Chapter 37 #2
If the mugging victim’s wallets held their ID, like a driver’s license, the attackers would know where the victims lived. And… I paused, scribbling down my notes, what? Why would the attackers want that?
If the attackers were vamp hunters, which I expected they were, and all the victims had hickeys on their necks…
Oh my god.
What if the attackers took the victims’ IDs to get their home addresses to put them under surveillance? So, they could monitor them for any signs they were turning into vampires and intervene where needed?
I was onto something. But some of the pieces still didn’t add up. Not yet. For example, no one had been killed after a gathering. The murders—so far—had only occurred after fang ceremonies. And I needed to figure out why.
Vamp hunters clearly weren’t rational, which meant logic alone wasn’t going to connect the dots. I needed to turn to vampire lore.
I typed up a quick search in Todd’s phone to confirm my suspicions.
Bingo. There was a difference between feeding and intentionally turning someone into a vampire. If the vamp hunters concluded those attending gatherings had only been fed from, and not, turned…
The fang ceremonies would have been the next reasonable target. And if the vamp hunters somehow made it into the exclusive event, they may have determined the ceremony to be a turning ritual—which in a sense it was, but only for the purposes of entertainment.
Feeling the dots connecting, a small wave of satisfaction momentarily soothed the nagging part of my psyche. The only problem now was I wasn’t quite sure how the epinephrine came into play, unless someone at a fang ceremony went into anaphylactic shock… or cardiac arrest.
Thumbing through until I found the contact I was looking for and pressed call.
It took less than two rings before she answered, “Would it not be best for us to text, Galt?”
“Fawzy, it’s me.”
“Delilah? It’s lovely to hear your voice.”
“You too.” And it was, but I was running out of time before I got caught, and there would be time to catch up later. “Listen about the vamp case—"
“Galt and Hess have you working already?”
“I may have commandeered Todd’s phone…”
There was a warm chuckle from the other end. “Of course, you did. And now you are asking me to gather more information.”
“If you don’t mind?”
Fawzy chuckled again. “Ask away.”
I briefly explained some of my thoughts about the muggings, the dots I connected, and my suspicions of epinephrine use after a fang ceremony, and went on to say, “I’m thinking a paramedic, or doctor, or nurse—someone—must have injected a familiar bitten after a fang ceremony with epinephrine when they were in cardiac arrest. Or anaphylactic shock. It would’ve had to save their life.”
“And you would like me to see the logs or any emergency calls after fang ceremonies so we can trace the call and the caregiver.”
“The fang ceremony we’re looking for was probably in or around Huntington if it helps narrow things down.”
A rustling of papers and a beeping sounded on the other end of the line, as Fawzy confirmed, “I can do that, if there are any results it shouldn’t take too long, but my updates will have to be given through the usual chain of command.”
“That works.” I really wouldn’t have anticipated it any other way. “I appreciate it, thank you, Fawzy.”
I made to hang up but Fawzy spoke before I closed the line, “And Delilah, I am sorry we did not have better luck finding your friend.” Three. “We’ve got an APB out on her. The local police have been briefed and are continuing the search.”
The weight of failure pressed on my chest. Todd had kept me apprised of the team’s search and the handoff from the FBI, but it still stung. I shouldn’t have left Three alone. I may have been out my mind with fatigue and fever but it was no excuse. “I know everyone is trying their best.”
“I am sure we will find her. We will keep looking. Take care of yourself.”
The call ended, and I sat for a moment or two processing everything when the closet door flew open and Todd strode in.
“Nothing!” I hid his phone behind my back, heart pounding at the unexpected intrusion.
Todd took in the mess of papers, the notes I’d surrounded myself with, and the hand I tucked behind my back. “If you wanted to use my phone you could’ve just asked.” Todd motioned towards the door. “Rochan is on the line with Jack. She wants to speak with us.”
My shoulders slumped. I wasn’t really in the mood to talk to Rochan. In fact, I’d been putting it off for days, and her frequent requests to speak with me were part of the reason I had holed myself away in the closet. “How did you know I was here?”
The tattooed wall of muscle shrugged. “Same way Jack found us at the hospital.”
The phone grew hot and heavy in my palm. “Wait, Jack’s tracking you, too?”
“It’s an FBI-provisioned device. Our locations are shared with one another.” Todd held his hand out to help me to my feet.
Accepting his offer, I ignored the warmth of his palms and the strength behind his pull, as I teased, “You’ll probably want to clear your search history then.” Handing Todd back his phone, I gave him a mischievous smirk. “I may have gone down a rabbit hole or two.”
?
It took over five minutes to walk the expanse of the Hessinger estate to the office where Jack was holding court.
Rochan was propped up atop the fireplace mantle facing the room on Jack’s phone screen, while Jack stood, his face still a mess of fading purples and blues, gripping the back of a wingback chair.
When Todd mentioned Rochan wanted to speak with us, I hadn’t been expecting a video call.
Back in my overalls and ‘Have a nice day, bae’ shirt, both freshly laundered, I felt underdressed while Rochan, wearing her cross-over bow tie looking business as usual, tracked me as I crossed into frame.
“Delilah, I’m relieved you are alright.”
Alright was certainly a choice, but Rochan had never been one to open up the FBI to liability or risk by admitting the reality of a situation.
I continued across the floor to stand next to Jack, while Todd rounded to take up residence on my other side. “You asked to speak with me, ma’am?”
Rochan thinned her lips. “There is a matter I must discuss with the three of you. It is rather sensitive, so it’s best addressed before you return to D.C.” Sensitive in Rochan-speak meant severe, so I braced myself for bad news. “Nothing that is said here, will leave this room, am I heard?”
Jack and Todd exchanged a look. The stiff postures of the men on either side of me led me to believe they were just as concerned as I was, yet all three of us nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”