by E G Bateman
Dick’s brow furrowed. “Theoretically.”
“That’s what we killed in Cabo.” She focused on Betsy. “Caleb’s still alive and he’s coming after you. He’ll try to locate you but the attack could be physical or psychic. I think it’s best to move you to Fae.” She grinned when Betsy downed the shot on the counter.
Dick was a blur. In seconds, he had already moved two of the woman’s cases into the room while messaging Joseph.
Lexi thought for a moment, then spoke to him. “There are a few other people I need here. I imagine Joseph could help us with that if he feels like it. How’s Thomas?”
“It’s about time for him to wake up. It might help to contain the situation if the first thing he sees is a Kindred legacy holding something long and pointy.”
“Bring Betsy. I don’t want her out of my sight, but I want both of you to stand between her and Thomas when he wakes up.” She led the way to the other apartment and they waited for the vampire to open his eyes. After a few moments, they were joined by Dick and Betsy, who held the glass and bottle.
She expected the healed vampire to spring into action, but when his eyes opened, he merely lay there and stared at the ceiling.
Her first thought was that he might be paralyzed. “Can you move?”
He nodded slowly. “Are they all gone?”
“Everyone who was there,” Scott answered. “All the vampires and a couple of donors.”
Dick stood with Betsy behind him. “I have some blood bags. Is that okay for you?”
“I’m good, thanks.” Thomas continued his fixed stare.
Lexi wondered if she’d misunderstood his response. “You lost considerable—”
“I lost everything. You should have let me go.”
She decided she didn’t have time for this. “You can meet the sun when Lorenzo’s dead.”
He barked a laugh, then looked at her. “I don’t think you know what you’re dealing with.”
“We know exactly what we’re dealing with, and we need all the help we can get. Dick, get the blood.”
In Lexi’s apartment, the fae door appeared. She leapt to her feet and walked to it. Her boss entered the room and the portal behind her vanished.
“What do you know about doppelgängers?” the girl asked immediately.
Dolores straightened her already pristine skirt suit and placed her purse on the table. “I know they’re difficult to make. It takes thirteen sorcerers.”
Scott looked at Lexi. “Thirteen mages. The Kindred council.”
“Well, Kindred outlawed the practice but that’s probably why there were originally thirteen on the council. There are several spells, all of which require thirteen.” The woman looked at him. “You don’t know any of this?”
He blushed. “I guess I missed that day at Mage School.”
She sighed. “It’s advanced and the details of the spell-work, like everything else in that ridiculous organization, is quite secretive. But I do know this—the magic requires that the sorcerers participating in a spell to create a doppelgänger each have to donate a piece of themselves. Traditionally, the tip of a finger.”
Lexi nodded. “We’ve seen the chief of police. He’s Kindred and two of his fingers were missing their tips. One recent and bandaged, and the other had long healed.”
Scott shook his head. “The chief wasn’t a sorcerer. I’d have known.”
“Each sorcerer can use a proxy,” the fae explained. “Whom do you suspect of being a doppelgänger?”
The girl sat heavily. “Caleb’s not dead, he’s after Betsy, and it looks like he might be the head of the Kindred council.”
“At least, that’s what the chief thinks,” Scott added. “We know how manipulative Caleb can be.”
Dolores’s eyebrows raised in alarm. “The head of the Kindred council tried to release a high-level demon from a hell dimension?”
“Is trying. It’s still in his head. We eavesdropped and heard it telling him it was getting closer.” Lexi stood. “What does that mean? I thought the portal to that dimension couldn’t open here for hundreds or thousands of years.”
The woman thought for a moment. “He might try to make his way through other dimensions. How did Betsy take it?”
“She’s through here.” She led her boss to the other apartment where Dick was seated on the couch and Thomas in the chair opposite.
“Good evening, William.” Dolores smiled. As she approached the couch, she noticed Betsy asleep on his shoulder, cradling the half-empty bottle of Jack Daniels.
