Wisdom mba-4

by Аманда Хокинг

  “How so?” Ezra asked, sounding hesitant to know why it would interest me.

  “The thing is…” I shifted, trying to think how I wanted to phrase it. “There’s word going around the clubs that a vampire is branding girls, human girls.”

  “What reputable source did you hear this from?”

  “You know I’ve been hanging around Olivia’s, and I hear things,” I said. “What does it matter where I hear it from?”

  “It matters because I know you’re developing some kind of theory here, and it would be nice to know if that theory has any basis in reality.” Ezra leaned back in the chair, looking at me evenly.

  “It does. Or at least I think it does.” I glanced down at the floor, not wanting to admit to Ezra that I wasn’t really sure how much I could trust Violet. Maybe she was just messing with me for the fun of it. I shook my head, deciding that I had to go with the only lead I had.

  “Look, for the sake of argument, let’s just agree that everything I say is true.”

  “No,” he shook his head.

  “Ezra!” I groaned. “Just hear me out, okay?”

  “I’m presuming this is all about Jane, and I already told you that I can’t help you with that,” Ezra said, his eyes looking sad. “Nothing can.”

  “A vampire is branding girls, okay?” I ignored his refusal. “Something about that just feels wrong to me.”

  “I would hope so.”

  “No, not just because it is wrong, but like…” I shook my head. “It’s a gut feeling. I think it’s connected, but I might be wrong. Before I go on a hunt for the vampire branding people, I’d like to know for sure.”

  “And how would you find that out?” Ezra asked.

  “If it is the same guy, he probably marked the girls he killed.” I took a deep breath.

  “He probably marked Jane.”

  “That’s a hell of a leap.” He pursed his lips and looked down. “A lot of vampires are not nice. They do bad things to humans all the time simply because they can. Just because a vampire is branding humans doesn’t mean he’s a serial killer. And even if it does, it doesn’t mean he left a mark on Jane.”

  “You’re right. I know you’re right,” I said, but I hated to admit it. “But something about this feels like a vampire. I went out looking at the crime scenes-”

  “You what?” Jack asked, startling me so much I nearly jumped.

  I’d been too focused on my arguments to convince Ezra that I hadn’t been paying attention, and Jack had snuck up on me. He stood off to the side of the living room, his blue eyes wide and disapproving. I swallowed hard and smiled sheepishly at him.

  “I didn’t see you standing there,” I said.

  “You went to the crime scenes? Why?” Jack asked.

  “What do you mean why?” I looked up at him. “I wanna know what happened to Jane.”

  “And what did you find out?” Jack asked.

  “Nothing. I don’t know anything.” I lowered my eyes for a minute, then looked up, pleading with Ezra. “But you can help. I know you at least know somebody on the police force. You can ask them. I know they withhold some information. If she has any marks, anything at all-”

  “You’re gonna hunt down the killer? That’s your plan?” Jack raised an eyebrow.

  “I don’t really have a plan,” I admitted.

  “Yeah, I figured that, since you think it’s a good idea to hunt a serial killer on your own.”

  “I can handle myself, Jack.” I stood up. “Milo and I are stronger than you.”

  “Maybe,” Jack shrugged, but he momentarily looked hurt. Physically, Milo had definitely become a lot stronger than Jack, but it wasn’t something he liked hearing. “But you don’t see me doing stupid stunts like you.”

  “You would if you liked Jane,” I shot back, but he rolled his eyes.

  “You know that’s not true. I stood up for and helped her every chance I had,” Jack said. “I don’t want you to get yourself killed or to do something you regret.”

  The French doors off the patio slammed shut, and Matilda barked a greeting as people walked inside. Jack didn’t say anything for a minute, and I knew he was holding something back.

  “What’s going on here?” Milo asked, noticing the tension between us.

  “What is going on here?” Leif repeated. He moved towards Milo and me but kept his eyes locked on Jack. Jack shifted uneasily under Leif’s stony glare.

  “Your sister thinks it’s a good idea to handle Jane’s killer herself,” Jack said, and both Leif and Milo instantly turned back at me.

