“Thank you for your time. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
“I expect you will.” He turned around, but then stopped. “The information I have given you is going to make your job tougher, more personal. I bid you good luck where I failed Inspector.”
On that cryptic note, Rosette and I walked out of the house and towards the car. She made to start talking, but I put my finger up to my lips. We needed to wait until we got into the car.
By the time we pulled out on to the main road, she was bursting at the seams. “I think we’ve gone far enough, what’s yer take on Roderick?”
“The old vampire knows more than he’s telling us.”
“Well no shit Vic.” She was getting a little cocky now. “Truth be told, I was shocked he talked to us at all, let alone that in-depth.”
She pointed to where I stuck the paper. “When are we going to look at that tidbit of info?”
“With Liz – she might recognize the names. It won’t do us a lick of good since we won’t know who these people are.”
With that, there was an uncomfortable silence the rest of the drive. It seemed like we were chasing ghosts and getting no closer to anything. Between Pan causing problems, a murder under our own noses, and the odd behavior of the vampires that were supposed to be in charge, this trip just plain sucked.
“Call Liz, tell her to meet us out front, something tells me we shouldn’t be at the house when we look at this piece of paper.”
Rosette may’ve been confused, but that didn’t stop her from dialing the number. She pushed it to speaker and we waited until Liz answered.
“Vic, are you done already?”
“Listen, I’m keeping this short. We’re about to pull up to the house. Come out and get in the car.”
The line cut-off and I hung up. A few moments later, I was pulling into the driveway and Liz was standing there. She opened the backdoor and I turned around and left.
Her facial expression was one of worry. “What happened with Roderick?”
“He’s worried. Apparently a few nights before he called us, all his people attacked him, on Pan’s orders according to his story. He slaughtered them.”
“What?
“I’m surprised yer brother didn’t tell ye.” Rosette had a good point.
I looked back. “John never said anything about this, did he?”
She slumped quietly into the seat. “No, this is the first I am hearing about Roderick having to slaughter his staff. It seems rather odd that this piece of information was kept from us.”
I kept going with what I’d found. “When we walked into the foyer, the signs were there that Rod was sucked into one hell of a fight.”
“Why would no one tell me?” Her voice sounded hurt, as if she was the one on trial.
I reached around and squeezed her leg. “Before we left, he wrote down two names of persons of interest. They weren’t there the night of the ambush, so he doesn’t know if they’re even alive.”
“You are hoping I recognize these names, am I correct?”
I pulled the car over into a parking lot of a small store. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the note and handed it to her. Rosette and I both watched with interest as she opened it and read them. She gasped and dropped the paper to the floor.
I looked down and saw in very fancy handwriting read the two names myself – Jonathan and Nigel.
“Son of a bitch…”
Chapter 24
We were sitting back in the driveway to John’s place. No one had said a word since reading the note Rod gave us. He basically accused Liz’s brother and the now dead Nigel as being the traitors.
“So boss lady, what’d we do?”
Her eyes snapped forward. “The two of you are to do nothing, act as normal as you can.”
That didn’t sound good. “Let me try again, what’re you going to do?”
Her eyes were staring straight ahead, almost like she knew where he was. “I am going to go find Gregory and the two of us are going to have a little discussion with my brother. I do not know what is going on, but this charade needs to end.”
I couldn’t agree more, the pressure beneath the surface was getting ready to explode. “I think we should be there.”
“I appreciate your concern, as always, Victor. As much as it pains me to ask you to stay away for a bit, this is a family matter between Jonathan and I. The only reason Gregory is to accompany me is because if it is true, I will need backup.”
“Are ya saying Vic and I cannot offer sufficient backup?”
For a second I thought Liz would behead Rosette and I’d need to find a new deputy, but she didn’t. “It is not that. I trust Vic with my life and you are growing on me.”
The witch still had quite a look on her face. “Then what is it?”
“If anyone is going to arrest, or even kill, my brother, it will be me.”
Family will make you do weird things. “Rosette, she’s right. Me and you can go check on Rissa and make sure she’s okay.”
“Alright, but I still don’t like this.”
The two of us got out of the car. Before I walked off, I looked over at Liz in the passenger seat. “If things get messy, call me. I know you’re worried, but you don’t have to deal with this on your own.”
**Liz**
“I still cannot believe it Gregory, my own brother may have betrayed us.”
Gregory’s young face betrayed just how old he was. “I worry about Roderick; he may be delusional or worse. Let us not jump to hasty conclusions until we talk to Jonathan.”
“Either way, this is not a good situation. If Jonathan is innocent and Roderick is the one behind this, just how long were we being played like fools?”
Worry flashed across his face. “That is a question I do not hope we have to get an answer to.”
We reached Jonathan’s room. I knocked twice. “Jonathan, are you there?”
It took a moment, but he answered. He looked a little bewildered to see both Gregory and I waiting for him. “Sister, is everything okay?”
“We do not know yet. May we come in and go over a few things Victor uncovered so far?”
