Fire Within

chapter Ten

By morning the rain had become intermittent, providing a low canopy of clouds. Despite the threatening skies, Ari completed her morning run and took a quick swing through Goshen Park. Everything there appeared to be in order. She sprinted the rest of the way home and jumped in the shower. The first of two office appointments rescheduled from yesterday were due in less than an hour. Before then, she intended to check in with Ryan as promised.

On her way out the door, Eddie West called her cell.

“You sound cheerful,” Ari said. She closed the door behind her and hurried toward the Magic Hall.

“You bet! Any day out of jail is a good one.” His voice had a grin in it. “But I heard about the latest shooting. Was Andreas hurt?”

“He’s fine. No one was hurt.”

“Is this connected to the other shootings?”

“Who’s asking? Eddie the concerned friend or Eddie the crime reporter?”

“We’re inseparable. But most of the facts were in the police report. I’ve already read it. I’ll only print what’s public info,” he coaxed. “Isn’t my time of incarceration worth something?”

“Actually, it’s a good reason not to discuss the case with you. But off the record, we haven’t ruled out anything. The shots at Andreas were from a drive-by. The earlier incidents were up close and personal.”

“But the victims are all vampires. And the perp was someone with a gun. A human’s choice of weapon. Got a vamp stalker, don’t we?” His voice held suppressed excitement.

“Whoa! That sounds like a headline-in-the-making to me. Exactly the kind of speculation we don’t want tossed about. There’s no proof for that theory, Eddie. The cause of death in both murders is undetermined.”

“Wait a minute. Undetermined? The two victims weren’t shot? When was that decided?”

“No comment. And that’s official. So drop it. You’ve got all you’re getting. And don’t you dare print any unsubstantiated speculation.”

“OK, guess I owe you one.” Eddie sighed. “Can we at least talk about what happened at the club? That was a gun, right? The police report said Andreas specified a handgun.”

“Yes, it was a drive-by.”

“So are you thinking this is different than the murders? A copycat, basing his actions on the earlier press accounts? Or was this personal? Andreas must have enemies.”

“Good questions, but I don’t have the answers yet. Give it a rest, Eddie. Take off your reporter hat, and tell me how you’re doing. And how Lorraine’s doing.”

“Oh, well, it’s amazing how sweet life can look after being locked up for days.” He laughed, the sound a little forced. “And my sister? She’s getting by. I still don’t understand how my gentle sister could fall in love with a vampire, but I’m trying to be supportive. Mother’s no help, not now that Lorraine knows how much she hated Jules. But don’t try to change the subject. How’s this trouble at Shale’s agency fit it with the murders? Or does it?”

“What trouble do you mean?” she asked cautiously.

“You haven’t heard? Saw it coming to work. Somebody spray painted their building in big red letters, HOUSE OF MONSTERS.”

When she arrived at Shale & Associates, Ryan and Shale were locked in a heated conversation and most of the paint had been removed. Ari saw the upper tips of the H and M. The two-man crew stood by their ladders and cleaning supplies, waiting for the outcome of the men’s dispute. Ari joined the discussion in time to hear Shale say it was nothing more than racial graffiti. He’d called his insurance carrier, and they’d told him to take pictures and clean it up. He hadn’t thought to tell the police. Ryan was steamed. He’d heard about the vandalism when TV Channel 12 called for a statement. He stalked off in disgust, and Ari returned to work. There was nothing left to see, but Channel 12 could expect a warrant for their film.

The incident warranted only a 30-second spot on the evening news, but the next morning The Clarion broke the expanded story on page one. Local Agency Dubbed HOUSE OF MONSTERS. It wasn’t the main headline, but the drama was bound to capture community attention. Ari worried about public reaction. The article stopped short of stating Riverdale had a serial killer or rogue vampire hunter, but it laid out, and by inference connected, the four incidents: the murders, the drive-by, and the vandalism. Ari wanted to strangle Eddie. As promised, he hadn’t printed anything that wasn’t public information, but she doubted Ryan would find any comfort in that. She found very little herself.

After reading the article, she checked her overnight phone messages and found a long message from Ryan about irresponsible reporters and keeping them in jail where they belonged. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ari suppressed a chuckle. Ryan’s second message, left ten minutes after the first, said, “Never mind. I’ve had my coffee now,” and she laughed out loud.

By 10:15 that night, however, none of them were laughing. The three local TV channels led the news with the vampire story, including interviews with many of the witnesses. Cameras spotlighted the parking lot at the Woodland Inn, the shelter in Goshen Park, even the exterior of Club Dintero. Channel 12 ended their piece with a display of the spray-painted agency in full living color. The clear message in every report was Riverdale had a serial killer eliminating vampires.

