 
Blood and Satin

by

Amanda McCarter

Published by Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Amanda McCarter

Cover image courtesy and copyright of Keith Draws.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, except by an authorized retailer or with written permission of the publisher

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Electronic edition, 2013

### Blood and Satin

Adelaide Hunter was a call girl, an escort. Some might even say a high class prostitute. She didn't mind. She could work her own hours and the pay was fantastic. And not all her clients wanted sex. Some just wanted to talk or to show off a pretty lady and had no idea what to do with her when they got her alone. Which she was fine with.

But most of them wanted sex, and she was okay with that too.

Except for tonight.

Bruce Madison was one of her highest paying clients. And the most difficult.

There wasn't a night she spent with him where she didn't leave covered in bruises and needing a new cocktail gown. He always gave her more than enough to buy a new one, she'd just rather not. She was saving her money for the day she was too old to be an escort and that day was coming up quick and his dates always set her back a little.

Not that she didn't mind things a little rough. He made things interesting. If she couldn't deal with it, she wouldn't do it. He never broke any bones and never gave her any serious injuries. He just liked to hit and he liked ropes.

He picked her up at the offices of Judy Devais' Premium Escorts at seven, same as always. He had tried, on the first date, to pick her up at her apartment, but she refused. Madame Devais' first rule was never let them know where you lived.

After some of the horror stories Adelaide had heard, she agreed.

She met him in a short little blue number that showed off her blue green eyes, but it wasn't one she was overly fond of, just in case. The skirt of the dress stopped right below her bottom, where her thigh highs started, flowing into a pair of silver, four inch, platform stilettos. The neckline showed off just the right amount of cleavage. Yeah, she might look like a hooker, but she was an expensive one.

The driver opened the door and she slid inside. Bruce wrapped both his meaty hands around her dainty one as soon as the door shut.

"Smooth as silk," he breathed.

He always said that.

Adelaide suppresed an eye roll and smiled at him. She knew he was being sweet, but it was so cliché. "Only the best for you, Bruce."

He gave her his million dollar grin. He was charming to be sure, if not a little cheesy. Which is why she didn't quite understand why he needed an escort.

"Where are we going?" she said as he passed her a glass of wine.

"Let it be my little surprise," he said. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

She took a large gulp of wine. Bruce's surprises could be amusing or entirely boring. There was no in between. She was glad she dressed comfortably. This could be a long night.

The wine was good, a chardonnay, her favorite, with just the right amount of tang. No doubt it was an expensive vintage. He liked to spoil her, especially when he surprised her. Sometimes, it was a night out or a plane trip somewhere. Once, it was a weekend with a dominatrix. He paid extra, of course, for the extended weekends. It wasn't common, but it did happen.

"So can I have just the teeniest hint?" she said, pressing herself against him. She made sure to brush her breasts across his arm.

"I don't want to ruin it," he said, pulling her closer. "It's magical."

"It must be wonderful to get you so excited," she said, rubbing her hand over his leg.

He chuckled and kissed her.

It was a good one, full and deep and sent a shiver down her spine. She had to struggle to keep a hold of her wine glass. If he weren't a client and she were a great deal wealthier, Adelaide could almost see herself dating Bruce.

If it weren't for his mean streak. Being tied up was fun, and so was the ocassional rough housing, but she could tell he never went as far as he wanted. She thought part of it was because he was scared of going that far and she _knew_ the other part was because Mrs. Devais would ban him the second he did, rich bastard or not.

The limo pulled to a stop and the driver opened Bruce's door. Bruce slid out and offered Adelaide a hand. She took it graciously and gasped when she stepped out of the car.

They were in what looked like a run down warehouse district. The parking lots were little more that pulverized concrete and the buildings themselves couldn't have been used in the last decade. Windows were smashed and ceilings buckled and caved. A thin layer of dust covered everything. She could smell decay, rotting wood, old sawdust, and something else she couldn't quite place.

"Bruce, where are we?" she said, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. An abandoned industrial complex was not what she thought of when someone said surprise.

"Some place private," he said. He turned to the driver. "That'll be all for tonight. Come back in the morning." The man nodded, his mouth twitching, and climbed back in the car.

Despite her best efforts, Adelaide found herself grabbing Bruce's arm. "Bruce, sweetie," she said, "let's go to a hotel." She purred into his ear, her mouth nearly touching his face. "This place is dirty. They've got rooms with sound proof walls. I can get as loud as you want."

He peeled her arm off his, squeezing her wrist. He put his now freed hand under her chin. "Oh you'll scream for me," he breathed, "you'll scream your damn head off. I've gone through a lot of trouble to make tonight special. Don't ruin it." He gave her arm a hard twist.

She covered the pain with her most charming smile. "Of course, sweetie," she whispered. "It's just dirty. I like this dress."

He stroked her face with his free hand. "It won't see a speck of dirt, but you might." He grinned and released the pressure on her arm. She massaged the offended skin quickly, hoping it wouldn't bruise. Mrs. Devais would be furious. If Bruce wasn't careful, Mrs. Devais _would_ ban him. Which was good and bad. He was one of her highest paying clients. She'd never make her savings on the timeline she wanted with him gone.

That wasn't going to happen. Adelaide would ice it tomorrow and take the next couple of days off. Mrs. Devais would never see it.

He took her hand in his and led her to a particularly decrepit looking warehouse and pushed open the door. It was musty and smelled old. She coughed and covered her face. He wanted to have sex with her here?

"I know, it doesn't look like much, but I've made some improvements," he said. He pulled her along to a maintenance elevator. He winked at her again and brought it down.

"Now close your eyes," he said.

She swallowed and did what he told her. He guided her into the elvator, mindful of her heels. The pit of her stomach dropped as it lifted and she could taste the dust of the warehouse on her tongue. As the lift ascended, the smell faded and something else replaced it. Was that roses? And vanilla? Underneath it all, she could smell an astringent odor, like an expensive cleaner.

The elevator door clattered open and Bruce walked her out.

"Okay," he said, "open your eyes."

She did and gasped for the second time that evening, not from shock, but from awe.

He had taken one of the offices and remodeled it. The walls were fine wood and tapestries. The floor was also wood covered with expensive rugs. The room itself was lit with a large chandolier. Bruce moved to light several candles around the room.

In the very center was a large, absolutely huge four poster bed. The posts were cut from what looked like mahogany. Above the bed was a different story. There were hooks and chains. Bruce did like to tie his girls up and Adelaide didn't mind one bit.

He returned to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "So you like it?"

"Yes," she said. "It's amazing."

"I hoped you'd say that," he said. "Wanna try it out?"

"Of course," she said.

He smiled and pulled her along to the bed. He yanked her close and locked her into a deep kiss, pushing her onto the mattress. He pulled her hands above her head and she could feel the chains tighten around them. She could feel herself getting wetter just from the sensation and her breath came short and quick.

With her hands tied above her head, Bruce started work on her dress. She was really glad she decided on a strapless one, otherwise he would have ripped it. It wasn't terribly expensive, but it was the principle of the thing.

He pulled away from their kiss and began to move down her body, rubbing his hands over her breasts and stomach, kissing her skin as he went. He tore off her bra and panties and tossed them to the side.

When he finally made it to her feet, he chained them to the end of the bed.

Adelaide moaned.

"You like me in control, don't you?" he said.

She licked her lips and nodded.

"Good," he said. "I've got one more thing for you." He reached out of her line of sight and came back with what looked like a clear rubber bag. He straddled her and started to pull it down over her head.

"Bruce, what are you doing?" she said. Her arousal had vanished and her heart thudded in her chest.

"This will heighten your orgasm," he said, "trust me."

Before she could say another word, he had pulled the bag completely over her head.

She could see, but it was fuzzy. She could smell the rubber and it was hard to breathe, but she was getting air. She couldn't talk, at least not well.

"Just relax and enjoy," he said.

He stripped off his clothes, revealing the blurry outline of his well-carved physique. Adelaide tried to breathe deeply and relax. She would tell Mrs. Devais to charge him extra, double, maybe even triple. No way was she doing this again.

He entered her and began thrusting. Adelaide tried to enjoy it, but it was still hard to breathe and she was getting light-headed. She barely noticed him on top of her.

Until he wrapped his hands around her neck and began to squeeze.

Adelaide thrashed against the chains, her vision bursting in bright sparks in front of her. Her lungs burned from lack of air and it was getting harder and harder to see. She could barely move. Finally, she blacked out.

~~~~~

Adelaide awoke some time later with a splitting headache. Her arms and legs ached and her mouth tasted like something had crawled in it and died.

She pushed up from the floor...how did she get to the floor?...and looked around.

Her heart froze in her chest.

Even in the dim light and with the dark woods she could see the room was covered in blood. She looked down and her naked body was painted with it. The bed was torn to pieces and broken.

Shakily, she rose to her feet, slipping in the slick mess underneath her.

She could see a hand, a man's hand, just on the other side of the bed. Carefully, she walked around and saw Bruce's battered body laying in a heap. At least, she was pretty sure it was Bruce's. The body was ripped to shreds and she didn't see his head.

She vomited right there on the spot. The bile splashed with the blood and she thought she would be sick again. Her hands were coated in red. She had to get it off.

Holding back another wave of nausea, she looked for a bathroom. Surely the asshole would have put a bathroom in his kinky little sex cave, right?

And he was an asshole.

She wasn't really clear on what happened, but she did remember him strangling her. _That_ she couldn't forget.

She rounded the corner past a small kitchenette and mini fridge and found a tiny bathroom with a sink.

It would have to do.

Adelaide rushed to the sink and blasted the hot water, letting it get as hot as she could stand. She sloshed the water over her arms and down her chest. It spilled on the tile at her feet, but she didn't care.

She tried not to look at the blood swirling down the drain and pooling on the floor. If she did, she would vomit again. It was Bruce's blood, that much was pretty obvious.

What she wanted to know was how?

Why wasn't she dead?

She should call the police.

Right, she thought, they'd arrest her for murder.

Because she could totally lift a two hundred pound man off her while handcuffed and gagged and rip his head off.

She needed to think.

She needed to get clean.

She had to get out of there.

Finally, when the heat was too much to stand, she turned off the water and backed away from the sink, trying not to slip in the bloody mess at her feet. She needed to dry off, but there were no towels. Not even a roll of toilet paper.

She went to the kitchenette and found a roll of paper towels.

Bruce wasn't the type not to plan ahead. If he wanted her still breathing, there would be a decent shower or bath and a stack of fluffy towels. Not a maintenance sink and some dirty fucking paper towels.

She sopped up as much bloody water as she could stand and dropped the soiled paper on the floor. It wasn't like Bruce would care.

She got herself as dry and clean as she could and started towards the door. She stopped halfway and turned back to the room.

Clothes, she needed clothes. She couldn't very well run around the city naked. Although she was sure that was not the strangest thing most people had seen. But it would certainly be suspicious.

And a phone, to call a cab.

Why was she so calm?

Adelaide plodded back into the bedroom and forced back the urge to vomit. She needed her dress. Her bra and panties were a lost cause, but she should probably find them and bag them.

The dress lay by the door where Bruce had thrown it, relatively unsullied. There were a few splatter stains, but the dress was dark and the sun hadn't risen yet.

Luckily, her shoes were patent leather and she wiped the blood right off using a clean spot on her ruined under garments. She slipped them back on and searched for her purse.

She left it in the limo.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

The police would definitely come looking for her.

So why was she running? She hadn't done anything wrong. Except maybe accept money for sex.

But Bruce had never actually paid her. He paid Mrs. Devais for the escort service. The clients always paid cash for the sex, and she never received any cash.

But he was still dead and she was the only one in the room.

So why wasn't she panicking?

She should call the police. They'd figure it all out.

She started searching the room for a phone, anything. Her eyes settled back on what was left of Bruce's body.

She dry-heaved over the mattress.

She had to get out of there.

Turning away from the body, she spotted his clothes, neatly folded on top of the dresser. Carefully, she pulled up the shirt and found his pants pockets. A thin cell phone was clipped on the right side, to the belt. She popped it out with ease.

It was locked.

She hit the emergency dialer. She didn't kill Bruce Madison. There was no way she could have. That meant someone else had.

So why was she still alive?

The phone rang through to an emergency responder. She took once final look at the room and left.

