by Mary Abshire
“Did you change to try to talk to him at his house?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“He killed a human at the club. He could’ve killed others.” Zale took offense to the question and reflected as much in his tone.
Gordon lowered his arms and stiffened in his seat. “I realize he killed an innocent person, but we could’ve handled his punishment here. If he’d been given a chance, he could’ve given you information to help find his girlfriend or her abductor. He obviously wanted help finding her or he wouldn’t have gone to the one place where he thought someone might know something. But now, you’ll have to spend time going through the list and try to match up her name or picture if you have one.”
Zale lowered his gaze. He would’ve liked to know more about her too, but it had been too late once Robert had taken the hostage.
“His girlfriend could be one of the names on the list or she could be one female we found at the warehouse,” Zale said.
“I reviewed the pictures of the warehouse you sent me. I don’t want anyone else to see them.”
“I can’t confirm anything, but it looked as if they had been tortured. Have you ever heard—”
“No, not in my lifetime. I sent the photos to the DS and consulted with them. Aziel said demons used torture many, many centuries ago. For them to use it now is unusual. He wants this to remain quiet so it doesn’t start rumors or create a panic.”
“We couldn’t find the heads at the warehouse. We looked.”
“Really?” Gordon asked, surprised. “I didn’t know that. I’ll have to send him a message. That could mean something or it may not. I don’t know, but I don’t want to hold back any details at this point.”
“Can you call the local DS and see if they’ve heard of any reports of vamps causing trouble?”
“Sure. I’m interested to know as well.” Gordon rose. “And so you are aware, I’m thinking we may need to work side-by-side with them. They’re struggling to control the demon population. Right now, they’re focusing on finding the master demon. If they can locate the master, they can exorcise the demon and all the ones the master brought over will go back to Hell. The DS can’t offer much help to us, but a joint effort might be needed to get to the heart of the problem.”
“I’m willing to share any information we have as long as they are too. And I’ll do whatever it takes to end the violence and save lives.”
“I realize you want justice, but we are in the midst of something big. It may be an outbreak. It may not be. We need as much information as we can gather right now. I need you to have more patience with vampires.”
Zale inhaled a long breath and nodded.
“Find out what you can about Mr. Galloway’s girlfriend. I’ll contact the DS.”
“Thanks,” Zale said as Gordon left his office.
Zale pressed his palms together, leaned over his desk, and pressed his forefingers to his lips. As if he didn’t have enough to do, now he had his boss telling him to reserve judgment. For the first time in his career, he questioned if had made the right choice when he’d destroyed Robert.
Chapter Nine
Zale strode into Ray’s office and shut the door behind him. His partner lifted his head and widened his eyes as Zale approached him.
“Something wrong?” Ray asked.
Zale sat on the edge of the chair facing Ray’s desk. “Do you think I should’ve spared Robert to get information from him?”
Ray’s brows tightened. “What? No. He killed someone.”
With one hand on his knee, he bent forward. “I admit I was angry about him killing. But think about it, if I had changed and tried to talk to him, we wouldn’t be spending time to get information about her which may or may not lead us to the person who kidnapped her.”
Ray shook his head. “Listen, Robert was furious. You saw him. He wouldn’t have cooperated.”
“We don’t know that.”
Ray tilted his head and pierced Zale with his gaze. “Come on, man. Do you really think he would’ve calmed down to answer questions from an UoJ agent?”
“He was upset and wanted help. He was showing it through his anger.” Zale rose. “If I had given him a chance he could’ve helped us. We could’ve brought him here for his punishment.”
Zale began pacing on the side of Ray’s desk. He couldn’t stop thinking about the matter. Too many lives were at stake. The future of vampires was up in the air. He wanted to save lives and keep peace. Yet, had he acted impulsively?
“You barked at him.” Ray shrugged. “I guess you could’ve tried harder to talk to him, but there was no guarantee he would’ve given any information.”
Zale stopped and ran his fingers through his locks. Ray’s words hit a bone with him. The slightest chance he could have gathered information, no matter how small, indicated Zale had jumped the gun. If they were ever going to find out who was destroying vamps, he needed to hold back his temper and avoid rushing to judgment.
“All right. I need to do better. We can’t afford to miss out on any details that can lead us the ones responsible for destroying vampires.” Zale returned to the chair in front of Ray’s desk.
“Sure. Anyway, I have some good news.” He pointed to one of his monitors. “I just confirmed identities to the three email addresses we obtained from Robert’s computer.”
“How did you do that so fast?”
“We got lucky. The addresses all have the same domain extension. I Googled it and discovered the extension belongs to the state’s transportation department. I called a little while ago and these three individuals work for a special section. They monitor and check on supernaturals moving in and out of the state. For security purposes, they rotate schedules. And get this, Robert worked there too.”
Hope surged through Zale and he shot up from the chair. “This is good news. If they all worked together, they were probably friends. They would’ve shared information.”
“Exactly.”
“We need to talk to them. We need to make sure they don’t start any trouble. And we need them to spread the word we want to help them.”
