Dead Heat (Taz Bell Book 1) Read online

  "I think you understand now why Freemont is so valuable a member of our team," I said, very relieved that Allen hadn't just dismissed what he'd heard. "Using a decoy to get James out of the bar also won't work now, not when she'd be at ground zero as soon as the rest of you showed yourselves."

  "So what can we do?" Allen demanded, but his anger and frustration weren't aimed at me. "If James shows up at Morgan's tonight, I want him!"

  "And you can get him," I said. "I've been through this kind of thing before, just not with a harpy. I'm a federally licensed rogue hunter, and I'm now officially asking for the help of your department in taking down a dangerous rogue. That means you and your S.W.A.T. team will be my backup when I go for the one I'm after, someone only I - and a civilian - can identify. Neither of us wants a civilian involved, so you and your people will just have to follow my lead. We'll keep our distance while we watch the one who'll lead us to the rogue, follow him home, then go in after the rogue once it's light."

  "Yes, that should work," Allen muttered, and I could almost hear him thinking furiously. "I'll have to run it by my chief first, but he wants these murders stopped at least as much as I do. You'll be at the motel when I call back with the go-ahead?"

  "I have something to do with Detective Webster right after dark, but she tells me it won't take long," I answered. "As soon as she gets me back here I'll call to say I'm ready to leave for Morgan's."

  "And I should have everything set up by then," Allen agreed. "I'll wait for your call."

  We both hung up then, and I turned to my partners.

  "He's going to get his chief's approval and then we're on," I told them. "Assuming James turns up at Morgan's again tonight, we'll hopefully have it all wrapped up in the morning."

  "Just make sure you're still in a large enough piece to collect that reward," Freemont said, the same kind of feeble joke he made every time George and I went for a face-to-face with a rogue. "I'm just glad you won't be trying to do it all alone. That harpy isn't anything to play around with."

  "With an entire S.W.A.T. team behind her she'll be just fine," George said, the same kind of reassurance he always gave. "And if you want to appreciate how really lucky we are on this one, just picture the late Detective Wilson in Detective Allen's place. Wilson would try to do it all himself while he cut out everyone else including us, and he wouldn't simply end up dead. He'd also warn the man working with the harpy, and the two would probably run for the hills."

  "Giving us the job of having to chase them while they're warned and expecting us," I agreed with an inner shudder. "Thanks anyway, George, but I'd rather not think about something like that. Freemont, let's decide on what we want to eat and then get it ordered. I'd rather not have to swallow everything whole because Webster is due to pick me up any minute."

  "You still have about an hour and a half before Webster will be here, but ordering dinner isn't a bad idea," Freemont responded. "I thought about looking for a Chinese restaurant, but I had the definite impression that you're not in the mood for Chinese tonight."

  Freemont was absolutely right, but all I did was give him a half smile instead of answering in words. I'm never able to eat Chinese food from a couple of days before the full moon to a couple of days after, not and enjoy the meal the way I usually do. Another item for the list of why I hate what was done to me.

  I ordered a double portion of liver, very rare and without any side dishes or additions like onions. Freemont went for the lamb chops and everything that came with it including the salad, which made me wonder for the millionth time why Freemont wasn't the size of a small elephant. He usually ate at least as much as I did, and I was feeding a metabolism that had been hiked way up. If he was able to have that kind of metabolism without the rest of the bullshit, it was damned unfair.

  While we waited for the food to be brought we drank coffee and talked about what we would do if James didn't show up at Morgan's tonight. If that happened we'd have to take Freemont into the area in the morning, to see if he was able to pick up on where the harpy actually was.

  The longer we took to stop the harpy the more people would die, and some of those victims were bound to be a lot more innocent than the biker wannabe. Even the biker, as obnoxious as he'd been, hadn't actually done anything bad enough to James to justify being killed. The next slight James decided to avenge might be only in his own mind, and then the victim would be entirely innocent.

