Koha pointed at various parts of the target as he held the squealing vampire down.
“The higher you hit, the more it bleeds, because blood travels to the head. The lower you hit, the less it bleeds, but the more likely you can catch them if you injure its legs.”
Koha let go and Matt straightened himself, firing off another throw, striking the shoulder, bringing another scream of pain from her.
“Perfect,” Koha said in response, throwing him back the weapon and holding her down once more. “Do it again. Wait…” He held up a hand.
Koha heard rushing footsteps towards them, though much too frantic to be a vampire’s. “KOHA!”
“Akama, what’s goin’ on?”
“The coppers have got your brother! The coppers have got Calen.”
Koha’s throat tightened. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, hunet percent! They picked him up a few hours ago at another murder. They holdin’ ’im at the pig pen. They think he did it.”
“What? He’s only a kid!”
Koha turned away and held his breath. His mind raced. What the fuck am I gonna do? I have to get ’im out, but how? “Take her back to the Hollow and help him practice,” he said to Akama, angling his head toward Matt. “I’ll deal with this myself.”
Chapter 16
Long Time No See
Alex reached the phone on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Hi.”
Alex was dumbstruck for a moment. She had visualised this for many months, rehearsed it even, but now she had no idea what to say to Lauren. She had so many things she had wanted to say, so many things that didn’t matter anymore. Yet they still hurt, so perhaps they did matter.
“You still there?”
Alex began slowly pacing. “Uh, yeah. I’m still here.”
“So… How are you?”
“I guess I’m ok. Surviving, you know?”
“Yeah, I get that.”
“Did you want something?”
Lauren sighed on the other end. “I just wanted to talk to you, I guess. I miss you.”
Alex closed her eyes. She really didn’t know what to say to that. Do I miss her? Of course she did. They had been best friends. Roommates for years. That type of bond doesn’t just go away. But so much had happened.
“Hey, I don’t mean to cause a hassle, but I’m actually downstairs right now. In case you haven’t noticed, this is like painfully awkward over the phone.”
“Heh. Don’t you think it’ll be painfully awkward in person, too?”
“Yeah, but at least then I can look you in the eyes and say what I need to say.”
Alex let out a low breath. Fair enough. She was still unsure of what to do. The last time she had seen Lauren, really spoken to her, Lauren had broken Matt’s back and tried to kill her. The next time she had seen her at all was at the now-destroyed vampire mansion when the wolves had invaded Sydney. They’d seen each other but hadn’t spoken.
“Look, Alex, I just want to talk. I swear. Please?”
Dammit. “I’ll be right down.”
Alex put on a thin jumper and took her keys with her, stomach full of butterflies. She saw Lauren on the other side of the Perspex entryway and walked outside into the chilly night air.
“Thank you for this.”
Alex nodded and crossed her arms for warmth. Seeing this, Lauren removed her leather jacket and reached for her. “Here.”
Alex couldn’t help but pull back. “No, it’s fine.”
“Alex, I don’t feel the cold, remember? Besides, it’s yours. You gave it to me when you picked me up after my blind date left me stranded at St Micks pub on my birthday, remember? That was the night—”
“That you said you’d never celebrate your birthday without me again,” Alex finished for her, taking the jacket and putting it on. Her mind took her back to that night with Lauren in the back seat, cursing like a sailor at her blind date, singing along with the radio in a drunken show. Yet when Alex pulled up almost to this very spot, Lauren got out and hugged her. Lauren’s mascara was running, her lipstick smeared but she said through her liquor-enriched voice, “You’re the bestest friend I ever had.”
“Yes, I remember,” Alex cleared her throat. “What’s up?”
“I was um…in a fight a few nights ago. A bad one, actually.”
“Is there such a thing as a good one?”
Lauren snorted. “Right. But yeah, this time I was really close to death. I mean, you know, real death.”
“Geez. Some kind of vamp gang?”
