At First Sight (Persephonii Waters Book 1)

by Melanie Brown

  Fox walked back into the room, his coloring better, attesting to the fact that the combined heat and smell was even getting to the professionals. Behind him the transport team had arrived to take Mr. Blank to the morgue to be examined, so the room needed to be cleared for them to have enough space to work. Any final images were taken, and Persephonii squeezed by Fox and the others in the hallway, making it out to wider, open spaces and fresh air.

  "Hang around for a while, let's see what this black box reveals." Fox followed her down the hallway, veering off to the main living area, asking her to wait until the safe was opened. She agreed, calling for a car so soon after being dropped off was a waste of Charles' time.

  Taking out her phone, she made her way back to the foyer of the house and out the front door. She wouldn't be needed to go back in until the grounds had been fully cleared and the specialists had opened the safe. Which meant she had plenty of time to come up with a plan.

  Forty-five minutes later, the body had been cleared out and the safe opened. Stuffed with papers the C.S.I team simply photographed then bagged the lot, taking it back to the lab to be gone through, along with the papers in the room. As Fox described it, the papers, sorted by piles, where bagged and would be scanned into the computer, where an algorithm would read them for importance and decide which papers were worth taking a closer look at. It was rather fascinating, Persephonii wondered who set the search parameters and what terms would be used to signify importance, but doubted Fox would care to discuss it with her just then. She hoped that Fox would be able to include the information they had found from the other scenes. Perhaps somewhere in the papers there was a further clue as to the mysterious company buying the supplies. After all, who would have those kinds of connections but a businessman?

  With the safe opened and filled with nothing but worry and papers, Persephonii turned her focus to her own plans. Talking with Fox about the cold aura attached to Mr. Blake despite the heat, they split up and made their way around the house, now searching for the evidence to link Mr. Blake to the Rouge Maker.

  "This cold you keep experiencing, is this like Ms. Kunhe's? Like Mr. Freedman's?" Fox could always be counted on to ask questions as if her abilities were something real and solid.

  "No. Nothing as intense, but just as icy. I would almost say that Ms. Kunhe's was like an arctic wind, powerful and very present in the gallery. I wasn't around for Mr. Freedman's body, so all I could say is that the lingering chill in the area of his Turning was very similar, but less intense. Now, Mr. Blake's is even less so, less intense, almost like its enclosed, like its staying close to the skin. I was nearly standing over him in order to feel it. Despite the heat, the cold chill was very much present. I can only surmise at this point that the experiments are becoming more streamlined, but with it their mental stability is breaking down much sooner."

  "So what your saying is that their perfecting their M.O but the effects on the Chyldren are causing them to...what did you say...'Poof,' more quickly?" He inquired, perplexed by this new bit of information.

  "Exactly. If I could guess I would say Mr. Blake was one of the first Turned, the process was slow and he slipped into mental breakdown rather than the severe violent breaks we've been witnessing." Persephonii motioned to the piles and paper's behind them. They didn't appear within a week or a month even. This showed signs of a slow buildup to full on hoarding.

  He sounded hopeful when he asked, "Do we have any way of proving his connection with the Rogue Maker?"

  "Not without finding where he was Turned. Madison can run some D.N.A and blood tests to see if the super protein is in his system, but our best bet may lay in his paperwork. Mr. Blake had a great many connections within the business and Vampyre world. If we can find any link, any more information on this shell business buying medical supplies, or anything of that nature, we will be that much closer to identifying the Rouge Maker." Fox's head nodded in understanding, as she spoke, but looked up to the large van still being loaded with bags filled with papers from in and around the office area.

  "It will take some time, even for the computers to scan and sort all that." His voice clearly said he was glad they no longer had to read and sort by hand. The amount of paperwork and reading on the combined cases was enough to make one go blind from eye strain as it was.

  "The algorithm will also need to know what we're looking for..." She paused looking at Fox as he watched the bags being loaded, finally he turned back to her.

  "The algorithm?" Fox's voice was distracted, as another van pulled up, as the last one had been filled. With still more than half the office to go, they were going to be at it all day.

  "It just occurred to me that the lead team will make the decisions on the parameters of the search." Somewhere between a question and a statement, Persephonii paused again.

  "Ms. Vaughn will be assisting Agent Savage with the case, but for now they are focused on Fischer and the media... Is there any way we can politely propose our terms be added to the roster?" Persephonii felt they had a right to be concerned, but other than sneaking in and adding the search terms, they would have to ask the higher ups if they could tack on more work to the search.

  "Politely... propose?" The amused look and the Agent's face visibly stated he thought her suggestion was too tame for what he would like to... 'propose' Savage do. But Persephonii knew she was already getting flak from Vaughn, enough that Agent Savage had declined meeting with her to update him on her findings. Not that she took any of it to heart, she preferred Fox's calm, professional, "seen it all" demeanor. She often thought his whole bearing was a sign he was supposed to have been born a few decades ago, more of the nineteen-fifties than two-thousand-fifteen. The tailored suit, the Ray Ban brow line glasses, crisp tie and shinny dress shoes, all spoke of a different era. Somehow in a sea of black suits, Agent Fox stood out.

