‘Silas,’ Lisa said.
‘Was one of them. I think they got three valentines, a couple of carpathians, and a han. Some of them didn’t survive for long; Silas was one of the ones who did. I don’t think he cooperated immediately, but by eighty-eight, there were memos sent by him suggesting that valentines would make excellent infiltration agents. They’d tried creating a drug by then, Eros, so they listened. Project Black Carp was set up to find suitable candidates, train them in what to expect, convert them, and then train them in using their powers. Silas was the creator in all cases.’
‘And Evan was one of the candidates?’ Dione asked.
Mary nodded. ‘November nineteen eighty-eight. He was sent to Russia in ninety-nine. I found memos from Silas suggesting that the man was unstable, and internal memos suggesting that all vampires are unstable so Silas should be ignored. Evan was supposed to be just gathering information, seducing some secretary or something. Instead, he killed his target and went off the grid. In February and March of the following year, Evan killed three women in Moscow, and the pattern was set from there.’
‘So Silas is here looking for Evan?’ Lisa asked.
‘And they must be worried to be sending him out like this,’ Dione added. ‘They’ve kept him locked up for thirty years and now they’re sending him out to gather information.’
‘They’re worried that we’ll catch Evan,’ Mary said. ‘I found a few emails saying as much, and they have some fairly detailed files on SCU. Their history of you, Di, is far from complete and they don’t know half of what you can do.’
‘Do they have files on me?’ Lisa asked. ‘Leeanne?’
‘Cursory stuff. You’re noted as a friend of Leeanne, who is the girlfriend of Mike. That’s about it. I suspect that will be updated soon, however. Maybe it has been. Stabledoor doesn’t operate out of Langley. They have a facility in New Mexico somewhere, but the electronic data gets copied and archived in Langley. I was just looking at the copies.’
Dione nodded. ‘The ghouls we encountered? They seemed to have been modified by someone.’
‘Project Cerberus. That’s still operating. They aren’t happy with the results yet. I found the projects which created Eros and Apollo. Both closed down. The latter was linked to a follow-up project, but I could find very little on that. Just a name, Project Flashfire.’
‘All right. You get some sleep. I have four executions to perform in a short while. I’ll be back after that’s done. Lisa, you get a couple more hours too.’
‘What about Silas?’ Lisa asked. ‘I mean, he’s living in Pat’s apartment. She’s–’
‘Quite safe while they don’t know we know what he’s doing. And Pat can take care of herself. We’ll deal with Silas when the time is right. Now, bed, both of you.’
Lisa managed a grin; you could tell it took some effort, but it got into her eyes. ‘Well, okay. I’m happy to cuddle up if Mary is.’
‘I don’t think she meant–’ Mary began, and then she stopped and gave a shrug. ‘I’ve spent most of the week not seeing anyone else. I could probably use the company.’
~~~
‘We have confirmation of Evan at all three murder sites,’ Mary said, her eyes scanning over reports on one of her screens. ‘One enterprising officer also managed to find a nearby hair salon where Evan had his hair trimmed before the last murder.’
‘Interesting, but not entirely useful,’ Dione commented.
‘This might be more useful. A shopkeeper in Bridgehampton recognised Evan’s picture. He thinks Evan stopped off for some groceries late last week, maybe late on Thursday, which would tie in with the last death.’
‘Bridgehampton… Who’s on the candidate list for that area?’
Mary shifted her attention to another screen and pulled a keyboard forward, typing rapidly. ‘I’ve got four in East Hampton.’
‘Send the list to my phone. Mike and I will go take a look.’
East Hampton, Suffolk County, NY.
‘Two down, two to go,’ Mike said. ‘And might I just say that if I ever live to be a hundred and seventy, I’d like a house with two swimming pools and its own observatory.’
‘Do you want a blonde who takes a double-D bra too?’ Dione asked as she settled into her car.
‘I would be perfectly happy with my B-cup redhead, thank you.’