~~~~~

Detective Dirk Gregory yawned and stretched. He hated the early morning calls. Couldn't one of the night detective have taken this one?

He sipped his coffee and grimaced. Too much sugar. He told the girl just one teaspoon, but this tasted like at least three. Ah well, the caffeine was what he was after.

He forced down another swallow and pushed under the crime scene tape. His partner, Jennie Lin, a short Asian woman with long hair (and much stronger than she looked, by the way), walked out of the warehouse to meet him. Her normally pouty lips were draw in a thin line.

"About time," she said with a snort, one tiny hand on her hip. She looked at the coffee. "You'll probably regret that in a minute. It's a real mess in there."

"How bad?" he said.

"He's in pieces, Dirk," she said, "and we still can't find his head."

Dirk dropped his coffee in a dumpster. "Who called it in?"

"Dunno," she said. "Someone placed a call to 911 around two o'clock this morning. When no one answered the responder, they traced the call here. There's signs of another person, dent in the pillow, strands of hair, some other trace evidence. The limo driver showed up just after we did, said he was here to pick up his boss and a lady friend."

"So are there two vics or one?" he said.

"There's no sign of the woman," said Lin. "Forensics is going over it now. You should get a look at it before they start to pack everything up for the lab.

She walked back into the warehouse and Dirk followed. She stopped at a freight elevator. While they were waiting, he got a good look at the surroundings.

"Wait, you said a limo driver?"

She nodded.

"What the hell is a guy with a limo driver doing in an abandoned warehouse?"

She smiled. "Wait til you see what's upstairs." She opened the elevator door and they stepped in.

The door banged closed and the elevator clattered to the top floor.

Dirk's eyes went wide when he saw what was inside. He let out a low whistle.

"That's fancy," he said.

"Check out the chains and rope," said Lin, pointing to the head and foot of the bed. "Well, what's left of them anyways. Someone or some thing tore them up pretty good."

"Some _thing_?" he said.

"You need to see the body."

"So this was some sort of kinky sex thing gone wrong?"

"Looks like," she said. "I hope you didn't have a big breakfast."

"No time," he said.

"Good."

She led him around the bed. With one look, he knew Lin wasn't kidding.

The first thing he noticed was the victim's head was missing. The man's genitals had been ripped from his groin and placed where the head should be. He had been gutted, his entrails yanked out and spread over him like garland. And there was the smell.

Dirk covered his mouth with his hand.

"ID?" he said through his fingers.

"The driver's license in the wallet says Bruce Madison," said Lin. "It's difficult to confirm with no head, but the limo driver says the only one who could get in our out was Bruce. We can run DNA to confirm."

"Do it," said Dirk.

He took in the rest of the room. There was a lot of blood. The dark wood walls and matching floor were coated. It was soaked into the carpets and bedding.

"I want you to look at something," said Lin, leading him back to the other side of the bed. "What do you think that is?"

She pointed to a blur of blood on the floor.

"It looks like the outline of a person," he said. "A woman maybe? That's who's missing, right?"

She nodded. "That was my thought as well."

"So where is she?" he said. "Have we determined if any of this blood is hers?"

"Unless the young woman is the exact same blood type as our victim, unlikely," said Dr. Davis, their medical examiner. He pushed his thick glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. "I'll have to run DNA to be sure, but I doubt any of this is the woman's. Also, the splatter pattern is consistant with one victim, at least according to Miles. There's some more blood in the small bathroom down the hall. It looks like someone rinsed off in there."

"That's a lot of blood, doc," said Dirk.

"You saw the body, Detective," said Davis. "The human body holds approximately six quarts of blood. I think all of it is here."

Dirk looked back at the body and nearly threw up the small amount of coffee he'd already drank. Then he noticed the puddle of bile already there.

"Someone threw up on the crime scene?" he said, frowning.

"It would be understandable, given the nature of the body, but no, it wasn't one of ours," said Davis. "I threatened them with suspension and broken fingers if they violated the evidence. More than likely, it belongs to our missing woman."

Dirk frowned. Dr. Edward Davis was a slight man, tall and gangly with graying hair. He also wouldn't hurt a fly.

Davis smiled at Dirk in comprehension. "I told them you would break their fingers."

"Ah," said Dirk. "So do we have a cause of death?

Lin blinked at him. "I would think that's pretty obvious."

"No, the dectective is right," said Davis. "The heart would have had to still be pumping for this much blood. I would say a combination of blood loss and internal damage. I don't know too many people who could live through that. Also, look at the amount of blood by the head as compared to the rest of the body. The heart had stopped beating by that point."

"It would have been a powerful person indeed to tear the head off like that," said Lin.

"It looks like this was personal," said Dirk. "I imagine we won't know more until you get the evidence back to your lab?"

Davis nodded.

"Well, what about time of death?" Dirk asked.

"Hard to say, given the state of the organs. Approximating the amount of time the blood has had to dry and coagulate, and the temperature of the room, I would say between nine and midnight."

"And the call was placed at two," said Dirk, more to himself than anyone else. "So no idea where the woman is?" he asked his partner.

She shook her head. "The driver did say she was an escort, but he never got a name. He said he never did."

Dirk's frown deepened. "He didn't happen to get the name of the agency?"

"Judy Devais' Premium Escorts," she said, "says his boss really liked them."

"I bet he did," said Dirk, looking at the bloodied chains and ropes again. Judy Devais had a reputation. She tended to turn a blind eye to illegal activities as long as she got a cut, and a big one at that.

"We'll start there."

~~~~~

Adelaide pounded on her apartment door. Her keys were in her purse, which was in the limo.

"Alright, alright," said Emma, her roommate. Her voice was drowsy and cracked. It sounded like her cold hadn't abated. Adelaide heard the locks turn and the chain pull back.

Emma peaked out of the crack in the door.

"Addie?" she said. "Jesus, you look like hell"

"Just let me in," said Adelaide. "I'm freezing. I'm tired. And I'm scared as hell."

"Yeah," said Emma. She undid the chain and Adelaide bolted inside.

"Oh wow, Addie," said Emma, "you really look like shit. What happened?"

"Gee, thanks, Em," Adelaide said. "It's good to see you too."

"It was Bruce, wasn't it?" said Emma. "That son of a bitch. Mrs. Devais lets him get away with too much."

"Em, he's dead."

Emma froze and gave Adelaide a hard stare. "That's not funny, Addie."

Adelaide shook her head. Her skin was still damp and she could still feel the blood on her, even though she washed it away. She shivered as a chill passed through her. She wasn't sure if it was the cold or the thought of Bruce's mangled body. "I'm not joking. I woke up and," she paused and swallowed, "he was ripped to shreds." Her voice shook as she spoke and she could taste the bile at the back of her throat from the memory.

Emma covered her face with her hands. "That's blood on your dress, isn't it?" she said, her voice muffled through her hands. She dropped them to her lap. "Tell me what happened."

Emma was completely silent while Adelaide told her about the limo drive, and the wine, and the sex. Emma was no stranger to that. She worked for Judy Devais as well. It was where they met. Emma was about the only person Adelaide could have as a roommate. No one else would understand. As long as Mrs. Devais' girls didn't mind and they didn't go blabbing to the world, Mrs. Devais didn't care. Of course, the extra money under the table didn't hurt either.

Then Adelaide got to the part where he strangled her and she blacked out.

"That prick," said Emma. "He deserved to die."

Adelaide shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. "No one should die like that, Em. It was horrible. I called the cops and ran. I had to get out of there." She started sobbing, her shoulders shaking. Emma wrapped her around Adelaide in a tight hug.

"You're fine," she said. "Whatever killed that sorry piece of shit didn't get you. He did you a favor, whoever he was. Get some rest."

Adelaide looked up at her roommate. "So you don't think I did it?"

Emma laughed. "I've seen Bruce Madison. No way you ripped him apart. Change your clothes and go to bed."

"But the police," she said. "I should talk to them, give a statement."

"And you will," said Emma, "but first, you need sleep. You can go this afternoon. I'll even drive you."

Adelaide nodded. There was no sense in arguing with the woman. Emma was one of those motherly types who wouldn't let you do anything until she had all the details. And she certainly wouldn't let you out of the apartment wihout a good meal and a decent night's rest.

So Adelaide retreated to her room and changed into a sleep shirt and some fresh panties. However, her rest was short lived. Within thirty minutes, Emma was at her bedroom door. Adelaide cracked it open and Emma burst through, her cell phone in her hand.

"It's Mrs. Devais," said Emma. "And she is pissed.

Adelaide took the phone and put it to her ear. "Yes, ma'am."

"What the hell have you done, child?" said Mrs. Devais. "I have police in my building, in my office. POLICE. I do not like having police here."

"Yes, ma'am, I know," said Adelaide. "I'm sorry. I'll be right there."

~~~~~

The old woman tapped tapped her well-manicured fingernails on the desk and stared at Detective Gregory. Judy Devais' lips were pursed and her eyes were hard as steel. It wasn't quite a look that could kill, but it could certainly injure.

She wore an expensive looking dark dress suit and a strand of pearls around her neck. There was a gold watch on her left wrist and a large diamond ring glitter on her right hand. She did well in her business, apparently.

"As soon as the girl arrives you will leave, yes?" she said, raising her eyebrows into iron gray hair.

"It depends on her statement," said Detective Lin. She smiled at Devais and folded her hands in her lap. "We may have more questions for you."

"I have done nothing wrong," said Mrs. Devais. "I run a legitimate business." Her voice was faintly accented. Eastern European, maybe? It was misleading with her French name.

"That's not the word on the street, Mrs. Devais," said Dirk. "We've heard you turn a blind eye to more than a fair share of ilegitimate dealings."

To Dirk's surprise, Mrs. Devais smiled, leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Why do you not prove it, then, Detective? I have nothing to hide."

"Of course not," said Detective Lin. "But we may need more information on the nature of your clients, any complaints you've had from the girls or maybe their boyfriends?"

"My girls do not date," she said.

"Maybe an ex-boyfriend, then," said Dirk. "Look, we just want to know who might want to hurt one of your girls or one of your clients."

"Unless you tell me what this is about, I could not tell you," she said.

Lin leaned over to him. "This old biddie didn't rip the vic's head off. I don't think it'll hurt to tell her."

"Yeah, but she may have hired someone," he said. "Until we get more information, she's a suspect."

Lin nodded and straightened. Dirk looked back at Mrs. Devais. Her brow was creased and the steely eyes were back.

"You are costing me a great deal of money, you know," she said. "Some of my clients, they do not like your type of person."

"You mean police officers?" said Dirk.

"Whatever you want to call it," she said. "Officials. It makes them nervous. I do not do anything illegal, but they can be a bit, squeamish, shall we say. They would not be comfortable to be in the same room with you."

"Ma'am," said Dirk. "Do you get clients at five in the morning?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I get clients at all times."

Dirk was about to ask another question when the door opened and a woman slightly taller than Detective Lin walked in. She had dark, curly hair with lightly tanned skin. She was a little on the thin side, but carried herself gracefully. She wore a gray, button up blouse and black slacks.

He glanced back to Mrs. Devais. She frowned at the sight of the younger woman.

"This is who you want," she said. "This is the girl that was with Mr. Madison. Adelaide, what do you have to say for yourself? What did you do?"

"We'll take it from here, Mrs. Devais," said Dirk. "Stay by the phone. We may have more for you."

Mrs. Devais made a dismissive noise and waved them away.

"I'm Detective Gregory and this is my partner, Detective Lin. Is there a place we can talk Miss...?" said Dirk.

"Hunter," she said. "Adelaide Hunter. There's a conference room down the hall, but I don't think she'll give us a moment's peace if we talk here." She leaned close to Dirk. He could smell her perfume. Musky and floral. An odd combination to be sure, but it fit for her.

"Mrs. Devais listens in on everything here," she whispered. "Can we leave?"

"Do you not feel safe here?" Dirk said, taking her arm.

