That night, Lonsdale had been woken in his luxurious bedroom by the sound of strange music. He climbed out of bed, opened his door. The music seemed to be drifting up from somewhere below. He pulled on a satin robe and followed the sound, treading quietly through the castle’s cold, dark halls and passageways. The music was like none he’d ever heard before and it seemed to lure him, as though it had some hypnotic quality that whispered in his mind.
He came to the door of what looked like a wine cellar. It creaked open to reveal steps leading down. At the bottom of the steps, another door lay half open. The music was coming from inside.
Lonsdale couldn’t help himself. He had to see what was in there. Peeking through the gap, instead of a cellar he saw a decadently opulent room richly decorated with tapestries and exotic rugs and gold-threaded cushions scattered across the floor.
On a huge bed was the naked figure of Gabriel Stone, his physique lithe and muscular and perfect, surrounded by three beautiful women who were making love to him.
As Lonsdale watched from the shadows, a hand had touched his shoulder and he’d nearly screamed in terror. He’d turned to see a woman even more beautiful than the ones on Stone’s bed. She smiled and put her finger to her lips. Beckoned him away from the door. ‘Come,’ she whispered. The look in her dark eyes meant just one thing.
Lonsdale had followed her back through the passageways. She was bewitching.
Her raven hair was tangled and wild like a gypsy’s, and when she glanced back at him with that smile, her lips were red and glistening. The way she moved drove him wild.
Every nerve in his body tingled with lust for her as she led him back to his room. Inside, she shut the door with a smile. He was almost panting by now.
‘W-who are you?’ he stammered.
‘I’m Lillith. Gabriel’s sister.’ She walked him to the bed and shrugged the gown from her shoulders. She was naked under it.
Lonsdale tore at his robe. ‘You’re beaut—’
‘Shh. Quiet.’ Then she kissed him, and pulled him down onto the bed.
It had been a memorable night.
When Lonsdale had awoken next morning, Lillith was gone. He’d searched the castle obsessively for her. Returning to the room below, he’d found the door heavily padlocked. He’d spent the whole day thinking about her. She was like a drug, and he wanted more.
Lillith had come back to him for the next two nights. Two more nights of wild, dizzy passion. She was incredible. She did things to him that he’d never imagined possible.
Then, on the third night, just when he thought he was completely spent, Lillith opened up a whole new world for him. The candlelight gleamed on her skin as she knelt there on the bed — and flickered across the blade of the dagger she’d drawn from under the pillow. He’d watched, speechless with excitement, as she held its sharp tip to her chest and slashed herself. A rivulet of blood tricked down her breast. Her lips had opened a little wider, and Lonsdale had seen the white fangs, long and curved. She’d cupped her hands behind his head and pulled him in closer. ‘Drink me!’ She threw back her head and gasped in anticipation as he lowered his face to her breast and put out his tongue to lick up the flowing blood. Every nerve in his body had been aflame.
In that moment of enthralling wonder, Gabriel Stone had walked into the room, interrupting them. He’d shouted harshly at Lillith, and she’d retreated in fear, covering herself up with a sheet.
Then Stone had turned to Lonsdale. ‘You’re not so afraid of us, are you, Jeremy?
That’s interesting.’
‘Who are you?’ Lonsdale breathed. ‘What are you?’
Stone smiled. ‘Do you not know? We are the ones with the power. The power to change your life forever. And I do mean forever. You can become one of us. Become everything that a human isn’t. You like that idea, don’t you, Jeremy?’
‘What do I have to do?’
Stone gave another smile. ‘You will be contacted.’
Then he was gone, and when Lonsdale looked around, he saw that Lillith had disappeared with him.
He hadn’t seen them again for a long time.
The following day, Lonsdale had reluctantly returned to London. Life had gone on — but it held little appeal. He’d tasted something infinitely more rewarding, and it preyed on his mind until he thought he was going to go insane with frustration.
For three long months, he’d heard nothing. Then one day in early June, the strange man called Seymour Finch had paid an unexpected visit to his London office.
