Cause of Death: Unnatural tcod-1

by Eliza Ford

  "And you have no proof that any of my clientele are responsible. Or my staff," whined Alina.

  "There are four dead humans on your doorstep, and your club is full of vampires. Don't try to tell me that's a coincidence."

  "Four dead humans." Alina tossed her head. "As if that matters. And besides, did you see the state of that meat? Those bites were positively crude. You know I don't cater to riffraff."

  Em sighed. That was probably true, she thought, wondering why it was her headache was back again. The mind itch in the back of her head was pounding. Maybe it was this place, thought Em. Maybe there was something here Alina was hiding. But no. Her head was killing her last week at the docks, hell, it had been hurting on and off for three weeks now. It wasn't Alina.

  But Alina was definitely part of the problem here, and the headache was not putting Em in a good mood. She decided to pull a bit of law over the woman and see how that went.

  "Alina, if you don't cooperate with our investigation, I'll have your club shut down until you do."

  Alina was on her feet in a blink, teeth bared, breathing ice just inches from Em's face. Her skin was so pale it was almost white, her eyelids a pearly shade of blue, her eyes wide and black as night. Ah, this was the Alina she remembered. This was the Alina she'd sparred with for centuries. So she was still here, underneath all that fat, those vibrant colours, those garish earrings. Why the ruse?

  "You wouldn't dare," hissed Alina.

  Em gathered a small handful of energy and pushed it at Alina. As before, when Alina tried to meet the challenge with a thrust of her own dark power, it was weaker, far weaker than Em remembered it.

  "What has happened to you, Alina?" whispered Em.

  Alina breathed out suddenly, her shoulders slumped and she sat back down on the lounge. The last glimmerings of the power she'd just shown evaporated away and Alina raised a hand to her face and pinched the bridge of her nose. She sighed.

  "What would you care, Emilia? Why haven't you turned me over to your father yet? Go on, that's what you're here for, isn't it?"

  Em frowned. There was something here she was missing. Alina fled from her father's side, and sort refuge in a divey club that, out of all the cities to choose from, just happened to be in the same town as her master's only daughter. Her power seemed to be gone, she was plainly running for her life, and yet she settled in a place that made her only too easy to find.

  Em watched her holding her face like that. Em recognized the gesture. She'd done it herself often enough these past few weeks with these shrieking headaches. Was Alina feeling the same thing?

  "I'll have to tell him eventually," Em said softly. "Jarek's here."

  Alina looked up quickly in fear. She masked it clumsily with a sneer and said, "I don't need your protection, Emilia. I don't need anything from you."

  Em exploded. "Well, for heaven's sake Alina, you need to sort this shit out. I'm not going to protect you. I want to know what's going on here. Who is killing these humans if it isn't you and your little posse? I want some answers Alina, or I'll send Jarek in to tear you apart."

  Alina's smarmy attitude was back. She smiled. "It's still so easy to push your buttons, Em. You have no self control, my dear, never have."

  "Talk, Alina."

  "I don't know who's messing up my neighborhood, all right? If I did, I'd ask them move along. I'm a businesswoman, darling. Bloodless bodies on the doorstep isn't good for anyone, though I don't mind the free publicity." She waved a hand airily and smirked.

  "You don't know who's killing?"

  "No, my dear, I do not."

  But Em noticed a shadow flick over Alina's face, a tightening around her eyes. Either she was lying, or she was scared, and neither of those options was good news.

  The door to the office opened and the girl Alina had introduced her to earlier walked in. Red head. What was her name? Raeisa. She was still wearing that same green dress with the snake print. She looked annoyed.

  "Ah, Raeisa my dearest," cooed Alina. "Thank you for rescuing me from this boring woman and her tedious investigation. Look at all those people out there. All this fuss over four silly little bodies."

  Raeisa climbed onto the lounge chair and sat on the back of it. She hooked one bare leg over Alina's shoulder and buried her toes in between the larger woman's thighs. She looked over Alina's head at Em and arched an eyebrow. The look was a challenge, the same brazen trumpeting she'd pulled earlier that evening.