She looked him in the eye. "I woke up next to a man who was ripped open and put on display. I don't feel safe anywhere, Detective."

~~~~~

The ride downtown was quiet. Adelaide supposed there wasn't much they could say. She wasn't even sure if she was under suspicion. She didn't see how. She was a tiny thing compared to Bruce Madison, but she knew she needed to be honest. As honest as she could be.

She looked at the dectectives again.

Detective Lin looked a little mean. Though, if Adelaide were a small statured woman in law enforcement, she'd be mean too.

Were circumstances different, she might find Detective Gregory attractive. He had dark blond hair, gray-blue eyes, and a strong chin. She could tell from the outline of his clothes he was in good shape.

But she couldn't take her mind off last night.

She let out a sob and she shoved her fist in her mouth to cover it.

Gregory turned in the passenger's seat. "Are you alright, Miss Hunter?"

She dropped her hand and sniffed. "I'm fine. It's just been a bad night and I'm just a little tired."

"It's been a long night for everyone," said Lin, glancing at her with the rearview mirror. Her eyes were angry.

"We'll get your statement and get you home as soon as we can, ma'am," said Gregory.

Lin rolled her angry eyes.

Adelaide nodded as the car whined to a stop outside the police station. Gregory opened the door and Adelaide hesitated.

"You're safe here, Miss Hunter," he said.

Detective Lin snorted.

"I'm grateful for what you and your partner are doing for me," Adelaide said. "I'm sorry to be so much trouble."

"You're fine," said Gregory. "My partner's just a little cranky. We all are. No one's gotten much sleep tonight."

"Yeah," said Adelaide. "This is a bad day for a lot of people."

"Especially Bruce Madison," said Lin.

Adelaide froze. She opened her mouth to say something, apologize maybe, but no sound would come.

"That's enough, Jennie," said Gregory.

They led her inside the station and to their office. There was a small conference room with a set of chairs and a metal table. It didn't look like the interrogation rooms Adelaide saw on the TV shows, so she felt a little better.

Detective Gregory opened the door and gestured for her to sit down. "Would you like some coffee?"

She shook her head and took a seat. "No, I just want to get this over with and go home."

Gregory and Lin sat across from her, each with a notepad and pen. Adelaide took a shuddering breath.

"This should be short and sweet," said Gregory. "How did you know Bruce Madison?"

"Oh god, so that was him, wasn't it?" Adelaide said.

Lin raised an eyebrow. "So you were there?"

"Yeah," said Adelaide nodding. "I'm not trying to hide anything."

"Then why did you run?" said Lin.

Adelaide's eyes went wide. "You saw the room, right? I had to get out of there."

"But not before a quick whore's bath in the sink," said Lin.

"There was a lot of blood," Adelaide said. "I panicked. I had to get it off me."

"Easy, Lin," said Gregory. "So how did you know Bruce Madison?"

"Bruce is...was a client." She licked her lips. "He wasn't the nicest man, a little rough, but he paid well."

"Did he ever pay you for sex?" said Lin.

Adelaide blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"Did he ever pay you for sex?" said Lin. "It's a simple question."

"Am I a suspect or something?" said Adelaide.

"You're not being charged with anything," said Gregory. "We've seen the room. We know he was into some kinky stuff. We just wanna know what happened."

"Yeah, we had sex, sort of," Adelaide said. "He didn't pay me for it. I passed out and when I woke up, the room was, well, you said you saw it. You know."

"I don't think I'll ever forget it," said Gregory. "But you don't remember anything? You didn't see anyone that was out of place?"

Adelaide shook her head.

"You mean to tell me you slept through all that?" said Lin with a frown.

Adelaide swallowed and looked away. "This isn't easy. I'm not used to talking about my job like this, not to an outsider. I don't want to get anyone in trouble and I can't afford to lose my job. Not right now."

"Doesn't seem like much of a job," said Lin. "That room wasn't any place I want to wake up, with or without the blood and I can't imagine you'd want to run right back to it."

"Look," said Adelaide," just promise me you won't arrest any of the other girls or send them to prison or anything like that."

"If you're protecting the murderer..." said Gregory.

"No, no," Adelaide said, slapping her hands on the table. It was cold under her palms, made of slick, brushed steel. It made her realize how terribly cold she was. She wrapped her arms around her. "I don't know who killed Bruce."

"Then what are you worried about?" Lin snapped.

"What we do," said Adelaide, her voice shaking, "it isn't always legal."

"You don't want us to press charges against Judy Devais or any of her girls?" said Gregory.

Adelaide nodded.

His partner grabbed his arm and whispered something in his ear. Adelaide could almost hear it, but not quite. Something about another detective's case. Gregory shook his head. "They'll have to find something else. We've still got a murderer out there and he could kill again. Guy like this isn't happy with one messy death. This case takes priority."

He turned to Adelaide. "Anything you tell us will only be used in the murder investigation."

Adelaide nodded again and smiled weakly. She tookd a deep breath and told them everything. She was amazed how steady her voice was. Maybe she was too tired to cry anymore. What she really wanted to do was scream.

When she finished, Detective Lin gave her a dour look and said, "Do you have any proof?"

"Jennie," said Gregory, "the girl's been through a lot already."

Lin gave him a cold look, but Adelaide just smiled sadly. "It's a fair question."

She stood and unbuttoned the cuffs of her blouse. She rolled up the sleeves to show off the bruises from the rope. The pulled down her collar to show the purpling marks on her neck. Her throat still hurt from where Bruce had strangled her.

Lin sucked in a breath through her teeth. "You should have a doctor look at that after we get some prints."

Adelaide shook her head. "I washed it off, remember? My whore's bath?" She leveled her gaze at Lin. "There won't be anything. You can have the dress I wore last night, but I don't know what good it'll be to you. I don't think the killer touched it."

"That'll be fine," said Gregory. "We'll have a uniform drive you home."

Adelaide felt a wave of panic. "What if that creep comes back?"

"I don't think he will," said Gregory, "but we can leave someone there for a day or two to make sure."

"I would like that," she said.

"I do have one more question," said Lin. "Why go back?"

"To Mrs. Devais?" said Adelaide. She dropped her head and sat back down. She took a deep breath and looked at Detective Lin. "I need the money and I'm good at it." She shrugged.

Lin shook her head. "That doesn't make sense. You live in a shoebox apartment you share with one of the other girls. You could work as a waitress and afford that place. What hold does Judy Devais have on you girls?"

Adelaide found herself laughing. "Don't be ridiculous. Mrs. Devais doesn't have a hold on anyone. The most terrifying thing about her is she can fire me. That and her non-competition clause in our contracts. I need that job."

"But why?" asked Lin.

"Where else can I make six figures a year and save enough to retire before I'm thirty?" said Adelaide. "Look at me, Detective. I'm young and pretty now, but I'll get old. My service fee will go down and eventually, Mrs. Devail will let me go. I have dreams and those dreams have a price tag. This is the fast track."

~~~~~

Detective Gregory walked Adelaide out of the squad room when a strange man stopped in front of them. He was tall with olive skin and closely cropped black hair. He wore a dark suit with a red shirt and black tie. He smelled like citrus fruit and musk. The man smiled at Adelaide.

"I'm Joshua Carpenter," he said. "Mrs. Devais sent me to take you home." He extended a hand to her.

Adelaide frowned and shrank away. "I don't think we've met," she said.

"He doesn't work for Judy Devais?" said Gregory.

"I work for the legal department," said Joshua. "There's no reason Miss Hunter should have met me yet. I take it you've already spoken to her?"

"She's not a suspect," said Gregory. "There's no reason she would need a lawyer."

"Oh, I'm not a lawyer," said Joshua. "I'm just from the legal department."

"I don't understand," said Gregory. "Why does she need someone from the legal department who's not a lawyer?"

Joshua turned his smile on Gregory. "That's between Mrs. Devais and Miss Hunter," he said. "I assure you, Miss Hunter is very safe with me."

"We'll need to check with Mrs. Devais," said Gregory.

"Of course," said Joshua. "Here are my credentials." He handed Gregory a business card and turned to Adelaide. His smile fell. Carefully, he drew back the collar of her blouse. "I always knew Bruce Madison would be a liability. I'll have the company doctor look at that, take care of all the legal proceedings, and get her home."

Gregory gave Joshua's business card to one of the other officers and stared at Joshua. "Are you alright with that?" he said to Adelaide.

"I think so," she said. "I'd feel better if an officer was with us."

"I would insist," said Joshua.

The police officer returned. "Mrs. Devais confirmed. Joshua Carpenter works for the agency."

Joshua extended his hand to Adelaide again. She took it this time.

As soon as he touched her, she felt a warmth come over spread through her body and a web of safety wrap around her. He smiled at her again and she found herself smiling back.

"Miss Hunter?" said Gregory.

"Huh?" she said, turning away from Joshua.

Gregory frowned. "Here's my card. If you think of something else or you need anything, and I mean _anything_ , give me a call."

"Uh huh," she said turning back to Joshua. She couldn't explain why she suddenly found the man so fascinating.

Joshua wrapped an arm around her shoulders and escorted her out. All her troubles, worries, and fears melted away. Detective Gregory said something else to her, but she didn't hear it. Joshua walked her to his car. It wasn't flashy, but she could tell it was expensive. He opened the passenger side door for her and she slid into the seat as if it were made for her.

Joshua got behind the wheel and turned to her. His gaze was icy and her world turned frigid.

"Now we can talk," he said.

All Adelaide wanted to do was run.

~~~~~

"I don't like him," said Gregory.

"Only because he's cock-blocking you," said Lin.

"Wait, what?" he said.

"Oh, please," she said. "You were drooling over that bimbo from the second you saw her. There's good cop, bad cop and then there's letting your dick do the interview while you let your partner look like a bitch."

"The man strangled her, Lin," he said.

"And that poor little girl could have ripped him apart, Dirk," she said.

"Jennie, she's barely a couple of inches taller than you," he said. "She has what, maybe twenty, thirty pounds on you? Could you tear a grown man's head off? While tied down?"

"Adrenaline's an amazing thing, Dirk," she said.

"You don't believe that," he said. "Hell, I don't think I could. What's your real problem?"

Lin sighed and shook her head. She crossed the squad room to her desk and and started stacking case files. She yanked open her desk drawer and slammed it shut.

Gregory went to her. "What's going on, Jennie? What's the problem?"

She gripped the edge of her desk. "She's a whore, Dirk, a high class whore. She gets by on her looks and no talent. She makes the rest of us look bad. I've worked hard to get where I am in a male dominated field. She hasn't even tried."

Gregory smiled at her. "Maybe she's worked harder than you think. Let's run a background check on this Joshua Carpenter and look at the evidence from the scene. I also want to know as much about the victim as we can."

Lin took a deep breath and flexed her hands. "Yeah," she said carefully, nodding.

~~~~~

Time stopped for Adelaide. Why did she leave the police station with this man? Something about him screamed dangerous. She knew it the moment she saw him, but she still left with him.

So why was she in his car?

She rubbed her arms and Joshua looked at her, his eyes hard as glass.

He smiled and the glass shattered. "You must be freezing," he said, his voice lightly accented. She hadn't noticed that before. It was very faint.

"I'm really sorry," he continued, "I laid it on a bit thick. It can have that effect sometimes."

"What can have that effect?" she said.

He just laughed and shook his head. It was a pleasant sound, but she still felt uneasy.

"Please," she said, "I haven't done anything wrong." Her voice shook as she spoke.

He turned and cupped her face in his hand. "You poor girl. You have done something wrong, but you have no idea, do you? It's not your fault really." He dropped his hand and turned away. He revved the engine and they took off so hard, Adelaide was pressed against the seat.

She managed to look at Joshua. "You don't work for Mrs. Devais, do you?"

"No, I don't work for her," he said. "She works for me. Indirectly, as it were. She pays me a percentage of her profits and I keep her out of trouble."

"The legal department," said Adelaide.

He laughed again. "After a fashion."

"So I'm causing trouble for Mrs. Devais," said Adelaide, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. "What are you going to do to me?"

His brow creased as he hung a sharp left turn, driving Adelaide into the door. "Do to you?" he said. "I'm not going to do anything to you, Adelaide. I'm here to help you. You're just as much a victim as Bruce Madison. Maybe more so. What's been done to you is inexcusable. It's not how things are done. We have rules for situations like this."

She let out a nervous laugh. "It's not the first time a John's tried to kill a hooker."

He smiled warmly, but his eyes still disturbed her. They weren't cold or hard anymore, but there was still something in them. It was almost primal. She still felt as though she were in terrible danger.

