Always the Vampire

What could I say? That a crazed wizard had created a thought form that had infected and killed vampires. That the crazed wizard and his thought form were now killing humans? Hell, I wouldn’t believe me.

I slumped against the cushions. “I would tell you if I could, but I’m baffled. I mean, why kill a couple of criminals and two homeless people who were little more than kids?”

“And why dump them on your doorstep?”

“Or dump those men so near to Triton’s business.”

“Triton?” Jim said sharply.

I waved a hand and thought fast. “Trey. I call him Triton to tease him.”

Jim looked blank.

“You know. Son of Poseidon. Trey’s heritage is Greek and he sells shipwreck treasures, so I call him Triton.”

Jim stared past my shoulder for a moment, and in my head I felt him weighing what to say. “Saber believes the homicides are tied to an ongoing investigation he’s conducting. Tell me straight up. Is this a preternatural crime?”

“I’m as sure as I can be that the killer isn’t human, but I didn’t see wounds on the bodies. How did they die, or can you not tell me?”

“The autopsy will determine the times and causes of death, but I spoke with the ME’s investigator when I arrived. He worked the other scene, too, which is why he and the FDLE crime techs got here so fast. All the investigator can say with certainty is that each of the four victims also shows lividity patterns indicating they were moved after they were killed.”

“That’s it? There are no wounds?”

“Not even defensive ones. There was no blood in the parking lot or here. No tire tracks to isolate, no drag marks in the grass near the lot or in your yard, not a single footprint to chase down. If the FDLE crime techs have found one scrap of real potential evidence, I don’t yet know about it. These bodies didn’t just drop from the sky or magically appear.”

“I wouldn’t bank on that.”

He paused and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Whatever supernatural shit is going down, you need to understand this. We have four bodies with no visible wounds, dumped in pairs within hours of each other. For all intents and purposes, we have a serial killer.”

I inhaled sharply. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“The department will want this guy caught and caught fast, because if the media get their teeth in it, the pressure will be intense. You know anything that can help me, then you need to open up.”

I shook my head, at a loss for words that some supernatural ass ended four human lives just to, what? Make a point that he knew where we lived? Show us we were vulnerable? Keep us distracted?

Whatever the reason, I was damn mad now. For the first time in my life—or afterlife—I was out for blood.

No sooner had I finished that thought when a tingling coolness pooled at the base of my spine. I straightened my back as the cool stream flowed upward, spurting through the core of each vertebra, streaming past my shoulders and into my neck. Instinct urged me to stand, and when I did, the sensation flooded through me as if it had breached a dam. From the soles of my bare feet to my scalp, each cell of my body exploded with awareness. My body, my being, felt charged. Powerful.

Jim Balch slowly came to his feet. “Ms. Marinelli—”

“It’s Cesca,” I corrected, “and I promise you this. If I learn anything concrete that will help you solve these cases, I’ll tell you.”

He locked gazes with me. “You really will, won’t you? You hate that this happened.”

“I didn’t know their names, Jim.” My voice broke, and I had to swallow hard. “The girl was pathetically grateful for that pizza, and I never learned her name. I didn’t ask.”

He looked away, cleared his throat. “When the medical examiner finishes the autopsies, I’ll let Saber know.”

“Thank you. And if no one claims the bodies of the homeless couple, will you call me?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, and if you don’t have to tell Saber you talked with me, please don’t. He has enough on his mind without worrying about me.

Jim nodded, albeit reluctantly, but then he didn’t truly consider Saber or Triton or me suspects.

We moved to the door, and as soon as I opened it, Hugh Lister hollered at us from his side of the jasmine hedge.

“Hey, Officer, come here and bring Marinelli. I got something to report.”

Jim gave me a desperate glance. “Is that the compulsive cusser?”

“Mr. Lister, yes, but there’s Maggie, too. And Selma Lister. She’ll drag Hugh inside if he goes on too long.”

Jim snorted, but since the crime-scene techs appeared to be finished with that portion of the yard, we crossed to the jasmine hedge.

Maggie’s eyes narrowed on me, but she didn’t have the chance to speak first. Hugh took the stage.

“I tried to tell the uniforms that the vampire here didn’t kill those people. The bodies just appeared out of nowhere.”