How to Rattle an Undead Couple - Hailey Edwards Page 0,62
backup?”
“Boaz organized a mock attack on your mother with the sentinel HQ to test the new evacuation protocol in the event she had to be extracted from her home during an actual emergency. For authenticity’s sake, he wasn’t made aware of when to expect the strike.”
And, for security’s sake, the sentinels weren’t told the reason for their mission or any other sensitive details.
“The element of surprise meant Boaz reacted without hesitation,” he realized. “He spotted the vampires on the grounds, assumed they were sentinels from a distance, and leapt into action.”
“Yup again.”
“That explains why the wards were still active when we arrived. She made a temporary exception for Boaz, since he was in charge of her personal security. He was able to sneak in, collect her, and exit without anyone the wiser.” He turned it over in his head. “With the wards active, the driver and the maid were both protected as well.”
“Supernatural hearing being what it is, the vampires would have heard the very real panic from Marco and Josephine as they searched for their mistress. That would have been enough proof their quarry had escaped to send the vampires hunting Boaz to locate your mother.”
“Enter Leisha.” He fiddled with a small gold jar lid. “Abayomi enlisted her to guide the vampires to the bunker and grant them access past the wards.”
Flustered I hadn’t made the connection sooner, I asked, “How did Abayomi know to approach her?”
“The Samaritan?”
“I’ll question her again before we turn her over to your mother, see what she has to say.”
Though I could guess where the blame for her inspiration would land—at someone else’s feet.
Rolling my hand to get us back on track, I marshaled my thoughts to see if we couldn’t hash out the rest. A working theory based on known facts would make presenting the case first to his mother and then the Lyceum that much easier. The tighter we tied our loose ends, the better chance we had at a conviction.
This—putting our heads together over a case—felt good.
Better than good.
It felt right.
“The vampires didn’t have to go the roundabout way,” he continued, “they beat Boaz and Mother there. That explains why Boaz didn’t have time to shut the door. They were ambushed.”
“The readings on the wards Leisha gave you were tailored to fit what you had already told her and to cover her trail.” I spread my hands. “She made it up as she went along, hoping to escape you and flee.”
“The source of blood in the bunker?”
“Boaz fatally wounded one vampire, making a huge mess, and injured three more.”
“That must be when he sustained his head injury and Mother broke her leg.”
“Close quarters fighting gets ugly fast, so yeah. That’s what I’m thinking too.”
Poor Boaz had his bell so thoroughly rung by the vampires, he still wasn’t much help filling in blanks. The Grande Dame had been in so much pain, she likewise hadn’t been in the best frame of mind to nail down a timeline.
“The vampires regrouped,” he surmised, “and followed their scent trail to the lingerie shop. Mother and Boaz were bleeding at that point. It would have made tracking them easy.” He finished his project and started cleaning the counters. “We had Leisha in custody, and we had already located the house Abayomi rented. She knew we were closing in, so she risked involving Adelaide in the hopes she would help us pin down Boaz.”
“From there, they used Boaz’s dropped pager to lure you guys to the shop, waited on you to coax him and your mother out of hiding, then pounced in the hopes they could finish what they started.”
“We can turn Leisha and Abayomi over to Mother for their trials, but that still leaves the Samaritan.”
An incoming call drew my attention, and I got a twisty feeling in my gut when I saw Bishop’s number.
“Little problem with your latest request,” he informed me after I answered him on speaker. “Davenport Prison burned to the ground ten hours ago.”
The timing gave me chills, and I suffered no illusions it was the direct result of Abayomi’s capture.
“Goddess be merciful.” Linus wiped his hands clean. “Survivors?”
“None.” Grimness saturated Bishop’s voice. “I got my hands on copies of the inmates’ personal files. Those were backed up remotely, so you can access them through the cleaners’ database if you need more information. They’re being collated there since the prison is now an active crime scene.”
“Good to know.” I drummed my fingers on the counter. “Those files tell you anything?”
“The cells to