The Psychic and the Vampire

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ant’s face lit up as he walked into the interview room accompanied by a glowering vampire and Mike. “Susie, it’s lovely to see you here. Have you met my mate, Viktor? Viktor, Susie is a truth-sayer. She can tell if a person is lying with a hundred percent accuracy. The academics over at the Mage Academy are forever trying to trip her up, but they’ve never succeeded. I’ve worked on a number of cases with her.”

Viktor’s nod was short and sharp, and Susie giggled. The hand covering her mouth didn’t hide the delight in her eyes. “You’ve caught yourself a wild one there, Ant,” she said, and Ant could see she was as happy as she presented herself. “Congratulations to you both.”

“It’s very new, and we’re still getting used to each other,” Ant said as he slipped into the seat Viktor held out for him, Able taking his place next to his seat. “I’m not sure about that wild one comment though, Susie. I’ll let you know.”

“Excuse me.” A man Ant didn’t know tapped on the table between them with the end of his pencil. “Can we forgo the pleasantries. Time is money and my client has been held against his will for no reason for long enough.”

“Doctor Channon,” Mike said indicating the stranger who was sitting next to an impassive-looking Tony Manzano. “This is Phillip Daniels, a lawyer from Washington, acting on Mr. Manzano’s behalf. I believe you’ve already met Mr. Manzano.”

“Mr. Daniels, Mr. Manzano.” Ant’s nod was brief. “You called this meeting. Why am I here?” His inner sight was already buzzing, and he was glad Mike had called Susie in for the meeting.

“Are you all right, Doctor Channon?” Daniels asked.

Fake concern. Ant nodded again. “I’m fine, thank you for asking. I’m sure you didn’t call me in to discuss my health.”

Daniels tapped his pile of papers. “We’d heard you were attacked in your home last night. That must’ve been very distressing for you.”

“Not particularly, no. I wasn’t attacked inside my home. The report, if it was completed accurately will show two people attempted to gain access to my home and were unsuccessful. Was there anything else?”

Daniel’s eyes flickered to Susie and Ant got the distinct impression he did not like the fact she was there. “The report indicates shots were fired.”

“I thought there was only one bullet?” Ant looked at Viktor who was doing his best to kill a smirking Tony with a laser glare.

“Just one, yep. It rebounded off the glass and then a tree, so that might be why the report might show more than one shot was discharged.”

“Correct the report, please Mike. These details are important especially when the two men responsible go to court. The plural of shot gives the wrong impression.” Ant smiled at Mike, who was scribbling on his pad and then turned his focus back to Daniels. “Next question.”

“You’re a very unusual man, Doctor Channon.” Daniels was tapping with the end of his pencil again. “But very well. As you are aware my client, Mr. Manzano, is being falsely accused of murdering a gentleman, Mr. Fallows, in Gully Park recently.”

“Mr. Manzano inflicted the stab wounds that caused the death of Mr. Fallows, yes.”

Daniels glared at Susie. “Haven’t you got anything to say about that?”

“No.” Susie had such a sunny smile. “Everything Doctor Channon is saying has been the truth so far.”

“But that is only the truth as you see it, isn’t it, Doctor Channon?” Daniels was pointing at Ant with the pencil end. “I have read about you and your apparent accomplishments. Your magical abilities allow you to see historic scenes in a specific geographical area at a later time, is that correct?”

“It’s one of the things I do, yes.” Ant’s eyes caught a flicker above Daniels shoulder.

“But I believe, and this was noted by one of your colleagues at the Mage Academy, that the limit of your reading is based only on the area and event during a very short time span, with no apparent context to incidences that might have happened before or after the event.”

“That paper was written by Doctor Nathanial White, and yes it is correct. He interviewed me extensively for his paper before publication.”

“See, this is where we have a problem, Doctor Channon.” Daniels leaned back in his chair. “You have no idea of the level of provocation caused by Mr. Fallows to Mr. Manzano before his death, because you only read the actual place where the body was found.”

“That is a very interesting way of wording things, Mr. Daniels.” Ant knew how to be polite. “You have just admitted, in front of witnesses, that Mr. Manzano caused the death of Mr. Fallows. You’re simply trying to justify the acts that I saw. Are you aiming for a manslaughter charge as opposed to first degree murder?”

“Any man has the right to defend themselves from an unwarranted attack,” Daniels snapped.

“I would agree but that situation does not apply to Mr. Manzano’s attack on Mr. Fallows.” Ant made sure he kept his voice as unemotional as possible especially as the flickering over Daniels shoulder got more agitated. “Was there anything else?”

“How can you say that? You admitted yourself you did not see the events leading up to the attack.”

“I saw Mr. Fallows running through the trees. Mr. Manzano was actively chasing him, waving his katana around like an old time barbarian. Fallows was desperately trying to get away. Manzano only caught him because Fallows fell. All of the stab marks were delivered in Fallows’s back. Fallows had no weapon on him, and Tony had no visible marks indicating injury or attack. Even if Tony was showing evidence of a previous physical altercation, Fallows was attacked from behind as he was trying to get away. I am failing to see how that could be self-defense but please explain what I am missing.”

