“It’ll be my honor, ma’am.”
With that, Triton was overruled.
Saber knew how to reach the beach house, so I rode with Ken and David. We covered the few miles in minutes, and since I didn’t have a driveway, I directed Ken to pull onto the grass instead of parking behind Saber on the blacktopped road. This way the car would be closer to the house, near the flagstone walkway. Couldn’t hurt for a quick entrance or exit, though I hoped neither would be necessary.
When I opened the door with pride, Saber’s reaction didn’t disappoint. He gaped at the changes as soon as he walked inside. The crisp white paint on the wood plank walls and the same treatment on the door casings and baseboards provided a high contrast with the oak floors and exposed beams I’d cleaned, sanded, and restained in a dark finish. The large ceiling fan with its directional lights moved air efficiently throughout the thousand square feet or so. And for being mishmash garage sale finds, the furnishings completed the cozy look of the place.
“You did all this in the few weeks I was gone?”
“I told you it wasn’t a ratty shack anymore.”
“How did you get licensed people to complete the jobs so fast?”
“I asked nicely.”
“Hah,” Triton said. “I waited on workers for months when I renovated.”
“That’s because you aren’t a pretty woman,” Lynn shot back, then turned to me as she dropped her duffel bag beside one of the two rather ugly wicker chairs I had yet to spray paint. “It’s a great place, Cesca.”
“Thanks, let me show you around. Ken, David, I need you to take the tour, too.”
While Saber and Triton peeled off to poke around on their own, I pointed out that the daybed in the living area had a trundle bed hidden beneath a striped, ocean-colored coverlet. They’d have to move the oval coffee table out of the way to get to the trundle, but it was there if needed.
Next, I showed Lynn, David, and Ken the bedroom I’d painted a light blue gray color. White iron twin beds sat against the far wall, dressed in plain light blue linens from a bed-in-a-bag ensemble. A dark wood nightstand nestled between the beds, and a dark wood chest of drawers stood on the opposite wall.
“I had storm shutters installed all over the house and I’ve left them closed, but I haven’t been here in the bright day enough to know how much sun will still get in.”
“We noticed the shutters from outside, but sunlight won’t be a problem. We travel with special sleeping bags. We’ll do.”
“Oh, okay, then, next room.”
The bathroom was also off the living room and was a work in progress since the tub and tile I’d wanted was out of stock. A new toilet and an inexpensive pedestal sink had been installed, though, and I’d scrubbed the shower-bath combination thoroughly. It might not be an HGTV quality bathroom, but it was no longer disgusting.
The kitchen and enclosed back porch rounded out the tour. I’d bought new, apartment-sized stainless steel appliances and had replaced the nasty countertop with one made of butcher block. The cabinets and floors had been sanded, and the wood floors stained dark like those in the rest of house. The cabinets I’d left unfinished until I decided on a paint or stain, but the stainless sink and fixtures were new, and every corner had been cleaned. I even had four place settings of dishes, glasses, and utensils, and a few pots, pans, and cooking spoons on the shelves and in the drawers. Garage sales rock.
The storm shutters blocked the ocean view from the porch, but I opened the back door to point out the crude walkway to the beach.
“What a great place to sleep to the sound of the ocean,” Lynn said, eyeing the hammock hanging from the porch beams.
“Knock yourself out, if Ken and David are cool with it.”
Ken shrugged. “I don’t object as long as Ms. Heath understands that we’ll need to check on her through the night. No matter where she sleeps.”
“Just don’t laugh if I snore.”
“Word of a Marine, ma’am.”
“Okay, then, I just have a few more things to go over.”
I led them back to the living room where Triton and Saber sat in the wicker chairs. Saber handed me the list I’d prepared, and I turned on a side-table lamp. Lynn plopped onto the daybed near Triton.
“First, I’ll get a small TV if you need one, but I don’t have cable hooked up, so the reception might be rotten.”
