B005EMAYWS EBOK Page 4

  Summer didn’t mind juggling, but trying to work through a homicide investigation, while attempting to sort through her feelings for Anton, was wearing her down. If that wasn’t enough, at the same time she had to find a way to change her dad’s mind. It was enough to fry her nerves.

  In Professor Saunders’ office was a small desk that sat in the corner of the room. On it was an old desktop PC. This is where she worked when she was helping out with a job. The office was empty, so she assumed that Saunders must still be in class.

  On the desk were two manila folders. Summer sat down and started going through each detail of the files, looking for a pattern that would suggest the killer’s mental state and personality.

  Both girls had been killed exactly the same way, but where the York girl had disappeared from her locked apartment - her body dumped in the desert after she was murdered, Bridgett had been taken somewhere and killed. She was then returned to a locked apartment.

  The police had no idea what type of murder weapon had been used. Their throats had been torn out. Aside from what was on their bodies, they had been drained of all of their blood. Neither of the girls had shown any signs of sexual assault. That ruled out rape as a motive. Nothing was missing from their apartments, so robbery was also not the motive.

  Alien abduction and mutilation maybe?

  Summer shook her head, brushing the idea aside as absurd. But if you looked at the total lack of reasoning behind the murders, that left only one motive really. The killer was doing it for the pleasure of killing, or to fulfill some type of strange need - possibly revenge for an imagined wrong. Summer was positive that the victims had not known the killer. They were random. The girls had probably just been unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and happened to catch the killer’s attention.

  The murders suggested that the killer was likely a man. Someone who was taking out his anger and frustrations on these girls, but what was their connection? What was it about them that caught the killer’s attention?

  No matter how many times she went over the files, she couldn’t find a single thing that the girls had in common. They were from different parts of the country. The victims didn’t look anything alike - they didn’t even have one class that was the same. After studying the files for over an hour, she finally found one thing that was the same.

  It was small and might not even mean anything.

  Summer shook her head, denying the connection. How could that have anything to do with it - unless the killer just happen to be walking by their apartment and heard music?

  Maybe he killed them because their music was too loud?

  It was an absurd thought, but then again, people had been killed for a lot less.

  Picking up the phone, she punched in Detective Pierce’s number.

  “Pierce!” he said when he picked up.

  “Hi, it’s Summer Gray Eagle.”

  “So who is our guy?” he asked.

  “Well … he’s probably between thirty and forty years old, and has issues. That’s about all I can tell you right now.”

  “Hmm … so you need a college degree to come up with that?”

  “Sorry,” she told him. “Have you found any connection between the victims?” she asked.

  “Possibly. According to their friends, both of these girls had recently met a man … an unusual looking man. We are trying to track him down so we can question him.”

  “Any lead on who it might be?”

  “No just a description. A tall guy, about six feet two inches … he has longish blond hair. They also mentioned a strange eye color. So far that’s all we know.”

  Summer felt the room spin.

  Anton!

  There was just no way it could be him.

  But he was a wolf.

  Summer slammed the door on the possibility. An animal - supernatural or otherwise - wasn’t what killed those girls.

  “Maybe it’s a coincidence,” Summer offered.

  “Oh give me a break girl,” he piped loudly. “If you don’t know by now that these types of coincidences just don’t happen when it involves crime … you haven’t learned a damn thing from those fancy college classes.”

  Summer cleared her throat. “Your right.”

  “When I know more … I’ll be in touch,” he told her before hanging up.

  For the longest time she sat there with the phone to her ear, as if she were paralyzed. Her heart sat at the bottom of her stomach. Part of her knew she should tell Pierce about Anton, but another part of her wanted to protect him until she knew for sure that he was involved.

  Then again, if the police cornered him things could get ugly for them, and him.

  Opening the files, she took out a small picture of each girl. She had no choice but to confront him herself.

  Summer locked the door behind her as she left the office. Once in her car, she headed straight for Anton’s motel. In the parking lot she looked for his car, and then remembered that she had no idea what he was driving. Summer pulled up in front of his room and got out.

  She knocked at his door several times, but there was no answer. Summer doubted that he had left town yet, not without her going with him.

  Giving up for the time being, she decided to go home. Opening her car door she went to slide into the seat, but stopped abruptly.

  It was the girl again. She was in the passenger’s seat. The blood gushed from her throat to cover the front of her body. Bridget held out her mangled hands toward Summer, and her mouth was open wide in a silent - eternal scream.

  Summer forced her pulse to slow, making every effort to push her fear to the back of her mind.

  “What do you want?” she asked the ghostly image.

  The girl continued to look at her, and though it appeared as if she were screaming, no sound came out.

  “Are you talking to someone?” The voice came from behind her.

  Summer jumped and let out a loud yelp. She looked around to see that Anton was standing only a couple of feet away. She hadn’t even heard him drive up, but now she saw a truck parked nearby. It hadn’t been there moments before.

