The Turned

by A A Mize

  “But how could he have gotten in and stolen it? It’s more likely that it was stolen by an officer than by Rowan,” Roberts argued, at the end of her rope with Walker. Since the investigation had been opened he’d pushed them into ignoring protocol and the bounds of what they were legally able to do. “Why do you have so much of an issue with the Turned that you’re willing to put us through all of this to get one of them? What will it take for you to put this aside and let Homicide handle it?”

  “Evidence that he’s innocent,” Walker whirled on her. “The bite. I want Matthias arrested in relation to the murder of Rachel Summers and I want a bite cast made for comparison.”

  Roberts paused, blinking. She wasn’t sure if he was being serious or stating what it would take. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. Go arrest Matthias.”

  “But sir,” Kincaid interjected. “if we go get him at his home, Rowan will be there and we’ll have trouble.”

  “Ah, but my dear boy, the sun will be setting in a few hours,” Walker said, leaning over his desk to loom over Kincaid, a wicked grin on his face. “Rowan and Matthias will be at work. If you arrest Matthias at the Crow’s Nest, he won’t be able to fight back. Now get out of my sight. Go check the progress of that security footage or something.”

  Seeing no point in arguing with the bull-headed lieutenant, Roberts and Kincaid left the office. Every time she thought they were going to step back and mind their own duties again, something else came up. She was beginning to wonder if it would ever end or if they’d be stuck in a loop of accusations for the rest of their lives.

  Someone was playing the violin out in the street. The somber tune drifted through the open doors of the Crow’s Nest and played on Sophie’s ears in a way that made her smile gently, in fond remembrance of the early morning hours days before when she had listened to Rowan play. Knowing now what she knew of him and what he was, she was certain he had known she was there, silently listening from the stairs. She leaned against the bar and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath through her nose, as if breathing in the music itself. Instead she only registered the scents of strong drink and perfume someone had applied a little too heavily.

  The night had been calm for the most part and warmer than it had been since she arrived in the city. Mamma sat by the open door, fanning herself with a drink menu, her dark eyes looking through the alley to the street where the performer had gathered a small crowd. She hummed along to the tune, even mumbling a few words here and there.

  Sophie felt she had always been there. Always been behind the bar, watching Matthias flirt with all the girls, his easy smile luring them in. Making drinks and talking with regulars, the constant chatter of people only a background noise for more unique sounds like the violin. She cleaned an absinthe glass, holding it up to the light to be sure it was free of streaks, allowing her mind to wander to Rowan.

  He was an odd man. Sophie was never quite clear of his intentions and it was almost impossible to discern his emotions simply by looking at him. At first, she had felt he was distant, arrogant, and cold. The longer she knew him, however, the more human he seemed be become, which was a little ironic considering he hadn’t been human in centuries. He cared for only a few, and when he did he had an odd way of showing it. He scolded Matthias (which Matthias usually deserved) and it did help to keep his Pupil in line to an extent. But Sophie had noticed the way Rowan looked at Matthias when he thought no one was watching. It was the same way her mother had looked at her sister when she was astray in her own life. It was parental love; concern. There was something else to their relationship, but Sophie couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

  As far as his attitude toward her, it was varied and seemed to change as often as the wind. He could be distant, seemingly oblivious of her existence then switch to being frighteningly protective of her. She had given it a lot of thought, and although there were times she was frustrated by such behavior, it was Rowan’s way. She didn’t want him to be anything other than who and what he was. She only wanted to understand why he was that way. That knowledge would come with time, and a gradual climb of the tower he had locked himself away in. Somehow, Sophie felt it was worth the climb.

  A sudden change in the atmosphere of the bar broke her away from her thoughts and the glass she had been absently cleaning. Mamma was standing at the door, two police officers blocking the opening. Sophie recognized one as Officer Ginger Roberts, but the woman didn’t acknowledge her. Instead Roberts’ eyes scanned the small bar before locking onto Matthias.

