Authors: Catherine Winchester
“
And I’m actually calling to cash that favour in.” Alex admitted.
“
What do you need?”
“
Just information. I think a vampire is killing people.”
Josh sighed. “Bloody newborns. Any details for me?”
“
I think the vampire’s name is Bradley James. If you could put some feelers around, see if you can find his sire, I’ll owe you one.”
“
You’ll owe me nothing. A rogue vampire is a problem for all of us, Alex.”
“
It gets worse.”
Josh was silent for a moment. “Do you want me to send you some help?”
“
Thank you, but I think I can handle it. What I really need is someone who knows about the Munich Grimoire. I think our suspect has a copy of it.”
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It’s in the Bavarian Library, isn’t it?”
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Yes.”
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I know a few council officials in Germany, I can make some calls.”
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I appreciate it.”
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I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” Josh hesitated. “Are you sure you can handle this?”
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No, but I do have help and I’ll call you if things get too dicey. Needless to say if I die, someone else will have to stop him.”
“
You have my word.”
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Thank you. Next time you’re in town you’ll have to stop by for a bite,” Alex quipped.
“
I’ll hold you to that.” Josh hung up.
The conversation with Sam had been longer than necessary as Frankie tried to draw things out. In the end they had little more information than Billy had given them.
As they left the office Frankie checked the message that had come through on her mobile. It was Alex. He had found nothing on the database but here was still hope of finding Brad’s sire.
Frankie told Will she needed to make a call and walked down the street a little way.
“
Frankie?”
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Hey Alex. Can you go out yet?” It was nearly dusk so there was no direct sunlight but it wasn’t dark either.
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It’s safe now, yes.”
“
Good. I need you to meet me outside Blackhall School. After your antics with my alarm this morning I’m assuming you’re good with electronics and there’s a silver Ford Focus there that I need you to disable. The radio too.”
“
Any special reason?”
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Because I’ve had a DCI following me around all day and when I drop him back at his car, I don’t want him following me again. I have a lead for us to check out.”
“
I’ll be there in five minutes. Give me another five to disable the vehicle.”
“
Great, I’ll meet you there in ten.” She put her phone away and walked back to Will. “I’ll drop you at your car.”
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Why,” he was suspicious again. “What have you got planned?”
She unlocked the car and got in. “I’m meeting a friend. We’re going for dinner.”
“
A little early for dinner, isn’t it?”
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I’ll be busy later, following leads.”
Will narrowed his eyes at her. He didn’t believe her for a second but he also didn’t like her having a “friend”.
“
You can follow me if you don’t believe me.”
“
Yeah, I think I will.”
Alex watched as the car pulled up. He saw the other man get out and as he walked up to Frankie’s car they looked each other over.
Alex realised this other man was more than just a policeman. His body language was almost possessive and Alex was willing to bet good money that he and Frankie had been romantically involved. Alex could feel the other man’s eyes on him as he got into the car. He didn’t look back.
Frankie pulled away even before his door was shut. So much for a happy reunion.
“
Where are we going?” he asked, putting his seat belt on. It was the law, after all.
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To the beach. He has an old childhood hideout there and we’re going to find it.” She looked back at Will in her mirror. “Will his car start?”
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Completely dead but it’s only a loosened lead. He’ll have no proof it was tampered with.”
“
Well done. Is there anything you can’t get into or out of?”
Alex smiled. “Very little.”
“
Then you’ll have to advise me on a new alarm system.” Frankie passed her handbag to Alex. “Get my gun out, will you?”
Alex did as she asked.
“
There’s a silencer in the glove compartment, can you screw it on for me?”
He found the silencer and attached it. “Silencers make guns less accurate.”
“
Yes but I’m not going up against a vampire unarmed and I don’t want people hearing and calling the police. Do silver bullets kill vampires?”
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Only if it’s a head shot.”
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I’m suddenly wishing I’d put more hours in at the range.”
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Any shot will slow us down, especially silver. We feel pain just like you do and if we lose enough blood we’re weakened.”
“
Good to know.” Neither mentioned how quickly she’d been disarmed last night.
Alex could hear her erratic heartbeat and knew she was afraid.
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I won’t let anything happen to you,” he assured her.
“
Thanks.”
Frankie drove to the end of Marine Drive and parked.
“
Where are we heading?” Alex asked.
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Don’t know. Somewhere down here is a brick building he used to play in, partially hidden in a mound or hill so we walk until we see it.”
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And if we don’t?”
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This is the closest beach to where he lived as a child so I’m guessing it will be close but if not, we try other beaches.”
As they headed out onto the sand and began walking, Alex took her hand.
“
I hope you can see better than I can,” she told him, squinting at the grass at the edge of the sand. Dusk had officially given way to night.
“
I can,” he assured her. They walked in silence for a few moments. “This could almost be romantic.”
Frankie smiled. “Except we’d be staring out at the moonlight bouncing off the waves, not looking for a grassy knoll.”
“
True.”
Frankie hesitated for a moment. “Alex, about last night,” she began, then faltered. She scowled at weakness, she was a modern woman, this sort of stuff was supposed to be easy.
Alex turned to her. “No regrets?” he asked, sounding slightly worried.
