Vampire Dating Agency III (6 page)

CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE

The Count’s study was quiet. Maurice
was still at the computer, his hand gently hovering over the mouse. Nadine had
left abruptly a short time after they’d arrived. Maurice glanced for a moment
at the empty space where she’d been, wishing that she’d never left.

Because now
he had it.

Now he
finally knew the name of the killer.

It hadn’t
been easy, piecing together the data scattered in the manner it was. Nothing
was kept in one place. Knowing who the victims were was only half the battle.

But here it
was. The perfect composite.

The man who’d
been involved with each and all of them.

The man who’d
made his move on Haley tonight.

Maurice shook
his head. It seemed so obvious now. How they could have thought it was anyone
else, was beyond him. Perhaps this wasn’t definitive proof either, he was well
aware, but he figured the killer wouldn’t hold up too well under questioning.
When confronted with the evidence against him, it would be all too easy to put
his hand up and say …
Yes. It was me. I confess…

Maurice
breathed in deeply.

He pulled out
his phone.

Dialed
Cresh’s number.

“Come on…”
Maurice muttered as it dialed out.

He wasn’t
answering.

Figures.

His next call
was to Luna.

Six rings
later, she finally answered. “Hello?”

“Hi, it’s
Maurice. I’m trying to get a hold of Cresh. Are you still with him?”

“No, he sent
me home. There was … an incident.”

“What?”

“A fucking
bat flew into Kendra’s office where we were working, spraying all this smog
everywhere. Cresh went after it, told me to get out. So I did.”

“So you’re
home now?”

“Yeah.”

“Shit.”

“What is it?”

“I know who
the killer is. I guess I’ll keep trying him … but…”

“He’s not
answering?”

“No, he’s
not.”

“Well, maybe
he’s gone home too. Unless … Unless he’s been –”

“It’s alright
I’ll send Jason and Riley down to check on him. You can stay where you are.”

“Alright. I …
hope he’s okay.”

“One more
thing, Luna.”

“Yes?”

“What did
Cresh want to keep you back for? Did he say anything like –”

“He had it in
his head that someone close to the team was the traitor. For some reason. I
don’t know – we went through almost everyone’s file and we couldn’t find
anything. Not that I’m sure we would have anyway. Unless you were like related
to a vampire or something.”

“Mmm. Well,
I’m sure it’s not important.”

“Cresh had it
in his head you were the most likely candidate.”

“Oh really?
And why was that exactly?”

“He didn’t
say. Maybe you’re just too good at your job.”

“Thanks,”
Maurice said. “Anyway… Maybe it’s best you stayed somewhere else tonight. Just
until we catch him. You know how the killer likes to pay home visits…”

“Oh. Right.”
Luna paused. “I just had an ugly thought.”

“What’s
that?”

“What if the
killer and the traitor are working together?”

“I doubt it,”
Maurice said. “The whole traitor angle has been blown out of proportion, I
think. Anyway, I guess I should tell you who it –”

Maurice
stopped himself short.

“Who it is?”
Luna said. “You’re breaking up, Maurice.”

He dropped
the phone.

“How long
have you been there?” Maurice asked, his voice shaking.

“Long
enough,” Brock replied.

He closed the
door behind him.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO

Nadine’s arms rested over the
railing. To the night and sky before her, there were only a few hours left. She
could feel the weight of the hand turning. She could feel the curtains begin to
fall.

The door
opened to the side of her. Annabel stepped out and approached.

“Aren’t you
cold, human?” Annabel remarked. “You must be tired too.”

“I’m very
cold,” Nadine said.

“Oh yes. I
know.”

Nadine turned
to her right slightly. “Do you know who was out here?”

“Come again?”

“A couple sat
here. A woman and a man. They might have been out here for a while. At some
point … she fell. He disappeared.”

“I’m a bit
late to this front, I’m afraid,” Annabel said. “I’m sure there were all sorts
of going-ons here though. They may not necessarily have anything to do with
your case.”

“I can feel
his vibe here. It wasn’t the first time he killed someone on this balcony. It
may not even have been his second.”

“So we have
quite the Sherlock here then, do we?”

“Give me your
hand.”

Annabel’s
eyes flared.

“Trust me,”
Nadine assured her. “Your hand.”

Annabel stuck
it out.

Nadine turned
the palm face up.

“Okay, so …
you have no idea what’s going on here,” Nadine said. “You’re being kept in the
dark. Your father though, he might know something…”

“You need my
hand for that?”

Nadine’s head
titled forward. “You have a future. It’s … nothing to do with this place
though. You’ve been waiting for someone … A romantic flame of some kind … He or
she are on a journey somewhere. You’ve been waiting for them to come back to
you, take you off into a place far from here.”

“And my
father?”

Nadine shook
her head. “He won’t follow you.”

“I read palms
too you know. Why don’t you give me your hand?”

Nadine showed
some reluctance.

“Come now.
Let’s be fair.”

Annabel took
her hand.

She stared at
her grinning. Didn’t even look at it.

“Well?”
Nadine said.

“Troubling
times ahead, dear. You might not make it out of this one.”

Nadine ripped
her hand back. “He’s here isn’t he?”

Annabel
nodded slowly.

“Well. Why
doesn’t he come to face me himself? Why does he send you?”