‘Well, I would be too. If I were you, obviously.’
Mike smirked. ‘Obviously.’
Dione started the engine, an act which seemed to barely raise the sound level in the car, and then pulled away down the drive from the large house they had just visited. ‘Actually, if you get eaten by a crazed transylvanian, can I have her?’
‘I guess so. So long as you tried to stop the vampire.’
‘I’d say something like “that will only happen over my dead body,” but that’s not really saying much in my case.’
‘Huh. Who’s next?’
Dione absently checked her phone while steering left at the end of the drive. ‘Harry. Harrison Paris. He’s a carpathian. In investment banking. His second wife and supplicant is Barbara, also known as Candy.’
‘Candy? I’d have guessed Barb, or maybe Barbie.’
‘She used to be a stripper. Yes, even vampires can be stereotypes.’ Dione frowned. ‘Actually, we’re kind of more prone to it than humans.’
‘Is that why you wear so much black?’
‘I like black. Especially in workwear. Tends not to show the stains.’
Mike grinned. ‘Who knew? All that dark, brooding, Gothic clothing and it’s really just common sense.’
‘Well, you have to have learned something about laundry after the first couple of centuries.’
~~~
Barbara Paris was not what Mike had expected. She did dress in fairly bright colours and she had a dancer’s physique. She was also an attractive blonde, but then that was one of the characteristics they were looking for. However, her hair was piled up in a messy bun to keep it out of her face and she was not especially buxom, and Dione and Mike interrupted her studies: Barbara was busy working on a second degree, this one in psychology. Stripping had got her through her first degree in philosophy.
She was also alone in the sprawling house she shared with her husband. ‘Harry’s in the city,’ Barbara explained. ‘Business meeting. I don’t know the details. I tend to let him get on with that kind of thing because, frankly, it’s boring.’
Mike produced a sheet of paper from his jacket and handed it over. ‘You haven’t seen this man around here, have you?’
Barbara looked at the various impressions and pictures and frowned. ‘Yeah… Yeah, I’ve seen him. He came here a couple of months ago. Asked if we were interested in selling the house. Said he was looking for something in the neighbourhood. I told him no, of course. Harry and I are quite happy here.’
‘You’re sure this was the man?’
‘I’ve got a good memory for faces and he has an attractive one. Didn’t like him though. Pushy. He was pushy. Didn’t really want to take no for an answer.’
‘Thank you, Mrs Paris.’
‘We’re going to come back later,’ Dione said when they were back outside. ‘I want visual confirmation that Harry is still with us.’
‘You think that could be a cover story?’ Mike asked.
‘It’s possible. A vague business meeting. Recognition of Evan. He could have brainwashed her into loyalty and be hiding somewhere in the house.’
‘Possible… but not that likely?’
‘Yeah. We’ll keep looking, but I have this nagging feeling we’ve missed something.’
New York, NY.
‘So, Mister Paris was undead and kicking?’ Leeanne asked. She handed a coffee mug over to her tired boyfriend and then settled down on the sofa beside him. There was some sort of TV show on, and neither of them were watching it or had a clue what it was about.
‘Uh-huh,’ Mike replied. He took a pull on his coffee, sighed, and settled his head back. ‘And
you should’ve seen the look on his face when he got out of his car and turned around to see Dione standing behind him.’
Leeanne giggled. ‘Bit of a shock?’
‘If he’d been alive, it might have killed him. But… That means we tried all the likely places for Evan to be hiding and we crapped out.’
‘Maybe he figures his pattern is getting too well known. Maybe he’s trying something new this time.’
‘Yeah… Of course, that leaves us with no leads aside from “he might be in East Hampton, somewhere.” And he obviously went looking for the same sort of place since he was probably casing the Paris residence when he turned up there. He must check out possible victims well before February.’
‘He’s brainwashing these supplicants somehow. He’s a vampire, but that’s still going to take time.’
