A shadow passed over Seamus’s soul. What if the vampire in question had managed to hide his movements? Would that leave Seamus the only one with time unaccounted for? Logically, of course, the point could be made that he’d be unlikely to help collect evidence to convict himself. But if he’d refused, they would have already slapped him in chains or worse.
All he could do was hope the evidence pointed out who the real killer was.
Chapter 14
Megan answered the unexpected knock on the door to find her cousin standing there. Joss was clearly agitated, looking both upset and angry.
“Joss, come on in. What’s wrong?”
“There’s been a death on the estate.” Her cousin headed straight for the kitchen.
“Who was it?”
Joss sat down and dropped her head down on her folded arms on top of the table.
“Catch your breath while I put the kettle on to boil.”
Considering Joss’s background in investigative work, whatever had happened had to have been bad to leave her so upset. Either that, or it was someone who’d been close to her.
A few minutes later, Megan poured each of them a steaming mug of her favorite herbal tea. “Do you want sugar or honey?”
Joss finally lifted her head. “A big dose of honey sounds perfect.”
Megan sat down next to Joss with Phoebe in her lap. She’d give Joss all the time she needed to gather her thoughts.
Finally, Joss drew a shaky breath and started talking. “Conlan is investigating a murder that happened near here on the estate. Our first.”
Joss’s expression was bleak. “One of our human workers, a young female, was brutally tortured and killed this morning right before dawn. Whoever did it brutalized her and then dumped the body in the creek on the far side of the woods that backs up on the field behind the infirmary.”
Megan had a bad feeling about where this was going. “Do they know who did it?”
“A vampire, although that’s as much as Seamus and Conlan could tell. The creek washed away most of the blood and the scent of her attacker.” Joss cradled her mug in both hands, no doubt finding the warmth soothing.
“We have to be careful about assigning blame until all the evidence is in. But frankly, there aren’t that many pureblooded vampires living on the estate.”
“And it couldn’t have been a chancellor?” Not that there were all that many of them, either.
Joss shook her head. “Not likely. Rafferty said the physical damage could have been done by a chancellor, but the body was drained of blood. That makes it far more probable that a vampire is responsible.”
“That poor girl! Can we do anything to help the family?”
“We’ll know more when Rafferty sees them after the sun goes down. He was out with Conlan in the early morning, but I made him go home and get some rest.”
She took a long sip of her tea before continuing. “After they talk to her folks, he wants to accompany Conlan as he interviews the rest of the resident vampires about where they were this morning.”
After setting the cup back down, Joss held out her hands toward Phoebe, who immediately dove straight for her. “Seamus helped with the initial examination of the body. I know Conlan and Rafferty were impressed by how well he did, especially since forensics isn’t his specialty.”
“At least Seamus is in the clear.”
When Joss didn’t immediately concur, Megan frowned. “He is, isn’t he? In the clear?”
“No one is yet, even though they don’t want to suspect him.”
Okay, that wasn’t a clear-cut yes or no. “He was with me last night, Joss, right up until I arrived at your place to pick up Phoebe.”
“But was he with you all night? Every minute?”
This was getting way too personal. But she wouldn’t let them accuse Seamus of something he didn’t do in order to save herself a little embarrassment.
“We were together from the time clinic closed until we got dressed again so I could pick up Phoebe. Is that blunt enough for you?” She knew she sounded defensive, but it shouldn’t be anyone’s business how she and Seamus had spent their time together.
Joss stared down at Phoebe, letting the baby play with her fingers. “I’ll pass that along to Conlan, but that still doesn’t account for the time after he left you at our place. The closest they can pin down the time of her death is shortly before dawn.”
“Seamus isn’t a killer, Joss. He’d never even consider doing something so awful, much less carry it out.”
She hated—hated—the sympathetic look Joss gave her, as if her cousin knew something that Megan didn’t, something that would change how she thought about Seamus.
“What is it, Joss?” Not that she’d believe it for one instant.
“It’s not for me to say. But the next time you see Seamus, ask him why of all the places in the Coalition he could have looked for work, he chose this one.” Joss finished her tea.
“Why can’t you tell me?”
“It’s not my story to tell. Ask him.” She kissed Phoebe’s chubby cheek. “Look, I’ve got to go. Rafferty may need my help with any arrangements that have to be made.”
Megan let Joss out. As her cousin drove away, she had to wonder what Joss’s real purpose in stopping by had been. Maybe she had needed a break or someone to talk to. But if so, why plant the seeds of distrust between Megan and Seamus? What had happened in his past that would lead them to even suspect him in the first place?
Now that she thought about it, though, he’d been pretty closemouthed about his past. All she knew was that he’d had some problem getting his final credentials from medical school, but not really why. Rafferty had intervened to make sure Seamus had a choice of where and how he lived. All of that made sense, but obviously there was far more to the story than she’d been told.
There was only one way to find out. She’d go into work early and see if she could get answers to her questions. If he was too busy, then afterward they’d talk.
