by Judith Post
Maggie frowned but nodded acquiescence. "Is she here now?"
"Yes, but she'll kick herself if you can find her." He hesitated. "Danny's standing guard tomorrow night. He's always a sucker for good food."
She grinned. "Good, then maybe I can talk him into staying in the house with me. I feel so guilty this way, but if your partner doesn’t like to mix business with pleasure, I understand." She turned, rubbing her arms to warm herself, and scurried away.
When she was safe inside, Voronika clambered back onto her seat. “She’s got a crush on you.”
“Does not. She’s a nurse. She has the ‘care’ gene in triplicate. She'd feed you and invite you inside if you'd let her.”
"No contacts in tonight. My yellow eyes might bother her.”
“She'd probably treat you for jaundice.”
Voronika opened her mouth to argue, then stared out the window, frowning. Enoch turned to see what she was looking at. A man was walking up Maggie’s front walk to her door.
When he knocked, the porch light flipped on and a curtain moved at the window. Then Maggie threw the door open and flew into the man’s arms.
“Okay, she wasn’t flirting with you,” Voronika said. “She’s taken.”
Maggie pulled the man into her house and shut the door behind them. Then Enoch’s cell phone rang.
“It’s my brother. He came to visit me, so you don’t have to worry about him. Or me.”
“Thanks for letting us know.” Enoch flipped the phone shut.
Voronika had listened to the message too. “She’s back in the race. The girl looks like she's approaching thirty. She must be getting desperate.”
“Not nice, but it doesn't matter. No more mortal lovers for me. They grow old and die. It hurts.”
Voronika put a hand over her lips. “Sorry. I should think before I open my mouth. I’ve been out of the romance game so long, I’ve grown bitter about it. I won’t choose a human. It’s not a good mix. And I’ll never fall for a vampire. I hate what we are too much.”
Enoch nodded. “You’ve done what I did. You’ve built a wall around yourself. It’s safer that way.” He pressed his back against the car door and felt the window's cold glass. Cool down, he told himself. When he was around Voronika, he wanted to smash that wall to rubbles. He wanted to pull her close and never let her go.
They were silent a moment. Voronika broke it. “Sometimes, I think I'd be better off if I just ended it, finished myself off. I’ve thought of handcuffing myself to a flagpole and waiting for daybreak, turning myself to dust. But I’m too much of a coward. I’ve heard that it’s excruciating.”
“You’re a survivor. Some people never give up. You’re one of them.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“I like to tell myself it is.”
She studied him. “I thought there’d be perks for being a good guy, but it’s not much easier being an angel than a vampire, is it?”
“Not for me.”
She looked at the night sky. "I've been thinking about Vlad. I know you want to protect me. I hope you can, but if something goes wrong, if you have to make a choice, I'd rather die than go back to him."
He'd wondered why she was so quiet tonight, what was on her mind. "You're asking me to destroy you?"
"How does the light work? Is it fast?"
"Vampires scream, then blow up."
"But is it fast?"
"If I hit you full blast, it only takes seconds."
"Then do it," she said. "If I can't get away, show me some mercy."
They watched Maggie's brother cross the street to Enoch's Land Rover. When Enoch rolled down the window, he said, "Maggie told me what was going on. I'm going to spend the night here and stay for a while in the morning. You guys can take off if you want to."
It was already three a.m.. Enoch gave Maggie a quick call. "Are you okay with that? With having your brother stay with you?"
"It will be like old times."
"Then we'll leave. And thanks."
The brother waved them away. Enoch called Danny on the drive home, to make sure that he was all right with it.
"As long as someone's there," Danny said. "Her brother's car's in the driveway?"
"Yes."
"Then the killer won't come. Go home and get some rest."
Voronika yawned and gave her head a quick shake. "Trying to wake up. I'm not used to any of this. I had trouble sleeping. I keep thinking about Vlad."
