Authors: Michelle Clay
Nicole shut her eyes and tried to think of anything but Amy’s horrific image. Still, Amy emerging from the trash battered and broken replayed on an endless loop in her mind.
She repositioned herself in the uncomfortable plastic chair. The officers had already taken her statement. They’d taken her fingerprints and what they could from beneath her fingernails too. They couldn’t think she had done this—that she was even capable of doing something of this nature. Could they?
If she craned her neck, she could see Vasquez and a uniformed cop. Vasquez had her hand on the door like she might enter at any moment.
Finally, the detective came inside, bringing a folder and notebook with her. She sat across from Nicole. “Who knew stripping could be so dangerous?”
Nicole stared at the detective in disbelief. She had held Amy’s mutilated body in the final throes of death, and this woman was cracking jokes about it?
Vasquez’s gaze wandered toward the two-way mirror at their left. A slight smirk warped her face. She looked over the contents of a manila folder and tapped a pen against the table. “How well did you know this girl?”
She laid the open folder in the middle of the table. A crime scene photo lay on top.
Nicole’s back was stiff and straight. She leveled a hard glare on the detective. “I didn’t. I’ve spoken to her a couple times regarding work.”
Vasquez ignored the response. “We found your fingerprints in her apartment. What were you looking for?”
“I was looking for her! She didn’t show up for work, and I needed to talk to her.”
Vasquez pressed her lips together to form a thin colorless line. “Which one of you tore the apartment up?”
“It was like that when I got there.” Nicole’s frustration grew with each moment that passed. Would she look guilty in the detective’s eyes if she demanded a lawyer?
“Someone else gave her the drugs then?”
“Are you even listening to me?”
Vasquez ignored her outburst. “Do you know what kind she took?”
Nicole gaped at the woman. “How should I know?”
“We found a crushed hypodermic and a shoe print on the tile. What size shoe do you wear?”
She narrowed her eyes. “I didn’t see it until after I stepped on it.”
“What was she like when you spoke to her?” Vasquez was calm and clinical.
“She was messed up.” Her shoulders drooped. “It looked like she tried to tear her skin off. She said something was inside her.”
“That didn’t worry you? You weren’t concerned that you might get bitten? You know, with the outbreak and all?”
“It did cross my mind. Then the other one attacked and I witnessed her change.”
“Other one?”
Nicole nodded and gripped the sides of the chair. The memory of teeth, flashing inches from her face forced a shudder to run the length of her spine. “A white wolf. He tried to get at us in the bathroom. I smacked him with a towel bar, and he backed off.”
Vasquez raised a brow. “Thank goodness for that, eh?”
“Amy shifted right there on the floor. She ran from the apartment, and he followed.”
“And you didn’t touch her? Didn’t harm her in any way? Not even in self-defense?”
She tried to think back to that night in the cramped room. “I can’t remember.”
Vasquez pointed the ballpoint pen at the new scratches on Nicole’s forearm. “You might want to get that checked out.”
Nicole stared at her dirty arm. With the detective’s reminder, the sting where Amy’s nails had gouged her intensified.
Vasquez regarded her notes. “You said you went out the back door tonight to avoid the crowd? Was Brody with you?”
“No. He showed up after I pulled her out of the dumpster.”
“Let me get this straight. Something was scratching around in the dumpster, and you took a look?” There was an expectant look on the detective’s face. Did she expect Nicole’s story to change?
“Yes. She was pleading for help. I couldn’t ignore that.”
“According to you, she was hiding from someone?”
Nicole nodded again, tired of the repetitive questions. “She said he was going to kill her.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. A lot of what she said didn’t make sense.”
Vasquez studied her over the folder. “Why wouldn’t she seek help inside if someone were chasing her? Hiding in the garbage doesn’t make sense. She needed medical attention.”
“That door doesn’t open from the outside.” She was sure she’d stumbled across something terrible in that alley. Thank goodness Brody had shown up when he did. “Maybe whoever she ran from followed her, and she couldn’t get inside. She had no choice but to hide there.”
Vasquez considered this. “When did Brody show up?”
Nicole scrunched her eyes shut, trying to remember. So much had happened all at once. “I pulled Amy from the dumpster and he just kind of appeared.”
“Which direction did he come from?”
“I think he might’ve climbed the fence.”
“Did Amy seem afraid of him?”
“I’m not sure she even knew he was there. He called her by name.”
Vasquez looked at her notes. “Why didn’t you go back inside the building? Weren’t you afraid whoever did that to her might still be out there?”
Nicole groaned and rolled her head on her shoulders. “Amy needed help. Was I supposed to let her die in that dumpster? Brody was there and I—”
“You what?”
Her cheeks flamed. “I felt safe.”
“I see. What do you know about the drug BST?” Vasquez peered at her through narrowed eyes. The pen in her hand was poised over the notebook. “Its street name is Beast.”
“Just what I’ve seen on TV or read in the paper.”
Vasquez nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer. “It drives normal people crazy while it’s in their system. Makes them believe they’re a wolf. It’s also supposed to enable Lycans to shift faster, with less difficulty or pain. Sometimes they have a bad trip. That’s why it’s illegal.”
“Why? Because it enables Lycans to shift or because it messes with people’s heads?”
The dark-eyed detective flipped the photo over.
Nicole pointed at it. “Are you saying she did that to herself?”
Vasquez took her time coming up with an answer. “The night you found her in the apartment, you said she was tearing her own skin. Tonight, she tells you someone else did it. I don’t know what to believe. If you or Brody didn’t do it—that only leaves her.”
Nicole sighed. Didn’t the detective see the bite marks? They weren’t human. There was no way Amy could bite her own back.
