Brooks looks up and notices me, so he waves me in. “Hold on, Church, Finn’s here, so I’m going to put you on speaker.”
After shutting the door, I walk closer to the desk as he switches the phone to speaker.
“All good.”
Marcus starts up again. “Finn, as I was telling Brooks, we have another body. It’s clearly from the same killer. Similar area, the build and appearance of the woman is also similar. Brown hair and blue eyes. The kill was done again by a vampire, highlighted by the apparent marks on her throat. At this point, that seems to be the only thing that happened to her body, but we’re still documenting everything first before doing further examinations. The medical examiner will have more information.”
“Anything found with her?” Brooks asks.
“No. No bags, purse, wallet, or anything. The only thing is that she’s dressed strangely. Almost angelic or childlike. White tights, frilly dress, hair done in ribbons. Briar’s nicknaming the guy ‘The Dollmaker’ because she says he’s making them look like dolls.”
The word punches me right in the stomach.
Not that word. Any word but that one.
I reach back and grab the handle of the door, unable to listen to any more of this because it’s not true. It has nothing to do with him.
“Finn?” Brooks asks.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, shocked at how steady my voice sounds, but I know that if I give anything away, he won’t let me go and right now, I have to go.
The rest who are set to watch me are on scene, so once out of Brooks’s sight, I basically walk straight through the front door and run to my car before getting in. My hands are shaking so badly that I barely manage to get the keys into the ignition.
I need to breathe. I’m panicking and there’s nothing to panic about yet. There’s nothing going on. There’s nothing…
Quickly, I rush from the parking lot, not knowing where they’re at but knowing that Marcus mentioned them being on the bike trail. It would presumably be near the location the last lady had been. When I park, I see that there’s someone closing off this end of the trail, so I rush over to him.
“Do you know where they’re at?” I ask.
He looks over at me as he holds the tape in his hand. “Down this trail, but closer to the university.”
“Thank you,” I say as I start running. I don’t know if it’d be quicker to drive to the other side but I’m here now. I’m here and the answer is right there. The answer is so close.
The hammering of my prosthesis on the concrete bike trail jars my leg, but I ignore it because I need to know. My breath is coming in gasps as my blood hammers in my ears.
So close, so close.
I see people gathered around a bench as my lungs remind me that I haven’t run this hard for this long in a while.
Marcus notices me first, a look of panic touching his face. I’m not sure whether it’s my presence or my state that tells him that something’s wrong, but I slip out of his reach and rush over to the body.
The clothes are covered in frills. A doll’s clothes, just like the clothes of the other victim. She’s pale, like porcelain—
“Finn! What happened?” Marcus asks.
Such a pretty little doll.
No, no, no.
I reel back and my state of mind or my reactions make my leg not follow, causing me to stumble before slamming into someone.
“Finn?” Karsyn asks.
I push away from him and realize that the trees are closing in on me. The air is leaving the world as I’m being crushed and smothered. I will die here if I don’t get away. I have to get away.
I push through the people, but they never seem to end. Why are there so many people?
When I break through, the air is no clearer as my world tilts and shrinks around me.
“Finnigan!” Marcus yells as he grabs me and drags me to him.
I shove against him, needing to get away from all of this. Needing to get away from him because I don’t want to involve him in more. It’s no wonder why both bodies are close to home. It’s no wonder why the first body was on the very bridge I walk every morning with my dogs. He wanted me to see it. To see his present that he left for me… his doll.
“What’s happening?” Karsyn asks.
“I think he’s having a panic attack, but I’m not sure. I don’t know what to do.”
“Get him on the ground, he’s too focused on fighting you at the moment.”
I’m not fighting Marcus, I’m trying to get him away. He needs to find safety. He needs to…
Marcus guides me down to my knees as my stomach twists into a tight knot. “Babe, take a deep breath. It’s… it’s him, isn’t it? I should have realized.”
I nod, not trusting my words.
“Oh fuck.” His strong arms draw me in and even though I know I should pull away, I know I shouldn’t give in, I sink into him. To have him here beside me means the world, it gives me strength, but I know I can’t continue relying on it.
He rocks back, pulling me in tighter. “Fuck, fuck.”
“What’s going on?” Karsyn asks.
“I… just… give us a minute to think,” Marcus says as he holds me close.
I listen to the faint sound of his heart beating and draw in the noise and allow it to calm me. Because the monster wants me to be afraid and panicked. He likes it when I’m scared. I know better than to be afraid. I know how to fight him and that’s not with fear. He wanted to shock me. He wanted to do this to me, and I played right into his trap.
But not anymore. Now, I’ll face him with determination. I’ll stop him or I’ll die trying.
I pull back from Marcus without pulling away. It allows me to look up into his eyes as I push away the panic that’d overcome my body.
“I’m so sick and tired of being afraid. I want back on the case.” I’m surprised how steady my voice is. But I’m determined to stop this monster.
Marcus instantly starts shaking his head. “No! No, no, no. You’re not—”
The look on my face seems to halt Marcus. “Marcus, we have to stop him. I have to stop him. This fear has eaten me alive for so long. It needs to end.”