‘Good point.’ Mike frowned. ‘Serial killers tend to stick to a pattern. We must be missing something…’
‘You said Winthrop thought Evan was adaptable, right? He was tied to the type of victim. He preferred to break their spine, but he would adapt if it failed. He’s not fixed on the environment so long as he can have sex with them before they die. He could have altered his hiding place somehow. Enough to throw you all off.’
‘Hmm… I’ll sleep on it. I’m the one supposed to come up with novel ideas in this team.’
Leeanne raised an eyebrow. ‘Sleep? I just did thirty-seven hours straight and then slept for ten hours, and I’m not on call tonight. Honey, you’re providing stress relief.’
Mike sagged a little. ‘I have work in the morning…’
Slipping off the sofa, Leeanne said, ‘I am going to put on that teddy you bought me for Christmas.’
Mike sagged further. ‘You used to be such a quiet girl. When did you become an evil genius?’
‘Blame your partner. And Pat.’
18th March.
‘Oh, so it’s my fault you have bags under your eyes?’ Dione asked, affecting an affronted expression.
‘According to Leeanne. You and Pat are a bad influence.’ Mike drained his coffee mug and reached for the jug.
‘I think I’m hurt. I mean, Pat certainly, but me?’
Mike looked at Dione for a second or so, standing there with an innocent look on her face and fingers pressed to her chest, which she could do easily since her blouse was unbuttoned far enough to almost show her bra. ‘Butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth,’ Mike deadpanned. ‘Anyway, I may not have got much sleep, but the sex must’ve been inspirational. I had a thought.’
‘Do tell.’
‘What if he changed things a little? We never considered same-sex couples.’
‘No, because…’ Dione paused and frowned. ‘The outcome would be the same. He’d have a brainwashed supplicant and a dead vampire. It would just be a dead female vampire.’
‘Yeah. Has to be two women. I doubt he’d go for two men unless he’s really changed.’
‘Let’s go ask Mary if there’s anyone suitable. Just out of interest, how did having sex with Leeanne make you think of same-sex couples?’
Mike considered possible answers for a second. ‘I’m just going to plead the fifth…’
~~~
Mary peered at her displays, fingers tapping lightly on her desk. ‘Okay, we have three matching those criteria in the general area. I’d say the most likely would be Abigail Tailor.’
Dione frowned. ‘The artist?’
‘Ex. She stopped painting when she was converted. Now she runs a gallery in the Village. She married Kelly Marie Jarvis, another artist, last autumn. They’d been cohabiting for two years before that. Abigail isn’t the richest vampire around, but she’s got money and a blonde supplicant. Not sure how isolated the house is. She lives in Springs.’
Mike looked at the map which had appeared on one monitor, a marker showing the address. Springs was up on the northern side of the peninsula that was East Hampton. ‘It’s a possibility,’ he said.
‘We’ll go take a look,’ Dione said, nodding. ‘If this pans out, you can have sex with Leeanne more often.’
‘She’s right: you really are a bad influence.’
‘Just worked that out?’ Mary said. ‘I’ve been saying that for a century. Winthrop needs to see you both about a referral case he caught.’
‘Then we’ll drop in on him on the way out,’ Dione said before stepping out of the computer room. Winthrop’s lab was on the way out, but he was actually in the autopsy lab across from it, so that made things even easier. ‘You have a body?’ Dione asked as she walked in.
‘Why yes, for quite a while,’ Winthrop replied, smiling. ‘However, I shall assume you are referring to the decapitated one on the slab.’ Now he mentioned it, although there was a sheet over the corpse, it did seem to be lacking something.
‘No head?’ Mike asked.
‘No head, no hands. I’ve taken DNA to see whether he comes up in any of the usual databases, but I doubt it. Our man was a vampire. Transylvanian.’
Dione sagged a little. ‘Randall Cartwright’s goon squad?’
