The Bloody Mary Diet: The Detective Adele Series Book 1

by Caroline Stuchlik

  I hear Michael answer. Trevor says, “I need you here, I think Cate is changing. Did you get the picture?”

  “Yeah, who is the hottie and what are you going to say when Cate sees her?”

  Trevor, “That is Cate, you know it and she is your queen. She is changing.”

  Michael, “Into less of a bitch?”

  “No, into a vampire or something. The bitch thing would be nice too but I don’t see how that could be happening.”

  Michael, “She could totally be less of a bitch.”

  Trevor, “I’m sorry, I misspoke, I meant the vampire thing.”

  Michael, “I am in my car in transit, be there in twenty.” Hangs up. It’s nice to know my friends stand up for me but that really was the first time I have ever heard T joke. Maybe my sense of humor is rubbing off on him. I hope so for his sake because at this rate my sense of humor is the only thing that is going to be rubbing on him and I am looking hot. Really hot, as in I might ask myself out.

  While we are waiting for Michael I am staring in the mirror at me. Trevor is also staring in the mirror at me but while I look really sexy he is just looking really confused. I look at my teeth and nothing there has changed. I grab my sliver embroidery scissors and stab my finger and it bleeds but it doesn’t burn or smoke. All good signs.

  Trevor suggests that I try using my sensory powers and see if anything else has changed. I touch my brother’s bracelet and reach out to him. I get a very strong hit right away. Clearer than anything I have ever gotten from anything before. I am getting stronger. I know exactly where he is. Vampires can find people through blood bonds and David is my half-brother. I look at his surroundings and I see a sign that says “Venom”. I tell Trevor and he immediately calls Michael back.

  “Don’t come here, go to Venom. We found Cate’s brother. She is definitely changing but we can’t do anything about it here and we may as well get her brother while we can.”

  Michael says, “Copy that. I will be there first. I have the picture of him and I know what to look for. I will just do surveillance until you arrive.” They both hang up.

  Trevor is still in his charcoal gray suit and tie that just scream cop. I am in a yellow baby doll nightie with matching bunny slippers, panties and blood red lip stick. We look perfect if we were trying to break into a mental institution but this is go time. I am not stopping to change. We race to T’s car and go lights and sirens towards the warehouse district, the club is located in the ware house district. That is why I saw the warehouses every time David was outside. Turning on your siren alerts dispatch so Trevor’s radio pops on. The operator asks where he is going and if he will require back up.

  Trevor thinks for a minute and says yes, send a couple of vampire plain clothes to club Venom. Tell them to locate Officer Michaels and stand by. The operator signs off and we speed up. We will be there in five minutes at this rate. Trevor is still wearing his shoulder holster from work. I wish I had a gun and I never wish I had a gun. Venom is a very famous and very rough vampire blood house and we are about to walk in blind without a warrant or any real backup. Trevor really, really loves me.

  We get to the club and the parking lot is packed. It’s Tuesday. Trevor parks next door in case things go sideways and we have to get out fast. The operator comes back on and says the plain cloths have located Detective Michaels and are standing by. So that makes five of us against who knows what. Even outlaw biker clubs avoid this place.

  We bypass the line and the bouncer lets us in. I am suddenly grateful for my matching panties because I am pretty sure he never looked at my face. I can actually feel Michaels nearby. I have never been able to do that before. I look up and he is standing by two other vampires on the cat walks. I turn to my right and Marcus is there. He says Michael called him. I look up and Michael give me the thumbs up. He points to the corner. I see a young man, about six foot two with light brown curly hair and blue eyes. It’s David. How can I see that far? It’s really dark. It is not possible.

  I start walking toward him and I notice there is a small crowd around him. He is dealing right out in the open. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised but he is only seventeen and he shouldn’t even be here. I am getting pissed but I don’t know who to be pissed at. Then I hear a voice off to my left. It is Viktor, my cabbie from last week and he is pointing at me and yelling, “Hey.”

