Conviction

by Jennifer Blackstream

  I spotted her standing near one of the horses. I assumed from the wreath of roses around its neck that it was the winner of the last race, so of course Siobhan would be standing there.

  As if she could feel my stare, the kelpie turned. Her eyes met mine, widened briefly. She took a step toward me.

  “Time to move,” I muttered.

  “It’s a public place, we don’t need her permission to be here!” Peasblossom protested, glaring in Siobhan’s direction. “And we’re leaving anyway, who cares if she tries to kick us out?”

  “I’m not worried she’ll kick us out, I’m worried she’ll delay us. It’ll take almost an hour to get back to shore, and I still have to get Anton’s permission for Julia to raise Deacon.”

  Flint clenched his teeth, but kept quiet. Fortunately, Michaleen wasn’t far off, and within ten minutes, we were all aboard and sailing back to Cleveland. I stared back at Turning Tides as we sailed, finding Siobhan in the crowd. One of the guests had cornered her, roping her into conversation. I breathed a little easier.

  Flint came to stand beside me. This time, he didn’t leave room for Scath between us. The freezing night air stole the warmth from my face, every breeze that came over the water like a breath of ice.

  “Dr. Julia Ouellet is a very enterprising woman,” he said casually.

  “I don’t—”

  “I can make our long trip back to shore unpleasant for one of us if you force me to it, so do yourself a favor and listen.”

  I pressed my lips together, swallowing the rest of what I wanted to say.

  “What do you know about vampire society?” Flint asked.

  “I know it’s changed a lot over the centuries. Back home, the only vampires I knew of were the royal family in Dacia. And of course there were rumors about the island of Paradise. Apparently full of vampires being punished for whatever it is vampires consider a crime.”

  Flint stared at me. “How old are you?”

  “Older than you.”

  He raised his eyebrows at that, but didn’t comment. “Do you know anything about modern vampire society?”

  “Not much. I’ve never had reason to. Mother Hazel wasn’t one to spend a lot of time on politics. She taught me to respect vampires the same way she taught me to respect anyone else.”

  Flint snorted. “Failed lesson, that one.”

  “I know that they keep their numbers under tight control. Vampires are territorial, and when a vampire accrues enough power, they take control of an area. Nowadays, that usually means a city. Any vampires that come into a city under another vampire’s control either make their presence known and ask permission, or risk the vampire finding out on their own and taking steps to get rid of them. Those steps range from a notification to vacate, to just destroying them outright.”

  Peasblossom shivered and abandoned the lock of my hair she’d wrapped around herself in favor of snuggling underneath my coat.

  Flint kept up his lecture. “And do you know how they increase their power?”

  “By surviving long enough to grow stronger, and making more vampires.”

  “Right. The more vampires in a sire’s line, the more power they have. But that has to be balanced, because the more power a sire has, the more powerful their new vampires will be.”

  “Which increases the chances that one of their children will stage a coup,” I finished.

  “Which is exactly why making a new vampire is serious business.” Flint shook his head. “Winters will not approve of this. Even if you talk him into it, even if you’re willing to bargain. He won’t appreciate being put in this position, and he won’t forget it was you who put him there.”

  I stared out at the water, sifting through everything Flint had said. “Did you get the impression Julia’s people know Anton?”

  “If she’s in Cleveland, she knows Winters. She’s too smart to come to a city this big without knowing exactly what she’s getting into.”

  I listened to Hiccup sing “All for Me Grog” from where he was still halfway to passing out on the brim of Michaleen’s bowler. Manipulative or not, I believed Julia cared for Deacon. Even if tonight had been rehearsed, Deacon’s affection for his mistress had been true.

  But Flint was right. I’d been too open. Too willing to treat Julia as an ally because I so desperately needed her to be my ally. If I was going to make this work, if I was going to make it to the end of this with no regrets, I needed a plan. A better plan.