Ray’s happy expression died. “What?”
“We don’t want vampires creating any kind of panic or taking out their frustration in public. They’ve heard rumors of missing vamps and some have lost a friend or lover. If word spreads, they could collectively go out and demand answers. Our jobs will become ten times worse. We need to calm them down and get them to work with us. Give us tips, names, descriptions of suspects, anything to help us stop whoever is destroying their kind.”
“Shouldn’t the Divine Syndicate handle this matter?”
“They can’t. Gordon informed me they are busy trying to find the master to control the demon population.”
Ray leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I thought our job was investigate corpses of potential vampires, find out who is destroying them, and to try to stop the person or persons. When did we become crusaders? Why not let the vampires take care of matters themselves?”
“Right now they need our help and we need theirs to get to those responsible for kidnapping and wiping them off the Earth. Our job hasn’t changed. We just need to work with them better.”
“We’re trying to save lives. To do that, I think we should focus on our main tasks at the moment. One man’s moment of rage doesn’t mean others will follow. The DS should put the word out to keep their own kind under control or they will pay the price with the Union of Justice.”
Zale stiffened. “Threatening those who are seeking answers doesn’t help our situation. We need cooperation.”
Ray lowered his gaze and shook his head. “I’ll do what you tell me to do, but it doesn’t mean I agree with it.”
“Send me the information you have and I’ll follow up with the three vamps. Contact the club and talk to the bouncer again. Get as much information as you can about Bethany. Cross-reference her name or ph
oto from your memory with the list you obtained last night. And find out what you can about the corpses from the warehouse. I’d like to know the identities of them too.”
“Sure thing,” Ray said as he turned to his monitor.
Zale left Ray’s office and headed back to his own. He gathered his partner didn’t seem to realize the importance of working with vampires. They weren’t Zale’s favorite group on the planet either, but aiding them would ultimately lead both agencies to accomplishing their goals. Saving lives and restoring peace was the prime objective no matter the cost. Zale needed to do a better job of setting an example.
Chapter Ten
May 16th
Sitting on the edge of his bed at his house, Zale tied the laces on his shoes. The perfume of the woman he’d slept with lingered on the tossed covers. He needed to have the sheets washed, but he didn’t have time to throw them in the machine. One of the office employees had woken him over an hour ago and had advised him he needed to go to a crime scene per Gordon’s request. The sun hadn’t even set yet. Regardless, when the boss wanted him to investigate a matter, Zale never refused.
Dressed in his usual jeans and fitted gray t-shirt ensemble, he grabbed his phone from the nightstand and then headed for the door. On his way out of the house, he considered calling Ray. The small disagreement they’d had earlier in the morning hadn’t left Zale’s mind. Zale needed to be a better leader to his peers. Yes, bringing the bad guys to justice was important. But the actions of a few shouldn’t paint a negative picture on everyone in the same species. Zale also needed to push aside his memories and avoid letting his biases cloud his judgment. The future of so many rested on decisions of the present.
The drive to downtown Indianapolis took him almost a half hour. He cursed at the traffic and the glaring sun dipping beyond the horizon. Since he worked mostly nights he hadn’t bothered to buy a new pair of shades. A vamp had broken his last ones while trying to win a fistfight. The vamp had strength, but he lacked the right moves to triumph.
Past the hospital and several campuses for the local downtown college, Zale reached the address to the crime scene. According to his instructions, he was to park on the lot for the science building and walk to the backside of it. An officer would be waiting for him. Spotting the police cruiser in the front, he steered toward an empty space near the marked vehicle.
The air contained a mixture of scents as he strode toward the side of the tall brick building. Mold, mildew, and moisture carried in the breeze. The trickle of water nearby along with the thick scent of it led him to believe he was near a river or stream. He also picked up traces of decay, but the trash bins overflowing with garbage beat out the other smells. He passed the receptacles to reach the back of the campus building.
A uniformed woman with dark hair pinned in a bun behind her head stood about a hundred feet away, staring at the river. Zale crossed the yard, heading toward her. The tall grass swished under his feet. Someone needed to mow the lawn soon. The cop turned to face him as he approached.
“I was sent to look at a body,” he said as he approached her.
She had tanned skin, brown eyes, and a set of plump lips he enjoyed staring at. Her large breasts held his attention too.
She smiled as she raked her gaze down him. “And you’re a detective?”
“In many ways.” He winked at her.
“Looks like they sent the right person for the job.”
He grinned. “My name is Zale. What have you got for me?”
She started heading toward the river. “One of the kids was looking out the top window of the campus and found the body. I haven’t been here long. The officer before me told me someone would arrive to look at it.”
Following her, he marveled at her curves and the way her slacks hugged her round ass. “Show me what you’ve got.”
Her lips curled as she glanced at him from over her shoulder. “I walked along the river and found something else you might be interested in.”
“I’m interested in whatever you have.”
She chuckled. “I didn’t touch or move anything.”
“Let me do the touching.”
She stopped and faced him. “Are you flirting with me, sir?”