  Em ignored her. "We'll talk, Alina," she said and walked out.

  She couldn't help but think the fear in Alina's eyes has just grown a little deeper.

  * * *

  It took until sunrise to get the crime scene properly processed. Robert was leading the team, as usual, with Em working as senior technician. Nick and Poll were doing photography and recording, and their usual medical examiner was late to the scene. They hadn't wanted to wait any longer and had started working the scene without him, but they couldn't move the bodies until he showed.

  The victims were rather literally on Alina's doorstep, just a few yards down the adjacent alleyway. Em bent over the bodies and sniffed. She got nothing but the sickly sweet smell of sweat and cologne. It was too cold to smell even the beginnings of decay. The absence of any scent of blood was particularly obvious - the bodies were so pale Em was sure there wasn't a drop in them.

  Despite everything Alina had said, all the signs were pointing her way. Four boys out for a good time getting a whole lot more than they'd bargained for.

  And that was odd, when Em thought about it. Most vampires she knew preferred their victims to be female. Sure, they took the odd male every now and then, but on the whole, testosterone was considered a rather tasteless dressing. It was like the difference between hamburger and prime fillet steak. Vampires preferred the more expensive cuts. It was rare to find four males bled dry so soon after the last batch of lads met a similar end down at the docks last week.

  "They're practically blue," said Nick. "But it doesn't look like they have a scratch on them otherwise. Why do we keep getting weird homicides down here near the harbor? Give me a simple shooting any day."

  He'd just about finished photography and starting to bag evidence, not that there was much.

  "Three Hispanics, one Caucasian," said Robert thoughtfully, talking to himself as much as to anyone else. "No known gang associations, no signs of a struggle, no major trauma and no blood either. There are no tracks, no marks, they've not been dragged here, but they didn't die here either. What the hell is this? And where is our medical examiner, for heaven's sake?"

  Em put a soothing hand on his shoulder as she walked past him to examine the fourth body. "I can't even remember who was on tonight. He'll be here," she said.

  Nick noticed the hand and said nothing, but gave Em a look. As soon as Robert was out of earshot he said to Em, "I know it's a bit early in the morning for something like this but, my sister's having a family barbecue on the weekend. Everyone's dying to meet you, and I promised I'd force you to come along."

  He stopped as he saw Em sigh. "Of course, you don't have to," he said quickly, but Em interrupted him.

  "I'd love to Nick, of course I would." Em was groaning on the inside. Dating Nick and flirting with Robert seemed even more crazy now that Jarek was here to complicate things. She cursed herself. You should have listened to Jennifer, she thought to herself wryly. Look at the mess you've got yourself into now.

  Nick was looking at her with a worried expression. "You haven't still got that headache, have you babe?" he asked. "I think you're working too hard. Come on, come along on the weekend. It'll do you good to relax for a bit, take your mind off all this." He walked around behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. Em leaned into his strong fingers as he massaged the muscles in her neck. Oh he was good, this one. She remembered why she liked him so much.

  "You're so tense, Em. What's up?"

  She stepped out from under his hands and faced him. "Just work," she said. "This c
ase and the other one. They're related and I can't figure out how. I can't..."

  She trailed off. Over his shoulder she could see a man approaching the scene. He was tall, thin, slightly dishevelled, with messy British looking hair - the neo-quiff - and an ill-fitting suit. Converse shoes, a leather satchel slug over one shoulder and a long coat over the other arm. He had a slightly confused look on his face, but Em recognized him instantly. Jarek. What game was he playing now? Hadn't she told him to stay away?

  "Can I help you?" she called, as rudely as she dared.

  The man smiled gratefully at her and bumbled over. In her head Em heard Jarek's voice: Play along now Emilia. You don't want to spoil my fun.

  "Jarek Edwards," he said, sticking out his hand awkwardly, shuffling his coat to his other arm as he did so. "Medical examiner on loan from London." He smiled a goofy grin. "My plane got in this morning and it was too early to check into my hotel so I came by the office instead. They said I'd find you here." He paused, and looked expectantly at Em.