  “Lukas Toland Beaumont, you’re under arrest in relation to the murder of Rachel Summers,” she said, approaching the bar.

  “Ya’ll leave dat boy alone! He ain’t done nothin’ wrong!” Mamma stated, wagging a finger in the male officer’s face. He hadn’t been expecting her to do so and instinctively took a step back.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we have orders,” he tried to explain as his partner pushed onward toward Matthias and Sophie.

  “Keep everyone back Kincaid. No need to complicate things,” Officer Roberts said, hand resting on her belt, too close to her gun for Sophie’s comfort. “Put your hands on your head and slowly come out from behind the bar.”

  “Where’s Rowan?” Matthias asked, eyeing the other officer and the door, expecting his Mentor to enter any second. When he did not, Matthias’s expression turned to one of suspicion. “I don’t have to go anywhere with you.”

  Officer Roberts inhaled sharply, adjusting her weight. “I’m only following orders, and if you don’t comply then I’ll have to take you by force.”

  She had a slight waver in her voice that made Sophie suspect that threat was hollow. There was nothing she could do to take him in if he didn’t want to go. They knew it; the cops, Matthias, and Sophie.

  The muscle of Matthias’ jaw clenched, his eyes locked with Roberts’s. Mamma looked on, concerned, and Sophie could feel the tension thickening around them. If Matthias caused a scene here, the patrons would know something was up. That he wasn’t normal. As much as Sophie hated to admit it, Walker had played this perfectly. The lieutenant knew that Matthias would have to go quietly if he was arrested out in public and what better time to get him than at work in a bar full of humans?

  Slowly, Matthias put his arms on his head and walked out from behind the bar. Roberts approached him, reaching up high to pull down his right arm and put it behind his back. Matthias looked at Sophie as Roberts cuffed him and read him his rights.

  “Sophie,” he said quietly, his voice barely audible, “as soon as I’m gone, get my phone from my coat and call Rowan. Tell him what happened and that he needs to get to the Eighth District’s division station ASAP. Got it?”

  “Yeah,” Sophie managed to say as Roberts led Matthias away in cuffs. Her heart broke for him.

  Mamma slipped around the officers and over to Sophie, the menu she had been using as a fan a wadded-up mess, still clenched tight in her thick hands.

  “We gotta follow ’em an’ get ma boy back,” she said, slamming the menu down on the table before turning on her customers. “Ya’ll git outta here naw, I ain’t got time. I gotta go ta ma boy. Git!”

  Mamma waved them off and the whole lot of them scurried out the doors to disappear into the night, none of them brave enough to argue with Mamma. With trembling hands, Sophie called Rowan. Mamma proceeded to scurry around the bar, closing and locking the shutters and doors, turning off lights and tossing things quickly into the trash.

  “Ro—I mean, Dominic?” Sophie swallowed hard at the sound of his voice, trying to keep her own level and low enough that Mamma wouldn’t be able to hear. Still, she was too paranoid to use their Turned names. “You have to get to the police department. Some cops just showed up and arrested Lukas for Rachel’s murder.”

  “I’ll be at the station in ten minutes. Meet me there but do not go inside.”

  The phone clicked, and Sophie knew she had been disconnected. Rowan was angry. It was easy to tell in his
voice and Sophie hesitated before shoving the phone back into Matthias’s coat pocket, draping it over her arm to take it with her. She had seen Rowan angry before, and it wasn’t pretty. She couldn’t help but wonder if Rowan was going to give the police the same treatment he had given Yvette and if so, was that something she really wanted to witness?

  “C’mon girl. Imma leave ya if ya don’t git movin’!” Mamma threatened from the last open door.

  Sophie scrambled from behind the bar and out the door before Mamma could leave her behind.

  32

  Rowan’s arrival at the Eighth District’s division headquarters had caused quite a stir. Those that knew who he was froze at the sight of him and those that did not glanced around nervously at their colleagues, confused at their reactions to the man. To them he didn’t look threatening in his brocade coat and black hair tied at the nape of his neck with a plum-colored ribbon. He looked out of place, out of time, but nowhere near as intimidating as half the thugs they brought in on a daily basis. Yet the way some of the other officers avoided him, giving him a wide berth as he passed, made them curious as to who he was.

