The High School Reunion From Hell - Saranna DeWylde Page 0,45

to keep the sarcasm out of my voice, but I just didn’t have the patience. We had a murder to solve.

Actually, we had several.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I caught your name.”

“Detective Tasha Weaving.”

She pulled out another one of those yellow tablets.

“Why don’t you save us both the time and confess? We already know that it was you and your vampire friend.”

“That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard. Why would you…” I blew out a puff of air. “Okay. So why? What possible motive could I have?”

“To make yourself relevant again.”

“Excuse the fuck out of me?” I said, leaning forward and bracing my arms on the table.

“I do believe you heard me. You’re middle-aged. You’re slowing down. Your life is in a tailspin. Everything is falling apart. I understand. The husband you gave up your career for is leaving you for another woman. The world has forgotten you—”

“—They obviously haven’t, as indicated by the crowd in the event room. But yeah, do go on. Or don’t. I was a slayer long before the Great Reveal. I operated in the shadows. I was trained to live quietly, and to die quietly. I don’t need accolades. In fact, it’s better in my line of work if I’m anonymous. My face on CNN was not something I was gunning for.”

“Maybe not,” she said. “But you’re drowning in debt. What better way than to get some endorsements, make yourself out to be some kind of superhero.”

“Why would anyone help me do that?”

“Your vampire has her own reasons. We’re testing her saliva now and I can tell you that my gut says it’s going to be hers.”

“Your little tipster, you know them well? What’s their motive for wanting to take a slayer offline? That’s something you should consider.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “Further, this place? It’s got an infestation of something I’ve never seen before. So you want to haul me off to jail? That’s fine. I’ll be fine. But will you?” I fixed her with a pointed look.

“You’re not the only slayer, and now we have the FBVI. See? You’re irrelevant.”

“Wouldn’t that be great?” I smiled. “I could have a life. I could go to Fiji on vacation and not worry that the world was going to fall apart.”

A knock sounded on the door, and I turned to see Gabe.

“I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong woman here, Tasha.” He put a file down on the table in front of her. “Margie is consulting for the FBVI on this case. She’s not a suspect.”

I knew then that was exactly the wrong thing to say and to do.

“In my jurisdiction, I’ll question who I please about what I please. The evidence adds up, and we have an informant willing to testify that they heard Margie Majors and Brooke Wellington plotting his death,” Detective Weaving said.

“That’s an outright lie. You got a lie detector? I’ll take it right now.”

Gabe rolled his eyes. “Number one, you don’t have to. It’s not admissible as evidence in this jurisdiction. Two, even if you did, since you’re consulting for the FBVI, you have immunity. And three, Margie, you’re an expert at regulating your body. You can slow down your heartrate to fool a Master Vampire, a lie detector test doesn’t really even register, now does it?”

“I’m just so frustrated,” I confessed, hoping to find some common ground.

“Murder will do that,” the detective said.

“No, actually, it won’t. If I was pissed off enough to take someone out, it would be a good day. I wouldn’t be frustrated, or upset. I’d be having a good time.”

“Margie,” Gabe admonished. “Maybe not the best thing to say when you’re accused of murder?”

He was probably right. “Well, I mean, come on.”

“Are we done here?” Gabe said.

“No.”

“I was trying to give you your dignity, Officer Weaving.” Gabe’s tone lightened, as if he were talking to a child.

“Detective,” she corrected.

I knew he’d done that on purpose just to piss in her oatmeal, but it rubbed me the wrong way. He sure did flash that badge with ease for something that was supposed to be on the down-low.

“Margie?” she said.

“What now?”

“Don’t leave the hotel. We’re on lockdown until the scenes have been processed.”

“She’ll stay if she chooses to stay. As I said, Margie is now with the FBVI.” He opened the door and led me out.

Only it wasn’t the reprieve I’d hoped for. I saw Brooke in handcuffs. A thousand emotions hit me at once.

“What’s this?” I cried.

“They said they found my venom in his wounds. My