She wasn’t going to tell him the truth: they couldn’t rip out her throat, because they thought she was a Fury and her blood was deadly. It would sound crazy and she had no doubt that Dr Tame would lock her up in a psych ward at the drop of a hat.
‘I don’t know.’
‘Ah,’ he said, waggling his finger again. ‘But I think you do, April Dunne. I think you know – or
you
think you know – a great deal about this case. Clearly you have reasons for not telling me – misplaced loyalty, perhaps, or maybe you think you can crack the case yourself. But I know you want to tell me. I think you’re desperate to. I can see it there inside your head, trying to get out. You want to unburden yourself. It’s killing you that you can’t tell someone.’
April tried to swallow, but couldn’t. Her throat was dry and her heart was pounding. She had always been a lousy liar and Dr Tame seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.
‘Okay, so why would I want to tell you all these supposed secrets?’ said April.
‘Because you know exactly what will happen if you don’t.’
‘I do? What’s going to happen?’
‘Now that,’ he said, standing up. ‘That much you do know.’ Before she could move, the psychologist grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her seat.
‘Hey!’ she cried.
He strode out of the kitchen, dragging her behind him. ‘I think you know exactly what’s going to happen if you keep it to yourself,’ he shouted over her protests, twisting her wrist and dragging her down the hall.
‘Mum!’ shouted April.
Stopping at the front door, Tame grabbed April’s shoulders and looked into her eyes.
‘Why don’t we go in and see?’ he said and pushed her backwards into her father’s old study. ‘Was it here?’ said Tame, his voice rising. ‘Was this where you found him?’
‘Who?’
‘Who? Your father of course! The great William Dunne!’
He seized her shoulder and pushed her down onto the floor.
‘Don’t be shy, April,’ he said. ‘Let’s have a look where you found him, bleeding into the carpet.’
‘No!’ she shouted, ‘MUM!’ April twisted her head away, but Tame grabbed her face and made her look down at the floor, right at the spot where her father had died. ‘Was it here? Was this where he died?’
‘Yes!’ she screamed, yanking herself free, pushing the doctor back against the wall. ‘Is that what you want? I saw him die here! Is that what you want me to say?’
‘What the hell is going on?’ yelled April’s mother as she ran into the room, stepping between April and the doctor. ‘Who the bloody hell do you think you are?’
‘Do you want to see more people die, April?’ said Tame, ignoring Silvia. ‘Or was one enough? Maybe the next one you will care about.’
‘Screw you!’ yelled April, lunging for Tame, her hands formed into claws. Silvia caught her.
‘Stop!’ she cried. ‘Stop this at once! What on earth has got into you?’
‘There’s nothing to worry about, Mrs Dunne,’ said Dr Tame calmly. ‘I’ve just been using a psychiatric technique called Cognitive Re-alignment.’
‘I don’t care what you call it,’ she said. ‘Get the hell out of my house.’
‘I merely wanted April to face up to her responsibilities, to see the consequences of her actions and of remaining silent. I think it’s clear I succeeded. We understand one another, don’t we, April?’
April glared at him.
‘Get out!’ said Silvia again, pulling the front door open. ‘You can be sure your superiors will hear about this.’
The man laughed. ‘They’ll be glad to hear I’m doing so well.’
‘OUT!’ she said, pointing at the door.
The doctor smoothed his hair back and looked directly at April.
‘I was right about you, wasn’t I, April Dunne?’
April stuck her chin out defiantly.
‘No, Dr Tame. I doubt you have the faintest idea.’
‘Oh, I think I do. You’re certainly not like all those other girls at Ravenwood. You’re different.’
‘You’ll be different too, unless you get out of my house,’ said Silvia. ‘You’ve made a big mistake.’
‘Have I? I think I got it exactly right. We’ll talk again, April.’
‘Not if I have anything to do with it,’ said Silvia with ice in her voice. ‘When I’ve finished with you, you’ll be lucky if you can speak at all.’
