"Fantasy writers seem to like 'nest.'"
"Fine. 'Nest' it is." I pinched and massaged the bridge of my nose. "I'll get this cleaned up, then bounce down to Tampa if Matei hasn't turned up by then."
What I did not say was that Matei's disappearance put on additional time pressure. Eventually, his Push would start wearing off. People in authority would start wondering why an IPD detective was handling the case. And they'd start wondering what that consultant was doing.
I couldn't Push as many people as Matei, not by a long shot, nor so strongly. So I would be out and on my own. And in that case, maybe I could take the vampires if I could catch them one at a time. But how many people would die before I got them all. I didn't like to admit it, but I needed Matei for this.
"Thank you," Matei's receptionist continued. "I know you don't think so, but Matei does care about you."
I snorted. "Yeah, right. What he cares about is my ability to take down vampires that are likely to draw attention and maybe lose him his nice, safe, feeding ground."
"As you wish," she said. "You will let me know if he calls?"
"That I will," I said. "Is that all?"
"That's all."
I broke the connection.
Eight thirty, Ware had said. I had enough time for a quick shower and to dress in clean clothes.
"I took a look at the docket." Ware stirred cream into his coffee. "Mary's scheduled for this afternoon. I left a note with the prosecutor and her judge that she's a valuable source on one of my cases. Should let her out with a modest fine and probation."
I cut a chunk off my omelet. "And Reid?"
"We'll be meeting with him in—" Ware looked at his watch. "—forty minutes."
I put a forkful of eggs and vegetables into my mouth and used the time it took me to chew and swallow to let my eyes roam. No one was near enough.
"Have you given thought to who else to bring in?"
"Tanner, I think," Ware said. "And maybe Don Blake. That'll do for starters. I think both of them...maybe...trust me enough to accept the walking undead. We can talk about adding more later if we need to."
"We've got another problem," I said.
"Oh?"
I told him about Matei neither checking in nor answering his phone. "And if he doesn't reinforce his Push on the politicians keeping this a police case, well..."
"How long?"
"Depends on when Matei last nudged the folk up the chain. Three, maybe four days."
"So we have that long to find and kill the vampires or we're out. That about sum it up?"
"Well, you're out. They can't fire me; just deny me the ability to work with you. I'll continue to hunt, but alone against that big a nest will be...difficult."
We finished our breakfast and Ware paid the check.
Ware led me toward the garage. "If you don't mind, we'll take my car."
I shrugged.
"After we meet with Reid, I think we should head out to the range." Ware opened his door.
"I need to," I said. "I haven't had chance to zero my revolver."
When we got in the car, Ware leaned across and opened the glove compartment. He removed a pistol in a holster wrapped in several leather straps, a shoulder rig.
"Here," Ware said. "I don't want you relying on that antique popgun of yours."
I released the thumb break of the holster and drew the pistol, careful not to point it at either of us. A CZ75B. I dropped the magazine and racked the slide to eject the round in the chamber. Nine-millimeter. I raised my arms in an isosceles posture and sighted, still careful of where the muzzle pointed.
The gun was a bit large for my hand, but not terribly so. It pointed nicely for me. I could close my eyes, point, and open my eyes to find the sights already lined up. The safety was a bit of a reach for my thumb but the sixteen rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber would be a definite comfort when things went to hell.
"Look at the round," Ware said.
I did. The hollow points of the nine millimeter cartridges had bright silver filling their cavities.
"You've been busy," I said.
"I got it for off-duty carry but found it a little large and uncomfortable. I've got a little Sig I use for that now."
"Um, I love it but...you'd have to ship this back to Tennessee and I'd have to receive it there from an FFL to transfer."
Ware held up a hand. "It's still my gun. I'm not 'transferring' it, merely letting you use it for the time being."
"You sure the BATFE will agree with that?"
Ware shrugged. "Maybe not. But I won't tell if you won't."
I locked open the slide and looked the gun over again. It was certainly a beautiful piece.
"How's it shoot?"
