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“Here’s what I think happened,” Barbara continued. “I think Marcus knew he would be lying on the floor, and he took his jacket off so he wouldn’t get it dirty. But why?”
“I don’t know,” Stephen said, but he sounded rattled.
“I think you do,” Barbara said. “You see, I think the whole thing was faked. I think you went to the cabin specifically to make that video. To make it look like Marcus was attacked but escaped. And then use it to incite a cull.”
Stephen’s lip curled. He leaned forward. “Prove it.”
And then a voice from behind them growled: “What the hell is going on here?”
Barbara turned. A woman stood in the doorway. Lean, even in a thick jacket and jeans. Her curly blonde hair was yanked back into an untidy ponytail and her face was cut through with angry lines.
Dan stood. “They were just going—”
Nicholls got to his feet. “Good to see you again, Jess.”
The woman folded her arms. “Can’t say likewise.”
Nicholls gestured to Barbara. “This is—”
“I know who she is, and I told you, I got nothing to say to her. Stephen has been through enough. He doesn’t need you harassing him.”
Nicholls held out his hands in a placatory gesture. “We’re just here to make sure all the facts—”
Jess barked out a hollow laugh. “The facts? The facts are this—a kid is dead, killed by a vampyr. Just like before. Just like in Ohio last year. Just like in Texas the year before that. And it will keep on happening until we deal with them once and for all.” She paused and shook her head. “But why am I wasting my breath?” She scowled at Barbara. “She’s not here to help us. She’s here to find excuses not to authorize a cull. Don’t think we don’t know it.”
“That’s not true, ma’am,” Barbara said. “I want to see the perpetrator of this crime brought to justice as much as you do.”
Jess took a step toward Barbara. “You don’t get it, do you? It doesn’t matter which one of them did it. They’re all the same. We need to wipe them from the face of the earth.”
Barbara kept her voice pleasant. “Well, whether you like it or not, colonies are protected under the law and an unauthorized cull will land you in jail.”
“What I would like is for you to leave.”
Nicholls nodded at Dan, who was sitting in his seat, looking uncomfortable. “Thank you for your time, and Stephen’s too.”
Stephen smirked at them from the armchair. “See ya.”
Barbara rose. “By the way, Stephen, we’ve sent Marcus’s phone to Tech. Be interesting to see what they pull from the deleted files.” She paused. “I’m guessing you didn’t get the video right on the first attempt.”
The smirk dropped like a stone. Barbara walked to the door with Nicholls. She turned to Jess. “Could I use your bathroom before I go?”
Jess raised an eyebrow. “This the part where you use that as an excuse to sneak around our house upstairs?”
“No, ma’am. I’ve just got a bladder like a sieve.”
“Well, in that case, plenty of woods on the way back into town. Watch out for things that bite.” She moved to close the door on them.
“Wait!” Stephen suddenly stood up.
Gotcha, Barbara thought.
He glared at them resentfully. “It wasn’t our idea, okay? The Doc said he’d pay us five hundred dollars each to set the Colony up.”
19
Nicholls guided the truck carefully along the road. Snow was piled at the side, and it was icy in places but the 4x4 held its grip.
“There are only a couple of houses out this way,” he said. “The Bell house is up there.” He gestured to a narrow track that disappeared into forest. “Doc Dalton lives at the far end of the road, near the lake.”
