Rajmund Read online

  "Does your wife keep a calendar? Anything that would list her appointments?"

  Tears sparkled in Edwards's eyes and he swallowed hard before nodding. “On her computer, but the police already took that. I don't think they found anything."

  "Does she have a secretary?” Sarah asked. “Someone who might have called her contact?"

  Edwards shook his head. “Estelle was very careful about her work. Medical research is a highly competitive field, cutthroat some would say, and she'd been burned before by a colleague. She rarely shared any of the details beyond her lab, and even then her assistants know only what they're actively working on, very little of the larger project."

  Raj stood to leave. This was useless. “Thank you, Dr. Edwards, for—"

  Edwards stood also, interrupting him. “You must understand. We live well here, but it was not always so. It's difficult to see beneath her professional persona, but Estelle is very street smart. She told me she was meeting someone in the vampire community, someone high enough to ensure access to the blood samples she needed. I believed her, Mr. Gregor. And I believe whoever she met . . .” He drew a breath before continuing, “. . . whoever she met knows where she is."

  Raj frowned and nodded sharply. “For what it's worth, I think you're right, Dr. Edwards.” He gestured at Sarah, indicating it was time to leave.

  Sarah set her untasted coffee back on its delicate saucer and stood. She'd slipped out of her coat when she sat down and now gathered it up, getting ready to leave. Something caught her eye, and Raj saw her cross to a large sideboard against the entryway wall.

  "Is this your wife?” she asked Edwards, touching a silver-framed photograph.

  "Yes,” the doctor replied, seeming puzzled. “But I already gave the police a photograph."

  "You did, sir,” Raj said quickly. “Dr. Stratton is new to the case. Thank you for agreeing to see us on such short notice. We'll be in touch,” he added and hustled Sarah out the door.

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  Chapter Twenty-six

  Sarah waited until they were in Raj's car and back on the main road, before saying, “Remember when I told you Krystof was talking to some woman at that university reception?"

  "Mmm,” Raj said absently.

  "It was Estelle Edwards."

  He glanced at her in disbelief. “Why didn't you say something before?” he demanded.

  "I never saw her photograph before,” she replied calmly.

  "But you met with Scavetti—"

  "For five minutes, so he could tell me all the reasons I didn't belong on his precious case. I only know what Trish looks like because she was in the paper."

  "Goddamn it."

  "I don't get it, Raj."

  "What don't you get?” he asked. He seemed angry suddenly, although not necessarily at her.

  "What's the connection? Why Estelle Edwards, and why those women?"

  "Blood,” he said succinctly. “That son of a bitch."

  "Explain please."

  He scowled. “Vampires stay young forever. Humans would like to also. It's all in the blood."

  Sarah's eyes opened wide in understanding. “Oh, my God,” she said. “And Estelle Edwards is a hematologist! She could make a fortune."

  "Exactly."

  "But why hasn't someone done it before now? Hell, why haven't you all set up a corporation and raked it in?"

  He stopped at a red light and twisted around to look at her. “How long do you think vampires would remain free if humans figured out a way for our blood to make them live forever?” he asked grimly.

  She stared at him as realization struck. “Right,” she said. “Got it.” The light changed and the BMW took off like it was on a raceway. “So is Krystof in trouble?” she asked.

  Mr. Inscrutable just shrugged, ignoring her question, and Sarah had a sudden, strong urge to throw something at him. Unfortunately, there was nothing handy, and besides, at the speed he was going, the car would probably crash spectacularly and she'd die. He'd be fine, of course. Stupid vampire.

  Staring straight ahead, he whipped the powerful sedan down the empty streets, his anger fairly radiating off of him. She expected him to take her straight home and dump her at the curb, so she was surprised when he turned toward the university.

  "The roommate's name is Jennifer Stewart,” he said abruptly and rattled off her phone number. “Give her a try."

  "Yes, my lord,” she responded, which earned her a sideways glare. She punched in the number.

  "If she's not there, I'll drop you off—"

  "Hi, is this Jennifer?” Sarah made a face at Raj. “Jennifer, my name's Sarah Stratton."

  Jennifer Stewart could have been Patricia Cowens's twin sister, Raj thought. They had the same heart-shaped face surrounded by long, curly black hair, the same newly ripe body, fairly begging to be plucked.

  "I told the police,” she was saying. “Trish never went to one of those parties before. She was really sweet, but she hardly went anywhere. It was a big deal for her that her dad let her move into the dorm, and she didn't want to do anything to make him change his mind. He's pretty protective, like totally obsessed almost. Did you know he bought a house here just so he could visit on weekends? It's out in the country and it's like huge."

  "He bought a house because Trish was going to school here?” Sarah asked.

  "Yeah. Trish didn't mind, though. She said it was because of her mom being dead. He's actually a really nice guy for being so massively rich."

  Raj was getting impatient with the conversation. They'd already gone through a needlessly long set of introductions, during which Jennifer wisely asked to see their identification. Raj could understand that. After all, her roommate was missing. But the ID check had been followed by a lengthy explanation of why they should called her “Jen” and not “Jennifer” and never “Jenny.” Raj would have called her anything she wanted if it meant he'd get some answers before the next millennium.

