Blood Secrets (7 page)

“Is there any indication that she’s the one who left it there?” Allen asked.

“No, but forensic analysts from the FBPI will be examining the car. If there is any evidence to be found, they’ll find it.”

“No one saw anything?” Leah asked.

“No one has come forward yet.”

“How can someone leave a car in plain sight and no one see the driver?” Leah’s voice took a hysterical edge. “It doesn’t make sense!”

Allen wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulder. “The police are doing everything they can, sweetheart.”

Tasha nodded. “It’s true. We have officers canvassing the campus and surrounding areas with Mindy’s picture and a description of the car. Unfortunately, these cases can take time to crack. But someone, somewhere, holds the key bit of information we need. We just have to find them.”

Leah dropped her gaze, and Allen cleared his throat before asking, “You said you had some questions for us?”

Tasha pulled from her pocket a pen and small notebook containing a few hastily scribbled notes she’d made during a brief phone conversation with Alex. “One of the Enforcers found a couple of items in Mindy’s car that perhaps you could help put into context and give us a better understanding of how they fit in with Mindy’s life.”

“Of course,” Leah said, wiping at her eyes as she looked at Tasha. “Anything we can do to help bring Mindy home.”

“The Enforcers found a large amount of cash in her backpack. Was it customary for Mindy to carry around a lot of money?”

“No, but how much is ‘a large amount’?” Allen asked.

“Almost one thousand dollars.”

“Where would she get that kind of money?” Allen looked at his wife, who shook her head.

Tasha scribbled in her notepad. “Did she have a job?”

“No, we paid all her expenses.”

“They also found a donor card bearing Mindy’s name. Were you aware of Mindy’s status as a registered vampire blood donor?”

“Yes,” Allen answered quickly, removing his arm from Leah’s shoulders. “She told us a couple of months ago but she said she wasn’t working anywhere yet because of her class schedule.”

Vampires required small amounts of blood for survival. However, they weren’t allowed to pick random human victims. All blood transactions were closely regulated by a joint effort between the Centers for Disease Control and the FBPI. Humans wanting to give their blood to vampires—and there wasn’t a shortage of willing donors—were required to pass a battery of physical and psychological tests. Once they were deemed fit, their name and information were entered into the Central
Donor Registry. They were then required to show a valid donor card to any vampire wanting to hire them as a donor.

It was a practice, regardless of the safeguards that had been implemented over the years, that Tasha simply didn’t understand. She’d heard some donors speak of the rush they got from donating to a vampire. The way they talked it was as though they were addicted to it.

You know something about addiction, don’t you?
the nagging voice in her head taunted.
You chose me over your husband, your child, even your job. Now look at you. Nothing but a couple of vampires’ lapdog
.

She massaged her temple, trying to rub out the voice’s source as she asked, “Did Mindy say who her private recipient was?”

Allen sighed heavily and interlaced his fingers with those of Leah’s free hand.

“I’m not certain I understand your question. Private recipient?” Leah asked.

“Most donors work in blood bars, but there are a few who apply for private donor status, reserving their blood for one vampire only. Mindy’s application carried a private donation waiver.”

Leah gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “Allen—”

His hand closed around Leah’s, cutting off her question. “Are you certain it’s
our
Mindy?”

Tasha nodded, carefully watching the couple’s interactions. “We confirmed all the information with the Central Donor Registry. Unfortunately, her private recipient wasn’t listed.”

“How can they not have that information on record?” Allen asked.

“The Enforcers are looking into it now.”

“It can’t be true,” Leah said, her voice shaky. “It can’t be.”

“Sometimes when kids leave home for the first time, they do impulsive things,” Tasha offered. “Maybe Mindy—”

“No.” Leah shook her head. “Not Mindy. She isn’t like that!”

“She registered without telling us first,” Allen said quietly. He cleared his throat when Leah stared at him. “Why should a private donor be any great shock?”

Leah continued to stare at him in silence.

“Is there anyone you can think of she would’ve told about her private donor, Mr. Johnson?” Tasha asked.

