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Now, we could go into each one and ask if they’ve seen the victim tonight. But this is a rough part of town, the seedy underbelly of Middlebury. Walking into these bars on official PEACE business will not be smart. We’ll be targets the moment we step in.
Don’t get me wrong, Ren and I can handle ourselves in a fight. And fighting together? Forget about it. But cracking skulls in every bar in town will not help us find this killer.
“Ren, do you have his scent? Can we retrace his steps?”
Ren sniffs the air and nods. Perfect. Finding where someone was by scent can be a lot harder than finding where they are. Lucky for me, I have the best werewolf around as a partner.
He leads me through the darkest and sketchiest parts of Middlebury. Drug dealers and gang members scatter when they see our PEACE badges shine in the occasional light of streetlights. The victim traveled a long way just to get killed.
“There.” Ren points at an unassuming bar just down the road. Outside, two groups seem to be holding back a couple of drunk guys trying to fight. What a classy place.
Ren and I sneak past the drunks and slip through the front door. Inside, the bar isn’t packed but has a decent number of people. Surely one of them will remember seeing the victim.
“Hello, gentleman. Can I ask you a few questions?” Ren begins. I stand behind him as he approaches a few patrons at a table near the door.
Early in our partnership, we learned that Ren opens the line of questioning with a friendly face. If any intimidation is needed, I step in. My vampiric pale skin and angular face tend to make the common person uneasy, especially late at night.
I try to listen to Ren and any new information we might get, but I quickly get distracted. Across the bar, a group of college boys is getting rowdy, shouting at a waitress. At least, until this woman steps in.
I’d place her at about five and a half feet tall. Young. Her wavy, dark brown hair falls to her mid-back. From here I can only see her from behind, and I have to say, she also has a great ass.
The woman stands firm and tall looking down at the college boys. I try to use my vampiric hearing to listen in, but again I’m distracted. A pang of hunger starts to rise in me. The longer I look at her, the greater the desire to feed grows.
One of the college boys stands up. She doesn’t back down. I lick my lips. She glares at the boys as they slink away out the door. My hands form into tight fists.
Who is this delectable creature? So strong and commanding. She barely had to lift a finger to send those boys running. I must know more about her.
“So.” Ren’s words snap me out of my trance. “Do you think that’s a lead worth following?”
“I… What?” I turn away from the woman to look at Ren.
“You weren’t paying attention, were you?”
“No, no, I was… I was…” I look back and the woman is gone. I scan the room and find her now standing behind the bar. “I’m going to go talk to the bartender.”
“Seriously? We’re supposed to-” Ren’s eyes fall on her. “Oh. Yeah, I bet you are. While you go do that, I’m going to actually do our jobs.”
“Good. Do that.”
I make my way over to the bar. Now, I get a good look at her from the front. She’s beautiful for a human. Her face is almost vampirically angular, but she’s all human, I can smell that from here. Her enchanting dark green eyes roll with annoyance as she sees me coming.
“All of our permits are up to date, Officer.” She continues cleaning bar glasses, not even bothering to look at me. “And if not, I don’t even own the place. Don’t bother me about it.”
She’s no-nonsense. I like that. My hunger only grows.
“That’s not why I’m here. I’m a homicide detective with PEACE. A victim was here-”
“Look, man.” She finally looks directly at me. “This isn’t a cop show or something. I see a lot of people every night. The faces blend together. Present company included.”
A sharp tongue, too. This bartender is far more than just another pretty face. She’s something special. No human has even intrigued me so much.
It’s been a long time since a regular human has given me so much attitude. She has an air of intimation that could rival any shifter I know. I must learn more about her and unravel the mystery of who she is.
“Fair enough.” Time to turn on the charm. “I’m Caspian.”
“Okay, Caspian.”
“And you are?”
