Silenced by the Grave

by Lina Gardiner

  “I did see him do that once or twice,” Britt said. “He didn’t stay long, though.”

  “Some vampires are naturals at enthralling humans. They can do it within seconds of making eye contact. Isn’t that right, Jess?”

  Jess squirmed. How did Morana know? It was true, she’d mesmerized Britt against his knowledge—much to her shame. A few years ago, she’d forced him to kiss her, nearly make love to her. She still carried baggage about doing that to him. But there was only one way Morana could believe that about her, and that was if vampire twins had the same abilities.

  “I thought Diesel was your friend? How can you accuse him of something like this?” Jess asked.

  Morana flicked her fingers in the air as if the matter was inconsequential. “Diesel is a co-worker, that’s all. He has needs that can only be satiated with warm blood. Not the bagged type or blood on tap. His ancient code is the lust for warm, pumping blood—that’s what makes vampires feel alive.”

  Jess squirmed. Damn it, Morana was right. Even she and Britt sometimes allowed that lust to erupt during lovemaking, and she hated herself for it.

  “Let’s confront him about it, then.” Britt looked angry.

  “I agree, that’s the right thing to do,” Morana said, a little too eagerly for Jess’s liking.

  Had Diesel done something to piss Morana off?

  They went into LaCave where the tempo of the music reverberated off the walls and made the bones restless. At first scan, it appeared that Diesel wasn’t there.

  “Where is he?” Jess asked.

  Morana frowned. “I’m off tonight, but he’s supposed to be working.” She approached one of the other bartenders. “Where’s Diesel?”

  The bartender looked at Diesel’s station. “I’m not sure. He was there a few minutes ago.”

  Jess and Britt followed Morana into the storage room. No sign of him.

  “What if he’s in the tunnels?” Morana said.

  “Does he often disappear during a shift? Any chance it happened when a woman was killed?” Jess said.

  They continued searching for him, and when they passed the location where the women had been murdered, Jess had a horrible feeling in her gut. Britt met her gaze with a solemn look and nodded his agreement that they continue down this dark path.

  Lifting her head and sniffing, Morana said, “Uh-oh.”

  “What?” Britt asked.

  “We smell blood,” Jess said. “Up ahead.”

  The three of them rounded a corner and saw the woman on the ground. She’d been ripped apart like the others. Only this time, hunched over the victim’s neck, loomed a shadowy figure.

  Holy hell! They’d caught him.

  Jess and Morana rushed him with vampire speed. He ran, but they managed to catch him, each holding one of his arms before Morana whipped him around to face her.

  “Let me go,” he cried out.

  Britt yanked a small flashlight from his pocket and shined it on the face of the killer. “Crap.”

  “It’s not what you think,” Diesel said, blood covering his chin. He wiped it off with the sleeve of his black long-sleeved shirt. “She was already dead. I just didn’t want to waste the blood.”

  “How could you, Diesel?” Morana said. “I trusted you.”

  “I didn’t kill her. She was already dead when I found her. I didn’t kill her.”

  Britt had his cell phone in his hand now. Jess didn’t stop him from making the call to Veronique.

  “We’re in the tunnel,” he said. “There’s been another murder, but this time we caught the killer.”

  Diesel looked afraid. Vampires were never afraid.

  Was he really as weak as he pretended to be? Was he really just an underling of the secret vampire society, or was he still playing a role to fool them all?

  Jess barely glanced at the body on the ground. The scent of blood was overwhelming, and Morana’s teeth had grown, as well as her own. “We need to move away from the body while we wait for the cops,” Jess said.

  Morana yanked Diesel along. He was still begging to be believed. At one point, he tried to get away, but she had a death grip on him. “You’ve let me down, Diesel. I can’t believe you’re that kind of monster.”

  “I’m not. I don’t kill. I’ve never killed.”

  “How did you know the body was there, then?” Jess asked.

  “I often go for a smoke in a back tunnel that leads into this one. Whenever I smell the blood, I can’t stop the need. I’ve only supped on the bodies that were already gone. I’d never hurt a woman.”