“I see.” She sighed, retrieved her cell, and typed a short message.
Lexi shook her head. “I don’t understand. Okay, he looked exactly like Caleb—which is kind of the point, I suppose. But he sat up before I took the shot and looked directly at Betsy, and I would swear he recognized her. Azatoth has some revolting plans for her, by the way.”
Betsy straightened suddenly. “Caleb and Azatoth can kiss my wrinkly old butt.” She slumped against Dick’s arm again. He tried to use the opportunity to maneuver the bottle out of her hold but she wouldn’t release it.
Dolores pocketed her cell. “A sorcerer can maintain a psychic link with the doppelgänger. He probably watched out of the creature’s eyes.”
The inebriated woman began to snore and Dick slid the bottle gently out of her hand. “What exactly is a doppelgänger?” he asked softly. “I mean, what is it made from?”
“It’s a human, usually chosen for their size and shape.” The fae took the bottle from his hand and put it on a table. “Sometimes, but not always, they are a willing participant. The mind is wiped and replaced and the face altered by the spell.”
Lexi shook her head as she mentally replayed the shot she’d taken at Caleb’s heart. “Is the original always mentally linked to the copy and aware?”
“No, that would only happen if the original was a sorcerer. When the transformation is complete, the doppelgänger believes they are the original.”
She drew in a deep breath. “We have another problem. I think there’s another doppelgänger out there and I think it’s a copy of me. Since we got here, every supernatural creature in town has known who I am. I thought it was because a group of shifters had seen my scar.”
Scott’s jaw dropped. “Detective Broullard. At the crime scene, you said he didn’t ask your name or ask for ID. But there can’t be one of me because no one seems to know who I am.”
“And when I picked this vest up from Anne Bird’s store…” Lexi turned to Dolores. “You didn’t send this to Anne Bird for me.” It wasn’t a question, but the woman shook her head anyway.
“So that key we found in the pocket—” the sorcerer started.
“Must belong to the doppelgänger,” she finished.
She yanked the photo from her pocket and held it up. “This isn’t me.”
Her boss took the photograph and studied it. “Did you find out who the man is?”
“That’s the chief of police. He’s older now, of course, but easily recognizable.”
“The man missing the tips of his fingers.” The woman exhaled, her expression grim.
Lexi nodded. “He thinks I’m the doppelgänger, who Caleb specifically requested to investigate a shooting in Cabo.”
Dick twisted on the couch to face them. “But why would anyone make a doppelgänger of you? Okay, no offense, but what’s the point? You’ve said it yourself—as far as legacies go, you’re a dud.”
She stared at him.
He stroked an eyebrow. “Don’t give me the murder face. They were your words, not mine.” He propped the still snoring woman against the backrest and stood. “I’ll check the other apartment for anything belonging to Betsy.”
When he opened the apartment door, he stood face to chest with a huge man. He stumbled back. “Jesus!”
“Ah! Simon, there you are. Come on in.” Dolores beckoned to the man who had to stoop beneath the doorframe to enter. “This is Simon. He’ll help me with Betsy.”
/> The vampire narrowed his eyes. “I can carry her.”
“Dick—” The fae raised an eyebrow.
He rolled his eyes, “Et tu, Dolores.”
She smiled kindly. “I’m sure you understand that the fae don’t want a vampire loose over there.”
“Actually, I don’t. I’m fairly sure from what I’ve heard I’d be the least scary thing over there. Besides, you sylphs taste of ozone. Urgh!” He shuddered.
The woman leveled her gaze at him. “I won’t ask how you know that.”
“Dolores! I’ve dated fae.”
“He’s dated everything,” Scott muttered.
The vampire fixed him with an indignant look.
Lexi remembered that Betsy’s son was still in Fae. “How’s Todd?”
“Todd’s awake and doing very well. The fae girls are fighting over him. It’s for the best that Betsy’s coming over. If he stays there unchaperoned much longer, he’ll come back married.”