“Her cousin, Piper. She and Mindy are very close. When I saw the two of them a few days before Mindy disappeared, I had the feeling there was something going on, but I didn’t press the issue. I thought Mindy would come to us when she was ready.”

“You saw her?” Leah whispered.

He nodded.

“And you didn’t tell me?”

Allen enclosed her hand in both of his. “I didn’t want to upset you. It was in passing. They were sitting in a coffee shop. I was running late for a meeting but I waved. They must not have seen me because—”

“How can you be so calm about all of this?” Leah demanded. “My baby is missing and you’re prattling on like it’s the most common thing!”

“I don’t believe hysterics are going to help bring Mindy home.”

“You bastard.” Leah pulled her hand away from his and stood.

Tasha jerked in her seat with the surprise force of Leah’s hand connecting with her husband’s face. Sobbing, Leah fled the room and up the stairs. The glass panes in the window behind Tasha rattled when a door slammed somewhere on the second floor.

Allen stared at the ceiling for a moment before turning
his attention to Tasha. “I’m sorry, Lieutenant. Leah can be overly emotional at times. Mindy’s our only child, and the stress of the last few days is starting to really take its toll.”

“I understand completely. I have a daughter of my own.”

“How old?”

“She’s thirteen.”

He smiled wanly. “That’s a great but difficult age.”

Tasha sighed, suddenly uncomfortable with the turn in the conversation. She flipped through her notes. “Mindy’s your stepdaughter, isn’t she?”

“I’m not her biological father, no, but I did legally adopt her a few years after Leah and I married. Mindy was three or four at the time.”

“Where’s her biological father? If we could talk to him, he—”

“You’re wasting your time, Lieutenant. Connor, Leah’s first husband, died when Mindy was only a few months old. Hunting accident. He fell out of a tree stand and his gun accidentally discharged.”

Tasha winced and her inhaled breath whistled as it passed through her clenched teeth.

“After Leah and I married, it just seemed easier to adopt Mindy than have her grow up with a different last name. Oh, I know it’s common now for kids and parents to have different last names, but I think it’s confusing for the kids and can be frustrating for the parents. I wanted to save Mindy and Leah from having to go through that.”

Tasha nodded her understanding. She made a few notes in her notepad and redirected the conversation. “Where did you see Mindy?”

“The coffee shop on Jefferson Boulevard—Mug Shots.”

“And you don’t know what she and her cousin were talking about?”

“No, and there was someone with them. A boy. As I said, I was running late for a meeting. I ran in, grabbed a cup of coffee, saw Mindy and Piper sitting in the back, and waved. They must not have seen me because they kept talking.”

“If you didn’t hear the conversation, what makes you think there was anything wrong?”

“Mindy looked as though she’d been crying.”

“Did you recognize the boy with them?” Tasha asked as she quickly scribbled notes.

“No, but I think he may have been Piper’s boyfriend. The two of them were sitting beside each other, and he had his arm draped over her shoulders.”

“Can you describe him?”

Allen took a deep breath and tilted his head, staring out the window behind her. “I only saw his profile, but he had sort of longish brown hair, wore one of those knit caps with the brim, flannel shirt over a white T-shirt, jeans. There was a denim jacket hanging on the back of his chair.”

“And you’d never seen him with either Mindy or Piper before that day?”

He shook his head.

The cell phone clipped to the waistband of her slacks vibrated, and Tasha checked the text message that showed up on the screen.

Tasha added the last of the description that Allen had provided to her notebook and rose. “I’m sorry to cut this short but I have an urgent call. I have to go.”

Allen stood with her and shook her hand. “You’ll let us know the moment you hear something, won’t you?”

“Of course.”

He escorted her to the entrance and thanked her for stopping by.

Tasha heard the door close behind her as she hurried to her car. Backing out of the drive, she thought she saw Leah staring out from one of the second-story windows. The vision was gone almost as soon as she spotted it, leaving only shadows backing the windows, and she couldn’t help but wonder if those windows reflected a darkness growing within.