  “You just promised me you wouldn’t!” Milo yelled.

  “Yeah but…” I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest.

  “Alice, I can’t believe you would do that! You lied to me!” Milo sounded genuinely hurt, and I groaned and flopped back on the couch. Any fight I had in me had completely gone out.

  “It’s not that dangerous. I don’t know why you guys keep acting like it is. It’s not like I’m human or something,” I said, and Milo looked over at Bobby.

  “I had nothing to do with it!” Bobby offered up quickly, and I didn’t blame him. If I could lie about my own involvement, I totally would.

  “You lied about it, so you knew it was wrong.” Milo turned back to me. “You knew it!”

  “I knew you would be mad, but you’ve got no reason to be mad! I can handle myself!” I looked up at him.

  “Alice, you’re just a child,” Leif shook his head.

  “Whatever. I don’t wanna talk about this anymore.” I brushed past them, preparing to storm out.

  “Alice!” Jack ran after me, out onto the patio. The icy night wind whipped over us, nearly taking my breath away. “Alice!” When I didn’t stop, Jack grabbed my arm, forcing me to look at him. “What is going on with you?”

  “You already know what’s going on with me.”

  “No, I don’t.” He furrowed his brow, confused and hurt. “You’ve been so distant lately, and I know you’re hurting over Jane but… this feels like something different. And now you’re sneaking around and hiding things from me.”

  “I’m not hiding things from you!” I snapped.

  “Then what do you call a secret murder investigation?”

  “You don’t understand.” I shook my head. “I knew you wouldn’t understand.”

  “What don’t I understand?”

  “Why I need to have something for myself!” I tried to pull my arm away from him, but he wouldn’t let go.

  “This isn’t the kind of thing you have yourself. It’s not ‘alone time’ or a ‘hobby. This is dangerous, Alice, and stupid.”

  “Let her go,” Leif said, his voice startlingly firm. He stood just inside the open French door, watching me and Jack argue.

  “She’s fine,” Jack said, but he let go of my arm. I didn’t move away, though. I kinda wanted to leave, to spite him, but I didn’t want Leif to think that Jack was actually hurting me.

  “I think you should give her some space.” Leif walked out onto the patio, his bare feet leaving footprints in the snow.

  “Why are you even here?” Jack asked, apparently growing weary of him.

  “Give it a rest, Jack,” I said. “He doesn’t mean anything by it.”

  Jack looked back at me, assessing me for something I didn’t understand. After a moment, he sighed and shook his head.

  “Fine. I’m going in the house. Have all the space you want.” Jack went back into the house without even glancing back at me.

  “Are you okay?” Leif asked, stepping closer to me.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” I forced a smile at him. “Jack wasn’t hurting me.”

  “You don’t need to make excuses for him.” Leif put his hands in his pockets and looked intently at me.

  “I’m not. He’s… We’re just going through something.” I shook my head. “I’m going through something, so that means he is too. I just wish I knew what it was.”

  “Maybe you should talk to him about
it. Or Milo,” Leif suggested.

  “I can’t talk to Milo.” I wrapped my arms around myself and stared at the black lake behind us.

  “He’s your brother and he cares about you, a lot.”

  “I know. This is just… complicated,” I sighed. “Forever is a really long time, you know?

  What do you do with forever?”

  “The same thing you do when you don’t have forever.” He smiled wanly. “Live.”

  “That’s a bit simplistic.”

  “But at least you have Milo. You know you’ll have somebody that will always care about you and always have your back. That’s important.”

  I looked past Leif into the house. In the warm glow of the dining room, I could see Milo and Bobby talking. The wind almost drowned out their voices, but I could barely make Bobby out, denying he knew anything that I was up to. Milo’s face was etched with worry, thinking of what kind of trouble Bobby and I could get ourselves into.

  “Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” I said.

  “Do you regret becoming a vampire?” Leif asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

  “I don’t know.” I hadn’t wanted to think about it. “I love Jack. I love a lot of things about my life. But…” I shook my head. “I can’t change it now, anyway.”

