“I hated that job. It was boring.”
“Oh, Tala, you’re too restless. You hardly gave it a chance. You only worked there for three years. Hardly enough time to let it grow on you.”
“Mom, I have to go.”
She could tell instantly that her mother was crying.
“I worry about you, my darling.” She sniffed. “I did my best by you. It was so hard.”
“I know, Mom. I know.” Tala sighed. Guilt always worked on her. Her mom had been using it since Tala had reached puberty. “I’ve got to go. I’ll phone you when I can.”
She set the phone back in its cradle and slumped down into the big easy chair, pressing her fingers to her right temple. The last thing she needed was to get more uptight. Already she was teetering on a precarious edge. One more push and Tala was sure to drop off. Where she ended up would most likely not be a good place. Not for her, not for anyone around her.
Thank goodness Claudia didn’t know about the case. And especially about Jace. She was sure the woman would lose all sense of reality and do something crazy. Like the last time, when Tala had been only twelve years old and blossoming into a teenager.
Shaking the thoughts of her past, Tala took in a few deep breaths, stood and rotated her shoulders to ease the tension solidifying there. She needed to be cool and calm. She needed to keep her wits about her.
She needed to stay away from Jace Jericho.
But what she needed and what she was going to get were always two entirely different things. That was something she learned a long time ago. Something she’d been living with for thirteen years. And she knew it wasn’t going to change anytime soon, no matter how much she needed it to.
Chapter 7
J ace watched Caine pace at the front of the conference room and knew the chief was feeling the pressure. To an untrained eye, the vampire appeared to be as collected and aloof as usual. But Jace could see the slight twitch at Caine’s jaw and smell his frustration.
It wasn’t a normal odor, something akin to turpentine. Over the years, Jace had learned to identify it for what it was. He could count on one hand how many times he’d detected it on Caine, which said a lot.
“Okay, let’s go over what is similar to Lillian Crawford’s murder and what is different. The differences here I think will be the key in solving this one.”
Caine looked around the room and at every member of the team. Hector, along with Rick, one of the lab techs, joined Jace, Lyra and Eve around the rectangular conference table. Jace was surprised at the level of professionalism coming from the human captain. Maybe the entire human population of San Antonio weren’t useless. But he’d reserve his final verdict until after this case was closed.
Caine opened the file on the table in front of him. He gathered the autopsy pictures and spread them around the table. The grisly images of the victim’s dead body flashed like sickly pale light on the dark mahogany surface.
“Samantha Kipfer died from exsanguination. Her neck was opened from left to right, which indicates a right-handed killer. Her blood was taken from the scene, hence no blood pool. And her body was painted in her own blood with magical symbols, indicative of a demon summoning.” He paused and glanced around the room. “That is what is the same. Now the differences. Her throat was slashed open with a claw and not a knife. She was not raped. There was no se**n present or vaginal trauma. There were no bite marks. She was drugged, but not with Vampatamine or Heparin. She had trace amounts of MDMA in her system.”
“Ecstasy?” Eve asked.
Caine nodded. “So, from this, what can we determine?”
“That we’re looking for a human killer,” Jace remarked.
Rick cleared his throat. “How can you be so sure? Her throat was clawed open, not cut.”
“Because if it had been a vampire, she would’ve been bitten. He or she wouldn’t have been able to help themselves.” Jace smiled without humor. “And if it had been a lycan, she would’ve been gutted.” He lifted his hand and forced the shift. His nails grew into sharp curved claws. “He or she wouldn’t be able to help themselves.”
Lyra elbowed him in the side and whispered, “Jerk.”
“Jace.” Caine chastised. “Let’s keep our claws and teeth to ourselves on this case, all right?”
Wriggling his fingers at Rick, Jace pushed the change back and his nails began to recede into his fingers. Pain ripped through his arms, but he kept his face calm. “Right you are there, Chief.”
Rick forced his gaze away from Jace and set it on Lyra. “What about witches? The demon summoning is a witch thing, isn’t it?”
This time it was Lyra’s turn to look aghast. “I don’t think so. It’s totally against our nature to kill. A demon summoning could be anyone.”
Hector shuffled in his chair, pushing it back a little from the table. Jace could tell he was growing agitated. His scent was one of nervous anticipation. “Let’s move on with the evidence, please.”
“Hector’s right. We have to follow the trail that’s been left. Not make rash decisions without having all the questions answered,” Caine added. He turned to Eve, who sat on his right. “What did the witness have to say?”