Grave Illusions

by Lina Gardiner

“An invitation to go back to the cemetery?” Britt made a face.

  “Most likely.”

  “If that’s true, you know they’ll be waiting for us.”

  She pretended to be more interested in scanning the moldy stone than listening to what Britt had just said. She knew what he meant. Would the two of them be lucky enough to battle the vampires again and live to talk about it?

  Chapter Seventeen

  The cemetery again! Britt’s shoulders went taut. Why’d it have to be the cemetery? She was right, of course. The whole thing added up to that damned rock being a message.

  “I’m driving,” he said, jumping into the driver’s seat and waiting for her to hand over the keys.

  “Yeah, whatever. But this truck is Regent’s baby. I’m not allowed to get a scratch on it.”

  “This might actually be something I’m better at than you.” He grinned at her and peeled away from the curb.

  She looked heavenward. “I think we might be in trouble.”

  “Nah, I’m a good driver. Got a commendation on the force for my safe driving abilities.” He flipped on the radio and realized it was the first time in a long time he’d been able to think about being a cop without that horrible burden of guilt.

  The next time he got his hands on Randy he’d kill him for real. But not before he found out what the hell was going on. “What are we looking for when we get there?”

  “It’s my guess this stone is from a headstone in the same cemetery where Randy’s wife is buried. Minus this piece. This puzzle piece. That’s how they’re intended to work, like a puzzle. Leading the bearer to the headstone to find his answer.”

  “And the name on the headstone tells us who it comes from?”

  “You’ve got it.”

  “Wish you’d told me that before I threw it away.”

  She gave him a knowing gaze. “At that point I don’t think you were ready to learn who—or what—had sent you a piece of gravestone. Or who had been watching you. They didn’t want you dead, though, or you would be. The whole idea of vampires trying to set you up just doesn’t make sense. It’s not their style. They don’t play cat and mouse.”

  “You’re right about one thing. If I’d known about them, I might have gone off half-cocked and tried to find the bastards who sent this to me. And not knowing how to defend myself against them wouldn’t have been healthy.”

  “Now you can defend yourself. You’re as able as anyone on my team.”

  “I’m not as able as James.” Britt wasn’t sure why he wanted to remind Jess of his weaknesses. James was stronger. He’d been at her side for a good many years and they were a solid team.

  She didn’t respond to the comment or say anything else until they stopped outside the cemetery’s wrought iron fencing. “Since the guard might recognize the vehicle, let’s leave it outside the grounds and walk in this time. Have you got your stake?”

  “New and improved,” he said, pulling out a silver stake. “Sampson amazes me. He said I needed something better when he saw my wooden stake, and then he had this specially engineered for me. This thing has a spring mechanism; the end of the stake shoots out and doubles its length when I touch this button.”

  He hit the button and the shaft lengthened immediately.

  “You really must have a way with people if Sampson made that for you without me asking him to. Sampson isn’t an overtly friendly man. He’s found it safer that way. Especially in his field of work.”

  Britt grimaced. “It’s even more dangerous now that they have that serum and anyone can turn out to be a vampire.”

  She chuckled and led him into the cemetery. “Yeah, though Sampson was antisocial long before we knew anything about that. Geez, this place is huge. There are so many odors here that it’ll be hard to track down one particular scent unless we’re within a certain distance.”

  “There are hundreds of cemeteries outside New York City. We might not even be in the right one. No way would we have time to go through all of them. We may be wasting our time.”

  “Maybe. But I don’t think so. I think this is the one. Especially after running into Prometheus here the other night.”

  “We should have asked James to come with us,” Britt said.

  Again, she ignored his comment about James and said, “I’ll take this row and you take that one.” The two rows ran parallel. They wouldn’t be far from each other if they were attacked, but they could cover more ground.

  As they moved down the rows, he said, “Half the headstones in this part of the cemetery were damaged beyond repair the other night. Maybe the puzzle piece won’t fit into anything, because it was smashed.”

  “I don’t think so. It was left at that party to lure us here. Prometheus knows I’ll consider this a key to information. He wanted us to come and find whatever this leads to.”

  They walked through row after row. It was nearly dark and Britt could barely read the names any longer. He took out a penlight and flashed the light across the last couple of headstones before Jess finished her row and joined him.

  “There’s one other place I’d like to look before we leave,” she said.

  A mosquito buzzed past Britt’s ear and he slapped at it. He looked around to make sure no one followed them, especially the security guard, who’d probably be doing extra rounds since the vandalism.

  The carnage from the other night was almost unnoticeable now. Several headstones had already been put back into place, and some had been repaired. There were still some missing, either broken beyond repair or out for repair. He’d felt disquieted when it had been proclaimed on television and in the newspapers that the vandalism was done by teenagers. How many times had kids been blamed for this type of damage?

  A cold chill weaseled up his spine. The world should never know about the reality of these creatures. They should stay fictional for humanity’s peace of mind. At least no kids were arrested and charged with the crime.

  “Prometheus attacked me beside that big oak tree.” Jess stepped up to it and felt the trunk for the location where her knife had been imbedded in the rough bark. “Yes, this is the one. Check the stones around here.”