Ware grinned. "Why don't we find out after we meet with Reid?"
I nodded and slipped the magazine back into the mag well. I released the slide, chambering a round then dropped the magazine to load the round I had cleared previously into it. Magazine back in place, I tucked the gun between the seat and console. I made sure it was shoved in far enough to cover the trigger. So long as Ware didn't have an accident, it would remain secure there while I adjusted the straps on the holster.
We reached the station with several minutes to spare. Before meeting with Reid, we sat through the morning briefing. Ware went over the results of the preliminary forensics reports noting without emphasizing the puncture wounds the victims had on their upper arms, suggesting that the cult was deep into their delusion and was draining blood via the brachial artery. He noted that the bodies weren't cut but the arms and legs seem to have been pulled off, heads twisted.
"How?" Tanner shook her head. "How much force would it take to pull somebody's arm off, let alone their leg?"
Ware looked to me.
"In the Middle Ages, a common punishment for serious crimes was drawing and quartering. We can pass the 'drawing' part for now, but quartering involved tying each arm and leg of the condemned to a different horse. The horses would be whipped into motion, ripping the condemned apart."
I'd included the historical background not because it was relevant, it wasn't, but I wanted instead to set the stage, to normalize in the police officers' minds the idea of that kind of dismemberment. It was something that happened before, lots of times. That way they would be more inclined to grab onto a mundane explanation once offered.
Tanner sneered at me. "What? We're looking for horses now?"
"No." I shrugged. "They could be using some mechanical device instead, something rigged from a come-along."
Lieutenant MacKenzie frowned at me. "How do they do something like this in the middle of a college dorm? It's going to take time, a lot of time. Along with inserting fake footage in place of the security recordings? Someone should have seen them and raised an alarm, called 911, something."
"Gas, maybe?" I paused for a moment as though thinking. "It's hard to get enough chloroform or the like into the air to knock people out, but there are other possibilities. The Army developed an incapacitating gas, a hallucinogenic of some sort. If they'd managed to get their hands on some, or duplicated it, people seeing the attack under the influence of such a gas might think it too weird to be real and decide they're asleep and having a nightmare."
"Right," Ware said. "So, I'll want a complete tox report on the bodies. If these people were under the influence of any kind of drug, no matter how obscure, I want to know about it."
Ware's eyes met mine. He knew as well as I did that there was no drug, but the search for one would buy us some time.
"All right," Ware said at last. "I'm going to wrap this up. I have an appointment with someone who might have further information about this cult. Tanner, Blake, if you would join us, please?"
"Sergeant?" Tanner looked up.
"I know you've been...resistant to our consultant here, but your own work has touched on the case. I'd like to get your insight on what the source has to say. Blake, I think your recent experience in vice might help." War
e paused. "If that's okay, Lieutenant?"
"Anything you need, James. Just wrap this up before we have another massacre."
"Do my best."
MacKenzie looked like he was about to say something but he just looked at Ware for a moment then nodded. He rose to his feet. "All right, the rest of you. We still have other cases to close. Hit the streets. Work your sources. Follow up your leads. And if you get anything, anything at all, that might relate to the vampire cult case, make sure word gets to—" He hesitated for a moment and shook his head. "—Sergeant Ware."
Ware took a step toward the door. "Blake, Tanner—" He looked at me. "Herzeg?"
I stood and followed him.
Ware led the three of us to a small conference room. He looked at his watch. "Our source should be arriving shortly. Anybody like coffee?"
"I'll get it," I said.
Ware looked at me and I shrugged. Anything to try to smooth things with these officers. We were about to ask them to believe something extraordinary. Not everyone would be as accepting as Ware had been.
I grabbed five cups of coffee from the urn and brought them back along with a pile of creamers, sugar, and sweetener as well as some of the little plastic stirrers. As I returned to the conference room, I spotted Reid approaching from the other direction, escorted by a uniformed officer.
I adjusted my pace so that we reached the door about the same time.
"Right here, sir," the officer said.
