by S. L. Gavyn
His smile grew. “We prefer clinical psychologist.”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to be rude.”
“On the contrary, it’s nice to find someone who isn’t afraid to tell me what they really think. Have you rented an office as well? I didn’t think there were any more available on my floor.”
“My business partner rented one a couple of months ago. I’ve been out of town and this is the first I’ve actually been able to get here.”
“That explains it. I’m sure I would have noticed if you had visited before.”
The elevator opened on our floor and he reached forward to put his hand in the doorway allowing me to exit first. I stepped off and he took up step beside me as we walked down the hallway. He stopped at the first door and I saw “Dr. Alexander, Ph. D.” on a plaque beside the door.
“This is me,” he said.
“Well, it was nice to meet you Dr. Alexander.”
“Please, call me Roman.”
*****
My face was vibrating. I tried to swipe it away and only managed to move the vibration to my chest. What in the world was that? I opened my eyes. I was laying on my stomach in my bed and the vibration was my phone. As my befuddled brain evaluated what was going on my phone stopped vibrating then immediately started again. I climbed up to my hands and knees and sat back on my heels while answering the phone.
“Sunny Dubois,” I said as I threw my long dark hair out of my face.
“Hello daughter. I am sorry to wake you but I have a case for you. If you’re up for it.”
Is he kidding? “As long as it doesn’t involve handing out tickets for misdemeanors you found your girl.”
He laughed. “Oh this is most assuredly not a misdemeanor case. A dead Vampere was found in the middle of the street in Dallas.”
“In the middle of the street? Was he killed there?”
“That would be for you to determine but my sources say no. Calvin is currently on his way so we will learn more once he conducts his evaluation.”
“Alright. I’ll get Tristan and hop a portal.”
“Very good. The local police are being taken care of but I would like as little exposure as possible.”
“I’ll do a quick look-see then we’ll bring the Vamp back for further examination.”
“That sounds like the most feasible plan. Be well, daughter.”
“You as well, father.”
I hung up then called Tristan.
“Hey mom. ‘Sup?”
“Meet me on the corner in five minutes.”
“Whoa. I’m kinda in the middle of something.”
“Duty calls son. Unless you’d rather sit this one out.”
“It’s a real case? No baby shit?”
“If you’re not at the portal in five minutes, I’m leaving without you.”
I hung up. He’ll be there. He’s been an actual agent for almost six months now but has been on probation which has consisted of only handling misdemeanor cases. As his partner that meant I have been stuck working the same cases. Boring doesn’t begin to describe it. But I knew I would have to do it when I first agreed to let him become one of the council’s agents. My one concession was that he work as my partner for the first year or until I thought he was ready to be on his own. He was my only child after all.
I threw on my clothes and grabbed my phone before leaving my house through the garage. Being able to bring my car will make getting around Dallas easier. Or I hope it will. When I reached the gate I entered the code and held my hand to the monitor until it was accepted and the gate began to open. Tristan was standing on the other side. I stopped and he got in.
“Nothing like giving me advanced notice.”
“Sorry if I interrupted your nightly romp. Next time I’ll leave you to your women and go by myself.”
“Now, let’s not get hasty. I don’t give you grief over your relationship with Doyle. I was just asking for common courtesy.”
“Doyle’s and my relationship isn’t like that. It’s merely a trade-off. I have what he needs and he takes what I can’t otherwise get rid of.”
“Yeah, you’ve told me before but I tell you that he wants more than that from you.”
“We are both contented with our current partnership.”
“No, you are content. He would rather it be more permanent. And, wouldn’t you prefer a more stable relationship. You know with a man. Not Doyle.”
“I have two stable relationships with men currently and believe me when I say it’s more than enough.”
“I was referring to an intimate relationship with someone that isn’t related to you.”
“Why, so I can break up with them and find a new one every other week like you.”
“I can’t help it that women can’t be more understanding when I tell them I can’t tell them what I do for a living and that I work seventy plus hours a week.”
“And what was your excuse before becoming an agent of the council? Oh yes, now I remember. You didn’t want to be tied down to just one girl.”
His good looks had women practically flocking to his bedroom. His blonde hair and dark eyes looked nothing like my dark hair and blue eyes but age-wise I looked like I could be his sister.
“I didn’t then. Now I wouldn’t mind a relationship but being called in the wee hours of the morning to go do something I can’t share with anyone kind of puts a damper on my possible dates. I had to practically throw this one out the door while she was, uh, less than appropriately dressed. She actually accused me of being married. She thought my wife was on the way home.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “You should have told her your mom was on the way home.” I chuckled. “As far as work goes, I notified you thirty seconds after I was notified. Would you like me to ask Lucian to call you first next time? I’m sure he would love to hear about how important your time is and that proper notification should be given prior to you doing your job.”
“Ugh. Don’t tell grandfather. The last time I complained about something he spent two hours lecturing me about the proper behavior of young men and how I was failing.”