  "I don't think she had a good time at the party, though, Jen was saying. “It's kind of a weird vibe there sometimes, you know?"

  Raj didn't know. He didn't want to know. What he wanted to know was whatever Jen had to say that could possibly help him discover if Krystof was trading in vamp blood. Christ, if that was true, the old man really had lost it. He wandered over to the small student desk next to the window, leaning over to peer at a photograph of the two roommates which was stuck to a cork bulletin board. Without even glancing over his shoulder, he ripped the photograph off the board and tucked it into his pocket before turning around to lean against the desk.

  "Did you or Trish ever go to anything more serious than these parties?” he asked impatiently. “Anything involving vampires?"

  Jen looked at him with those wide, little girl eyes and shook her head. “Oh. You mean like a blood house or something?"

  That was exactly what Raj meant and he found it curious that the innocent-eyed Jennifer had homed in so quickly. “Among other things,” he said. “Anything like that?"

  "No, sir,” she said, shaking her head vigorously and tossing her shiny curls. “Never."

  Raj straightened from his slouch against the desk. “Jennifer,” he said in a low, seductive voice. Her gaze swung to him as quickly as a compass to due north.

  He went to one knee in front of her and took her hand, like a courtier before a princess. Jennifer, you know what I am don't you?

  Yes. Even her mind voice was young and breathless. It made him smile.

  I'm trying to find Trish, Jennifer, and I know you want to help, don't you?

  She nodded eagerly.

  I'm going to help you remember some things, is that okay?

  Is this kind of like hypnosis or something?

  That's exactly what it's like

  She frowned. You won't make me cluck like a chicken or anything, will you

  Raj wanted to laugh, but he replied seriously. No. That would be a betrayal of your trust, and I would never do that, sweetheart.
r />   Okay, then.

  Raj heard Sarah moving restlessly behind him. The entire conversation with Jennifer would have taken only minutes, but he had a sudden image of what Sarah must be seeing. Him kneeling in front of the young woman, her gaze locked on his, her face suffused with happiness, as if he was the most wonderful person she'd ever met. He cleared his throat and spoke out loud. “Jennifer, did you lie earlier when I asked about the blood houses?"

  The girl's eyes filled with tears that spilled down her cheeks. “I'm sorry,” she whispered.

  "Why did you lie, sweetheart?"

  "I'm not allowed,” she said in a childlike voice. “My parents would get really, really mad at me."

  "Did you tell the police about it?"

  "No! They'd tell!"

  "I won't tell."

  She smiled happily. “I know."

  "So you can tell me the truth, can't you? You can tell me about the blood house."

  "Yes,” she nodded vigorously. “My friend Kara and I went twice. It was scary at first, but the vampires were really nice. And some of them were good-looking too, just like the romance books say."

  Raj turned his head to share his amusement with Sarah and was startled to find her glaring at him. He frowned, but switched his attention back to Jennifer, not wanting to lose her or the perfectly clear image he was getting of a blood house he recognized from his own tenure in this city. “Did you meet anyone at the blood house, Jennifer? Anyone special?"

  The young girl blushed. “There was one guy. He really seemed to like me. We danced all night, and he said I should come there again, that maybe we could go out or something."

  Raj frowned at the image he was getting from her, which was no image at all. Whoever it was had spent enough time with her to seduce her mind and alter her memories.

  "He really liked my jacket."

  Raj blinked. “Your jacket?"

  "It wasn't really mine,” Jen confided, leaning closer to him. “I borrowed it from Trish. She has such nice clothes.” Jen looked sad. “She was wearing our jacket when she went away."

  Raj stared at her intently. “Do you remember the vampire's name, Jennifer? The one who danced with you?"

  She frowned. “I can't remember."

  "What did he look like?"

  She frowned again, looking down at their joined hands and concentrating. “I can't remember that either. I'm sorry.” She looked up at him and he could tell she was growing increasingly distraught as she tried to break through the other vampire's conditioning in order to please him. He didn't want that.

  "That's all right,” he said quickly, soothing her. “You've been very helpful tonight."

  "I have?"

  "Absolutely.” He took her arm and led her over to one of the twin beds. “You should sleep now."

  "I am tired,” she said, yawning widely and curling up on the bed.

  He leaned down, pulled the covers over her and touched her shoulder. “Good night, Jennifer."

  He stood upright and found Sarah standing right next to him, almost vibrating with anger. “What—” he began.

  "Outside,” she said furiously.

  He gave her a narrow look, not used to anyone giving him orders. “What is your problem?"

  "Out fucking side."

  "Look, Sarah, if you want to leave, go ahead. I need to make sure that—"

  "I'm not leaving you alone with her."

  Raj felt his own anger rising to meet hers. He grabbed her arm, holding on when she tried to yank away, pulling her from the room and down the battered stairway, not letting go until they stood next to his BMW.

  "What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded.

  "Me? What's wrong with you?" she demanded. “You practically raped that girl!"