"Thank you." Reid laid a hand on the doorknob. "They have you fetching coffee now, Ms. Herzeg?"
I shrugged. "Someone's got to do it. I don't consider it demeaning. Do you?"
"I'd never dream of calling it demeaning."
"Excellent. You can get the next round."
Reid didn't answer. He opened the door and walked through. I stuck out a foot to block the door before it closed, then used my shoulder to push it back as I pivoted into the room. I set the cups in the middle of the table, the creamer and sweeteners in a heap next to them. I grabbed one cup, a creamer and several packets of sugar, then found a seat next to Ware.
Ware reached across the table to pick up one of the cups. "Thank you, Ms. Herzeg."
"No problem, Detective."
The others each grabbed cups of coffee with their favorite additives. I poured the sweetener and creamer into mine and stirred. I took a sip. Abominable stuff, but caffeine and calories, just what I needed.
Ware took a long drink of his coffee, then set the cup down. "All right, let's get started. I brought you in because there are certain elements to this case that, well, they're not for open discussion, even in the squad."
"What?" Tanner's eyes flicked to me before returning to Ware. "You mean that this isn't just a cult, but real, live vampires?"
From the corner of my eye I saw Ware's jaw drop.
"Come on, James," Tanner continued. "I'm not stupid. I saw the bite marks on the floater, and the deep punctures right where the canines would be. I know Tommy talks about what incredible fakes the security video at Riley, and now at IUPUI, were, but they aren't fakes, are they?"
She turned to me. "And I pulled out the report on your injuries at the hospital. Two punctures in your arm
about—" She held her thumb and finger spaced about two inches. "—that far apart. And you're looking quite fit, considering your other injuries. Vampire hunter?"
I shrugged. "You could call it that."
"What are we dealing with? Nosferatu? Dracula? Or, God forbid, that sparkly sonofabitch?"
Ware rapped on the table. "We'll go into that more later. Blake? You on board with this?"
"Sergeant, you tell me to hunt little green men from outer space as our suspects, I'll hunt little green men from outer space, but...vampires? Not sure I can believe that."
"At this stage 'not sure' is good. We'll see if we can change that." Ware turned to Reid. "I'll start with the special agent here. He's on medical leave and here on an unofficial basis. He has information relevant to our case. Consider him a consultant although there's no budget to hire him."
"Wait. A. Minute." Reid squeezed each word out through clenched teeth.
"Best you're going to get, Agent. This is my case. The alternative is that I call your supervisor and explain what you've been doing on your medical leave." Ware locked eyes on Reid. They sat, staring at each other for several seconds.
Finally, Reid flinched. "Very well. But we'll talk about this later."
"Later is later," Ware said. "Right now we have some vampires to stop." He turned an open hand to Reid. "So, if you can show my people what you showed me?"
CHAPTER TWENTY
Reid stood up. He removed his phone from his pocket and turned it on.
"We captured one of those...things...a little over a week ago. He ignored being tazed. Being shot didn't even slow him down. In fact, when we examined him later, we found no evidence of bullet wounds."
"I thought you feds were better shots than that?" Tanner interjected.
Reid ignored the interruption. "We ended up piling bodies on him to subdue him. In the process he killed two officers, including my partner, and put three others in the hospital. He broke the first pair of handcuffs we put on him, leading to two more officers hospitalized before we restrained him with three pairs of handcuffs."
Reid paused for a moment before continuing. "We've got him in a basement cell. He goes comatose every dawn. No attempt to wake him between the hours of sunrise and sunset has any effect. No deliberate attempt, I should say. The first day, we tried to remove him to the hospital wing. The instant the attendants wheeled his stretcher into a room with a window, he awoke. He broke the restraints on the stretcher and knocked his attendants out of the way as he ran back into the elevator. His attendants only suffered minor injuries. He was more interested in getting past them than in hurting them. Security footage shows that he collapsed on the closing of the doors."
"Dani?" Ware said.
