“You okay?” Spencer asked.
“Stop asking.”
“Fine. That wasn’t as bad as I expected,” Spencer quipped. Annie glanced at him. Had he been able to see her face in the darkness, he would have seen her roll her eyes. He wrapped his arms around Annie to begin teleportation. “So you’re sure neither body was Amelie’s?”
“Jack told me she was dressed in green satin, and we know she had long blonde hair. This second body… I didn’t get a good look at the victim. But from what I did see, it didn’t look like Amelie. I didn’t recognize him at all,” Annie surmised.
“Well, we have a picture of the princess and a coffin that doesn’t have her remains. I’ll connect the dots and jump to the conclusion that Amelie is a vampire. How do you want to play it? Go home and wait for the autopsy, or carry them with us to France? They really smell.”
Annie sighed. “Let’s get the bodies home and come back. We can’t wait for the results. We have to find her.”
“Then that’s the plan,” Spencer said and teleported them home.
*
In the early evening, Annie and Spencer deposited the bodies in the morgue at Wizard Hall. The night security officer, Samuel Hawkins, took them to the morgue, where they lay the bodies on the first table for processing.
“I’ll call Perkins and let him know,” Annie offered.
Perkins Abernathy, the jovial lab manager, picked up the call right away and listened as Annie explained the situation. “I’ll meet you in the morgue now,” he advised.
“It can wait until morning. Either way, we have to chase Amelie. Just let us know what you need us to do with the body and we’ll do it,” Annie promised.
“If it’s who you think it is, I need to do this now. I’m on my way.” Perkins hung up and arrived within fifteen minutes.
“So what have we got?” he asked as he grabbed a lab coat from a hook beside the door.
The enlarged body bag lay draped across the first table. Perkins unzipped the heavy plastic and stared inside, then glanced at Annie and Spencer and back to the bodies. “There are two bodies,” he said with an air of confusion in his voice.
“Yeah. We have no idea who the second one is.” Annie tossed the wallet on the second table. “That was in a pocket in the cloak.”
“Stonewell’s?”
“Yes.” Spencer said.
Gently they removed the bodies from the bag, placing the intermingled victims on a second table. Perkins bent low and stared at the decomposition near the stomach.
“What were the conditions you found them in?” Perkins asked.
Annie described the hole, cool and relatively dry. She noted the open casket.
“That explains the bugs eating his hand here.” He lifted the hand belonging to the man they assumed was Stonewell. “The rest of the body seems to be decomposing at a somewhat typical rate and fashion. He’s been missing how long?” Perkins examined Stonewell’s neck. “These track marks are consistent with other vampire bites.”
“Stonewell’s been gone eight months,” Annie said.
He looked at Stonewell’s face and hands. “He was found like this, face down?”
“Yes.”
Perkins adjusted the light above the table and bent close to the bodies. He grimaced slightly; the stench was stronger now than it had been when Annie removed the bodies from the coffin. He summoned the flashlight, examining the skin. “There’s no signs that blood had pooled beneath him,” he noted.
“It looks like she drained him,” Annie agreed. She walked around the table to get a closer look at the other body, which she assumed was a man. She donned gloves and pulled a scarf from around his neck. “Vampire tracks,” she said. “He was found lying on his back.” She pulled his shirt away and examined his back. “Blood didn’t pool here either.”
“So where we should have one princess, we have two men. Both appeared to be drained of their blood. That’s a lot for one vampire, isn’t it?” Perkins pointed out.
“We figure she awoke in the coffin as a vampire. She might not have been fed right away. She could have been hungry,” Spencer offered.
“I will do my best to determine time of death. But that would make sense. If she was in there for any length of time, she didn’t get her first feed. Two dead might quench that first thirst.” Perkins fiddled with the lights, opened the cabinet door to his right, and pulled out a kit of supplies.
“This is what I’ll do. I will run DNA tests. We should be able to ID Stonewell if this is him. The other man…” he stopped for a moment. “This other victim almost looks like a squatter, like he had been living on the street. His clothes are worn and dirty. Lying in the coffin wouldn’t have caused that wear. He might be harder to ID,” Perkins guessed. “Do you need an ID before you chase the princess?”