  When our food came, Freemont and I sat down to eat. The last time I'd eaten had been late morning, but I felt as if I'd missed meals for a good day or two. Sight and smell of the bloody liver made my mouth water, drawing me a lot more strongly than Freemont's lamb chops. I usually like lamb chops, but tonight I had no interest in them at all.

  But I did manage to eat with a knife and fork instead of my fingers, so I was definitely ahead of the game. The cream soda I'd ordered with the meal went down almost as smoothly and easily, but the soda was also beginning to lose some of its usual taste. Another day and there would be only one thing I was interested in, and if we were still in the Chattanooga area I'd have to ask about where the open hunting was to be found.

  When I finished eating I went to get ready to leave. Black slacks and a plain yellow T-shirt were good enough for the short visit we were going to make, but I did put on black sneakers and change over to a black shoulder bag. Along with my weapons belt, of course. When it comes to dressing up, this is as good as it usually gets for me. Living out of a suitcase tends to limit your fashion options, which is one bright spot in an ocean of dark. I've never felt comfortable getting all dressed up, a character trait that Freemont didn't seem able to forgive me for.

  I thought about waiting to be called downstairs, then said to hell with it and went down anyway. It was already dark out so Webster ought to be along at any time, and the sooner we got going the sooner I'd be back. George floated along beside me without saying anything, a comforting presence devoid of all intrusion. I couldn't imagine continuing on without George, knowing damned well I wouldn't have gotten even this far without him. He was my strength, but I'd never embarrass him so far as to say so.

  Instead of being cool outside it was warm and sticky, a typical August night with fireflies signaling to each other and not the smallest trace of a breeze. I thought about going back into the air conditioning of the lobby to wait, but the headlights of a car coming into the parking lot said waiting another minute would be a better idea. If the new arrival wasn't Webster, then I'd go back to wait inside.

  But when the white compact pulled up and stopped right next to me I saw that going back inside wouldn't be necessary. It was Webster behind the wheel, and when I heard the sound of the passenger side door being unlocked I opened the door and looked inside.

  "Where's your partner, Detective Webster?" I asked, seriously wanting to know. "Won't Detective Seaton feel left out when he finds out we went without him?"

  "This is a very unofficial visit we'll be making," Webster said with what looked like faint annoyance. "If my partner came along Eileena might decide to feel persecuted, and that would be it for the help we want. Eileena is very … zealous when it comes to not being pressured or pushed around."

  By now it was clear that Webster's annoyance was aimed at the vampire we'd be visiting, and that surprised me enough to get me into the car. Webster didn't like having to play politics to get what she needed to do her job, and that made her more a cop than a vampire. Her attitude made me more comfortable, and she actually waited until I had the seat belt closed before she started us moving.

  "We really will have to make this visit as short as possible," I said once I was settled. "As soon as I get back I have to call Detective Allen and arrange to meet him and his S.W.A.T. team. We could be close to catching up with that harpy."

  "I haven't heard anything about that," Webster said, only glancing at me while she gave most of her attention to the road. "Is Granger keeping things quiet for a reason?"

  "A very good reason," I agree
d. "It looks like the harpy may not have killed the man who brought her egg into the country. The man seems to have … bonded with the harpy in some way, and now we think she's doing his killing for him. We need to locate his house and her nest before they know we're after them."

  "That's one high-profile case I don't mind not being a part of," Webster said with a small shake of her head. "I tend to be the least bit … arrogant, I'm told, a common problem among vampires, but I like to think I'm not stupid. Mixing it up with whatever is doing those killings won't turn out to be an easy win for our side."

  "It wasn't the last time," I said, seriously surprised that she would admit something like that to me. "I'm hoping we'll be better prepared and more ready this time, but I'm not counting on it. I haven't been part of taking down a rogue yet when something didn't come apart right in the beginning, and this time probably won't be any different."

