On Pins and Needles: Sierra Fox, Book 3

by Yolanda Sfetsos

  Funny that I’d never thought of any of the hunters as vigilantes, but he was right. They might hunt and eliminate creatures of myth, but they still did it in secret and in the dark.

  “Isn’t this what you do? You’re a vampire hunter, so here’s an opportunity for you to hunt another nasty parasite.”

  “Okay, fine!” He turned to head back inside. “But I’m taking my bike.”

  “I don’t care if you walk there, let’s just go.”

  With plenty of speeding on my part, it only took twenty minutes to reach the location Gareth had given me. I parked the car in a loading zone, hoping no one would bother to fine me on a Sunday morning. Conrad stopped right behind us.

  As soon as I stepped out of the car, the constable approached us. He paused near another officer, pointed at my car and the bike, said something to her and the other cop nodded.

  I tried not to focus on the nosy crowd already gathering behind the police barrier tape.

  “Hey, Sierra, glad you could make it so quickly.” The constable was wearing his uniform, minus the black vest.

  “Hi Gareth, this is Conrad Hicks. If anyone can help us with any questions we have about vampires, it’s him.” I turned to the man I liked to call Vamp Boy. “This is Constable Gareth Crewe.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Gareth said, shaking hands with Conrad who nodded in return. “Good morning, Jason.”

  Papan shook his hand as well and I couldn’t help but feel the testosterone mounting in the air. Too bad we weren’t dealing with demons, because I could’ve used a little extra estrogen around here right now.

  “The body’s this way.” We followed him into a stingy one-way alley. “The fast food cook heard some commotion and went outside to see what was going on. By the time he got there, she was already dead. It’s a real shame. She’s as young as the other one.”

  I took a step towards her.

  “Sierra, be careful. This one’s a lot worse than the other one,” Gareth warned.

  I didn’t slow my pace but my heart fell when I saw the redhead lying on the ground like a discarded doll. She was petite, like Willow, and both her arms and legs were askew. Someone had taken what they wanted before throwing her to the ground. The top of her head was matted with blood and the left side of her face was bruised. She also looked as gaunt as Rima had, but the bite marks on her throat weren’t meticulous. This poor girl’s skin was torn right off, exposing tendons and muscles. It was hard to reconcile what was left of her with the happy face I’d seen in the photos.

  I also couldn’t stop the condition of Benita’s corpse from flashing inside my mind.

  “Can you see her, like you did the other girl?” Gareth asked.

  I shook my head, somewhat grateful he’d interrupted my uncomfortable thoughts. But how could I tell him there was no way Ronnie could leave any ghostly residue because she was a poltergeist with a human host?

  He frowned. “Why not?”

  I looked at Papan and he shrugged. “We’re probably going to need his help to sort through all of this anyway.”

  Gareth’s brow furrowed. “What’re you two talking about?”

  I sighed, temporarily distracted by Conrad who stalked past me to crouch beside the corpse. His lips were pressed together in a grim line as he regarded the dead girl. He looked more serious than I’d ever seen him. Well, maybe the same as he’d looked when we’d found out Mace was holding Ebony hostage in an attempt to get to me.

  “We know who this girl is,” I said, looking back at Gareth. “I don’t know her surname, but her name’s Ronnie.”

  He checked his notebook. “It’s Veronica Parks. How did you know?”

  “She’s Willow’s best friend.”

  His eyes widened. “This is your sister’s best friend?”

  I nodded. “She must’ve died about an hour ago, because we saw her ghost back at my house just before you called.”

  Gareth ran a hand over his growing curls. “Okay, I have no idea what you’re talking about, so I’m going to need some details.”

  “We’ve been trying to get to the bottom of why Willow was hiding in my office,” I said with a sigh. “And I think I’m starting to get a good idea of what’s going on.”

  “Well I’m glad you are, because all I can see so far is the pattern of a killer who has a demented eye for teenage girls.” Gareth looked over his shoulder at Conrad.

  “So, did a vampire kill her?” I asked the vampire hunter.

  Conrad stared at Ronnie for several silent seconds before he stood and faced us, one hand on his hip, the other swinging at his side. “The bad news is that yes, this girl was attacked by a vampire. The even worse news is that it wasn’t an ordinary bloodsucker.”

  “There are different types of vampires?” Gareth asked, looking a little more confused by the minute.

  Conrad nodded. “Vampire legends exist all over the world. Sure, the main vamps are the ones we all know about from fiction. They have fangs, need to drink blood to survive, can glamour a human to do their bidding, play around with their memories, make them forget things—that sort of thing. But there are other bloodsuckers, and some of those steal much more than blood. I’m not sure what this one was, but I can feel the power still clinging to this corpse.”

  I couldn’t believe this. “Are there any vampires with tails?”

  Conrad snorted. “Oh yeah, there’s only one badass vampire with a tail and that’s the Lamia. They’re not common around here—maybe in Arab and Slavic nations but not in Australia.”

  I tried to swallow, but found doing so hard. I’d already read a little about this creature. In Greek mythology she was supposed to be a child-eating demon, while in folklore she became a vampire who seduced young men and women before feeding on their blood to the point of emptying them enough to steal their souls.