“But of course.” He moved out of the doorway and let us in. “Are we any closer to discovering the truth?”
“Yes and no,” I took a seat, “but we have more questions than answers.”
Gregory unfolded the note with the names on it. “Roderick gave Victor this; it has two names on it. Before we get to that, Elizabeth and I are wondering why we were not told of Pan turning all of your people and causing them to attack Roderick?”
His normally pale complexion seemed to go even whiter. “I was told to keep that situation under wraps, even from our allies and friends. If people knew how bad the situation was here, it would not sit well for Roderick.”
“You two are fools!” I could not hold it in. “You allowed your enemy to dictate the terms!”
“Elizabeth, this is not like America! With all the older vampires smiling to your face and trying to stab you in the back, we did not need to give them even more reason!”
I just stared at my brother. “While I may agree to a point, the city now has a cannibal werewolf and Pan is no closer to being stopped. Hell Jonathan, London has become his city!”
He sat back down and barely whispering, “I know. We have failed the city and ourselves.”
I was still rather worked up, but Gregory was keeping his calm. “On the night of the ambush at Roderick’s house, where were you and Nigel?”
“I was here, at home finishing up some paperwork Roderick gave me. As for Nigel, he was on a task from Roderick.”
“The reason Elizabeth and I ask is because Roderick is implicated the two of you as being Pan’s insiders.”
Jonathan stood there like he had just been hit by a large truck. He looked from Gregory back to myself before answering. “I do not even know where to begin.”
“You can start with ‘it is not true sister,’ unless it is
.” I felt like I could vomit.
“Elizabeth, I would never betray you or the cause we have worked so hard for. I do not know where to begin because it is Roderick who has betrayed us.”
“You are going to need to do better than just throw the accusation back at him.”
Jonathan nodded and went back to his desk. Gregory had not said anything, but I could tell his anger was simmering just under the surface. Who he was angry with, I could not tell, but I understood his pain. The girl vampire was his charge and if either one of them used her for nefarious means…
“I had my suspicions. How was it Pan was able to escape the island when Roderick was the only one who knew where it was and how it was sealed?”
He sat notes on the desk in front of us. I picked up one, “What is this?”
“The night of Roderick’s supposed ambush, Nigel was out on a task, but it was for me and not Roderick. This is his report.”
I handed a paper to Gregory and both of us began reading. Once informed that this was from Nigel, I recognized his handwriting. On mine, it spoke of Roderick going to remote locals outside the city and meeting with figures that met the stature and description of certain Lost Boys. When Gregory and I swapped pages, the next report was more incriminating – it spoke of a meeting between an elderly vampire named Tucker and Roderick.
“Jonathan, what do you know of the vampire named Tucker?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “He and the werewolf showed up in the city around the same time. We are not one hundred percent sure where he came from, but he is a known associate of Pan’s.”
“The name should be familiar as it is the name of the serial killer we chased down a few months ago, Rev. Warren Tucker.”
“I do remember you saying you were tracking down some mad pastor, but how can it be the same man? He was not a vampire, am I correct?”
I took out my phone and pulled up a picture. “This is Warren Tucker, the mad pastor as you called him. Baron Forte killed him in the desert, but the body was never discovered. According to the Lost Boy we captured, he was brought back, as a vampire.”
Jonathan opened the middle drawer on his desk. “Words are never enough, so Nigel also took a few photographs. They are not very clear, but I think you will be able to make out enough.”
He handed me the picture and Gregory leaned in. One of the men could definitely be Roderick; he matched his height and build. The other man was much clearer. I would never forget the face of the man who caused me so much pain.
“Why would Roderick do this?”
“The only reason is that he is the one who is working with Pan. That is probably why he killed the Lost Boy and framed Rissa.”
**Vic**
Rissa was asleep when we got up to the room. I didn’t know much about newly formed vampires, but I figured the process wore the body out.
“How do ye think it’s going?”
I was wondering myself. “I don’t know. We haven’t heard shouting, breaking, or anything like that.”
“Ye mean ye haven’t. I don’t have the super senses.”
I smiled. “Yeah, but you’re a freaking witch who can do freaky witch things. We all have our strong points.”
“I have ta say I was worried working for ya. I thought it was all a set up or something.”
“You give me too much credit. I’m not that sly.” Something hit my ears – rushed footsteps. “We’re going to have company soon.”
Sure enough within minutes the door opened and John, Greg, and Liz came in. “The girl is safe Gregory.”
“Liz, what the hell is going on?”
“Vic, Rosette, we are not safe here. Roderick is the one who killed our prisoner and framed Rissa. We need to go to ground now.”
Greg hurried over and unlocked Rissa from her restraint.
“Guys stop.” They all looked at me. I walked over to the window in the bedroom and opened it. The scent I picked up on was right. “We have company.”
Standing out in the yard was Kano and a young looking vampire who was tossing a knife into the air. John walked over and confirmed my fear.
“It is too late, Pan is here.”