I nodded. "Legend and fiction have a mix of truth and falsehoods about vampires. Early stories did not claim any particular aversion to sunlight. The 'burst into flames' thing came with the movie Nosferatu. Real vampires don't. Sunlight does hurt them, and enough exposure will kill them, but it's not a quick process. It's slow and agonizing. Vampires do sleep during the day. Young vampires drop with the first light of the rising sun only to awaken with the last ray of the setting one. Old ones can remain awake for a couple hours of daylight, but no more."
I nodded to Reid. "But, as Agent Reid has seen, any vampire, when at immediate risk of sunlight exposure, will wake up long enough to evade that exposure and seek shelter." I looked Reid in the eye. "You're lucky that Gerald, or the thing that was Gerald, is as young as he is. As you noted, his instinct was only to seek shelter. He didn't stop to kill along the way."
"Thank you, Ms. Herzeg," Reid ground out then turned to Ware. "Don't interrupt me again."
"Cram it," Ware said. "This is my case. You're here as a courtesy. You don't want me to pick up a phone to your supervisor back in Seattle, do you?"
"Is that a threat, Detective?"
"You bet your ass, Special Agent."
"Please," I said softly. "Can we save it for the vampires?"
Ware turned to me then back to Reid. "If you would continue, Special Agent."
"There's not much more," Reid said. "Except that about every three days, someone in his vicinity would go nuts and try to free him."
He stopped. The room went silent for a moment. After a few seconds, Ware said, "Thank you, Special Agent Reid. Dani?"
"Vampires can...Push at people's minds. They're limited in how often they can do it, how far they can reach, and how much they can Push a person into things they wouldn't ordinarily do. Most things don't change for a vampire as they get older. They don't get physically stronger or faster. Older vampires do get better, and stronger, at Push. For a new vampire like that one, reaching people he can't see, and forcing them to free him, once in three days is about right."
"There has been fiction about vampires, before that, legends. Forget most of what you've read. It's wrong, stuff the writer created to try to tell a good story. Vampires are not pale, romantic creatures of the night. Instead of being lean and sallow, they tend to puffiness as though bloated, and dark ruddy complexions. They are bloodthirsty. Well, Antisocial Personality Disorder is as close as you'll get in human terms. They are utterly self-centered and utterly arrogant. They are stronger and faster than humans. Most weapons have no effect on them. Shoot them with a lead bullet, and it's like shooting smoke. Cut them with steel, and there isn't even a wound."
"How about a stake through the heart?" Blake asked, his first words since saying he didn't believe in vampires.
"Immobilizes them," I said. "Doesn't kill them. Remove the stake and they return...as the people at your morgue found out to their cost."
"How do we kill them, then?" Tanner asked.
"Two ways are reliable. One is to behead them, stuff their mouths with garlic or communion wafers—don't ask me why communion wafers work because I don't know—and sew their mouths shut. With the rising of the sun, they are 'true dead' and cannot be brought back. The other way is to burn their bodies to ash." I pulled my lips back, more a baring of teeth than a smile. "I like to do both. Just to be sure."
"Anything else, Ms. Herzeg?" Ware asked.
I nodded. "I've seen vampires fight. Their fangs, even their hands and feet, create wounds that heal only slowly. They can even kill one another true dead that way. Something to think of if we can get them to turn on each other."
I shrugged then continued. "For all their strengths, vampires have weaknesses, too. They're vulnerable to sunlight. You can't rely on it to kill them, but they have to seek shelter quickly or they will die. Most of the daylight hours, they're immobile and insensate. And they tend to be few in numbers. And while they can sometimes find humans willing to work for them, such servants never last long in the care of psychopaths who see them as food. 'Happy Meals with legs' as one writer put it. Historically, vampires used two strategies to overcome their weaknesses. One was to operate in secret. They strike in the darkness from stealth, leaving no witnesses, or at the very least none that anyone important would believe. If no one believes in vampires, no one hunts them, and the vampires can hunt with impunity." I stopped and licked my lips.
The Unmasking (Dhampyre the Hunter Book 1) Page 15
