by Steve McHugh
We had more important things to discuss. "We're dealing with some highly dangerous people here. Stroking egos can wait."
Olivia sat on the bonnet of a Ford Focus RS, a bright orange car owned by one of the agents, and motioned for me to continue.
"People don't like you sitting on their cars like that," I said.
"It's Agent Greaves' car; he deserves it for being a dick."
I sat next to her.
"And you're right," Olivia said. "We need to stop these people before they kill again."
"We know that Neil is involved. He took the photos of those women, but like I said, he's not killing them. They're too different from his frenzy of violence. These are well planned and executed."
"We got an I. D on this latest victim," Olivia said.
"That was fast."
She passed me a tatty passport. "We found it in her glove box."
The name on the drivers' license said Hilary Bingham. Her picture was one of smiles and beauty, and it was a face I recognised. "Fuck," I said softly and passed the license back. "She's in the photos on Neil's wall. He's taking pictures of these women for someone else to kill."
"It certainly appears that way, yes. But why go to the trouble of freeing Neil, giving him the money to buy a penthouse and letting him live like a king, just so he can take a few photos for serial killers? And another thing. Why call the human authorities for the first few murders, before changing over to calling Agent Greaves? They must have been aware of our involvement, so why not start with the LOA?"
"They might have wanted more time before they had to deal with Avalon searching for them. The longer they had to content with only the human police, the better for them."
A dark blue Honda pulled up beside us, and Doctor Grayson stepped out. He appeared tired and haggard, his weariness etched into every line of his face.
"Good-evening," he said with as much enthusiasm as one could muster when having to examine murdered women.
"You two need to talk," Olivia said, pushing herself away from the car. "Tell him what's missing from the report, Doctor."
"Now, what could she be talking about, Doc?" I asked. Olivia had joined Tommy in whatever discussion was taking place out of earshot. I didn't have the time or effort to use magic so I could listen in. If it was anything important, Tommy would tell me later.
"Come with me," he said, putting on a pair of medical gloves. "You're going to want to see this."
There were a huge number of things I'd rather be doing then trudging back across an increasingly muddy pathway to watch a doctor examine a corpse, but I did it without complaining. No one wanted to be here, no one ever wanted to be at a murder scene.
Thankfully, since Tommy and I had examined Hilary, her body had been untied from the tree and placed inside a body bag and left on a gurney. Grayson unzipped the bag and began his examination in methodical, but solemn, earnest.
Her arms were covered in deep scratches and Grayson spotted me looking at one of them. "She was standing when she died," he said. "Those scratches are from the tree bark cutting into her as she slid to the ground with her arms still tied around the trunk."
"I noticed. I assume the cut across her abdomen was the killing strike."
Grayson shook his head. "With any other case, yes. It was certainly something that would have killed her. But in this instance, she was already dead when it happened."
"What makes you say that?"
"All four previous victims were the same, one slice across the stomach, the liver and kidneys removed. But each of them had another wound, something I kept out of the reports at Director Green's request."
He gestured for me to examine five small puncture marks, just below Hilary's breast. "Needles?" I suggested.
Grayson removed a marker pen from his lab pocket, and drew a ring around each mark, joining them together with an image of a hand.
"Someone's hand did this?" I asked.
"I've not looked at Amber yet, but the other victims had five marks like these. Each one stretched up slightly toward the heart, which also showed five puncture marks. The inside of the heart was black, decaying, as if infested with something. It didn’t touch any of the other organs, except for the brain.”
"So, why take the liver and kidneys?”
"Sustenance, I imagine. They're both good for you, full of vitamins and the like. Whoever did this probably needed the energy."
"So, we're looking for someone who can kill in that way, and who then eats parts of the victim to regain energy?"
"You understand why Director Green wanted this kept silent. Better people think we have a crazy cannibal on our hands, than someone who can kill in such a way."
I studied the puncture marks as my brain tried to figure out what could possibly have caused them. And why. It was a hard way to commit murder. It certainly wasn't a quick or quiet way to end someone's life.
"Anything else, Doc?" I asked.
"It's hard to give an exact time of death, but I would say about four to five hours ago."
I thanked him and, with a head full of information, went off to find Tommy and Sara. Instead I found one of the agents who had been the contact for the killer. "Agent Reid," I said and offered my hand, which he took.
"Are you taking over the investigation?" He asked.
"Just a fresh set of eyes; I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes."
He raised an eyebrow. "You pissed off some people earlier. That would be akin to jumping up and down on people's toes."
"I get that a lot," I assured him. "Do you mind if I ask you a few things?"
"Go nuts."
"The killer, Olivia says he calls you."
"He calls Greaves," he corrected. "Usually a few hours after he's killed them. Greaves got the call just over an hour ago. We came here first, and then contacted Director Green."
"Greaves is a werewolf, yes?"
"Yes, I am," a rough voice snapped from behind me. "Is there a problem with that?"
I turned toward the surly man with a smile on my face. "No problems. I just wanted to know if you caught any scent."
"And I should tell you why?" He jabbed a finger at me. I glanced down at the digit and wondered if I should break it.