  “Ten-four,” he said, immediately flicking on his flashlight and moving in the opposite direction. Two headstones in, his heart rate escalated. “Jess, I think I’ve found it. Bring that rock over here.”

  She was there so quickly it startled him. He’d never watched her move through the darkness, but he knew she saved her vampiric abilities for times when the world couldn’t see her.

  She reached forward and put the stone in place. It fit like a glove. Britt could feel his hand tensing, and the tension moved up his arm to his shoulder and his back. Whose name was on the stone?

  He quickly flicked the penlight over it. Must’ve gone too fast in the dark because he couldn’t see a name. He tried again, slower this time. No name.

  Jess sat on the ground and leaned her chin on her arm, which was draped over her bent knees. “I’ve never seen this done before,” she said. “This is a very old stone. There’s no name on it because it’s been completely worn away with age. Yet the rest of the headstones around here aren’t this old.”

  Britt scanned some of the others with his light. The oldest one he found was sixty years. This part of the cemetery was fairly new compared to the ancient stone sitting here in the middle of them.

  “We need to talk to Sampson. He’s done more research than anyone else, so surely he’ll know why an old vampire would have an unmarked headstone in a fairly new cemetery,” she remarked.

  “Why would the owners of this place even allow an unmarked stone?” Britt flicked off the penlight and joined Jess on the ground.

  “I think it belongs to Prometheus,” Jess said, reaching out and letting her fingers brush across the rough texture of the ancient headstone. “He’s old enough for this stone to be his.”

  “But that doesn’t help us. We still don’t know where to find him.”

  “I’m beginn
ing to think that’s the whole point. He’s having fun sending us chasing after our tails. This is all a game to him. Let’s see what we can make them do next.” She stood and put her hands on her hips. “Time to call it a night.”

  They were silent on the way back in the truck. With an APB out on Tat, there’d be plenty of cops on the job trying to find him. It was a big city, though, with too many places to hide. It irked Britt that he was personally responsible for Tat’s escape. He was supposed to keep an eye on him. The little bastard had probably holed up with friends for the night.

  Did people like Tat even have friends? Crazy ones like himself, maybe. If he was one of the vampire wannabes, there was always the chance he’d hole up with them.

  But the vampires’ location was a mystery. Jess hadn’t found them in the last few years even though she’d been trying. It wasn’t likely he’d be able to do it any time soon either.

  Jess parked the truck in front of Britt’s apartment at three in the morning. She grabbed some files from the back seat and poked them at him. I’ve read these over. If you want to peruse them yourself, you can give them back to me tomorrow.

  “What conclusion did you come to after reading these?” He held one file up and flipped through it quickly without taking the time to read anything.

  “Tat’d been involved in several altercations in prison. Considering he was psychotic, that was to be expected. But he also had to have someone looking after him. He’d been given privileges that didn’t jive with his track record. He had a TV in his cell, and cigarettes whenever he ran out.”

  “Just as we suspected. But who was his benefactor?”

  “That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?” She looked up at his building.

  “Care to come in?”

  “Why?”

  “Do we have to have a reason? I just thought maybe we could sit and brainstorm for a bit. Try to come up with some places to look tomorrow.”

  She looked up at the rooftop of the building across the street and waved. “Okay, I’ll come in, but just for an hour or so.

  “Who’d you wave at?” Britt leaned over and tried to see what she saw. It was too dark.

  “James. He’s been with us all evening. After the other night at the cemetery, a little backup is a good thing.”

  “Back at the warehouse you told him to leave.”

  “Yes and no. James knows what I want before I even have to tell him.”

  “You two are pretty tight.”

  “We’re professionals who work well together. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  They climbed out of the SUV. As they walked to his apartment building, Britt ran a hand over the back of his neck. “I can’t figure the two of you out.”

  “There’s nothing to figure out. We’re dedicated to our job. We work hard to keep the city safe. That’s our goal. Our life. There’s nothing else, Britt. There can’t be.”

  “Why not? You said yourself you could have a relationship. Maybe it’s time you did.”

  “With whom? James? You? Not going to happen.” She climbed the stairs ahead of him. “Did you ask me here to talk about my lack of a love life, or are we going to work? Because if we’re not going to work, I’m leaving.”

  He pursed his lips. “Work, I guess. Though, I’m not done discussing your love life.”

  She stopped outside his door and wouldn’t budge. “Make up your mind right now. What’s it to be?”

  He held his hands up in surrender. “To be discussed at another time.”

  “I suggest you forget about my love life or lack thereof,” she muttered, stepping into his apartment when he held the door open for her.

  She noticed he waited for her to sit down before he sat in a chair opposite her. Maybe he was being a gentleman, or maybe he decided it was better if he didn’t get too close to her right now. Smart man.

  Jess tilted her head and breathed in. Normally apartments in this type of neighborhood came with all sorts of unpleasant odors permeating every floor. Even the air outside was unpleasant to her sensitive olfactory system. But there was something much worse in Britt’s apartment tonight. Death.

  His apartment was very small. The dead person couldn’t be far away. She glanced around to make sure no vampires lingered in the shadows. They were alone.

