Blood Game

by Iris Johansen

  Eve felt a ripple of shock go through her as she stared at him. Cold ferocity. He meant every word. “That sounds very personal.”

  “Does it?” He lifted his cup to his lips. “I guess that’s because that’s what it is to me. I followed Jelak halfway across Europe before I lost him. He left a trail of blood behind him everywhere he went. He preferred women’s blood, but he’d take children if circumstances prevented him from getting the nectar of choice.”

  “Why were you following him?” Jane asked. “Are you some kind of policeman?”

  “Hell, no.” Seth glanced challengingly at Joe. “Ask him. I think he has my measure. Don’t you, Quinn?”

  Joe nodded slowly. “You don’t give a damn about legalities. You’re an outlaw. All you want to do is kill.”

  “You can’t say I tried to hide it.” Caleb smiled recklessly. “And I think you’d just as soon kill Jelak as jail him. You’re something of an outlaw yourself, Quinn.”

  “‘Outlaw’ is a little too vague for me,” Eve said. “Just what do you do, Caleb?”

  “I have private means, but I occasionally help the Devanez family out with problems. I have certain skills that they find useful.”

  “What kind of skills?”

  “I’m a hunter.” He paused. “Like you, Quinn. Only I’m not bound by pesky rules and laws.”

  “Why?” Eve asked Caleb. “Why is it personal?”

  He didn’t speak for a moment. “I was very fond of Maria Givano. She was barely alive when I found her in that cellar. She told me what he’d done, what he’d said, how he’d left her when he’d had enough.” His lips tightened. “And then she died. Yes, it’s damn personal with me.”

  “I can see how it would be,” Jane said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

  “Not as sorry as I am. Nor as sorry as he’ll be.” Caleb finished his coffee in two swallows. “Now can we get down to the business of finding him?”

  “I’m already working on it,” Joe said. “I don’t need you.”

  “Yes, you do.” He glanced at Eve, then at Jane. “You need to keep them safe. He wants Eve Duncan, but he’ll take the girl to show he can do it. And to draw Eve to him.”

  “And how do you intend to prevent that from happening?”

  “He’ll be more cautious if I’m around. He has a certain respect for me.” He glanced at Joe. “But, of course, you could say screw caution and just use them as bait.”

  “No, I don’t think that we’ll do that,” Joe said.

  “I didn’t think that was an option.”

  “You’re damn right it’s not.”

  “Respect?” Eve had fastened on that word. “Those tire marks indicated panic rather than respect. Why was he trying so desperately to get away from you?”

  He shrugged. “As I said, we know each other very well.” He turned back to Joe. “He’ll be making a move very soon. He’ll be angry with himself for running and want to prove his strength.”

  “What kind of move?”

  “Blood. That’s always primary for Jelak.” He paused. “If he feels a lack, then he goes back to the well.”

  “Any well in particular?”

  “The victim of choice isn’t always possible. Then he goes after whatever he can get.”

  “Like Nancy Jo Norris?” Jane asked.

  He nodded. “From what I’ve heard, she was probably a random. He saw her and thought she might do as a fill-in.”

  “So he slit her throat,” Joe said harshly. “She was only nineteen, dammit.”

  “And Maria Givano was twenty.” Caleb studied him. “You’re angry. I wouldn’t think a detective would be quite so involved. Why?”

  “You mean your friend Renata Wilger didn’t tell you why I’m involved?” Joe asked sarcastically.

  “No, Renata prefers to keep me at a distance unless it’s family business.”

  “I wonder why,” Eve murmured.

  “I can be . . . difficult.” Caleb added to Joe, “But then I imagine you can be too.”

  “You bet your ass I can,” Joe said. “And I’m not hearing everything that I—” His phone rang and he glanced down. “The precinct.” He picked up. “Quinn.”

  Eve stiffened as she watched his expression. Grim. Very grim.

  “I’ll be right there.” Joe hung up and turned to Caleb. “I believe we may have your fill-in. A woman was found in Piedmont Park an hour ago. Throat slit. Naked. All the earmarks of a ritual murder.”

