‘And where am I safe, exactly? At home? The place my dad had his throat torn out? Fine, I’ll go straight back there if that’s what you want.’
She turned and ran down the corridor, through the hall past a startled Stanton and out into the street. She plunged into the tangle of alleyways and back streets, not bothering to look where she was going, just taking turns at random. Finally she stopped and leant against a wall, her chest heaving. Why did they all have to make her feel like it was her fault? She hadn’t asked for any of this – she’d have gladly gone back to her boring old life in Edinburgh, no question. April knew Gramps and Silvia were terrified that something else might happen to her, but they really seemed to think that staying in her bedroom would keep her ‘safe’. Staying at home hadn’t kept her dad safe, had it?
She looked up to see that she was on a narrow street of tall grey stone buildings, possibly Victorian, like something you might see on a Christmas card. But it didn’t feel jolly and
cosy, it felt abandoned and impersonal. Even the street lights looked old-fashioned. She heard voices and turned to see two men behind her, laughing loudly. She moved off, increasing her pace. Turning left again, she came out into a wide street with shops and restaurants and she felt a little safer. To her right, she could see a large church with a tall spire, and in front of that, there was a bus stop. She had no particular desire to go home and face the wrath of her mother, but where else was she going to go? Sighing, she crossed the road, and as she approached the church, April was struck by the unusual architecture.
At the top of the steeple, there was a strange pyramid surrounded by pillars.
How odd
, she thought,
doesn’t look very Christian
.
‘Egyptians!’ shouted a voice. April turned to see an old man on the church steps. He had a tatty beard and a dirty coat and he was gesturing towards the spire with a bottle.
‘The Egyptians knew the power of the pyramid!’ he cried. ‘They knew it’s the only thing that will keep the darkness out!’
April quickly walked away, worried that the old man might follow her. She glanced around, but he had gone. No, there
was
someone, but it wasn’t the tramp. This man was tall and dark and walking quickly, like he wanted to catch up with her. Unnerved, April turned a corner into a narrow street of terraced houses, hoping to lose him, but the tall man followed.
Who the hell is that?
she thought with alarm.
Is he really following me?
She quickly walked to the next corner before she looked back again. To her horror, the man was just standing there watching her, a horrible smile on his face. April didn’t need to see any more: she turned the corner and ran, twisting left then right, trying to lose the man and double back towards the main road, but she quickly became disoriented. She spotted a gate in a high wall and ducked inside, closing it behind her. She flattened herself against the wall and waited, holding her breath, straining her ears for the sound of following footsteps, but all she could hear was the whoosh of cars on the main road.
Maybe it was just someone walking home
, she thought to herself.
Maybe
.
It was only then that April looked around and saw the arched stones silhouetted against the night sky. She was inside the grounds of the church.
Great, trapped in another graveyard
, she thought, sliding down behind a headstone and pulling her phone out. She stared at the screen, wondering who to call. Gabriel was off the grid, she had been abandoned by her supposed protector, Miss Holden, and she couldn’t call her mother: she would just yell at her. She scrolled down to the mobile number DI Reece had given her for emergencies.
Does this count as an emergency?
She shrugged and pressed ‘call’.
‘Inspector Reece, it’s April Dunne,’ she said to the answer-phone. ‘I … well, I think I’m being followed. I know I sound paranoid, but can you call me back?’
Why was there never anyone there when you needed them? Where were her
friends
? Her best friend was in Scotland and, at the moment, her closest friends in London were vampires. She almost laughed out loud.
‘Screw this,’ she whispered, calling Caro’s number. She wouldn’t blame her friend if she didn’t ever want to talk to her again, but April really needed to speak to her. She was the only one who really knew what she was going through, the only one who could understand why she was squatting in a cemetery when most normal people would be safely at home watching the soaps.
‘Please pick up,’ she whispered, ‘Please …’
‘April?’ said Caro guardedly. ‘I thought we weren’t talking.’
‘We weren’t. Listen, I know you’re angry with me because … well, because I’ve been an idiot, but I need your help. Again. Like I always do.’
There was a frosty silence down the line.
‘What about your new friends?’ said Caro finally. ‘I thought they were more important to you now.’
‘Please, Caro, I’m sorry I’ve been a daft cow, but I really, really need your help.’
Caro heard the desperation in April’s voice.
‘What’s going on? Where are you? And why are you whispering?’
‘I’m stuck in a graveyard and I think someone’s following me.’
‘Bugger. Is it a vamp?’
April glanced around.
‘Probably.’
‘Well then you need to get among real people, they’re not going to attack you in public, are they?’
‘Let’s hope not. What do I do?’
‘Well you must be near a main road, can’t you flag a taxi or jump on a bus?’
April felt a chink of hope: she could head for the bus stop she’d seen in front of the church. If she skirted around the building, it should bring her out on the steps where she had seen the crazy old tramp. Not ideal, but better than being cornered by some semi-mortal.
‘Okay, thanks, Caro. I’ll try that,’ whispered April. ‘Can you meet me at Americano in half an hour? Assuming I get out of this alive.’
‘Sure. But keep your phone on, okay?’
‘It’s never off,’ said April. ‘And Caro? Thanks.’
‘Thank me with a hot chocolate. And some cake. Just get yourself over here safely, okay?’
‘Okay.’
As quietly as she could, April got to her feet and began walking along a path curving around between the headstones.
‘You’re beautiful in the moonlight, you know.’
Jesus!
Her heart leaping into her mouth, April whirled towards the voice, every muscle in her body tense.
‘Who said that?’ she said, trying to sound brave.
There was a chuckle. ‘I don’t know whether to feel insulted or not. No, actually, I do.’
