Wesley sighed. “I know it looks like it, but we have to weigh up all the possibilities first, before we jump to conclusions.”
She shook her head, slamming her fist on the table. “But I’m looking at it. It all makes sense now. That guy—” She pointed to the stranger in the video. “—when he attacked me, I thought I saw his eyes glare red. At first I thought it was just some light reflecting off his irises. But that’s not what it was. He was about to show his vampire side. If Blake hadn’t shown up when he did, he would have bitten me!”
“Lilo, calm down. You can’t know that!”
“I’m not crazy, Wesley!”
“I’m not saying you’re crazy.”
“You’re implying it.” She huffed. “Damn it, why don’t you look at it?” She pointed to the screen once more. “Ronny and his friend are vampires. And this is how Hannah found out. She accidentally recorded them. She was afraid for her life. That’s why she hid this in her appointment book, so if something happened to her, we would find it and figure out who hurt her.” She closed the window and ripped the stick from the port. “I’m going to take this to the police.”
“No,” Wesley protested.
She shot him a glare.
“I mean, they’re just gonna look at you like you’re crazy. They’ll never believe that this is real and not just some video some kid put together for Halloween. Think about it for a moment, before you do anything.”
“The police need to see this.” She jumped up.
“At least wait until Blake is back. Maybe he can make sense of this.”
“There’s no time. I can’t wait. Every second counts. If Hannah is still alive, and I pray she is, then I could never forgive myself if I waited even one minute when this information could help us find her.” She shoved the USB drive into her pants pocket.
She took a few steps toward the door, and Wesley followed her. He grabbed her arm, making her look over her shoulder.
“Some random policeman isn’t gonna believe you. It’s a waste of time.”
Lilo shook her head. “Call Blake and tell him I’m on my way to the police station. Tell him what we found. But I’ve got to go. Officer Donnelly already has a report about Hannah’s disappearance. He’s already working on this. When he sees this video, he’ll know what to do.”
At least she hoped so, because she didn’t know what else to do. She’d never had to deal with anything like this in her life.
Vampires!
Not only was their existence a shock she couldn’t begin to grasp, the horror of knowing that Hannah was in their hands filled her with pain to the point of paralyzing her. She needed help. She couldn’t wait for Blake. Who knew when he would be back? Besides, he was following up on other leads about Hannah’s whereabouts. No, the police would have to help her with this. They would have to use all their resources now to get Hannah back and protect the rest of the city from these monsters.
17
It had taken her nearly a quarter of an hour to hail a taxi. She’d had to walk two blocks to get to a busier area where more cars were circulating. Only now, in the late afternoon light, did she realize what an exclusive area Blake’s house was located in, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. But right now she couldn’t feel any appreciation for her surroundings, because her entire belief system had just collapsed.
Vampires! How could they possibly exist?
Guilt blasted through her once more. She’d failed Hannah. She hadn’t been there when her friend needed her most. How much her friend had needed help was only now becoming evident. And what had she done? She’d been concerned about the deadline for her book! As if that mattered now.
The video flashed in front of her eyes again. How would she ever forget what she’d seen? Monsters. Vile creatures, out to kill. The thought sent a chill through her bones. What if it was already too late for Hannah? What if they’d sucked her dry and killed her?
Lilo pushed the tears back. No, she couldn’t allow herself to cry. She had to keep up the hope that Hannah was alive.
“This is it,” the taxi driver announced, coming to a stop in front of the police station she’d visited only last night.
She paid the driver and got out. Her knees were shaking when she walked up the stairs to the front doors. For a brief moment she stopped there, taking a deep breath.
Inside the police station, she looked around. Several people were waiting, one female officer was talking to one person, and several others were crowding around them, talking excitedly. Behind the counter, several policemen in uniform and in plain clothes were milling about.
She craned her neck to look over the people in front of her to see if Officer Donnelly was sitting in one of the cubicles.
“Officer Donnelly?” she called out.
The policewoman at the counter cast her an annoyed look. “You’ll have to wait your turn, Ma’am. Take a seat.”
“But I just need to talk to Officer Donnelly. He knows me.”