Late into the night and early the next morning, Ari’s phone rang several times. Ryan was called to the station, and the public was in full outcry. She had called Eddie right away, and when she quit berating him for an instant, he denied sharing information with anyone.

“Look at my article,” he said. “Do you see the names in there? Do you think I want them hounding my sister?” He’d been indignant that Ari’d thought he would even consider leaking the details. “My story was scooped.”

When Ryan reached the news desk at Channel 12, the station that filmed most of the witnesses, he was told they’d received an anonymous email detailing the crime scenes and listing names or possible locations of witnesses. Realizing this information could only have come from a few sources, including the killer, the PD tech department jumped on the task of backtracking the email through cyberspace. Ari and Ryan weren’t optimistic they’d find the killer this way. He’d been too careful in everything else.

“If this was our suspect,” Ryan asked, in a late afternoon phone call with Ari, “why the sudden craving for publicity? Why now? What’s he want?”

“Could be a psycho who’s escalating,” she said. “Wants the world to know how smart he is. I wasn’t convinced the vandalism was connected, until it was included in the email. Maybe your PD shrink or the state profilers can use the email for a profile, give us a hand with a possible motive? Even figure out the link to Shale’s agency.”

“But the agency isn’t connected to Andreas.”

Ari frowned. “So maybe he was targeted for a different reason, or someone saw him there the night of our interview. We can’t ignore the fact that two of the victims were clients at the center. Our killer has been there. Maybe using the agency as his stalking grounds, selecting potential victims.” She paused, as a thought occurred to her. “Maybe he’s there now, using the agency for camouflage. Hiding under our noses.”

Despite Ari’s fears the killer was escalating, the rest of the week was uneventful. The public gradually calmed with nothing new to stir the press’s imagination.

Unfortunately, the investigation didn’t make any big leaps either. Gillian’s report on the second crime scene came in. Similar patterns to the first scene: numerous readings, both human and Otherworld. Since she’d detected the demon trace again, stronger this time, Ari asked her to take the testing to the next level, identification of subtypes. Ari was grabbing at straws, searching less likely avenues now, but even negative information was better than none. She re-interviewed witnesses, family members, and friends, seeking new links between the victims, something they missed the first time. She didn’t find them.

The email was tracked to a computer at the public library. Since the computer was available for general use, stayed busy most of the day, and users weren’t recorded, it was another dead end.

Acting upon the theory the killer held a particular hatred for, or a grudge against, vampires, Ryan’s officers researched anti-vamp organizations and located five groups that had registered members in Riverdale. The only acts of violence by four of the groups were spontaneous confrontations: heated tempers erupting into bar fights and public harassment of individuals. Not cold-blooded executions. Despite this history, Ryan and Ari interviewed local chapter leaders. Due to the obvious animosity his presence would stir, Andreas watched the interviews by hidden camera. None of the four exhibited the necessary level of fanaticism to commit multiple murders. The investigative team crossed them off the suspect list.

The fifth group was a possibility. The international organization of Human Supremacy had a bloody history and a well-earned reputation for outspoken bigotry. Ari took an instant dislike to the local leader. Bob Blair, a short, flabby guy with a bird-size brain, was an ex-con. Two counts of aggravated assault, a half-page of misdemeanors. He wore an armband with the group’s chosen symbol, a swastika with a wooden stake through the middle. So imaginative. Like the Pure Blood vampire gang, these guys didn’t bother with subtle. It occurred to Ari that putting the two groups together in one room might solve a lot of problems.

“You better bet I hate vamps,” Blair told them. “They’re killers. Vicious from the second they’re transformed. Only way to keep humans safe is to kill every bloodsucker—the sooner, the better. We’ve a duty to protect ourselves. ’Course, we keep it legal,” he added, with a surprisingly high-pitched chuckle. “Self-defense.” He showed Ryan his leather belt with five carved X’s. “Them’s my vamp kills.”

Ari thinned her lips in disgust. His blatant bragging rang false. The vampires wouldn’t sit around and allow known vamp killers to go unpunished. The fact he was still alive was evidence of his inflated claims. She wondered what Andreas was thinking in the other room. Whatever else happened, the local vampires would be keeping tabs on Blair’s little group from now on.

When Ryan asked Blair about the specific murders of Jules and Patricia, the suspect grew evasive, raising their suspicions. He shrugged. “Okay, I admit we can’t take credit for those two. Some new player in town. I can only admire his work.”