“Just the one,” Lauren said, shaking her head. Alex saw what looked like genuine fear pass across her former friend’s face. “But he was like nothing I’ve ever seen. This was a whole new level of crazy strong. But anyway…” she waved her hand. “That’s not what’s important. When I thought I was blacking out for good, there was only one thing on my mind. You. That I would die there and never have the chance to tell you what you mean to me. How sorry I am for everything I did to you.”
“Don’t—”
“Wait a sec, please? Alex, I don’t expect you to be ok and that everything between us will be hunky dory. Dante has been helping me try to be a better person, and I’m really trying to listen to him. I know how badly I fucked up. How much I hurt you.”
“But do you? Do you really? You slept with my boyfriend, just to prove a point to me. You taunted me that you were going to do it, too. Remember? You weren’t even a vampire when you said that.”
“Alex, I know. I wasn’t myself.”
“You don’t think I know that? I’m the one who told you that at the time! I did everything I could to get you away from Ryan, away from that whole situation, but you wouldn’t listen to me. I tried. It’s too late for apologies.” The anger felt good; letting it all out felt even better.
“He was drugging me.”
“What?”
Lauren sidled over to the waist-high brick wall and sat on the edge. “I guess Dante didn’t tell you that part.”
Alex tried to keep her face from betraying how she felt. Frankly, she didn’t even know how she felt. “I haven’t seen him for weeks. But he never brought it up and I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to know.”
“Ryan was paid by some vampires to feed off me while he fucked me. They got off on the adrenaline and my agony. I screamed for someone to come, someone to help. Afterward, they’d wipe my mind so I would forget, and then they’d do it all over again every few days. But each time, I guess something eroded in my mind. I just got really sick. Really funny in the head. Ryan filmed each time and uploaded it to his website.”
Alex swallowed. Afraid she was going to be sick. She couldn’t believe this. She’d had some idea he’d been hurting her, but not this. No idea it was like this. She opened her mouth to say something, but Lauren put up her hand.
“Alex, I’m not here for sympathy. I don’t want you to feel sorry for me, only for you to try and understand. None of this is an excuse for what I did. I was in a rage when I was with Matt. I used him, to get blood. I wanted revenge. On him. You. Everyone. You just don’t know what it’s like to feel that hunger, that anger. Even if no one had done anything to me I wanted to hurt people. I feel terrible for so many things, but none of them more than what I put you through. You are the most beautiful person I know and you didn’t deserve any of that. I just, I had to try and talk to you. Alex…” Lauren finally broke, her emotions boiling over. “I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.”
The anger Alex had been feeling had faded into the background and she now couldn’t help the tears that threatened to escape. She looked at Lauren and took a step forward. They had both lost so much, and things were not right between them. Maybe they never would be, not in the same way. But she couldn’t stop herself embracing Lauren, as she continued to mumble frantic repetitions of “I’m so sorry.”
Lauren gripped her as she placed her head on her chest. Alex patted her blonde head and waited for her to quieten down. “I need to tell you that no
matter what, I can’t just forget everything. I can’t. I believe you when you say how sorry you are. And you’re right. I have no idea what it was like to go through what you did, and then to be turned. Horrible isn’t even the word. And I won’t forget that you sent me away that night from Ryan’s to protect me. I’ll remember that forever. We might not be ok now. But maybe, someday, we will be.”
Lauren nodded and gave her a quick squeeze. “Thank you for listening,” she sniffed, wiping her eyes. Alex helped her up and gave her a proper, if quick hug.
“I really missed you, too,” she said into Lauren’s shoulder. “Are you ok to get home?”
“Yeah,” Lauren replied as they broke apart. “I got a ride. Call me sometime, ok? Whenever you’re ready.”
Lauren gave her a half-smile and walked away. Alex called out and gently tossed the leather jacket back at her. When Lauren looked at her with a questioning glance, Alex replied, “Keep it. It looks better on you.”
*
Lauren climbed into the passenger seat, closing the door and holding the jacket carefully in her lap.
“How did it go?” Clive asked.