  “It’s not something I would’ve chosen for you,” Leif said.

  “What do you mean by that?” I cocked my head.

  “It’s not something I would’ve chosen for anybody,” Leif amended quickly and looked away.

  “Why are you here?” I asked, remembering that Leif hadn’t answered that question when Jack asked.

  “I was with Milo, helping him with his French homework.” He took a step back, as if wanting to put distance between us. “He’s having problems with the dialect, and I’m fluent.

  ”

  “You’re French?” I asked.

  “Canadian,” he said. “I lived in Quebec for awhile.” He took another step back. “But the two of you seem busy now. I should be going.”

  “Alright?” I asked, feeling a little confused.

  “Tell Milo I’ll see him later.”

  With that, Leif turned and disappeared into the darkness. I looked back in the house. Bobby had apparently convinced Milo nothing was going on, and they were hugging and kissing. I wasn’t sure where Jack was, but I was positive our reunion wouldn’t be quite so sweet.

  13

  “So what did Jack say?” Bobby asked, and I pushed the pedal down harder in the Audi as we whizzed through traffic.

  Bobby didn’t look nervous about it all, the same way I hadn’t been nervous when Jack used to drive me around. He lived under the same fallacy as I had - that because we were immortal, we were infallible. But we weren’t.

  “I don’t wanna talk about it,” I brushed Bobby off.

  The long, long talk Jack and I had after our fight last night was not something I wanted to repeat. We’d hashed out so much stuff, about Jane, Peter, even me being a vampire, and it had been exhausting. The worst part was that in the end, I’m not sure if I felt any better about anything.

  “That good, huh?” Bobby raised an eyebrow.

  “Yep.”

  “So… you’re not telling him what we’re doing today, are you?” Bobby asked nervously.

  “Of course not. There’s enough going on with us without him finding out that I’m still trying to figure out who killed Jane,” I said.

  “Why is he so worried anyway?”

  “I have no idea.” I shrugged. “It’s not like I’m super fragile or anything.”

  “How do you kill a vampire anyway?” Bobby looked over at me.

  “Well, we’re not really immortal, per se,” I said, telling him what Ezra had explained to me. “Whatever makes us vampires, it’s basically just a virus that stops decomposition and promotes healing. Our bones are superior, but not unbreakable. In the end, we still come from a human body, and we can’t function without a brain or a heart.”

  “So the old stake the heart thing, that works?” Bobby asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Sure, if you can get a piece of wood to break through our ribs, but I doubt that,” I said. “Stop the heart, sever the head, however you can manage it, and we’re dead.”

  “Good to know,” Bobby said.

  I pressed on the breaks, and the car skidded to a stop as I pulled over. I stared up at the luxurious apartment complex that towered above us and took a breath. “Well, here we are.”

  An overcast sky had left the day dim and gloomy, and the sun had just started to set, making the streetlights blink on as I stepped out of the car. I stared up at the building I hadn’t been to in months and felt an odd sense of nostalgia.

  “Where did she live?” Bobby stood next to me.

  “Fifth floor.” I pointed to it, even though we couldn’t see anything from this angle and distance.

  “What’s the plan?” He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets as an icy wind whipped over us.

  “I guess we go inside.” I glanced over at the main door to the apartment building.

  Bobby followed me over to the door, where the doorman let me in. I didn’t recognize him, but that was because it’d been too long since I’d visited Jane last. It’d been too long since I’d done anything real with Jane.

  “Who should I tell Mr. Kress is calling?” The doorman had gone over to the desk to phone Jane’s dad. He had to check with him before he could buzz us up, and I really wasn’t sure if Mr. Kress would.

  “Um, Alice Bonham. I’m a friend of Jane’s,” I said.

  “I see.” The doorman gave me an odd look for a moment, then dialed up. “Mr. Kress, an Alice Bonham is here. She says she’s a-” He paused, apparently interrupted. “Very good, sir.” He hung up the phone and smiled. “Go on up. He’s been expecting you.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled thinly at him and walked to the elevator.

