by Lisa Edmonds
“You cannot be serious.” I looked at the M.E., who stared back at me stonily. “You’re a medical examiner; you know one vampire can’t drain a body completely. Those have to be needle marks made by someone trying to make it look like a vampire did this.”
“Get her out of here or I’ll arrest her,” Diaz snapped.
“Alice, let’s go,” Lake said, gently taking me by the arm.
“No.” I pulled against his grip, my eyes on the body on the pavement. “Mark…”
“Lake, you’ve got ten seconds to clear this scene before I’m calling your field office,” Diaz said.
“We’re leaving.” Lake’s suppressed anger vibrated through his hand on my arm, but he set his jaw and pulled me toward the tape barrier at the end of the alley.
Detective Ferguson stared at me with undisguised contempt as we passed. He didn’t move aside, and I bumped into him. Magic sparked when my hand brushed his, and he jumped back with a startled sound. My control was slipping. I snuffed out my air magic and kept moving.
“Worth.” Diaz’s voice stopped me. His arms were crossed as he stared at me. “We’ll be wanting to talk to you soon.”
I didn’t trust myself to respond, so I gave him a jerky nod and turned away. We ducked under the tape and I let Lake guide me back toward the police barricade, my steps robotic. I felt as if I were abandoning Mark in the alley and my heart hurt like someone was squeezing it in their fist.
A uniform lifted the yellow tape for us and we stepped into the crowd. I pulled out of Lake’s grip. “It wasn’t a vampire,” I insisted.
Lake rubbed his forehead. “I believe you, but it’s a local case and Diaz doesn’t want SPEMA involved. We have no jurisdiction unless the locals invite us in and you heard him: he’s not about to hand the case over to us.”
“They won’t listen to me because I work for the Court. Call the state; get them to send someone here from the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office to assess the case, overrule the county M.E.’s opinion.”
Lake sighed. “I can try, but they’re going to be reluctant to step on a local M.E.’s toes unless I can give them something definitive. Let’s go somewhere quiet and you can tell me what you know.”
Bryan appeared out of the crowd and I confronted him. “Tell me you didn’t know Mark was lying here dead the whole time I was asking you where he was.”
He shook his head. “I found out the same time you did, Alice.”
“But you knew he was missing, not ‘delayed.’” I shook with anger. “Was that what all those texts were about on the way to Northbourne, and you didn’t say a goddamned word?”
Bryan said nothing. He didn’t have to. It was obvious the Court knew Mark was missing and had ordered him not to tell me ahead of the meeting.
I turned away from the enforcer, too furious to speak. Lake put his hand on the small of my back, offering support. I moved away and he dropped his hand to his side.
Bryan’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, then at me. “I’m sorry to leave you here, but I’m needed back at Northbourne.”
My voice was cold. “Tell the Court whoever killed Mark tried to make it look like a vampire drained him, and it looks like the M.E. and the cops are falling for it. When this hits the news—if it hasn’t already—there may be trouble.”
“I’ll let them know.” Bryan handed me my purse. I’d left it in the SUV and not even noticed. “Get her home safe,” he told Lake before disappearing into the crowd.
I glanced at the alley. A coroner’s van had appeared, backed up to the crime-scene tape. As I watched, the front doors opened and two men in coveralls got out. They unloaded a stretcher with a black body bag and a sheet folded on top and disappeared into the alley.
Lake’s hand closed on my arm. I realized I’d taken several steps back toward the barricade without noticing I’d moved. “Let’s go, Alice. There’s nothing more we can do here tonight. I’m parked just up here, on the right.”
He led me through the crowd of onlookers and past the news vans. His black pickup was parked haphazardly in front of a closed accountant’s office.
Mark.
I stopped and bent double, the pain so intense that I couldn’t get a breath. I made a broken sound.
Lake came back and took my hand. “Come on,” he said gently. “Let’s get you home.”
The drive to my house was a blur. At some point, I started shivering, and Lake pulled over long enough to make me put on his jacket. I wrapped it around myself and stared out the window of the truck, seeing nothing. My stomach hurt like I’d been gutted with a dull knife. I barely registered arriving home or lowering the wards to let us in.
Lake settled me on the couch and looked around my living room. “I’m not sure what I imagined your house looking like on the inside, but I didn’t expect an empty room.”
I realized belatedly that I’d never let him in past my wards. There was a SPEMA agent inside my house, feet away from the door to my basement, and I felt nothing about it. I felt nothing about anything.
He nudged a stack of red folders with his foot. “What’s all this?”
“Confidential files. Don’t touch them.”
He crouched in front of me, his eyes searching my face. “Who do you think killed Dunlap?”
“Not vampires.” Restlessly, I got up and headed for the kitchen with Lake trailing behind me. The gift bag containing the bottle of Scotch Mark gave me was on the counter. I reached into the bag and took out the wooden box.
“What’s that?” he asked.
I held up the bottle so he could see it.
“A twenty-five-year single malt.” He sounded surprised. “Nice.”
“It was a gift from Mark.” I grabbed a glass from a cabinet and returned to the living room, curling up on the couch and tucking my bare feet under the folds of my dress. “Sit,” I told Lake.