  "That's usually what I like about this job, but things feel very different this time," she muttered with another shake of her head. "There's something really strange in the air, and if I was the only one who felt it I might think I was starting to imagine things. Are you and your partners getting anything of the same?"

  "Our other partner is getting something, but we have no idea what it is," I answered slowly. "What kind of something strange are you talking about?"

  "It's the weirdest thing I've ever felt," she answered just as slowly, gesturing vaguely with one hand. "It's as if all kinds of things are going on right behind me, but when I turn to look there's nothing there. Most of the other vampires on the force are getting the same feeling, but the humans aren't. Our human brothers and sisters aren't picking up on it. Whatever it is."

  "I'm not sensing anything either," I admitted after a long moment of stretching out those senses. "Is it possible that whatever is going on has to do only with vampires?"

  "Anything is possible, but some things are more likely than others," she countered with another glance at me. "I've been a cop for more than twelve years, and only the petty stuff ever involves individuals like lone vampires. Anything more involved has always meant vampires and humans and maybe even some shapeshifters or ghouls or other non-humans thrown in. But something big involving vampires alone? Maybe a couple or three hundred years ago, but today it doesn't seem very likely."

  I felt the urge to point out that unlikely doesn't always mean it can't happen, but starting an argument didn't seem like a very good idea. Besides, we'd left the highway a minute or so earlier, and now were driving through the city. With any luck we'd soon be at the vamp Eileena's house, and a few minutes after that I'd be free to go back to the motel.

  The neighborhood turned upscale, but more in the way of affluent than wealthy. You knew the people in the houses we passed had money, but chances were good that there weren't fortunes involved. The streets were well-lighted and so were the driveways of most of the houses, some of the driveways being wider than others. Webster turned into one of those very wide driveways, and when she put the car in park it was obvious we'd gotten where we were going.

  "This is Eileena's house," Webster said as she turned the car off. "If she politely calls you a liar after you tell her what happened, do me a favor and don't get insulted. She'll be trying to shake your story, so it won't be anything personal."

  "I'll remember that," I promised, but that's all I promised. Webster didn't seem to notice, though, so we both got out of the car and walked to the front door of the large house. Webster rang the bell, and a moment later I could hear footsteps inside approaching the door. Then the door was opened, and the scent of makeup told me the woman doing the opening was another vampire.

  "Serena, right on time," the young vamp said with a smile. "Do come in."

  Webster showed a mechanical smile and led the way inside, the second vamp stepping back to give us more room to get through the doorway. Most vamps seemed to have died young, but the one at the door looked barely out of her late teens, if that. She had pale red hair and green eyes, and the knee-length green dress she wore over a good figure almost matched her eye color. Her high-heeled pumps were also green, but the match wasn't quite as good.

  "Marla, this is Ms. Bell, the witness to last night's attack," Webster said once we were inside and the door had been closed behind us. "Ms. Bell, Marla is Eileena's personal secretary. We don't have much time, Marla, so I hope Eileena is ready to see us."

  "Oh, yes, Eileena is ready to see Ms. Bell," Marla answered with the same too-friendly smile. "But since we knew you'd be here tonight, Serena, Eileena took advantage of the fact to solve a small problem. One of our people is having some trouble, but doesn't want to go to your police station to report it. But she is willing to talk to you privately, and you can do that while Eileena interviews Ms. Bell. You don't mind, do you? From what the poor thing hasn't quite said, there could be more of us being taken advantage of."

  Webster glanced at me with a brief flash of frustration in her dark eyes, but she'd been mouse-trapped with no decent way out. If I hadn't been in a hurry to leave she could have said she'd talk to the woman once I'd finished with Eileena, but as it was she had no choice at all.

  "No, I don't mind talking to your … poor thing," Webster allowed after a very short hesitation. "Where is she?"

  "She's in the back gathering room," Marla answered as she moved toward a small table below an oval mirror to the right, with an archway just beyond. And for some reason the table held two burning candles in tall silver holders. "In case you've forgotten, the back gathering room is through this doorway to the next doorway, then make a left and go straight back. And this candle is for you."