She slammed the door behind him.
April lay on her bed, listening to her mother rant on the phone downstairs.
‘Completely outrageous … vulnerable girl … just seventeen for Christsakes! I want him fired immediately.’
She knew that Silvia was well-connected and that her grandfather was even more powerful, especially among the levels of the police where they used funny handshakes, but she suspected that not even her mother’s rage would get Dr Tame shifted from the case. What he had said about ‘the powers that be’ being concerned about the death toll in Highgate made sense. Whether he was talking about the police commission, the mayor’s office or the cabinet, it was certain that no one wanted any more bad publicity. Reporters had been pouring into the area since the Alix Graves murder, fuelled by her father’s death, and Layla’s suicide had only given them more ammunition. The
Post
had already run a two-page story about the ‘troubled girl with the tragic past’, talking about Milo and giving a damning profile of Layla’s father and his business dealings. April didn’t know whether Layla had been ‘troubled’ – if anything, she had seemed unnaturally self-confident. Apart from getting Davina’s approval on her new
shoes, she didn’t seem to have any problems. But then she had watched her boyfriend die. Milo might have been a rat, not to mention a vampire, but it still couldn’t have been much fun. Her grandmother certainly seemed to think Layla had been serious about Milo, even if he hadn’t exactly returned the compliment. Maybe she wasn’t giving Layla enough credit. Maybe she’d had a soul after all.
She turned over and picked up her phone, speed-dialling Fiona’s number.
‘Hi darling, what’s happening?’ April felt a familiar rush of happiness to hear her best friend’s voice. There was something reliable and constant about it.
‘Major drama going on downstairs. My mother is trying to get the police psychologist fired.’
‘Ooh! You have the most exciting life,’ said Fiona eagerly. ‘Tell me everything.’
April quickly filled her in on the day’s events, particularly Dr Tame’s attack in the study.
‘God, that is weird. There’s something not right about that Dr Tame. You sure he’s from the police?’
‘What do you mean?’ April could hear her friend tapping away at her computer in the background.
‘Well, the interviews were done at Ravenwood instead of a police station and that, especially unsupervised, doesn’t sound like a standard interview technique.’
‘Come on, Fi, I know you. What are you thinking?’
‘I’m just looking up … ah, here we are. Ooh! Seems you’re not the first person Dr Tame has upset. “Expert witness causes case to collapse.” And here … it looks like he’s pretty well connected. He’s been a teacher and a headmaster at various public schools, before he started assisting the police. There are a few upsets, but he gets results. You remember that bomb on the Tube last year?’
‘Why do you think I take the bus whenever I can?’
‘Well, Dr Tame is the man who made the bomber confess. Gave up his whole cell. From this, it seems he gets results, but with suspect methods.’
‘Suspect methods is right!’ said April. ‘How can someone like that be allowed to interview kids?’
‘Well, that’s what’s worrying, isn’t it?’ said Fiona.
‘How do you mean?’
‘Well, if the police are prepared to unleash a “psychological attack dog” – the words of George Framley-Green, QC, not me – onto a load of kids, it shows they’re pretty desperate for results. I think you’re right about your mum. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of Silvia’s tirades either, but I don’t think even that will shift them. Layla’s dad may well be an important man, but Highgate is full of them. I think someone’s determined to put a stop to this.’
‘That’s not what bothers me; I want this stopped as much as anyone. I’m just worried Tame might be right. That if I don’t help them more people will die.’
‘So help them. Seriously, what’s stopping you?’
‘The fact that it sounds insane, Fi! Am I supposed to call him and say “Hey, I just thought you’d like to know, all those murders in the village are actually the work of vampires”?’
‘But can’t you call anonymously or something, give them a few pointers?’
‘I don’t have any evidence. I only have Gabriel’s word for it that Davina and the Faces are recruiting promising brains for their evil scheme to take over the world. And then they’ll ask why they should believe him. How am I supposed to answer that? “Because he’s a vampire too. I know because I stabbed him”?’
