Chapter 210
Rachel's entertainment was dated. She put them through several "games" and was gearing up for a round of Charades when a knock sounded on the front door. Everyone went still, eyes moving from one to another. Joseff was still missing, but it was unlikely he'd knock, which meant-
Jorick sighed. "It's Beldren and Zuri."
"Friends of yours?" Yaul demanded.
"No. They're Executioners." There was a collective gasp that Jorick talked over, "They're probably following up to make sure Kale got home safely, since you reported it to them."
Rachel wiped her nervous hands on her jeans. "He's right. That's probably what it is."
The Executioners knocked again. No one moved and, after the third knock, the door opened and heavy footsteps moved through the house.
Beldren appeared in the doorway, looking just as Katelina remembered. He was slender with a long, blonde ponytail and green eyes. Behind him was Zuri, his complete opposite. Shorter and broader, he had a thick shock of messy black hair that stood almost vertical. They both wore long black coats and around their necks were the twisted silver medallions that signified their office: The Guild's police force and death squad.
Beldren's eyes swept over the room. Surprise registered on his face before he slipped the impassive veneer back. "Jorick! I didn't expect to see you here."
"Then who were you looking for?"
Beldren narrowed his eyes, as if he could sense Jorick scraping around inside his head. "Obviously I was looking for the vampires who are supposed to live here." He tugged out his cell phone and hit a couple of buttons. "Which of you is-Kale?"
The vampire in question stood. "Can I help you?"
"You're the master here? Have you seen anything suspicious in the last few days?"
Jorick cocked an eyebrow. "Define suspicious."
"I was speaking to him," Beldren pointed out impatiently. "If you must know, there's been a murder."
Murder. The word left Katelina with a sick sense of deja-vu. "Another one?" As soon as the words were out she covered her mouth. It was too late.
"This is the third one, if you count the two Verchiel investigated in Maine," Zuri broke off as Beldren glared at him.
"As my thoughtless partner so helpfully explained, there were two murders in Maine and now we have one in Kentucky, though no one can agree whether they're related or not." His gaze flicked over the assembled vampires and his voice dropped low, as if he was speaking only to Jorick. "There is some speculation that the other two were perpetrated by a human, or humans, but this one definitely was."
"How do you know?"
Beldren took a deep breath, as if preparing to deliver a dramatic line. "Because she called it in. At noon. From an outdoor payphone. The only vampires who can withstand that kind of sunlight are ancient Masters, and they're all accounted for."
Rachel piped up, "Where was the murder at? This last one, I mean?"
"About an hour from here. You're the closest den we have marked, so we thought we'd ask if you'd seen anything, or if you had any humans hanging around." His calculating eyes landed on Katelina. At a low growl from Jorick, they moved away.
"We might be glad to have the human around, after all," Alex said. "She can wake us up if anyone breaks in."
"As if she would."
They all looked up to see Joseff behind the Executioners. He glared at them with open hostility. "Since no one's seen anything, you'll be leaving, right?"
Beldren looked down his nose at the newcomer. "We'll take our leave in our own time."
Rachel stood and moved to Kale's side. "Before you go, if you please, does this have anything to do with the kidnapping?"
"Kidnapping?" Beldren looked at Zuri, who shrugged. "What kidnapping?"
Before she could say anything else, Jorick planted himself in front of the Executioner. "If this is related to the other murders, why isn't the idiot here?"
Beldren's eyes glowed, like an old woman with gossip. "No one's seen him since he came back from the second investigation. His car was gone, but when we left on the twenty-third, it was back in the garage, so your guess is as good as mine. I'm not convinced they really go together, anyway. Maine to Kentucky is quite a leap for a serial killing human. It's more likely that the two in Maine were connected to one another, probably part of a feud, and this one is a jilted human getting revenge. She left one of them alive and killed the other three with wooden stakes, if you'd believe it. The murders in Maine were with a gun. They even got a human in the second one, right between the eyes. I hear that Verchiel had to leave the human's body. Apparently it was a race to get everything cleaned up before the police woke up."
Jorick snorted. "Sounds right."
Beldren suddenly smiled; or as close to a smile as he seemed capable. "If I see him, should I pass on your regards?"
Jorick's scowl deepened. "Hardly."
Beldren turned serious again. "You're not planning to stay here, are you? I don't want to have to fight to update the database."
Jorick's eyebrows rose curiously. "No. We're visiting for the holidays."
Beldren looked at the Christmas tree, then nodded. "Good. In that case, we'll be going. We've got the survivor waiting in the car. We're taking him back to the Citadel. Though he says he doesn't remember anything useful, he might with a little-prodding." Beldren's smile suddenly seemed genuine. "Until next time."
He turned on his heel, snarled at Joseff, and stalked out, Zuri behind him. Everyone else stayed frozen in place, collectively holding their breath, until the door slammed.
Rachel heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry, but they make me nervous."
"Yeah, me too," Alex agreed.
"They're just a bunch of black coated cowards on a power trip," Joseff snapped. "They have to hide behind official titles and shiny jewelry to do their dirty work."
Rachel turned to Jorick. "Why didn't he understand what I meant about the kidnapping?"
"Because they don't know anything about it," Jorick said, a gleam in his eyes. "When you reported it, who did you talk to?"
"We called the number you're supposed to call to report things. I started to explain what was going on. The lady cut me off and patched me right through to someone." She glanced at Joseff. "It was a woman. I can't remember her name. She said she'd take care of it immediately. The reception was pretty bad, so she must have been on a cellular phone."
Jorick rubbed his chin. "Migina? Griselda? Senya?"
"Wait! That last name! I'm sure that was it. I remember because it made me think of a sunset."
Katelina shuddered. Senya was anything but a sunset - unless it was a blood colored sunset. Cold, cruel and vindictive, she was the epitome of the perfect Executioner.
"What does that mean?" Yaul demanded. "And what the hell did he mean the database?"
Jorick waved it away. "They like to keep track of where everyone lives."
"It's on their cell phones," Katelina volunteered. "There's a whole app for it." Everyone stared at her and she looked at her feet. "Um, Verchiel showed it to me when we were - when he took me to The Guild."
Jorick snapped, "And what else did he show you?"
Yaul snickered. "Jealous?"
Everyone ignored him.
"Just that. He said it's a pain to update because they have to submit changes and then have them verified by someone else. He showed me two women who were listed in Indiana, but are really in Florida." She looked up suddenly. "It has everything! Where they are, who turned them, what powers they have, whether they're loyal to The Guild or not, who lives with them, how old they were when they were turned. It probably has physical descriptions if you scroll down. It's kind of creepy."
"Apparently we're in it," Kale commented. "Which is interesting, if it's so hard to update. We haven't even been here a month."
"They sent your summons to the Citadel here," Jorick said. "I assume that would be tantamount to verification."
"I suppose." Kale didn't sound convinced. "If there really is a murderer, we'd better keep our eyes opened."
Katelina shivered. It was just one more thing, as if there wasn't enough for her to worry about.