  I walk over to the table he is sitting at with several other men. I put my hands on the edge and brace my feet. They all laugh until I push. As hard as I can. The table had been bolted to the cement floor. It’s not anymore. I did not know I could do that. Apparently neither did they.

  And then all hell breaks loose. One of the guys must have showed a badge or something.

  Someone yells, “Cops” and it starts raining pills and coke from the cat walks and the upper dance floor. I look over just in time to see David drop his stash and start running. I follow, he is not heading toward the front door. I hope he knows where he is going because I am not going to be much help, they took my badge and my gun when I went on leave.

  David is fast. I am faster. These new abilities are really amazing. I hope they last.

  We hit the back hall and I follow him out a service entrance that’s not marked. Fire code violation, I make a mental note to call Rainy, my favorite fire marshal loves this kind of shit. Viktor and his friends are behind me and I have lost T and the other boys.

  David hears me behind him and turns around. He checks me out head to toe before he notices that the assholes are following me. Teenage boys do have their priorities and while he was checking me out he went to his left instead of right and we are now between a dead end and three mean looking vampires. We start walking backwards as they advance on us looking like they are ready for lunch.

  Viktor speaks up first. Why is it always the stupid ones who have the most to say? “I remember you, you’re the bitch that wreck my car.”

  “I “wrecked” your car, not wreck it and I thought it was Demetri’s car. You should sue your body shop. That was a really terrible restoration job. Very tacky, I hope you didn’t pay for it.” I am stalling, I can hear sirens.

  Viktor looks confused. I probably should just stick to the subject at hand. He is a one thing at a time kind of guy. Not real big on the thinking.

  “It doesn’t matter. I am a police officer, as you well know and this young man is under age. He is coming with me and you assholes are going to move the fuck out of our way.” I talk way braver then I feel but it’s all I have.

  “That little shit owes me money and so do you. I think you are both going to stay and figure out a way to pay me back.” Viktor is so obviously not thinking this through.

  “So you want a cop and a seventeen year old boy to stay at this club and pay you back? For what? Did we not pay our cab fares? Why don’t you stop by the station tomorrow and I will have my husband, the vampire squad chief, drop you a couple of twenties. And then book you for capital murder, grand theft auto, possession with intent to distribute, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and generally poor taste. There are a lot of charges.”

  “Your husband does not make the rules, Demetri does. And Demetri says you need to keep your mouth shut.”

  It takes me a second to absorb what he just said. Can he possibly not know that Demetri and Ivan are dead? That I killed them. I think he mistakes my silence for acceptance and starts to step forward. I put up my hands and picture them flying backwards. And they do!!! I am getting way better at this witch stuff. Way better.

  I turn to look at David and he is staring at me. I guess I should introduce myself before he looks at my cleavage anymore and we both end up barfing. “Hi, my name is Catherine, Queen of the West and All Who Reside Here. Your dad sent me. I am your sister.” The queen thing was totally gratuitous but I should get something out of it. David looks shocked. Viktor and the assholes, they should be a punk band, look even more confused than usual. I hope that stupid is not contagious. Keep in mind all of this has gone dow
n in about two minutes and it probably takes Viktor that long to button and zip his own pants, forget about accepting a complete change in regimes.

  Viktor is staring at us. I get the feeling that he is not on the inside track of vampire politics. “Demetri is king.”

  “He was king. I am now queen by right of challenge and battle to the death. I killed Demetri and his second, Ivan the Bloody, thereby becoming rightful ruler and Queen. So suck it.” I am really, really stalling. Why is Trevor not here yet? I throw Viktor and his friends down the alley again and glance over at David. He seems to be taking all this really, really well, he may even be enjoying it. I think he is enjoying it. That cannot be healthy.

  “I’m David. I don’t have a sister, classic only child here.”