"It's perfectly natural to be afraid of me," he said. He put a hand on her knee, still smiling, using the other to steer. He glanced sideways at her. "I would question your intelligence if you didn't. I'm capable of great violence, but not against you. I won't harm my own kind. Maybe Bruce Madison sensed some of that same violence in you and that's why he tried to kill you."

"I don't understand," she said. "I couldn't hurt anyone, wouldn't hurt them. The most I've ever done was slap a client who liked to be knocked around. Now, if my hands had been free, I would have clawed his eyes out. Even I'm not that much of a pacifist."

"Oh you did much more than claw the man's eyes out," said Joshua. "I'm afraid what has happened to you isn't exactly fair or right. Someone broke the rules and they'll pay for it."

"You're not making sense and you're scaring me," said Adelaide.

He sighed as the car came to a stop. It was much smoother and quieter than the detective's car, despite Joshua's wild driving. "I am sorry for that," he said. "I sometimes forget myself. I really didn't mean to charm you as heavily as I did back there. I needed you to trust me. Please don't make me do it again. It's tiring and it could hurt you."

He got out of the car and came around to open Adelaide's door. He extended her hand to her again. She looked at it and bit her lip.

"I won't do what I did before," he said, "as long as you try to trust me for just a little bit. And I swear to you, on my honor, I will not harm you. I only want to talk."

She swallowed and took his hand. She held her breath, waiting for the warmth to spread through her, the euphoria to wash over her, but it never did.

"I gave you my word," he said.

He helped her from the car and walked her to an expensive high rise.

"You live here?" she said.

"This is one of several properties I own," he said.

She gave him a puzzled look. "Why so many apartments?"

"Apartments?" he said with a quizzical smile. He patted her arm and chuckled, shaking his head. She immediately felt silly. A man like Joshua Carpenter didn't own apartments, he owned buildings.

"I like to keep my options open," he said, "and, sometimes, I find it's effective when I don't want to be found. I'm sure you'll feel the same soon enough."

The door man smiled and nodded to them as Joshua handed the man his car keys.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Carpenter," the man said. He had the look of a boxer or military man gone to seed. He was a little red faced with a day's stubble and a bright smile.

"It's always a pleasure, Reggie," said Joshua.

Reggie nodded to Adelaide and opened the door for them. He didn't seem like a man afraid for his life. He seemed to even like Joshua. So why was she so scared of him?

They took an elevator up to the fortieth floor. She half expected the penthouse suite, but was relieved when he didn't select the button. The penthouse would be too private. If she had to get out she felt better on one of the regular floors. Maybe then, someone would hear her scream.

He led her to room 4013 and stopped. He reached in his pocket and retrieved several items.

The first was an old-fashioned Motorola flip phone she recognized as hers from the purple case.

"I believe you left this in Mr. Madison's car. Don't lose it again," said Joshua. "I've taken the liberty of putting my number in there for you. Call me if you need me."

She stared at him, dumb-founded. She started to speak, but he shook his head. He held onto the rest of the items from his pocket and opened the apartment door.

Adelaide gasped.

The room was huge with white and blue walls, gray drapes, and matching leather sofas. The windows were tinted for privacy. There were books littered across the apartment, ranging in subjects from beneficial botanicals, to herbalism, to how to start a successful small business. Paintings she was fond of hung on the walls and her favorite bluegrass echoed through the room.

"What is all this?" she said.

"I've watched you for some time, Adelaide," said Joshua. "I've suspected what was done to you, but I wasn't sure. I prepared this in the event I was correct."

"Correct about what?" she said.

He handed her the remaining items from his pocket. "These are your apartment keys. One for the flat you share with Miss Dorne and this one. This is yours if you want it, or if you ever need a place of refuge, and you will. You have some very trying times ahead of you."

"I still don't know what you mean," she said. "What's going on? Am I in trouble with Mrs. Devais or not?"

He smiled and shook his head. "No, this has nothing to do with Mrs. Devais and everything to do with what happened to that bastard Madison. Please, have a seat and I'll try to explain."

He gestured to one of the lush gray, leather couches. She sank into the one nearest her and was struck by the faint odor of bergamot and vanilla. She found it warm and welcoming. It reminded her, for a moment, of Detective Gregory. She smiled a little.

"Good," said Joshua. "I'm glad to see you relax. Let's start from the beginning, shall we?"

She inhaled deeply and looked him in the eyes.

~~~~~

Detective Lin sighed and rubbed her eyes. "This doesn't make any sense."

Dirk peered over his monitor. "What's up?"

"Bruce Madison," she said. "I can't find anything on him past two years ago."

"So a fake identity?" said Dirk.

"It looks like," she said. "I mean, before two years ago, this guy didn't exist. No finger prints, no social, not even a damned driver's license. It's like he dropped out of the sky. It's insane. Even if this is a fake identity, it should tie to an older identity or even the real person. And what's a wealthy guy like Bruce Madison doing with a false identity?"

Dirk raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Usually guys with fake IDs don't want to be found. The question is why? And why choose such a high profile identity."

"He's hiding," said Lin. She stood from her desk and walked over to his, crossing her arms.

"The man's a multi-millionaire who pays for expensive prostitutes," said Dirk, tapping his finger next to his mouse. "He's got a funny way of hiding. I see what you mean. This doesn't make sense at all." He looked up at her.

Lin pursed her lips. "So he's hiding, but he's having a hard time leaving behind old habits. Some people like to live a certain lifestyle. Look at your little girlfriend."

Dirk frowned. "She doesn't strike me so much as a creature of habit, but more as a creature of necessity. And she's not my girlfriend, I just feel bad for her. To go through what she went through..." He stopped. "Madison strangled her," Dirk said looking back at Lin.

"So you keep saying," she said. "I don't feel any more sorry for the woman now than I did a few hours ago."

Dirk shook his head. "Not that. I mean, you've got issues, but that's not what I'm getting at. This guy gets off on it. Or got of on it before someone ripped him a new one."

"Well, yeah, he's a sicko," said Lin and then her eyes went wide and her mouth made a little 'o.'

"What do you want to bet this wasn't his first time?" said Dirk.

"I wouldn't," she said. She went back to her desk. "I'll look for missing escorts and other working girls. I'll also check strangulation cases over the last two years."

"Go back five," he said. "Madison changed his name for a reason. Let's also check the DNA we found at the scene, see if anything matches another case."

"You think he's that sloppy?" she said, raising a thin eyebrow.

"The guy didn't bother to cover his trail past two years and he's gotten away with it until now," said Dirk. "He's cocky. Or he was. Let's talk to Thomas Kent, the limo driver, again, see what else he knows."

Lin nodded. "We should question Mrs. Devais' girls as well, see if any of them remember a girl or two going missing. Maybe one of them had a jealous boyfriend or an angry father. One of them may have even done it." She gave Dirk a pointed look.

"Fair enough," he said, "but Adelaide's a victim too. It could have been self-defense."

His partner snorted. "Right, ripping a man to pieces is self-defense. She may have set him up. She could be working with one of the other girls. The right power tool and liberal amount of tork and they could have pulled his head right off. Someone might even have it in their freezer as a trophy."

"Or maybe Carpenter killed Madison and he's come back to finish the job with Adelaide," said Dirk. "No witnesses."

Lin pointed a finger at him. "You let her leave the precinct with the man. Where'd you get with that anyway? Find any dirt?" She came back to his desk.

Dirk sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Not a thing."

"Another fake?" she said.

He shook his head. "Not like that. This guy is squeaky clean. He donates to charity, hell he's on the board of a charitable organization, he owns eight properties around the city, offers low rent to struggling families, no priors, not even a moving violation."

"So she's probably okay," said Lin with a smile.

Dirk shook his head again. "People always say serial killers are nice people."

"You really wanna pin something on this guy, don't you?" she said.

"Something doesn't feel right about him," said Dirk. "He's almost too clean."

Lin put a hand on his shoulder. "And if the evidence leads to him, we'll nail the son of a bitch, but right now, it points to the girl, and until it says otherwise, try to keep your own head, okay?"

"Yeah sure," he said, leaning forward. He stared at the computer screen.

Lin's phone rang. "Detective Lin. Uh huh. Yeah, be right down." She slammed the receiver in the cradle. "That was Davis. He's got something for us."

~~~~~

"You had, what we call, a vampiric episode," said Joshua.

"I'm sorry, what?" said Adelaide. "Did you say vampire?"

He smiled and nodded, leaning forward. "I said vampiric, to be more precise. It happens, sometimes, in undiscovered talent."

"I don't follow," she said.

His smile widened, flashing brilliantly white teeth. "You, my dear sweet girl, are a vampire, or will become one shortly, within the next decade or so. It's no wonder Mr. Madison took an interest in you. He most likely found you irresistable."

"I was the only one who could put up with him," she said, crossing her arms. "And I still don't know what you mean. I'm not a vampire. I don't drink blood. Sunlight doesn't hurt me. I went to church every Sunday until I was eight. Hell, I have human parents."

"All vampires have human parents," he said.

She blushed and felt a little sheepish. "Yeah, of course, but then how am I a vampire? Nobody bit me or anything."

"It does not come from a bite," he said, "not really, not anymore. It's too dangerous. We adapt and evolve. And not everyone can become a vampire. Think of it as a genetic pre-disposition. Just as some humans are more likely to get cancer or develop heart disease than others."

"But everyone can get cancer," she said, pointing a finger at him. "Expose them to a carcinogen like tobacco or radiation long enough. Same for heart disease. Eat enough fatty burgers and the inevitable will happen.

He sighed and shook his head. "Of course. Think of it more like green eyes or brown hair then. Either you have the gene for it, or you don't."

She pushed up from her chair and started to pace, running her hands through her hair. "Okay, so say I do have this gene. I'm not craving blood or anything and there's still the sunlight and church. Is it because I'm not a vampire yet?"

He watched her as she walked, his hands clasped together. He looked so damn smug. "Oh, you're most definitely one of us. Our kind is older than the Christian church. As for bloof, be grateful you do not crave it. If you drink blood, you will develop a reaction to sunlight, along with some other less than appealing side effects."

"So do you guys test for this?" she said. "I mean, what do you do with someone like me?"

"There is no test," he said. "I say a gene, but we actually have no way to determine who can or cannot become a vampire. It simply happens."

"And how did it happen to me?" she said, stopping to look at him again.

He smoothed back his thick, curly hair and gave her a meaningful look. "It could be as simple as an exchange of bodily fluids."

"Like an STD?" she said.

He let out a stifled laugh. "Something like that. There has to be intent. Your maker could have been one of your clients, something slipped into your drink, a phlebotomist when you donated blood or plasma."

Adelaide suddenly felt very heavy. She leaned against the wall behind her and slid to the floor, running through every social interaction she'd had in the past, well, however long. It could have been when she was a baby, or in elementary school, any time, any where. So why did she react now?

Joshua stood and rounded the table. He crouched in front of her and took her hands, which were resting on her knees. She could smell his cologne this close. It smelled of black pepper, anise, bergamot, and something musky, myrh maybe.

"It's a lot to take in, and I'm sorry," he said. His eyes gazed into hers. "It shouldn't have happened this way. Once your vampirism fully manifested, properly, your maker would have found you."

"Then what happened?" she said, surprised that her voice was shaking. Her face was hot and wet with tears.

"Sometimes, very rarely, when a young vampire's life is threatened, some of our more," he paused, "animalistic instincts take over. We call them vampiric episodes. You tore Bruce Madison to shreds, drank his blood, and blacked out from the high."

She let out a sob and the tears started to flow. Joshua wrapped his arms around her and held her until her crying subsided.

"If it makes you feel any better, I always hated Bruce," said Joshua. "I thought he was repugnant and cruel."

She looked at him for a moment, sniffling. "Why didn't you stop him? And if you're not my maker, or whatever, who is? Where are they?"

"I never imagined Bruce would go as far as he did," said Joshua. "And as for your maker, I don't know. They should have been there or have come for you. But they haven't. Something I find most troubling."

"So what do I do now?" she said.

"Rest," he said. "Try and keep out of trouble."

"And what will you do?" she said.

"Well, I'm going to try to find whoever made you," he said. "Until I do, someone will be sent to monitor you."

"Monitor me?" she said. Her stomach did a funny little flip and she pulled away. "Why do I need monitored?"

Joshua licked his lips. "It's for your own safety. If you have another episode, we need to know about it before things get bad or if any other abilities start to arise. The transition from human to vampire is a long one and it is not easy."