  “Rowan,” Roberts said stiffly as she met him. Her dark eyes shifted for a moment to Sophie, who walked closely behind the Turned Leader, and then Mamma, who was still furious.

  “Where’s ma boy?” she demanded of Roberts, her pudgy hands gripped into tight fists that rested on her hips. Rowan’s glanced at her in interest to see the small woman go toe to toe with the police officer. “Ya’ll better let Lukas go naw, or Imma raise Cain up in dis’ station. I swear ta God!”

  “Ma’am, please calm down. Mr. Beaumont isn’t in any danger,” Roberts said in a soothing tone. “Rowan, if you would come over here, please?”

  Rowan glared at her. There were no laws protecting the Turned if they were arrested by human authorities. Police didn’t usually bother to touch the Turned but there had been occasions when a Turned would get roughed up before the Elders got to them. Most Turned wouldn’t fight back against their attackers because to harm a human posed risk of being labeled a Rogue. Some had been trying to get the Elders to push for special protections, but it would take time. For Roberts to tell Mamma that Matthias was safe was almost laughable, but Rowan held his tongue.

  “Sophie, stay with Ms. Benoit. I’ll be right back,” he said, following Roberts away from the desks where they could speak more privately. “I understand you have arrested my Pupil without me being present.”

  Roberts shifted uncomfortably. She licked her lips and swallowed hard, forcing herself to hold his gaze. “Yes, I did. I was following orders and he was wanted in relation to the murder of Rachel Summers.”

  Rowan’s eyes narrowed, and Roberts stopped talking, pursing her full lips together into a hard line. “I’m sorry, Rowan, I was just following orders.”

  “Walker,” Rowan said.

  “Yeah. He’s looking to string up one of your kind. I don’t think he even cares if he’s wrong.”

  “Take me to Matthias,” Rowan ordered.

  Officer Roberts hesitated then turned to lead him toward the interrogation rooms.

  The station erupted into whispers as soon as Rowan was out the door but he could still hear them. Roberts unlocked the door to the room where they were holding Matthias and let Rowan in. His Pupil was handcuffed and chained to the wall behind him. It was a testament to how much they suspected him of murder. How much they feared him. Still, the chains would be of little use if Matthias chose to break them. Rowan arched a brow at Roberts and she shrugged, as if she knew the chains were nearly useless.

  “Release him,” Rowan demanded.

  “Can’t. He really is wanted in connection to the murder of a human woman,” Roberts said.

  “What in the hell is goin’ on here?” Walker asked as he marched around the corner, file box in hand, stopping in his tracks when he came face to face with Rowan.

  “I would like to know the same thing,” Rowan said firmly.

  At first, Walker looked taken aback, but then he set his jaw and forced his way around Rowan, pushing Roberts aside with an elbow.

  “I don’t answer to you, Rowan,” the lieutenant grumbled, slamming the box down on the table. On the side of the box was written in black marker: Lukas Toland Beaumont. “Your precious Matthias is in deep shit.”

  Walker didn’t know who he was dealing with. Rowan tapped into the lieutenant’s mind, for only a split second to confirm his own suspicions about the file box on the table. As Rowan thought, the box was full of blank paper meant to scare Matthias into admitting to something he didn’t do.

  “How big of a fool do you think I am?” Rowan shot back, dumping the contents of the box onto the table in one swift motion. Folders full of blank paper fell out onto the table, scattering across it and onto the floor. Rowan tossed the box into the corner and slammed his palms down on the table beside Matthias, his dark eyes boring into Walker’s. “Pathetic human. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

  “A murder suspect, that’s who,” Walker nearly shouted, the two men in a stare-off across the table.

  “And do you have any proof or are you just grasping at straws; blaming this on the first Turned you see?”

  “Proof is he attacked the victim in the alley beside the Iron Lotus,” Walker said.