  “I’m a vampire, Diesel. I don’t believe you’re quite so innocent,” Jess said.

  “But Jess, you are like me. You’ve never killed a human, right?”

  Jess’s expression froze, and both Diesel and Morana looked stunned by her reaction.

  “Merde, Jess,” Morana breathed. “You have killed, haven’t you?”

  “Once,” she said. “A long time ago.” She looked at Britt, the man who’d given back her victim’s life and, in the process, had given her a modicum of peace.

  Thankfully, footsteps were coming their way, and the conversation ended.

  Diesel started to thrash again but couldn’t escape Morana’s grip.

  “You might as well save your energy, Diesel,” she said without feeling.

  It was at that moment that his legs let go, and he dropped to the floor of the cave onto his knees.

  When Veronique arrived, she eyed Diesel in disgust. “I guess we should have known it would be a vampire who worked here.” She stared at Morana, then Diesel again. “You certainly had us fooled.”

  “It wasn’t me,” Diesel said. “I didn’t do it.”

  Three more officers arrived. Jess and Morana continued to hold Diesel until they shackled him with vampire-resistant material. Probably, silver-laced Kevlar cuffs.

  Even while they were hauling him off, he kept protesting his innocence.

  Jess’s insides felt like a lead weight. Why did she feel so awful about catching the killer? Because she’d actually liked the guy a little?

  “Tell me how you found him,” Veronique said, pulling out a pad to take down the details. Unfortunately for Diesel, the details were damning.

  After they’d finished, she closed the pad. “Well, I guess that’s it. We’ve finally caught our killer. He played all of us, I think,” Veronique said.

  “He was smart, wasn’t he? Assuming the role of the weaker vampire, almost a victim himself. I’m embarrassed to say I fell for it,” Jess said.

  “So did I.” Morana kicked a pebble on the tunnel floor, and the sound echoed for several seconds.

  “And the victim?”

  “Twenty feet down that way.” Britt pointed.

  “You two coming?” Veronique asked.

  Jess hung back. “No thanks, I’ve seen enough.” The scent had set off her own bloodlust, making her feel as much of a monster as Diesel was.

  “Me too, I’ve got to go.” Not that Morana was invited.

  “You’ll still have to come to the station for questioning,” Veronique added.

  “When?” Morana asked.

  “Tomorrow night would be good,” Veronique said. “Britt, about our last victim . . . Did you notice there was a little bit of tissue under the victim’s nails?”

  “I did,” he said. “I put it in my report, even though I knew the coroner would find it when he did the autopsy.”

  “I figured you’d have noticed. Now that Sampson is helping us with a database, we can compare VNA. Let’s go,” she said. “Mon Dieu, I hope this is the last time we have to look at a grizzled victim in these tunnels.”

  Jess listened as they walked away. They’d been so intent on the case that they’d both forgotten she and Morana were still standing there.

  Without a word to her sister, Jess left the tunnel and went home. She needed solitude.

  Even worse, Britt hadn’t returned by the time she had to go to her room for stasis. She always hate
d herself for being a vampire, but tonight’s events seemed to put a magnifying glass on her condition. She was a vile creature who’d nearly convinced herself she could be something else.

  She had to face reality. She’d killed a human. It looked like Morana hadn’t.

  So who was the bad vampire twin?

  Chapter Twenty

  BRITT SAT BESIDE Jess on the sofa the next evening. “What’s wrong? You don’t seem to be yourself tonight.”

  She turned away from him with slumped shoulders. “Actually, I’m more myself than usual. Do you believe children can see angels?” she asked out of the blue.

  “I didn’t, until we met little Michelle,” he said, reaching over and caressing the back of her hand. “She obviously had you pegged, too.”

  “Guardian of Paris? Hardly.”

  “It was a strange thing for her to say, though, wasn’t it?”