"Agent," Olivia said ending my pondering. "Tell us what you found."
Greaves stared a hole through me but did as he was asked. "I searched the woods in a few hundred meters circumference, and for the most part it's the same as always, a mixture of dozens of scents. It's impossible to distinguish between them."
"But?" Olivia asked.
"But, there's a stand-out scent from the north. It's faint, but definitely there."
"Can you tell what made it?" I asked.
"Usually no," he said. "I can pick out if something is human or rotting or some such, but not the exactly details of what carried out the crime. This time was different."
"In what way?" Olivia asked.
Greaves glanced at a newly arrived Tommy.
"Werewolf," Tommy whispered.
"It's faint,” Greaves said,” but a wolf was here."
"Neil," I said. "Someone's getting sloppy."
"Any idea on where a werewolf running from the LOA might go to hide?" Olivia asked.
"The local pack," Tommy said. "And if he hasn't already gone to them for help, they'll have more information on where he's likely to hide."
"Then Greaves and Reid, head over to the local wolf pack, see what you can find out."
"That could be an issue," Greaves said.
"Why?" Olivia asked, in no mood for any stupidity.
"It's personal," Greaves said.
"Make it public," Olivia said, very near the end of her patience.
Greaves sighed deeply. "Their Alpha has made it clear that I'm not welcome at the pack. If I go it would jeopardise the investigation, and in a worst case scenario he might have me killed."
"I'm failing to see what the problem is," Olivia snapped. "Fine, you finish here, and then you'll go tell thi
s poor girl's family that their daughter is dead. After that you and Agent Reid will look into her past. I want anything linking her to any other victims. I don't care if it's only that they went to the same pub for a drink one time. I want to know about it, clear?"
'"Ma'am," the two agents said in unison before walking away.
"He really is a good agent," Olivia said to no one in particular. "He's just an arrogant ass."
"That leaves us with the werewolf pack, I assume," I said.
"I can't risk one of my agents turning up there and creating a war zone,” Olivia said. “And anyone else with contacts within the pack is busy. Besides, Tommy knows the Alpha well, so he should be co-operative."
"We'll get going, then," Tommy said. "You need a lift back?" he asked Olivia.
"I'm going to help out here, and then go back to your place to see Kasey. Have you called her yet?"
He checked his watch. "It's a little after eight; I'll do it in the truck."
"Good. Now go, all of you. And please do your best to get something from this lead."
I sat on my bike and started the engine as Tommy waited idly next to me. "Is there something on your mind?" I asked.
"Olivia was right. The Alpha and I are on good terms."
"But?"
"But, that might not be enough. This might get to be a really complicated evening for all of us."
I sighed and put my helmet on, lifting up the visor so I could speak. "Well, if I wanted an easy life, I'd have said no. Is the Alpha likely to try and kill us?"
Tommy shook his head.
"Then we're good?"
Tommy's expression did not fill me with confidence.
After a few minutes on the road, the Bluetooth headset inside my helmet beeped with an incoming call, which I answered by pushing the button on my bike handlebars. "Tommy," I said.
"How's you know it was me?" he asked.
"Good guess, so what's wrong?"
"Nothing, Kasey wanted me to tell you she's thought of some questions for the next time you meet."
I chuckled. "Excellent, I look forward to my inquisition meeting. I haven't had one of those for a few hundred years."
There was silence for longer than I would have expected. I was about to ask if everything was alright when Tommy came back on the phone. "Nate, I have a bad feeling about this."
"Me, too," I said, as I switched lanes to overtake a caravan and catch up with Tommy, who had managed to get through some red lights before me, leaving me behind. "I saw Hilary's body. Whatever is doing this has a reason for picking the women he's killing. No one goes to that much trouble for random murders. But I'm suspicious that suddenly there's a distinct scent at a crime scene when all of the kill sites before were completely muddled. It shows sloppiness where none previously existed."
"An over-confident killer makes mistakes," Tommy pointed out.
"This guy has always been confident. He calls the LOA for crying-out-loud. No one does that unless he's isn't certain he's going to get away with it. And he has no reason to think he's going to get caught."
There's no blood or DNA register in Avalon. A lot of very bad things can be done with a person's blood and DNA, and no one would ever willingly give such samples. Anyone found keeping such samples from an Avalon member would be executed on the spot. So even if we found blood or DNA on the scenes, it would be less than useless.
Tommy was quiet for a few heartbeats as I narrowly avoided an idiot in a car who decided to pull out without watching where he was going. Moron.
"So what's the plan?" Tommy asked, taking me from the anger I felt at the idiot who was now behind me.
"You know the Alpha best, what type of man is he?"
"He's honourable, usually fair and just. But don't piss him off, or underestimate him, he's more than capable of taking care of himself."
"What's his name?"
"Matthew Sheppard. He's somewhere around seven hundred years old, although no one knows much of his past. He's not exactly forthcoming with details."
"Will he help us?"
Tommy pulled up to the front gate of a sizeable field. Two large men stood guard at the entrance, and Tommy spoke to one of them before the other pulled the gate open and we entered, their stares boring into my back as I went by.