‘I see what you mean. But you could speak to that nice policeman, what’s his name, Inspector Reece?’
‘Maybe. I don’t know. I wish I knew who I could trust. I feel so alone down here.’
‘I know, honey,’ said Fiona sympathetically. ‘But you know you can trust me and Caro and all the rest of your friends. And your mum, she’s down there sorting things out for you, isn’t she?’
‘I’m not so sure any more. She’s been acting really strange since Dad died. She’s never here, anyway.’
‘Well, what about Gabriel?’
April sighed.
‘That’s the annoying thing about him.
One
of the annoying things about him,’ she corrected herself. ‘When he’s here, he’s all “I want to be with you,” but then he’ll disappear for days. It’s not like he’s adapted to the advent of mobile phones either.’
‘April, he’s a hundred years old. The
telephone
is probably a bit of a culture shock for him.’
They both giggled. It felt good to be able to laugh about it and it lightened the rest of their conversation. When April hung up she looked at the phone. She scrolled to Gabriel’s number, hesitating for a moment.
Oh hell, why not? s
he thought
. He’s supposed to be my boyfriend isn’t he? You can call them to chat, can’t you?
She pressed ‘call’ and waited while it rang.
‘Hello?’ Gabriel sounded distracted, annoyed.
‘Hi, it’s me,’ said April.
‘Oh.’
Silence.
Oh? Is that all he’s got to say?
‘Just wanted a chat,’ said April. ‘Things have got a bit weird around here …’
Gabriel didn’t say anything for a moment, then: ‘Listen, I’m with someone, can we talk later?’
‘Oh, okay, I just wanted …’
He ended the call.
‘… to say I missed you,’ she finished to dead air. April felt her stomach churn.
What was that all about? He’s with someone? Someone more important than me? Hang on, aren’t I the one who saved you from slipping into a coma and dying?
‘Bloody MEN!’ she shouted, throwing her phone against her pillow.
Just then it began to chirp.
Ha! He called back! Well, he can grovel
, she thought.
‘Yes?’ she said icily. ‘What do you want?’
‘Oh, is this a bad time?’ It was Davina, amusement in her voice.
‘Sorry,’ said April quickly. ‘Not you. I was …’
‘Let me guess. Mr Gabriel Swift, by any chance?’
‘Yes, how did you know?’
‘Sweetie, the only thing that makes a girl that mad is a man. And Gabriel Swift is a particularly maddening one.’
‘God, he drives me crazy sometimes!’ said April. Then suddenly, irrationally, she got a stab of intense jealousy: maddening? Why would Davina find him maddening? Was there some history there? Suddenly April realised that beyond his great lost love of Lily, she knew almost nothing about Gabriel’s history, let alone his romantic history. Had he and Davina ever been a thing?
‘All men are the same,’ said Davina, oblivious to April’s thoughts. ‘I think this calls for an emergency girlie night in. I was calling to ask you over anyway – I’m having a crisis of my own.’
‘What’s up?’
‘I can’t decide on a gown for the Spring Ball.’
April shook her head. She should have known Davina’s definition of crisis might well be different to everyone else’s. She supposed that even the vampire world must be divided into girls who watched Sky News and those who obsessed over dresses. Just because she was one of the undead, who was to say she was any less shallow?
‘Come on, I need a second opinion!’ cried Davina dramatically. ‘We’ll drink left-over eggnog and bitch about why boys are useless.’
April had no idea if leftover eggnog would be any better than fresh eggnog, but she was in the mood for forgetting all about her problems. She just wanted to veg out and gossip about pop stars like any other teenager, even if it was with an untrustworthy vampire.
‘I’ll be right over.’
Davina answered the door in a flowing bottle-green gown. Off-the-shoulder and cut from shimmering silk, it looked as if it cost more than her mum’s car.
It probably did
, thought April.