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“Sure,” Blair said, tapping out a note to herself. “Now we just need—”
A sharp knock interrupted them, and Sara looked up to see Leviathan standing in the doorway. “A human child was discovered in Echo Park a few minutes ago.”
“Stemmons?” she asked, her chest tight with dread.
“Apparently so,” Leviathan said. “The rapid response team has already confirmed his scent.”
She was already up and at the door, Blair right behind her. “A Division team at a human crime scene? Is that usual?”
“It’s not,” he said. “But this is a Division matter because of the evidence that vampires assisted Stemmons’s breakout. You’ve been assigned to the joint task force because of your history with him. But be careful. The cover story is still Homeland Security.”
“Yes, sir.” Her mind was already spinning. “If vampires helped him escape, they’re probably still with him, and the victim may have seen one of them. I’d like Doyle to come along, too. With any luck, his visions can help.”
“Make the call,” he said to Blair as he and Sara stepped into the elevator. “Have Agent Doyle meet us at the scene.”
“Yes, sir,” Blair said as the doors closed and the elevator whisked them to the parking level. On the drive, Leviathan gave her the relevant details: ten-year-old female abducted from her home. No witnesses.
The news, and the dry recitation, about broke Sara’s heart. But it was the sight of the little girl herself, pale as paper, eyes open in terror, that had sharp tears stinging Sara’s eyes, and a flood of pure rage boiling through her head.
Her neck had been ripped open, which wasn’t Stemmons’ traditional MO, but since his scent had been confirmed, Sara had to assume that the vamps were teaching him a thing or two.
Her hand ached suddenly, and she realized she’d been clutching her fist. She forced herself to relax, to let go of the wave of disgust that was keeping her rooted to the spot.
Goddammit.
“Sir.” A tall man with dark skin, a shaved head, and a neatly trimmed beard approached Leviathan. He wore a T-shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots along with a blue windbreaker that hadDivision 6stenciled on the back andForensicson the front. “I have a preliminary report.”
“Sara Constantine, this is Dr. Orion, head of forensics and our chief medical examiner.”
“Ms. Constantine,” Orion said, extending his hand. “Nice to meet a kindred spirit.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Orion is human, too,” Leviathan told her. “At the moment, you two and Agent Tucker are the only humans working within Division 6.”
“Oh. Wow. Well, it’s great to meet you.”
“We’ll have coffee,” he said. “I’ll tell you tales. But before that pleasant interlude, we have a little girl to attend to.”
“We do,” Sara said. “What can you tell us so far?”
“We’ve analyzed the residual essence from Stemmons’ escape, and there’s no question that Stemmons was assisted by a single vampire, but the signature isn’t reading clearly and we can’t even determine if the vampire was male or female.”
“Can you tell if that same vampire was here?” Sara asked.
“You beat me to it,” Orion said. “I was just about to say yes. We’re picking up the same signature.”
“We need Doyle,” Sara said. “If the girl saw the vampire…”
“Has Agent Doyle reported to the scene?” Leviathan asked. The question, however, was mooted by Doyle’s appearance across the playground. He scanned the scene, slipped under the county crime tape, then crossed quickly, with Tucker at his side.
“What the fuck?”
“A task force matter,” Leviathan said. “Constantine thinks your skills would be useful.”
His eyes cut to the child’s body, now surrounded by the human police. “Too crowded.”
“We’ll clear the crowd,” Leviathan said.