  “Could one of those have done this?” Papan asked, pointing at Ronnie.

  Conrad nodded. “Sure, a Lamia could be responsible for this, but so could an average run of the mill vampire with a lot of age. I haven’t heard of any new vampires hitting Sydney lately—there would’ve been talk in the night. Leave it with me and I’ll troll some of the more popular parasite clubs I know. I should be able to get some answers there.”

  “Was she in a club?” I asked Gareth.

  “No, she was seen walking up and down this street, as if she was looking for someone. She stopped, had a burger and fries then no one saw her again.”

  I really wished I’d gotten a chance to speak with her spirit. Though, of course, maybe I still could. Just because I’d never come face-to-face with poltergeists attached to a human host didn’t mean I couldn’t communicate with them. I’d interacted with quite a few without ever seeing them. This would just be a little different. And if all else failed, maybe Willow could do the talking. If she was a necromancer and these spirits were clinging to her, surely she had a better chance of interacting.

  Yet, judging by her lapse in recalling Ronnie’s spirit had come to her, she clearly had some sort of issue blocking her talent.

  “Is that all you need me for?” Conrad stuck his hands in his jeans pockets. “I need to get going.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, sure. Thanks for checking this out and don’t forget to give me a call. I want to know what you find out.”

  “Of course you do,” Conrad said with a smirk. He waved at Papan and Gareth before storming off down the alley and back to his bike.

  “So, at least we now definitely know we’re dealing with some sort of vampire,” Gareth said with fake enthusiasm.

  “I think Willow had some preternatural problems at home, and that’s why she ran away.”

  “Ah, so you are getting to the bottom of this…good. According to her father, the only problem they had involved a boyfriend.” He rubbed his chin. “Listen, I can’t leave until the detectives get here and I’ll have to take a few more statements, but do you mind if I stop by your house later to talk to Willow?”

  “Be my guest,” I
said.

  “Gareth, when you met Willow’s father, was there a woman with him?” Papan asked, apparently still in private investigator mode.

  He shook his head. “He was alone. I remember thinking how empty and cold the house felt. Almost as if it was missing something…”

  It was probably missing humanity, but I didn’t say this out loud.

  “If you two get out of here as fast as your friend did, I won’t even have to tell anyone you were here.”

  “What about the other cop?”

  “Don’t worry about her.” The smile he flashed was vibrant and showcased his very straight and white teeth. “Thanks for coming.”

  “No problem.”

  Papan put an arm around my waist and we headed back to the car. Once we’d secured our seatbelts and I had the car in the flow of traffic, he finally spoke. He’d been very quiet at the crime scene and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he’d noticed something the rest of us hadn’t, or if something else was bugging him.

  “The splash of blood in that alley was even worse than the last one,” he said. “If I had to hazard a guess, I would say this kill was filled with a lot more rage. The precision of the other attack was definitely not shown in this one, and the magical cleanup wasn’t as thorough.”

  “Like the psycho who killed Ronnie was trying to get something out of her and freaked out when the poor girl had no answers?”

  “Exactly,” he said.

  I glanced over at him when I stopped at a red light. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  “I think I might be. Does it involve someone trying to track Willow down and leaving a trail of teenage bodies behind?”

  So he’d noticed. I was glad I wasn’t just forcing connections because of what Willow had told us, but I couldn’t help thinking about the woman she’d mentioned was involved with her father. If she happened to be a supernatural and wanted to use Willow badly enough to convince her father to make her raise the spirits of the dead, she would probably do anything to find her.

  “That’s exactly what I’m thinking. The fact Ronnie was in the city just aimlessly wandering around makes me think she might have been looking for Willow in the last spot they met. She admitted to staying in touch with her, so maybe this mysterious woman got wind of that and followed Ronnie.” I turned back to the road when the car behind me beeped. The light was green. “It’s probably a lot easier to corner and threaten someone in a back alley than it is in the suburbs. And maybe it even made the decision to kill her that much easier and a lot more anonymous.”

  “If what you’re saying is true, we have to make sure that we guard Willow a lot better than we have been.”

  As I drove, I tightened my grip around the steering wheel. Why did life have to be so difficult all the damn time? I’d only just discovered I had a half-sister, and now she was probably in mortal danger because someone wanted to use and abuse something she’d had no choice about. Having the Obscurus after me made me a lot more sensitive and protective of her. The last thing I wanted to do was let some bitch imprison Willow to use her as a handy raising-the-dead tool. I wouldn’t let such a horrifying fate become hers.

  “I’m just glad Gareth was the one who found Willow in my office.”

  “I think the constable will go out of his way to help you in any way possible.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Are you going to get started on that again?”

  “Oh, come on, admit it. He’s got a huge crush on you and is doing everything he can to have you around.”

  I didn’t believe that for a minute. Although Gareth did seem to be calling a lot and was always attentive, I had a feeling what he wanted from me was far from a romantic escapade.

  “Since you’re not biting, how about I tell you a few things I found out about Eli Moss?”

  “When did you look him up?” I glanced his way while taking a left.

