“What about the woman he attacked?” said Dirk. His heart thudded in his ears.
“GSW to the right shoulder, nothing fatal,” the officer said. “EMTs said she’ll be fine. They should be bringing her down now.”
As if on cue, the elevator dinged and the EMTs exited with a gurney. It was positioned upright and he could see Adelaide clearly. Her face was a little pale, but she looked as lovely as ever. Without even thinking he went to her and held her good hand.
Her lip twitched and she moaned softly, but her eyes didn’t open.
“The officer said she’d be fine,” said Dirk.
The EMT looked at him. “We gave her a painkiller and a tranquilizer. She was in shock when we arrived. Once the doctors remove the bullet and patch her up, she should be fine after a few days rest. I wouldn’t count on her testimony though. She was pretty out of it.”
“Thanks,” said Dirk, remembering himself and dropping her hand. “We’ll check with the hospital when we’re done here.”
The EMT nodded and they hurried out the door.
“I don’t believe you’ll need Ms. Hunter’s testimony,” a familiar voice said.
Dirk turned and saw Joshua Carpenter standing by the stairwell exit.
“You bastard,” said Dirk. He charged Carpenter and pinned him to the wall. He grabbed the man’s shirt in fistfuls and pulled.
Carpenter only smiled at him. “I did nothing to her, Detective. Ms. Hunter is in my care.”
“Yeah, great job you did,” said Dirk. “She was shot.”
“But she is alive,” said Carpenter. “I would have preferred less of a mess than this. It’s distressing to my other residents, but it happened. I am willing to give you my full testimony, any alibis you require, along with photo and documented evidence of my whereabouts for the last forty-eight hours.”
Dirk relaxed slightly. “Why are you cooperating?”
“I believe it is in Ms. Hunter’s best interest,” said Carpenter. “This incident was only the last of several killings by Thomas Kent and Bruce Madison.”
“So they were partners,” said Dirk.
Carpenter nodded. “Most assuredly. I had suspected Mr. Madison for some time and I urged Mrs. Devais to cut him off as a client, but she would not believe me and refused. He was quite the big spender. I’m glad no more of the girls were harmed.”
“As am I,” said Dirk. “You should have come to the police.”
Carpenter frowned. “It would have scared Madison off. He would have changed his name and the two would have moved to another city to start their killing spree all over again.”
Dirk opened his mouth to say something, tell Carpenter off. It wasn't his business to judge what was a police matter and what wasn't. But he just shook his head and backed away.
The elevator dinged a second time and the other EMTs emerged with a haggard looking Thomas Kent. He was strapped down to the gurney, struggling to get free. He saw Joshua Carpenter and he began to scream.
“Monsters, both of them, monsters. They’re animals,” he said. “You’ve got to keep me away from them. I tell you anything you want, just keep them away from me. Please, oh god, please, keep them away.”
“A very disturbed man,” said Carpenter. “He was under the impression that Miss Hunter was some sort of wild beast that had killed his partner, when, in truth, I believe he must have had a psychotic episode and murdered the only friend he ever had. Quite sad, really.”
“Yeah, damn tragedy,” said Dirk. “You saved her life?”
Carpenter nodded. “I was coming by to see how she was accommodating to the new apartment when I heard a gunshot. I rushed to the door and saw Mr. Kent standing over her. Instincts and a certain aptitude for rugby in my younger days came over me and I’m afraid I hurt him rather severely, though I can’t say I’m terribly upset about it.”
Dirk narrowed his eyes. “I wouldn’t. You should have one of the EMTs check you out though, just to be safe. I’d hate to think you broke a nail.”
Carpenter raised his eyebrows. “You do not like me.”
Dirk didn’t say anything.
Carpenter shrugged. “It’s understandable. You don’t know me. I can, however, assure you Detective Gregory, I have no aspirations of dating Miss Hunter. She’s a bit young for me and my heart belongs to another.”
Dirk blinked and shook his head. “No, it’s not like that.”
