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Just as she opened her mouth to grill him with questions, someone tapped on the window and she jumped, smacking her head on the roof. Mitchell squeezed her hand and then opened his door and jumped out of the car to meet the young female officer who, Amelia assumed, must have tapped on the window.
Amelia had just closed her door when she heard the sharp, high-pitched voice of the officer. “Mr. Lang, I’m sorry to tell you this, but there has been another murder. ”
Amelia’s stomach flipped and flopped like a slinky making its way down a long set of stairs. “Who?” she whispered the question, closing the distance between them.
The officer looked almost relieved that Amelia had asked and not Mitchell. She focused her grave eyes on Amelia, taking a few steps away from Mitchell, before answering. “Your housekeeper, Mabel. She was just found by her car in the mall parking lot. ”
Amelia couldn’t breathe, and she started to shake. Her head began to spin and the world around her started to blur. No, she screamed silently through the bond to Mitchell. No, they’re wrong. It’s not true.
She looked at him, eyes pleading with him to confirm she was right. But Mitchell stood frozen. Not moving. Not breathing. Not even blinking. Amelia planted herself right in front of him, but he didn’t look at her; he just kept staring over her head. She reached up and cupped his face, bringing his gaze down to her. He pulled her into a fierce hug, tucking her head under his chin. His thoughts were a scared and muddled mess. Just as quickly as he pulled her into his arms, he pushed her away. And then, he was gone.
Amelia felt a gust of wind as he took off. She closed her eyes and watched him through the bond. The world around him became distorted and fuzzy and dizzyingly unclear as he ran. It felt like an eternity before he stopped; even though Amelia knew it had probably only been seconds. He froze; an incoherent slew of words and thoughts ran through his mind. Dread and blinding pain hit Amelia so hard that she gasped for breath.
And then she saw Mabel. She appeared pale with perhaps a touch of gray to her complexion. Her eyes were closed, and she almost looked as if she was taking a peaceful little nap. If Amelia could just ignore the asphalt parking lot and the arrow protruding from her chest, she would have been able to pretend that that was exactly what she was seeing; Mabel sleeping peacefully.
Mitchell dropped to his knees, and an excruciating howl ripped from his lips as he pulled Mabel into his arms, rocking her softly and wiping the gray strands of hair from her round face.
Flames ignited along his arms, but he didn’t notice. Mitchell, Amelia screamed, and just as the words flew from her mind, someone hit him, smacking out the fire and pulling him away from Mabel.
A crowd was gathering. Amelia could hear the buzz of agitation and curiosity all around him. A deafening police siren blasted through the bond, and her eyes snapped open.
Without thinking, she pulled her phone out of her purse and hit speed dial. It rang once before it was answered, and she didn’t wait for the person on the other end to speak. “Tyler,” she said faintly, feeling cold and alone. “We need to go to the mall. Can you get ready to talk to the public?” Her body temperature had dropped from chilled to freezing. “Mabel’s dead. ” Tyler’s only response was a deep gasp.
Amelia felt Mitchell take a few deep breaths, and she focused back in on him just as he covered Mabel, placing a white cloth over her. A red stain appeared where the cloth draped from the arrow and touched her chest. And then he sent some instructions in a too calm, too controlled order; like a sergeant preparing his troops. She listened to his instructions silently, and once he was finished, she relayed them to Tyler.
“Ty, have the others call everyone on the street,” Amelia said, conveying the message. “Mitchell wants everyone to report to the house. ”
“Millie,” Tyler started.
She squeezed her eyes shut again. “Please, come and get me. ”
Once Amelia hung up, things took on a hazy tone, and it was as if she was on autopilot. Before she knew what was happening, Tyler was opening the car door, and she was stepping out of the Jeep.
Amelia didn’t have time to figure out how exactly she had gotten to the mall parking lot, because Officer McLean was strutting towards her. “Tyler, Amelia,” the officer shouted. “I’m glad you are here. Will you please tell Mr. Lang that this is a crime scene and he cannot just take the body. ”
“I told you,” Mitchell said stiffly from behind him. “This is internal business. You aren’t needed here. ” He looked older somehow, as if a brush had swept away his forever-young features, replacing them with a devastatingly sad old man’s.