“Don’t bother,” David said. He and Ken stood facing the door. “If I can get a strong wireless signal, we can watch television on my computer.”
“Great.” I unfolded my list and handed it to Ken. “Here’s the information I thought you’d need. The guy watching Lynn during the day is Vic. He’ll be expecting her from before daybreak to after sunset. And don’t freak if he stands at the door with a shotgun.”
Ken chuckled. “Not a problem.”
“Don’t take him lightly,” Saber warned. “Vic hates vampires and has a history of going off half-cocked. If he gives you any grief, I need to know.”
“Will do, Saber.”
“Also, here’s a sketch of the guy you need to watch out for. Starrack.”
David stiffened as soon as he heard the name, and snatched the likeness from Saber. One glance, and he swore under his breath then shoved the sketch at Ken.
I laid a hand on David’s arm. “You know Starrack, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I know him,” David spat. “I built a website for the scary piece of shit.”
TWENTY
“Shifter Magic?” Saber rose from the chair, eyes alight. “Is that the website you designed?”
The blond vampire looked pole-axed. “That’s the one, but how’d you come across it?”
“I told them about the site,” Lynn chimed in. “I was led to meet Triton through a message posted in the forum.”
“Ken, you know Starrack, too, don’t you? You’re clenching your jaw like you want to chew him up.”
“More like spit him out, Princess, but yes, I know him. All of us in the Atlanta nest saw Starrack in March when he invaded Vlad’s nest.”
Saber’s cop face crashed into place. “We need to know everything. Now.”
Triton rose from the chair. “Since this could take a while, I should call that other party we were supposed to meet tonight. Tell them we won’t make it. Lynn, you want to keep me company?”
She might be young, but she wasn’t slow on the uptake. She sprang from the daybed and took Triton’s hand. “Oh, sure. See you all later.”
“All right, take a seat,” Saber said, pointing to the wicker chairs.
The vamps sat stiffly, and I settled on the daybed opposite them. Saber stood for the interview, though I don’t think Ken and David were intimidated. Their faces reflected anger, confusion, and a disturbing dose of fear.
“Starrack visited the Atlanta nest,” Saber said. “Start our briefing there.”
“First,” Ken said, “you need to know that some of this is secondhand intel.”
“Understood.”
Ken continued. “Starrack showed up shortly after we all awoke one evening. It was late February, before the time change. Some of the nestmates were still dressing for their jobs, but most of us were with Vlad to witness his nightly ritual feeding.”
“On a human?” I gasped.
“On his favorite female vampire child, Gail. He was big on tradition.”
“Go on.”
“The concise version is that Vlad ordered two vampires to toss the wizard out.” Ken paused and visibly swallowed. “Starrack retaliated. He decapitated Vlad’s bodyguard.”
The bald statement psychically launched me into Ken’s head to see the details in his memory.
The room felt dank, and I put it underground. Uncovered oil-burning sconces broke the darkness here and there, but they cast insignificant light in such a large room. A hulking-huge vampire taller than Tower shielded Vlad, and Starrack stood twenty feet away. He threw off the vampires holding either arm, his eyes cold, calculating. Then the wizard p
ointed, mumbled words I didn’t catch, and a gray beam rimmed in red shot from his right index finger. He flicked his wrist at the bodyguard, and the thinnest of red lines appeared at the male’s neck. Starrack flipped his hand sideways, and the male’s head toppled to his shoulder then to the stone floor. Blood droplets hit Vlad’s face.
I gagged as the vision closed.
“You invaded my thoughts,” Ken accused.
“I did, and I’m sorry I didn’t ask your permission. It was purely spontaneous.”
“Was that,” Saber asked, “the only time you saw Starrack?”
Ken eyed me warily.
“I promise I won’t pop into your head again.”
“It was my sole time to see the wizard, but he returned. This information came from Hank, the vampire who guarded Vlad that night. The rest of us were sent away.”
“Fair enough,” Saber said. “What did Hank report?”
