Fire Within

chapter Eleven

Lt. Foster and his crime scene techs were clustered around an area to the right of the swan-shaped west fountain. Water stood in puddles around the edges. Since the Goshen Park fountains were turned off at night, it must have automatically switched on at 6:00 and been shut down again by the PD. She stepped over the areas of standing water. The police huddle opened as she approached, and Ryan handed her a Styrofoam cup before pointing toward a skeleton on the wet cement.

“Bones,” he said. “That’s all I found when I got here, but the anonymous caller reported a headless alien.”

“Anonymous?”

“Public phone at the park entrance.”

She squatted beside the bones. “Vampire.” She scrutinized the area. The skull had rolled about three feet away. “I suppose it could have looked like an alien during the decay process.” She glanced up at Ryan. “Remember when we found Marcus?”

Ryan grimaced. It had been a horrific sight. The young vampire had been starved until his body had shriveled and resembled an ancient mummy. Fortunately they’d found him before it was too late.

Not this time. Nobody could help the latest victim. She—the pelvic structure looked female to Ari—had been dead more than an hour. Her body had already returned to its natural state. The dry, brittleness of the skeleton placed her original birth at least several decades ago, maybe even in excess of a hundred years. The older ones decayed faster, more completely. The Magic Council lab and the local Medical Examiner might give a better estimate, but neither could tell them what she looked like two hours ago or who she was. Facial reconstruction would take days or even weeks, and they’d need help from the state or feds for that kind of expertise.

Ari lifted her head and took a quick glance around. No evidence of clothes. The body must have been naked. That was a new twist. If this was the same killer, he’d switched his behavior. She hoped forensics could tell them whether the severing of the head had been the cause of death or post-mortem. In either case, it also was a significant departure.

Ari got to her feet as the ME strode toward them. In his late fifties, Doc Onway was lean and energetic, with an acerbic tongue and a somewhat jaded view of human nature. Went with the death business.

“Ari. Lieutenant,” he grunted at them. “Why was I deprived of my morning jog? Some ridiculous story about aliens?” He spotted the bones. “Ah. One of yours, Ari. A vampire.”

“That’s my guess,” she said.

“Either that, or someone dug up a very old grave,” he said, already beginning to assess the situation. “Female, undetermined age. Did someone move the skull?”

“Not since I’ve been here,” Ryan said. “The witness who called it in referred to a headless alien. So the head must have been detached at that point. Ari thinks the witness saw the shrunken stage of vampire decomposition.”

“Yes, that would fit. Decapitated,” Doc muttered, as he carefully poked at the neck bones. “Look here, see the marks? On the C5 and C6 vertebrae. Could be the cause of death.”

“Could be? C’mon, Doc. Can’t you do better than that?”

“With what? No flesh, no blood. I can only tell you what I see, Lieutenant. If I don’t find conflicting evidence on the bones, I’ll list severing of the spinal cord as the probable cause of death. But it will only be my best guess. The head could have been removed after death.” Doc remained unruffled.

“Okay, we’ll call it the presumed cause of death. Tell me about the weapon.”

“Smooth blade. Not a saw. Poor thing. Even the undead can’t withstand such an assault.”

“Are we talking knife, axe, what?” Ryan prompted.

“Patience, Lieutenant. All in good time. Why don’t you busy yourself and search the area?”

“It would be helpful to know what I’m searching for,” Ryan groused.

Ari motioned to one of Ryan’s cops, asking if someone could scare up more coffee for the lieutenant. She thought Ryan could use a refill.

Doc looked up and gave Ari a brief wink. “Wouldn’t mind some of that coffee myself. Any idea who she is?”

“No, and I don’t see anything here to help me figure it out,” Ryan said. “Did she die here? Was she sexually assaulted?” Ryan wanted answers.

Doc gave him a sympathetic look this time. “The remains are too far gone. I’d guess she didn’t die here. No discarded clothes. No signs of scuffle that I can see. The Otherworld Lab might find something, although I don’t know what. Identification will be tough on this one. There are few dental records this old.” Doc shook his head. “Don’t hold your breath for help from me.”

“Any more good news, Doc?” Ryan asked, sarcasm matching his frustration.

“Not for now.” Unfazed, Doc went back to work.

“I’ll have Gillian process the scene,” Ari said. “Andreas can probably help with the identification. If she belongs to a vampire nest, they’ll know she’s missing.”