“I know and I understand, but—”
“But we can’t tell Brooks. If Brooks finds out, he’s going to tell Orin and they’re going to rip me off the fucking case and pretend I’m going to break. I won’t break. This asshole has already taken enough of me. He’s not taking my freedom. He’s not taking anything else from me,” I say.
Marcus nods. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I’m a little surprised. I thought for sure he’d be preparing to cram me headfirst in a fireproof box that would be shipped off to the moon.
He bites at his lip. “I don’t like it. I don’t like you being in danger, but I know that I have to trust you. Because you’re my partner and being in a relationship means we need to trust each other. But I think we have to tell Brooks and Orin so they know what’s happening. We need to tell everyone who is around to protect you so they know what we’re up against. And if they don’t want that threat then I understand and I’ll do my best to protect you even if we have to stand alone,” Marcus says.
Karsyn glances between us. “I… I feel like there’s some real drama stuff going on here and if Marcus is worried about something, I’m positive that’s not a good thing,” Karsyn says. “Can’t you just crush their skulls with just a look or something?”
“I wish. We’re going to finish up here and call a meeting at the station. Finn, are you prepared to work?”
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you,” I say. And I really am thanking him for believing in me.
I let him help me to my feet but once I’m standing, I’m determined to stay focused. To search for clues because, for the first time since he attacked me, I have something to work with. Clues to search through. This is what my job consists of, and I’m good at it. Now let’s hope he fucks up.
Once we’re finished at the crime scene
, we head to the department. I’d already sent Orin and Aria a message, asking them to meet us there. Once there, we gather up the people from the department who are already involved with the case and working with me, including Karsyn, Briar, and DeGray.
And then we head to the conference room and wait.
There’s a lot of confusion among the team when Orin and Aria walk in. Orin looks slightly panicked, but when he sees me all in one piece, well… for the most part, he calms down.
“What’s going on?” he asks.
“You already met Karsyn and DeGray the other day, but this is Briar. And you, sadly, know Brooks.”
“Sadly?” Brooks asks with a raised eyebrow.
“Even sadder, he already knows Marcus. That’s probably enough to make him cry every night,” Karsyn says.
“Karsyn, I have an eraser that I’m still extremely curious about using as a projectile to push through your body,” Marcus growls.
Karsyn’s eyes narrow and I realize that it’s fantastic that they’re starting to become buddies.
“What’s going on?” Orin asks.
“Finn, Dad nearly murdered us on the way over here, so he’s not joking around,” Aria says.
“I didn’t nearly murder anyone besides that stupid asshole who thought they’d walk in front of my car.”
“It was green for them,” Aria whispers.
“It’s okay,” I assure them. “If it was an emergency, I would have said, ‘Hey, guys, I’m about to die, please come ASAP.’”
Orin doesn’t seem to think I’m funny at all.
“Okay, have a seat and please, Orin, just listen.” I talk about the first case we had with the woman in the river, and then I start talking about the woman we found today, giving them basic information. “Now I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m bringing this up. Briar, please share what you nicknamed the killer.”
She looks surprised to be called on. “Um… the Dollmaker?”
Orin groans and Brooks quickly turns to her. “Why do you say that?”
She looks more than confused now. “Because… because what he dresses them in makes them look… like dolls.”
Orin shakes his head, clearly not wanting to hear it. “That doesn’t guarantee anything. It can’t. It…”
Brooks looks thoughtful. “The victims have been oddly close to their house and Marcus even mentioned the first one was on the trail Finn uses to walk the dogs. He’s toying with him.”
“What are we going to do?” Aria asks, looking as shaken up as I felt earlier.
“What’s going on?” DeGray asks. “I feel like I’m missing something.”
“You guys are… aware of me losing my arm and my leg. Well… it wasn’t a car accident. When I was sixteen, I was targeted by a vampire who did it to me. For some reason, after he took my arm and my leg, he let me go. Maybe he got off on torturing people and that’s all he wanted to do to me, I don’t know. But when he was done, he dropped me in front of the hospital and left me there. He’s haunted me for years. About six months ago, he sent me a letter that he was coming for me. Of course we got anxious about it, but he’s been strangely quiet. As in… neither of us have seen him since the day I was taken from that club months ago and he attacked Marcus.”
“You’re saying a fucking vampire maimed you?” Karsyn asks. “And Marcus let the fucker live?”
Marcus stiffens and I know he doesn’t want anyone questioning his protection over me. So I squeeze his wrist. “You don’t understand, he’s not just any vampire, he’s… ridiculously strong.”
“He attacked Marcus and I’m not sure if Marcus would have won,” Brooks explains.
Marcus takes a deep breath before saying, “I’m honestly positive he could have killed me because I wasn’t prepared for it… even knowing what I was up against, I barely scratched him.”
“You’re shitting me,” Karsyn says. “You’re talking about this Marcus? The one who threatens to murder me?”
“Yes, the one you tried killing with an eraser the other day. That very one,” I say.
“I didn’t…” He gets one look at Marcus. “Please continue.”
“Hold on,” Briar says as she thinks. “True vampires are the eldest of vampires. Even though Marcus has never actually stated he’s one, we can assume he is, right?”