  I spent the entire voyage back to the mainland thinking about it, considering what I had for leverage, what I could expect to negotiate. I couldn’t continue stumbling forward, agreeing to whatever someone asked of me in exchange for their help saving Andy. I needed to be taken seriously. To remind people who I was. The problem was, this case had brought too many surprises. Big surprises. And I’d been trapped on the defensive. I needed to find a position of strength. I needed to remind everyone who they were dealing with. What it meant to go after someone I cared for.

  By the time Michaleen docked in the marina, I had a plan. I took a deep breath and held my head high, nodding to Michaleen and Hiccup as I took Flint’s hand, allowed him to help me off the boat. When my foot hit the deck, I put some weight behind it. I let my steps echo on the weather-beaten wood, the sharp, rhythmic thuds of my flat boots helping me center myself, helping me calm my heartbeat. I walked with confidence, projected confidence.

  “Mother Renard?”

  I looked up to find Dr. Ouellet standing at the bow of her boat. It was larger than Michaleen’s, but sleek, with long lines and a brilliant white paint job. The name on the side marked it as the Lemniscate. Lemniscate, the Greek word for “decorated with ribbons.” Also used by some mathematicians to symbolize infinity.

  Clever name for a boatload of educated female vampires.

  “Are you coming with me?” I asked. “To see Anton?”

  “No need,” Dr. Ouellet said calmly.

  I frowned. “What?”

  Julia gestured beyond me. I turned. And froze.

  A long black car sat parked at the edge of the marina parking lot, positioned so it was perpendicular to the long pier where Julia’s boat was moored closest to the lot. As I watched, the door to the backseat opened, and a man unfolded himself from the dark interior.

  Anton Winters.

  “It’s not a good sign he’s here waiting,” Peasblossom muttered from her spot inside my coat on my shoulder. “He knows.”

  Anton stepped aside, his pale blue eyes still boring into mine. It was becoming harder and harder to avoid those eyes for a safer spot, like his forehead, or his nose, so I tore my gaze from him to see who he was helping out of the car now.

  A woman accepted his hand, taking a moment to smooth a hand down her black skirt. The white blouse she wore underneath her short suit jacket had an Old World quality to it, a little more lace at the neck than one usually saw nowadays. Her grey eyes were so pale, she almost looked blind as she turned to study the boat that held Dr. Ouellet and company. I recognized her. It was Illyana, Anton Winter’s personal sorceress.

  “Julia wouldn’t have told him her purpose,” Flint said under his breath. “There was a reason she wanted you to be the one to ask him.”

  “It’s not rocket science,” I said, matching his volume. “Vera allowed us the use of Michaleen’s boat. He’s their employee. Of course he would have informed them that I was talking to Julia. How many visiting sires by that name can there be in Cleveland?”

  I walked down the pier, but instead of heading straight for Anton Winters, I went to Julia first. I stared hard at the spot directly between her blue eyes.

  “If I do this,” I said coldly, “you and Deacon will make yourselves available to me at any time I ask from now until sunrise. And you will answer any question I ask, truthfully, and completely.”

  Julia’s eyebrows rose. “Any question relevant to your investigation.”

  “Any question I deem relevant to my investigation,” I clarified. “No limi
tations.”

  The vampiress appraised me for a long moment. Weighing her options. I imagined it was more difficult for her to negotiate with Anton watching. It would be harder for her to sail away now, leave empty-handed.

  Finally, she nodded. “Very well. I agree to your terms.”

  I didn’t waste time reveling in my success. That had been the easy part.

  I trudged over the pier and through the strip of grass that separated the wood from the asphalt parking lot of the marina’s offices. The boat trip back to shore had drained most of the warmth from my body, and I hoped the stiffness of my movements would be blamed on that instead of nerves. Anton watched me approach, and his stare made my hackles rise.

  “I need to speak with you,” I started.

  Anton held up a hand. “Mother Renard, I am aware of what you intend to ask me. And I don’t think you fully appreciate the…measure of the woman you’re so eager to make a deal with.”