Seamus was at his desk when she arrived. Rather than disturb him, she quietly slipped into her own office and settled Phoebe into her crib before booting up the computer. Although she’d rehearsed her opening lines over and over, she still wasn’t ready to face Seamus. No matter how she phrased her questions, it came out sounding like an accusation.
But if their relationship was going to last, truth and honesty had to play a major role. After her experience with Banan, she had zero tolerance for lies or secrecy. Finally, she forced herself to confront him.
She froze in his doorway, neither in nor out, waiting for him to notice her. Finally, he looked up, a smile spreading across his face.
“You’re early, not that I’m complaining.”
He immediately came around the desk to kiss her. Twenty-four hours ago, she would have welcomed the embrace, but she turned her face at the last second so that his kiss landed on her cheek and kept her arms down at her sides. Always perceptive, he frowned.
“Megan? What’s wrong?” He studied her expression, his eyebrows drawn down low. “Have I done something to upset you?”
“No, but I heard about what happened this morning, and it’s freaked me out a bit. Are you all right?”
He seemed to accept her explanation and stepped back to give her some space. “It certainly wasn’t fun examining the body, but it was necessary. I’m furious that someone would do such a thing and worried because there’s a killer loose on the estate.”
“Joss said a vampire was responsible.”
“Yes, that was our conclusion, although I’m sure Conlan would prefer that I not discuss the case in any detail.”
Seamus poured himself a cup of coffee, looking even more grim. “However, since Joss has already told you that much, I don’t suppose it will hurt. We just don’t want to release many details while Conlan investigates and builds a case.”
“And it definitely wasn’t a chancellor?”
“Not with the way the body was drained. It’s do
ubtful a chancellor could’ve been quite so thorough.”
“Are there any new vampires on the estate?”
Seamus shook his head. “No, not since Conlan escorted Banan off the property. That’s what has Rafferty so upset. The few who do live here are all long-term friends of his.”
Except Seamus. Before she could point that out, he did.
“With the exception of me, I guess. Rafferty and I have a past, and not one based on either trust or friendship.”
“If that’s how you feel about him, why did you pick his estate when you needed a job? Especially if you don’t trust each other.”
For the first time, there was a definite flash of temper in Seamus’s eyes. “We’ve been working on changing that. But out of curiosity, what kind of tales has Joss been telling you about me, Megan?”
Okay, so now she felt guilty for talking about Seamus behind his back. But didn’t she have a right to know exactly what kind of man she was sleeping with?
“She didn’t tell me anything other than suggest I ask you why you ended up here and not some other place, especially considering how you felt about her husband.”
The office was closing in on her as she waited for him to respond. She backed out of the room without waiting to see if Seamus would follow or bother to answer. If he had nothing to hide, it shouldn’t matter. But since silence rather than an explanation hung in the air between them, it was obviously a big deal.
She had to get away. “Never mind. It’s almost time to open the clinic. Forget I even asked.”
After retreating into her office, she slammed the door shut, startling her daughter out of a sound sleep. As Megan comforted her baby, she realized Phoebe wasn’t the only one in the room with tears running down her face.
A few seconds later, Seamus walked in without even bothering to knock. His expression was etched in harsh lines. She deliberately turned her back on him, showing how little she feared his temper, as she put Phoebe back to bed.
“Is there something you wanted?” There was no way he’d miss the tear streaks on her face, but she didn’t care.
“Hell, yeah. I wanted you to trust me.” His words were clipped and cold.
She forced herself to move a couple of steps closer to him to show she wasn’t intimidated by his cold show of temper. “What makes you think I don’t?”
“If you did, you wouldn’t have let a few veiled comments by a cousin you don’t know any better than you do me put this wall between us.”
He moved in her direction, leaving her no choice but to either stand her ground or retreat. Well, that wasn’t going to happen. She’d run from Banan. She wasn’t going to run again.
“At least I trusted you enough to come ask questions instead of assuming the worst. Right now, you’re the one making assumptions about me.” She clenched her fists, her hands aching to shake him senseless.
Two more steps in his direction put him within touching distance. “So what do you have to say for yourself?”
“You want the truth? Fine. I came here to destroy everything and everyone that Rafferty O’Day cherishes, including your lovely cousin, Joss. I wasn’t going to rest until they were both dead and buried.”
The shock of his blunt confession hit her like a bucket of ice water. Before she could string together a coherent response, he used his vampire reflexes to capture her. She slammed up against the stone strength of his chest as his mouth engaged hers in a battle for dominance. She wasn’t going to surrender without putting up a good fight.
Oh, God, he tasted so good, all temper and heat. When her fangs nicked his lip, she lapped up the small droplet of blood, its flavor rich and powerful. He groaned when she sucked at the small wound.
He lifted her up and set her down on the edge of her desk. Was he going to take her right there amongst the files and office supplies? She hoped so, because as long as he was driving her out of her mind with his touches and kisses, she didn’t have to think about what he’d told her.