"Understandable." Enoch pulled into his parking space and led her into the building. He gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek when they stepped inside the apartment. "A little extra sleep might feel good tonight." He left her at the guest room's door. He couldn't tuck her between the sheets. He'd never leave.
Once the door closed behind him, Enoch wandered to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Things were getting more and more complicated. He didn't want to let Danny down, and he didn't want to hurt Voronika. What would Caleb do when he found out Voronika was staying with him and that Vlad might come for her? He looked out the balcony doors. Things could get ugly.
As if his thoughts beckoned him, Caleb’s image materialized before him. Surprised, Enoch sank onto a kitchen stool. "I'm marking this on my calendar. You never show up unless I force you to. And here you are, in my kitchen. What’s up?”
"As if you didn't know." Caleb looked troubled. His golden beauty flickered, as if static interfered with their reception. “It’s possible that you and I need to negotiate.”
This couldn't be good. Caleb only concentrated on matters that concerned him, his own needs and wants. Enoch braced himself. He still couldn't believe Caleb had made the first move.
“You’ve joined up with one of my own. It’s an unholy union.”
"Bullshit. I've worked with your generals lots of times, and you've never complained about it. You've been happy to let us fight your battles."
"This time, I'd guess you're making love, not war."
“Voronika? She’s not one of your own. She doesn’t practice--” Then he realized why Caleb had really come to him. “This is about Vlad, isn’t it?”
“She left him, escaped. He’s followed her through one lifetime after another. She’s his.”
“Not by choice. She doesn’t want him. You know how hard it is for a vampire to leave her master. She hates him that much.”
Caleb sighed. “I made Vlad, but I've been lenient with him. I've lost control. He knows I don't want to punish him. He knows where Voronika is. He’s coming for her. I can’t allow you to hurt my favorite.”
“And I won’t allow him to take Voronika.” Enoch pushed himself to his feet. They faced off with one another.
Caleb's aura blazed. “Haven’t we been at cross purposes long enough?”
“Don't go there. We disagree on who crossed whom."
"I'm coming to you as a friend."
"No, you're trying to get what you want. Again."
"I won't let you hurt Vlad."
"I won't let him hurt Voronika."
"He's protected by me."
"Then protect him. Keep him away from me."
"I'm not sure I can."
"He knows I'm in Three Rivers. He knows if I see him, I'll destroy him.”
“Even if I ask you not to?”
“I asked you not to join Lucifer. Did you listen to me?”
“It’s possible our friendship will suffer more than it already has.”
"Friendship? Is that what you call this?"
Caleb slammed his fist down on the countertop. Enoch watched, unimpressed. An image couldn't do any damage. "I've kept our truce all these years."
"So have I, or Vlad would have been dust when I first met him."
Caleb visibly tried to calm himself. Not good. If his friend couldn't intimidate him, he'd try something else. "We're talking about one woman," he told Enoch. "Look at you, my brother, almost as handsome as I am. What's one woman when there are so many? Come to my fortress and choose whichever ones you
want. I'll give them to you."
"If one woman's so unimportant, give Vlad some of the groupies who hang on you. If he comes to me and picks a fight, that’s asking too much.”
“And if I come with him?” Caleb’s tone was sharp. He didn't like it when he didn't get his way.
"I'll blast this whole damned city with Light, and then I'll deal with you. But this time, when we're finished, there'll be no truce. I'll hunt and destroy every vampire you've ever made."
Caleb took a step back and studied him. "You've grown so angry over the years, my friend, so bitter. Maybe you should go Home to renew your faith."
"I can't go Home without you."
"Are you still sure that I'm the one being punished here?" Caleb's vision dimmed and vanished.
Enoch took a deep breath. He shook his arms, trying to shake off some of his temper. Worry wormed into his guts and thoughts. This wasn't fair. He didn't deserve this. He worked so hard and it just kept getting harder. Damn it! Didn't the One care about him at all?