‘Gabriel!’ she gasped as he stepped out of the shadows. She
jumped up and wrapped herself around him, hugging him tightly.
‘Hey, steady on,’ he laughed. ‘I’m an old man, remember?’
She kissed his neck and his hair. ‘What are you doing here? How did you find me?’ she asked all at once, then stepped back and looked at him.
‘Gabe, I think someone was following me.’
‘Well we’d better get out of sight, then,’ he said, pulling her into the shadows, wrapping his coat around her.
‘I’m serious,’ she said. ‘Do you think it was one of the vampires?’
‘Possible, although I doubt you’d have lost them by coming into a graveyard. More likely it was the police hoping you’d lead them to me.’
April looked up in alarm.
‘Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure no one followed me. And anyway, I needed to see you.’ He bent his head to kiss her neck. ‘Mmm … it’s definitely worth the risk.’
She laughed and squeezed him tight.
‘But I’ve been so worried. Where have you been?’
April couldn’t help the note of accusation in her voice. She hated herself for it, but it had been almost impossible not to wonder where Gabriel had been hiding. With some pretty feeder, some old girlfriend? She had imagined all sorts of scenarios and none of them were good.
Gabriel smiled. ‘I’ve been laying low thinking about you, worrying that you’d forgotten all about me.’
‘Well, it’s hard to forget when your boyfriend is wanted by the police for murder.’
She was trying to make light of it, but April was genuinely frightened for him, especially after Inspector Reece’s warning that the powers-that-be desperately wanted to close the case – and they needed someone to pin it on.
‘You forget that I know I didn’t do it,’ said Gabriel.
‘But that doesn’t matter to them, Gabe …’
He put a finger to his lips.
‘Shh,’ he said soothingly, ‘I’ll just prove it to them.’
‘But how?’
‘By catching whoever
did
kill Marcus, of course. Trust me, I’ve been keeping my ear to the ground.’
‘Have you found out something?’
He shook his head.
‘Not exactly, not yet anyway, but things are gathering speed. There are ever more signs that something’s changing, that something new is coming.’
‘What do you mean, something new?’
‘I’m not sure, but I can feel the shift. The change in the rules, the way the vampires seem to be gathering. There’s almost an excitement in the air, but not in a good way. It’s almost as if some darkness is spreading, infecting them.’
‘Do you think it’s to do with the school?’
‘I think it’s bigger than that. I think I’m onto something myself – it’s another of the reasons I came to find you. One of my contacts thinks he can put me in touch with the Regent.’
She opened her eyes wide.
‘What? How? Who is this?’
‘Just a small-time thug. Teddy the Toad.’
April wrinkled her nose. ‘Do they really have names like that?’
‘I’m afraid so. You get a lot of them hanging around the fringes of The Life. They’re in awe of the money and the violence. The vamps use them as go-betweens and runners.’
‘Can you trust him?’
‘No. But he would never have dared to mention the Regent’s name unless he could deliver. I think the Regent wants to meet me.’
April frowned.
‘But why now? I mean, you’ve been chasing him for years, how come he’s suddenly interested?’
Gabriel gave a wry smile.
‘Because I’ve never been wanted for murder before. I’m guessing he wants to offer me some sort of deal; maybe he has contacts in the police who can drop the murder charge in return for a favour he needs doing.’
‘What sort of favour?’
Gabriel shrugged.
‘He probably wants me to kill someone.’
‘What? No! You can’t!’
He laughed softly.
‘Don’t be silly,’ he said, stroking her hair from her face. ‘It’s just a meeting, remember? I’m not going to kill anyone.’
‘Except the Regent. You need to kill him to be free …’
‘Yes, but that’s not all we need from him. There are bigger questions to answer here – like what’s the big plan for the vampires and why he killed your dad. I’m not going to get any of that if he’s dead, which is why I need this meeting.’
‘But wasn’t he looking for you? For the time when you wounded him?’
‘There’s no way he can connect me to that incident. It was a hundred years ago and I’ve stayed off his radar since then. Don’t worry about me, you concentrate on staying safe.’
‘I will. But only if you do. Promise me you’ll be careful.’
Gabriel grinned.
‘I always am.’
It was good to have Caro back. She had the same enthusiasm for catching vampires as she did for a chocolate eclair. She threw herself into it with excitement and energy and she was fearless about the dangers.
‘So tell me again about this Teddy the Toad,’ said Caro as she hoovered up the pastry and got stuck into a slice of Black Forest gateau.
‘Don’t you worry about your arteries?’ asked April.
‘I’ve got to keep my strength up, haven’t I?’ said Caro as she wiped her mouth on her napkin. ‘Who knows when something might leap out and grab my throat.’
April’s face fell.
‘Not funny, Caro,’ said April in a low voice, not wanting to be overheard by the waiters. ‘I don’t know how you can be so flippant about it. I was really scared earlier on.’
‘I know, honey, I know it’s real, but you’ve really got to lighten up. All this weight on your shoulders, it’s going to snap you in two.’
‘How can I lighten up when people – things – are trying to kill me?’
‘I’m not saying you should whistle a happy tune, I’m just saying you need to accept what’s going on and roll with it. It’s not doing anyone any good for you to be walking around with a face like a wet weekend.’
April laughed despite herself.
‘Thanks for pointing out I’m such a misery.’
‘I’m just saying you look nicer when you smile.’
‘Now you sound like my mum,’ said April, feeling a stab
of guilt. She guessed that Grandpa Thomas would have told Silvia about her visit, but that wouldn’t have stopped her from worrying herself sick – with good reason as it happened.