Carpenter’s smile returned. “Is it not? Then I am mistaken. My apologies. Should I come to the station?”
Dirk shook his head. “Not necessary. Just write down your account of how things happened and give it to one of the uniforms.”
“Good day then, Detective,” said Carpenter.
Dirk nodded and hit the button for the elevator. He wanted to take a look at the crime scene before he went to the hospital. The EMT said she didn’t think Adelaide would remember much, but he needed to try. And he wanted to make sure she was really alright. He felt such connection to her.
He glanced back at Joshua Carpenter as the elevator chimed open. The man was still looking at him, and Dirk might have been mistaken, but he looked sad. He gave Dirk a small smile and turned to speak with the guard at the desk.
Dirk couldn’t swear by it, but it was almost as if Carpenter felt sorry for him. The big question was, why?
~~~~~
Adelaide woke with a start, confused about where she was. The room was bright and her arms were cold and her shoulder ached. It smelled medicinal and sterile.
Then she remembered.
Thomas Kent, Bruce Madison’s limo driver had shot her for killing his partner. She shuddered at the memory. He had called her a monster, but Thomas and Bruce were the animals. All those women. She only killed one person and put an end to it.
But that didn’t make it right.
She needed to talk to Joshua. That’s where she was going when Kent attacked her. She never got the chance.
A nurse entered her room at that moment. She smiled broadly.
“I’m glad to see you’re awake, Ms. Hunter,” she said. “The EMTs said you were in a bit of shock when they found you. How do you feel?”
“I’m fine,” said Adelaide, her voice barely above a whisper.
The nurse’s smile didn’t falter, but she did raise an eyebrow. “You don’t sound find. Do you have any pain or discomfort? Do you know where you are?”
“I’m in a hospital and no, I don’t really have any pain,” she said. “I’m just very tired. It’s been a long day.”
The nurse nodded. “Those bruises look pretty fresh. Was it an old boyfriend?”
Adelaide found herself smiling. “After a fashion.”
The nurse continued nodding and pulled up Adelaide’s blanket. “It’s a good thing you’re rid of him then. It’s perfectly normal to feel tired. The EMTs gave you quite a sedative and your body is healing. If you do happen to feel any pain, just push the button and I can give you something.”
“Of course,” said Adelaide.
The nurse patted Adelaide’s good arm. “That’s a girl. Are you up for a visitor?”
“A visitor?” said Adelaide, instantly thinking of Detective Gregory and his kind eyes. “Yes, send them in.”
The nurse gave her a knowing look and went into the hallway, shutting the door behind her.
Adelaide noticed she was in a private room. Mrs. Devais didn’t provide insurance for her girls, despite the laws. Not that Mrs. Devais ran an entirely legal operation.
A few minutes later, the door swung open and Adelaide found herself disappointed when Joshua Carpenter walked through the door. She needed and wanted to talk to him, but she wanted much more to see and speak to Detective Gregory.
Joshua sat in the chair next to her bed and gave her a long, calculating look. “We need to talk.”
She nodded and tried to push herself up, but winced when she used her wounded arm.
&nb
sp; “Let me help you,” he said. He arranged the pillows behind her and lifted as if she weighed no more than a feather.
“You seem to like to do that a lot,” she said, “help me. Why?”
He thinned his lips and leaned back into the chair. “This isn’t the best place for this, you know.”
“Then what exactly did you come here to talk to me about?” she said. “I’m pretty sure it’s not how well I like my hospital accommodations, which I’m sure you’re paying for. And my apartment, which is ruined now. I don’t deserve all the attention, and I’m not entirely sure I’m comfortable with all of it. So tell me, what’s going on and why did you come here?”
He sighed. “You can’t tell the police what happened.”
Her eyes went wide and she laughed. “I am not telling them some middle aged man turned into a wolf and threatened to tear out Thomas Kent’s throat if that’s what you mean. They’d lock me up right beside him. But I am going to tell them I killed Bruce Madison.”
Joshua shook his head and motioned for her to be quiet. “You can’t tell them that either. Thomas Kent will confess to Madison’s murder. I’ve seen to that.”
