Page 2 of Unhallowed Murder
Fifteen minutes later, they rounded the huge barn to head to the maze, and Ronnie caught a hint of something.
Something dead.
The closer they got to the maze’s entrance, the stronger the scent. She doubted any human smelled it, but it was impossible for her to ignore.
They neared a zombie diorama set up on a hillside, and Ronnie zeroed in on the smell. One of the fake zombies was a dead woman, but she couldn’t go traipsing past the phony crime scene tape to investigate without a good reason. She turned and scanned the crowd, took a deep breath… and smelled vampires.
Chapter Three
Josef heard the voice before he zeroed in on the young female tiger broadcasting so loudly.
I need assistance. Please let me know you hear me. I need assistance. Please let me know you hear me.
It came over and over, as if a mantra, and it was a tiny bit louder with every iteration.
Answer her. She’s police.Abbott’s voice came into his head, over the tiger. His Master believed one can never make too many friends in high places.
I hear you, tigress. What do you need?He could see her thoughts — he knew what she needed, but there was no need in making her uncomfortable. She’d be happier if she had to tell him.
She breathed in relief.I’m with the Sheriff’s Office, here with human friends. There’s a dead body, but there’sno way I can point it out. Do you think you can make an employee notice the extra zombie and investigate, and then scream and carry on when he or she discovers it?
Josef scanned brains until he found someone who’d fit the bill. A young woman returning from the bathroom and headed back to the maze. He put the suggestion into her head to notice it hadn’t been there before, and then to duck under the crime scene tape to check it out.
I have done so. She’s returning from the restroom. Give her a few minutes.
Can you look in her memories? Was the victim there last night?
She was not in the display last night. I checked her memory of how it looked when she arrived today at four, and your victim was there. They opened at noon. Let me find someone who arrived then.
It didn’t take long for Josef to find the man in charge of security. He’d noted the victim was an addition, but had assumed someone had decided the display needed more. He hadn’t checked — but he was human and had no reason to.
Your victim was in the diorama at noon when they opened.
The tigress slowed and turned to watch an employee climb the hill, her eyes sharp. As soon as the young woman screamed in horror, the Lieutenant stepped into action, showing her badge and identifying herself as a detective. The property’s security personnel followed her orders without question, and when uniformed deputies arrived, they did as well.
Everyonedid as she said. Without hesitation. The young tiger female might be small, and dressed in a ludicrous blue skintight costume, but she exuded authority, power, and control.
“I’m going to stay with her and see if I can be of further assistance,” Josef told the rest of his group. “I’ll arrange for a car to be brought, so I can leave when I wish. Enjoy your evening.”
Abbott accepted the keys when offered, and he gave Josef a curious look, which Josef ignored. He’d gotten involved, and he wasn’t ready to walk away yet. Or, that’s what he kept telling himself. He was certain it had nothing to do with the way he could see the Lieutenant’s muscles flexing and moving under the snug costume, much as a tiger’s muscles — nor with her confident command of so many people.No. He’d gotten involved and now he was part of it. He wasn’t ready to leave.
He texted one of the coterie’s wolves with orders to bring his F-PACE, a charcoal dress shirt for him, and size three women’s jeans along with a suitable lightweight pullover shirt. Abbott kept a closet full of new clothes in a variety of sizes because…well, because they were a house full of vampires. The old ones rarely made a mess, but some of the young vampires were still learning, and accidents happened occasionally.
Josef wanted his F-PACE because it seemed fitting to drive a tiger around in a Jaguar, but he didn’t think she’d be impressed with a sports car. She was far too practical.
The sexy, competent Lieutenant noticed him standing in the shadows, but didn’t say anything. He’dsuggestedto everyone else that he belonged, but as of yet, hadn’t put any suggestions into her head.
Right off the bat, the Lieutenant ordered crime scene people, extra lights, a better photographer, and arranged for the employees to be taken to the barn while guests were asked to leave. She requested more uniformed officers as well, to help get everyone off the property safely. A Detective Carter arrived — a large, imposing, heavily muscled African-American man — and the two worked seamlessly together.
A quick dip into Carter’s head told Josef the detective respected his Lieutenant and her expertise immensely — and her authority, so long as she didn’t needlessly put herself in danger. The male detective was human and didn’t know the Lieutenant Detective was a tiger, so he didn’t understand some of her decisions.
Lieutenant Veronica Woods handed jobs out, gave orders, and had the crime scene efficiently organized soon after taking it over. Twice, she made a call to someone with a higher rank to apprise them of the situation, but not to ask what to do — merely to let them know what was happening, and that they needed to get the PR team engaged because she was certain social media would be buzzing.
Josef never allowed himself to get involved with someone younger than five hundred years old, and had kept to his rule for well over a millennium.
But this young woman fascinated him.
Her friends had known that once someone had found the body, they’d lost her for the night. She didn’t evenapologize, just told them to be safe and assured them she’d find another ride back to her car.