Inside the slim briefcase he carried with him was the agreement drawn up by his employer Mr Stone.
As contracts went, it was extremely simple. The price would be twenty million euros, to be wired to a Zurich bank account. Within hours, Lonsdale had arranged the transfer and was choking with anticipation to hear from Stone’s people again.
Nothing. As the summer turned to autumn, Lonsdale was beginning to think he’d been the victim of an elaborate con trick. He’d become so agitated that he’d been virtually unable to conduct his daily affairs.
Nothing, until late September, when the man called Finch had returned. Mr Stone’s end of the deal would soon be honoured, he said. There was to be a ceremony.
‘What kind of ceremony?’ Lonsdale asked nervously.
‘An initiation,’ Finch had replied. ‘The first stage in your induction. But first, Mr Stone requires a service from you. A ship will be arriving in London within the next few weeks. You are to use your influence to ensure that its cargo arrives safely, unexamined, unquestioned.’
And Lonsdale, helpless, hooked and counting the days to the ceremony, had seen to it.
But now, as he sat here in the warm Italian sunlight, sipping the last of his iced lemon vodka, he was beginning to have second thoughts.
The initiation had been horrible. It hadn’t only been because of what they’d done to the poor young girl they’d slaughtered. It had been the look on Lillith’s face, like a wild animal that hadn’t fed for days. He kept seeing it in his mind, and it brought a taste of revulsion into the back of his throat.
Was that really the kind of creature he wanted to become?
Sitting here gazing out at the Tuscan hills, he couldn’t stop thinking about how all this was going to change when Stone finally took him over the edge. Turned him.
The turning point from which there was no return. He’d never again be able to sit outside and enjoy the golden autumnal colours of the trees. The glow of the sunshine on his face would become a distant memory. Not just for a lifetime, but for a whole eternity of darkness. Was that what he really, truly wanted? He’d have to renounce his whole career. Spend the rest of time lurking, hiding, in the shadows. Like a criminal.
Power. Limitless power. But at what cost?
Worst of all, he might never be able to visit Toby again. Lonsdale closed his eyes. Saw the boy’s bright, smiling face in his mind, heard the sound of his laughter.
When he opened his eyes, they were moist.
How could I have been so stupid?
It wasn’t too late. Stone hadn’t even told him when the next stage would take place. He could still back out. It would mean having to confront Gabriel Stone face to face at his home in Henley. The idea chilled Lonsdale utterly. But it was the only way, and he was suddenly gripped by a pressing sense of urgency.
He tinkled the little silver bell on the table in front of him, and seconds later the butler came running out of the house.
‘Roberto, have my jet prepared. I have to return to Britain as soon as possible.’
Chapter Nineteen The John Radcliffe Hospital
4.25 p.m.
‘You again,’ the staff nurse sneered at Joel. ‘Visiting hours are over.’
‘Don’t give me that,’ he said and marched by her.
Dec Maddon was sitting up in bed reading a comic book as Joel walked into his ward.
‘What happened to the old guy next to you?’ Joel asked, pointing at the empty, neatly made bed.
Dec shut the comic with a surly look. ‘Died.’
‘How’s the wrist?’
‘Getting better, so it is. What are you doing here? More questions?’
‘Good news first,’ Joel said, sitting in the chair next to the bed. ‘Your blood tests came through negative. Which means there’ll be no drug driving charge. You’re not supposed to know that yet, so keep it to yourself, okay?’
‘Told you, didn’t I?’ Dec raised an eyebrow. ‘So what’s the bad news?’
‘The bad news is I need you to look at something for me. And again, this isn’t something you should be seeing. It’s strictly between you and me. Understood?’ Joel took out his phone.
‘What is it?’
‘Something not nice, Dec. You’re going to have to be brave.’
‘I saw a girl get her throat slashed and a bunch of vampires taking a shower in her blood,’ Dec muttered. ‘I think I can handle whatever you have to show me.’