  “Who?” Eve whispered.

  “We don’t know yet. She’s brunette, in her twenties.” He headed for the bedroom. “I’ve got to shower and get over there.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Caleb said.

  “You will not. This is my case. Stay out of it.”

  “I might be able to help.”

  Joe looked back over his shoulder. “And you might get in my way. I don’t trust you worth a damn. I’ve got enough problems without having to worry about Megan Blair’s weird pack of relations.”

  The door closed behind him.

  “I may have a few problems with your Joe Quinn,” Caleb murmured. “He appears a little resistant.”

  Jane snorted. “You don’t want to have problems with Joe. He’ll take you down, Caleb.”

  “Will he?” He tilted his head. “Interesting. But I don’t have time to explore those possibilities.” He turned to Eve. “If you can persuade him, you might try to do it. I’m your best chance of getting Jelak before he damages anyone close to you.”

  “Joe will use you if he thinks you can help,” Eve said. “And nothing I can say will alter that. He does what he thinks is right.” She paused. “He might have been more likely to accept your help if you’d had a chance to fill in Jelak’s background a little more.”

  He smiled. “Or maybe not. He seems very much opposed to associating with weirdos like me.”

  “He has his reasons. And are you a weirdo?” Eve asked.

  He was silent a moment. “I have my moments.” His smile faded. “But I’m no danger to you. Unless you get in my way.”

  “That’s not very comforting.”

  “I’m not here to comfort you. I’m here to kill Jelak. Of course, that may be a comfort to you too.”

  “And why did you think you might be able to help Joe at that crime scene?”

  “I can feel Jelak when I’m close to him.”

  Eve’s brows lifted. “Really?”

  “Oh, yes.” He suddenly whirled toward Jane. “You believe me, don’t you?”

  “I believe that it might be possible,” Jane said warily. “Actually, that’s only a step beyond primitive instinct. A lot of people have . . . feelings.”

  He smiled. “Like you?”

  She didn’t answer. “How certain are you that you’d know if Jelak was near?”

  “Absolutely. As long as there aren’t too many people around to cause interference. I have problems in the middle of cities and with apartment buildings.” He shook his head. “But I’m not going to argue with your Joe about letting me come. I doubt if Jelak would be lingering about in Piedmont Park. He’s not the usual serial killer, who needs the kick of watching his victim found. He got his kick when he took the blood.”

  “Kick?” Eve asked. “What do you mean?”

  “He thinks that the blood of a fresh kill makes him stronger, jump-starts his energy quotient.” He shrugged. “This kill probably had little effect on him. It was more for show, and he’ll be hungry for something more substantial.”

  Jane grimaced. “You make him sound like a cannibal.”

  “There are similarities. Cannibals also devour their victims to absorb their strengths.”

  Eve stiffened. “Is that what he’s doing? He thinks that the blood he takes will transfer the strength of those poor victims to him?”

  He nodded. “That’s why he tries to be selective. Every kill is a step that moves him a little closer to the end of the game. But if the victim is particularly strong or intelligent, then it’s a giant step.�
�

  “Game?” Eve repeated. “This is a game to him?”

  “Of course. The quintessential game. The one that started in Fiero all those years ago and won’t be over until he reaches what he considers his zenith.” His lips tightened. “Or I kill the son of a bitch.”

  “You evidently haven’t managed to do that in the last ten years,” Jane said dryly. “I want to know more about—”

  “I’m out of here.” Joe was shrugging into his jacket as he came out of the bedroom. “I’ll call you when I know something, Eve.” He glanced at Seth Caleb. “Don’t disappear, Caleb. Before I see you again, I’m going to know everything there is to know about your background. I’m not through with you.”

  “No, you’re not,” Caleb said. “You have no idea how far you are from being through with me. I’ll give my cell-phone number to Eve.” He headed for the door. “In the meantime, I’ll make a few calls myself and try to pin down where Jelak might be likely to show up next.” He smiled. “And I’ll be more generous than you about sharing information.”