‘While that could be a possibility, I am unsure. Prior to his untimely end, this man was relieved of almost all his blood. That was why the case was referred to me. The process was exceptionally thorough.’
‘Do we have anything to go on? Any physical evidence to work with?’
Winthrop shook his head. ‘No crime scene. The body was found in the East River. No identification as of yet. Unless we get DNA identification or a missing person report, there is nowhere to start.’
Dione looked at Mike, who shrugged. ‘I know I’m the ideas guy, but I need something to work with. I don’t think even Leeanne can fix that.’
‘Such a disappointment,’ Dione replied. ‘We’ll wait to see whether we get anything else. It’s possible this is the CIA trying to confuse things again, and we have a possible lead on Evan. We’ll work with what we have.’
Springs, NY.
The door of the house, a two-storey affair with clapperboard walls and a tiled roof set amid a fairly large sprawling sort of garden, opened to reveal a woman who could have gained meaningful employment on a fashion runway. Kelly Jarvis was tall, slim, and had the sculpted features of a model. Her hair was a short bob of platinum blonde, and she was dressed in a paint-spattered T-shirt and denim shorts.
‘Can I help you?’ she asked. Dione held up her ID and Jarvis spoke again before Dione could say anything. ‘Oh. You’re the Hunter.’ Her eyes flicked to Mike and then back again. ‘What do you want? Is this because Abby’s a transylvanian? Seriously, why can’t you people leave us alone? First it was those jerks from the Concilium and now–’
‘It’s nothing to do with your wife’s lineage, Mrs Jarvis,’ Dione interrupted. ‘We’re just conducting some routine enquiries. Is Abigail in?’
‘She’s on a buying trip. Chicago.’
‘I see.’ Dione glanced around at Mike.
Mike produced the picture sheet again and held it out. ‘Have you seen this man around the area, Mrs Jarvis?’
Jarvis took the sheet and looked at it. Her expression shifted, settling on a narrowing of her eyes. ‘Maybe. I might have seen him in town. In a shop? Maybe in a shop.’ She handed the sheet back. ‘Who is he?’
‘Just someone we’re trying to locate,’ Dione said. ‘Thank you for your time. Oh, when are you expecting Abigail back?’
‘I’m not sure. She’s extended the trip once already.’
‘We’ll look in again in a couple of weeks then.’ Dione turned and started back to the road. The house was not exactly secluded, but the road it was on had few houses and it was surrounded by trees on three sides.
Mike waited until they were in the car before speaking. ‘What did you think?’
‘She was not being entirely truthful about seeing Evan,’ Dione replied. ‘She seemed nervous, but that could have been worrying over us coming to grill Abigail over Societas ties.’
‘It was vague. Uh, vaguer than usual, but I think
there was another vampire nearby.’
‘All right. Let’s see if we can find somewhere to watch the house from. If he’s in there, he has to at least walk in front of a window at some point.’
~~~
‘Is she still painting?’ Dione asked.
Mike took a cardboard cup of coffee from her and nodded. ‘Still in that conservatory. Still working on that canvas. Her T-shirt has some extra splashes of paint on it. Aside from that, nothing’s changed.’ Dione sucked coffee down and then grimaced. ‘That bad?’
‘Actually, it’s about what I expected. Winthrop’s machine tends to spoil you for the stuff they sell in shops.’
The coffee tasted as though someone had used a garden barbecue to roast the beans and gone overboard with the lighter fluid. ‘I am not going to argue, but I think this is just bad coffee.’ He lifted binoculars to his eyes and checked the house again. They had set up on the side of the house without trees screening it, which happened to be where the conservatory was. Since Jarvis had been working on her painting through lunch and into the afternoon, it had turned out to be a good vantage point, even if they were watching across two fields.
‘We’ll give it another hour,’ Dione said. ‘Maybe come back after dark if we see nothing before.’
‘Okay. At least that’ll keep me out of Leeanne’s nefarious clutches for a night.’
Dione chuckled. ‘She is not that bad.’
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