“
No,” she assured him. “Not really.”
Alex frowned. “Some… concerns, then?”
Frankie took a deep breath and ploughed straight in. “It’s just that we didn’t use any protection. I should have said something but… I guess I wasn’t really, I mean I don’t-”
Alex cut her off. “Frankie, you needn’t worry, I am incapable of carrying disease.”
“
And children?” her voice was slightly squeaky. She prayed that myth was true.
“
Some of us can father children with mortals, but it’s very rare and I am not one of them.”
“
You can? I thought you were…” she couldn’t think of a nice way to say dead.
Alex grinned at her hesitance. “When we’re changed a lot of things are improved; our reflexes and our senses for example. As well as that, any natural talents we have are also enhanced. If one was a talented musician in life, they would be exceptional after the change but if one was only a studied musician without a natural talent, there wouldn’t be a great improvement, save for the natural advantage of better hearing and dexterity.”
“
So if a man is very fertile in life-”
“
He will also be so as a vampire.”
“
So how is it decided which gifts are enhanced?” she asked.
“
Only those gifts which are part of us, those which are hardwired into our human DNA, whether we practice for them or not, are enhanced by the change.
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Oh,” she was silent a moment, thinking. “So do you have any gifts?”
He smirked. “One or two.”
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But you won’t tell me what they are, will you?”
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Where’s the fun in that?”
“
Can I ask you something?”
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Of course.”
“
If you’re so hard to kill, why aren’t there more of you?”
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We’re hard for humans to kill,” he corrected. “Most vampires die at the hand of another vampire.”
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Because you can’t live together?”
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That and young ones trying to prove themselves; plus the occasional war.”
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Human wars or-”
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Vampire wars. Grudges that escalate, some are seeking power over other vampires, some like the idea of going public and the rest of us have to wipe them out.”
“
Wow. How often do these wars break out?”
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There’s one every century or so but there hasn’t been a war in Europe for almost five hundred years.”
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So we’re due one then?”
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No, we have new rules here that have kept the peace. A council of elders who hear grievances and mete out justice.”
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And that’s enough?”
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So far.”
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Why don’t the council kill each other?”
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The older we get, the more control we have when we’re together and the council usually holds session in densely populated areas, making it easier for us to be in close proximity.”
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But it’s only in Europe?”
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North America has a council too. Australia doesn’t have much of a problem since its population is thinly spread. Not many vampires choose to live there. China tried it but their council was wiped out.”
“
Wow, I didn’t realise it was so political.”
Alex chuckled. “I guess politics invades all walks of life eventually.”
“
So do you have rules and laws?”
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Some.”
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Like?”
Alex stopped walking and pointed. Frankie squinted into the darkness.
“
I can’t see anything.”
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It’s a door. Looks like an old boat-storage room or something.”
Frankie closed her eyes and reached out with her mind. “There’s something in there but it’s… I don’t know what it is.”
“
Not a vampire?”
Frankie could see his fangs had extended and they glistened in the moonlight. She guessed he was in fighting mode.
“
No. It’s aura is bright but fluctuating and temporary, like a flare. Vampires are more like a halogen bulb.”
Alex raised his eyebrows as he wondered how she sensed these things but now wasn’t the time for questions. He reached out with his own mind but could detect no life force. Whatever was in there wasn’t alive, nor was it undead.
Frankie pulled her gun and a small torch from her purse and they crept silently towards the building.
Alex would have preferred it if Frankie had let him handle this but he knew she wouldn’t let him. As far as she was concerned this was her fight.
As they got closer Frankie saw that the door was padlocked from the outside meaning something was locked in.
She tried to get a better impression of what lay behind the door but it was still not something she recognised. The door was down three concrete steps which they took slowly. Frankie positioned herself to the right of the door and dropped her bag and Alex stood in front of it.
He inhaled deeply and smelled the same decay he had detected in the girls' apartments. Whatever was in here had something to do with the killings. He reached out and tried to find its life force but he couldn’t find anything. He listened but couldn’t hear any movement from inside - not even breathing or a heartbeat. Had he been alone he would have assumed the place was empty.
He grasped the padlock and after a silent count of three, wrenched it off and flung the door open.
Something lumbered towards him and he met it midway. The torch flickered on just as he was propelled towards the wall. He heard the faint ping of Frankie’s silenced gun going off. Three, four shots in quick succession. He was on his feet again and jumped on to the creature's back but not before it sent Frankie flying into the opposite wall. She crumpled to the floor like a rag doll as the torch tumbled across the floor, turning the room into a grotesque disco.
“
NO!”
He grabbed the creature around its neck and began to pull, hoping to wrench its head off. Very few things could survive without a head. The creature grabbed his arms to stop him; it was as strong as he was.
Seconds later Frankie was there again. She’d lost her gun and settled for punching and kicking. She was quite skilful but also totally ineffectual. The creature released one of Alex's arms and punched her in the ribs. Her cry was cut off as she fell back, winded.
“
Son of a bitch!” she screamed as she ran at it, jumping and planting both feet squarely on its chest before kicking out. Both Alex and the creature flew backwards into the wall as Frankie crashed to the floor herself. Alex’s head cracked against the bricks and he lost his grip as the creature got to his feet.