Red streaked up Officer McLean’s neck, and he clenched his teeth. “She’s a human. That makes this our business. ”
Were they really going to argue about this? Didn’t they understand what had happened? Amelia was utterly appalled. “The arrow,” she started, but her voice squeaked. She swallowed hard and tried again. “I want to see the arrow. ”
Mitchell’s features softened at the sound of her voice and he moved towards her. “I don’t think,” he started, reaching out to touch her, but he closed his mouth when she shot him a challenging look. Nothing. Absolutely nothing was going to stop her from examining the murder weapon.
Officer McLean looked a bit sick. “I don’t think you should look at the body. ”
Amelia gave him a terrifying look and hardly recognized her own voice as she spoke. “Stop saying that. It’s not a body. It’s Mabel. ”
Without waiting for the officer’s approval, Amelia slid past them over to the sheet that covered Mabel’s lifeless form.
The air felt cold around her—much colder than the mild April air. It was as if someone had turned on the air conditioning and pointed the frigid breeze at her. Amelia shivered, a chill ran down her spine, and she sucked in a quick breath. With trembling hands and wobbly knees, she bent down and slowly lifted the corner of the sheet.
Just seeing her face, Amelia again thought about how peaceful Mabel looked. Resting, she told herself again as she continued to inch away the cloth. It seemed to take forever to uncover enough to find the protruding arrow but when she did, Amelia had to fight the building scream that threatened to rip from her.
She closed her eyes, she’s just sleeping, she’s just sleeping, Amelia reminded herself over and over, hoping to ease some of the horror that lay in front of her. And then after another breath of air, she reached out and gripped the arrow.
Amelia wasn’t sure why it was important to touch the arrow. It was a gut feeling, and as soon as her fingers touched the cool silver, the soft humming of a song that Amelia knew well filled her ears. She opened her eyes to see Mabel walking towards her, arms loaded with bags. Something slipped from one of the bags and she smiled, bending down to pick it up.
A shadow fell over Mabel, but Amelia could not identify its source. Mabel’s smile widened. “Thank you. This is just too much for an old woman to carry. ”
Amelia quickly opened the link for Mitchell, pushing the images at him fast and furious.
“It’s someone she knew,” Mitchell blurted out loud.
“What?” Tyler and Officer McLean said in unison.
Amelia kept focused, following the shadow to Mabel’s car and watched as the bags were deposited in the trunk. Mabel turned around and her smile faded. Disappointment and regret flashed across her face, and then Amelia watched as the arrow hit.
Amelia’s eyes flew open and she gasped.
“What is going on here?” Officer McLean asked, not sounding as confident as he did when they had first arrived.
“Like I said,” Mitchell sighed, “this is vampire business. ”
“Dammit,” Tyler yelled, and then quickly checked himself. Amelia had hardly noticed, but the media was gathering in the empty parking lot. He continued in a furious whisper. “What’s wrong with you? Mitch, we are going to need their support on this.
You can’t keep everyone safe. You’ve already called our street to the house. What are you going to do? Move the whole town in?”
“Tyler,” Mitchell said, giving him a warning look. “They are not in danger. ”
“How do you know?” Tyler challenged. “Anyone that knows about you guys is a potential victim. ” An icy look formed in his eyes. “Human relations. This is my call. ” He turned away with determination, grabbing the officer’s elbow and walking away, filling him in, Amelia assumed.
The medics pronounced Mabel dead, and Amelia felt strangely calm. She watched as they packaged her up in a bag as if she was expired meat. And then they placed her in the ambulance; the doors closed with a final click.
Tyler must have told Officer McLean the story, because he was already standing in front of the cameras and reporters that had gathered. “At this time we cannot release much information,” he was saying. “We are actively pursuing leads. I urge you all to remain calm and continue on as normal. ”
“So the killer is still at large?” a blond reporter asked with a squeaky voice.
“We have a few suspects,” Tyler replied indirectly.
“Why are Mr. Lang and Ms. Caldwell here?” a male voice asked.
“How are they involved? Is this case being taken out of the Willowberg Police’s authority?” A short brunette continued with the questions before Tyler could form an answer.
Tyler glanced at Amelia with a look that clearly said, get in the car, and then to the reporters he replied, “Mr. Lang and Ms. Caldwell are working closely with the Willowberg Police and will aid them in any way they can to bring justice for their beloved housekeeper. ”
There was a hum of whispers and then someone in the crowd said, “You said…but that means…the victim is Mabel. ”
Tyler nodded. “Yes, and please respect their need for privacy at this time while they grieve the loss of a family member. ”
Mitchell put a hand at the small of Amelia’s back and ushered her towards the car. “Mr. Lang, is there anything you can tell us?”
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