  "I'm sure I can talk to the techs and add in our... 'proposed' terms. It may add some time onto our wait for the results, but Dr. Underwood did summit the report, about the medical supplies and their questionable origins." He turned back to the window to see the last few bags from the office being loaded.

  "Though I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who read it," his quite remark drifted to her as the van pulled away.

  "Let's hope they are fast enough to find something, before anyone else goes 'Poof.'" With that, they separated, looking farther into the house, taking their thoughts with them.

  As the units swept the house, clearing it of any other people, Persephonii wandered behind them, getting a feel for the space, its occupants and owner, and searching for any signs that he had been Turned in his home like Mr. Freedman. So far the first floor had consisted of; large entertainment spaces, a hall of sorts, the large kitchen, a few game rooms and a movie theater. She searched high and low, taking her time in case she missed any more shimmers, but the rooms where oddly quite. Aside from the lavish parties that were thrown every month until recently, the house was essentially large and empty.

  With little to go on, the house slowly emptied, leaving Fox and Persephonii even less of a reason or excuse to stay around. Searching for hidden rooms and possible additional Turning sites, didn't exactly sound sane spoken out loud. So Fox dropped her off at the Warehouse, and went in search of Mr. Blake's recent contacts; he would let her know if he needed her.

  Considering herself a patient person, Persephonii had never minded waiting, but she could keenly feel the clock ticking by, wondering what they were missing? Who could she talk to about Mr. Blake's involvement to see if he had any other stakes in the House? Thinking that her contacts were too low level to be included in the House of Thane's business dealings, she could have hit herself in the head when she remembered she had a Kiss full of information in her basement. They should have been up by now as the sun has just set.

  It was time to use her new found Liaison status to get some answers.

  Chapter 15: Kiss:

  Refers to a group of Vampyres, usually of smaller numbers. Of
ten choosing to work together under a leader.

  The Warehouse. Lakewood, WA. 5:55pm PST.

  Despite wanting to talk with Mr. Sebastian and his Kiss as soon as possible, there was the matter of a very smelly Paranormal consultant and her hours spent in a hot, humid house. The techs had finally broken into the computerized system and turned off the heat about an hour before the majority of people had departed. Fox and Persephonii had stayed two hours after that and the house was still stifling. It was a shame that no windows could be opened, in the icy weather the house would have cooled off quickly. As it was, the interior temperatures were still in the mid-nineties as they left. She was in desperate need of a shower and a change of clothes and hoped her specially-made laundry detergent could eradicate the smell of Mr. Blake.

  Even before stepping out of the lift she gained some followers as Lindsey and Harker met her with wary expressions as the doors opened. She could tell that they hadn't expected her, which meant that the smell was strong enough to mask her natural sent.

  "What happened to you?" Lindsey's nose was scrunched up, as if he was not sure if he should cover it, or be polite and try to pretend it was not that bad.

  If it hadn't already been such a long day, she might have laughed at his expression of revulsion. As it was, she was losing steam quickly and needed to get clean and down stairs to meet with the Vampires before they were all out hunting down evidence.

  "Is it really that bad?" It was somewhat of a silly question, she knew how heightened a Wyr-wolves sense of smell was.

  "It's not good, if that's what you're asking." Harker seemed caught between smiling at her predicament and not wanting to inhale to laugh.

  "What is that smell?" Autumn came in from the living room area and the small group moved toward the stairs.

  Harker gave Persephonii a look that said he knew perfectly well what made that smell, as his eyes pleaded with her to not say anything definitive to his little sister. Behind her Blake poked her head around the stair railing.

  "I'll have you know this is what hard work and dedication smells like." At her declaration Harker looked relieved, and a little amused, as the others looked on confused. So close to the stairs and her escape into a nice warm shower, Persephonii tried to hurry things along.

  "I'd like to chat and catch up on how everything is going but it appears I need to talk with our other guests before they head out for the night....Any chance of some leftovers or something else yummy for dinner? I know I'm running rather late..."

  Both Harker and Autumn smiled at her, seemly pleased over her wanting to 'catch up' with them despite how hectic her schedule currently was. Nodding in understanding and making a shooing motion while covering their noses, Lindsey and Autumn headed into the kitchen area and Persephonii took the hint and headed directly for the shower.

  Washed, smelling clean and fresh, Persephonii grabbed half of a sandwich, made especially for her by Autumn for her hard work...Lindsey had added "and dedication," she headed down to the basement, having called down to ask if anyone was planning on staying around long enough to have a quick meeting. Talia had answered the phone and had agreed to ask Sebastian to linger before heading out, to speak with her. Persephonii was mildly confused about the second in command's amused tone, and thought that perhaps calling down and formally requesting an informal meeting might have been a little odd to her. But as the female Vampyre was several hundred years old, it was just as likely she had a wry sense of humor that seemed to come with such age.

  Arriving downstairs, the basement was still as well appointed as she remembered, hardly looking like anyone was staying there, despite the comings and goings of almost a week of Vampyre activities. Sebastian, with Talia not too far behind, met her at the living area as he gestured for her to take a seat.