He perched on the other end of the couch. I poured him two fingers of whisky and held out the glass. He didn’t move. “Take it,” I said.
He took the glass.
I lifted the bottle. “To Mark.”
Lake clinked his glass against the bottle. I put the bottle to my lips and took a drink. It was excellent Scotch.
“Alice.” He stared at me.
“Shut up and drink.” I raised the bottle again.
He sipped and watched me. We drank in silence.
I was drunk in minutes, but Lake had barely touched his whisky. “What’s wrong? Not good enough for you?” I asked him.
He rested his elbows on his knees. “If you know who’s responsible for this, tell me. I want to help you.”
“You can’t. Not your case, not your jurisdiction, remember?”
“You told me the other night a harnad might be involved.” His eyes searched my face. “You know who’s behind this, don’t you?”
“I don’t know shit, Lake.”
“Don’t give me that,” he snapped. “I saw you touch him right before you fell down, so I know you got something from the body. Put the bottle down and tell me what you know.”
Before I could reply, the perimeter wards tingled. I scowled. “Tell them to go away.”
“Tell who to go away?”
Footsteps crossed my porch and someone knocked loudly. “Whoever that is,” I said, gesturing in the direction of the door. “Tell them to go away.”
He put his drink down on the floor and headed for the door. I took another swig from the bottle of Scotch. The whisky made me numb and disconnected.
I heard the door open and the sound of voices: Lake’s and another, deeper and a little growly. I closed my eyes and rested my head on the arm of the couch.
Lake raised his voice. “Alice, can you come to the door, please?” His tone was measured. “The alpha of the Tomb Mountain Pack is here to check on your welfare.”
I stood up and walked unsteadily toward the door, my hand trailing along the wall for balance. Lake and Sean were staring each other down. When I appeared, the werewolf was vis
ibly taken aback.
“Mark’s dead.” My voice sounded hollow.
His eyes glowed with anger. “I know. I tried calling you, but there was no answer.”
I leaned against the doorway to steady myself. “I don’t know where my phone is.”
“It’s in your purse, on the kitchen counter,” Lake said.
I blinked at him. “Oh.”
“I called Hawthorne’s, and someone said you’d been taken home. I got worried and came to check on you.” Sean eyed Lake, who returned his gaze impassively. “Can I have a word with you in private?”
I stepped out onto the porch. “Give us a minute,” I said to Lake.
He looked at Sean, then at me, clearly reluctant to leave me alone. “I’ll be inside if you need me,” he said finally, and stepped back as I closed the door.
Sean sighed. “Alice, I’m sorry.”
I wasn’t sure if I was swaying or if I just felt as if I were. I leaned against the door. “They drained him, to make it look like a vampire did it.”
“The news said it was a vampire attack, but I knew there had to be more to the story. You’re sure it wasn’t a vampire?”
“I’m sure.” With Lake no doubt listening on the other side of the door, I couldn’t tell Sean about the magic trace I’d sensed. That would have to wait until we were alone. Harnad, I mouthed.
He crossed his arms. “Why would they leave his body for us to find? We haven’t found anyone else.”
“To frame the vamps, I suppose. They left him where he’d be found right away.”
He moved forward and pressed his lips to my ear, speaking so softly I could barely make out the words. “Agent Lake is watching us through the peephole.”
I said nothing.
“Is there something going on between you?” Sean’s voice took on an edge. “You smell like him.”
I shrugged. “He gave me his coat and drove me home.”
“I don’t like smelling him on you.”
Annoyed, I pushed him away. “Then go.”
His eyes went bright gold. “Not a chance.”
“Then don’t get territorial,” I snapped. “I’m not your territory.”
He sighed. “I know you’re not. How much have you had to drink?”
“What business is it of yours?”
Sean held my upper arms so he could look into my eyes. “Mark’s death is not your fault. Don’t punish yourself for this.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I pulled away and took two unsteady steps back.
His face hardened. “Don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen you do this; hell, it’s not even the first time today you’ve done it. Not every mistake requires that you beat yourself up, no matter what you might think.”
“Just drop it, Sean.”
“No, not this time. I’m tired of watching you harm yourself and run yourself into the ground over and over because you think you deserve it. It’s obvious someone used to hurt you for making mistakes and you’ve internalized it until you punish yourself for everything. This is not your fault, Alice, not in any way.”
How could Sean look me in the eye and tell me it wasn’t my fault? I should have gone with Mark to the homeless camp instead of going home to nap and get ready to go see the damn vamps. I knew we were dangerously close to catching up with the harnad, and yet I let him go alone. Now he was dead. Mark had my back every time I needed him, and when he needed me, I let him down.
I reached for the doorknob. “I’m not in the mood for this right now. Please go.”
His voice stopped me. “It wasn’t really about the furniture, was it?”
“What?”
“That last fight. You wanted to be rid of me, because you blamed yourself for what happened at the construction site and you were hurting, so you used our disagreement about replacing your furniture as an excuse to break us up. You push people away so they can’t see you’re vulnerable. I should have figured it out then; if I had, I wouldn’t have let you goad me into walking out, right when you needed me most. There is nothing wrong with needing help, Alice.”