Ryan murmured his thanks as a cop handed him a new cup of coffee. At Ari’s direction, the second cup went to the doc.

Ryan discarded the lid and blew on the steaming liquid. “Same killer?” he asked her. He scuffed his shoe on the pathway. Not a happy man.

“What do you think? Either we’ve got a serial killer or an epidemic. I want to know if Gillian finds demon energy again. I’ll see if all the halflings were under surveillance last night. I don’t know what to make of the beheading, unless it was done to throw us off.”

“Stop!” Ryan said, throwing up a hand. “I can’t stand another theory. We’re already stumbling around in the dark.” He let out a breath and flashed her an apologetic look. “Don’t mind me. Let’s see if we can find a lead. I’ll process the scene, but I think Doc’s right. Looks like a dump site.” He turned to call to the evidence techs. “Grid search. All the way to and including the parking lot and the road.”

There wasn’t much for Ari to do at the scene, so after a brief look around the immediate vicinity, which yielded nothing new, she headed for her office. Andreas wouldn’t be up for hours, but at least she could make a couple of calls to start searches and notify the Council of the latest murder.

In the last year, she’d become quite comfortable working in her office. Its biggest assets were the privacy and the coffee pot. She didn’t make nearly as good a brew as Club Dintero, but Andreas had provided her with a bag of his special blend. She sat back now, feet on her desk, savoring her second cup of the day, and considered the latest development. Identifying the victim was the first hurdle.

She placed her first call. Ms. Binderman answered promptly and passed her through to Shale’s office.

“You have news, Ms. Calin?” He sounded eager.

“Not the kind of news you’re hoping for. There’s been another vampire killing.”

Brief silence. “Not another of my clients?”

“We don’t know. That’s why I’m calling. All we recovered are bones. Female vamp, true age probably 50 to 100. Death occurred in the last couple hours before dawn.”

“Only bones? Then how do you know it’s a vampire?”

Realizing few people were knowledgeable of vampire biology, Ari explained briefly about the witness’s description and how vampires decompose.

He didn’t speak right away. “I’m running through our client list in my head, looking for couples where the female is a vampire,” he finally said. “Where did this happen?”

“Don’t know for sure. The body was found in Goshen Park, but it may have been dumped there.”

“Not much to go on,” he mused. “Was this another shooting?”

“I’m not at liberty to release further information. The medicos haven’t completed their findings. We’re focused on the identification right now.”

“I see. Or rather, I don’t, but I respect the need for caution. Why don’t I make some calls? I hate to alarm anyone, but this way they’ll notify us immediately if they don’t hear from their female partners at dusk.”

Ari hoped it would be that easy. Her next call was to Lilith and Russell to let them know the vamp killer was still active. She asked them to spread the word and to ask Andreas to call her when he woke. Her last call went to the President of the Magic Council, so he could notify the council members. She spent the rest of the day checking on police progress and writing her official council notification. She delivered it to the clerk by late afternoon.

At 4:15 Ryan called with the ME’s autopsy report on the bones. “Female vic. No dental hits. ID still unknown. Cervical spine severed. Our lab thinks the weapon was some kind of large blade.” He hesitated. “Like a frickin’ sword was what they said. I suppose you’re going to tell me all we have to do is look for a knight.”

No knights that Ari knew of, but half of the Otherworlders in town might have swords, especially the dwarves. That didn’t include the human collectors, like Shale, or the numerous other civil war and medieval enthusiasts. Sword ownership wasn’t as rare as Ryan appeared to think.

He went right on without waiting for her reply. “We turned up nothing at the park, too clean. Couldn’t have been the primary crime scene. Have you learned anything?”

“Not so far. Shale’s checking with his clients. Nothing from Andreas yet either, but I assume he’s contacting the nest leaders.”

“Someone’s bound to miss her as the vamps begin to stir,” Ryan said, renewed hope in his voice. “Want to catch supper while we wait?”

“Can’t tonight. I’m headed to the club. Another time?” Ari puckered her brow, uncomfortable with turning him down. Ryan hadn’t said much yet, but she didn’t want this thing with Andreas to interfere with their friendship or their working partnership.

“No sweat. Call me if you hear something. I’ll probably be around another hour, then you can reach me at home.”

He sounded fine. Maybe she was projecting her own discomfort about dating a vampire. Damn, why was she so ambivalent? Did she have commitment issues? Wasn’t that supposed to be a guy thing?