“No. We’re fairly certain neither body is hers. We’ll head back out in the morning,” Annie advised.
“So why would Stonewell end up in the grave of princess, unless he knew she was a vampire? What do you think he wanted with her?” Perkins asked as he began to remove the cloak from Stonewell’s shoulders.
“Presumably it has to do with the overthrow of the government,” Annie thought aloud.
“If Plan A didn’t work, he’d use her for Plan B,” Spencer added.
“He should have come up with a Plan C,” Perkins surmised as he lay the cloak on the next table.
“It’s for the best he didn’t,” Spencer quipped. He glanced at his phone and looked at Annie.
“It’s midnight now. Let me get you home.” I’ll see you again, say 6:00 a.m.?” Spencer asked.
“Yeah. Thanks Perkins,” Annie said as she and Spencer left lab for a brief respite.
Chapter 6
Spencer landed Annie on her back porch. She held on to him and let the wave of nausea pass.
“I can stay and help you,” he offered.
The soft glow of the back porch light was just blinding enough. She glanced inside the house. “No. It’s fine. It looks like Janie’s still here. Go home. I’ll see you in the morning.”
A chilly breeze blew across the deck, Spencer remained until Annie was safely inside. She waved once and closed the door, slipping off her jacket and shoes before making her way to the den.
Janie lay asleep on the sofa, the television on low as to not disturb Cham or his mother, both of whom lay comfortably in rooms upstairs.
Annie sat on the couch and touched Janie’s hand. The movement startled her, and she jumped as her eyes flew open.
“Sorry. How is he?” Annie asked. By the time she and Spencer had returned from Amborix and met Perkins at the morgue, it was well past midnight. She glanced at her phone. She’d be leaving again in six hours.
Janie rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn. “Okay. Marina’s in the guest room. I stayed in case they needed anything. Dave will come back tomorrow if you’ll be gone. What happened?”
“It’s most likely not Amelie in the coffin,” Annie said as she fell into the couch. She grimaced. In that moment, she realized just how stiff her arm had become.
“You have to go back then?” Janie asked as she pulled herself from the sofa and headed to the kitchen. Annie heard cabinet doors and drawers squeak open and closed. Janie ran the faucet.
Annie’s eyes closed and fluttered open as Janie’s footsteps rubbed against the den carpet.
“We’re leaving at six in the morning. I have to catch the vampire.” Annie reached for the water and gulped it. It didn’t flow easily, felt as though it was stuck in her raw throat. Gingerly, she reached for what looked like a peanut butter sandwich and took a bite.
“Is there anything I can do?” Janie sighed and pulled stray hairs from Annie’s face.
“Nothing yet. We have to ask France for permission to investigate.” No longer hungry, she placed the remaining half a sandwich on the plate and leaned against the high back of the chaise lounge in the corner of the couch.
“I thought I heard voices,” M
arina Chamsky said as she entered the den. All of five feet tall, she was nonetheless as menacing as a mother hen could be where her children were concerned. She sat beside Annie. “How are you feeling?” She gently touched Annie’s cheek.
“Tired. A little sore. But I’m fine,” Annie said. She glanced at Janie over Marina’s shoulder.
“Bobby’s asleep. He tires easily. Janie’s been a big help, though I keep saying she should go home and rest.”
Janie sniggered quietly behind Marina. “I’ll stay until morning. Just in case. Annie’s got to get up early and go back.”
“You really shouldn’t, Annie dear. You look so tired,” Marina said gently.
“I’m fine. I’m good. You go and relax. I’m going sit for just a little longer, and then I’m going to sleep,” Annie told her.
“You work too hard.” Marina kissed Annie’s cheek and headed upstairs.
When they heard the footsteps on the stairs, Janie said, “She’s awfully protective, and yet she’s in her element.”
Annie shrugged and closed her eyes. “Cham’s okay?” she murmured.