When they were convinced Blair had no information on the ‘new player,’ he was dismissed. He could be lying, of course, but it seemed unlikely. Blair wasn’t nearly clever enough to be the guy they were looking for.

Andreas and his staff didn’t have any better luck in finding leads on the murders or the drive-by within the vampire community. No one had a strong enough grudge against him or the club, and they didn’t find any indication of recent interference from Toronto. If Sebastian had new spies in town, they were well undercover.

Ari even contacted Rita, her vamp informant. The only theories Rita had heard were directed at the humans and fears of a vampire hunter.

“What about this group that calls itself the Pure Bloods? Could they be behind this?” Ari asked.

“Oh, those guys. They brag a lot. Beat up somebody when they can, but that’s about it. Haven’t seen them for days. I heard Andreas ordered them to leave town.” Rita paused. “Trouble ain’t coming from us. Something real snerky is going on.”

Ari’s unease went up another notch. Her witch senses had been sending a similar warning, constant, annoying pinpricks along the spine. Weird, creepy, snerky. Whatever term you chose, something was off. Her frustration grew as she realized her suspect list had dwindled to nothing.

Then Gillian called with the sub-typing report. It complicated and confused everything, sending Ari in a new direction.

“Full demon energy?” Ari exclaimed, her pulse surging from excitement or fear, maybe both. “Are you positive? How high was the level?”

“High, but we’re not certain yet. It’s still within the very top range that a high-level halfling might generate. The sample could have been contaminated, considering all the activity that night. We talked it over here at the lab. If a full blood was in town, wouldn’t it have been obvious before now? They like things bloody, scattering terror and bodies around. Besides, how often does anyone see a full blooded demon?”

“Not often.” Ari remembered her only contact in St. Louis, almost eight years ago. The local witch had detected the demon presence immediately. “What about Riverdale history?”

“Last sighting was 1853. Burned buildings, murdered dozens of people on the streets. Not the delicate type. We think you’re dealing with a high level halfling.”

“Then find me the names of every halfling in town.”

“Done. The list is on its way to your phone. One more thing. The wounds we couldn’t explain? Maybe our halfling has demon fire. The explosions sound similar to gunfire and leave irregular, round wounds.”

“Duh!” Ari tapped herself on the forehead. “I, of all people, should have thought of that.” Her witch fire could cause similar damage, except the victims would then burst into flames if she used crimson fire. Her stuns left round black singes but no penetration. If demon fire was used like a laser, carefully focused and directed, it might well leave wounds looking like bullet holes. Hard to detect with the added damage caused by the rapid decay of vampire corpses.

“And,” Gillian said, as if Ari hadn’t interrupted, “I went back and checked the ozone levels at both scenes. They were elevated. With no electrical storm either night.”

Magical fire. Hot damn. They had a lead.

“Does your list mark the halflings known to have demon fire?”

“It does.” The elfin tech sounded rightfully pleased with herself.

After alerting Ryan and Andreas, Ari spent the next twenty-four hours chasing down every halfling-demon in town. She started with the nine who had the known ability to breathe or throw demon fire. Each one had a decent alibi for at least one of the events. The halflings were living peacefully within the Olde Town community and had no prior history of violence or criminal activity. When interviewed, they were cooperative, although puzzled about her interest. Taking no chances, Ari asked Andreas to have some of Daron’s vampires keep an eye on all nine at night. Ryan assigned random cruiser surveillance during the day. In particular, Ari wanted to know if any of the nine went near Shale’s agency. She questioned Ms. Binderman and learned none of them were past or present clients.

The other three dozen halflings, the ones without magical fire, received less intense scrutiny. They were low on her list of suspects, and as she anticipated, nothing of concern turned up. In fact, all of these efforts, including the intensive surveillance of the nine, failed to reveal the killer or even a good suspect. Ari’s initial excitement dwindled. They were still missing something.

In spite of the frustration generated by the investigation, Andreas and Ari continued to get along without a major fight. On Thursday, his regularly scheduled night to sing at the club, she spent the evening watching the show with Lilith and Russell. As Andreas’s voice rolled over the rapt faces of the mostly-human audience with songs from his Italian homeland and American pop culture, Lilith couldn’t resist teasing Ari.

“I wonder how many women in this crowd are wishing they could climb into his bed tonight.”

Ari shrugged, refusing to rise to the bait. Andreas’s eyes had strayed in her direction often enough that she wasn’t worried.

Russell, on the other hand, growled and said, “I trust you’re not one of them, my dear wife.”