Daniel’s opened his mouth quickly to reply, but then he flicked another glance in Susie’s direction. “There were events that preceded the attack that the defense will outline during the trial, should this matter even make it to trial.”

“That won’t be enough for Prosecutor Hammond,” Mike said, still scribbling in his notepad. “If you have details the police have failed to unearth in their investigation, then I suggest you outline them now and save us all a heap of time.”

“Yeah, Phillips, tell him.” Tony sneered. “Explain to this two-bit rent boy how much of his story he got wrong so I can go home. I want a bath so I can wash the stink of treachery from that vampire out of my nose.”

“Lies,” Susie sang out happily. “Doctor Channon is not a two-bit rent boy and nothing in his recorded testimony was wrong.”

Now Daniels was glaring at Tony. The message behind the glare was very clear – if I spill your bullshit, you’re never going home.

“If the defense isn’t keen on adding to the context of the story,” Ant said slowly, “I can add to my own testimony if necessary. I am supposed to be on leave, but I will make an exception.”

“Haven’t you done enough?” Tony snapped.

“Mr. Manzano, you were offered the opportunity to tell the rest of your story, explaining the context behind your admitted acts,” Mike said. “If you don’t want to say anything…”

“I don’t understand how he can sit there and say he can add to his already ridiculous story, when he doesn’t understand the context of the fight in the first place.” Tony stabbed his finger in Ant’s direction causing Viktor and Able to growl.

“I have the right because the spirit of Mr. Fallows is here,” Ant said simply. “It appears, Mr. Manzano, that when you walked back to your car and drove off, you took a spirit trace with you. With Susie here as a truth-sayer, I am more than happy to facilitate Mr. Fallows spirit speaking his truth, to be recorded for the court and your trial.”

“There’s a ghost in this room?” Daniels ducked as if he imagined something was flying over his head and Tony started looking around as if he thought he’d see something.

“He’s sitting on your shoulder, Mr. Manzano.” Ant allowed himself a small smile. “He’s not happy with you.”

“Doctor Channon is telling the truth,” Susie said happily.

“A ghost on my…?” Tony started slapping at his shoulders. “Get it off me. Get it off me. I confess. I confess. I did it. I simply wanted to know what it was like to kill someone just like that damn vampire does at least once a week. I saw Fallows walking down the road and decided to hunt him down and take his life. I didn’t care who he was or anything like that at all, I just wanted to kill someone. Now, get it off me!”

There was a moment of stunned silence at Tony’s confession although Ant could see Mike’s and Susie’s concern was with how Ant would take Tony’s claim Viktor went around killing people. The tension was just about at boiling point when Viktor laughed.

“You can’t remove a spirit trace with slapping hands, Tony. And for the record, the last person I killed was in eighteen forty-eight when a person attacked me with a pitchfork. That was considered self-defense by the courts at the time.”

The tension in the room disappeared in a whoosh.

“And the vampire is telling the truth,” Susie sang and then she collapsed into giggles. “Oh, Ant, you are always so much fun to work with.”

“Get this ghost off me!” Tony was yelling, mussing his hair, slapping at his shirt. “You. Psychic person. Remove this trace you reckon I have. I’ll give you everything I have, all the money you could ever need, all the power and favors you could ever want. I’ll call off the contract I put out on you and your vampire. I’ll do anything you want if you just get this off me!”

“Spirits have free will,” Ant said. “I can no more compel them to leave you alone than you can. Just remember, when you feel that sudden gust of cold, as though someone’s breathing down your neck so hard it sends shivers down your spine, that Mr. Fallows is reminding you why you’re in your cell.” He looked around the table. “We’re finished here, now, aren’t we? Viktor, shall we go and have an early dinner? Susie, did you and Henry want to come with us? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“Henry’s already taking me to the movies for our date night. But we’ll catch up real soon,” Susie promised. “I always love it when wolf shifters and vampires bristle at each other, each of them trying to prove who’s the alpha.” She giggled again.

“I’ve never seen that, so I’ll look forward to it.” Ant nodded at Mike and then grinned at Tony who was on the floor rolling around as if that would make a difference. “Mr. Daniels, I suggest you make sure Mr. Manzano has paid his account with you before you negotiate a plea deal. This is purely my intuition speaking, but I have a feeling Mr. Manzano will be without funds within the month. I understand contract killers are not cheap, and Mr. Manzano has already lost two of them so far. Have a nice day.”

“That lawyer is a shark,” Viktor muttered as he escorted Ant and Able from the interview room.

“Even sharks in suits need to make a living,” Ant said. “Where do you want to go to dinner?”

He got the impression Viktor would rather they just went home, but Ant was keen to see his mate in social situations. He also needed to prove to his vampire that he wasn’t going to hide behind the wards in his house just because Tony’s family was bored and wanted to kill him.