“Vlad and Starrack argued, and the wizard took a black globelike thing from his overcoat pocket. A few minutes later, Vlad struggled to stand. He gasped for breath, and his skin color darkened.”
“Hold it. A black globe, not a big blob?” I looked at Saber. “Could the globe have been the Void in a contained form?”
“Hell, anything is possible. Continue, Ken.”
He did so, though his expression remained puzzled. “Hank said that when Vlad broke down and agreed to do whatever the wizard wanted, including loan out certain resources, Starrack put the globe away and Vlad immediately began to recover.”
“I was one of those resources,” David added. “Starrack contacted me a few days later about the website. He raised hell that it took a month to complete, but he didn’t zap me.”
“Count your blessings he didn’t.”
“Princess, what is the Void?” Ken asked.
Saber gave me a go-ahead nod and I sighed.
“This will sound extra weird, but it’s a thought form Starrack created. It’s an entity in its own right, I suppose, but it’s also the disease that’s infecting vampires. The difference is that you’ve seen it as a globe and we haven’t. We see it as an oily black ground fog.”
Ken frowned. “We thought Starrack made Vlad sick with a spell.”
“A spell could be part of the package, but it’s likely he sicced the Void on Vlad. Did Starrack tap other vampires from the nest to do things for him?”
“He took Hank and Gail away with him one night in April,” David supplied, “but we don’t know what he wanted from them. A week after they left, two bodies were dumped at the nest entrance for the human day guards to find.”
“Hank and Gail.”
“Vlad identified them from their clothing,” Ken said. “The bodies themselves were too blackened and shriveled to recognize.”
I caught Saber’s grim gaze before he spun to pace as he recapped. “So Starrack used David’s skills but killed three other of Vlad’s vampires. Why spare you?”
David spread his hands. “No idea. Once the wizard stopped e-mailing complaints and updates about the website in late May, I feared I would be next on his hit list.”
“Maybe,” I said, “Starrack was holding David in reserve for another website project.”
“Makes as much sense as anything this guy has done.” Saber eyed the vampires. “Did you two know about the extortion payments Vlad was making to an offshore account?”
We’d tumbled onto the extortion scheme a few weeks ago when Jo-Jo tipped us that the Daytona Beach nest was making payoffs to Vlad. Later we’d learned the large nest masters were paying an unknown entity, the money going into a secret account that had since been closed.
“We heard about the extortion in August, after the VPA took Vlad away and confiscated the books,” Ken answered. “Vlad’s accountant, Charlie, filled us in about the protection money scheme, but he said the payments had been going on for years.”
“Years?” I echoed. “They didn’t start with Starrack’s visit?”
“No, Princess Cesca,” David said. “Charlie told us the amount increased after Starrack had been in the nest, but he didn’t know who was receiving the money. When Vlad was taken, Charlie closed the old account and reopened another one to protect what was left in the nest coffers.”
“Damn smart. Was this a vampire accountant or human?” Saber asked.
“A vampire, but Charlie worked with a human to move the account. The VPA allowed him to split those remaining assets among those of us still living there. We got a nice portion.”
I peered at Saber. “You knew Candy authorized the distribution of nest funds?”
He shrugged. “It was the fair thing to do. Every office involved in dismantling nests is offering the same deal.”
“Like a severance package.”
“We have to pay taxes on our cuts, but the money has helped us move on,” David confirmed, “not to mention take this extended vacation.”
“Which we appreciate you interrupting for us,” I said with a smile. “David, did you bring a laptop with you?”
“I did. Why?”
“We need access to the list of Shifter Magic users. Can you trace a user name to a real one?”
“I can trace to an IP address and possibly find the location of the computer used, but it’s hacking. And websites have privacy-protection rules.”
Saber snorted. “Screw legalities. I authorize you to do the trace.”
“We’ll get our gear.”