Andreas kept his magic at low level, enough to spice the atmosphere without risking audience enthrallment. Ari relaxed and enjoyed the same wickedly delicious evening as the other guests. She kept her own fantasies hidden.

On Sunday, Ari attended Cirque de la Symphonie with Andreas, their first public outing. Well, a group outing actually. Prince Daron and Carmella, one of his lieutenants and current lover, attended with them. Ari had suggested cancelling due to the recent public tension, but Prince Daron thought the appearance might serve to offset the bad publicity, remind the community that vampires were regular people. Right.

With promoting good publicity in mind, they dressed for the cameras in semi-evening attire. The vampires wore black. What else? Ari was in pale sea green.

Their appearance immediately drew the spot light. Despite the expected interest, Ari was uncomfortable with the lights and hubbub, until the stage show started. Then, she forgot the press. The performance absorbed her attention, except when Andreas’s knee brushed against her or his hand captured an escaping curl.

He kissed her goodnight at her apartment door. A kiss that made her heart beat faster, but he kept it brief and didn’t suggest coming in. She couldn’t decide whether she was relieved or sorry he was being such a gentleman.

“Thanks for the evening,” she said, leaning back against the door, hoping he would linger. “I enjoyed the show.”

“My pleasure.” He gave her a brief look, before turning away. “See you tomorrow.” At the bottom of the steps, he glanced back, a smile parting his lips, before he disappeared into the trees.

Disconcerted by his abrupt departure, Ari frowned. Why didn’t he stay? Did he have some hot vampiress waiting at the club?

The next morning, Ari stopped by the shop to tell Claris about her double date.

“Honey, I already know,” Claris said as she handed Ari a steaming mug of coffee. “At least, some parts. Brando and I saw you on the late night news. The vampire court and their dates. You guys have gone public in a big way.”

“Did I look all right?” Ari imagined a terrible shot of her with the gorgeous vampires. Well, Daron wasn’t gorgeous, but he was compelling.

“More than all right. You and Andreas in fancy dress. What’s not to like? How are things off camera?”

Considering how Claris went right to the personal stuff, Ari was glad she’d come during the lunch break. It was really the only time they could pop into Claris’s kitchen and talk privately without customers or Brando.

“OK. No…good, I think. Last night’s show was special. You should have seen the aerial acts. And Andreas, well, you’ve seen him. He’s even better up close. It’s weird, but he’s so easy to talk to. I know we’ve got no future, I’ve accepted that, but I’m enjoying it while it lasts. How do I explain this? He’s never boring.”

“Never boring!” Claris laughed. “He’d give up if he heard you say that. And no future? Does that mean you’re losing interest in him already?”

“Goddess, no. It’s not that. But I’m trying to be realistic. For one thing, how can I continue to date someone if I don’t trust him?”

“Is that because he’s a vampire? Or has he done something I don’t know?”

“I’d tell you if he’d done something,” Ari said simply. “He’s been great, but…well, you know. I’ve gone over it all before. The mind thing still bugs me.”

“I thought you accepted his word on that.”

“I know. I did. Doesn’t make sense, does it?” Ari sighed. “Maybe it’s the other stuff too. I have some valid reasons not to trust men, like my last boyfriend’s cheating. Maybe Andreas started out with two strikes against him.” She hesitated, reluctant to bring up what was really bothering her. “Andreas could be seeing someone else. Last night he was in such a hurry when he left my place, I wondered…if he was meeting someone.”

“Really? Jealous, huh?” Claris didn’t sugarcoat it. “Well, he isn’t Simon. Give him a break, unless he gives you a lot more reason than a short evening. He may have had business for all you know. He’s actually been quite attentive.” Claris smiled. “Might make someone think he’s in love with you.”

“Oh, please. Let’s not take romantic fantasies too far. Are vamps even capable of love?” Ari countered. “Even if they are, think how unlikely it is in this case. He’s had two hundred years of experience in manipulating women. How would you or I know what he’s thinking or feeling?”

“Then find out. If it’s not love, or the possibility of love, then what’s the point? What do you want from him?”

Ari frowned, taken aback by her friend’s blunt question. “I like being with him.”

“Is the sex good?”

“Hey, Clare, back up. How’d we suddenly jump to sex? I told you I wasn’t rushing into anything.” Ari gave her a fierce frown. “There’s been no sex.”

“You’re kidding.” Claris hid her surprise, but not before Ari saw it. “Actually, I thought you were kidding. Andreas isn’t pushing?”