“Yeah. He’s ready to work, I think. But Marina won’t let him.” Janie chuckled. “And you need to sleep in bed. Come on.” Janie gently led Annie from the den to the back hallway and up the stairs. Annie felt at peace in the darkness as she entered her room. The sleeping body lay covered in her white duvet. She longed to join him in blissful sleep.
Janie helped remove her shirt and pants, replacing them with comfortable pajamas. Annie didn’t mind being led, being guided. At this moment all she wanted was her bed and a few hours of deep sleep.
With Janie back downstairs, Annie lay on her back and felt the warm hand of Cham reach for her.
“It’s not her, is it?” Cham asked. He rolled on his side and kissed her cheek.
“No. I’m leaving at six in the morning to find Sturtagaard,” Annie told him and yawned deeply. It put pressure on her shoulder.
“I’ll petition to return to work. I wish I could help you.” He touched her cheek.
Annie’s eyes fluttered closed and open again.
“Not too soon,” she whispered, feeling fuzzy with sleep.
“Says you,” he teased and lay back down, his fingers intertwined with hers.
The blanket pulled up around her chin, Annie felt the heaviness of exhaustion overtake her. She fell into a dead sleep.
*
Though it was still dark as night, Annie felt a gentle touch against her good shoulder, rousing her from sleep.
“Wha?” she said groggily, emerging from her dreamlike state.
“You’re leaving in thirty minutes.”
“That was a short night,” Annie groaned. Cold air nipped at her nose, and the floor beneath her feet felt chilled. “The heat feels off.”
“We’ll look at it. We need to get you going,” Janie said.
She trudged to the bathroom, blinded by the light and reached inside the shower to turn on the faucet. With no time to wait, she stepped in when the water was merely warm and shivered as the strong flow pounded her skin.
By the time the water warmed, she was fully awake. She soaped herself, letting the bubble slide down her legs and whirl into the drain.
Finally, clean and wide awake, she dressed quickly, shoving her field pack into the clean pants. She glanced into the mirror, grimaced at the dark circles, pulled her hair in a bun and followed the smell of breakfast wafting up to her.
A breakfast sandwich waited for her, hot and ready.
“You’re amazing,” Annie told Janie and took a bite. “Thanks.”
“Just get back soon. He misses you. I miss you,” Janie said, offering a weary smile.
As the clock turned six, Spencer appeared, ready and waiting for Annie.
She hugged Janie quickly and stepped into the cold, dark morning, greatly aware she might not be returning home any time soon.
*
Thanks to Lial Peng, Annie and Spencer had a teleportation location near the center of town in an alley seldom seen by tourists—and Annie doubted by the locals either.
The alley was cluttered with boxes, dirty rags, and an old tire. Annie groaned, sidestepped a pile of boxes, and followed Spencer to the curve of the road.
“You good?” Spencer asked as Annie pulled away.
“Yeah. Just a lot of energy to teleport,” she said, though he knew that already.
Spencer glanced up, looked for cameras, and saw none.
The storefronts and office spaces down the street were empty, abandoned. Some had garage-door-like contraptions covering the doors and windows, keeping unwanted vagrants or vandals from destroying the aged properties.
Great locations for vampires to hide.
“I don’t see any cameras. It looks like we’re alone,” Spencer announced. He summoned his map of Paris, atomie bean, and crystal to scry for the vampire
The map lit quickly, just where they expected to find the vampire.
“He’s staying close to home,” Annie commented.
“He wants to be found. And to do that, we need to go… that way.” Spencer pointed toward the curve in the narrow street. They slung backpacks across their shoulders and stepped onto the sidewalk, cautiously strolling beside the buildings
Crossing the street, they turned left onto Rue Marcadet—as it turned out, another nearly empty street. “It should be up a short distance.” Spencer said.
The road wound through the district, past run-down buildings. Absently, Annie moved closer to Spencer and hitched the bag up on her shoulder.
“How’s Melinda?” Annie asked casually. Several blocks over, cars roared, and animated voices were alive with energy. Here, the only sound was their boots clicking against the sidewalk in a rhythmic pounding. The backpack slipped down her shoulder and rested in the crook of her arm.