I smiled at him. “Just be lucky he wasn’t the one to train you in becoming an agent. Trust me, no one knows how to exploit failure like Lucian.”
“All I can say is, better you than me.”
“Is that any way to treat your mother?”
“Hey, he’s your father.”
“And, your grandfather. I think a little one on one time with dear old gramps would do you good. I’ll be sure to schedule your next training session with him. Of course I’ll be there for moral support. And to watch.”
“You’re sadistic. You know that.”
“Mwah ha ha. How did that sound? Villainous enough?”
He rolled his eyes.
We pulled into the park on the corner and made our way around to the fountain. It was built just inside the tree line and was surrounded by woods on three of the four sides. Many thought it was to give one the peacefulness of the forest and running water at the same time but the Fabled had built this fountain as one of many portals around the globe. Essentially the portal was closed unless someone with magical power decided to use it. In which case there was a failsafe cloaking spell that would activate as soon as the portal was opened. It certainly made it a lot faster and easier to get from Georgia to Texas.
As we approached the fountain I sent out my magic to open the portal and thought about where I wanted to go. All of the portals were interconnected and every major city in the world had at least one. Most of the larger cities had several. Dallas was no exception and it had three that I could remember. I aimed for the one that was closest to the coordinates the council had sent to my phone. I could see the slight shimmer around the fountain and knew the portal was open so I drove through.
We came out at the end of an alley in central Dallas. I hit the GPS on my phone and followed the directions to the street I was looking for. We were in the middle of the industrial district and, eve
n at five o’clock in the morning, there was traffic and people everywhere. This wasn’t good.
“Damn, no wonder the council is involved in this one.”
I nodded. “Even if this Vamp was killed in self-defense, the killer will be put to death for bring attention to our kind.”
“The cardinal sin,” Tristan joked.
I quickly parked and started toward the dead body and our medical examiner Calvin.
“Hey Cal.”
“Hello Sunny. Tell me, what do you see here?”
“I’m going to assume you mean besides the obvious.”
He nodded. The obvious would be a cluster fuck. We were standing in the middle of a crowded street. There were at least four Wizards holding a ward around the crime scene which was causing the cars and people to divert their course. Luckily, there didn’t seem to be much backup as far as the cars go but we need to get out of here quick.
I concentrated my attention on the body. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties. That didn’t mean much as Vamps go since most Fabled could change their age at will. Only a few could change their complete appearance while most could just make themselves younger or older depending on what they wanted. It was because of the magic that kept them immortal. Blood magic, in the instance of Vampere, was easily manipulated if you knew how. It was always working to keep them eternally young anyway so it made sense they could use it to look younger or older. I once met a Vamp that appeared as a child and liked being that young. Personally, I think that’s creepy but to each their own.
This Vamp was good-looking with blonde hair and light colored eyes. They were probably blue at one point but had a white haze over them now. He had a swimmer’s build and was at least six feet tall. It didn’t surprise me that he was attractive. As the only species of Fabled that are made instead of born it is quite common to find them the cream of the crop, so to speak. I mean, who wants to turn some short, balding accountant into a Vampere and then have to spend all of your time with them for the next couple of centuries. From what I’ve learned about them all Vampere sires treat their creations as sons or daughters and dedicate the time after their rebirth to teaching them everything there is to know about being a member of the Fabled. I guess it made sense because the sire was responsible for them and if they screwed up, the council wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate them to prevent exposure.
I continued to evaluate the dead Vamp before me. He was laying spread eagle in the very middle of the street. No doubt he was placed here. The thing I didn’t see was an obvious cause of death. Vamps, like all Fable, are hard to kill. Usually decapitation or destroying the heart were the only two sure fire ways for immediate death. This guy didn’t appear to have a scratch on him. As I inspected the body for wounds I noticed there was a sheen of liquid on his skin. I checked the face and arms. All visible skin seemed to have it covering it.
“Why is he sweating?” I asked Cal.
“That is not perspiration you see but condensation.”
Condensation? That means he’s cold and it was definitely becoming warm out here on this early spring morning.
“He was refrigerated?”
“Frozen. Look at the eyes and when I took his internal temp a few minutes ago it was only forty-six degrees. Without being able to open him up I would guess that was probably the cause of death.”
“Freezing won’t kill a Vamp. Unless someone managed to freeze him and keep him frozen until he ran out of magic.”
Cal nodded. “That is what I’m thinking.”
“So someone locked him in their deep freezer until he died?” Tristan asked.
“No. He could have broken through something that flimsy. Even an industrial freezer wouldn’t have held him,” I said.
“Not unless it was lined,” Cal said.
“With silver. That would mean the killer planned this out.”
It wasn’t that silver would kill a Vamp just that the alloys in silver combatted a Vampere’s magic making them unable to bend or break it any more than a Human would be able to.