  “No one,” she told him quickly, maybe a little too quickly.

  Anton eyed her suspiciously. “You seeing ghosts again?” he asked.

  “What makes you think that?” Summer suddenly found that she didn’t feel comfortable telling him that the ghost of one of the murdered girls was trying to make contact with her.

  He shrugged, “Well since you were talking and I can’t see anyone.”

  Summer smiled nervously, but said nothing. A quick glance inside the car told her that her visitor had gone.

  “Your dad always said that your mother talking to dead people was one of the hardest things to get used to.”

  “Yeah,” Summer agreed. “That is something that creeps him out.”

  Justin Gray Eagle was no stranger to the paranormal, but the traditional taboos still sat deep in his soul. For his people, as well as her mother’s - the dead were taboo. You just didn’t go around talking to them.

  For Summer, it had always been a part of her life from her youngest memory. Laura had a better connection to the spirit world than she did, but it hadn’t been all that uncommon to come across a ghostly specter. Luckily, they weren’t usually of the murder victim variety.

  Anton broke through her thoughts. “Summer, what’s wrong? You’re a million miles away.”

  “Hey, can I ask you something?” She decided to just jump into the subject.

  “Sure.”

  Summer reached into the car and pulled out the two photos. “Have you seen these girls anywhere … other than on the news?”

  Anton studied the photos for a few minutes before answering. Finally he pointed to Donna York’s picture. “I think I remember talking to this girl on campus. She was having lunch outside.”

  “What about the other one?” Summer felt her throat become tighter with each word she spoke.

  He stared at Bridge
t’s picture and shook his head. “I can’t place this one.”

  “Are you sure?”

  After a few moments a glimmer of recognition flickered in his eyes. “Wasn’t she a waitress? I think she waited on me at a café in town.”

  “You’ve been here for two weeks … right?”

  “Yes,” he answered, obviously curious about what she was getting at.

  “Why were you here that long before talking to me? What were you doing?” Summer asked, wanting so bad for the whole thing to just go away.

  “I was watching you. Your dad wanted me to checkout your friends and any boyfriends you might have. He apparently heard that you might be expecting a child.”

  Summer’s eyes widened. “Who said that? I was dating a guy for a while, but I wasn’t pregnant.”

  “Vance’s daughter Kathrina. She told them that you thought you might be. Your dad was worried about this marriage contract with the Vilkas … and you.”

  “Oh … that was a while back, and nothing came of it. I can’t believe that little snipe told my parents.” Summer was angry. Though Kathrina was her favorite cousin, she could sure be a pain at times. She wasn’t related by blood, but adopted by her dad’s cousin Vance, and his wife.

  “She didn’t really tell your parents … she told her parents, and they told yours. She was worried about you.”

  Anton seemed to find her distress amusing. “She does have the vampire blood you know.”

  “Oh … she’s not so bad. She just wants to fit in.” Summer was already forgiving her young cousin, but not her dad and Anton. “You guys could have just asked me about it. You didn’t have to spy on me.”

  “I’m afraid your dad is worried about you. He thinks you’ve grown too accustomed to life on this side.”

  “Maybe he’s right,” Summer told him defiantly.

  A car drove up beside them, and a man and woman stepped out.

  Anton waited until the couple had gone into their room before he continued. “You know Summer … there could be a big problem with this marriage contract when your fiancé discovers that you are not a virgin.”

  Summer lifted her chin boldly. “Good! I don’t want to get married anyway.”

  “You’re acting like a spoiled child,’ he grumbled.

  “Well you are acting like a suspect in this investigation. The police want to question you because you recently met with both the victims.”

  Anton looked shocked. “Really?”

  Summer nodded.

  “Well I’ll just have to talk to the police then,” he smiled, obviously completely unworried.

  “Okay … let’s go.” Summer motioned to her car. She half wanted him to refuse, because in her heart she knew Anton had nothing to do with the murder of those girls.

  “On one condition. As soon as we finish with the police, you come home with me.”

  Summer shook her head. “That’s not right, Anton.”

  “Well that’s my deal. Otherwise … they can just come and get me.”

  “Oh … you’re impossible!” Summer narrowed her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to see him get hurt, or anyone else. The possibility of that happening was high, if they went after him.

  “Okay, I’ll go back with you to talk to my parents … after I’m done with this job. That’s the best I can do.”

  “Sounds fair enough,” he told her. “As long as it doesn’t take too long.”

  * * *

  Summer sat in the station’s waiting area while Detective Pierce and two other homicide officers interviewed Anton. Every few minutes she’d get up and start pacing the floor.

  What if they arrested him?

  As soon as the thought entered her mind, she brushed it aside. She didn’t think they’d be able to contain Anton without shooting him, but they just might do that. She was so nervous that she could barely hold still.

  After what seemed like hours, Anton emerged from Pierce’s office. He motioned for her to follow him and started for the door.

  “So what did they say?” she asked, her anxiety was getting the best of her.