  “Dr. Ouellet says she can raise Deacon,” I said. “If she raises him as a vampire, there’s a good chance she can bring him back with his mind intact. Isn’t that part of the process? Restoration?”

  “I’m aware what she has offered to do. As I’m sure she made you aware, she would need my permission to do it.” He smoothed a hand down his jacket. “Mickey has told me about Agent Bradford’s situation. I understand why you’re trying to do this.”

  I could hear the ‘no,’ coming, like a child who’s asked for dessert despite the full dinner plate lying untouched in front of them.

  “This could be my only chance to prove beyond a doubt Andy is innocent,” I said quietly.

  “And as I said, I understand. I know why you think this will help him. But you must understand the ramifications of what she’s suggested.” His gaze cut back to the boats. “Dr. Ouellet is an ambitious woman. Every step she takes, particularly of this magnitude, is carefully considered and planned. She is not raising Deacon because she loves him. She would never do something like this on a mere emotional whim.”

  I didn’t believe that, but this wasn’t the time to argue the temerity of a woman’s feelings for her lover. “You think she killed Raichel to frame Andy, knowing I would get involved? And then killed Deacon to force me to deal with her to prove Andy innocent of both murders?”

  Anton’s blue eyes narrowed. “I would not put it past her. But at the very least, she was quick to find a way to turn Deacon’s death to her advantage. And of course, manipulating Agent Bradford’s memory would be child’s play for a vampiress of Dr. Ouellet’s power.”

  I hid my thoughts behind a witchy look that would have made Mother Hazel proud. Anton could be right. Dr. Ouellet could manipulate Andy’s memory, or even hypnotize him to kill Raichel. It was more likely that Andy had blacked out again, that his corruption had overcome him when faced with his personal nightmare—a kelpie abducting a teenager. But I couldn’t argue that possibility without telling Anton about Andy’s corruption. And I wasn’t willing to discuss that with the vampire.

  “I get nothing out of this arrangement,” Anton said bluntly. “Quite the contrary, you’re asking me to hand power over to a woman who has proven to be most—” He cut himself off, visibly casting about for the right word.

  I almost dropped the witchy look in sheer surprise to see the vampire floundering. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was biting back an insult, trying to find a more politically neutral way to express his feelings toward Dr. Ouellet.

  “I once mediated a fight back in my village between Mrs. Crenshaw and Mrs. Rockford,” I mused. “Apparently, Mrs. Rockford had made a hobby out of outbidding Mrs. Crenshaw in online auctions, swooping in at the last minute to snatch an item which Mrs. Crenshaw insisted her rival only wanted to keep her from having it.”

  Anton stared at me, waiting for me to make my point.

  I gestured at his face. “Mrs. Crenshaw used to get the same expression when she talked about Mrs. Rockford as you get when you mention Dr. Ouellet.”

  Anton looked pained, but finally he inclined his head. “It’s not a terrible analogy. Dr. Ouellet has made a rather bad habit of interfering in several of my business deals. She can be very…frustrating.”

  I frowned, glancing from him to Julia and back. “She’s not getting off the boat. You told her she couldn’t enter your territory, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. And that has not changed. She is not welcome here.”

  I started to open my mouth, ready to barrel forward, but I stopped myself. Flint was right. I was taking too many things for granted, speaking to him and to the vampires as if I had any sort of guarantee they wouldn’t kill me. I needed to remember who I was talking to.

  “Mr. Winters,” I said, trying for a mild, respectful tone. “Please. Deacon is my best chance to clear my FBI partner, who proved himself most invaluable in my first case for you, among others. Whoever framed Andy has worked very hard to make sure the physical evidence is stacked against him. I need Deacon’s testimony.”

  “I understand what is at stake for you, and for Agent Bradford. But you must understand what is at stake in the larger picture. Do not let Dr. Ouellet fool you. She is no more altruistic than I am.” He shook his head slowly, without taking his eyes off me. “The answer is no.”

  Chapter 19

  “Mother Renard?”

