by Ken Lange
Given Vasile’s age, an exception was clearly made. While Martha hadn’t a clue who’d sired Vasile, she was convinced it had to be one of the first kings…they’d be the only ones with enough clout to keep Vasile amongst the living.
His birthright gave him the strength of a vampire ten times his age, and his abilities were unlike any she’d ever witnessed in vampirekind up to that point. In short, Vasile was a badass, and if there was blood involved, he could follow it back to its source. Gabriel didn’t have any clue how she’d come across this information, and she’d been purposely vague when recounting the story to him. The oddest bit yet was that the knowledge should’ve been in the coin she carried, but Kur couldn’t find a record of ever meeting Vasile in her memories.
This crap was getting on my last nerve. How many secret organizations were out there, and why were we just finding out about them? The fact that Lazarus knew about the vampire kings and hadn’t told me was annoying.
“Am I to assume this isn’t common knowledge?”
Gabriel shrugged. “Vasile or their shadow government?”
A pain shot through my temples. “Either.”
He shook his head. “I’d say we’re maybe two out of a few dozen people who’ve ever heard of the vampire kings…and if you include Vasile, there are probably three of us who know about his abilities.”
I sighed. “This shit is getting old.”
He laughed. “Yeah, but the vampires are a part of the Archive, so it seems they don’t mean us any harm.”
I chuckled. “That may be true, and they’re definitely way down on my list of things to be concerned about today, but eventually I’ll have to figure out their agenda.”
He nodded and raised his glass in my direction. “Until then, I guess we’ve got bigger fish to fry.”
Returning his toast, I said, “Unfortunately.”
We both nearly jumped out of our chairs when the back door creaked open. I got to my feet and leaned out into the hall.
Heather waved. “Evening.” She inhaled deeply. “I hope you saved me some dinner. It smells delicious.”
When I turned back to the dining room, Gabriel had already placed a plate of food on the table for Heather. I glanced from it to him.
He grinned. “I might be willing to keep you waiting, but not her.”
I chuckled. “You’re wise beyond your years.”
We spent the next half hour catching Heather up on the events of the day.
She reached out and patted my arm. “I’ve heard good things about Vasile.”
I offered her a weak smile. “That’s good to know.”
Her tone became serious. “May I see your phone?” I handed it to her, and she scanned through the pictures. “Goddamn, I hope Cole’s okay.”
I nodded. “Me too.”
She sighed. “Cole’s a good guy. He doesn’t deserve this.” Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Have you contacted Danielle yet?”
I shook my head. “No. I’d rather wait until we have something more to go on. Vasile said it wouldn’t take him long to run down…some leads.”
Heather’s brows nearly met as she scrunched up her forehead. “What leads?”
I grimaced. “There’s a good chance he can track the blood from the scene back to its owner. Don’t ask me how, because I haven’t got a clue.”
She sighed. “Sounds like your day has been nearly as fun as my own.”
I furrowed my brow. “How’s that?”
She swallowed her food. “Funny story.” Heather reached behind her and pulled a couple of papers out of her back pocket.
Piggybacking off my records, she’d made several informal inquiries about Mr. Smith. She’d started simple, trying to figure out which branch of the government he worked for and where he received his authority. That didn’t go so well. Roadblocks, pitfalls, and general red tape kept the guy forever hidden in the shadows.
Nevertheless, her inquiries must’ve struck a nerve because several FBI agents had knocked on Andrew’s door a few hours ago. The FBI lost the ensuing pissing match, but they’d made it impossible for Heather to use anything but formal requests in the future as far as Mr. Smith was concerned. Being forced to use proper channels pretty much meant we’d never find out who this guy was until he decided to show himself…and I didn’t think that was going to happen. But I very much doubted that’d stop Heather from trying.
Chapter 15
May 6th
The clock on the wall chimed four thirty in the morning. Something about the files on my desk had kept waking me up last night, and I’d surrendered to their call about an hour ago. But at this point, giving up sleep to sift through this stuff had been a terrible decision.
Most of the crap in the last folder was about the Archive and its stance on the were community. Specifically, the way we handled cases involving missing weres. That was something I was already painfully aware of, and, thankfully, the information here was out of date. Their interest in such a specific subject was curious, and not in a good way. If their reasoning ever came to light, I’d probably hate it.
Currently, I was working through the cryptic references to the actual hierarchy of the Gotteskinder. Whoever wrote the reports had referenced something called The Center over and over again. At first, I hadn’t given it much thought, but the further in I got, the more it became apparent that this was a point of authority. Or at the very least, a hub that everything within the organization passed through.
While I’d only guessed their intentions up to this point, these documents spelled them out in excruciating detail. Their main goal was to exterminate anyone with special abilities in order to preserve god’s children, i.e. them or, more accurately, humans. Which sucked given how organized they were. And from everything I’d seen, they were nothing short of fanatical in their beliefs and had no problem spilling the blood of anyone who got in their way.
Not able to read any further, I closed the file and set it aside. My irritation with these guys grew with each new piece of information that came my way. They could call themselves whatever they wanted, but, really, they were just another terrorist organization, and the world didn’t need any more of those.