  Jess didn’t know why she’d brought up the subject of angels. It reminded her how much of a chasm there was between herself and Britt. She shut the conversation down by going to the marble fireplace and staring into it as if it were a real fire instead of a faux log and gas. At home in New York, Regent burned actual wood, even in the summer, because she liked staring into the flames.

  He knew better than to try to convince her of her worth when she was in this humor. Points to him. Instead, he leaned against the island in the kitchen and waited for her to come around. His lips moved ever so slightly, an indication that he was silently reciting the prayers she needed each day. The more he prayed the stronger she felt.

  Exactly what she needed.

  The phone rang, and he grabbed it. Veronique was on the line. “I’m going to interrogate Diesel tonight. You interested in helping me?”

  Jess watched him assessing her. No matter what she said, he wouldn’t leave her alone if she was was still in a dark place.

  “Veronique, I’ll get back to you?” he said.

  Not that she tried to eavesdrop. She could always hear people on the phone, even from across the room. She heard the pause on the other end before Veronique said, “Sure.”

  “Ten-four, I’ll call you back in a few minutes.” He pressed the off button and moved toward her.

  She held up a hand. “Don’t worry about me, I’m going with you. I’ll just put my fighting leathers on.”

  He didn’t have to wait long. She’d dressed with vampire speed. “I’m ready, let’s go,” she said meeting him near the door. “I hope Diesel decides to spill his guts.”

  Most likely Britt hadn’t expected her to want to accompany him. She’d blown him off quite a few times lately to do her own thing. He was obviously pleased that she wanted to go with him tonight. “I wonder how the police treat justice against vampires in Paris? I mean, does the Pact come into it?” he mused before dialing Veronique’s number and telling her they were on their way. The conversation was brief.

  Jess searched the rooftops as they walked. “Knowing vampires, they probably don’t expect humans to go the incarceration route with them.”

  At the station, they spotted Veronique getting out of her small vehicle.

  Britt said, “I bet Diesel feels pretty vulnerable in there.”

  “I know I’d feel that way.” Jess shuddered. “But it’s justice, and those women deserve that.”

  Veronique grabbed a briefcase from her car. After she shut the door, she spotted them. “Mes amis, follow me,” she said, coding them through into her office. “This is actually the first time we’ve had to deal with a vampire in the judicial sense. It’ll shake the core of our Pact, I’m sure. Not to mention vampires will be watching very carefully how we handle this. That’s why I’d like you to be here, too, Jess. I’d like your take on how things are playing out.”

  Jess frowned. “I’m just coming as an observer.”

  “Oh, I hope not, my friend,” she said. “Diesel mentioned he wants you there. I think he hopes you’ll believe him.” She spread her fingers wide. “Perhaps he thinks you’ll be able to help him.”

  Jess made a cynical noise at the back of her throat. “I barely know him, and I don’t make a habit of saving vampires.” An image of the little vampire named Jane flashed through her consciousness.

  “You have saved a few vampires, though, Jess,” Britt said.

  “Diesel doesn’t know about Jane. And the two of them are nothing alike.”

  He gave a quick nod.

  Veronique picked a file off her desk, and they headed to the interrogation room at the back of the building. Jess could tell she badly wanted to know who Jane was, but she wouldn’t ask.

  “Where are vampires kept during the day?” Jess asked.

  “We have a windowless cell. It’s at the end of this hall where no natural light can trickle in, even if the door is opened.”

  “You’ve had other vampires in jail?” she asked.

  “Actually, this is the first time we’ve held a vampire,” she said, leading them down a dark hall toward the heavily reinforced door at the end. “And it’s going to cause one hell of a ruckus, no matter what the outcome.”

  Jess dragged her teeth over her bottom lip. She didn’t want to consider the consequences for Diesel. She’d bet he’d rather have Morana here than her.

  Not that he’d get much help from Jess’s identical twin. She didn’t have a sympathetic side, as far as Jess could see. So far, all Jess had witnessed was her nastiness.