“She’s good. Get any sleep?” Spencer readjusted the straps on Annie’s bag to ease the tension on her injured shoulder.
“Not enough, but I did sleep. She feeling okay with the pregnancy?” Annie asked. She switched the bag to her other shoulder.
“If the bag’s too much, let me take it. You’re still on comp time,” he offered. She acquiesced easily and handed him her bag.
“I should just shrink it,” she said as she stretched out her shoulder.
“We’re tourists. We’re supposed to be hiking through France,” he reminded her, though she was sure he would much prefer to not be carrying any bags at all. “Cham okay?” Spencer asked as he strolled on Annie’s left, nearest the road.
“He’s tired but healing,” she replied.
“It won’t be much longer,” Spencer said. “Ever been to France?”
An icy breeze swept over them as they crossed the final road where they hoped to find Sturtagaard. The thought of seeing the vampire again made Annie shudder. She always felt the need to be at her best when she came up against him. Her exhaustion and her mood made her feel less than her normal strength.
“Nope. Not for work or personal,” she replied.
“It’s romantic. You should come back when you’re not on comp time,” he joked.
“Yeah, my first time in Paris and I’m with you. Lucky me,” Annie quipped.
Spencer counted down the building numbers as they passed. “One more,” he said as they stepped beside a small shop.
The unassuming building appeared empty. Annie peered into the grime-covered window, through a small gap between two sheets of newsprint that covered it.
Candles were scattered across the mostly bare room, creating a ring of dim light. At the center, she saw a hard metal chair with a form sitting on it.
Sturtagaard.
Her heart pounded. Annie had last seen the vampire after Rathbone’s arrest, two months after Amelie died. Annie had been free from the receiving end of his tricks and torment. Like no other demon she fought, Sturtagaard unnerved her: the way he’d sniff the air and know what she had been doing or who she was with. His digs to the hea
rt of the matter so easily pushed her buttons.
Why does he get to me?
She seethed at the sight of the vampire, who appeared unaffected by the mess that had befallen them.
“Ready to get that bastard?” Spencer whispered as he stuffed the map back in his pack.
“He knows my scent. He knows I’m here,” Annie warned as she glared at the vampire. Could he feel her fury through the window? If he could, would it have some effect on him?
“Not to mention, he sent the article to you. He’s expecting you,” Spencer reminded her.
Sturtagaard expects me to jump when he calls.
Irritated, Annie reached for the door handle, loosely twirling it in her grasp. The bell jingled when she opened the door; she cringed at the sound as it announced their entrance.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” the vampire said without turning around.
*
“Where is she?” Annie retorted. She sucked in a deep breath and grimaced at the stench that filled the room.
Sturtagaard unfurled himself from the chair. Annie gasped; she couldn’t hide her surprise at the sight of the tall, lanky creature standing against the thin metal chair for support. His normal appearance was one of pale sickness, but in the dim light, the deep shadows accentuated his pursed lips and forehead. Even sneering his famous sneer, he looked nothing like the menacing vampire he once was. He looked like he hovered near death. Without showing off his fangs, his sneer looked humorous rather than intimidating. Annie bit her cheek to keep from laughing.
“What the hell,” Annie whispered to Spencer who chose not to hide his grin.
“Don’t know. Don’t care,” Spencer admitted loudly, with the intention of pissing the vampire off. Had the vampire been at full strength he would have lunged for the wizard guard, but instead he grasped the chair more tightly.
“That smell is…” Annie viewed the vampire cautiously, her eyes finding the stump where there once was a hand. It glistened in the light; a festering, oozing mass of green and yellow puss. Annie grimaced at his mangled arm, which had been destroyed when Sturtagaard attempted to escape the unescapable Tartarus Prison. The window of his cell had been made of something other than glass: a magical concoction known as acidiac, a hazy, glimmering substance of acid and magic mixture. So mesmerized by the mixture, Sturtagaard had reached out and touched it. It had burned away all flesh and bone that made contact with the window.
Wizard Hall Chronicles Box Set Page 73