By 8:00 that evening Ari knew identifying the Goshen Park victim was going to be harder than anyone had originally thought. No one had called in a missing lover. None of the nests were minus a female member.

Ari finished the latest phone update from Ryan and joined the others in Club Dintero’s new security room. Russell lounged in a chair behind the desk, Lilith sat on the corner, dangling her legs over the side. Andreas looked like an unhappy Italian Mafioso, leaning against the wall, his eyes dark and brooding.

“Where do we look next?” Russell asked, as Ari walked into the room shaking her head at Ryan’s lack of news.

“If the vamps don’t know who she is, I don’t know where to start,” she said. “Without a description, Lt. Foster can’t search police or online records. We’ve got nothing. She could have been a stranger passing through town.”

“Or a solitary hunter,” Andreas said, pushing away from the wall. “We have a few. Vampires who, for one reason or another, have chosen to live on their own. They shun their own kind.”

Lilith scowled. “Hunter? Like feeding on humans?”

“Not necessarily. Most use the blood banks or bottled blood, like the rest of us. Hunter is rather a misnomer in this case. Those who hunt humans are considered rogues. A solitary or lone hunter is a vampire who lives on their own because they have not accepted the transformation to vampire life. They often eke out an existence by working manual labor night jobs or the women stray into prostitution.”

“With human clients,” Ari finished. She crossed the room to sit on the couch, Andreas perched on the arm beside her. She looked up at him. “Could that be the human-vampire sex angle again? I know it’s a reach, but I’m running out of easy answers.”

“Not so far-fetched,” Andreas said. “It would provide a link among most of the attacks. I know individual handlers we could contact.”

“You mean pimps?”

“I believe the purveyors of sex who specialize in vampire employees prefer my terminology,” he said. “They will know if one of their women is missing, but they are not likely to report it unless we ask.”

“Then let’s go ask.” Ari got up and started for the door. “Are you coming?”

She’d had no idea there were so many pimps or “handlers” in Riverdale that used vamp girls and guys. They’d already visited seven without any success. Number eight was coming up. As they drove along the Olde Town streets, Ari satisfied her curiosity about the vamp sex trade by grilling Andreas.

“Not all prostitutes are loners,” he explained. “Some live in traditional nests and work the streets for the thrill or for extra cash.”

Ari’s cynical brain wondered if they were in it for the perk of legally biting humans. Non-lethal “love bites” during consensual sex was one of the few exceptions under the current laws. Probably a smart exception, considering the impossibility of enforcement.

Andreas pulled over and parked in front of a mid-priced brownstone. “This is our address.”

They popped the doors and got out.

“How do you know so much about sex for hire?” Ari asked, sliding a glance toward him as they climbed the front steps.

“Not from personal experience.” He grinned at her. “Never yet found it necessary.”

Ari just bet he hadn’t. His dark, mysterious aura and sexy voice must have had them lining up for the last two hundred years. How many nights would that be? How many women? Like Ms. Slinky. Ari kept forgetting to ask him who the vampiress was. She’d try to remember later.

Andreas pushed the buzzer next to the name of Spenser Jackson. “I make it my business to know what affects the vampire community,” he said, continuing their conversation.

“Yo,” came over the intercom.

“Spenser Jackson?” Andreas asked.

“You found me,” was the reply.

“We would like to speak with you on official business. In private.”

“About what? What kind of official? Who are you? Ah, never mind. Come on up. 310.” He buzzed them in.

“Trusting soul,” Ari muttered with a frown.

They took one look and sniff at the grungy elevator and took the stairs. Entering the third floor, Ari saw Spenser Jackson standing in the open doorway of apartment 310. Assessing gaze, rugged face with a day-old stubble, six-foot-four, muscular body. Jackson didn’t look trusting, more likely unaccustomed to fear. He cocked his head and looked them over.

“Who did you say you were?”

“Don’t think we said, but I’m Arianna Calin from the Magic Council. We’re working with the Riverdale police.” She showed her ID.

Jackson’s face turned wary, but he stepped aside to let them enter. “This is unexpected. Don’t suppose you’re looking for some action? A threesome maybe?”

“Hardly. We are here about a missing female vampire,” Andreas explained. “Possibly a working girl. In your business.”

Jackson lifted his chin, looking even more wary now. “Name? Who is this babe?”