  “I’ll share when you prove that you can give me more than a bunch of vampire crap,” Joe said as he headed for the door. “Jelak is a murderer, nuts maybe, but not anything more.” He opened the door. “If you can give me any details about how we can use that particular craziness to catch him, then we’ll talk again.”

  “My, my, you weren’t listening. I never said he was a vampire,” Caleb said. “Just a wannabe.”

  “Whatever.” The next moment, Joe was going down the porch steps.

  Caleb reached in his jacket and handed Eve a card. “My cell number. Call me if you need me.”

  “I won’t need you.”

  “You can never tell. Or if you want to talk or ask me more questions. I’m entirely open to you.”

  She stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head. There was no telling what was behind that bland expression that seemed to hide a thousand secrets. “There’s nothing open about you, Caleb.”

  He smiled. “You’re right, of course. But I’d make the effort for you.” He turned. “Good day, ladies. I’m sure I’ll see you soon.”

  EVE TURNED TO JANE AS CALEB left the cottage. “What do you think?”

  “About Caleb?” Jane was silent a moment. “He’s a powerhouse. He tries to keep it under wraps, but every now and then we get a glimpse.”

  “Joe doesn’t think he’s keeping it under wraps.” Eve paused. “Joe might have been more receptive if Megan hadn’t been involved. He’s been very tolerant about a lot of things, but pulling this vampire hunter into the mix is a little tough on him.”

  “Van Helsing Caleb isn’t,” Jane said. “And he keeps insisting that Jelak isn’t a vampire.” She shivered. “But this blood stuff gives me the creeps. That poor woman in Piedmont Park. She probably didn’t know what—” She broke off, her eyes widening. “Piedmont Park. Oh, my God.”

  Eve’s gaze flew to her face. “What?”

  “Patty’s house is across the street from Piedmont Park.”

  Eve went rigid. Dear God, please no. “It’s a big area, Jane.”

  “She’s dark-haired and in her twenties. Isn’t that the description of the victim?” She moistened her lips. “I had dinner with Patty last night. I went to her house. What if I led him to her?”

  She didn’t know what to answer. It could have happened. “Call her.”

  “I’m doing it.” Jane was already dialing her cell. “Answer,” she murmured. “Answer me, Patty.” She hung up. “Dammit, it went to voice mail.” She jumped to her feet. “I’m going over there.”

  Eve nodded. “I’ll go with you. What about the home phone?”

  Jane was dialing as she walked out the door. “Disconnected.”

  Not good, Eve thought. She’d had the faintest hope until then. But Patty’s grandfather was an invalid. Why would the main phone be disconnected? “Let’s go.”

  THEY SAW THE FIRST SIGNS of police activity four blocks from Patty’s house. Squad cars and a forensic van were parked near the trees several hundred yards from the entrance. Small crowds of curiosity seekers were hovering, edging closer.

  “Joe should be there by now,” Eve said. “Maybe I should call him. Maybe it’s not Patty.”

  “He would have just gotten there. He might not know yet. And we’re almost at her house,” Jane said. “She didn’t answer the phone. I want to see for myself.”

  Patty’s house was a small cottage with cheerful geraniums in pots hanging on the wraparound porch. The garage door was open, and Eve could glimpse a disassembled car just inside.

  “That’s the car Patty is working on,” Jane said as she parked. “She’s teaching herself how to install new brakes. With the new cars, it’s hard to do without special factory equipment. She said that she—” Jane stopped and took a deep breath. “I’m yammering. I’m scared, Eve.”

  “Me too.” Eve got out of the car. “Come on. Let’s just do it.” She climbed the steps. “Ring the bell.”

  “I don’t have to.” Jane’s gaze was fixed on the door. “It’s ajar.”

  A slender crack of light was issuing from the edge of the door.

  “Oh, shit,” Eve whispered. She slowly reached out and pushed the door wider.

  “Patty!”

  It was a scream that almost shook the rafters of the house.

  “What the hell?” Jane threw the door open and ran into the hall. Eve was right behind her.

  “Jane?”

  They whirled around to see Patty standing in the doorway behind them, a bewildered look on her face. “What are you doing here?”