The tears threatened again. She could feel her throat getting tighter and she shook it off. "I didn't ask for this," she said through clenched teeth. "I just wanted to save my money, start my business and have a life."

He put a finger under her chin. "You still can, Adelaide. Vampirism is not death. It is eternal life. A life which you cannot imagine. I will help you as much as I can." He kissed her forehead.

"I don't know what to say," she said, her voice shaking again.

"Say thank you," he said. "And let me drive you home."

She nodded slowly. He smiled at her again and stood, offering a well manicured hand.

She took it and he lifted her to her feet with ease. "Everything will be fine, Adelaide."

"I killed a man," she said.

"You defended yourself."

"He's still dead," she said, "and I was sleeping with him for money."

Joshua shrugged. "One of the world's oldest professions and least respected, in my opinion. My third wife was a prostitute."

She stared at him wide-eyed.

"A story for another time," he said with a laugh. "Let's get you home."

~~~~~

Dr. Edward Davis smiled as the detectives entered the autopsy room. He tugged at his lab coat and straightened his tie as if welcoming a guest into his home.

Which, as far as Dirk was concerned, it pretty much was.

The morgue was cold and smelled of cleansers, blood, and some undentifiable smell Dirk didn't want to know about. It made him gag a little every time, but Davis fit in there. He wasn't creepy or odd, it just seemed he should be there.

Dirk forced back another gag and smiled at Davis. Davis was a good man, thorough and patient and always polite and calm.

"Whatcha got?" Dirk said.

"Something and nothing at all," said Davis. He turned and went to the body, not waiting for the detectives. He handed them a box of gloves as they approached and pulled back the sheet.

Dirk swallowed and Lin paled. They had both seen their fair share of violent deaths, but this one won the gold medal. Even with an autopsy, Madison's body didn't look right. Not that there was really much of a need for one. The murderer had pretty much done Davis' job for him.

"He's not much to look at," said Davis with a frown, "but he's given me quite a bit to work with. Look here, at the throat." He lifted a piece of torn flesh where the head was removed.

Dirk wrinkled his nose.

"This is where things get really interesting," said Davis. "I know there's been some speculation. How do you supposed the head was removed?"

Lin and Dirk looked at each other. Dirk shook his head and Lin let out an exhasperated noise. "A saw blade is my guess," she said.

"Ah, but there are no striations on the bones," said Davis, lifting a bloody finger as if giving a lesson. He pointed back to the neck. "Look here, at these tears. Do you see the impression? The marks?"

"Teeth?" said Dirk, creasing his brow. "Someone chewed the head off?"

"Very good, Detective Gregory," said Davis, as if speaking to one of his college interns. "These are, in fact, bite marks. But I don't know if I would say someone, so much as some _thing_. It bit into the victim's neck, snapping the bone clean in half. And see these scratches here?" He pointed to the shoulders and what was left of the chest.

"Fingernails?"

"More accurately, claws," said Davis. "The attacker left traces of saliva and it appears they broke a nail, as it were." He lifted a small evidence bottle that held what looked like a black claw."

"An animal did this?" said Lin, her eyes wide.

"So it would seem," said Davis, "but what type, I cannot say."

"So an animal figured out the freight elevator, broke into the room, killed Madison, and left Ms. Hunter alive?" said Lin. She crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "That's a little far-fetched."

"Someone's pet," said Dirk.

"Maybe it's your girlfriend's pet," said Lin with a toothy smile.

"Right, she just smuggled a cougar under her dress and took it on a date," said Dirk.

Lin glared at him and put her hands on her hips. "Then she's got an accomplice. Or," she paused, "Ms. Hunter is innocent and this is some weird cult thing. I dunno."

"You're speaking of the young woman the victim was with?" said Davis.

"Yeah," said Dirk, nodding.

Davis thinned his lips and looked back at the body. "I've seen the photos of her bruising. She's very lucky to be alive. The amount of bruising, the force involved, it should have crushed her windpipe. Accomplice or no, someone saved her life."

~~~~~

Adelaide stared in the mirror and took a deep shuddering breath. Joshua had dropped her off at her apartment an hour ago. He said some reassuring words and walked her to the door. Emma gawked at him when the door opened. He smiled and left.

Emma asked her about a dozen questions, but Adelaide never heard them. She went straight to her room, shut the door and sat on the bed.

She hadn't moved since.

She kept looking at herself. She never considered herself vain, though she was careful about her appearance. Clients liked their escort to be pretty.

But this? This was something else. She thought she took the news that she was a vampire pretty well. But as soon as she sat down in Joshua's fancy sports car, it started to sink in. She was becoming a monster and she had killed a man. Bruce Madison was a bastard, but he didn't deserve to die like that.

Assuming what Joshua told her was true.

But what reason did a man like Joshua Carpenter have to lie to her? He was wealthy, influential, good looking. He probably got his way without asking. Hell, the apartment alone was enough to sway Adelaide. So why make up some bullshit story about vampires?

Then, there was the sense of calm that came over her when he touched her. How did he do that? And what was it about his eyes that terrified her?

Something didn't make sense.

She touched her face, opened her mouth and ran her fingertips along her teeth, pulled at the skin below her eyes. There was nothing.

She looked at her hands, not that she would expect vampires to have different hands, but maybe there was something.

And there was.

On her left hand, her ring finger, the nail was broken.

She didn't recall breaking it, but, well, just add it to the list of strange, unfortunate things that had already happened to her today. She would fix it later. For now, she was exhausted.

She fell back onto the mattress in her clothes and fell into a fitful sleep full of odd dreams.

In one, she dreamed she was flying over the city at night. The lights of the high rises like stars in an asphalt sky. Then, she was falling. Before she struck the ground, the dream shifted and she was back in that strange room with Bruce Madison, his hands clasped around her throat and she was struggling, a silent scream on her lips, the scent of latex so strong it burned her eyes.

Sweat rolled down her face under the mask and her breath grew short. She didn't want to live through this again and she willed herself to wake up.

But something else happened.

She felt her hands jerk free from the restraints. She grabbed Bruce's arms and twisted. He cried out in pain and she twisted harder. Adelaide was in shock. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was almost as if she was watching herself from outside her body, but inside at the same time. Those hands couldn't be hers.

They were bloody and clawed.

She twisted a third time and there was a wet snap of bone and the rip of flesh. He fell on top of her and she pushed him away. He slammed against the wall and she dove on top of him, her own teeth tearing through the rubber mask. Blood rushed into her mouth, lighting her veins on fire. It was almost electrical, better than the sense of euphoria Joshua gave her earlier. Like some deadly high-powered drug. She liked it.

At that thought, she bolted upright in bed, her hands clutched to her chest. She ran one hand over the other, feeling for claws, for blood, the strange shape of them, but they were fine.

"Of course they are," she whispered to herself. "It was just a dream. That never happened."

But she could still taste the blood in the back of her throat.

She reached for her phone just as she heard a knock on the apartment door.

~~~~~

Dirk paced the squad room and ran a hand through his hair. His partner insisted on picking up Adelaide herself. She said his judgment was clouded.

Maybe it was.

He couldn't stop thinking about Adelaide. The way her hair shone in the light, her smell, her vulnerability. He felt like he should protect her.

He'd never reacted that way to a female witness or perp before.

Sure, he felt sympathy for them. The woman who killed her abusive boyfriend in self-defense, the kid who watched his best friend gunned down as a result of gang violence. The guy who witnessed a convenience store robbery and murder. He understood that.

But he never felt the need to defend them. Not like this.

The door swung open and Detective Lin stormed in. She fell into her chair and threw her gun and her badge in her desk. Dirk half expected the gun to go off. Lin looked him in the eyes.

"She bolted."

"What?" said Dirk.

"She bolted," Lin said again. "I went to her shitty little apartment, knocked on the door, and her roommate answered. The girl went to get Hunter and came back, pale as a ghost. Said her roommate wasn't well. I pushed past her and went to Hunter's room. The window was open and her cellphone was gone. She went down the fire escape and made me look like a fool. She was gone by the time I made it back downstairs. Now tell me she isn't guilty."

"Maybe someone kidnapped her," he said.

His partner gave him a look that said she was seriously considering shooting him.

"I went back to the apartment after Hunter fled the scene," said Lin. "I questioned the roommate. The girl said Hunter came home, escorted by a Middle Eastern looking gentleman, barely spoke a word and went to bed. That was three hours ago."

"Carpenter?" Dirk said.

"Oh, he's involved," she said. "I bet my badge on that. I sent a uniform to go pick him up. Too many damned coincidences. You and I are going to go pay a visit to Mrs. Devais, find out where this bitch went. Maybe she's got a safe house for when things like this happen."

"Jennie," he said, "I really don't think..."

Detective Lin slammed a hand on her desk and stood. "No Dirk, you're not thinking. You're letting your dick do that for you. I don't know what's going on, but you're out of line. This woman murdered someone."

"It was self-defense," he said, straightening his shoulders.

"Bullshit," she said. "Even you don't believe that crap. The man was in pieces. That's not self-defense. That is cold and calculated."

"Okay, fine," he said, raising his voice. The other officers were starting to stare. "Let's say she did kill this asshole. From everything we can tell, he's a serial killer. He had no friends to speak of. His secretary says he was a real jerk and his driver won't even speak to police, says the world's a better place. From where I'm standing, Adelaide Hunter did us a favor."

"No," said Lin, rounding her desk. "No way. You don't get to make that decision." She crossed the distance between them in three short strides. "You don't make the rules. That's dangerous, Dirk. This woman killed a man and it's our job to catch her and let the courts decide. If you can't do that, then I need to file a report with the chief."

Dirk swallowed and stared at her. He could smell her body wash from this close and see her eyes were blood shot from loss of sleep and staring at a screen for too long. He softened a little. "Fine, let's go visit Mrs. Devais," he said through gritted teeth. "Is there someone with the roommate? I think they work together. She would know of a safehouse, wouldn't she?"

"Now that's more like it," said Lin. She retreated to her desk, yanked open the drawer and retrieved her gun. She all but sprinted to the door.

Dirk followed her, grudgingly. He didn't like the stink of this case. Something didn't add up. Adelaide probably had something to do with it, but he didn't think this was planned out. It was too messy, too hurried. Something went wrong in that room.

Lin stopped and turned to him. She put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Dirk. She's a sweet girl from everything I can tell. Aside from being a vicious killer." She pressed the button for the elevator.

Dirk thinned his lips and started to say something when one of the uniforms ran up them. Edgars, was the name.

"Hey," said Edgars, "hold up. We got the prints back from the lab. We got a match."

Dirk froze. "Which database?"

"Criminal," Edgars said. "Here, see for yourself."

Dirk took the file and opened it. The first thing that caught his eyes was the photograph. "The driver," he said.

"Wait, what?" said Lin and snatched the file away.

"Thomas Kent," said Edgars. "His prints were all over the place. I bet we'll find his DNA as well when it comes back. Guy had one prior, twelve years ago, beat a hooker and robbed her. Because he didn't use a gun and he didn't kill her, his sentence was reduced to seven years. Served five years, was paroled for good behavior."

"Doesn't mean he's guilty," said Lin.

"And why else do you think he didn't want to talk to the police?" Dirk snapped. "Has he worked for Bruce Madison for the past two years?" He turned to Edgars.

"According to his statement, yeah," said Edgars. "His parole officer set him up as a driver for one Alex Treborn before that."

"See what we can get on Treborn," said Dirk. He looked at Lin. "Former alias?"

She nodded slowly. "If Madison is a serial killer, or was, how does the driver fit in?"

"He had to know what was going on," said Dirk. "His finger prints were all over the room."

Lin shrugged and frowned. "Someone had to set a swanky place like that up."

"And Madison probably had a partner," he said. "It's rare, but it happens. If Kent set up the room, he knew what went on there. You can't look at that room and not know. _That's_ why that bastard wouldn't talk to me."

Lin's eyes widened. "If you're right, then Miss Hunter is in danger. We need to find her, guilty or not, now."

~~~~~

Adelaide had barely stopped to breathe since she ran down the fire escape. Rust and dirt caked her hands and her lungs burned. She could still taste the blood at the back of her throat. She needed answers.

