The vampire had been around a long time. Someday, when he was in a better mood, she intended to ask him things like that.
“Yeah, I remember. And you’re right, Ari. It wasn’t rats. When the dogs heard the food dish, they got excited,” Ryan added. “Or something like that.”
“Close enough,” Andreas said. “His work eventually resulted in attempts to control the responses, such as the aversion therapy used in some addiction treatment.”
“Are we talking mind control?” Ari asked.
“Aw, don’t do this to me,” Ryan protested. “First voodoo, now mind control?”
“Might not be so far off.” Andreas steepled his fingers. “Experimentation of some kind would fit the facts. Unless the Pavlov reference was just a crude form of ridicule.”
“It’s got to be significant. Who throws around the name of some guy from a high school biology class unless it’s important?” She turned to Andreas. “Has conditioning ever been turned into full mind control?”
“With humans? Limited. Brainwashing, like in certain cults. To my knowledge, never with vampires.” Andreas shook his head. “It is almost inconceivable.”
“Wish we knew what drugs they used,” Ryan said. “The CS techs didn’t find drugs at the house, but I could have them look again.”
“Not necessary.” Andreas drew an insulated packet out of his leather jacket pocket and handed it to Ryan. “The sample was extracted before we gave Gordon new blood. Whatever was in his system should be in here. I added…a special preservative and kept it cool. But the fluid still has a short shelf life.”
Ryan opened the packet wide enough, and Ari saw the small vial of blood inside. “I’ll run it by the night lab. Put a rush on it. We should have results by tomorrow.” His voice held a note of grudging approval.
“I believe it is the altered Fantasy or a similar drug,” Andreas continued. “Gordon was more expansive when he was not under pressure. He described images, impressions really, that sounded like hallucinations. I am concerned the wolves are trying to alter or at least have a temporary effect on the vampiric neurological system.”
“But why?” Ryan asked.
Andreas shrugged. “Any number of things, I suppose. Control could be one of them. Perhaps a biologist or Otherworld lab tech could hazard a better guess.”
“Good idea. I’ll talk with the OFR lab. But whatever they’re doing, it hasn’t gone well,” Ari said. “Unless death or violence was the goal. Their hostages were a mess. Gordon’s recovering, but what about Marcus? He was nearly mummified.”
“Yes, decaying,” Andreas said. “It is the same process as any dying vampire, except in painfully slow motion. Without sufficient blood, the vampire body loses its fluids, shrivels, mummifies, and without intervention, turns to dust.”
“My God,” Ryan said. “How could anyone sit by and watch that happening?”
Ari didn’t have an answer. Considering parts of history, like the Nazi death camps, this wasn’t the first time a similar question had been asked. It was still unanswerable.
Ryan ran a hand through his hair again. “Here’s the deal, Andreas. Ari thinks we need you on this investigation. I’m going to trust her judgment. Don’t have to tell you I have my doubts, but no one should be treated the way your friends were treated. If we work together, maybe we can stop these guys.”
Andreas looked at him from hooded eyes. He nodded. “Agreed.”
Ari watched the simple exchange. Some sort of understanding had passed between the two men, something she hoped she could build on. She stood and stretched cramped muscles. They’d been talking a long time.
“So what next?” she asked. “It’s hard to anticipate what they’ll do if we don’t know what they want. Can we put all the pieces together? What’s their end game?”
Ryan drummed his fingers on the table. “Drugs and money are a long-standing combination. But I can’t imagine how that ties in with kidnapping and mind control. Are they drug dealers or mad scientists?”
“Perhaps they are both,” Andreas suggested. “With one side supporting the other.”
“Explain.” Ryan looked interested.
“Let me see if I can.” Andreas cracked a smile. “I was thinking out loud. What if the original Fantasy is all about money? And they use that money to fund the experiments on the altered drug? With an ultimate goal of obtaining total control over a vampire.”
“And the violent incidents were bad side effects,” Ari said, drawing the logical conclusion.
Andreas stood and strode across the room. “That would make Olde Town’s vampires the guinea pigs. The lab rats.”
“Until my visit to Molyneux forced him into scaling down his experiments to two,” Ari said,