  “Yesterday, when the cop first called you…”

  “Okay, I’m definitely going to bite now. What did you find out?”

  He turned slightly in his seat. “Eli Moss is a financial adviser who started his own business about twenty-five years ago, and has now become one of the biggest companies in the country. You might have heard of it—Regalia.”

  “Of course I have. The ads are everywhere.”

  “Anyway, he’s now in his early fifties and had been a bachelor until he met your mother.” He paused for a second, maybe gauging my reaction. “They dated for about six months before they were married and Willow came a few years later. He’s got an interesting past, which took a little extra digging to find. Willow was right about her father’s grandmother—she was the well-known Jacinta Mills.”

  “Well known in which circles? The name doesn’t ring a bell with me.”

  “They called her a psychic—just like Shapiro labeled you—but she was a necromancer who could gather information from corpses. She helped the police many times by miraculously knowing who killed a multitude of people, but she also did some sideshows. She made quite a buck pretending she could read these dead people when in fact she could actually raise their spirits and find out whatever she wanted to know.” Papan took a breath. “Eli was obsessed with her, or maybe it was with her talent…but I can understand why he feels ripped off about not inheriting the gift.”

  “Because it’s only passed down through the female gene…” I sighed. “I just don’t understand why he would tell someone else about it. If it’s a talent he desperately wanted to have and instead his daughter got it, why parade her around to his latest girlfriend? Why not keep it to himself?”

  Papan looked thoughtful. “Maybe he was showing off.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, we don’t know what the mysterious woman wanted with Willow, but her father might just see her as a way of making extra money, like his grandmother did. Jacinta made a lot of money using her talent.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “Somewhere in Europe,” he answered.

  “What about Eli’s parents?”

  “Strange thing about them is that I can’t find any actual records. There are names and ages, but no real records. Almost as if they never existed…”

  “Creepy,” I whispered. “None of this makes any sense.” And since Willow claimed her father was fine until she started developing these necromantic powers, what would possess him to change his tune? Was it to continue what his grandmother began so many years ago? And why the hell had he encouraged Willow to find me? The only real reason I could think of was the constant bane of my existence—my so-called power.

  This was all starting to give me a headache.

  “It won’t make sense until we have all the pieces. There are still too many things up in the air—pieces of the puzzle that don’t fit anywhere,” Papan said, placing a hand on my thigh. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure it out.”

  I signaled, drove up the driveway of my house and parked the car. I turned to face Papan. “Thanks for looking him up,” I said.

  “I’m here to help you with anything I can.” Papan’s eyes were bright, staring into mine. I loved how they changed shades to match his mood. “Now that things are different between us, I don’t want you to think I just want to enjoy you in the bedroom—though we both know how much I enjoy that.” He winked. “The best thing about what we have is that it’s built on a strong friendship and mutual respect.” He took my hand in both of his. “I would’ve risked my life for you before any of this.”

  “And you did.” I shivered at the thought of him saving me from Mace in the cemetery. “You know I would do the same for you—now and then.”

  Papan raised my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. “I’m going to help you sort this out, as well as figure out the best way to keep Willow safe.”

  “I think the best way to do that right now is to keep her here, under Oren’s protective watch and magical shields, away from prying eyes—”

  The front door opened and Willow
ran out, dashing down the steps with Oren hot on her heels. “Willow, wait!” he shouted, trying to catch up.

  “What the hell?” I said.

  “What were you saying?” Papan asked as we both rushed out of the car. “Whoa! Where are you running to?” He stepped in front of Willow, forcing her to stop before she could race past him.

  “I need to go!”

  “Why and where do you need to go?” I asked, coming around to stand in front of her as well. She looked like she had been crying.

  “I need to make sure my friends are all right.”

  Oren stood behind her. “She saw a news update, featuring one of her friends.”

  “Oh.” I looked at her, surprised at how quickly the girl’s death had been reported. I hadn’t noticed any news vans this time. Besides, did this mean she now remembered what happened earlier? “I’m so sorry about Ronnie.”

  Willow’s eyes were wet again. “She’s not who I’m talking about.”

  “Who are you talking about, then?”

  “My friend Rima,” she blurted, and the tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “I don’t think we should be out here for too long,” Papan whispered. “We don’t know who could be watching or listening.”

  “I agree with Jason.” Oren made a grab for her arm but she yanked it aside before he could.

  It took me a while, but I finally digested what she’d said. “Rima McNamara was your friend?”

  “Yes.” Willow’s tears slid down her face. “She wasn’t one of my best friends, but we hung out sometimes.”

  At least that explained why Rima wasn’t attached to her—only the people she held dearest returned.

  “And now she’s dead, just like Jamie and Ronnie. Why do I have to lose everyone?” Willow asked desperately.

  “So you remember what happened to Ronnie?” I peered over her head to glance at Oren.

  “Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I’m sorry—”

  “Why is this happening to me?” she cried.

  I sighed. It was time to catch her up with the events of the last few days. I was determined to keep her in the loop, maybe then she wouldn’t storm off or sneak out when we weren’t watching. With everything we knew and suspected I didn’t want her to become an easy target.