The guys deposited rolled sleeping bags and green Marine Corps duffel bags in the living room. Then Ken put four six-packs of artificial blood in the fridge while David began setting up his laptop on the coffee table. I prayed he’d be able to get a wireless Internet connection.
“All right, I have a wireless signal to piggyback, but it may be slow. When the server comes up, what’s the user name you want me to search?”
“Magicman1463,” I said.
He zipped and clicked the mouse, then typed so rapidly, his fingers blurred. Screen after screen flashed up, and I wondered if new computers and accessories came in special vampire-speed models.
“Here you go. The user’s computer is off, but the address listed for the last transmission is an apartment complex here in town.” David tapped more keys. “And the winner is Vince Winter.”
“Vince Winter?” I gave Saber a blank look. “Who’s that?”
“A dead end,” he said grimly. “He’s one of the thugs found dumped at Triton’s place yesterday.”
“Detective Balch shared the names of the victims?”
“What victims?” Ken asked.
Saber held up a hand. “He phoned me this afternoon, but only told me the identities of the two men with criminal records. I’m sorry, Cesca, but there are no fingerprints on file for the others. They’re still John and Jane Does.”
While Saber filled Ken and David in on the murders, I slumped on the daybed, deep in thought.
On the surface, it might seem a coincidence of humongous proportions that David had built the Shifter Magic website. To me, it was synchronicity, just as much as Lynn finding Triton. Okay, the magicman clue didn’t get us closer to nailing Starrack, but it did link him to the murder victim. Call me skeptical, but I had a hard time picturing career criminal Vince Winter playing an online shifter game.
On the upside, I’d now seen Starrack through Ken’s memories. I knew how he moved, the cold energy he exuded. How that knowledge might help us was uncertain, but any scrap of information was a bonus.
Triton stuck his head out. “Hey, how’s it going?”
“We’re wrapping up,” Saber answered.
“Good. I think Lynn would like to shower and hit the sack.”
Ken stood. “Would she feel more comfortable if we went outside until she’s finished?”
“No, I would not,” Lynn yelled from behind the door.
“That’s okay, Lynn,” I called. “We’re leaving anyway. Call us if you need anything.”
“I’m cool. Go fight evil.”
“Other than Starrack,” Ken said, “should we be on the lookout for trouble from any particular quarter?”
“Just be alert to anything that doesn’t look or feel right.”
“Or smell right. In the form we’ve seen, the Void stinks like a tar pit, and someone infected may have rancid breath.” I glanced at Saber, whose breath had never been off. “Though rank breath isn’t a consistent symptom.”
The vampires squared their shoulders.
“We’re battle ready, ma’am,” David said. “We won’t let you down.”
“Thanks, and ooh-rah to that.”
Considering he was leaving his new love behind with vampires, Triton’s mood was surprisingly upbeat as we drove him home. Saber filled him in on what Ken and David had revealed, and Triton made thoughtful comments instead of cracks.
“You’re good with Ken and David watching over Lynn?”
“I have to admit, they’re okay. I’m not happy about this Gorman character, but Lynn’s all over her case study idea.”
I looked over my shoulder where Triton sat between the seats. “I like her, Triton. She’s good for you.”
“Meaning she stands up to me?”
“You wouldn’t want a doormat.”
“You’re right, I wouldn’t. I just wish Lia would get that information about Lynn’s origins.”
“Well, remind her, dummy. If she has answers, she’ll tell you. If she hasn’t discovered anything, you’re no worse off than you are now.”
“Pushy, pushy.”
“Practical. By the way, what did our illustrious wizard have to say?”
“He’s amping up the wards on the beach property and Gorman’s place, and he expects us to train after your party tomorrow.”
“We’ll be there,” Saber said as he braked at the 312 stoplight. “Listen, there’s something you both need to know. Lynn wanted to swing through downtown today, and we stopped at a liquor store.”
“Let me guess,” I said. “The manager recognized Starrack from the sketch.”
Always the Vampire Page 25