Joel scrolled up the photo he’d taken at the recovery scene. Without another word he handed the phone to Dec. The young guy’s face drained of colour as he stared at the image on the screen.
‘Scroll down. There’s another.’
Dec thumbed the button and his face grew even whiter. He dropped the phone in his lap, then sank his head into his hands. ‘Shit. That is bad.’
Joel took the phone back from him. ‘You okay?’
‘Yeah, I’m okay. Don’t think I’ll be wanting dinner, though.’
‘Well?’
‘It’s her,’ Dec mumbled through his fingers. ‘The girl from the party. The one they killed.’
‘Dec, we need to be completely sure.’
The young guy looked up sharply. ‘You don’t forget something like that. I’m sure.’
Joel nodded. He was silent for a few moments as he got his thoughts together.
Confiding in Dec Maddon was going a long way out on a limb — but Dec was all he had right now.
He took a deep breath. ‘This isn’t a regular murder investigation, is it, Dec? This is something different.’
Dec looked at him. ‘Does that mean you believe me?’
Joel paused a long time before he replied. ‘We need to keep all this between us.
I’m taking a big chance on you. Don’t let me down.’
Dec nodded solemnly. ‘I won’t let you down.’
‘You’re going to be discharged from here tomorrow morning, and you and I are going for a drive. I want you to help me find the house. You need to think hard.’
‘Things are coming back slowly,’ Dec said. ‘Details.’
‘Like?’
‘Like those weird birds.’
‘What weird birds?’
‘On the gateposts. Like sculptures, you know? Stone birds. Ravens or something.
I can remember their claws and beaks. Ugly fuckers.’
Joel patted him on the shoulder as he rose to leave.
‘Keep it coming. Write down everything you remember. I’ll see you in the morning.’
Chapter Twenty
Evening was falling by the time Joel rode into Lavender Close on the edge of the market town of Wallingford. He cruised slowly past the gate entrances looking for number sixteen, but couldn’t find it until he realised that the Hawthornes’ place was the only house in the street with a name instead of a number. The fancy slate sign on the wall read ‘The Willows’.
He rolled the big Suzuki up onto the kerb by the gate and killed the engine.
Unstrapping his helmet, he looked around him. The houses looked like they could have been made of Lego, all sitting in neat ranks in the amber glow of the streetlamps, each with its crisp little garden. Two of them even had gnomes. The house next door to the Hawthornes’ place was the only property that lacked the compulsory manicured lawn and perfect hedge, and instead of a Rover or a Volvo in the drive, there was a builder’s van and a couple of go-faster hatchbacks. That would be the Maddon place, then.
He walked in the gate of The Willows, brushed his fingers through his hair at the door, and knocked. A few seconds later a light came on in the hallway, then the door opened and a sour-faced woman appeared on the front step. She eyed the bike and his leather jacket with obvious distaste, and crossed her arms.
‘If it’s the Maddons you’re looking for, it’s the next door along.’
‘I’m not. Are you Mrs Hawthorne?’
‘I’m Gillian Hawthorne,’ she said uncertainly. Her eyes opened wide as he showed her his police ID. ‘You’re a Detective Inspector?’ She made no attempt to mask the scepticism in her voice.
‘Incredible though it may seem,’ he felt like saying. Instead he adopted his most polite tone and said, ‘It’s your daughter Kate I’ve come to see. Is she in?’
‘If this is about Declan Maddon, shouldn’t you be talking to them?’ She jerked her thumb dismissively at the house next door, keeping her eyes averted from the place as though it would turn her stomach to look at it directly. ‘The police have already been here once today. Is Kate in trouble?’
‘None whatsoever. I just want to ask her a couple of questions.’
‘Oh, very well.’ She ushered him inside the hall and made a big show of getting him to leave his helmet by the door. The house smelled of new carpets and air freshener. Gillian Hawthorne called up the stairs, ‘Ka-ate!’
No reply.
‘She’s been in bed.’
‘Is she not well?’