“I am,” Marcus says.
“So… there’s speculation that all true vampires were born relatively in the same time frame, so how can there be one that much older or stronger than Marcus?”
“We don’t know,” Orin says. “I’ve never felt the aura of the man myself, but Marcus claims that it was suppressing even to him.”
“He dropped the entire club of humans to their knees just walking into the place,” Marcus says. “I can’t do that. I can terrify humans, of course, but not like that.”
Of course, he says.
“Okay, let’s take this back a moment,” DeGray says. “We’re currently struggling to process this. I’m trying not to stare at you in disbelief, but our main focus is figuring this out, right? It’s a case we have to end. So let’s rewind and start acting like the detectives we are. We have two bodies that are, presumedly, from this man. We at least now have a suspect. With the suspect in mind, we have more information than we did yesterday. Hayes, can you tell me anything about the man?”
“Honestly, I don’t remember much about him. He was constantly covered in dark clothes and a hood so his hair wouldn’t show. Most of his face was covered by a mask but what I did see was his eyes. I’m sure everyone thinks I’m insane but I swear his eyes were glowing.”
“Glowing?” DeGray asks, looking thoughtful.
“Do you think it could be the light? Church’s eyes are unique in color, so they reflect light differently,” Karsyn says as he glances at Marcus.
I’ve been asked this question so many times that I feel like maybe I’m wrong and they’re right. “I don’t know… I was terrified, in pain. I don’t know.”
“I think we need to dive into some research about true vampires, right?” Karsyn asks. “Most true vampires should be known at this point unless there are some in hiding. If we run through all of them, we could narrow it down. There aren’t that many left alive.”
“We’ve done it again and again,” Brooks says. “The issue is, we don’t have enough to go on, and we don’t have enough information on true vampires. There could be hundreds in hiding for all we know.”
Marcus lets out a sigh. Not any type of a sigh, but an exasperated sigh that claims that there are horrible things on the horizon. “I… happen to know a person who… has done extensive research on the history of vampires. I will… contact him and see if he can speak with us.”
“I take it you hate this person?” Brooks asks.
“With a passion.”
And I instantly know who it is. “Claude?”
“Fucking Claude.”
Karsyn growls. “That asshole from the other night?”
Marcus gives a curt nod. “I’ll contact him and see if he can come in to help. If he has no information for us, we may kill him.”
“Sounds good to me,” Karsyn says as he examines his nails like he might need to sharpen them. And I can’t help but wonder how the two can’t see how alike they are. Karsyn’s phone beeps and he looks down at it. “I asked the medical examiner if our new victim was missing any parts of her body and he just responded that her toe is missing.”
“So this is clearly a theme. He likes removing body parts.”
“But on the first woman it was a finger and this woman it was a toe,” Karsyn says.
I think about it for a moment. “And he removed the finger because of a tattoo… I wonder if the woman today had something on her toe.”
“Did you have something on your arm and leg?” Marcus asks.
“God, if I got a tattoo at that age Orin would have stuck me in time-out,” I say.
“You’re thinking he’s removing body parts with something unnatural on them or
imperfections?” Brooks asks.
Marcus nods. “Yeah, at first, I was thinking it was a memento—something to remember them by—but maybe he’s creating a type of doll. This is just a theory, but dolls don’t have tattoos or markings. They have flawless skin, so maybe he’s removing them to keep up the appearance of a doll.”
My mind flashes back to that horrible day. The day I’ve kept suppressed and pushed down behind a barrier. “He did… he did say he was going to make me better or something like that. Maybe beautiful… I don’t know.”
“Was there anything else on your arm or leg?” Karsyn asks.
And that’s when I realize what it was. “My leg was broken from the car accident, but I can’t tell you how bad it was because he kept it wrapped up. My arm…” I think about it for a moment before I know exactly what it was. “I had cigarette burns on it from my mother. I was so used to the scars at that point that I never thought of it.” I turn to Orin. “But yeah… the burns were what helped you in court to get custody of me.”
“Do you have pictures of his arm then?” Marcus asks.
“I’m sure somewhere. Everything was documented. It wasn’t exactly an easy feat adopting a human child who was currently still with their mother. Let me look into it and get back with you.”
“You have none of the burn scars above the cap, right?” Marcus asks.
“No. They were mostly on my forearm.”
“Let’s see what information we can dig up, I’ll get my brother, and we’ll reconvene,” Marcus says.
I turn to Orin. “I wanted you to see the people I have helping me and I wanted to assure you that I am a part of this team. I don’t want to hide and force them to face my demons for me. So please, please support me when I tell you I’m going to be a part of this.”
Orin’s quiet but he reaches out for my hand, which I give him. “Okay. Just please, I’m begging you, be careful. I love you so much, kid. It doesn’t matter what blood you have running through your veins, you’re my son, and I can’t lose you again.”
His words are packed with so many emotions that I have to force myself just to nod because I’m not sure I could trust my voice. I’m glad Marcus forced me to tell Orin. He’s always been such a big part of my life that I can’t imagine doing any of this without him.
How to Elude a Vampire (VRC: Vampire Related Crimes Book 2) Page 13