But he’d been blond, not black-haired. She’d swear on it, but she forced herself to nod. “Why? Why did he kill her?”
“Who knows why these creatures behave as they do. Perhaps he was overcome by hunger. Perhaps he’d always planned to kill her. We don’t know.”
“Where’s Tara Roth?”
The colonel’s eyes narrowed at the change of subject. “She’s safe.”
“I want to be in on the interrogation. If she knows anything…”
“She’s unlikely to know anything about your mother. She was only three years old at the time and had no connection with Roth.”
“Where did she grow up? What about her family?”
“She was brought up in Yorkshire by an aunt—dead now. Her mother died when she was a baby and her father is unknown.”
Or not.
Faith had to convince the colonel that she was willing to believe, that he could trust her. First, she needed to see for herself, hear what Tara Roth knew, and make sure she was being treated okay. At least then Faith could set aside a little of her guilt.
“So, if Roth killed my mother. What are you going to do about it?”
“Good. I knew you would be with us once you learned the facts. So, Roth is a vampire.”
Yeah, of course he was. But she bit back the words and gave an encouraging nod.
“But we know very little about them. We also don’t know what allegiances he has, whether there are others like him. If we go up against him directly, what sort of retaliation can we expect?”
“Have you tried to take him before?”
“Twice. Both times the teams disappeared without trace.”
“So you thought his wife would be an easier target.”
“Exactly.”
He sounded pleased that she’d caught on so quickly. But she couldn’t believe the immorality of his response. You didn’t target innocent people to get to their loved ones.
“We’ll get what information we can from her,” he continued. “Then perhaps use her as leverage against Roth. Maybe even get him working for us, telling us everything he knows.”
He was almost rubbing his hands together.
“So where is she?” she asked again.
“Downstairs.”
“I want to see her.”
“No reason why not. The next session is scheduled for this afternoon.”
The next session—which meant they had already questioned her.
…
Unease had grown inside her, becoming a solid lump in her throat. She tried to swallow it as she followed the colonel down the corridor to the elevator. The colonel bent over the retinal scan, let them through, and they continued down a set of concrete stairs. Below ground all pretense of decoration had been abandoned. The walls were whitewashed and strip lighting ran along the ceiling.
“How’s it going with Ashton Delacourt?” the colonel asked.
“Good,” she replied. Something made her wonder if they were watching her or at least monitoring her movements, so she decided to stick to the truth as much as possible. “We had dinner last night. He says there might be a job for me at CR International. Apparently, they’re recruiting.”
“Good work. That might be useful.”
No way was she going undercover. Then she remembered the doctor’s words that morning. It probably wasn’t going to be an issue anyway.
Finally, the colonel stopped in front of a metal door. He slotted in his card and bent down to clear another retinal scan. The lock clicked, and he pushed the door open and stepped into a small room.
Faith followed him, her throat dry. She didn’t know what she expected, maybe Tara, but the room they entered was empty of everything, including people and furniture. The walls were white except for the one opposite the door, which had a black window of glass running the length of the room.
The colonel stopped by the glass and pressed a button on the wall.
“We’re ready.”
He stepped back. Faith stayed behind him, unable to banish the sense of dread that lay heavy in her stomach.
A light flashed on, revealing the room beyond. The window was a one-way mirror allowing them to watch the interrogation. Then everything stopped as she caught sight of the woman huddled in the corner of the room.
Tara sat on the floor, her knees hugged to her chest, arms wrapped around her. As the light came on, she raised her head and blinked.
Faith swallowed the gasp that rose up in her throat.
The jeans and bright T-shirt were gone. Tara was dressed in gray sweats and a white tank top. The top was stained dark, and it took Faith a moment to realize it was blood. Her lip was swollen and one eye shut. Tearstains tracked down her cheek, and it was the sight of those that broke something inside Faith.
“Is this necessary?”