Tommy drove towards the dozens of cars that sat in the field, and parked. I stopped the bike next to him and noticed that the two guards were still following our movements. I picked up a third and fourth walking around the rows of cars. Every now and then they glanced over in a nonchalant way, making them appear anything other than nonchalant.
"We need to make our way to those trees over there," Tommy said. "It's a few minutes walk through them into a large clearing. That's where everyone will be."
From the number of cars littering the field, I figured there were nearly a hundred people waiting in that clearing. And I was suddenly very aware of how exposed the two of us were, standing in the middle of a field. "So?" I asked again. "Will Matthew help us?"
We walked away from the cars, and Tommy remained silent until we reached the woods. "If he thinks that someone in his pack is responsible," he said "He'll kill them himself."
Chapter 14
"We're here to see Matthew," Tommy said to the big man who barred our way.
"The Alpha is busy," the man said, holding out his hand palm first to ensure that we moved no further.
Behind him dozens of people milled about, drinking, eating and talking to one another. Everyone was still in human form, and, unlike the last pack meet I'd been to, no one appeared to have been murdered and left on the floor. Yet. In the centre of the clearing a huge fire roared as it roasted two large hogs. Two other hogs had already been cooked and were being picked clean by the hungry revellers. More food was placed on a long table that was at least twenty feet long. It reminded me of the old banquets we'd had in Camelot many centuries previous.
"It's Avalon business," Tommy tried.
The man laughed. "Fuck your Avalon, and fuck you, too."
"Your Alpha would want to see us," Tommy said again, his tone hard as stone.
Violence was coming, and the three large men sitting nearby knew it; they stood as one and walked toward us. My body tensed to put them down as hard and fast as possible.
"Enough of this foolishness." A man's voice boomed from somewhere behind the three goons and they turned and bowed their head in unison, parting to allow a slender man through. He was no taller than me, and a good ten inches shorter than the monster who had tried to bar our entry, but he was lean with muscle, and had a quiet power that rolled over him in waves.
He brushed his long dark hair from his shoulders, never even glancing at the three men who had parted for him, and they all made sure they were doing something else as fast as possible. Despite the cool weather and moist ground, he was barefoot and topless, and showed no signs of either bothering him.
"Go back to your kennel, Randal. I can hear your master calling you," the newcomer said.
The meat mountain known as Randal flinched as if slapped. "You are my Alpha; I obey you in all things."
Matthew turned to stare at Randal. "Do not insult my intelligence. Now, leave my sight."
Randal skulked away and the alpha, Matthew, turned to face Tommy. There was a slight tension between them for a few second, and then they both burst into smiles and embraced one another.
"My brother," Matthew said, slapping Tommy on the shoulder. "You don't come here often enough."
Tommy looked upset, but the smile returned a moment later. "This isn't a social visit."
"I understand, but still, it's good to see you. Although, I'm not exactly dressed to greet new friends." Matthew motioned to his bare torso, which could have been used to break rocks. His gaze settled on me. "You must be Nate. I heard what you did in Canada."
"They were slaughtering people for fun," I said, "I did what needed to be done."
Matthew continued to stare at me and I tensed for a fight.
/> "No smile or warm hug?" I asked. "How about you flex those pecks for me, I bet it just melts hearts."
"You mock me?" he asked me with a raised eyebrow.
"I mock everyone else, why would you be special?"
Instead of throwing a punch or telling me to fuck off, he laughed and grabbed me in a hug. "Tommy said you weren't one to let stupid shit pass. I'm sorry for winding you up. You are welcome here as if you were one of my pack."
I was genuinely surprised. Alphas don't usually allow anyone from outside the pack to enter when a meet is on. It's considered a secret, and in some cases a sacred, thing. But I got the impression that he wasn't the gambling type, and a quick glance around confirmed that at least four wolves were watching me intently.
"Nice security," I said, breaking up a conversation between Tommy and Matthew.
"How many did you see?" Matthew asked.
"Four," I said.
Matthew raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Most don't manage more than two."
"I'm not like most people," I pointed out.
"That may be true, but you still missed one."
I followed his pointed finger, behind me and noticed the tiny glint of moonlight touching a lens high up in a tree nearly three hundred yards to my side. Sniper rifle. "Impressive."
"Not for anyone who crosses me."
The warning was there for all to hear, but before I could retort he strolled off, waving Tommy and me to join him. "Try not to get into a pissing contest," Tommy said. "He's not a push over."
"I have no intention of getting into any sort of contest with him. I can't help it, but I like the guy."
"He has that effect on people."
"On you, too?"
"It's why I'm not the current alpha. I don't want to have to kill him."
Matthew led us past the clearing and through some more woods, the whole time flanked by two werewolves who did their best to maintain a respectful distance, even with their obvious unease at having newcomers around.
After a few hundred yards of woods, we exited into a second clearing that contained a massive bungalow, which I assumed was Matthew's home, and a short distance away from it was… part of a castle. An actual castle. Admittedly it was only a twelve-foot-high portion of a rampart, but the tower behind it rivalled the trees for height, and it was still a damn castle. And unless you were standing in front of it, you'd never even know it existed.