  "You wished to speak with me?" He asked, taking a seat diagonally from her. His courteous look of interest seemed to make Talia even more amused.

  "Yes, thank you for waiting for me. I imagine you are just as busy with your investigation as I am with mine." Seemingly surprised at the polite greetings, he inclined his head as if to say 'you are welcome'. Persephonii found herself marveling at his shoulder length black hair, free from the queue he usually tied it back with, the raven black locks held highlights of blue in the lighting. She had read of such things, but had never seen it in person.

  Talia, still looking somewhat amused merely nodded in greeting, setting down across from Persephonii on the small loveseat.

  "I have a feeling that you were planning to be out by now so I will try to get to the point..." She looked somewhat concerned towards the Investigator and his second. Not sure how deeply she could broach her subject. At her hesitancy, Sebastian's casual demeanor changed slightly, though she couldn't tell if it was concern or suspicion.

  "I understand that as your Liaison I will be privileged to certain information, and as I stated before I will have the utmost discretion for any information, personal or House-wise that you give me. But...I hope you don't think me too forward in asking you these next questions."

  Glancing between Talia and Sebastian, the stray thought that they could be related crossed her mind, though she quickly refocused on the task at hand.

  "I'm not exactly sure how to limit this to a handful of questions, so... Is there a certain formula or procedure for creating a Kiss? Such as positions and roles that one looks for in forming their own group, even going so far as to create a new House?"

  "This has something to do with the Rogue Maker?" Talia's tone held concern and wariness. From Sebastian's sudden shuttered expression, Persephonii could guess that it was a touchy subject, but due to personal reasons or his allegiance to the House Council, she wasn't sure.

  "You wish to know about forming a Kiss?...." Standing from the armchair, he paced behind the loveseat, Talia looking less amused by the minute.

  "If it is beyond my scope of Liaison privileges, just let me know and I won't ask again." She hadn't expected this reactions, and worried about the amount of agitation she seemed to be causing.

  "But you think this is important, that...that the Rogue Maker might be..?" Contemplation took over his countenance. At his stopping and starting Talia's expression, too became contemplative but where Sebastian was focused on his thoughts, Talia was focused on her. As if trying to determine whether she was asking to know Vampyre secrets or if she had truly worked something out. Something that neither the Investigator nor his second in command seemed to have thought of themselves.

  "Let me start from what I know, to what I have guessed and see if we all come to a similar conclusion." At this, Sebastian turned to look at her from his pacing, Talia gave a regal nod to continue. Taking a deep breath, she began. "Though the Fischer incident brought to light the Rogue Maker's apparent... dealings in the area, the incident was high profile, but a standalone case." Nods from both dark heads.

  "Then, another tragic yet violent attack, this time a smaller, local target, seemingly random and from what the F.B.I has released, a target to continue drawing attention when the Fisher case has stilled." More nods.

  "Yet the profile for this serial killer, our Vampyre, is far too human... It relies heavily on the theory that the retaliation was based on Fisher's media and political stance." Persephonii was on a role, thoughts and connections springing to mind, after finally having a good sounding board to bounce her theories off of. Here were two people who knew the supernatural and Para worlds and could give her insight as few others could. Chase often got the brunt of her brain-storming but she was often derailed having to explain the processes and theorems behind her conclusion.

  "If that was the case, wouldn't the thrill seeking, Rogue Maker have chosen additional high profile victims to feed his supposed need for infamy and attention? Ms. Kunhe's Turning was a few weeks before her 'event' but how could he have known she would have her break down at the gallery reception? From all accounts, she was behaving relatively normally prior to the exhibition opening." Pieces were cli
cking into place, as she relayed her current hypothesis. Humans had made the initial profile and the resulting theories were very human. Perhaps Para thinking could overcome this block where human thinking had failed. A more personal based knowledge of Vampyre culture and instinct could gain them insight into the case.

  Talia's skeptical tone clearly gave her opinion on the subject. "You're saying that rather than the ticking bomb planted to do the most damage, the artist's unexpected violent demise was merely a coincidence?"

  "I agree with the sentiment behind your 'ticking bomb' analogy, but no. I'm saying that the physics and supernatural variables aside, humans are not loaded weapons to be ignited..." At this Talia looked doubtful, as if to say her experience had shown her a different side of humanity, but Persephonii continued nodding to say she understood the sentiment. "...set off at a certain time. The evidence points to the violent breakdown as a symptom or side effect of the unorthodox Turning. A kind of... fatal flaw in the Maker's process perhaps?" She paused to take a breath and judge their reactions. They were still with her.

  "I've mentioned the inclusion of Mr. Walter Freedman into the updates I've been sending down. Mr. Fisher, Mr. Freedman, Ms. Kunhe,... and now perhaps even Mr. Blake, though the evidence is still being processed on his case. These people appear random, but perhaps it's more than just location and access. If it was about the media coverage, why the wait? Why choose a beloved retired school teacher of all people?"

  "You see a pattern in all this chaos?" Sebastian's quite, soft tone was quite clear in the ensuing silence.

  Staring into his dark eyes she somberly replied. "If you take the thrill seeker scenario out of the picture, what do we have?"