He walked to the French doors and threw them open. Wintry air hit him, cooling off his anger. He needed to think. From now on, he'd have to be extra careful with Voronika. Vlad never played fair. Neither did Caleb. Together, they were almost impossible to beat.
Chapter 30
Danny was on his way to Maggie's house when his cell rang. “Good. You’re driving," Derek said. "You can go to the car lot on Coliseum, the one Enoch took you to.”
“Because?”
“It was robbed.”
“Is the owner all right?” Danny tried to connect the robbery with Gail Lahmeyer’s murder, but how did a homicide and a burglary relate to each other?
“The owner wasn’t there. It’s the same m.o. as the other robberies. They cut the security wires, broke in the door, and took anything of value.”
Danny pictured the sparse office they'd visited. “They couldn’t have gotten much.”
“They upped their game, smashed in the desk and took the keys for three of the cars, then drove off in them.”
Danny turned around on a side street and headed for the car lot. “If the wires were cut, how did we find out already with the security system down? The lot doesn’t open this early.”
“A uniform was doing a routine drive-by, checking on businesses in the area, saw the open door and reported it. He didn’t realize the cars were missing until the owner got there.”
“And no luck yet on finding the cars?”
“Nothing. They’re probably parked in somebody’s garages by now. Are you on your way?”
“Almost there.”
"So Enoch was right? The murders and the car lot are connected somehow?" Derek asked.
"How did you know about that?" Enoch's gift was supposed to be a closely guarded secret.
"I'm your partner," Derek protested. "I have ears. And eyes."
"Keep it to yourself, okay?"
"After he saved my ass from that thing? I still have dreams about those fangs. Enoch's secrets are safe with me."
Usually, secrets were harder to keep in a police station than cookies in a glass jar, but Danny knew he could trust Derek. On top of that, there was no way that Derek would want Enoch mad at him. No worries there. He accelerated and pulled into the car lot ten minutes later. He called Enoch on his way.
"I can't come right now," Enoch told him. "Voronika's asleep, and I don't want to leave her."
There was something in his voice that made Danny worry. "Is everything all right?"
"They've been better."
"Is Voronika in trouble?"
"Not now, but things just escalated."
Danny wasn't sure what that meant. He thought things were tricky enough with a vampire being guarded by a vampire hunter so that her vampire creator couldn't take her. How did you top that? "If you need me, call," Danny said. And then he shook his head. What the hell was he talking about? What could he do that Enoch couldn't?
It didn't matter. The intentions meant more than the reality when Enoch said, "Thanks, I appreciate that."
They both knew Danny couldn't do squat if Vlad swept out of the sky to grab Voronika. But at least Enoch knew that Danny would help if he could. And Enoch would have come here if he had the chance. But life got bumpy sometimes, and Danny was on his own. He walked into the cramped car dealership office, and the owner raised his hands in exasperation.
“After you guys came about the woman’s murder, it made me nervous. I locked up everything especially tight when I closed up each night, but I thought I was dealing with small time hoods looking for cash. These guys were slick.” The man was more than rumpled than usual. His blue shirt was wrinkled, and his khaki pants wore food stains.
Danny shook his head. “The other robberies were amateurish. Not like this one.”
The owner tugged at his tie, knotted low on his chest. “How did you connect them to me? The first time you came, you were asking about a woman.”
Danny let out a long breath. “It gets complicated. I’m working two cases. One’s a guy who’s choosing specific women to kill.”
“The ones in the newspapers?” the owner asked. “The killer who dresses them up like clowns?”
“We found the name of your car lot on the last victim’s body.”
The man's complexion turned green. He looked like he might get sick. “That sort of creeps me out.”
“Everything about that case is strange,” Danny said. “I still can’t figure out how the woman’s murder and your car lot are connected. We thought at first that the next victim he’d chosen must work here, but that didn’t fly.”
A worry crease deepened between the man’s eyes. “You don’t think I killed those women, do you?”
Danny stopped and thought hard about that. “There’s a sure fire way we can tell. When my partner gets a break, he can touch you. He's a psychic. With one touch, he’ll know if you’re involved in any way.”
