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"Nope. You're it. If he's guilty," Ed says, "he'll try to intimidate you, threaten you, try to play with your mind when you read him, convince you to lie. You don't have to take long – just see if you can find one unsanctioned kill that's part of this case, even if it isn't this current murder. Catch him killing any one of them. That's all we need to start the process. You can find more and document them later."
"How will I know if they're unsanctioned?"
"You'll know. When a kill is sanctioned, there's documents to sign and an inspection of the corpse to make sure the kill was clean."
I nod and my hands shake just a bit. "I think you're making a mistake."
"If Terri thinks you're up to it," Ed says, "you're up to it. She's the expert."
I glance at the I.V. "Is that really necessary? He's not going to hurt me."
"It is necessary. It acts in seconds. One move to hurt you and he'll be immobilized. He knows there's no escape for him."
Ed passes me a clipboard. On the top is a bold title 'Oath of Office'.
"You'll have to read this out loud and I'll witness. Once you read it, you'll be bound to it. You have to agree to faithfully report what you see when you witness his kills, revealing those that are unsanctioned so we can begin prosecution. If you don't, you'll be charged with treason and put in prison for an undetermined time – or executed if the treason is considered high."
"Why would I lie?"
"People have chosen sides. Even some humans have sided with vampires if you can believe it. They want vampires to be rulers." He shakes his head. "It's like a drug with them. They see vampires as god-like and want something to worship."
"People worship vampires?"
"Believe it. They have an underground cult following."
I swallow hard and read the oath of office out loud, my throat constricting so much that I can barely speak. I sign, indicating that I understand the penalties for lying. I try to smile and hand it back to him. He witnesses the form.
"Might as well jump right in," he says. "You can talk while you read him. We'll record everything and you can add to it later."
Ed goes into the other room and nods to the guard, who removes the earphones and hood.
"He has color in his cheeks," I say to Ed when he returns.
"Recently fed on whole human blood and a whole human's worth. There wasn't time for it to dissipate. Takes a few hours."
As I wait for guards to finish removing the hood and earphones, sadness fills me. Soren has manipulated everyone and is probably now laughing.
Julien sits behind a heavy oak table, a two-way mirror on the wall across from him, a video camera in a corner of the ceiling taping everything. Dried blood speckles his chin, marring the otherwise perfect strong jaw and symmetrical features. Finally, Ed escorts me into the room and Julien turns to face me.
"You must be joking." He turns away as if in disgust then glares at Ed. "You can't use her as my witness for God's sake. She's never done one case. Besides, we're intimate. That breaks the ethics rules. Can't Western send someone?"
My cheeks burn when he mentions our intimacy.
Ed turns to me and shakes his head. "Suspects don't get to choose their interrogators."
"Interrogator my ass." Julien glances away. "She's nothing more than a girl."
Ed shrugs. "This girl could have killed Michel in the dojo if she'd had a stake. The depth of her gift is all that matters. You said yourself that hers is very deep despite her age."
Julien says nothing, turning away as if he can't bear to even look at me. I focus on the notes Ed has given me. Before administering the test, I'm required to take a verbal statement from Julien, to get him to confess.
"Tell me what happened," I say, trying to keep my voice neutral. "What were you doing with the body?"
"Oh, that?" he says, his eyes narrowing. "Just a little lunch." He lunges forward just enough to make the cuffs jangle on his ankles. I flinch, hurt that he's treating me like this. The guard steps forward, ready to activate the hypodermic, but Ed holds his hand up. "Don't give the bastard what he wants." The guard backs off.
Julien smiles, but his eyes gave lie to it.
"How old are you, Eve? Twenty? Are they so desperate for talent that they're sending neophytes in to do adult work now?"