  Another body placed in this building. In his apartment this time. What the hell was going on? What was it about John Brittain that had garnered this kind of attention?

  She looked at John. He seemed unaware of what had happened in here.

  “Things just keep getting more and more complicated,” she said. “The last thing we need is to be looking for Tat when we have more important issues to deal with.” She glanced around his apartment, looking for evidence of foul play.

  “About that. Tat was my responsibility. He got away from me. I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off him.”

  “No you don’t, Brittain. You’re not putting this load of guilt on your shoulders. I’m his superior officer. I was in the room, and I’m the one who distracted you.”

  She was just about to tell him the bad news when he got a strange look on his face. She waited to see if he’d figured out there was a dead man in his here. The guy didn’t smell bad enough for a human to notice him. At least not yet.

  “Speaking of distracted.” He must have realized his apartment felt strange. Nothing else could have tipped him off. She waited to see what he thought was wrong. A thrill of anticipation struck her. She wanted him to be that good.

  His place was small. So small it would be nearly impossible to hide anywhere except the bathroom or under his bed.

  He motioned that she should check the bathroom, while he checked under the bed. She moved smoothly. A dark ghost floating across the room. Soundless.

  He crept closer to the bed and flashed the light underneath it.

  “Oh shit!” he scrambled backwards on his hands and feet like a crab.

  Jess watched him move away from the bed. She approached him, nearly reached out to him, but she pulled her hand back. Instead, she leaned over and lifted the edge of the blanket. Cold, lifeless eyes stared out from under the bed.

  “He’s dead,” she said calmly, pulling out her cell phone.

  “He’d better be, by the look of him,” Britt said, getting up off the floor and brushing off his knees. “Damn it! Why’d they bring him here? I don’t get this. What the hell did I do to warrant this kind of attention?”

  “That’s a question I’d like to have the answer to as well,” she said. “I’ve never seen vampires do this before.”

  “Just my luck.”

  “Hang on it’s ringing,” she said. “Sampson, it’s Jess. Listen, get the crew together and meet me at Britt’s apartment. We’ve found Tat. Bring your forensic gear.”

  Britt stared at his bed. What were those ghouls trying to tell him?

  He opened the fridge and got out a beer, popped the cap and drank deeply.

  Jess put her hand over the receiver and said, “No more than one.” He looked down at the bottle and realized he was still on the job. “Yeah, I wasn’t thinking.” He set the bottle on the counter.

  She checked his patio door and the front door. They hadn’t been jimmied. But then, his place wasn’t exactly upper class. Security wasn’t the highest priority around here and the doorknobs and locks were cheap.

  He watched her move around the apartment. “Those doors would be easy to pick. But how easy would it be to carry dead bodies around the city without being noticed?” He looked toward his patio. “I guess it’d be pretty easy for vampires who can climb up the shadowy side of a building.”

  She nodded.

  Britt frowned. “Whoever thinks leaving dead bodies in my place is cute is going to feel the sharp end of my handcrafted silver stake as soon as I find out who they are.”

  Jess cornered Sampson as soon as the coroner finished examining Tat’s body. It was evident Tat had been tortured and then vamped. He’d died as he’d lived. Violentl
y.

  “Sampson, if you find any evidence at all—anything—call me. Or phone Regent if I’m unreachable. He’ll tell me the minute I’m awake. I want to come down hard on these vampires. They’re flaunting their victims’ deaths in our faces. Trying to show us they’re better than we are.”

  He nodded. “Will do, love.”

  “Thanks. If we don’t get our butts in gear, they are going to prove better than us. So far we’re falling dismally behind. As much as I didn’t like Tat, he was part of my team. Maybe this is a divide and conquer scenario. I need to know if they’re trying to pick my team off one at a time. Talk to your contact. See if he can find out what the hell is going on. Please. I need to know. Or better yet, get me his address so I can go ask him myself.”

  His face became stern and he lowered his voice. “My source won’t divulge an address, Jess. I tried that once before. It’s risky enough to give me tidbits here and there. He only does it because I’m trying to cure him. You’ve got to admit the information he gave us on the serum was big. He took a huge chance telling me that. I can’t push too hard. My source is very scared.”

  Already in the body bag, she watched Tat’s remains being wheeled through the apartment by two burley specialists from Sampson’s team. They nodded at Jess respectfully. They always did. Yet neither of them had ever spoken to her. It reminded her of what she was. These people knew her, worked with her on a regular basis, but like most normal people, they had a healthy fear of her. They were the smart ones. Now if she could only get Britt to smarten up.

  “I understand, Sampson. But try to get a little more if you can.” She put a hand on his shoulder.

  “I always do, hon. I want that information as much as you do.”

  Jess panned the room. Britt was still talking to one of the officers. They looked deeply engrossed in conversation. She focused on him. He sensed her almost immediately and met her gaze with a personal look that would send any red-blooded woman flying into his arms. How’d he do that?

  She blinked and remained impassive as she looked away. Ignore him. Ignore him. She couldn’t bear to see what would happen between them if she allowed herself to care. What if he couldn’t take the reality of what she was, after she opened herself up to him?