Dick smiled widely. “But fae babies are delightful. Who wouldn’t want those genes in their family? It didn’t do Grace Kelly any harm.”
“Or Halle Berry,” said a deep rich voice.
Lexi spun. “Joseph. I’d like a word with you in a moment.”
Dolores created a fae door and Scott pushed the bags through. Simon walked around the couch and lifted the sleeping Betsy gently into his arms. Dick stepped forward and kissed the young-looking woman on the head, then watched as the man stepped through the portal. On the other side, he turned and held a small, frail woman in her eighties.
The vampire smiled. “It’s been wonderful seeing her young again. She’s the last connection to who I was.”
“She’ll be safe.” Dolores patted his arm, then stepped through and the doorway was gone.
Lexi turned immediately to Joseph and pointed a finger at him. “You knew!”
“I did?” The man knew he wasn’t fooling anyone with his innocent face.
“About the doppelgänger here—with my face. You must have known. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“It’s not for the rest of us to interfere in the business of Kindred. Men have been killed for less. And how do you know that you are not the doppelgänger?”
That comment disturbed her more than she was willing to admit.
Chapter Forty-Six
A knock at the door delayed Lexi’s response as she went to see who it was. She peered through the peephole at Agatha with her parents.
She opened the door and smiled. “Hello, Agatha.”
The girl ran in, sat on the floor, and began to play with Marcel.
Her father sniffed. “I smell vamp—” He stopped when he saw the others around the room. After a wary moment of scrutiny, he nodded to Joseph and the couple sat at the table.
Lexi closed the door, looked at those gathered, and was a little surprised by the turnout. Scott, Dick, Joseph, Thomas were unsurprising, of course, but Anne was there with Sam and James as well. Geraldine had arrived soon after Broullard and now Agatha’s parents, who were called George and Olivia. Everyone had fallen silent and stared at her, obviously waiting for her to speak. She took a deep breath.
“My name is Lexi. Well, it’s Alexa but I go by Lexi. I used to be a Kindred legacy based in Texas, but I found myself at odds with their ethos and I left. This is Scott. He’s my blood match.” She paused to see the reactions. “Joseph already knows but the rest of you don’t seem surprised.”
Broullard raised his hand. “I’m surprised.”
Sam stared intently at her face. “How can you look so much like Ali? Okay, you don’t have the scars, but I assumed you used magic to hide them. Are you sisters?”
So that’s what they call her. I wonder why they didn’t steal my name along with my face.
“Scars?” she asked.
“Ali was mauled by a shifter about five years ago,” Broullard explained.
Olivia nodded. “I knew she was too nice. I said as much, didn’t I, George? And she smells different.”
James leaned back and folded his arms. “I thought maybe Alice had a stroke. Sometimes, that can make people behave differently and even smell different than supernaturals.”
“I thought she was a pod person,” George added.
The scrutiny made Lexi uncomfortable and she pushed on. “Since you’ve mentioned pod people, you should know why I’m here. I’ve tried to find information about my past. I was given this photograph.” She dropped it onto the table. “And I came to find out why I was here back then and who the man is.”
Broullard tapped the picture. “That’s my boss, the police chief.”
“I know that now. I’ve just learned it’s not me in the picture. It’s a doppelgänger.”
“You’re Dolores’ friend. I wondered why no one turned up for the documents.” Anne pointed at the linen vest. “So that’s not your vest.”
Lexi put a hand on the garment. “No. I guess not. But I really, really like it.”
James Bird shook his head. “How do we know Alice is the doppelgänger and not you? She’s been here for years.”
Joseph, who had leaned on the back of her chair, stood. “I can tell you with absolute certainty that Lexi is not a doppelgänger.”
She twisted in the chair to look into his face. “That’s not what you said earlier.”
“I was only having some fun.” He laughed and she bristled, feeling his joviality was inappropriate.
Everyone nodded and appeared to accept what she had said. She had imagined it would be a hard sell, but Joseph’s word seemed to carry considerable weight.