“Well, no.” Ari thought about the brief kiss last night and bit her lip. “Do you think he’s not interested? Maybe I’m too young, too inexperienced for him.”

“Ari!” Her best friend laughed. “You’re being silly.” Claris shook her head. “No, I think your vampire is very clever, biding his time. But not interested? The sparks fly when you get in the same room. Remember the auction?”

As Ari remembered it, she was the one who’d had the intense reaction. He’d been paying attention to another woman. And she’d forgotten to ask him who Ms. Slinky was, an error she’d have to correct when she saw him. In the meantime, she was through discussing her uncertain love life.

“It’s no big deal anyway. So, what’s going on with you and Brando?” she asked, determinedly redirecting the conversation. She sat back and listened to the ups and downs of dating a wizard scientist. Brando was so absorbed in his work that he was never romantic for long. When your girlfriend was an ultra-romantic like Claris, that was a problem. Claris was uncertain if their relationship was going anywhere. A familiar theme, Ari thought. Was it possible she and Claris were worrying too much about the future? After all, Andreas had reminded her there were no guarantees.

Ari spent the afternoon at her office in the Otherworld Center. In between meeting with an elf looking for a customized bow-and-arrow maker and the childless wood nymphs seeking a reliable adoption agency, Harold Shale called looking for updates again. She didn’t have much to tell him. Frankly, she was already tired of the calls. Why didn’t he read the paper or watch TV like everyone else?

“The press seems to think we have a serial killer,” he suddenly said. “Is that official?”

Well, damn. Apparently he did follow the press. “I’ll tell you the same thing we’re telling the media, Mr. Shale. No comment. We’re working as fast as we can.” She tried to remain patient, but she hadn’t forgiven him for not calling them about the graffiti. Or more likely it was just because she didn’t like him. “We’re following several leads, keeping all possibilities in mind.”

“Surely you can tell me something. A description, a profile. I have to tell my clients how to protect themselves, who to avoid.”

“They need to be alert around everyone.”

“That’s not very specific. Clients, even staff members, are afraid. I’m thinking about hiring a security guard for the Center, but we need advice on safety measures.”

“Which we’ll give in more detail as soon as we know something. Until we do, suspect everyone.”

“What about the vampire leaders? What are they doing? I saw you on TV in the Prince’s party. He didn’t seem too worried.”

Ari bit back an angry retort. “All a front. We hoped to calm community fears by acting as normal as possible. We’re all taking this seriously.” Ari was tempted to hang up. She didn’t like his implications, and his reference to the TV coverage had renewed her discomfort with how public her private life had become. “I’ll call you when we learn more,” she said. Disconnecting, Ari shook off her irritation. She realized his clients were under a cloud of uncertainty. Maybe Shale had reason to be pushy, but she didn’t have to like it.

Patrol that evening was quiet. Goshen Park was empty of human intruders and the Otherworld nightlife district exuded its usual exotic, edgy but controlled energy. After completing her rounds, she stopped by the club. Andreas met her there, and they took the hidden passage to his home, where they spent much of the night in front of a wide screen TV in the first floor family room. It still amused her he did ordinary things, like watch television. He played with the remote too. Just like every other guy. His tastes ran to crime shows, sci-fi, history, and comedy. It was the horror channel, however, that often was their biggest source of laughter.

Ari woke about 6:00 a.m. on Andreas’s couch, covered with a light blanket. Light from the window told her dawn was breaking, and she assumed Andreas’s departure for his own quarters had woken her. The last thing she remembered was some disaster movie. She glanced at the TV, but the screen was dark. She stretched, headed for the kitchen seeking caffeine, but the familiar sound of her phone sent her running back to the family room to snatch it from the coffee table.

“This better be good,” she growled. “I haven’t had coffee or food yet.”

“Better than good,” Ryan responded. “We’ve got a headless alien.”

“A what? It’s too early for jokes.”

“Just repeating what the caller said. There’s a dead alien in Goshen Park with its head cut off. This one has to be down your alley, Ari.”

“Uh, probably. OK. Twenty minutes.”

“I’m already on the way. Meet you by the west fountain, and I’ll pick up coffee.”

“Bless you.”

She dashed up the stairs to the Chantilly Suite and jumped in the shower. While hot water cascaded over her body and the delicate smell of richly perfumed soap from the dispenser filled her nose, she tried to make sense of Ryan’s words. Goshen Park had been quiet enough last evening. What happened in the intervening hours? And what kind of a creature would be mistaken for an alien? Of course, maybe it was an alien. Given the strange things that already inhabited her world, why not aliens? But why headless?