“What?” said Adelaide, trying to rise from her bed. Joshua pushed her back down.
“You can’t change what’s already happened.”
“He didn’t kill Bruce Madison,” she said. “I did. I remember it.”
Joshua leaned closer. “You did not. What you remember is a nightmare to replace the horror you saw.”
“That’s not true,” she said.
He smiled and patted her arm. “No, it’s not. The truth is not something a lot of people are ready for. Do you believe what I told you the other day?”
“What, that I’m a vampire?” she said. “Or I will be?” She shook her head and let out a small laugh. “Not really. That’s fantasy and stories, some prime time television special.”
“Then how did you kill Bruce Madison?” he said.
“I thought you just said I didn’t,” she said.
He laughed outright this time, shook his head with a smile and stood. “I didn’t say that, not really. I said you can’t tell the police that. They’ll never believe it. For one, the evidence is that of an animal, not a human and they’ll find Kent’s DNA all over the crime scene along with that of a dozen other women. The evidence is against Kent. You have sympathy on your side.”
Adelaide snorted. “I’m a high class prostitute. I doubt anyone would have much sympathy for me.”
Joshua began to pace, rubbing his hand against his chin. “I wasn’t lying when I said I understood legal matters. Live as long as I have and you get the time to learn. You’re someone’s daughter, their friend, their sister. Bruce Madison and Thomas Kent are monsters.”
“They have families,” she said.
Joshua dropped his hand and clasped his hands behind his back. He stood at the end of her bed. “It’s all about how you portray it. You’re not innocent in this, but they won’t find a shred of evidence against you. You can plead guilty to the crime, but you’ll be locked away in an asylum or laughed out of court. You’d have to know every detail of the case and how to spin it for this to go the way I think you want it to.
“You are a vampire, Adelaide, a very young one and I have taken it on myself to see you through it,” he said.
“Yes, but why?” she said.
His shoulders fell and he walked back to the chair. He fell into it heavily with a sigh. “Because someone made you the way you are without your permission and without notifying the council. Yes, we have a council,” he said when she raised her eyebrows. “They are old, cynical and powerful.
“New vampires must be selected carefully. We have to determine if they have what it takes to survive, to master the hunger, to show restraint. Your maker, whoever he or she is, broke that law and at least a dozen others. They are a threat.”
“If I’m not supposed to be here, then why look after me?” said Adelaide. “Why not just let me rot in prison?”
His eyes went cold and hard. “Because you are a threat as well. In prison, you could become a psychotic killing machine driven by rage and bloodlust. You would harm countless others and create some of your own unintentional vampires. Former prisoners with criminal minds and a less than savory intent.
“It’s not about protecting you. It’s about protecting society. For the sake of humanity, vampires, and general goodness in this world, I cannot allow you to tell the police the truth, nor can I allow you to plead guilty.”
“You can’t stop me from doing what’s right,” she said.
“I can,” said Joshua, “and I will. I would rather not have to. You and I can work together. I think you do have what it takes and I want to see you mature into that full vampire I think you can be. I don’t take pleasure in killing children.”
“I’m not a child,” she said.
He straightened in his chair and placed his hands on his knees. “I have seen over two millennia of fallen empires, war, famine, disease, and misery.” His voice was menacing and Adelaide could swear the room grew dark and cold. She could smell death in the air.
“I have seen mothers cry in the street with their dead babes at their breasts while the rich fling mud as they pass on their chariots of gold,” he said. “I have seen the poor rise from that mud and topple whole societies. What is a twenty year old squalling brat but a blink of an eye to someone like me?”
Adelaide shrank into her bed.
“But I am not unkind,” said Joshua. The room lightened and became warm again. The smell of death gave way to fresh plant life.
“You have a chance,” he said. “A remarkable chance to see all the good that goes with that pain. The new technology, the rise of civilizations, the exploration and expansion. Discoveries, medicines, music, art, time. Time is a wondrous thing to watch if given the predilection.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Her voice trembled as she spoke.