  Nick frowned, but shook the man's hand. "Em?" he turned to her. "I haven't heard about any..."

  Em slapped her forehead. "The conference!" she exclaimed. "I'd totally forgotten. Sorry, Jarek, was it? We were going to have someone meet you at the airport, but, as you can see..." she gestured to the bodies, "we got a bit tied up."

  Em turned to call out to Robert. As she did so she slipped her mind into both Nick's and Robert's. The rest of the team's too for good measure. A few false memories here, a neuron tweaked there, and viola - instant backstory.

  Nicely done, said Jarek into her head.

  I'm not finished yet, she answered. When was the last time you played 'medical examiner', Jarek? How about a crash course. And as roughly as she could she dumped everything she knew about forensic pathology into Jarek's consciousness with a jolt.

  She was pleased to see him wince slightly.

  Robert came over and looked confused but pleased to see Jarek. "Do you have your things, Mr Edwards?" he asked. "We were wondering why our usual guy wasn't here. I guess that explains everything then. Good to have you with us."

  He lead Jarek over to the first of the bodies and began relaying the details. "We're just about ready to move them. If you can get your bit done with we'll be away."

  Em watched with amusement as Jarek knelt beside the first of the bodies and rummaged in his bag for some gear. There was only one person Jarek knelt to. To see him working at the feet of her human boss, on the remains of a human victim was too much fun. She made sure Jarek could hear her laughter in his mind.

  "I'd like to turn this one over," said Jarek. "Have you moved them yet, at all? I'd like to see what hypostasis there is."

  Em was amused. He was playing the part well.

  "I'm not sure that will help you," said Robert, joining Jarek on his knees beside the victim, a good dash of professional enthusiasm showing in his voice. "All four of them are exhibiting extreme pallor. We saw something similar last week, but with a great deal more violence. I'll be surprised if you find any coagulation at all." He stopped talking abruptly as the body was rolled over. "Good lord," he said.

  Nick turned away and gagged. Em pulled face, and even Jarek looked disturbed.

  The nape of the victim's neck had been... chewed... right down to the bone.

  Em shuddered. There had been teeth marks in the flesh of the other victims too, but whereas they looked as if they had been mauled by pit bulls, whoever had snacked on this man had a very tiny and very precise mouth.

  "Em? You still with us?"

  "Hunh? I mean, yes," said Em, quickly taking a swig of her drink. It was a tall vodka and lime - the usual. Every Thursday the girls gathered at the Corner Bar after work. It had become a bit of a tradition and even the bartenders had the drinks lined up when they saw the group approaching. Jennifer was there and a few of the girls from the office - again, the usual. Em was thinking about Alina and the killings. Well, she was thinking about Jarek, and Nick, and Robert, and trying to think about Alina and the killings, but either way she was not paying much attention to the gaggle of girls sitting around the table.

  "So, how was it?"

  Em stared at Bec for a second. She gently slipped her mind into the recesses of Bec's memory and tried to read the question while it still lingered in her friend's mind. Something about the burlesque club. She couldn't escape it, could she?

  "It was cool," said Em. "Flesh and feathers, muscles and leather - just what you'd expect. The show was actually quite good." She stopped.

  "And?" said Bec.

  "And the vibe was ... well ... I have to say it was pretty dark and mysterious." No point in lying, thought Em. The girls all looked at her. "It was a moody sort of place," she said.

  "What does that mean?" said Georgia. "I get moody when I don't get enough chocolate. Is that what we're talking about?"

  Em tossed a peanut at Georgia and grinned. "No, idiot. I mean there was an awful lot of eyeliner - on the blokes! You know what I mean. It was like Berlin in the 1930s crossed with acid techno. Or something," she finished vaguely. Really, with a thousand years more experience than the others she should be better at this kind of thing, but clubs had never been her scene.

  "It's alright, Em," said Georgia. "You're just such a geek, honey. A pathologist on a date with her boss. Trust you to completely miss the celebrities who were there that night and instead give us a lesson on European history."