“We just got toxicology back on that hypodermic. It’s a new, faster form of Beast. Did you know she took it?”
Nicole had fallen into a black hole of confusion. “But she should have shifted instead of becoming self-destructive.”
Vasquez tapped the pen against the table. “Maybe it’s a bad batch. Like I told you, it doesn’t always work as intended. Do you know who she got it from?”
“No, why would I?”
“Did you give it to her, Ms. Riley?”
She straightened in the chair. “No! Absolutely not.”
Vasquez’s face darkened. “I think you know where to get all sorts of things. You’re supposed to take care of the clientele and keep them happy aren’t you?”
“I don’t like your insinuation, Detective.”
“You should have given her wolfsbane instead.” Vasquez wrote something on the file. She used the tip of the pen to close the folder before Nicole could see what she scribbled.
“Last time I checked, it wasn’t illegal.”
“It is without a doctor’s orders.” Vasquez’s face held no emotion now. “It’s my understanding that wolfsbane has saturated the city without the proper prescriptions.”
“Seems like that would be a blessing.”
The detective wasn’t done. “How well do you know Hank Alvarez?”
The fine hairs on Nicole’s arms stood on end. For the first time tonight, she lied. “I don’t.”
The corner of Vasquez’s mouth lifted, but it wasn’t quite a smile. “Your phone number popped up on his call history more than once. I’d say the two of you know each other pretty well. I think he’s either your boyfriend or your dealer."
Nicole drew her shoulders up and hoped the woman sitting across from her didn’t notice how uncomfortable she was.
"I’m leaning toward the dealer. I don’t think you’re the type to hang out with a low-life like him.”
“So I guess you’re the bad cop. When do I get to meet the good one?” Nicole gritted her teeth to keep her chin from quivering.
Vasquez’s bare lips parted to reveal straight, white teeth. Some orthodontist must have made a fortune off of her. “I’m it, sugar. The bad cop doesn’t work here anymore.”
They stared at each other in heated silence.
“Alvarez was shot to death a few nights ago. Do you own a gun, Ms. Riley?”
“No.” Nicole scrubbed a hand across her face. The detective’s watchful gaze scrutinized her every move as if weighing her veracity based on her reactions.
Vasquez uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. “There’s still one thing that bothers me. Why didn’t you call for help while you were at Amy’s apartment? You could have intervened, maybe even saved her life.”
Nicole gripped the sides of the chair and wished she could vanish from the room. “I did call. I used the pay phones outside the supermarket down the street.”
“Ah, our anonymous caller.” Vasquez scribbled a quick note. “Do you know if she is affiliated with the local pack?”
“I have no idea. Like I told you; I didn’t know her that well.”
“What can you tell me about Sean Stone?”
Nicole shrugged. “Not much. What does he have to do with this?”
There was no expression on Vasquez’s face. “Does he date the staff? We questioned a girl yesterday who said the last time she saw Amy, she left the club with a gentleman who fit Stone’s description.” She used the pen to flip through the pages then read aloud. “She went with a blond guy in an expensive suit. He looked familiar like maybe he owned the place or something.”
“I have no idea.”
The detective scratched the bridge of her nose. “I’m just throwing it out there.”
Nicole stared at her. What did she want her to say? She had no idea who Sean or Amy hung out with. She doubted they shared time together, much less ever met since she had to give him a mental nudge the other night. Although the comment Tony made about Amy did trigger some doubt. She scooted to the edge of the chair, hoping they were done. “So ask him yourself.”
Vasquez rewarded her with another half grin. “I plan on it. Is he in town?”
“Yes, but I don’t know for how long. Most of his business is in L.A.”
Vasquez scanned the notebook then sighed. “He’s got some import business over there, right? What does he import?”
She had been so focused on jumpstarting her dying career that she’d never asked. “Actually, I don’t know. He might have mentioned something about liquor.”
“And he’s a partner in the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the wolfsbane suppressant.”
That was news to Nicole. “So?”
“So, if they can figure out how to suppress the urge to change, it makes sense that they could find a way to stimulate it too.”
“That doesn’t make sense, Detective. Why would a drug company create their own competition?”
“It’s about the almighty dollar. Besides, not all Lycans are as hell-bent on keeping their beast in check as others.” Vasquez gave her a meaningful look that forced her to squirm in the chair. “I understand that some like the freedom, the liberation. So much that they’re willing to chance a bad trip like Amy had.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“This isn’t a game, Ms. Riley. You seem to think he’s pretty trustworthy. What kind of relationship do you have with your boss?”
Nicole gripped the table so hard her knuckles turned white. She eased her hands into her lap and glanced at the mirror. “Are you asking if I’m sleeping with him? That’s absurd. Can I go now?”
Vasquez stood and gathered her things. “Don’t leave town.”
Nicole glared at the back of her head. “What’s your problem, Detective?”
Vasquez gave her a sharp look then rested against the wall next to the door. “You set loose a pack of Lycans at that concert last year.” Her slender brown fingers curled around the doorknob. “How many people were killed due to your negligence? How many were turned?”
“That was an accident. Those men came highly recommended to me. They were supposed to provide security. I had no idea what they were.” What could she hope to say that would make things better? People were dead or worse due to her mistake.
The detective stabbed a manicured finger at her. “If I get wind that you’re involved in any of this…”
Nicole twisted around to get a better look at her. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it? Were you bitten at the concert? Is that why you aren’t the least bit concerned by the bite and scratches Amy gave you? Most people would be terrified.” Vasquez’s cheeks heated, and her eyes filled with fire. “Maybe you’re already in touch with your inner beast. Is that it, Ms. Riley?”