  “Me too, I mean only child, not classic. I am your half-sister. Our dad sent me to find you after our grandmother died and mentioned me in her will. He didn’t really know about me. She was a serious bitch by the way. No offence.”

  “None taken. Can you show me how to do that throwing thing?”

  “Sure, I would love to. We have to wait for them to get up again and come closer though.” I am having a moment with my little brother. How cool is that. I hope we don’t die.

  Viktor and his friends seem less sure about what to do at this point. They really aren’t getting up but I don’t know what to do either. I can’t arrest them because I am not really a cop right now. I can’t shoot them because I don’t have a gun. I can’t run because they are blocking the only way out. Teaching David to knock them down again really seems like the only productive option.

  “Viktor, come here. I want to show David something. Please.” Gran always said to be polite.

  Victor stands up but he hesitates, “No.”

  “Why not, if you stay there you can’t get us and we can’t get away so we will all have to just stand here forever. That won’t help anyone. Stop being such a chicken.”

  And that’s when Viktor and his two friends pull a total mind scramble on me. They turn and run. I am not kidding. We are outnumbered four to two, they are bigger than us and they probably have guns. And they run. So much for being gangsters.

  I take my first real breath in about twenty minutes and turn to David. He is smiling ear to ear. This kid is not right, not right at all. We are definitely related. We start walking down the alley, which is no longer blocked thanks to our very brave captors. Trevor and Michaels are standing in the street. Viktor and his friends are laying in the street in front of them. Michaels kicks one of them. That was fast. Trevor waves me over and asks me to identify Viktor as the man who kidnapped and assaulted me. I identify him and he and his friends are cuffed and moved to the waiting police van.

  Trevor says that they have made about thirty arrests so far on outstanding warrants alone and more than half the people in the club are under age. Turns out Viktor owns the club and will probably be charged with that too. I introduce David to Trevor.

  “Nice to meet you, sir.” They shake hands.

  “What a suck up!!! Call dad and tell him where you are before I throw up on you. You are even making my bunny slippers want to heave.” David laughs and pulls out his cell phone. When he walks away a few steps I hear Viktor call me. At least I think he is calling me. He just yells, “Stupid Whore.”

  I walk over to the back of the van and look at him through the open doors. He is glaring at me and says that I will suffer for what has happened. I have already suffered. Every nightmare thing I have seen on every nightmare day of this nightmare job. I have suffered through the feelings of every victim I have ever helped find justice and now this worthless parasite is telling me he will make me suffer. I climb into the van and put one finger on his forehead. I push every horrible memory of every burnt, dismembered, mangled corpse I have ever seen and I push them into his head. I let him live it just like they did, just like I have. His eyes go blank and he starts to scream. I hop down from the van and walk away. Trevor was right. It does help to share the burden. I will have to do it more often.

  I can still hear Viktor screaming as the van pulls away. Maybe I am stronger than I thought.

  By the time our dad shows up David and I are on our way to being really good friends. He wants to come over to our place so I can teach him how to use some of his powers and I really am looking forward to having a family member that doesn’t actually remember the Roosevelt administration. Teddy, not Franklin, if it matters.

  As Trevor and I are wrapping things up I hear one of the badges talking. They say that some of the regulars mentioned girls from the club being forced into a red Jag in the alley behind the club. The girls were never seen again. It’s amazing how some people start talking when they are in cuffs. I swear it’s like the blue uniform and badge act like a verbal laxative on some people.

  On a hunch I walk a little distance away and call my brother on the phone.

  “Hey David, do you know anything about girls being taken from Venom and not coming back.”

  David pauses for a minute and says “Yes, why?”

  “What do you know?”

  “They were girls that owed Viktor money. Almost always drugs. He would act like the money wasn’t a problem until they were addicted and then demand payment. By then it was usually way more than they could possibly have so he would say that they “worked” for him. Kind of like I did except we would never see them again. I don’t know what he did with them but they were all pretty and young. Viktor would hand pick them and start feeding them drugs until he owned them.”