  "Are you out of your fucking mind?” he said, every word enunciated clearly. He was holding onto his rage by the thinnest of threads. That she would accuse him of—

  "Why? Because you didn't touch her? You think rape only happens to the body? Guess again. I know what it's like to—"

  "You don't know shit because I would never hurt a woman,” he growled, stepping so close he could feel her body trembling. “Don't you ever accuse me of something like that. Never. You got it?"

  Sarah stared at him. “Fuck you, Raj,” she whispered. She spun around and stomped away through the parking lot, pulling her cell phone out of her purse.

  Raj used his vampire speed to place himself in her path. “Get back in the car. I'm not leaving you here."

  She laughed. “Well, I'm not getting in the car with a rapist, so tough luck for you."

  Raj stared at her, not quite believing what she was saying. How could she think that of him? How could any woman think he was that kind of a monster, much less this woman?

  She was talking on the phone to someone and he realized she was calling a cab. He considered picking her up bodily and throwing her back in his car. Hell, he could erase this whole fucking nightmare from her mind and she'd never remember a thing. But he wouldn't do that. Not again. And not to Sarah.

  He watched her storm across the parking lot, heading for the street where, presumably, the cab would meet her. Maybe it was better this way. He'd wanted an excuse to walk away from her. To make her walk away from him. To get her as far away as possible from vampires in general and him in particular. This wasn't what he'd had in mind, but it would do. It would do nicely. And they'd both be better off in the long run.

  He strode back to his car without another word, sitting there until he saw the cab arrive, until Sarah was inside and safe. And then he drove into the night alone.

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  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Raj pulled up to the warehouse and twisted off the ignition key. He sat there for a while listening to the ping of the cooling engine, the occasional whine of a big truck on the nearby Genesee Road. The airport was silent. The last passenger flight came in from Chicago around midnight. After that, the terminals pretty much shut down until morning and the first cargo flights at six.

  He had the connection he'd been looking for. Jennifer, sweet Jennifer, had given it to him. It was the blood houses. Trish Cowens had never made sense to him. Why would any vampire stalk a victim on the streets, when he could find plenty of women at the blood houses who were willing to spend an hour or a weekend if that's what he wanted? But it wasn't Trish Cowens the vampire had been after. It was Jennifer Stewart, who looked so much like her roommate and who'd worn a leather jacket the night she'd gone to visit a blood house. The same jacket Trish was wearing the night she was taken.

  But what was the connection between the kidnapped women and Estelle Edwards's vampire research project? Would she need human subjects to test her research? And what about Krystof? Even if he was behind this scheme, he certainly hadn't been the one who'd danced with Jennifer Stewart at the blood house or, for that matter, the one who'd taken Trish Cowens off the street. And he kept coming back to the fact that it was Krystof who'd brought him to Buffalo to figure out what was happening.

  Raj swore and shoved open the door. Too many damn questions and not enough answers. He strode over to the warehouse, expecting it to be empty. But when he stepped inside, he found Em heading for one of the big SUVs, the only one left in the warehouse bay.

  "Raj,” she said, veering toward him. “I didn't expect you here."

  "Do we have any human assets in town, beyond these guards?"

  She blinked, obviously taken aback by his cold demeanor, but he wasn't in a friendly mood.

  "None I would trust, my lord, but I can have someone here by daybreak."

  "Do it. I need more daylight guards for this place and a twenty-four hour watch on Sarah."

  Emelie paused in the act of punching buttons on her cell phone. “You think she's—"

  "I don't have time to baby-sit her, but I need to know what her involvement is. She's been lying to me all along and I need to know why. Did Simon find anything more on her?"

  "Nothing
relevant, my lord, but he's still digging. There is one oddity—"

  Raj looked at her sharply. “What's that?"

  "She doesn't seem to exist before maybe ten years ago. A little less."

  "What does that mean?"

  She shrugged. “There's no birth certificate, no high school graduation, no driver's license that we can find before then. Of course, it's possible she was home schooled and really didn't drive a car until she broke away from her parental units, but it makes Simon's Spidey sense tingle. He's looking deeper."

  Raj frowned. “Let me know as soon as you find something. Where is everyone?"

  "Throughout the city, as you ordered, my lord. We've been rotating the blood houses between us, and I can tell you this much. There's no one in charge here. None of the local vamps raised an eyebrow when I showed up, and I don't exactly blend."

  Raj nodded. Most vampires were men, although it was more by happenstance than planning. Contrary to what popular fiction would have one believe, there weren't that many vampires in the world. Only master vampires had the power to make and hold a child, and the most common reason for a master to make children was to defend his territory. There was a strong cultural bias among all but the youngest vampires that put women in the to-be-protected category, while males were seen as defenders. And then there was the need for blood—if a vampire had a female lover, even for a short time, he wanted her to remain human so he could continue to feed from her. All of which resulted in more male vampires than female, which in turn meant that Emelie definitely should have been noticed.

  "Jozef told me my first night in the city that Krystof was making children left and right,” Raj said. “The local blood house managers are probably so used to new faces they don't bother to question anyone."