  It didn’t thrill Jess that the cops at the front desk seemed more wary of her than they had been before. Great. One vampire goes rogue, and humans hate them all. Hell, yeah, she didn’t blame them.

  Jess heard Diesel pacing inside his cell as soon as they’d turned the corner.

  Veronique told the guard to open the door. It creaked open.

  Even with the door open, Diesel continued to pace back and forth, his hair a mess, his makeup melting from his eyes, making him look clown-like and even more desperate.

  “Diesel?” Jess said.

  “Jess.” He rushed toward her. “I’m glad you’re here. I was hoping you’d come.”

  Veronique stepped between them, obviously not afraid of the possibilities. “Stay where you are,” she said. “You’ll get your chance to speak in the interrogation room.”

  His gaze implored Jess.

  “I can’t help you, Diesel. You were found in the act of killing that poor woman,” Jess said.

  “Shit!” he said. “I swear to you, even though I was drinking her blood, I didn’t kill her. She was dead when I found her.” He sounded like a broken record.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Veronique said. “We’ve all heard that before. You’re a veritable saint.” She motioned for him to move along toward the interrogation room. “We’ll have a long heart-to-heart. You can tell us all about it, there—not here.”

  Diesel’s head drooped when he entered the room and sat on the chair indicated. “I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

  Britt and Veronique faced him on the other side of the table while Jess stood in the corner. She’d been too edgy to sit, and judging by Diesel’s countenance, he was fighting the urge to smash something right now.

  “Do yourself a favor and admit the truth,” Britt said with his hands splayed out in front of him on the table.

  “I am telling the truth,” Diesel said. “But it doesn’t matter. I’m going to be hung out to dry, aren’t I?” He sniffed. “I admit I was weak, and I shouldn’t have taken the blood. I broke the Pact, I freely admit that. But I don’t kill. I didn’t kill.”

  Britt caught Jess’s gaze and lifted his brows. Guilty people always protested their innocence—they lied until they could lie no more. Britt believed Diesel was lying.

  Hell, so did she—but for some reason, she didn’t want it to be true.

  Unexpectedly, there was a vibration in the wall where she’d been leaning. She pushed off when another reverberation shook the room. This time an explosion came with it, blowing a hole in the ceiling above Diesel.

  Veronique
and Britt jumped to their feet while Diesel looked up in shock.

  Jess opened her mouth to shout a warning just before three vampires dropped through the hole and landed behind the prisoner.

  Veronique lurched for the door to call for help, but the second she opened it, four more vampires spilled inside from the hall wearing hoods and bandanas over their faces.

  “We’re taking this man for trial by vampire,” one of them said. His voice was synthesized via vampire physiology.

  Diesel jumped to his feet in an attempt to escape. “No! Don’t let them take me!”

  “Jess,” Britt said calmly. And now she understood why he hadn’t reached for his stake. He was going to use angel fire to take them out. “If you can leave the room, you should.”

  “No. That’s not a good idea. It might be an even worse infraction against the Pact,” she said.

  He frowned but must have realized she was right.

  “We will not harm any of you,” the synthesized voice said. “We only want Diesel. We will judge him and decide his guilt. This is a vampire matter. Humans have no right to decide.”

  Diesel, meanwhile, looking panicked and staring hopefully at Jess, implored her with his eyes. But there was nothing she could do for him—they were gravely outnumbered.

  The larger vampire grabbed Diesel by the arm and yanked him up through the hole in the ceiling. The rest of the vampires followed.

  Rending metal sounded as they made their way through the ductwork.

  “I’m following them,” Jess shouted to Britt. “Meet you outside.” She whipped her blade out from under her jacket as she disappeared into the ceiling.

  “Be careful,” Britt shouted, before turning and tearing down the hall toward the nearest exit.

  Jess followed the vamps outside to a side street. Diesel screamed and fought until one of them punched the side of his head and threw him over his shoulder.

  She’d followed the vampires to the main part of the street where she caught sight of Morana at the corner, followed closely by Britt and Veronique. “What’re you doing here?” Jess mouthed to Morana.