  After gesturing to the archway past the table, Marla picked up one of the candles and offered it to Webster. The detective exchanged a glance with me, and I know we both looked blank.

  "Why are you giving me a candle to carry?" she asked Marla without taking the thing. "If I need to identify myself, I do have my badge with me."

  "That's right, you don't know," Marla said with a sound of annoyance obviously aimed at herself. "I'm such a scatterbrain at times, I'm surprised Eileena puts up with me. We had an electrician in to finally change us over from fuses to circuit breakers, and the job was finished today. Just before sundown we turned on the lights, and they stayed on for about ten minutes. Then we were suddenly in the dark, and stayed like that for about another ten minutes.

  "Ever since then the lights have been going on and off at different intervals, and we only have two flashlights in the house. The electrician's answering service said he can't come back until tomorrow, and if we have to wait that long Eileena will probably kill him as soon as he shows up. Or as soon as he finishes fixing the problem."

  This time Marla's smile was wry, showing she was just kidding about the killing part. But that did explain why she had two burning candles right there, so Webster had no choice but to take the holder held out toward her and walk away with it. She used one hand to shield the candle flame as she moved, probably to keep the flame from going out. If it had been me I would have been walking really slow, but Webster looked as if she had lots of experience with candles and no longer bothered to slow down. It occurred to me to wonder just how old Webster really was, but I wasn't given time to wonder long.

  "Now, Ms. Bell, we can get you in to speak with Eileena," Marla said as she picked up the second candle holder. "If she starts ranting and raving in the middle of your conversation, I think you'll understand now why it's happening. She's a lot older than the rest of us, and it took us years to talk her into switching over from fuses. I guess that made it almost a guarantee that we'd have some kind of trouble… Come right this way."

  We'd been standing in a wide entrance hall with stairs going up on both sides of the area. There were two archways to left and right just before the stairs, and straight ahead there were two closed doors. Marla led the way to the door on the left, and we were only a couple of steps away when the lights suddenly went out.

  "Oh, rot, there it g
oes again," Marla grumbled, pausing right in front of the door. "I was hoping it would wait until you and Serena had left, but no such luck. If the lights haven't come back on by the time you're ready to leave, I'll walk you out."

  While speaking she'd knocked on the door, and we could both hear the invitation to come in spoken in a woman's voice. Marla opened the door and stepped aside, giving me access to the room, and I didn't hesitate more than a second before moving forward. There was the heavy smell of incense coming from the room, the kind of incense people burned to turn the air sweeter. I could see at least one candle glowing in a holder in the room, but to say I hated the idea of being in the dark with vampires would be like saying I hated having been made a shapeshifter. There's hating, and then there's hating…

  "Come right in, Ms. Bell, I've been expecting you," that same female voice said as I walked forward slowly. The female vamp sat in a chair to the left of a desk, and I couldn't see her very clearly - or anything else in the room. The glare of candles was playing games with my night vision, for some reason worse than flashlights would have done. There didn't seem to be any windows, so the darkness was almost complete. I heard the door being closed behind me, something that made me want to swallow hard, and then the situation turned a lot worse.

  "Don't move," a male voice said softly from my left. His step had been so silent that I hadn't heard him coming close, but it wasn't his order that froze me where I stood.

  It was the fact that he had a large gun pressed right up against my temple.

  Chapter Twelve

  "That's right, Ms. Bell, don't try anything foolish," the woman seated in the chair said. I could hear the amusement in her voice, but that didn't bother me half as much as the cold feel of the gun barrel against the side of my head.

  But when people put a gun to someone's head, they expect that someone to freeze in place and even breathe shallowly. Holding the target still doesn't seem necessary, most especially if there's nowhere for the target to run. If I'd still been human I would have reacted in just the way I was expected to, but it had been a while since I'd been entirely human.