My phone beeped, and a message from Captain Baptist popped up.
Sorry to disrupt your morning with this, but could you please give me a call when you get a moment?
My jaw tightened as I picked up my cell and dialed his number.
He picked up on the first ring. “Good morning, Gavin. How are you?”
I leaned back in my chair. “Well enough. What’s up?”
He let out a long breath. “Let’s start with Lake Creek Mall. Some of the older medical equipment used to belong to Touro. They were out of date and were supposed to have been destroyed.”
Pressing the phone harder against my ear, I placed my elbow on the desk. “You said some… I’m guessing the new machine hooked up to Father George wasn’t part of that batch.”
There was a shuffling of papers. “Right, yeah, we’re still trying to figure out who actually bought it. That machine was manufactured in Germany and bought by a small shell company called Hirtenlicht that’s based out of Berlin. The local UCD paid their headquarters a visit only to find an empty office. The address on the forms was a front, but we’ve got people digging deeper into it. One of our best forensic accountants is on the case. It might take a while, but they’ll uncover the source of the purchase.”
Nodding reflexively, I rubbed my temple. “Good. Concerning the machines from Touro, could you email that information to Kimberly Broussard?”
“I’ll take care of it.” He was quiet for a moment. “As for the bodies you found…Pete’s having a hell of a time identifying them.”
I blew out a breath. “Think he’ll be able to figure out who they were?”
He made a meh sound. “Can’t say. From what he’s told me, whatever killed them has destroyed most, if not all, their DNA. While it’s unlikely he’ll be able to pull fingerprints, it won�
��t stop him from trying, but he isn’t confident he’ll turn up anything useful.” Pausing, he sniffed. “We were able to track down who owns the property.”
I smiled. “That’s great—”
He cut me off. “Slow down. It’s the same shell company out of Berlin. Which means we’re going to have to wait for something to pan out there.”
I squeezed my eyes closed. “Well, shit.”
He cleared his throat. “That’s exactly how I feel. Hopefully, our people in Berlin will be able to turn up something soon.”
I hated corporate shenanigans. “That’d be nice. It’d be even nicer if the bad guys didn’t make us work so hard to find them. Just once, I’d like them to show up on our doorstep and turn themselves in.”
He chuckled. “That’s never going to happen.”
I ran my hand over my face. “Probably not. Anyway, sounds like we’re at a standstill with that part of the investigation until the accountant gets back to us.”
He grunted. “That we are…but that’s not the only reason I wanted to speak with you this morning.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Oh?”
His tone turned hard. “Do you remember the Destrehan deputy you had me check into last year? James Matherne?”
Officer Matherne was a hard man to forget. Something about him had rubbed me the wrong way. He’d kept me from trespassing onto Mary Percy’s property—which I would’ve passed off as doing his job—but then he followed me to the library afterward. “I do. What about the guy?”
Baptist took a deep breath. “After he came back from his vacation in Ireland, he took the test to become a detective for the St. Tammany police department and received his promotion just before Christmas. Seems he’s tired of the country life because he just got hired by the NOPD.”
I furrowed my brow. “Really?”
A derisive snort came across the line. “Da. And he’s being assigned to some new division.”
Leaning back in my chair, I asked, “What sort of new division?”
Papers shuffled in the background. “Wish I knew. Weird thing is, this division came out of nowhere. Normally, I’d hear about any developments years in advance, but this time I didn’t find out until it was fully implemented, and even now, I haven’t got a clue what they really do. The little talk there is describes it as a catchall that’ll handle nonspecific issues in the city.”
Shaking my head, I said, “I don’t get it. Aren’t detectives supposed to specialize in a specific type of crime?”
He grumbled, “That’s the way it’s always worked. But this division is cherry picking from all the other departments to make some sort of super unit.”
I blinked. “And James Matherne just so happened to qualify to rub elbows with the rest of these rock stars?”
Irritation coated his tone. “That’s what’s got me so bothered about it and why I thought you should know. With the way they’re keeping the whole thing hush hush, it makes me very nervous.”
Rubbing my forehead, I did my best to stave off the oncoming headache. “All right, keep an eye on the situation as best you can.”
“Plan on it.” Baptist grunted. “On top of that, the commissioner has asked…okay, told me to move our operations to an outdated facility that’s practically falling apart before the end of the year.”
I placed my chin in my hand. “Ignore his instructions and find us a piece of property in any area you want and have a facility built. Do whatever it takes to have it operational by the end of the year.”
A bitter laugh came through the speaker. “With what money? Hotard blew our entire budget before he got canned.”
“I’ll handle it.”
His tone instantly became more relaxed. “Thanks. And I’ll be in touch if anything comes up. Talk soon.”
“Take care.”
Ending the call, I leaned my elbows on the desk and cupped my face in my hands. I squeezed my forehead and thought about yelling at the commissioner. If that failed, maybe punching the guy in the face would make me feel better. You’d think the folks at the NOPD would be beyond interoffice politics… Then there was the gift that never stopped giving—Bryan Hotard and his ongoing legacy. Still, it’d probably take a couple of years, but we’d eventually eradicate his existence from the UCD.