“Better than I’d hoped. I didn’t even think she’d talk to me.”
“That’s great, right?”
“It is. But it also showed me something I’d known but never told anyone.”
“What’s that?”
She gripped the jacket. “She’s amazing. Such a better person than me. I don’t deserve a friend like that, Lackey. I’m a screw-up. After everything I’ve done, the fact that she’s still willing to try and get through it with me is more than I would do. I know that. I don’t deserve her.”
“Of course you do.”
“C’mon, Lackey, don’t patronize me.”
“I’m not patronizing you!” Clive burst out. “I’m just sick of you putting yourself down.”
“Excuse me?”
“You have no idea how special you are. How beautiful, inside and out. You think you don’t deserve good things because you have a murky past, well…so what? We all do. You want to try and fix things. That’s more than most are willing to do. You know how much guts it took to come here and face her tonight? She could’ve shut the door in your face. You knew that, but you came anyway. And the fact that you bothered to try to reconcile in the first place. You recognise that she’s amazing. But you’d also better start realising that you’re amazing. You inspire me. It doesn’t matter who we were yesterday, only who we aim to be tomorrow. Give yourself some credit, for fuck’s sake.”
Lauren stared at him for several seconds, open mouthed. Unsure of how to respond to that. “Where the hell did that come from?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged, but Lauren could see his shoulders were shaking. He was terrified.
Lauren sat straighter in her seat, looking out onto the road, keeping her face neutral. Clive started the car, and put it into gear. As he shifted, she snatched his hand from the stick. She held it for several seconds and gave it a quick squeeze with a stroke of her thumb. She let it go, folded her arms, and looked out her side window. Anywhere but at him. It was the strangest feeling that seeing him—good, quiet, stupid, awkward Lackey—get worked up and angry, meant so much to her, but it also revved her engine.
Chapter 17
Who Are You?
Solomon gripped the boy by the shoulder and the elbow as he led him into the Mascot police station. To his credit, the lad hadn’t tried to resist. He probably wouldn’t have run anyway, but Solomon had been fooled before, back in his rookie days.
The boy was docile, which confused him. There was something in his face that said he could not have been a danger, and it was with this thought that Solomon had removed his handcuffs just before they entered the station. It was breaking protocol, but Crane felt leaving the cuffs on was unnecessary and harmful. Not just because the suspect was Aboriginal, but also that he was still a child. If Solomon wanted any information, he needed the kid to open up and feel as comfortable as possible. And on top of all that, he just couldn’t stand to see a kid in cuffs like that.
Solomon opened the nearest interview room and eased him inside. “Just in here, son. Take a seat and I’ll be back.” He closed and locked the door. From his desk, he collected the files he needed for the interview, grabbed the recorder, and… Speaking of which…
“Hey Beck?” Solomon leaned across and handed her his walkie-talkie recorder radio. “I’m about to do an interview with a homicide witness. Can you give this to the tech guys, please? It’s been making this really weird clicking noise and I think there might be something wrong with it. I want to be able to use the audio for evidence, so I’m hoping it’s still all there.”
“Sure, Sol. Your wife called earlier too, asking when you’d be home. Something about your daughter? I told her you’d give her a buzz ASAP.”
He thanked her and headed back down the corridor to the interview room. His daughter hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Something about a monster. A bad man. The same nightmare for a while. He had attempted to calm her down, yet it seemed the only way for her to get to sleep was if he was present in the room with her. He wanted to be there for her tonight. Hell, every night. But when things like this murder scene came across his desk, how could he abandon that? This Shadow Killer was no regular killer. There wasn’t a definition for this type of psychopath. The kid was his first real lead. Solomon didn’t care what it took, if he knew anything, Solomon had to know.
Solomon let himself inside and saw the boy seated at the table. He looked as if he were in the principal’s office, waiting to be chastised.
Solomon started the recorder and rattled off the date, location and his name. “Suspect is a male of probable Aboriginal decent, age and name unknown. Now, can you tell me your name?”