“I need to tell you what I learned today. Why you’re here.” She leaned forward. “It seems your local Kindred unit had an arrangement with Lorenzo. They allowed him to make a play for an extra city block while they were out of town.”
Broullard narrowed his eyes. “How could they know they’d be called away? Were they lying about the disaster in Palm Springs? Was it faked?”
Lexi shook her head. “No, it was orchestrated by a man we know as Caleb.”
The detective’s jaw dropped. “Caleb? The chief’s friend? He said that Caleb guy is high up in Kindred. I’m sorry, but this sounds less plausible.”
Thomas steepled his fingers and tapped them against his chin. “Lorenzo took far more than a city block.”
Joseph leaned lazily against the wall. “Lorenzo is now possessed by the spirit of Delphine LaLaurie.”
“Oh, shit.” Sam Bird and Geraldine said at the same time.
“What he did to me kind of makes sense now.” Thomas sounded hollow.
James straightened. “What did he do to you?”
The vampire refused to meet his gaze. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Dick pulled his cell out, scrolled, and showed it to the man.
He stared bug-eyed at the phone. “Fuuuuuck!”
Thomas glared at his fellow vampire. “You took pictures?”
“It’s evidence. I’m a PI.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Well, I am.” He smoothed an eyebrow.
Broullard frowned. “Licensed?”
“You say potato.” Dick poured himself a glass of bourbon.
Anne Bird shrugged. “What does all this have to do with us?”
“They have something else planned. This time, it's something involving the shifters tomorrow night. They mentioned the bayou, but I don’t know what they’re planning.” Lexi looked at Geraldine to see if it meant anything to her, but her gaze was drawn to Olivia who had covered her mouth with her hand.
“Tonight’s the eve of the full moon,” George answered. “The new shifters are out in the Bayou for their rite of passage. Their first change is at full moon tomorrow night. Some of them are already there. We were leaving to take Agatha when Joseph called.”
Lexi was horrified. “They’re already there?”
She patted Scott’s arm. “Get Dolores here.” She turned to Anne. “They have something planned for the witc
hes too, but we don’t know what or when.”
“Why are they doing this?” James asked.
Her face screwed up in disgust. “Population control. It’s a cull. Caleb has decided the supernatural community in New Orleans is too big to control.”
Broullard frowned. “I don’t know what you think I can do about this. If what you’re saying is true, we won’t be able to rely on any support from the department.”
“You’re here because we overheard a conversation between the chief and Caleb today. Apparently, you’ve asked questions—too many.”
The detective raised his eyebrows. “I did bombard the chief with questions today. What am I supposed to do about that?”
Dick put a glass of bourbon in front of the man. “Pal, if I were you, I’d take a few sick days on the other side of the world.”
Anne leaned forward. “How can we help?”
“Lorenzo and Delphine are the immediate problems. We need to get the possessed ring away from him. He’ll be easier to deal with and taking him out of play will set Caleb’s plans back. But I think it’ll take more than the handful of people we have here.”
Thomas rubbed his face, his expression grim. “I’ll speak to the other clans. The situation has been hostile lately and I’ve mediated relations between them. I think I have the respect of the other leaders, but I don’t have my clan behind me to watch my back anymore. It would help to have backup with me.”
“Dick and I will come with you.” Lexi turned to Scott. “I’ll need you to help get the kids out of the bayou and keep them somewhere safe.”
“It’ll be difficult to protect that many people. I already have a permanent shield on us so Kindred can’t find us.” He checked his cell. “Dolores will be with us in a few minutes.”
Sam looked at her mother. “We should touch base with the local covens. If something’s coming, we need to protect ourselves or get out.”
Her mother raised an eyebrow. “I won’t go anywhere. They won’t drive me out of town.”
Joseph pushed away from the wall he’d leaned against. “I’ll help with the children.”
“What can I do?” Broullard stood.
Lexi exhaled sharply and shrugged. “Honestly? Take your wife and get the hell out of town.”