Chapter 25
Pan and Kano were still standing in the yard when we got outside. I had Rosette stay in the house with Rissa, so it was just the four of us. As we approached, Kano started snarling.
He looked a ton worse than the last time I’d seen him, which hadn’t been that long ago, a few days maybe. His irises were almost complete yellow, the fall almost complete.
“You chose a hell of a way to go Kano.”
If he still could talk, he chose not to. He snapped his jaws a few times, spittle flying out. I was glad the rest of my pack didn’t have to see this. Even for a wolf as disliked as Kano, this was heartbreaking.
“I’m sure you and your cousin have much to catch up on Mr. Inglewood,” the knife tossing kid stepped forward and Kano backed up, “but I’d like to talk to my friends. Great to see you again Johnny Boy!”
I looked over; John’s face tensed up at the sight of Pan. “I can only imagine you have a purpose being here.”
“I wanted to make sure you were keeping my witch safe as I’ll need her talents soon. After that stunt you pulled using her as bait for my friend here, well I was concerned with how reckless you’d become.”
Call me gun happy, but I pulled Roscoe out and pointed it at the small, annoying vampire. “What the hell do you need her for?”
He gave me a half smirk and then turned to Liz, “My inside source told me you couldn’t keep your mutt on its leash. Maybe if you had a stronger hand, like me…”
Liz moved faster than I recall her ever moving. By the time my eyes caught up with her, she had her hand around Pan’s neck. She leaned in, right up to his ear, “Give me a reason you little rodent.”
“I…have…infor…mation.”
Kano started growling again and I pointed my gun at him. “Like the lady said, give me a reason dumbass.”
“Everyone stop.” John’s voice was rather calm for the situation.
“You would listen to him brother?” Not breaking her gaze with him, Liz let go. “Spill your information before I spill your blood.”
“Have you figured it out yet why Roderick is behaving so badly?”
We already have a bit of a jump on this, but why would Pan help? “And we should believe you because…?”
“I find this game fun, of course! Much like old Nigel discovered too much and had to be put down,” he gave John a look of mock remorse, “Roderick has gotten too close to certain truths. So why don’t you all be good lads and lasses and go kill him for me.”
Shifting my gun from Kano back to Pan, “You’re freaking insane. How about we kill you today and then go deal with Roderick. In America, we call that a win-win situation.”
He started laughing at me. “I like you Victor! I think we’ll become great friends.”
I cocked the revolver back, “You still didn’t answer my question.”
“Your little gun wouldn’t do the job, but I’ll humor you. Number one, Judas, err, Kano and me would do as much damage to you as you would to us. Ask yourselves, would this really be the best position to try and take me down.”
Not wavering, “Those are chances we might be willing to take. I hope you have a better reason.”
“Oh I do! Number two, we are just the distraction. I think by now Roderick has already taken the witch.”
As if on cue a loud scream came from inside. “That’s Rosette!”
“It looks like you guys have your hands full,” Pan and Kano took off towards the road, “until we meet again!”
As much as I wanted to take chase, Rosette and Rissa were in trouble. Gregory was already running back in and the rest of us took off to catch up. By the time we got the study where the two of them had been, it was too late. Rissa was on the ground, unconscious by the looks of it and Rosette was gone.
“Gregory,” Liz got down beside him, “is she
alive?”
There was a moment of silence before, “Yes, she has just been knocked out.”
That was a relief. Unfortunately, it was a small one as Rosette was nowhere to be found. “How did he get in and out so quickly?”
John walked over and checked the wall. “He used the old passages built in to the home. There is one that leads right into this room. He could get in and out with us never knowing.”
“Let’s go then, we can still catch them! I can follow Rosette’s scent…” But John cut me off.
“I am sorry, but there are too many that connect and it is too dangerous. He knows the passages better than I do and he has a head start. I am sorry Victor.”
I could feel my rage building. Punching the wall as hard as I could, “Damnit, why did we bring them in here then? Why didn’t you tell us?!”
“Vic, you must remain calm.” Liz put a hand on me. “Getting angry at each other will only make this worse.”
Too late on that; I was already pissed. We’d spent so much time and effort to stay one step ahead and as it turns out we were miles behind. Pan and Rod were playing us like fiddles and the people on our side weren’t using common sense.
“Where would he take her?” No one answered, so I hit the wall again to break them out of their stupor. “The three of you know him as well as anyone. Where would he go? We don’t have the luxury as being down on ourselves right now!”
Liz looked at me for a moment, her eyes refocusing on the task at hand. “Since he is working for Pan and their need of her is in London, he would not go far. In a fifty kilometer radius from the city, Roderick has three manors that were once his permanent headquarters. Chances are high he would use one of them.”
“I have been to all three in the past few months. Redmount and Hillside are in disrepair, but Markham looked recently used.”
I looked over at John, “How far is that one from here?”
“Markham is the furthest away. It is north of the city, at the full fifty kilometers away.”
Based on the distance, I felt that actually was the last one he’d go too. “Where are the others?”
The Wrath of Pan (The Inglewood Chronicles Book 2) Page 11