  Relief soared through Eve. Thank God.

  “Patty!” Another shrieking yell.

  Patty grimaced. “Excuse me. I have to see what he wants. You’d think he’d be able to wait. I’ve only been in the backyard for a few minutes or so.” She hurried past them toward the back of the house. “I’m coming, Granddad. Do you need something?”

  “You wouldn’t care if I did.” The man’s voice was whining. “You’d leave me here to rot.”

  “You know that’s not true.” Patty had disappeared into the room. “What do you want?”

  “My juice needs refilling. And you know I don’t like to be left alone.”

  “I’ll get it for you right away.”

  Patty reappeared in the hall carrying a carafe. She crossed her finger over her lips for silence and motioned them to come with her. “Sorry about that,” she said, when they’d reached the kitchen. “He’s not in the greatest mood. I didn’t want to expose you to that waspy tongue of his.”

  “Why do you put up with it, Patty?” Jane asked.

  “I owe him. He wasn’t always like this. When I was a kid, I remember him as being . . .” She made a face. “Well, he was never sweet, but he took me in after my parents broke up, and he did the best he could. It was only when he got sick that it got bad.” She went to the sink and rinsed out the carafe. “You don’t want to hear this. Why did you come to see me?”

  “We just wanted to make sure you were all right,” Eve said. “You weren’t answering your cell phone.”

  “I didn’t have it. Granddad pitched a fit when he heard me talking on it last night, and I had to give it to him to pacify him.”

  “Why was he angry?”

  She grinned over her shoulder. “I was talking to Charlie Brand. He called me and asked me to dinner tomorrow night.”

  “Charlie?” Jane smiled. “Good. I knew he liked you.”

  “And I like him. We talked about fifteen minutes before Granddad pulled the plug.”

  “You shouldn’t have let him take your phone,” Eve said. “He had no right.”

  She shrugged. “It’s easier to let him have his way. It makes him feel as if he still has power. One of the sad things about getting old and sick is that everyone seems to have power but you. I usually just let him keep it for a little while, then pick it up on one of my trips into his room.”

  “You’re more p
atient than I’d be,” Jane said. “He still has it?”

  “I didn’t need it. It was storming, and Granddad wanted me to sit with him. We had a blackout last night. We must have lost power.”

  “Is that why your house phone wasn’t working?”

  “Probably. I was out in back when you came, trying to check the ground line from the pole.” She frowned. “It looks sort of funny. I have to get a better look at it as soon as I get Granddad settled again.”

  “Leave it to the power company,” Eve said.

  “I’ll be careful. I just want to make sure it’s not some simple connection that I could do myself.”

  “Patty!”

  “Coming,” she called. “I’d better get his juice back to him.”

  “We’ll go,” Jane said. “We just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “Why shouldn’t I be?” Then she nodded. “Oh, all those police cars down the street. I was wondering. Something nasty?”

  “Something very nasty,” Jane said. “Promise that you’ll take your phone back from your grandfather so that you can reach us.”

  “Sure.”

  “And keep your doors locked and be very careful.”

  Patty gave a low whistle. “It must be pretty ugly. It has to have something to do with the reason Charlie was tagging you last night.”

  “Right.” She paused. “I was afraid I might have pulled you into it. That bastard could have seen you with me.”

  “And that would make me a target?”

  “We don’t know,” Eve said. “But we have to assume it’s a possibility.”

  “So you ran to my rescue.” She suddenly smiled. “Next time, could you send Charlie? I might as well get something out of this.”

  Jane chuckled. “I’ll ask Joe to pull some strings.” Her smile faded. “If your grandfather will let him come around. Are you going out to dinner with Charlie?”

  “Hell, yes. I pick my battles. I know you think I’m a wimp, but I take what I need.”

  “That doesn’t appear to be very much,” Jane said dryly.

  “My choice, Jane,” Patty said quietly. “In the end, we all have to decide what we’re willing to give up for payback. We all have parents or grandparents or children who will need us. Agonizing decisions sometimes. You have to weigh the memories and the debt against what’s being taken from you.”