“Tell me you want this.” He rocked against her, showing her without words exactly what he had in mind.
How could she say no when his slightest touch set her aflame?
“Yes, I want this.” Right there. Right then.
“Good because I have every intention of finishing this the minute our last patient walks out the front door. Be ready.”
Then he was gone, leaving her aching with need and with more questions than answers. Even when her common sense warned her to proceed with caution, her body betrayed her. She waited for her heart to quit racing and her hands to unclench before standing up. After straightening her clothes, she checked on Phoebe one last time before heading out to the waiting room to greet their first patients.
She hoped it was busy, because otherwise this was going to be a very long evening.
Banan was in a very good mood. Both well fed and well rested, he had a busy night ahead of him. Of course, he couldn’t really carry out any of his plans until after midnight when the clinic closed. It wouldn’t do to commit murder when the vampire he wanted to cast blame on had lots of witnesses that he was elsewhere at the time.
The only question was how soon after the clinic closed would Megan be heading back to her own home. If she spent the night rolling around in the sheets with that second-class vampire Fitzhugh, it would definitely complicate things. Yet another crime she would pay for when it was her turn to be his playmate for a night.
For now, he’d wait until Riley returned from running up some more charges from Banan’s hotel room. If Rafferty’s security officer started nosing around, it would appear that Banan was nowhere near the O’Day estate. The ruse wouldn’t hold up to close scrutiny, but it should buy him enough time to accomplish his mission.
Once Riley got back, they’d go have themselves a little fun. Both of them had a taste for dark pleasures, but they had to be careful to make it look as if only one vampire was on a rampage. If Conlan detected more than one pair of fangs were involved, he’d have evidence that outsiders were responsible. Then he’d come hunting with sharp stakes and ready to kill.
Even against two vampires the highly trained chancellor would be a formidable enemy, especially since he wouldn’t be limited to the daylight hours. If Rafferty joined him, well, it would definitely get ugly.
The only question left to answer about the night’s planned entertainment was if the next victim would be male or female, human or chancellor. There were definite drawbacks to each species. The human, although easier to catch and subdue, would be more fragile. A chancellor would put up more of a fight, but once he and Riley had their victim under control, the fun would last longer.
Decisions, decisions. Rather than get his heart set on one or the other, maybe he’d let fate surprise him.
Seamus had spent most of the evening avoiding any contact with Megan while he tried to sort out the confused mess of emotions her simple question had caused. Damn it, one short conversation with Joss had been enough to sow seeds of doubt in her mind about the kind of man she believed him to be. That seriously ticked him off.
Granted, she had trust issues, but he’d thought they’d gotten beyond that.
On the other hand, if he was completely honest with himself, he hadn’t told her the full truth about his past for just that reason. He’d told her he had secrets, let her think that he was perhaps embarrassed by them, but not that he’d actually planned to destroy her cousin and Rafferty.
Oh, yeah, this was going to be a pleasant conversation. He walked out into the waiting room, almost hoping that it had filled up again while he was restocking the exam rooms. No such luck. As it stood, the clinic would close precisely on time.
Allowing ten minutes to explain his past to Megan, he could probably be in bed—alone—by one, one-thirty at the latest. Even if he could use the sleep, it sure wasn’t how he’d been hoping to spend those hours. But despite his assertion that they’d finish what they’d started in her office, he wouldn’t push her into something she didn’t wan
t. But, damn, that woman burned bright when she was in his arms. Surely that meant something. If only he knew what.
Megan came out of her office carrying a stack of files. “These are the last ones for the night. Once you’ve signed off on them, I’ll update their patient records.”
He took the files from her, wishing he dared to do more than brush his fingers against hers in the transfer. “It shouldn’t take me long.”
“I’ll be working on the pharmacy and supply inventories so we can place an order. We’re getting low on a few things.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. Rafferty said once we’ve had enough time to work out an average rate of usage, we can set up standing orders. That should simplify things.”
“Yes, it should.” She did an about-face to head back to her office. “Holler if you need me for anything.”
Now that was tempting, but he suspected she meant the offer to be work-related. The brief snippet of conversation was such a far cry from the easy rapport they’d shared before. Damn Joss, anyway. He fought back the temptation to rip the files to shreds or maybe destroy another chair. Rafferty hadn’t complained about having to replace the one from that morning, but he wouldn’t appreciate Seamus making a habit of destroying furniture whenever things didn’t go his way.
So for now, he’d go finish up his paperwork, lock the door, turn off the lights and try to convince the woman in the next office that he was still one of the good guys.
Megan was waiting for him out in the living room, but not with the same warm welcome she’d had for him last night. What a difference a single day could make. He guzzled a blood pack to replenish the energy he’d burned thanks to the increased stress the past twenty-four hours had brought. He’d need every advantage he could get.
Vampire Vendetta Page 19