  “Do you think they were killed?” I ask.

  Another pause. “I don’t know but probably not.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because a dead girl isn’t good for what he wanted them to do.” David’s voice had gone totally flat. I couldn’t ask anything else.

  We hung up and I call the city coroner’s office. I knew one of the night guys there and he usually had a good grasp on what came in and out. I had his direct line.

  Mark answered, “What’s up Cate? I didn’t know you were back.”

  “My vacation to Crazy Town has been cut short. Something came up and I have a question.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Have any vampire kills come in to you in the last year. Young pretty girls, probably drugs in their system that were not the cause of death and green paint chips under their nails. I know that is kind of specific but I think I might be on to something and I need to look further.” I can feel the tension on the other end of the line as I ask him. I get the feeling that he wants to tell me and he doesn’t want to all at the same time.

  “We probably get four or five vampire kills that match that description each month. Mostly just in the last year. The paint under the nails I remember specifically on a few. Maybe six.” He finally answers.

  I sit down on the curb. How did I not know this? I picture the trunk of Viktor’s piece of shit red Jag with the green trunk. I had said at the time that it looked like he had kept a pride of lions in there. More like scared little girls.

  “Would you call the paint British racing green? Like auto paint?” I ask. I already know the answer.

  “It was a dark kind of forest green so, yeah, maybe. It was definitely auto paint.”

  I feel sick, “Why don’t I know about this Mark? It is a pattern and I haven’t heard about it even once. Why the fuck would I not have heard about it.”

  “Ask Trevor.” And he hangs up.

  I look over and Trevor is about three feet away looking at me. He heard the whole thing.

  “What the fuck, Trevor. I knew nothing about this. No one said a word. These cases are totally linked to Viktor and probably Demetri as well and no one told me a thing?” Michaels joins Trevor at this point and they both pull me away. It is obvious that no one else is intended to hear this.

  “Stop right now. I am the fucking queen and I want to know something you are going to tell me. Right now.”

  Trevor and Michael are staring at me ag
ain like I have two heads. I have never really been angry at either of them but now I am pissed. I slap their hands away and glare. “You can tell me now or I will go to the coroner’s office right now and get the information myself and then I will call every news outlet in the fucking city and e-mail the nationals. With photos. This will not stand. Everything we stand for says that this is wrong.” Tears are running down my face but I don’t care. I have been betrayed on a level so deep that my world feels like it has literally ended.

  Trevor finally says. “We handle these things internally.”

  “Internally? What the hell does that even mean? We are a police department. We do not cover up serial murders. If what Mark says is even vaguely true we are looking at sixty killings this year. Easy. What about the ones we didn’t find? What about the ones that are still alive?” I am on the verge of hysteria.

  Trevor, “And that is why I didn’t take the money from Demetri. Why I had to stay clean even if it meant that both of our lives were at risk, ours and Michaels and many more people you don’t even know. We handled the deaths in our way and kept it internal. I can tell you the rest at home but not here. Not now.”

  “You can stay away from me. Both of you. I am going to my Grans house getting some cloths and then I am going to the coroner’s office. Do not meet me there.” I walk away and ask one of the uniformed officers for a ride home. I am still wearing my baby doll nightie and I have to change. He quickly agrees and we head to his squad car. He stars at my boobs a little too long but at least that is normal. Normal. Normal is good.

  Chapter 15: All Grown Up

  Gran is up and waiting when I arrive at our house. This is the first time I have seen her since I got married, went bonkers and came back. I don’t know what time it is but I know it is late. She has a very serious look on her face. I tell her I am going upstairs to change and then I have to go. I ask if I can borrow one of her suits. She always wore Channel. I think she knew Coco but I can’t swear to it. I will have to ask later.

  “You may borrow a suit but first you will listen to me. It is time we talked. I have been negligent in your upbringing in so many was but that has to stop. Tonight.” Gran has never sounded so severe. Or so with it.