‘She’s just a little off-colour. Do you really need to talk to her now?’
‘It’s quite important,’ he replied.
‘I suppose you’d better come up, then.’
Gillian Hawthorne led the way up the stairs and stopped at a door.
‘Kate, dear?’ She turned the handle and Joel followed her inside. The room was dark. Gillian turned on a side light, and there was a groan from the bed. Joel could see the girl’s red hair sticking out from under the duvet. He looked around. The bedroom was just like any teenage girl’s room. Posters on the walls, TV, computer, a desk covered in magazines, hairbrush, iPod, makeup, mobile. The only odd detail he noticed was the way the floor-length curtains at the far end of the room had been tightly closed together with safety pins. He crossed the room and peered behind them. A French window led out onto a little balcony overlooking the back garden.
‘Kate, this gentleman is from the police and he’s come to talk to you about Declan.’ She spat that last word out with disgust.
Joel pulled up a chair. He smiled at the girl as she sat up in bed with a resentful scowl. Her hair was tousled. Her face was pallid, almost white.
‘Detective Inspector Solomon. Actually, Kate, it’s you I wanted to talk about.’
‘What for?’
‘I’ve been speaking to Dec Maddon about reported incidents last night at a party that he says you and he both attended. I was wondering what you could tell me about it.’
‘He’s a bloody liar,’ Gillian Hawthorne cut in irritably. ‘We’ve already been over and over this with you people. I mean, is there nobody in Thames Valley Police who can understand plain English?’
‘Please, Mrs Hawthorne.’ Joel turned back to Kate and spoke softly. ‘I’d appreciate it if we could go through it again. Just one more time, okay?’
Kate grimaced. ‘I don’t know what Dec was on about. I came straight home. I didn’t go to any party.’ She said it very carefully, as if she was reciting prepared lines.
‘You’re sure?’
She nodded.
‘How did you get home?’
‘I took a taxi.’
‘What time?’
‘I don’t remember,’ she groaned. ‘It was late.’
‘Where did you take the taxi from?’
‘Somewhere. I was walking.’
‘So you called the cab company on your phone?’
‘Yes. No.’
‘Which is it?’
‘My head’s hurting.’
‘Why are you asking h
er all this?’ Gillian said.
‘I’m just trying to understand what happened,’ Joel replied, keeping his tone gentle.
Gillian gave a snort. ‘What happened is that nothing happened.’
‘I called them,’ Kate said. ‘I remember now.’
‘That’s good. I can make enquiries and find out the name of the taxi firm,’ he said, watching her face. ‘That way I can find out where they picked you up from.’
She flushed at his words. ‘Oh…hang on. No. I thumbed a lift.’
The bluff had worked. ‘So you didn’t take a taxi after all.’
‘No.’
‘Who gave you a lift?’
‘I don’t know. A man.’
‘What happened to your neck?’ he asked. ‘Did someone hurt you?’
Kate immediately covered her neck with the collar of her pyjama top. Something flashed in her eyes. Not a look of embarrassment, the way a self-conscious teenager might have reacted. It was a flash of hard white anger, animal rage.
‘I fell,’ she said in a strange voice.
‘It looks like a bite.’
‘I’m telling you that I fell. Against a barbed wire fence.’ The tone in her voice was suddenly harsh.
‘Maybe you should let a doctor see that. It looks nasty.’
‘I don’t need a doctor,’ she shot back.
‘If there’s anything you’d like to tell me about what happened at the party,’ Joel said, ‘remember you won’t be in any trouble.’
‘Nothing happened at the party.’
‘So you were at the party. Dec was telling the truth.’
‘No!’
‘But you just said you were. I need to know where the party was, Kate. Exactly what happened, and who else was there. It’s very important.’
‘You’re confusing me! I don’t understand what these questions are about!’
‘Why are you making up stories, Kate? Are you trying to protect someone?’
Kate glared at him. The rage in her eyes burned intensely. For a second it was like being face to face with a snarling dog, and Joel almost backed away.
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