She slowed, clutching a hand to her shirt and hailed a cab. When one finally stopped, she gave the driver Joshua's address, and pulled out her phone. His name was the top of her address book and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Her cell rang through to Joshua's voice mail. She sucked in another breath. "Joshua, you were right. I need more answers. I'm headed to the apartment."

She ended the call, her hands shaking around the phone. Her eyes burned and she choked back another sob. She was a real mess. She didn't normally consider herself a crybaby, but the day sort of called for it.

The cab driver peered into his rear view. "Lady, you okay?"

Adelaide nodded and wiped the tears from her face. "Just one of those days, you know?"

"Oh man, do I ever," he said watching her from the rear view. "Yesterday, I leave the house, wife is naggin' at me about some stupid thing, kids are bawlin' about some toy, and my first fare is some lunatic slobbering on himself, smells like wet dog and a locker room. Couldn't get that smell out all day. Lost three fares because of it, if you can believe it. Then, last fare of the night is some self-important limo driver, uniform and everything, says he has to be someplace downtown, can't take any of the main roads and I had better not charge him extra. Like I gots a choice, right?"

She smiled a little. "No, I doubt you do."

"Anyhoo," says the driver, "this guy has me go down to this beat up lookin' warehouse and makes me stay outside for like an hour. It's his dime, ya know? Comes back with a big stain on his uniform and smellin' like God knows what. I figure, that's the end of my fares for the night, right? If I can't get a wet dog smell in a dirty locker room out, what am I gonna do with a stinky limo driver?"

Adelaide perked up and her heart thudded in her chest. "Did you get a name of the driver?"

"Huh?" the cab driver said looking at her in the mirror again. "He paid in cash and he didn't even tip."

"What did he look like?" she said, growing suspicious.

The driver shrugged and rounded a corner in one fluid movement. "Hell if I know. A limo driver that prolly worked for some guy that makes more in a week than I do in a year. He was real full of himself, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know," said Adelaide.

"Why so interested?" the cabbie said.

"I guess he sounds like the friend of an old boyfriend," she said.

"You're not keepin' very good boyfriends," he said. "Guy was a real class act. I can't imagine anyone he's friends with is much better."

"No, he wasn't," she said.

"Ah," said the cabbie "That explains a lot."

"Explains what?" she said, suddenly afraid.

He smiled in the rear view. "Why you're crying. Jerk boyfriend Looks to me it's good riddance."

She smiled back. "Oh yes, very much so."

"No more tears then," he said. "And you've arrived at your destination, my lady."

She giggled and handed him the cab fare.

He winked at her. "Anytime you need a cab, ask for Rick. I'll pick ya up, got it?"

"I won't forget it," she said and shut the door.

A hand was instantly on her elbow. It didn't hurt her, but it was firm.

"Mr. Carpenter told me to expect you, miss," said Reggie. "You're safe here, you understand? No one will hurt you and no one will let any harm come to you."

She turned and looked him in the eye. Somehow, she knew instantly what it was. She was frightened and delighted at the same time. Now she understood why he wasn't afraid of Joshua. They were the same.

So was Adelaide, but Joshua still terrified her.

The whole thing was scary, but Joshua was her best bet.

She smiled at Reggie and nodded. "I know."

"Mr. Carpenter won't hurt you either," he said. "He's powerful, but he cares about the young ones, trust me. We've all been there."

"But you knew it was coming, didn't you?" she said.

He gave a sad little smile. "After a fashion, but you do as well, or you will. You just didn't get a choice and we have no way of knowing if you can handle it."

"And if I can't?" she said.

His smile faltered. "Better that we don't talk about that. Get upstairs. He's already waiting for you."

Of course he was. She left a message for him, hadn't she?

Somehow she knew his presence in her new apartment had nothing to do with the voice mail she left him and everything to do with him looking after her.

Still, she hurried upstairs. Out of the cab, she felt as though she was being watched or followed by something not pleasant. She shook it off as just one of those feelings. She was tired and hungry. Last night was terrible and her dreams kept her from sleeping. For all she knew, she killed Bruce Madison. In fact, she was pretty sure of it, despite what the cabbie said. So she wrote off her feeling of dread as anxiety.

She fumbled for the keys and her hands shook as she tried to open the door. She wanted to badly to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw blood.

Finally, the key popped into place and she opened the door.

"I wondered how long it would take you, bitch," an unsettling voice said. "Take a seat."

~~~~~

"You don't know anywhere Miss Hunter would have gone?" said Detective Lin, leaning over Mrs. Devais' desk.

The woman crossed her arms and glared at Lin. "No, I do not. I am not responsible for my employees when they are not working. If you do find her, tell her I need to speak to her."

"Mrs. Devais," said Dirk, stepping forward, "Miss Hunter could be in some serious trouble."

She made a derisive sound and waved her hand, wafting her heavy perfume in Dirk's face. "When is one of these girls not in trouble? They always come to me with some thing or another. Their rent is due, a client is stalking them, someone stole the money they owe me. I've heard it all, Detective. What is Adelaide saying happened this time?"

"We think Bruce Madison's murderer may be after her," said Dirk.

Lin frowned at him, but said nothing.

Mrs. Devais sniffed. "That's not my concern."

Dirk could only stare at her. She really didn't care about these girls, just the money they brought in.

She gave him a dour look. "I know I seem cold, but I can't afford to stop everything every time something happens with one of these girls. I encourage them to contact the police, hire a body guard, a private eye, whatever they need. If it got out my business was part of an investigation, I would lose clients."

Dirk placed his hands on her desk and pushed so close his face was only inches from her. "Did it ever occur to you, your business might have better, more reliable clients if you didn't encourage scum like Bruce Madison?"

"Bruce was a bit rough, but he always paid well," she said, turning away from Dirk.

Lin let out an audible sigh, but Dirk found himself smiling. "He also cost you a lot more money than you think. Did you know he was killing your girls?"

Mrs. Devais jerked her head back and looked him in the eyes, narrowing her own. They were dark brown and yellowing at the corners. "I think I would notice something like that."

Dirk snorted and pushed away from the desk. "Not with the turnover rate of this place. We've asked around. Most of the other girls think they quit and left town. How often do you think it is a girl leaves town like that?"

She pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. "I would imagine all the time. Not everyone can make it in a big city."

"And some people disappear," said Dirk. "Come on, Detective Lin. We're wasting our time here. Let us know if anyone comes looking for Miss Hunter, if he doesn't kill you first."

"What do you mean?" said Mrs. Devais. Dirk heard her push back her heavy chair.

He turned to look at her. "Miss Hunter witnessed a murder and that man is coming to finish her off. There's a good chance he'll come here. What do you think will happen when he doesn't find her?"

Mrs. Devais paled and she sank into her chair. She sighed and dropped her head. "I don't know where the girl is. If she's not in her apartment with Emma, she could be anywhere."

"Joshua Carpenter didn't take her anywhere?" said Dirk. Lin gave him a sharp look.

Mrs. Devais lifted her head and stared at him. "I haven't had to use Mr. Carpenter for some time. He takes care of it. I don't ask how or where. The girl disappears for a while and comes back or I never see her again. I would _imagine_ he hides her in one of his properties, though I couldn't say for sure."

"That's eight very large properties to search," said Lin.

"We'll have uniforms canvass each property, show pictures of Miss Hunter and Thomas Kent," he said, "see if anyone's seen either."

"And we'll look for the most likely," said Lin.

Dirk nodded. "Bank records, cell phone usage, anything that can tie him to a location."

"And her cellphone," said Lin. "Let's just hope we find her before Kent does."

~~~~~

The door shut behind her and Adelaide turned. He was out of his uniform, but she recognized the man. Bruce Madison's limo driver. Of course it was him. They had to be connected.

Adelaide shut the door. "I didn't see anything, if that's what you're wondering. I don't know what happened, I don't remember. If you killed him, that's fine. He was an ass. I really don't care. Hell, there are days I want to kill my boss."

"I didn't kill him, you bitch," he said, pointing a gun in her face. "You did. I saw what you did to him. I shoulda killed you right there and then."

She shook her head. "I didn't do a thing. I talked to the cab driver. He told me you drove out there and came back all bloody." The man hadn't said that exactly, but it was a bluff.

He stood, shaking the gun at her. "You did that." Spittle sprayed from his mouth. "I came in right as you were murdering him." He backed her into one of the couches and she fell over the arm. "I should have said something to the police earlier, but I wasn't thinking straight. Bruce and I," he ran a hand through his hair, "we go way back. We've worked together for, I dunno, seven years?"

"Mr. Madison's only been in the city for two years," she said, trying to stall. There was a gleam in his eyes that worried her. It wasn't the same type of fear that Joshua gave her. Joshua's was like a wild beast struggling to get out.

But this man, this was madness and anger and fury.

She backed away from him, sliding across the light gray leather. She wondered if she could get around him and to the door.

The limo driver laughed. "We go back farther than that. We met in prison, developed a sort of understanding, protected each other. Our release dates were the same damn day, can you believe that? It was fate.

"The first one sort of landed in our laps. He killed her while he was screwing her. Came all over her just as her lights went out. He was freaking out. That's how he got put away, you know? He strangled a girlfriend during sex and she pressed charges.

"I told him to calm down. Man, he was wound up." The driver chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "I told him it wasn't any big deal. I dropped my pants and stuck it in her. She was limp and dead and still warm. I'd never done anything like it before, but there was somethin' about it, the way the body was still warm and she didn't move. She just stared at me with those glassy eyes, all bugged out from suffocating. I've never cum so hard in my life."

Adelaide ran out of couch and he stalked her as she moved. She needed some distance, something between them, anything.

"Bruce was stunned," the driver said. "Man, he looked like somebody just slapped him. 'What do we do now?' he asked me. Clueless, this guy. I told him, we chop her up and dump her in the river and then we burn the house, nice and neat. No one finds us."

"You're insane," said Adelaide.

"Yeah, maybe,' he said, "but it felt good and it was fun. We kept it up. We didn't do it all the time, obviously. It would draw too much attention, so just special occasions, birthdays, the anniversary of our release date, three times a year. We almost got caught a couple of times and Bruce had to change his name and we moved."

"Why are you telling me all this?" said Adelaide, turning the knob.

"So you can know," he said, taking aim, "after everything I've done and seen, I think you're the bigger monster. Bruce was my friend and you tore him to pieces."

"I was defending myself," she said, raising her chin. "He would have killed me."

"And maybe you deserve to die you dirty whore," the man screamed. He charged at her with the gun and a shot fired.

It went wild and she used the opportunity to roll off the couch and scrabbled backwards behind it. She wasn't sure he could actually kill her, given what Joshua said, but she didn't want to find out.

She also didn't want to meet that _thing_ again.

"Hold still, bitch," he said. "Animals like you need to be put down."

A second shot fired and the round burst through the couch, sending a flare of white stuffing and slammed into her shoulder. The force knocked her backwards. She looked up to see the limo driver staring down at her. She wished she knew his name so she could take it with her and haunt his sorry ass beyond the grave.

She wondered if vampires even had souls as he pulled the hammer down.