  They all chucked.

  "There were celebrities?" asked Em, but the girls were off again on a new flurry of gossip about Alina's club.

  The news of four young men murdered on the club's doorstep didn't seem to feature in the gossip much at all. Strange, thought Em. The killings had hit the papers with a big splash, and had just the effect Alina had imagined. The place was suddenly the hottest ticket in town, with the nightly lines at the door snaking right down the laneway that the bodies had been found in.

  Her girlfriends had asked her about the killings, knowing that she was likely to be working on the case, but there wasn't much she could tell them, and Em wasn't really sure they were especially interested in her answers anyway. They were collecting gossip, that was all. Em had told them she thought they should stay away until the killer had been found, but that advice had fallen on deaf ears too. What was going on in her life, wondered Em, when she, one of the darkest creatures of the wildness of eternity, should have more common sense than her human companions?

  "Well, aside from all those gorgeous bodies that seem to be going there every night, have you heard the other news about the place?" asked Bec, her eyes narrowing and gazing at her friends conspiratorially. "I probably shouldn't be telling you..."

  "Is it the sex room?" asked Georgia, with a quirky but definitely interested grin.

  "There's a sex room?" said Em, and then ducked as Georgia tossed a peanut back at her.

  The girls all groaned and laughed.

  "You're unbelievable, Em," said Georgia. "I can't figure out how you don't hear this stuff. You're a crime scene investigator, for heaven's sake! Aren't you supposed to have your ear to the ground? And you were there last week, with a backstage tour!"

  "It's just my innocent and trusting nature, I suppose," said Em, and then grinned as the groans started up again. They knew she wasn't that innocent.

  "So, what's the scandal?" asked Jennifer.

  "The club apparently has a resident dealer," said Bec.

  Em pricked up her ears at this. Bec was dating a lieutenant in the narcotics division so she'd almost certainly be speaking the truth. A resident dealer could complicate things a little, thought Em. The balance of power between the existing gangs in this town was all based on who was selling what, and where, and a new dealer in town would certainly unsettle that balance. Enough for the gang heavies to start leaving bodies on the club's doorstep? wondered Em. Maybe, but that didn't explain the vicious nature of the killings...

  Bec was still talking. "Apparently this dealer is just
hovering at the very edges of legal. He's not pushing crack or meth or anything that would get the local dealer's upset, but things like steroids and morphine, and some rather quaint old stuff like opium and poppy tea."

  "Poppy tea?" exploded Jennifer with a giggle. "That sounds ridiculous."

  That sounds very, very interesting, thought Em. "Do you know if this dealer's got a name?" she asked Bec.

  Bec shook her head. "Nope, but I hear he hangs out around the old warehouses up that end of town. Why, you looking to buy?" She smiled.

  "No, but I might talk with your boy about it. It could have something to do with those bodies we found outside the club."

  "Do you think you could get us in there?" asked Jennifer, her short attention span showing again. "Come on Em. You had a personal invitation, and now you've got a hundred excuses to go there whenever you like because of the case. Surely you can get our names on the door. I'm busting to see the place."

  Em resisted rolling her eyes. She smiled and stood up. "I'm just going to the ladies," she said. "Get me another vodka will you please, Jennifer, and then I'll get the next round. I'll be back."

  She needed to think. The women's restroom was empty. Em sank into a chair in the corner next to a potted palm tree and a small table with a selection of cheap perfumes. It looked like a suitably comfortable place for brooding.

  So, Alina had a drug dealer who specialized in blood and its fixings, and who hung out in the old warehouses. Em was pretty sure she knew exactly who that would be. She was overdue to pay him a call, actually. It made sense that this might be the dealer Alina was in league with.

  Will was one of those useful mortals who came from a long tradition of serving the darker energies of the Family and the lower vampires. There had always been humans like Will - procurers - even in the days when life was cheaper and vampires had no compunctions feeding off the general population. These days, people like Will were essential for any of the Family who chose to live around the edges of a mortal existence, and for the lower vampires who didn't want to spend their new lives running from the law.