one?”

  “I’m sure he’ll have a suggestion. He probably has a network already in place so you won’t be going in cold. But the odds of you getting close enough to find out where Killean is and notifying us are very small. Not in the amount of time you have.”

  “Well, I can at least try. Take me to Danton.”

  “We’re going there now. He’s in the same building.”

  “What kind of work do you all do in that building?”

  “The kind that makes enough money to keep all the New York friends living in comfort.”

  “Do you have communal earnings?”

  “And living. We work together and support one another as a community in all ways. None of us go hungry. None of us are out in the cold. We are always welcome as long as we follow the law.”

  “So you’re a bunch of hippies living in the city,” she teased.

  “Basically.” He pulled into the parking garage and parked in his spot.

  “But some of you are more important than others.”

  “Even hippies need leaders.”

  They alighted from the vehicle and headed toward the elevators.

  The attack came out of nowhere. Someone came up behind them and slammed into them. Both went sprawling onto the concrete floor as heavy weights crushed down on them from above. Renee felt and saw a sack of some kind being pulled down over her head, blinding her with darkness. She struggled to get free, but there were too many hands grabbing on to too many of her appendages. Then she was being lifted and thrown into what she assumed was a vehicle. A metal van to be exact, judging by the feel of the van’s bed along her body as she was pinned down. Someone tied her wrists together behind her back using a zip tie. They did the same to her feet and then lifted away from her, leaving her lying on her belly on the cold metal floor with the sack still over her head.

  There was a jerk of movement and the squeal of tires as the van raced out of the parking garage.

  Renee tried to get her bearings. She wondered if Rafe had been taken as well, or if he had been left there…or worse, killed. Panic tried to creep over her as she thought of him losing his life.

  “Rafe? Rafe!” she cried.

  But there was no response other than a sharp kick in her ribs.

  “Keep quiet. Unless you want me to eat you. Wouldn’t you like that, guys? To eat her? She’s all fresh and clean. She’d be pretty tasty.”

  “Yeah,” said a female voice. “Tasty.”

  Someone reached out and stroked the back of her neck beneath the sack and she felt her stomach clench with panic once more.

  No. She had to keep a cool head. They were trying to scare her. They would get off on it. She couldn’t give them the satisfaction. It would give them all of the power.

  “I already belong to someone else,” she said boldly.

  “Oh, we don’t care about that. We don’t care if a hundred vampires have come before us. We’ll still eat you. Suck you dry until you die,” the female said wickedly.

  “Yeah. You’ve seen our handiwork haven’t you, nosy bitch? You know what it looks like when we suck someone to death.”

  So, they knew who she was and what she was investigating. Did that mean it was two different vampires that had attacked her two victims? Were these attacks somehow systematic? Had they captured her because she was getting close to some answers? But how could that be? She didn’t think she was that close at all. They had only just begun their investigations. They hadn’t had time to unearth even the smallest clue.

  Unless…unless she had seen and done something she wasn’t aware of. But what? What could it be?

  It might not be that at all. This might have nothing to do with her. It might have something to do with Rafe. Where was he? Was he captive as well? She had to know!

  “Where are you taking us?” she asked, fishing for information.

  “The boss wants to see you. And don’t ask us why. We don’t know and we don’t care.”

  That didn’t tell her much. It didn’t even tell her if Rafe was with them.

  “Who’s your boss?”

  “Shut up!” She got another kick in the ribs, making her curl up protectively with a groan.

  All she could do then was lie quietly and take in everything around her. She became aware of every pothole they hit. Aware of every turn they took. She tried to keep a map in her head, but after a while there was no telling where they were or what direction they were going in. Instead she listened to the people in the back of the van, who proved to be very talkative.

  “Take us down Sixty-Fifth through the park,” a new voice from the back of the van said.

  So that meant there were at least four actors. One d
river and three in the back of the van. She figured there was probably one more riding shotgun.

  “Don’t tell me how to drive,” a voice from up front barked.

  “It’s going to take forever if we go this way.”

  “Are you really in a rush to get back?”

  That won a moment of silence and she got the feeling they weren’t in a rush at all. Maybe she could use that. Maybe they weren’t happy about this assignment they had been given.

  Even so, they had carried it out quickly and smoothly. As if they had done it before. But then again, it had been a blitz attack. The many outweighing the few. She and Rafe hadn’t even gotten off a single punch or kick. At least, not that she’d seen. She hadn’t heard sounds of Rafe fighting. She didn’t know what that meant.

  Was he with them?

  Was he well? Was he dead?

  She didn’t know. And she didn’t know how to find out. She grew angry. What good had all her police training done her? She hadn’t even had time to react.

  But she still had her gun clipped to her belt she realized. They hadn’t disarmed her. They were clearly banking on the fact that she was subdued and tied up. But the thing was…she knew how to snap a zip tie. She had learned it in a training scenario. At the time she had wondered when she would ever need to know this but now she was grateful for the lesson. The only question was when she should go after her weapon. She would have to break free, pull off her hood, and draw her gun within a matter of seconds to keep from being overpowered again.

  She could do it, she thought, gearing herself up. She rolled over onto her back and sat up. No one kept her from sitting up, so she pushed her luck further and came up onto her knees, trying to keep her balance as they took turns hard. The driver was beyond a typical New York driver. You would think he was in the Daytona 500.

  “Killean is going to reward us good for getting them,” the female said.

  Renee froze. Killean? Killean was behind this? Was that where they were going? Were they finally going to learn where Killean was? And she’d just said “them.” That meant Rafe was with her.