  “Nonsense. He fed from her, but she was alive when she got in that taxi,” Rowan replied through gritted teeth.

  “How do you know that?” Walker asked, his voice growing with irritation.

  “I have my ways, but that’s hardly the point. If you weren’t so wrapped up in your own hatred perhaps you would have been clear- headed enough to wonder why in the hell the taxi driver didn’t call you with a dead woman in his car,” Rowan pointed out.

  “Rachel had bite marks on her shoulder. How do you know he didn’t drain her too much and she didn’t pass out in the park? Even if she died of exposure, he’s still responsible.”

  “Hey now, I healed her wound. I didn’t leave any marks on her,” Matthias protested.

  “Witnesses at the scene told us Rachel didn’t have any wounds when they walked out of the alley,” Roberts added.

  “Shut up, Roberts,” Walker growled.

  “There was another woman there that night. Why don’t you try to find her?” Matthias blurted out.

  “What?” Roberts began, but Walker ignored her.

  “We had a key piece of evidence go missing. A Turned ID. Care to explain that?”

  “Wait, you found an ID? For who? Ivanka?” Rowan asked.

  Walker paused, “You know about Ivanka?”

  “Of course. I’m responsible for my own investigation. You think I’m responsible for stealing evidence? Absurd.”

  A knock at the door effectively stopped the conversation. Roberts let in an officer Rowan didn’t recognize. The red-haired man was taken aback by the amount of people in the interrogation room, but he squeezed past to whisper something in Walker’s ear. The lieutenant’s face changed to a deep crimson, a vein bulging from his forehead, warning the other officer to back off. He fled without protest, leaving Walker’s rage to the other people in the room.

  “What is it, sir?” Roberts asked.

  For some time Walker took deep breaths, thick fingers aggressively stroking his mustache. “The surveillance footage of areas around evidence lock up was deleted.”

  “It had to have been done by someone in the department,” Roberts said, falling quiet when Walker side eyed her.

  “See, now there’s an intelligent theory,” Rowan said. “The missing evidence and deleted footage were most likely done by the same person. I suggest you back off of me and my Pupil and handle the traitor in your midst.”

  “No. No, that doesn’t prove anything. It could have been you. You could have easily come in here and stolen evidence or made someone do it for you with your freak mind thing.”

  “You’ve lost your mind, Walker. I don’t have mind control and even if I did, why would I s
teal Ivanka’s ID? I already have a copy of it and finding her would mean clearing Matthias. It would be pointless for me to steal it. Now, I demand you release him.”

  “I have one more test. I want a cast of his fangs to compare to those found on the body.”

  Rowan and Walker stared one another down from across the table. It was ridiculous how much Walker wanted to see them both hanged. One part of Rowan wanted to deny Walker his request, as was his right to do since it was Homicide’s case, but another part of him wanted to get it over with a rub it in the lieutenant’s face.

  “Get a cast of his fangs, then. They won’t match. But I will remind you that this investigation is not yours. I’m only allowing this to prove a point.”

  Walker bristled. “We’ll get a cast and settle this once and for all. Roberts, don’t just stand there. Get back to work,” Walker barked before leaving the room with Roberts in tow.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” Matthias said quietly.

  “Yes, I did. You’re my Pupil, I’m responsible for you,” Rowan replied calmly, taking a seat across from Matthias, certain a human was watching them from behind the two-way mirror.

  “But what if —” Matthias began, picking his nails under the table.

  “You didn’t kill her,” Rowan said firmly. “Matthias, I read your mind while you were sleeping. Yes, you fed from Rachel; you know that as well as I. But the woman you saw, the one you handed Rachel over to? That’s Ivanka. The fact that her ID was found at the crime scene and is now missing is enough for me to be certain she is the murderer. I have confidence that the casts will not match.”

  “I could have handed her over to her murderer,” Matthias said, shoulders dropping.

  “You didn’t know, Matthias. She addressed Rachel by name. Any one would have thought she was well intentioned. It was a mistake.”