"So long, bitch," he said.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was an explosion of sound and she knew it was over.

~~~~~

Detective Lin slammed down the phone receiver. "Gun shots fired at the Eden Pinnacle building."

"That's one of Carpenter's," said Dirk.

She nodded. "Looks like we found your girlfriend."

"Let's just hope we're not too late," he said.

"Uniforms are on it," she said. "And paramedics are on their way. He can't get far."

"And if he shot her?" said Dirk.

Lin frowned and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure she's fine. She's a tough girl, Dirk. She's used to sleeze balls like Kent."

Dirk grabbed his badge and gun. "I don't think she's the type of hooker who's had a John fire a gun at her. But I hope you're right."

The drive from the precinct to Eden Pinnacle was the most agonizing twenty minutes of Dirk's life. Adelaide wasn't dead. He felt very strongly about that, but he didn't know how much longer that would last.

Their car screeched to a halt in front of the building and Dirk and his partner darted inside.

Paramedics were already rushing into the building with a stretcher.

Dirk grabbed a nearby officer and pulled him aside. He looked at his badge.

"Officer Dennis, is it?"

The man nodded.

"What happened?"

Dennis shrugged. "We got reports of a gunshots about twenty minutes ago. I wasn't the first here, but I took up position in case the perp came through the lobby. It wasn't necessary, though. The building owner, Mr. Carpenter got a hold of the guy."

"Was he injured?" said Dirk.

"Mr. Carpenter?" said Dennis. "He's fine. The perp, though..." He smiled.

"Mr. Carpenter didn't kill anyone, did he?" said Dirk.

Officer Dennis laughed. "No, no, nothing like that. I've worked this beat for a few years. Mr. Carpenter's just very protective of his residents. He found this guy assaulting a lady up on the fortieth floor and tackled him. Dirtbag broke his arm."

"What about the woman he attacked?" said Dirk. His heart thudded in his ears.

"GSW to the right shoulder, nothing fatal," the officer said. "EMTs said she'll be fine. They should be bringing her down now."

As if on cue, the elevator dinged and the EMTs exited with a gurney. It was positioned upright and he could see Adelaide clearly. Her face was a little pale, but she looked as lovely as ever. Without even thinking he went to her and held her good hand.

Her lip twitched and she moaned softly, but her eyes didn't open.

"The officer said she'd be fine," said Dirk.

The EMT looked at him. "We gave her a painkiller and a tranquilizer. She was in shock when we arrived. Once the doctors remove the bullet and patch her up, she should be fine after a few days rest. I wouldn't count on her testimony though. She was pretty out of it."

"Thanks," said Dirk, remembering himself and dropping her hand. "We'll check with the hospital when we're done here."

The EMT nodded and they hurried out the door.

"I don't believe you'll need Ms. Hunter's testimony," a familiar voice said.

Dirk turned and saw Joshua Carpenter standing by the stairwell exit.

"You bastard," said Dirk. He charged Carpenter and pinned him to the wall. He grabbed the man's shirt in fistfuls and pulled.

Carpenter only smiled at him. "I did nothing to her, Detective. Ms. Hunter is in my care."

"Yeah, great job you did," said Dirk. "She was shot."

"But she is alive," said Carpenter. "I would have preferred less of a mess than this. It's distressing to my other residents, but it happened. I am willing to give you my full testimony, any alibis you require, along with photo and documented evidence of my whereabouts for the last forty-eight hours."

Dirk relaxed slightly. "Why are you cooperating?"

"I believe it is in Ms. Hunter's best interest," said Carpenter. "This incident was only the last of several killings by Thomas Kent and Bruce Madison."

"So they were partners," said Dirk.

Carpenter nodded. "Most assuredly. I had suspected Mr. Madison for some time and I urged Mrs. Devais to cut him off as a client, but she would not believe me and refused. He was quite the big spender. I'm glad no more of the girls were harmed."

"As am I," said Dirk. "You should have come to the police."

Carpenter frowned. "It would have scared Madison off. He would have changed his name and the two would have moved to another city to start their killing spree all over again."

Dirk opened his mouth to say something, tell Carpenter off. It wasn't his business to judge what was a police matter and what wasn't. But he just shook his head and backed away.

The elevator dinged a second time and the other EMTs emerged with a haggard looking Thomas Kent. He was strapped down to the gurney, struggling to get free. He saw Joshua Carpenter and he began to scream.

"Monsters, both of them, monsters. They're animals," he said. "You've got to keep me away from them. I tell you anything you want, just keep them away from me. Please, oh god, please, keep them away."

"A very disturbed man," said Carpenter. "He was under the impression that Miss Hunter was some sort of wild beast that had killed his partner, when, in truth, I believe he must have had a psychotic episode and murdered the only friend he ever had. Quite sad, really."

"Yeah, damn tragedy," said Dirk. "You saved her life?"

Carpenter nodded. "I was coming by to see how she was accommodating to the new apartment when I heard a gunshot. I rushed to the door and saw Mr. Kent standing over her. Instincts and a certain aptitude for rugby in my younger days came over me and I'm afraid I hurt him rather severely, though I can't say I'm terribly upset about it."

Dirk narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't. You should have one of the EMTs check you out though, just to be safe. I'd hate to think you broke a nail."

Carpenter raised his eyebrows. "You do not like me."

Dirk didn't say anything.

Carpenter shrugged. "It's understandable. You don't know me. I can, however, assure you Detective Gregory, I have no aspirations of dating Miss Hunter. She's a bit young for me and my heart belongs to another."

Dirk blinked and shook his head. "No, it's not like that."

Carpenter's smile returned. "Is it not? Then I am mistaken. My apologies. Should I come to the station?"

Dirk shook his head. "Not necessary. Just write down your account of how things happened and give it to one of the uniforms."

"Good day then, Detective," said Carpenter.

Dirk nodded and hit the button for the elevator. He wanted to take a look at the crime scene before he went to the hospital. The EMT said she didn't think Adelaide would remember much, but he needed to try. And he wanted to make sure she was really alright. He felt such connection to her.

He glanced back at Joshua Carpenter as the elevator chimed open. The man was still looking at him, and Dirk might have been mistaken, but he looked sad. He gave Dirk a small smile and turned to speak with the guard at the desk.

Dirk couldn't swear by it, but it was almost as if Carpenter felt sorry for him. The big question was, why?

~~~~~

Adelaide woke with a start, confused about where she was. The room was bright and her arms were cold and her shoulder ached. It smelled medicinal and sterile.

Then she remembered.

Thomas Kent, Bruce Madison's limo driver had shot her for killing his partner. She shuddered at the memory. He had called her a monster, but Thomas and Bruce were the animals. All those women. She only killed one person and put an end to it.

But that didn't make it right.

She needed to talk to Joshua. That's where she was going when Kent attacked her. She never got the chance.

A nurse entered her room at that moment. She smiled broadly.

"I'm glad to see you're awake, Ms. Hunter," she said. "The EMTs said you were in a bit of shock when they found you. How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," said Adelaide, her voice barely above a whisper.

The nurse's smile didn't falter, but she did raise an eyebrow. "You don't sound find. Do you have any pain or discomfort? Do you know where you are?"

"I'm in a hospital and no, I don't really have any pain," she said. "I'm just very tired. It's been a long day."

The nurse nodded. "Those bruises look pretty fresh. Was it an old boyfriend?"

Adelaide found herself smiling. "After a fashion."

The nurse continued nodding and pulled up Adelaide's blanket. "It's a good thing you're rid of him then. It's perfectly normal to feel tired. The EMTs gave you quite a sedative and your body is healing. If you do happen to feel any pain, just push the button and I can give you something."

"Of course," said Adelaide.

The nurse patted Adelaide's good arm. "That's a girl. Are you up for a visitor?"

"A visitor?" said Adelaide, instantly thinking of Detective Gregory and his kind eyes. "Yes, send them in."

The nurse gave her a knowing look and went into the hallway, shutting the door behind her.

Adelaide noticed she was in a private room. Mrs. Devais didn't provide insurance for her girls, despite the laws. Not that Mrs. Devais ran an entirely legal operation.

A few minutes later, the door swung open and Adelaide found herself disappointed when Joshua Carpenter walked through the door. She needed and wanted to talk to him, but she wanted much more to see and speak to Detective Gregory.

Joshua sat in the chair next to her bed and gave her a long, calculating look. "We need to talk."

She nodded and tried to push herself up, but winced when she used her wounded arm.

"Let me help you," he said. He arranged the pillows behind her and lifted as if she weighed no more than a feather.

"You seem to like to do that a lot," she said, "help me. Why?"

He thinned his lips and leaned back into the chair. "This isn't the best place for this, you know."

"Then what exactly did you come here to talk to me about?" she said. "I'm pretty sure it's not how well I like my hospital accommodations, which I'm sure you're paying for. And my apartment, which is ruined now. I don't deserve all the attention, and I'm not entirely sure I'm comfortable with all of it. So tell me, what's going on and why did you come here?"

He sighed. "You can't tell the police what happened."

Her eyes went wide and she laughed. "I am not telling them some middle aged man turned into a wolf and threatened to tear out Thomas Kent's throat if that's what you mean. They'd lock me up right beside him. But I am going to tell them I killed Bruce Madison."

Joshua shook his head and motioned for her to be quiet. "You can't tell them that either. Thomas Kent will confess to Madison's murder. I've seen to that."

"What?" said Adelaide, trying to rise from her bed. Joshua pushed her back down.

"You can't change what's already happened."

"He didn't kill Bruce Madison," she said. "I did. I remember it."

Joshua leaned closer. "You did not. What you remember is a nightmare to replace the horror you saw."

"That's not true," she said.

He smiled and patted her arm. "No, it's not. The truth is not something a lot of people are ready for. Do you believe what I told you the other day?"

"What, that I'm a vampire?" she said. "Or I will be?" She shook her head and let out a small laugh. "Not really. That's fantasy and stories, some prime time television special."

"Then how did you kill Bruce Madison?" he said.

"I thought you just said I didn't," she said.

He laughed outright this time, shook his head with a smile and stood. "I didn't say that, not really. I said you can't tell the police that. They'll never believe it. For one, the evidence is that of an animal, not a human and they'll find Kent's DNA all over the crime scene along with that of a dozen other women. The evidence is against Kent. You have sympathy on your side."

Adelaide snorted. "I'm a high class prostitute. I doubt anyone would have much sympathy for me."

Joshua began to pace, rubbing his hand against his chin. "I wasn't lying when I said I understood legal matters. Live as long as I have and you get the time to learn. You're someone's daughter, their friend, their sister. Bruce Madison and Thomas Kent are monsters."

"They have families," she said.

Joshua dropped his hand and clasped his hands behind his back. He stood at the end of her bed. "It's all about how you portray it. You're not innocent in this, but they won't find a shred of evidence against you. You can plead guilty to the crime, but you'll be locked away in an asylum or laughed out of court. You'd have to know every detail of the case and how to spin it for this to go the way I think you want it to.

"You are a vampire, Adelaide, a very young one and I have taken it on myself to see you through it," he said.

"Yes, but why?" she said.

His shoulders fell and he walked back to the chair. He fell into it heavily with a sigh. "Because someone made you the way you are without your permission and without notifying the council. Yes, we have a council," he said when she raised her eyebrows. "They are old, cynical and powerful.

"New vampires must be selected carefully. We have to determine if they have what it takes to survive, to master the hunger, to show restraint. Your maker, whoever he or she is, broke that law and at least a dozen others. They are a threat."

"If I'm not supposed to be here, then why look after me?" said Adelaide. "Why not just let me rot in prison?"

His eyes went cold and hard. "Because you are a threat as well. In prison, you could become a psychotic killing machine driven by rage and bloodlust. You would harm countless others and create some of your own unintentional vampires. Former prisoners with criminal minds and a less than savory intent.

"It's not about protecting you. It's about protecting society. For the sake of humanity, vampires, and general goodness in this world, I cannot allow you to tell the police the truth, nor can I allow you to plead guilty."

"You can't stop me from doing what's right," she said.

"I can," said Joshua, "and I will. I would rather not have to. You and I can work together. I think you _do_ have what it takes and I want to see you mature into that full vampire I think you can be. I don't take pleasure in killing children."

"I'm not a child," she said.

He straightened in his chair and placed his hands on his knees. "I have seen over two millennia of fallen empires, war, famine, disease, and misery." His voice was menacing and Adelaide could swear the room grew dark and cold. She could smell death in the air.

"I have seen mothers cry in the street with their dead babes at their breasts while the rich fling mud as they pass on their chariots of gold," he said. "I have seen the poor rise from that mud and topple whole societies. What is a twenty year old squalling brat but a blink of an eye to someone like me?"

Adelaide shrank into her bed.

"But I am not unkind," said Joshua. The room lightened and became warm again. The smell of death gave way to fresh plant life.

"You have a chance," he said. "A remarkable chance to see all the good that goes with that pain. The new technology, the rise of civilizations, the exploration and expansion. Discoveries, medicines, music, art, time. _Time_ is a wondrous thing to watch if given the predilection."

"I don't know what to say." Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"Say nothing," he said. "The council may yet kill you. You have tasted blood and that is a worrisome thing. In the meantime, think about what I've said. If you defy me, you will die. Do as I say and you have a chance."

He stood again and brushed a finger through a strand of her hair and down her face. "If someone did choose you, they chose remarkably well."

"So there's hope," she said.

He paused and raised an eyebrow.

"You may not have to kill me," she said.

Joshua smiled. "There is always hope, dear girl. Rest well. We will talk again soon."