“Officer, a man should never ignore a good looking woman. Yes, I am flirting with you.”
Her grin widened. She turned and pointed. “The body is down there. I’ll stay here.”
Zale continued to the spot she’d directed him to go. The rotting odor strengthened as he strode down the hill. Water lapped against the large rocks. A hundred feet later, he spotted a headless body resting on a boulder. The stream could’ve carried the corpse and pushed it onto the rock. As he drew closer, he noticed the hand was missing from the right arm. The river hid the bottom portion of the other arm.
He stopped a few feet from the corpse. The attire suggested the departed had been a male. The only way to know for certain would be to flip the body over. Since he’d have to get his feet and legs wet, he decided against moving the corpse. Much of the white skin had been eaten away, leaving only bones. Zale scratched his chin, wondering why a hand had been cut off. Each crime scene he visited seemed to have some kind of new detail. He removed his phone from his back pocket and then took a few snapshots.
“The other item is down there,” she called out.
Holding his cell at his side, Zale followed the direction she pointed to. A good fifty feet away, he spotted a large black bag, the kind one would carry to a gym, wedged between the rocks. He left the corpse and headed toward the bag.
He stopped as close as he could get without getting wet. Curiosity gnawed at him to retrieve the bag. He shoved his phone in his back pocket as he stepped out of his shoes.
“What are you doing?” she called out.
He removed his socks and then tugged his jeans up. “I need to know what’s in the bag.” Pants scrunched to his kneecaps, he headed for the river.
The cool temperature of the water soothed his skin. His feet sank deep into the mud. Reaching a big rock, he stepped onto it. He steadied himself as he stepped from one boulder to the next. A strong decaying smell seeped from the bag and he wrinkled his nose. Once he claimed one end of the cloth, he lifted it and headed back. He tossed the bag onto the land before he leaped.
“Wow, very impressive,” she said as she approached.
He wiped his feet on the grass, clearing off the mud. “I can impress you in other ways if you’re interested.”
She smiled for a short moment and then brought her hand to cover her nose. “What the hell is that? It stinks.” She took several steps back.
Zale knelt near the bag and then shifted it right side up. The rotting smell poked at his gag reflex. He hated being so close to the source of bad odors. With the bag right side up, he tugged on the zipper and it slid with ease. Holding his breath, he widened the mouth of the opening and peered inside. Four heads with pallid skin faced up. And one of them had dirty-blonde hair tangled across the boney face.
The officer gasped. “Are those heads?”
“Looks like it.”
He wiped his fingers on his shirt before he retrieved his phone. As quick as he could, he photographed the contents. He had to shift the bag a few times to get good angles of the faces on each end. All four had sunken eyes and white skin covering bone. The tips of canines revealed their species. He sealed the contents after he finished snapping pictures.
“Don’t look too close inside. Let the people at the morgue deal with this,” he said as stood.
“No problem.”
He pushed his jeans back down to his ankles. After he slid one sock on and then the other, he pushed his feet into the shoes. “Well, officer, do you have a number I can reach you at if I have any questions, such as when you might be available for dinner sometime?”
She grinned and slid her tongue between her lips. As he approached her, she removed her phone from her back pocket. “What’s your numb
er?”
Zale read off his digits to her and she typed them on her cell.
“Do I get to know your name?” he asked.
“Marie Rodriguez.”
He extended his hand to her. “A pleasure to have met you. I hope you call me.”
She shook his hand. “I plan on it.”
Zale left the cute cop and headed back to his car. Along the way he sent the photos to Gordon and Henry. Four heads and one body didn’t add up. There had been four headless corpses at the warehouse. He had to wonder if the missing heads were the ones in the bag. Someone would have to check the DNA for matches. He sent such a note to Gordon.
The sky had darkened since he’d arrived at the campus. He doubted his boss or many of the night crew had made it to the office yet. With time to kill, he reviewed the note on his phone with the addresses to the three vampires who worked in the state’s transportation department. One of the addresses was a few miles away. He decided to see if the vamp might be at home.
The number of stoplights on the city streets annoyed him. He made it through one and had to stop at the next and so on. Many people were walking around and enjoying the pleasant weather. The city had grown at a fast rate in the last forty years. A wealth of condos had popped up downtown. The mall had been built almost twenty years ago. Conventions brought in thousands. New stadiums had been erected. Yet, with all the growth, crime, drugs, and poverty remained high. When would the politicians and leaders notice?
Zale steered down a street a few blocks away from the state fairgrounds. Large homes on both sides of the street, several Victorian, dated back at least a hundred years and appeared well maintained. Many had gates blocking driveways and tall brick fences. Vintage light poles added a touch of elegance to the area. Finding the address for Tim Landers, Zale stopped the car on the side of the street.
He left the Explorer and headed for the gated driveway. Since there wasn’t a way to get to the house without scaling the brick wall, he stopped at the key panel on the side of the gate. He pressed the call button and the orange light flickered. Glancing up, he found a camera at each end of the gate.