“I think… He
wanted to see if you would run.”

“I could have
run hours ago. I could have not shown up here at all.”

“So. What
should I tell him?”

“About what?”

“About
whether you’re here to surrender. Or…”

Nadine leaned
in close to her. “You tell him that if he makes one move of violence on me then
I will have his fucking head on a spike. Got it?”

Annabel
shrugged. “Message received.”

She turned
and walked back towards the door, but not without taking one last look back.

“Good luck.”

Annabel
returned to the house.

Nadine looked
out over the edge again. She wondered how it would feel if she fell.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE

Luna had gone to bed soon after her
call with Maurice ended. It didn’t last long.

Before she
knew it, she was out the door again and sitting in her car. If pulling out of
her driveway at four a.m., all in the name of her affections for a married man
seemed crazy – lying completely still staring up at the ceiling seemed even
crazier.

It didn’t
make sense to her. The idea that someone was working against them. That they’d
been betrayed. But with the sudden end to Maurice’s call, and Cresh not
answering his phone, Luna feared the worst.

The
Paranormal Police were falling apart, and no one was safe.

Within
fifteen minutes she was back in the underground car park, making her way into
the side entrance. She crossed through the main corridor till she reached the
elevator, and took it up to the floor where she’d left Cresh. After a brief
look in on Kendra’s office, she made her way down to Cresh’s.

“Cresh…?”

She switched
on the light.

The room was
a disaster. The desk and chairs were knocked over, files were scattered
everywhere. There was damage to the walls and the window at the back was shattered.
Luna made her way through the wreckage towards Cresh who were trapped under
various objects and furniture.

“Oh no,” Luna
moaned.

Cresh’s shirt
was ripped at the front and his chest was covered with blood. A deep wound to
his neck oozed a steady stream of blood.

“Cresh!” she
cried. “Wake up!”

Cresh’s eyes
fluttered. He looked up at her and reached out for her cheek.

“Hold on,”
Luna whispered. “You’re going to make it…”

“I know…”
Cresh began. “I know who betrayed us…”

CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR

This was it. The hour of reckoning.
The moment of truth. Haley held her hands over her knees as the car inched
forward to its unknown destination.

The night was
flashing before her eyes. All the little moments. The exchanges. She could
still see her Mom in the car with her before they met with Ms. Armistice. How
easy it would have been to just say …
no. Let’s go home.

The memories
would stay with her. Even as time went on they wouldn’t fade. She would live
there. A world that was once real would forever cast its shadow.

Haley sat up.
Kept her eyes from closing.

Brock Ferns.

Or the Count.

They were all
that was left. There was no other third party. No way to circumvent the
inevitable path. Really, even with those two options, she knew who the killer
was. She knew who would be waiting for her at the end of this road.

Tears stream
down Haley’s cheeks.

It wasn’t
sadness.

It was grit.

Her teeth,
were jammed together.

Her face was
ice.

She saw the
needle in her mind, the needle that had suddenly appeared in Brock’s hand.
Where had it come from? What possible explanation could he have for stabbing
her with it? How … How could his love be nothing more than a fairytale? A
fabrication?

A complete
lie.

She looked
outside the window. Recognized the area.

No doubt, she
was on her way to the house of all things corrupt and evil. The VDA. Vampire
Dating Agency. Blackened at its root. Rotten to its core. As the gates came,
and the car slowed down, she could even see the figure waiting for her in the
distance. The tall man, standing on the front steps. His arms at his sides.

“No,” Haley
whispered.

The gates
opened for the car.

“NO!” Haley
shouted.

Brock’s
lightning blue eyes shot through the space between them, breaking Haley’s heart
to pieces.

She had
prepared herself.

Put up the
walls in advance to protect from the hurt.

But still the
hurt came. It flowed across the walls like blood and venom, melting everything
in its path.

And perhaps
in that moment…

Haley knew
what love truly was.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE

The Count was coming for her. Nadine
could feel it. She could feel his mind moving in her direction. Once Annabel
had left she waited a couple of minutes on the balcony before returning inside.
She walked across to the stairs leading down to the ballroom downstairs, where
many vampires had met their prospective dates and partners that evening. This
is where Haley had been. When Madame Nightshade was first introducing her to
each of her perspective suitors.

Nadine could
see it. As though it was happening to her.

As though she
was there.

From on top
this balcony the killer had peered down at her and made his selection of the
crowd. But it was almost as though he had already known in advance what he was
about to do. It had all been figured out ahead of time…

Nadine shook
her head. The images were fading.

She then felt
something else.

A shadow
creeping up the wall.

She was being
hunted.

Nadine bowed
her head and strode through the carpeted pathway. She passed through a fork and
then found herself approaching the Count’s study. The door was open as she’d
left it.

“Any luck
with the database –” Nadine began as she entered the room.

Her eyes shot
from the Count who was standing over the desk, to Maurice who was motionless in
the chair, his head obliterated.

“You really
are a killer aren’t you?” Nadine said angrily. “I wonder how you’ll do with
prey that’s isn’t cornered.”

The door then
slammed behind her.

A shadow
moved out behind it.

Nadine turned
to find herself being set upon by the vampiress, Kendra Armistice.

“You were saying?”
Kendra hissed.