Blood Games (Chicagoland Vampires 10)

As the forensic team moved closer, we stepped back to give them room.

“So someone killed Mitzy Burrows,” I said, when we’d moved a few feet away. “Then her ex-boyfriend, then Samantha Ingram. And the killer is going in order: Ace of Cups, Two of Swords, Three of Pentacles.”

“Four of Wands would be next,” Catcher said. “Naked woman on a horse in front of a castle.”

“Lady Godiva?” Ethan suggested.

Catcher nodded. “Quite similar.” He looked at my grandfather. “What ties the victims together? Or to the killer?”

“The Magic Shoppe,” I said. “Mitzy used to work there, and she bought the swords there. There’s a good chance the tarot cards were purchased there, too, based on the limited supply. Have you heard anything from the manager?”

Catcher shook his head. “The records were supposed to be released today. We’re just waiting for him to take a look. Might be worth a drop-in later if we still haven’t heard.”

My grandfather nodded. “Follow up with them again, and drop by the store if you can’t reach them.”

“Not to be the bearer of bad news,” Ethan said, “but three deaths within a single week means the killer’s moving quickly.”

“And the media’s caught on to the tarot angle,” my grandfather said. “There was a story in the paper this morning: ‘City under Siege as Tarot Killer Strikes Chicago.’”

“Thank God they didn’t exaggerate,” Catcher said blandly. “If this was the killer’s first body, maybe he was sloppy. We could get lucky in the forensics.”

“That would be my hope. Detective Jacobs will run the investigation on the ground, follow up again with Brett’s, Mitzy’s, and Samantha’s neighbors, try to find the connection between them. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’ll want to visit the store, as well.”

“Anything we can do?” I asked.

“Not at the moment. But we’d appreciate it if you’d stay available. We’ve got folks dabbling in magic, purposefully or not, and we’d appreciate your take. That’s what got us to the Magic Shoppe in the first place.”

I had to give credit where credit was due. “That was Jonah’s doing, actually. And we’ll circle around with him, just in case.”

“Appreciate it.” My grandfather glanced back at Mitzy, grief darkening his eyes. Decades as a cop hadn’t carved the emotion out of him.

“We’ll be in touch,” he said, a hand on Catcher’s back as they moved back.

I sighed, rubbed my eyes. “I, for one, am sick of murder.”

Ethan rubbed my neck. “You and me both, Sentinel. You and me both.”

* * *

We walked back to Ethan’s car, climbed inside. Ethan pulled out his phone to check it before we pulled into traffic.

My heart jumped immediately. “News?”

“Yes, but not of the variety we were expecting. The GP located Ronald Weatherby. And the GP is now down another vampire.”

I half turned in the seat. “Down another vampire—as in dead? They found out who did it?”

“It was Dierks; at least, it was Dierks in the end, God rest his soul. Ronald Weatherby actually named Harold Monmonth as the instigator. He made the plan to steal the money from the GP, and when he was gone”—by Ethan’s hand, notably—“Dierks continued the tradition.”

“Weatherby prepped the obelisk?”

Ethan paused, scrolling through the GP’s message. “He did. Said he had no idea what the vampires planned to use it for. ‘Bit of hypnosis,’ he told them.”

I sat back again. “Damn. And what did Dierks say?”

“He offered Darius a full confession, which might be the first honorable thing he’s done. Ironically, he said the GP was falling apart, and he wanted out. He decided continuing Monmonth’s plan was the easiest way to do that.”

“How did they kill Dierks?” I quietly asked.

“Decapitation. A relatively easy out for a vampire who committed treason and larceny, all things considered, but they’d have given him consideration since he’s a GP member.”

“What will happen to Ronald?”

More scrolling. The GP apparently prepared very thorough reports. “Lakshmi is communicating with the European version of the Order to ensure Ronald uses more care in the future.”

“That’s a familiar story,” I said, thinking of Mallory and her former tutor, Simon.

“Perhaps,” Ethan said with a smile. But when he looked down at his phone again, the smile faded. A pulse of despondent magic filled the car.

I put a hand on his arm but stayed quiet. From the look on his face, I didn’t need to ask what news he’d received.

“I didn’t win,” Ethan said. “I lost the vote.” He looked sad, shocked, befuddled, all at once.

I waited for him, gave him time to say the rest of it aloud.

“She won—Nicole. She’ll be the next head of the GP.” He put the phone down, put both hands on the steering wheel, stared into the night.

“I’m so sorry,” I quietly said. “So very sorry. I know how much you wanted it—how much good you would have done.”

He nodded but kept his eyes on the street.

“Will you want to address the House?”

Silence, then: “No, Merit. I just want quiet. Peace and quiet. We’ll broadcast the coronation in the ballroom, and I’ll address the House then. I’ll thank them for their service, for putting up with the intrigue and the testing, for all of it. But for now, let’s just have peace.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do. Can I ply you with food? That’s really my go-to response.”

Before he could answer, my phone rang again. “Damn, but we’re popular,” I murmured, switching it to speaker mode.

“Merit and Ethan.”

“It’s Catcher. Just heard from the manager of the Magic Shoppe.”

“That was fast.”

“Yeah. Apparently he saw the story in the paper, actually got to work. He confirmed Samantha Ingram was a customer. Bought some vampire memorabilia a couple of days ago.”

“Probably excited about being a potential Initiate,” I said.

“Yeah, possible. He also finally checked the box, and the cards were actually purchased by a store employee—Curt Wachman. Jacobs is going to the store as soon as the scene is processed.”