  “They didn’t say much. They just asked a lot of questions. Don’t worry Summer, I didn’t do it. For that reason they will never be able to charge me with anything.”

  Summer let out a sigh of relief. It was the first time he had actually said straight out that he hadn’t done it.

  Anton stopped after they were outside. “But there is something going on that doesn’t seem right. You need to be very careful.”

  “What do you mean?” Summer drew her brows together in confusion.

  “When they were questioning me … they let something slip.” Anton started walking toward the car.

  “What?” she asked, though she couldn’t believe that it was anything that she didn’t already know about.

  “They were both found with a black rose in their hands.”

  Summer stopped in her tracks. “They never told me that.”

  Anton ignored her and got into the car. A moment later she slid into the driver’s seat. “And really … how does that make it any stranger than it already is?’

  “The roses are a calling card,” he murmured.

  “There’s nothing about this in the police report. Why would they fumble that, if you are a person of interest?” Summer asked in disbelief.

  “They didn’t. They just asked me if I knew what the significance was of a black rose. I would suppose they didn’t tell you about it because that is a piece of evidence they want to keep from the public?”

  “How do you know all of this? Summer stared at him.

  “Just take my word for it. There is something very wrong here.”

  “And do you know what it means … the black rose?”

  “Yes,” he answered, but turned away without saying anything more.

  “Well what is it?” Summer was impatient.

  “Just be careful.”

  “We are all going out tonight, would you like to join us?” Summer asked him, deciding that she would question him more about it later.

  “Sure,” he smiled.

  “Okay, I’ll drop you at your motel and you can meet me at my apartment later.”

  During the drive back, Anton seemed distant, so Summer didn’t try to push conversation on him. When she dropped him off, they agreed on a time to go out. Summer drove away not feeling a lot better than she had before they went to the police. She was sure Anton was not the killer, but he knew something that he was keeping from her, and the police.

  Chapter Four

  A swirling mist rose up from the surface of the Mississippi, giving the river an odd - somewhat ghostly appearance. The boardwalk along the waterfront was well lit, but few people were out and about at such a late hour. Regardless, Donavan kept to the shadows. The average person would not know him for what he was, but a slayer would easily sense his true nature.

  Donavan was one of the ancients. His power was considerable, and although there were no slayers that would pose any real threat to him, he preferred to avoid confrontation and keep a low profile.

  His eyes penetrated the darkness, searching for the one that had called him to the waterfront, but Cato was nowhere in sight.

  “Donavan.” The voice echoed in his head. “Up here brother.”

  He looked up to see Cato hovering about 50 feet in the air above him. Donavan glanced around to make sure that no one was paying attention. He then waved for Cato to join him. His brother’s descent from the sky was so fast that he doubted any onlookers would have noticed.

  Cato was opposite of his brothers in many ways. Where both Omar and Donavan looked the part of a vampire, Cato appeared far too timid to be an immortal. He wore his hair cut short and slicked back - his clothes were an abomination. He was a schoolteacher, and he certainly looked the part. Donavan had to smile when he thought of just how deceiving appearances could be.

  “I don’t hear from you for a hundred years, and now it’s urgent?” Donavan arched one brow. />
  “It is brother.”

  “So why have you summonsed me?” Donavan asked, irritably brushing a strand of his long black hair from his eyes.

  “Outerlands has been breached by a vampire. Did you know this?”

  Donavan didn’t think it was a good idea for the two of them to stand around in the shadows and talk. It might draw unwanted attention. He started walking along the boardwalk and Cato fell in beside him.

  “I am aware of this. A friend of my daughter’s I’m afraid. My girls have decided to join the Light Seekers.” Donavan gave his brother a contrite smile.

  “Why did you allow this vampire to go through the portal?” Cato asked.

  “I didn’t allow it. The deed was done without my knowledge. I knew they were searching for the portal, but I did not know they had managed to acquire an amulet - Luciano’s amulet, as I understand. Only when my daughter realized that her friend may not return, did she bother to consult me about the matter.”

  “And does he realize that it’s missing?” Cato asked, his voice heavy with concern.

  “I am sure that he does, but so far there has been no sign of retribution.”

  “I don’t know what has become of this vampire, but the wolves are in a frenzy over it. There is also this matter of slaughtering the humans. The Gatekeeper of Outerlands does not want to get involved in matters of the human world, but the wolves feel it is a danger to the balance.” Cato informed him.

  “You know that Omar tends to act out every few hundred years,” Donavan shrugged.

  Cato shook his head. “This is different.”

  “He is trying to entice us into a confrontation,” Donavan frowned. “Something has spurred him on this time, but I have been unable to find out what.”

  Cato winced. “I think I know what it might be. The year 2012 … it is when Omar believes the ancient ones will return.”

  Donavan laughed out loud. “I am afraid we were forsaken by them long ago. Omar is mistaken.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure. Think about it. If Omar can gain control now, they may give him dominion over the earth.”