“Say nothing,” he said. “The council may yet kill you. You have tasted blood and that is a worrisome thing. In the meantime, think about what I’ve said. If you defy me, you will die. Do as I say and you have a chance.”
He stood again and brushed a finger through a strand of her hair and down her face. “If someone did choose you, they chose remarkably well.”
“So there’s hope,” she said.
He paused and raised an eyebrow.
“You may not have to kill me,” she said.
Joshua smiled. “There is always hope, dear girl. Rest well. We will talk again soon.”
He turned to leave and stopped at the door. He looked back at her.
“There is one other thing,” he said.
“Yes?” she said, her eyes wide. “If it’s another threat, I’m really tired. Threaten me tomorrow?”
He smiled and sighed, shaking his head. “It’s nothing really. This detective, do you like him?”
“What?” she said, creasing her brow. “Detective Gregory? I don’t know, maybe. It’s been so long since I thought about whether I liked a guy, I never really considered it. He’s good looking, sure, but do I like him? I couldn’t say.”
Joshua seemed to relax and his smile became brighter. “Good. Forget I said anything, then. Feel better soon, Adelaide. You have so much work to do.”
He shut the door behind him and the whirring of machines and the background noises of the hospital filled the air. Somewhere, someone sneezed and further off, she could hear two nurses talking about some sort of hospital drama between two doctors. More obvious was the smell of someone’s lunch, regurgitated on the floor down the hall. Sour and slightly reminiscent of jello. She wrinkled her nose.
And people always said hospitals were so quiet and smelled so clean. She doubted she would get much sleep.
When she did, finally, drift off to sleep, she dreamed of a dark hallway lit by a single light that stret
ched on forever, lined with doors. Behind each door, she could hear the wails of anguish and pain. Over all of it, she heard fits of laughter and songs of joy, but no matter how many doors she opened, she never found the source. It was always just out of reach.
~~~~~
Dirk pounded the down button in the elevator. He had just spent the last three hours going through crime scene photos, filling out paperwork, and reviewing witness statements. It all fit so neatly into a box.
Thomas Kent killed his partner in a fit of delusional rage. He let a rabid dog loose in the room and ran. The guilt was most likely made him psychotic.
When Kent left the precinct, he was still screaming about giant wolf monsters that looked like people and fed on the entrails of the dead. He blamed Adelaide for Madison’s death.
“It’s almost too convenient,” said Lin, joining him in the elevator. “I mean, how often do we solve a case, a serial murder case at that, in a day?”
“We got lucky,” said Dirk.
Detective Lin snorted. “You don’t believe in luck. I know you don’t.”
“Luck happens,” he said.
“Oh yeah?” she said, “Play the lottery then. Hit a slot machine. Walk out in the middle of midday traffic.”
“That’s not what I mean,” he said, shaking his head. “Sometimes, random things happen when you least expect it, for better or for worse, that turn the tide.”
“See,” she pointed a finger at him, “that’s not luck, that’s statistics and probability.”
“Okay, fine,” he said, “probability, whatever you want to call it. Eventually, something has to go right for us.”
“That’s still not luck,” she said.
He sighed. “I’m not going to argue. Sometimes though, cases land in your lap.”
Lin pursed her lips. “I think Joshua Carpenter has a lot to do with that.”
Dirk raised his eyebrows. “You don’t trust him now?”
“I have to admit, his timing is pretty damn convenient,” she said. “He pulled Ms. Hunter out of the fire at just the right time almost every time she needed him.”
“So you think they’re working together?” said Dirk. “That doesn’t follow with her personality.”
The elevator doors opened and they pushed past a group of uniforms just coming off duty and the next shift coming in.
Lin waited for the group to pass and frowned. “I know you’re in love with her, or whatever, but you can’t profile a person in a day.” She sighed. “But you’re right. She wouldn’t have hired him and she doesn’t seem to be the type to team up with someone. He’s covering for her though. Maybe he’s just a meddlesome friend of the family or something.”