“If that’s how he died. I won’t know for sure until I get him back to my lab.”
“Take him but leave the spell casters for a few more minutes. I need to see if I can find anything left by the killer.”
Cal nodded then held out his hands and the body lifted off the ground and became invisible at the same time. He started for a van and the body followed. I looked at the asphalt where the body had been laying. There was a wet spot the size of the corpse on the road.
I knelt down, put my hand to the ground and sent my magic out in a radius around me. My magic mixed with the energy in my surroundings and I pulled it back to me, absorbing it. From it I could get snatches of what took place here in reverse. I saw Cal standing over the body, then the casters spreading out, then a Human standing over the body screaming, then finally a black van and two people dressed completely in black pulling the body out of the back and putting it in the middle of the street. Their clothes were nondescript and they had ski masks over their faces. They took the time to place the body in the center of the road and it took both of them pulling on the legs and arms to spread them out. As they returned to the van one stayed behind to look at the body. The other waved his hand for him to come on. That was the only clue I would get. On the palm of the one man’s hand was a tattoo. An odd place for a tat and an even odder design. It was the symbol Caduceus. You know, the winged staff with the two serpents entwined around it. The US medical corps had adopted the symbol like a hundred years ago but it was originally the sign of Hermes, the messenger for the Greek Gods. Why would one of the killers have it tattooed on his hand? Was he a military doctor or did it stand for something else.
I stood up and turned to Tristan. “Come on. I’ve found out all I can here.” I turned to the caster closest to me and nodded. He returned a nod and as one they dropped the ward. Just like that cars started driving down the street and people stood at the crosswalk ready to go once they saw the green man. I started for my car and Tristan followed. Once inside I turned to him.
“What do you know about the symbol of Caduceus?”
“Uh, not much other than the basics which I’m sure you already know.”
I nodded. “I think we need to find out what organizations are currently using that symbol. Other that the US military of course.”
“The killer have that symbol embroidered on his shirt or something?”
“Tattooed on his hand. It was the only clue I picked up. Other than an unmarked black van.”
“Yeah, let’s go with the tattoo.”
I smiled.
“I can start calling around to local shops to see if they’ve done the piece recently while you check out the symbol itself.”
“Good idea.” It wasn’t much but it was better than nothing.
Chapter Two
“Demons are a girl’s best friend”
My search for groups using the Caduceus symbol brought up nada. Other than a few off-shoot medical companies and a few American ambulance companies there was nothing. No secret organization that liked to freeze people to death. I did find out the victim’s name. He was Howard Davidson of Aberdeen. He was reported missing just over a year ago. There were no leads in the case. He seemed like an average Joe as far as Fabled go. He worked for a telecommunications company in middle management. He hadn’t been a Vamp too long, only about thirty years. Which isn’t long for a Vamp, trust me. His sire was the one to report him missing.
Like most Vampere relationships Howard’s father considered him his son and treated him more like a young adult than the almost thirty year old man he had been prior to turning. Most sires care for their “children” for at least the first hundred years of new life. After that the relationship turns into more of a regular adult parent/child situation. Some stay close to home while others move to the other side of the world, depending on their wants or needs, but stay in contact with their sire. That doesn’t mean all sires are created equal. Just like Humans
there are good parents and then there are those parents that should have been sterilized at puberty for the good of the population. Like those mothers that give their sons bleach baths because they are unclean and then the child later becomes the latest and worst serial killer. Unfortunately, there are some sires that are just as bad and just like children those Vampere children have no way to fight back. They are only mildly more powerful than an adult Human for the most part until they reach their first century. Then slowly gain in strength for the next eternity if they live that long.
It seemed Howard’s sire was one of the good ones. He had already showed up to identify the body and was standing before me now with tears in his eyes. He was too manly to allow them to fall though.
“You will make him pay for this. I know you can and you will do this for me.”
I don’t do demands very well but I was willing to let this one pass since it was obvious he was upset.
“Yes, Mr. Ortega. I will find your son’s killer and when I do he will meet the same fate as all of those who have the misfortune of getting on my radar.”
“Si, yes. I am confident you will. Please keep me informed.”
“As soon as I find them and eliminate them I’ll give you a call.”
He nodded then cleared his throat before turning and leaving my office.
I will do as I said and find this killer. I’ve been working this job for close to thirty years and I have never failed to find my man. This will be no exception. Granted it’s a little weirder than my usual cases but I’m sure I’ll find a break soon enough. With that thought my cell started ringing.
“What cha got, Cal?”
“Hello to you too, Sunny. We were right. Looks like the vic died from lack of magic. Being unable to regenerate caused him to expire. There was something else I found. There was a two and a half inch incision made just under the ribcage on his left side. It was mostly healed prior to death. Want to guess what was taken?”
“Let’s see. Left side under the ribcage. Obviously it wasn’t the heart since that wasn’t the cause of death. What can be removed from the body without causing death? Spleen?”
