He glared at her in disbelief. “You mean, except for Carballo? You remember her, don't you? The cop we found drained on the roadside?"
"Yeah, I remember her, Dean. But since it was supposed to be me lying in the dirt while Benita was busy spilling the department's secrets to her vampire boyfriend, I can't feel too bad about it, you know?"
He looked away, his jaw clenched so tightly she could see white bone jutting against the skin.
"Dean?"
He kept his gaze on the distant traffic. “The investigating officer suggested on the scene that it was a vamp bite. Everyone downtown is seeing vampires in the woodwork since Carballo died, and we've got this nice new facility all ready and waiting to be used.” He hooked a thumb back over his shoulder. “The bodies were brought directly here and autopsied to confirm the COD, probably on the fly. They ordered the usual—tox screen, some tissue samples from around the wounds, but it's low priority, so no results yet. It's not like they don't have enough to do downtown. Hartzler was supposed to take care of everything else."
"Great,” Cyn muttered under her breath.
"I told you this isn't my case. I had nothing to do with this clusterfuck, and I don't know much more than you do."
"Who's the witness?"
"What witness?"
"Don't be coy, Eckhoff. You guys are claiming to have a witness who ID'd Raphael."
"Hey, you're the one who said they needed to talk to him—"
"Not as a suspect! It's bad enough you guys think a vampire is doing this, but Raphael? You're out of your mind. The guy's alibied tighter than the f**king president; he's never alone!"
"Alibis can be faked, Cyn."
She laughed. “Dean, if Raphael wanted someone dead, you'd never find the body. Do you honestly believe a vampire lord is leaving dead girls on the street? Do you have any idea how much power he has?"
"No, I don't! None of us do and that's the problem. We've got a dead undercover cop who no one denies was killed by a vamp, and now we've got dead teenagers littering the streets. How do we know it's not the same guy?"
Cyn stared at him, debating how much to say. “I've told you what happened with Benita. She was dirty. She trusted the crooks more than the cops and it got her dead. As for the vamp that killed her ... you don't need to worry about him anymore."
Eckhoff gave her a hard look. “And you know that how?"
"Like I said before, if Raphael wants someone dead, you'll never find the body."
"Great. That's f**king great, Cyn."
"What do you care? A vamp killed her, and that vamp paid the price. One less vamp is a point for the good guys, right?"
The look he gave her was disappointed, almost hurt, and she blushed. “Sorry, Dean, it's been a long few days with little sleep. But you know I'm right about some of the others."
He frowned and drew a deep breath through his nose. “This case stinks."
"Yeah, it does. Who's your witness?"
"I can't tell you, Cyn. You know that."
Cyn thought about arguing, but he was right. “Hammel doesn't fit, you know,” she said instead.
"We think she was an accident, that the guy got a taste for the vein after her and started looking for easier prey."
"If a vampire in L.A. wants blood from the vein, he doesn't need to kill for it. People line up to volunteer. Hell, your friend Hartzler in there would probably give his left nut for the chance, him and all his buddies. You know about the blood houses. What do you think goes on there?"
"Maybe this one likes the hunt."
She shook her head. “It doesn't work that way. One murder and Raphael's enforcers would be on him like white on rice. He wouldn't last twenty-four hours. These guys don't play games, Eckhoff, and they don't give second chances."
He sighed. “This isn't my case,” he said again, and she detected an obvious note of relief beneath his words. “I can have a conversation, but that's about it."