“That’s the problem. We don’t know,” Ari said. “Her remains were skeletonized.”

“Does that mean bones? This babe’s dead and turned to bones?” Jackson’s face creased into lines of disbelief. “I guess I don’t know why you’re here. She must have been missing a long time.”

“Not long at all,” Ari said. “Dead vamps turn to bones in a matter of hours. She died sometime last night. Anyone on your menu missing?”

“My menu?” He snickered.

“Yeah, you’re a pimp, aren’t you?” Why did she always want to contradict Andreas?

Jackson didn’t like the term either. He scowled. “Handler. I run a legit business. Take care of my employees. The nicer you treat them, the longer they stay healthy, and the more money they make. When they’re happy, they’re more willing to share. And they sure wouldn’t be happy about my talking to the cops.”

Ari sighed. She hadn’t intended to alienate him. “Mr. Jackson, I don’t care whether your business is legit or not. We’re here only to identify the dead woman.” When he still just looked at her, she added, “We could bring the PD into this. Discuss the matter downtown. Do some further checking into your business records, your taxes.”

He let out a soft belch, ran a hand around the back of his neck, looked at Andreas’s bland face and back to Ari. When she crossed her arms, he heaved a sigh. “It could be Vanessa. She didn’t check in tonight, and that’s not like her.”

“You know where she stays?” Andreas asked.

“Naw, none of your people tell us that stuff. Not that I don’t understand why,” Jackson added. “Let’s see, got a phone number somewhere. Tried it earlier, but she didn’t answer. Let me get her file.”

He unlocked a black metal file cabinet that stood in one corner of his studio apartment, rustled around a moment, and pulled out a plain manila folder.

“Here,” he said, flipping it open. “Got a picture. Here’s her phone number.” He read it off. “No address. Some business papers. Nothing else important,” he concluded, closing the folder.

“We’ll need the file,” Ari said, sticking out her hand. “And your cell number in case we have questions.”

“No way.” Jackson stepped back, clutching the file. “These are personal business records.”

“Probably very interesting to the IRS if we have to subpoena them. And all the rest of your files. Of course, if you want to cooperate, be a good citizen, they wouldn’t have an occasion to see your files. Your choice.” Ari saw him waver. “Unless, of course, you have something to hide. What do you think, Andreas? Should we take him in on suspicion of murder?”

“Good idea.” Andreas stepped forward.

“Now hold on. Wait just one minute.” Jackson backed another step. “Haven’t said I won’t cooperate. This is on the up and up? She’s really dead?”

“If it’s not her, I’ll return your file,” Ari said, mentally crossing her fingers. Yeah, like hell she would. She’d never be back to see the “handler” again, not unless he turned out to be the killer. It wasn’t unheard of for a pimp to terminate one of his girls. In that case, she’d return with cuffs and guns.

Andreas held out an imperious hand. His force of will filled the room, daring Jackson to defy him. Jackson blinked. Without another word of protest, he scribbled his cell number on the cover and handed over the file.

Ari was on the phone with Ryan before Andreas’s silver Lexus left the curb. He’d left the Ferrari at home tonight. In this neighborhood it would have stood out like a rose among the weeds, demanding to be picked.

Ten minutes later Ari sat with the two men in the police conference room. She had sorted the contents of Vanessa’s file into three piles: personal data, client names, financial records. Spenser Jackson had been a meticulous record keeper. Every client, every payment was recorded by hand in bold printing. The room was quiet for the next twenty minutes, as they read every scrap of paper and exchanged the three stacks. When finished reading, they discussed all the possible angles. Vanessa had brought in good money, probably been Jackson’s top moneymaker. It made him an unlikely suspect. Of more interest was her clientele. Vanessa hadn’t been an ordinary hooker. A half-dozen of her repeat clients were names Ari recognized. Moneyed Riverdale residents. The type that might be threatened by a call girl willing to reveal their sexual liaison.

Ari picked up Vanessa’s photo for the third time. Sophisticated nut-brown eyes stared at her, framed by long shiny auburn hair. The vamp call girl had a knowing smile, as if she could see right inside your head and learn your secret thoughts or fantasies. It must have been an effective promotional photo for her line of work.

Ari no longer questioned the victim’s identity. The moment she saw the photograph, she knew. The barbs across the back of her shoulders, the momentary heaviness on her heart. It was a feeling she couldn’t explain to Ryan, but Andreas understood immediately. He had sensed it, too. That tiny hole in the magical universe.

