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He exhales. "No you don't, but we know you. I have a feeling that you will be getting to know us both verywell."
I glare at him and turn away to enter the building. As I stand at the elevator, I turnback briefly to see him still standing there on the steps, watchingme.
* * *
Ienterthe boardroom where Michel and the others have gathered for my next test and take a seat across from their table. Michel's gaze is fixed on me – I can feel it from where I sit and I avoid him, looking everywhere but in his direction. I'm determined to get through this without looking him directly in the eye because I fear I'll blush or give away the fact that I know what happened tohim.
He shouldn't feel shame about it. He's innocent of everything, but he's a priest, one born in an era very different from ours, and no doubt his experience has formed the man he's become. I've taken classes in psychology and know how traumas affect people. Hell, I have my own deep dark secrets that my mind won't let meremember.
"How are you, Eve?" he says to me while Ed and Terri confer over a file in the corner of theroom.
Now I can't avoid looking at him. When I do, I try to keep my face impassive but as usual I'm struck by his beauty – like Julien, he has black hair against such pale skin, his blue eyes fringed with thick black lashes under expressive brows, his soft mouth and square jaw. My heart beats a little faster, remembering our kiss. My cheeks heat under his gaze but I force myself not to lookaway.
"I'm fine, Michel," I say, keeping my voice light as if nothing has changed. And it's then that vivid images of him being killed on the altar in the Basilica fill my mind's eye. I try to blot the image out of my mind, but of course, my mind won't let me consciously forget any of these images. Instead, it keeps forcing me back tothem.
I smile at him, purposely, trying to appear calm andcool.
He smiles back at me, pressing his index finger into his cheek and then points at me accusingly, a grin on his face. Then I get it – my dimples. He's reminding me of what he said about my dimples… It's so intimate and sweet, my breath hitches. I feel all mushy inside and my heart breaks just a little forhim.
He and Julien are nothing like the monsters of my imagination. I thought taking on my mother's work would see me finding a way to kill vampires and now, what's foremost on my mind is whether I'll have sex with one ofthem.
Terri takes her seat and Ed closes a file and comes around the table, leaning against it, his armsfolded.
"You met Dr. Theresa Starr. She's the lead profiler for theSCU."
"Call me Terri," she says andsmiles.
"And of course you already know Agent de Cernay," he says, pointing to Michel. "He's our advisor from the Council and operations lead on the River Mancase."
I raise my eyebrows at mention of the River Man serial case. It's been the talk of the city. I make eye contact with Ed and Terri, but I've already played eye games with Michel and so I don't withhim.
Finally, Ed hands me a case file and I turn my attention from them to the papersinside.
"Take a look," Ed says. "I know you're not trained in forensics or police procedure, but just look through and tell us what you make of it. We want to see your analytic skills. Your ability to encounter new information and synthesize it – make inductive leaps. You have tenminutes."
The thick file contains a series of grisly autopsy photos in vivid color. The crime scene photographs reveal fully-dressed bodies with their gloved hands shackled in front of them, their decapitated heads in their embrace. Half submerged in water, the limbs are tangled in seaweed and ropes attached to old dockpilings.
All six victims were similarly murdered. I read over the autopsy reports – there's no evidence of drugs or alcohol. No defensive wounds. No sign of trauma. No ligature marks indicating they've been restrained before being killed. They were just all drained of blood and then bound and decapitated post-mortem and then dumped into the rivers. I read over the reports made by the people who found the bodies, by the police officers who attended the scene, and the detectivenotes.
"So," O'Neil says, checking his watch. He removes his glasses and slips them into his pocket. He folds his arms. "What are your first thoughts after reading over thefile?"
I flip through thefile.
"I'm only pre-med, but it's pretty clear that they were all killed by a vampire and had their head cut off after. There's no lividity so their blood was drained before death. There's no bruising from the decapitation. Because there are no wounds or marks on their wrists or ankles, it seems they weren't assaulted first or restrained. They must have either known the vampire and submitted willingly or have been compelled. The one thing I don't get is the brain scans on the victims. They all had strange neurologicalfindings."
"Howso?"
"They have growth in certain areas that suggest prolonged drug use. Or use of SSRIs, MDMA or other drugs that increase serotonin and dopamine. But the ME's reports say no traces of any of the meds. Were they bloodslaves?"
The three of them exchange glances and I wonder if I'm on track or completely offtrack.
"Why do youask?"
"Their brain scans look like addicts, but they had no evidence of long-term druguse."
Ed nods. "Anythingelse?"
"They were all dumped in similar locations in a limited geographical area – all in shallow water in the waterfront district, weighted so the current didn't take them. The bodies were all called in to 9-1-1. So it seems the killer wanted them to be found, and soon," Isay.