I was rounding my desk when my phone rang. I leaned over and picked it up just as Vasile’s name came across the screen.
Answering the call, I said, “Good morning. How are things going there?”
His tone was serious. “Not so great. I’ve tracked your man, Cole, to a house just outside Silver City. Any chance you’re familiar with the place?”
Unfortunately, I was. Silver City was about a half hour outside Helena and more or less a blip on the radar.
“Yeah.”
Sarcasm laced his tone. “Impressive, isn’t it?”
I laughed. “Not even a little.”
A vehicle passed in the background. “Here’s the deal. I’m almost certain I can retrieve Cole on my own.” He paused for a split second before continuing. “But if I did, there wouldn’t be anyone left alive, and I’m confident you want someone to question.”
I nodded. “You’d be correct.”
He sighed. “In that case, I could use a hand.”
My chin dropped to my chest as I realized what needed to be done. “All right. Give me about ten minutes to get there.”
His voice tensed. “You’ll need to give me at least a half hour to get to the gate.”
I shook my head. “You misunderstood. I’ll be in Silver City in ten minutes.” Checking my watch, I shrugged. “Make it fifteen. Do you know where the Saloon is?”
“Ah…yeah…I think so. It isn’t as if I do a lot of drinking around here.”
I’d bet he didn’t. “Understandable. When you find the place, meet me in the back.”
A horn sounded in the background. “Okay, see you shortly.”
I hurried to the bedroom to change my clothes.
Heather rolled over and smiled. “Coming back to bed?”
That was a tempting thought, especially with that look in her eyes. Shaking my head, I frowned. “Wish I could, but I’ve got to meet Vasile in Silver City.”
She sat up in bed. “Where the hell is that?”
I chuckled. “It’s a speck of a town outside Helena.”
She nodded. “Okay, so what’s happening up there?”
I sat on the edge of the bed. “Vasile asked me to help retrieve Cole and secure a few prisoners to question. He wasn’t specific about what was going on…which means you know about as much as I do.”
Heather’s frown deepened. “Want me to get dressed to lend you a hand?”
I shook my head. “Not right now.”
She wasn’t happy with the answer. “You sure?”
I hesitated for a moment. “Yeah, I am. There is something you could help with, though. Baptist called earlier with some information on the items we recovered from Lake Creek Mall. I’ve asked him to send that to your mother. If you were to pick up the papers on my desk, maybe the two of you could narrow down who we’re looking for with the combined material. I’d really like to track down the Gotteskinder ASAP.”
She swung her feet over the side of the bed to sit next to me. “This feels like busywork.”
I chuckled. “It’s not.”
Heather kissed me on the cheek. “You’re lucky you’re so cute. I’ll get in touch with Mom, and we’ll see if we can’t track something down that you can use.”
“Thank you.” Holding up a finger, I said, “There’s one other thing. He told me about a new division being created in the NOPD, and that they’re doing everything in their power to cut the UCD off at the knees. Maybe you could use some of your contacts in town to find out what’s going on. I’d be eternally grateful.”
Smiling, she stood up. “Anything else while you go galivanting around up north?”
I got to my feet. “End world hunger?”
She bumped her should
er into mine. “Funny.” She kissed me on the cheek. “Good luck.”
After grabbing a clean set of clothes, I peeled out of my others. “Thanks.”
Heather walked into the bath for a shower. Five minutes later, I was dressed and in the office. I picked up my bag before blue flames enveloped me. A moment later, I was standing behind the old saloon in an open field. The front of the place was a large swath of dirt that acted as the parking lot.
The joys of a tiny town.
Being this close to my grandfather grated on my last nerve, or maybe it was just being home. It’d been nearly thirty years since I’d even been in the state, let alone just a few miles away. Hell, one of the last nights before I left had been spent at this very establishment, getting drunk.
I rounded the corner and nearly ran into a stocky, dark-complected man with long black hair and golden eyes. I hadn’t even known that was a possibility. Every scrap of information at my, and Kur’s, disposal said that vampires had gray eyes. Obviously, though, there were exceptions to the rule. Interesting. He was about shoulder height and moved with the grace of centuries spent as an apex predator. Gilded fangs showed in his smile.
He stuck out his hand. “You must be Gavin. I’m Vasile.”
Hesitantly, I took it and nodded. “Nice to meet you.” Glancing at the empty lot up front, I blinked. “You walked?”
Vasile gently rolled his shoulders. “Not exactly, but we’ll get to that in a moment.” Gesturing at me, he grimaced. “You’re not wearing your armor. That’ll make our trip much less comfortable—for you, anyway.”
I arched an eyebrow. “How do you know about that? It isn’t as if I go around advertising.”
He hesitated for a moment. “Ah, yeah…ah.” Shaking his head, he sighed. “I suppose it was going to get out eventually.”
That didn’t sound ominous at all. “What was?”
Vasile pointed at the building. “Mind if we go in? If we’re going to discuss this, we might as well do it in comfort, plus I’ve got a feeling you’ll want to be seated for this.”
I checked my watch. “Unless things have changed drastically in the last three decades, they’re not open this time of the day.”