  Julia’s voice pierced the roar of my pulse in my ears. I was studying Anton in a way I’d never allowed myself before. Looking for weaknesses.

  Considering how I might force him to give me a different answer.

  And things were really, really dire if I was considering trying to force Anton Winters to do anything.

  I glanced over my shoulder, back at the vampiress. I guessed she’d read my body language, had deduced that the master vampire had refused his permission. Probably guessed I might be about to do something rash.

  “You may consider telling Mr. Winters about the consequences if Agent Bradford were to be found guilty and escapes,” Julia suggested, raising her voice to be heard from the boat but not shouting.

  Anton went completely still. “Consequences?”

  “How did she know about that?” Peasblossom demanded.

  “I would imagine Siobhan has been talking about it at Turning Tides,” I murmured. I didn’t add that the truly interesting part was that Anton hadn’t known. A breakdown in communication perhaps? A flaw in his spy network at the racetrack?

  Perhaps Julia’s doing?

  I promised myself I’d look into these vampire politics more when this was all over.

  “In order to get Andy out on bail, I had to agree to serve his sentence myself if he escaped. Whether he escaped before or after he was turned over to the kelpies.”

  Anton’s eyes glowed red. One searing moment of pure crimson that should have burnt a hole straight through my body. “You agreed to that? Your life, your freedom, hinges on the honor of a corrupted man?”

  Before I could react to his knowing about Andy’s condition, movement drew my attention to a van pulling into the space beside Anton’s limo.

  Peasblossom pointed at the words “Cuyahoga County Coroner” on the side panel. “Who called Kylie?”

  “I took the liberty of having Deacon’s body brought here,” Julia said casually. I looked back at her ship to find her leaning on the rail, the other members of her group lined up on either side of her. “In the interest of expedience,” she added.

  It wasn’t until that moment that I truly understood what Flint had been trying to tell me. For the first time since I’d met him, really met him, I saw a hint of Anton Winters’ temper. He looked down at me, crimson flakes glittering in his eyes, and I felt real fear. Real, immediate, visceral fear.

  And in that moment, three things occurred to me at once.

  One, in January Anton Winters had hired me to work a case despite the fact that a man in his position could have hired any number of more experienced, more powerful investigators.

  Two, Anton Winters had loaned—or
given—Flint five million dollars to buy one year of my life.

  Three, Dr. Ouellet believed that Anton Winters could be convinced to agree to a ritual that would give her—his competition—significant power just by pointing out that if he refused, there was the possibility that the kelpies would own more of my life than he—or his proxy—did.

  I’d known before that Anton had an interest in my life. That was clear from the five million dollar loan. But it wasn’t until now that I realized he wasn’t just interested—he was invested.

  Blood and bone, I thought, heart pounding. What have I done?

  Anton looked up at Dr. Ouellet, coiled tension in his posture. “We need to talk.” He gestured behind him. “My car.”

  I held my breath, half-expecting Julia to argue, to negotiate a more neutral space. But she just bowed her head in acquiescence. I stared at them both as Anton led them to his limo, gesturing for Dr. Ouellet to get in first. The vampiress was smart enough not to look smug, and she kept her face carefully composed in a decent poker face.

  Waiting for them to finish their meeting nearly killed me. I wanted to know what they were talking about. I knew they had to be negotiating, and, worse, I knew it had to involve me in some way. I should have been allowed to be present.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Flint murmured.

  I paused, realizing I’d actually taken a step toward the limo. I made myself stop, forced myself to wait. And if I made a small sound of relief an hour later when the door finally opened again, then who would judge me?

  Anton helped Dr. Julia out of the car as if she were his date, and not someone he’d forbidden to so much as step foot on his territory not more than an hour ago. I could tell by the look on Julia’s face that she was satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations, but Anton was harder to read. He approached the coroner’s van, and I spotted Kylie. The half-ghoul looked up at Anton Winters and he spoke to her too low for me to hear. Kylie nodded and moved to the back of the van.