He turned to leave and stopped at the door. He looked back at her.

"There is one other thing," he said.

"Yes?" she said, her eyes wide. "If it's another threat, I'm really tired. Threaten me tomorrow?"

He smiled and sighed, shaking his head. "It's nothing really. This detective, do you like him?"

"What?" she said, creasing her brow. "Detective Gregory? I don't know, maybe. It's been so long since I thought about whether I liked a guy, I never really considered it. He's good looking, sure, but do I like him? I couldn't say."

Joshua seemed to relax and his smile became brighter. "Good. Forget I said anything, then. Feel better soon, Adelaide. You have so much work to do."

He shut the door behind him and the whirring of machines and the background noises of the hospital filled the air. Somewhere, someone sneezed and further off, she could hear two nurses talking about some sort of hospital drama between two doctors. More obvious was the smell of someone's lunch, regurgitated on the floor down the hall. Sour and slightly reminiscent of jello. She wrinkled her nose.

And people always said hospitals were so quiet and smelled so clean. She doubted she would get much sleep.

When she did, finally, drift off to sleep, she dreamed of a dark hallway lit by a single light that stretched on forever, lined with doors. Behind each door, she could hear the wails of anguish and pain. Over all of it, she heard fits of laughter and songs of joy, but no matter how many doors she opened, she never found the source. It was always just out of reach.

~~~~~

Dirk pounded the down button in the elevator. He had just spent the last three hours going through crime scene photos, filling out paperwork, and reviewing witness statements. It all fit so neatly into a box.

Thomas Kent killed his partner in a fit of delusional rage. He let a rabid dog loose in the room and ran. The guilt was most likely made him psychotic.

When Kent left the precinct, he was still screaming about giant wolf monsters that looked like people and fed on the entrails of the dead. He blamed Adelaide for Madison's death.

"It's almost too convenient," said Lin, joining him in the elevator. "I mean, how often do we solve a case, a serial murder case at that, in a day?"

"We got lucky," said Dirk.

Detective Lin snorted. "You don't believe in luck. I know you don't."

"Luck happens," he said.

"Oh yeah?" she said, "Play the lottery then. Hit a slot machine. Walk out in the middle of midday traffic."

"That's not what I mean," he said, shaking his head. "Sometimes, random things happen when you least expect it, for better or for worse, that turn the tide."

"See," she pointed a finger at him, "that's not luck, that's statistics and probability."

"Okay, fine," he said, "probability, whatever you want to call it. Eventually, something has to go right for us."

"That's still not luck," she said.

He sighed. "I'm not going to argue. Sometimes though, cases land in your lap."

Lin pursed her lips. "I think Joshua Carpenter has a lot to do with that."

Dirk raised his eyebrows. "You don't trust him now?"

"I have to admit, his timing is pretty damn convenient," she said. "He pulled Ms. Hunter out of the fire at just the right time almost every time she needed him."

"So you think they're working together?" said Dirk. "That doesn't follow with her personality."

The elevator doors opened and they pushed past a group of uniforms just coming off duty and the next shift coming in.

Lin waited for the group to pass and frowned. "I know you're in love with her, or whatever, but you can't profile a person in a day." She sighed. "But you're right. She wouldn't have hired him and she doesn't seem to be the type to team up with someone. He's covering for her though. Maybe he's just a meddlesome friend of the family or something."

He shook his head. "Hunter didn't know Carpenter. At least she said she didn't. There's something going on there, but I couldn't say what. You don't still think she's guilty do you?"

Lin smiled at him, finally. "No, I don't and I'm happy to say it. You like her. Once this is done I hope you can go on a date with her. One where you don't have to pay her for her services."

Dirk stared at her, speechless.

Lin slapped him on the shoulder. "You deserve it." Her smile dropped. "But there's something about this Carpenter guy that doesn't sit right with me. That confession from Kent was too damn easy. What spooked him so bad?"

"You think Carpenter threatened him?"

She nodded. "Something. I want to go over to the hospital and ask Ms. Hunter some questions." She paused and gave Dirk a mischievious grin. "Unless you want to do it?"

He blinked. "I, um, well, yeah, sure. Someone should speak to her. I don't think she'll remember much though."

Lin shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. You should at least try and if she doesn't remember, offer to buy her dinner sometime after she's recovered. Maybe she'll remember after a few glasses of wine."

She stopped at her car and turned her back to Dirk. He stared at the back of her head, confused. Just that morning, his partner couldn't be spared two kind words about Adelaide Hunter. Now, she was shoving Dirk towards the woman.

"What gives?" he said.

Lin turned and gave him a hard look. "I was wrong about her, okay? She confronted a nutjob and came away with little more than a gunshot. Maybe I appreciate her spirit a little more. I'm not saying you two should get married and set up shop somewhere, but I do think you haven't been laid in a while and she just might be appreciative of the police detective that helped her out."

"That's a bit cold," he said.

"Not really, if you think about it," said Lin. "She needs some comfort and you need to get this out of your system. If you fuck her and it's still there, then you'll know it wasn't junior doing the thinking for you and there's really something between the two of you. Just don't get your hopes up, Dirk. She sleeps with billionaires for a living. There's not a whole lot you can offer her."

"There's always my winning personality," he said.

Lin rolled her eyes and shooed him away. "Go, lover boy, get the girl before you make me vomit. Just remember to wear a rubber. Even high class hookers get dirty." She got in her car, slammed the door and backed out of the parking spot.

Dirk just shook his head and smirked. After three years together, he was still learning things about his partner. But Lin was right about one thing.

It had been forever since he's been laid or even tried to date a woman. He suddenly didn't have the courage to talk to Adelaide that way.

So he would keep it professional. Just ask her about the attack. Keep it black and white. Let her make the first move. If she made the first move. If she didn't, well, maybe it just wasn't meant to be. The girl had been through a lot in the past twenty-four hours and he certainly wasn't going to push her.

He got in his car and drove over to the hospital and tried not to think about it. Instead, he focused on Kent's testimony and what he would ask Adelaide. He got to the hospital parking garage and went up the floor the uniforms said she was on. He was so deep in thought, he almost ran straight into Joshua Carpenter.

"I'm terribly sorry," he started to say until he looked up and saw who it was. His face dropped to a frown.

"No worries," said Carpenter. "You look like a man with a lot on your mind."

"What are you doing here?" Dirk asked.

Carpenter thinned his lips. "I'm looking after my client."

"She's no longer a suspect," said Dirk

Carpenter tilted his head and blinked. For a moment, he reminded Dirk of a bird considering its prey. "I wasn't aware."

"I'm sure you are," said Dirk. "Kent confessed to everything. His confessions matches what you told me." A troubling thought occurred to him. "You didn't coach Kent, did you?"

Astonishment came over Carpenter's face. "I'm shocked you would suggest such a thing, Detective. I did no such thing. He's mad."

"It's interesting you knew so much about his confession," said Dirk.

Carpenter clasped his hands in front of him. "He was ranting and screaming quite badly when your officers showed up. Even without a confession, his guilt would have been obvious."

"Of course," said Dirk. "We may need to ask you some more questions later on. Is there a way I can reach you?"

Carpenter extended a card. Dirk didn't even see him reach into a pocket.

"Day or night," said Carpenter. "Have a nice chat with Adelaide. She really is a lovely girl."

"Why do you assume I'm talking to Adelaide?"

Carpenter smiled. "You have your murderer, but I suspect you have more questions, yes? It would be foolish to assume otherwise. And, if I may say, it's obvious you like her."

"That's not why I'm here."

"Of course not, Detective," said Carpenter. "Just doing your due diligence, naturally. I am sure we will speak again soon," He turned to leave and paused, facing Dirk one more time. "Once thing, Detective. Be careful around Adelaide. She's not exactly stable right now. She may be a tad...unpredictable."

"I think I can handle myself," said Dirk.

"Oh, I know you think you can," said Carpenter. "All the same, watch yourself."

Carpenter moved again to leave, but Dirk put a hand on his shoulder. "There's one thing I'd like to ask you now, off the record, if you don't mind."

Carpenter turned slowly and gave Dirk a sad smile. He took Dirk's hand off his shoulder and clasped his own hands in front of him. "Ask your question."

"A human didn't kill Bruce Madison," said Dirk.

Carpenter raised an eyebrow. "That's not a question."

"I think you know what killed him. What was it?" said Dirk.

"I haven't the foggiest," said Carpenter, "but I believe you will find Thomas Kent kept several illegal wild animals."

"And you would know that how, exactly?" said Dirk.

"I know a great many things about Mrs. Devais and her clients," said Carpenter.

Dirk let out an exhasperated breath and shook his head. "You have all the answers, don't you? A solution for everything."

"You better hope that I continue to do so, Detective Gregory, for your sake." He gave a quick nod and walked to the elevator.

"I don't like threats, Mr. Carpenter," said Dirk.

"Good evening, Detective," said Carpenter, his back to him. The elevator arrived and he exited the corridor without another word.

Dirk watched him leave. He wanted to say something to the prick, bash his face in and make him tell the truth. But, in the end, at least for now, Carpenter was protecting Adelaide. And for Dirk, that's what mattered.

"Detective Gregory?" a familiar voice said. "Is that you?"

He looked away from the elevator and saw Adelaide in the hallway, holding on to her IV drip dressed in a hospital gown, robe and slippers. Even disheveled, tired, and pale from blood loss, he thought she was beautiful.

But instead of telling her that, he said, "You should be in bed."

She smiled. "I'm fine. The doctors said I could move around a little. Now that the sedatives have worn off, I can't sleep. I heard your voice so I came out to see."

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

She shook her head. "It's fine. Were you arguing with Joshua?"

So it was Joshua now? He thinned his lips. "I suppose we were."

"You don't like him," she said.

He sighed. "No, I guess I don't, but you do, and that's important."

Her eyes went wide. "Not like that." She waved her free hand. "He's just not what you think, but there are times when he really scares me."

"He hasn't hurt you?" said Dirk.

"What? No," she said. "Not at all. Not scare like that. He knows things, understands things. Sometimes, it's a bit spooky, but he has my best interests at heart."

"But why?" said Dirk.

Her face softened and she gave him a small smile. "Walk me back to my room."

He put his arm through her free one and waited for her to move. Up close, he expected her to smell like the hospital, but she smelled sweet and floral, like orange blossoms and that same musky scent from before. She took slow, careful steps down the hallway, clutching at the IV stand.

"You didn't come here to ask me about Joshua Carpenter," she said.

He looked at her and smiled. "No, I didn't."

She nodded, not looking at him. "I don't remember much of the past twenty-four hours, Detective Gregory. It's all flashes and images, but nothing solid. I remember the gunshot and Kent screaming. I had a nightmare about Bruce Madison, but I couldn't tell you what actually happened there either. I'm sorry I'm not much help."

"You're the one who called the police, right?" he said.

She nodded again. "Yeah, I was a bit freaked out. I didn't know what else to do, and I couldn't stay there. I couldn't remember what happened, and for all I knew, the freak was coming back."

"You took time to take a shower," he said.

"I had to get the blood off me," she said. "I know I ruined evidence, but I wasn't thinking straight."

"I think I understand," he said.

She stopped and looked at him. She narrowed her eyes and examined his face. "I think you might. Just tell me this. Am I still a suspect?"

He smiled. "No, you're not."

The tension visibly left her body and her face brightened. "I think that's the best thing I've heard all day."

"I'm glad to hear that," he said. "Would you like to join me for dinner some time?" The words tumbled out before he could stop them, and for a moment, he was horrified he said them.

Adelaide stared at him for a moment and smiled. "Okay, second best thing. _That_ was the best."

~~~~~

Joshua Carpenter watched as Detective Gregory left the hospital. He could see the swirls of energy massing around the young man, smell the pheromones. She had chosen well, whether she knew it or not, but he worried for her, worried for them both. Would it be enough to save her? To stay her hand when the bloodlust took hold?

Or would she kill the one man who had fought so hard for her?

~~~~~

Amanda McCarter lives in Tulsa, OK with her boyfriend. They share their living space with two dogs, two cats, and two snakes and try to keep the peace. When not dreaming of distant futures and far away lands, she spends her time knitting, reading, and playing video games.

Follow Amanda online:

Blog: http://amandamccarter.wordpress.com

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