Ari looked at the list of client names. Was one of them her killer, making this an unconnected murder, or simply the link in the existing pattern? Vanessa had sex with humans. The association was different—business transaction versus love relationship—but maybe that wasn’t important to the killer. Of course, there still could be a romantic attachment, a human lover, who could even be on this list.

If Ari could connect Vanessa with Shale’s agency, that would clinch the already established pattern. She vowed to dig into the agency’s files first thing in the morning. Maybe it was time to expand their scrutiny beyond staff and clients, to add sponsors, volunteers, or other community contacts with the agency.

Ari rubbed her temples. She was getting ahead of the evidence again. Instead of trying to make the profile work, she should consider the discrepancies. The manner of death, for example. A beheading was more vicious, more messy. Dormant community fears had been stirred by the recent murders. Maybe this was the result of those irrational feelings, suspicions of the unknown, the ‘not me.’ Uncomfortable with her thoughts, she glanced at Andreas. If she was honest, didn’t she battle with some of those same fears? And were they really so unfounded?

She blinked her lashes to ease the growing grittiness in her eyes. She was tired or she wouldn’t be slipping into such negative territory. Doubts were normal. Like everything else, what mattered was what she did with them. She trusted Andreas. Maybe not all vampires, but one. That was progress. And, unlike the hate mongers, she wasn’t tempted to go running around condemning or killing the rest.

“Almost hope this is the same killer,” Ryan said, interrupting her thoughts. “Two of them could turn into a community disaster.”

She dropped the picture back on the table. So, Ryan was worried about old hostilities too. Vampires had changed; they stayed within the law now. Mostly. But underneath was always that dark something, the predator. Had someone seen that side of Vanessa and killed her for it? Struck out in fear, thinking they would kill before they were killed? Ari glanced at Andreas again, his dark head bent over a list of names. Would he ever turn on her? It was that niggling doubt that kept her from commitment.

Startled that she could even think such a thing, Ari stood and stretched. Ryan looked at her and nodded. “Tired? It’s been a long day. I vote on calling it a night. Tomorrow we start interviewing her clients.”

“I will try to find her sleeping quarters before dawn,” Andreas offered. “I can see if other vampires knew her or anything about her. Having a name should help.”

Ryan and Ari divided the revised client list, narrowed down to repeat customers or anyone who had seen her within six months. They still had thirty-six names. Busy lady. Interviewing them would take a while, even with the help of Ryan’s officers.

As Ari and Andreas walked out the front door of the police building, he asked, “Are you coming back to the club?”

“Not tonight.” Ari shook her head vigorously, doubts still crowding her mind. Not really about him, about her. She wasn’t prepared to talk about them, but the investigation was getting to her.

“What is wrong, Arianna? You act upset,” he said, scrutinizing her face.

“What could possibly be wrong?” Her voice was strained.

He cocked his head. “Somehow I think my perfectly ordinary question has taken us down a perilous path.”

Damn him. Why was he so perceptive? And why couldn’t he leave well enough alone? She frowned in a mixture of annoyance and guilt. She didn’t want to talk about it. Not now. Why was she always the one who had these issues? And why in hell could he read her so well? “Stop analyzing me,” she said. “You don’t know me as well as you think. And you won’t listen when I try to explain.”

“I am listening now.”

“So, fine. Look at what we’re seeing in this investigation,” she snapped, not realizing how sharp it would come out. “Everyone’s so suspicious, so hateful. No one trusts the vampires. Doesn’t it tell you something about our relationship?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Ari wanted them back.

“The prejudice against vampires reflects one part of the world we live in.” The planes of his face tightened. “I already knew there were intolerant people, too afraid to let go of preconceived ideas to realize they might be wrong. I had not believed you were one of them.”

Stung, her temper flared. “That’s not fair. What you’ve been demanding from me is more than friendship. Whether I go there or not is a matter of personal choice. Not bigotry. Sometimes you scare the hell out of me, Andreas!”

He threw up his hands. “I know I do, and somehow I always say the wrong thing.” A wry smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. “You would think I could do better after two hundred years of dealing with females. I may have misspoke. For I do not think it is the vampire in me you fear the most.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Figure it out.”

He got in the Lexus, slammed the door, and drove away. Ari stood looking after him. Fuming. She was still taking his name in vain long after her head hit the pillow.