ALEX LEANED AGAINST THE TRUNK OF VARIK’S CORVETTE
and hugged herself as she watched the flatbed tow truck winch Mindy Johnson’s car into place. It was being transported to Jefferson Police Department’s impound yard and its contents would go with Freddy and Reyes for further forensic processing.

Other Enforcers and uniformed Jefferson police were dispersing in separate vehicles, returning to patrols and assignments. She envied them. Less than two hours back on the job and she was already feeling the pressure of Damian’s scrutiny.

“Tell me again about this vision,” he said, shifting his stance to block her view of the tow truck.

The vision she’d received when she picked up the doll flickered through her mind and she shuddered. “We’ve been through this once. Do we really need to go over it a second time?”

“We’ll discuss it as many times as I think necessary. Now start talking.”

She sighed and jammed her hands in her jacket pockets. “I saw a room lit by candles. There was a circle drawn on the floor with some kind of weird writing around it.”

“Would you recognize the writing if you saw it again?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t really get a good look at it because that’s when I saw the girl.” Alex glanced at Varik
as he joined Damian. “She was lying in the center of the circle. Her throat was slit.”

“Describe her.”

“Dark hair and eyes, about my height.”

“Did she look like the doll?”

“Yes,” she hissed. Annoyance gave her words a sharp edge. “Aside from being naked and dead, she looked
exactly
like the damn doll.”

Damian growled a warning.

Varik’s mind brushed hers.
Behave yourself
.

She met his stern gaze and dropped hers, sighing. “Yes, the girl looked like the doll. No, I don’t know a name or a location, but I saw someone moving in the shadows beyond the candlelight.”

“Could you see who it was?” Varik asked.

“I never saw his face.”

“But you’re certain the person was male?” Damian asked.

“I could hear him chanting. I think it was Latin, but I couldn’t understand it.” The memory of the scene that played out before her turned her stomach. Her eyes closed in a futile attempt to block it.

An arm snaked around her shoulders, and Varik’s natural scent filled her senses, giving her a renewed feeling of security.

“The chanting got louder.” Alex forced her voice to remain level. “Then it was as though I was no longer watching this … ritual from across the room. It was like I
became
the girl in the circle.” She opened her eyes to stare up at Damian’s impassive face. “I felt like my soul was trapped in that girl’s body.”

Varik gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“This is the part where it gets really fucked up. I couldn’t see the room anymore but I could still hear the chanting. I tasted blood,
lots
of blood. Then it felt like
someone was pulling me up.” A lingering cold chilled her blood, turning it to an icy sludge, and she shivered.

“Take your time,” Varik said softly.

“I felt pressure, like someone was sitting on my chest, and then pain.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. “I can only describe it as being ripped into a thousand tiny pieces. All I could see was darkness. All I heard was that fucking chanting.”

Varik pulled her closer to him.

Damian cleared his throat before speaking. “Is there anything else you can tell us about this unseen person? The room? The girl?”

Alex swiped at her tears with shaking hands. “Only that before the vision changed, when I was still observing from across the room, I felt …” She hesitated and felt heat coloring her cheeks. “Incredibly aroused,” she murmured.

Varik shifted next to her so she could see his face. “Aroused? You mean—”

“Yes, sexually.” The heat in her cheeks spread to her entire face. She sucked in a deep breath and released it in a huff. “Whoever this guy is and whatever he’s doing to these girls, he
really
gets off on it.” She crossed her arms in front of her. “And I hope I never experience anything like that again.”

“Baudelaire,” Damian said as he turned and indicated for Varik to follow him.

Varik gave her a sideways hug and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Alex watched them walk several feet away and stop when they were certain she was out of hearing range. Even though the sun was now above the trees and gradually bathing the parking lot in its light, it did little to chase away the shadows in her mind. The vision had drained her emotionally and physically, leaving her feeling cold and numb.

She pried at a protruding rock in the pavement with the toe of her boot. She’d inherited her powers of psychometry—the ability to have visions and gain information from objects as well as her gift to part the Veil and access the Hall of Records—from her father. Unfortunately he’d been killed before he could teach her how to control either of them. Support groups for vampires with psychic abilities didn’t exist so most of the control she possessed was from years of trial and error.