There was everything wrong with needing help, but I couldn’t tell him why without telling him who I was, and that wasn’t an option. “I don’t need your help, Sean. I didn’t then and I don’t now.”
“I don’t believe that.” He was maddeningly calm. “We shared a link. I know what you felt about me and that it scared you. I know you felt guilty. I just didn’t put it all together until now.”
“What do you want from me?” I demanded. His expression changed from frustration to alarm as my fists clenched. Magic rose and an unseasonably cold breeze blew over us. “For a month, I’ve been living on work and whisky. I’ve barely slept in weeks and now the closest thing I’ve had to a father since mine was killed was just murdered and dumped in an alley. So if you can’t understand why I want to be drunk right now, you can fuck off!”
I took a step forward, but Scotch and magic didn’t mix and a wave of dizziness made me stumble. Sean grabbed my arm as I started to fall.
I tried to pull away, but he held on. “Let go,” I said.
The front door flew open behind me and Lake stepped out, gun raised. “Step. Back.”
15
We froze.
“Alice told you to fuck off,” Lake said. “So fuck off.”
I stood up slowly, easing my arm out of Sean’s grip as he stared at the federal agent who was aiming a gun at his head. “Lake.” Everything was a little out of focus, and I shook my head to clear it. “I’m okay. Put the gun down.”
“When he backs off.” Lake’s eyes were fixed on Sean’s face.
“No, put it down now.” I reached out slowly to push his arm down. “He’s not a threat. I lost my temper and tripped. We’re fine.”
Reluctantly, Lake lowered the gun to his side.
“Alice, are you all right?” Sean asked.
I hung onto the door frame with one hand. “I’m fine. I just need to go sit down.”
“You should leave,” Lake told Sean. “She’s been through enough tonight.”
My expression went flat. “This is my house, Agent Lake. I decide who stays and who goes. You can both leave.”
“You shouldn’t be alone,” Lake told me, holstering his gun.
“I need some time to myself to deal with this.” I stepped past him into the house.
Lake touched my arm. Sean’s expression hardened. Lake either didn’t notice his reaction or didn’t care. “What are your plans for tonight?” the federal agent asked.
“I plan to continue to toast Mark’s memory and maybe sleep later, if I can.”
Lake’s eyes narrowed.
“More whisky won’t help,” Sean told me, his eyes still on Lake.
“Maybe, maybe not.” I reached for the door. “But it’s all I’ve got right now.”
“Call me if you need me,” Sean said.
I shut the door.
A half-hour later, I emerged from the house and locked it behind me. A light rain had begun to fall. I raised the hood of my sweatshirt and hurried toward my car, keys in hand.
“Where are you going?”
The sudden voice made me jump and whirl around to see a man in a long coat crossing my yard. A familiar black pickup was parked across the street.
“What the hell is your problem, Lake?” I glared at him. “Why are you camped out in front of my house?”
“Because I knew you had no intention of staying home.” He walked up and towered over me. He’d taken off his tie and loosened his collar. “Where are you going?” he asked again.
“None of your business.” I started to walk around him.
He held out his hand. “Stop. Whatever you’re about to go do, stop and think about it.”
I had been thinking about it, since the moment I saw Mark lying dead in the alley. “I’m running out for some milk.”
“At three thirty in the morning,
wearing all black?”
I shrugged. “I wanted cereal, and this is all I had to wear that was clean.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Alice.” He got in my face. “Thirty minutes ago, you were so drunk you could barely walk. How are you sober?”
That was definitely not the kind of information I’d willingly share with a federal agent. “I drank a lot of coffee,” I lied. “Now get out of my way.”
“Not until you tell me where you’re going and what ill-advised thing you intend to do when you get there.”
“You can’t keep me from going, Lake.” I turned to walk away.
Metal clanked behind me. By the time I recognized the sound and tried to jump out of reach, it was too late. A handcuff closed on my wrist and a second one clicked.
My mouth fell open. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Lake raised his left arm, lifting my right one as it dangled by the cuff around my wrist. “And don’t even think about knocking me out with a sleeping spell and running, because I will find you and arrest you for assaulting a federal agent.”
“You son of a—”
“Now,” Lake said calmly. “How about we go inside and you tell me where you were going?”
I turned on my heel and headed back toward my front door, Lake at my side. The handcuff tugged at my wrist. “This is false imprisonment,” I fumed as we went up the steps.
“Not at all.” Lake wasn’t smiling. “Supernatural and Preternatural Entity Registration Act, Article II, Section Four. An agent may hold a suspect or witness in custody for up to seventy-two hours without charge if that person is believed to be a threat to others.”
“Do you think I’m a threat?”
His expression was grim. “I have no doubt you are.”
I unlocked the front door and dropped my wards. He opened the door and we entered my house. He closed the door and locked it.
“Why don’t you have any furniture?” he asked as we went to the kitchen.
“That’s also none of your business.” I led him to a cupboard, where I got out a glass and filled it with water from the sink.