The boy blinked away at the table, as if no one else was in the room. “Son, can you understand me? Do you speak English?”
Solomon may as well have been talking to a wall.
“Look, I know you’re under no obligation…you don’t have to talk to me. But it would be much better for you and me if you did. I just want to know why you were there. If you didn’t see anything, fine. Even if you did, or heard something, that’s fine too. But a lady is dead and you’re the only one that knows what happened.”
“No, I’m not.”
Oh thank sweet Jesus. At least he can talk. “You’re not? You weren’t alone? Was there someone else there?”
The boy’s face had become frozen again, eyes lowered to the surface of the table.
“All right.” He leant back in the chair and crossed his arms. “Can you tell me why you were there in the first place?”
A shake of the head. He wouldn’t answer.
“I can understand if you’re afraid. But if you’ve done nothing wrong, you’ve got nothing to be afraid of.”
“Yes, I do. And so do you.”
Solomon paused here. For a young boy, such a cold tone of voice was unusual, and it hit Solomon like a brick. His eyes were hard; he believed what he said. “What does that mean? Who are you afraid of? Was there someone else there?”
The boy looked away. “White fulla not see anything. Not believe anything. No point.”
“Son…I really don’t want to keep calling you that. Could you please tell me your name?”
The boy slowly turned his inscrutable gaze to Solomon and scanned his face, perhaps deciding if he was worthy to hear it. “Calen.”
“Ok, Calen. Thank you. Now, we’re getting somewhere. Can you tell me what happened, what you saw and why you were there?”
“Like I said. No point.”
“Calen, this is an official investigation into a murder. You are the only witness so far. That means there is a big point to you telling me what you know. If you don’t tell me the truth, I can’t help you.”
“White fulla can’t even help themselves. Never mind anyone else.”
“Calen, I need you to be as direct with your answers as possible,
please. What do you mean?”
“You white fulla. Why would you look out for me?”
“Because it’s my job to uncover the truth and stop whoever is doing this.”
“You can’t. Because you don’ see!” Calen pointed towards his own temple. “You don’ believe. You don’ know. You don’ wanna know.”
“Calen, I’m telling you as plainly as possible. I do want to know. I want you to tell me. If you tell me, maybe I can help to stop them.”
“Oh yeah?” Calen leant forward. “You think you can stop it? How? What magic you got?”
“I don’t have any magic. I have the law.”
Calen scoffed. “Law don’ look like it helped the teacher lady today.”
“Teacher?” Solomon wrote down that piece of information. “So you knew her?”
“Lemme ask you a question. What did you see when you got in there?”
Ok…play along. Maybe it’ll get him to reveal more. “I saw the victim hanging from the ceiling. With…”
“Yeah…with what? Go on.”
Solomon swallowed hard. It didn’t feel right talking about this with the boy, but he had to try whatever he could. “With a pair of gardener’s weeding tools dug into her wrists. She was naked, beaten and there was blood all over her. Most likely all hers. Another victim of the Shadow Killer.”
“An’ how does the law explain that? And the hand prints?”
Solomon took a minute and thought about both the question and his answer. He went over it again. The drag marks indicated her being pulled back violently. But the hand prints? Until forensics got back to him with a report he couldn’t be sure. They looked very small to the naked eye. A woman’s size perhaps.
Ok, say she got away from the killer for a second, tried to crawl away? Solomon put himself mentally in the crime scene and tried to read the clues that were there. The prints had gone up the wall and then backwards across the ceiling, to where he had found her body hanging. Both of her wrists had been pierced and fastened to the ceiling using the instruments. There was certainly no way in hell she could have done that to herself. It wasn’t possible. The ceiling was at best guess ten feet high. And now looking across at Calen, it was plain to see he didn’t have the strength to do it either. There had to have been someone else there. But really it shouldn’t be humanly possible at all. Was this a clue? Was this what Calen was trying to tell him? Best to answer honestly.
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