  “He’s been expecting you?” Bobby whispered as he hurried to keep up with me.

  “Apparently.” I stepped inside the elevator and breathed deeply, trying to hide the nauseated feeling this was giving me. Going back to Jane’s apartment. Seeing her father.

  “What does that mean?” Bobby asked, and I shrugged. “Does Jane’s dad like you?”

  “I’m not really sure. Honestly, I don’t even know how much he liked Jane,” I said.

  “Well, then, I’m sure this will go well.”

  I’d been hoping that Jane’s father wouldn’t be home. That’d been part of the reason why I picked this time. Mr. Kress usually worked long hours at the office, so I figured he’d still be at work. I wanted to sneak out before Jack woke up and Milo came home from school, but avoiding Mr. Kress was part of it too.

  I hadn’t even spoken to him or her stepmother at the funeral, and I kinda liked her stepmom Blythe. Even when we’d been close, I’d hated eating supper at Jane’s house.

  Dinner conversation felt so forced and stilted. There was something strangely terrifying about her father.

  The housekeeper opened the apartment door before I had a chance to knock. She was new from the last time I’d been here, and I struggled to remember exactly how long it had been since I’d hung out with Jane at her place.

  The apartment looked as grand as ever. It wasn’t very large, but it had an opulence to it. Everything in it looked lux and expensive, and I’d hated playing here as a kid because it was like playing in a museum. If I touched anything, I’m sure it would shatter, and incur the wrath of her father.

  The housekeeper had led us into the entryway, and I heard the click of Blythe’s high heels on the wood floors. Jane had gotten her high fashion sense from her stepmother.

  Her real mother had died before Jane was even in kindergarten, and Blythe had done her best to raise her.

  “Alice.” Blythe smiled when saw me, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She stopped several feet in front of me and folded her hands over her stomach, almost as if she was afraid to move forward.
r />   “Hello, Mrs. Kress,” I said, unsure of what other greeting would be appropriate.

  “You look very well.” She smoothed a golden strand of hair back, and her eyes were red-rimmed underneath her makeup.

  “Thanks.” My cheeks reddened with shame. I know Blythe was only referring to the changes that being a vampire had brought on, but I hated thinking that I looked good right now. I should be a wreck, not looking better than ever before.

  “It’s been so long since we’ve seen you.” Her smile grew more pained as she spoke. “I saw you at the … at Jane’s funeral, but you didn’t stay long.”

  “No, I, uh…” I floundered and trailed off completely. I had no good reason for why I’d skipped out early, so I just let it hang in the air.

  “I’m sure you had other things to do,” Blythe said, and I lowered my eyes.

  “What’s going on out there?” Mr. Kress bellowed from another room, his voice filled with gravel.

  “Nathaniel, why don’t you come out here and talk to Alice yourself?” Blythe turned her head back when she yelled for him, and she fidgeted with one of the gold earrings she wore.

  “I don’t want to disturb you,” I said quickly and held up my hand. “If you’re busy, I don’t need to bother you. I just wanted to see Jane’s room.”

  “Jane’s room?” Mr. Kress rounded the corner and walked over to his wife. His tie had been loosened around his chubby neck, and he had a lowball glass in his hand filled with Scotch, the same way it had been every other time I’d seen him. “What do you want with that?”

  “I wanted to have a look around.” I swallowed hard. “I was wondering if I could maybe take some of her pictures of us.”

  “Take anything you want in there,” Mr. Kress said, gesturing with his glass so the alcohol sloshed around. “I don’t have use for any of it now.”

  “Nathaniel,” Blythe chastised him quietly and pulled harder at her earring.

  “It’s true.” He ignored his wife and turned his attention to Bobby, giving him a hard look with his steel gray eyes. “Who is this?”

  “I’m Bobby. I was a friend of Jane’s.” Bobby held his hand out for Mr. Kress to shake it, but Mr. Kress just stared at him blankly, so Bobby dropped his hand.