“That’s all it takes? Then do it,” the man said. “I have enough money worries right now that if I have to wonder if you guys are after me for murder, I’ll get an ulcer.”
That was good enough for Danny. The guy didn't do it. He didn't do anything. He'd bet on it. "I'd lay odds you're clean."
The owner’s body drooped with relief. “So I’m not a suspect?”
“Just a victim.” Danny looked at the two desks in the small office. “Did you or your employee work last night?”
“Me. Kevin worked at the garage.”
“What garage?” Danny poised his pen over his notepad.
“A lube/oil change place close to the mall. He covers for me on his nights off.”
“Could we have Kevin’s full name and address?”
“His last name’s Vorley. He lives on First Street.” The owner opened Kevin’s desk and took out a business card that listed his address and telephone number. He handed it to Danny. “He’s married with a kid. He’s probably up by now.”
“Thanks.” Danny glanced at his watch. Eight o'clock. Kids woke parents up early. He could stop by to see. Danny asked a few more questions, but didn't really expect any leads. When he finished, he looked outside at the lot. The sun was coming up. Soon, Voronika would close herself into some place dark. Later today, after he stopped to see Vorley, he'd drop by Enoch's place to check on things. He was reaching for his winter coat when Enoch's Land Rover pulled into the lot and Enoch hurried into the office.
"Touch me," the owner said.
"What?" Enoch looked at Danny.
"He knows you're psychic. He wants to prove that he doesn't have anything to do with either of the cases we're working."
"Okay." Enoch laid a hand on the man's bare neck and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he shook his head. "Innocent as can be."
"Thank you," the owner said.
"His employee has a kid. Keeps early hours," Danny said. "Want to follow me to First Street to see if they're awake?"
"Lead the way."
On the drive over, the weather
started spitting snow—hard, small pieces that bounced when they hit the car hood. When Enoch pulled to the curb behind him, Danny climbed out of his Buick and slid into Enoch's Land Rover. "Before we go in, what else did you see when you touched the owner?"
"A guy with a concussion behind a small hardware store on State Street. I think it's the next place that gets robbed, and the guy must have walked by at the wrong time. I'd guess they bashed him over the head. If no one finds him, he won't make it."
"A victim, but at least they don't kill him—if we get there, that is." Danny pressed his lips together. "So when you touched Gail Lahmeyer, you saw the owner of the car dealership, but when you touched Marie Lemmon, you saw a string of women the killer was after."
"I don't think the killer murdered Gail. I think one of the robbers did. We're working two separate cases."
"I can buy that." Danny shifted gears. It was time to get to the serious stuff. "What happened with Voronika? Why did you leave her?"
"It's day time. No vamps will come out. I've wired every door and window with security. I have more deadbolts and locks than anyone needs. I've put an extra wire on her bedroom door. If I didn't think she was safe, I wouldn't be here."
"That makes sense." Danny relaxed. "I can fill you in on what happened. We can go from there. We'll start with the three cars that disappeared last night."
Enoch shook his head. "Something doesn't add up. When I saw the owner of the car lot, he was dead, the top of his head blasted off."
Danny had wondered about that too. "Things must have changed, right? In your vision, he probably walked in on the robbers, so they got rid of him. Maybe when we went there to question him, it messed up the original plan somehow, so he was home when they robbed the lot, and he's safe."
"Maybe." But Enoch didn't sound convinced. "Maybe this guy can give us some answers."
They stepped outside into the wind and sleet. The street was slippery under Danny's rubber soled shoes.
Kevin’s house was a narrow, brick two-story with arched windows. Its skeleton was elegant, out of place beside its rundown neighbors.
Danny huddled under the small roof that protected the stoop and knocked on the door. A young woman in a long, flowing skirt and tunic style sweater greeted them. She wore her brown hair very short. Black-rimmed glasses framed her intelligent green eyes.
