"Most stakes will damage a vampire," she said. "But to ensure a kill, it's best to use white ash."
"And the mutant in the restroom this evening?" Though Benton asked the question, his expression suggested he really didn't want to know. "How is that connected?"
"Ethan has already told you it was working for the soul sucker. And it was a werewolf," Gwen said, meeting Ethan's gaze for a moment. "Not a mutant. Not a freak of nature."
He had a sudden, unsettling feeling the old woman was beginning to figure him out.
The captain scrubbed a hand across his mottled cheeks. He looked sick, Ethan thought. Heartsick.
"You're seriously expecting me to swallow this," the captain said, voice flat.
"You have the werewolf, and I guarantee his bite will match those on the second kid's remains. You have the residue of the zombie who tried to force Kat and Ethan off the road. You have the charcoaled remnants of humanity from the warehouse." Gwen crossed her arms and studied Benton coldly. "What further evidence do you need that something beyond normal is going on with this case?"
"More than that," he bit back. He glared at Gwen a moment longer, then resumed his pacing. "We know this ... woman ... is taking these kids. We don't know the reason." He glared at Gwen again, as if daring her to contradict him. "Why, then, is it killing the men?"
"Like all things, it needs to eat to exist," Gwen said. Mark swore softly and she gave him an amused look. "Amen to that, Detective."
"So the question we have to answer is, why the kids?" Ethan said.
"Maybe it has kids of its own, and needs the terror of human children to feed them," Kat whispered.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
She nodded. "I drugged the werewolf's drink. He said they'd been in the area for ten months. He also said they couldn't leave until the kids were old enough."
"If that's true, why is it taking the children to warehouses to kill them? Why not kill them wherever it's keeping its own kids?"
Kat shrugged. It was Gwen who answered. "Maybe it needs these children for something more than feeding, Maybe it has to do with whatever ritual it's performing."
"If this thing is supposed to be a spirit, how the hell can it have kids?' Mark asked.
"Until we know more about it, we won't know the answer to that." Gwen pushed to her feet. "I feel the need to scry. Kat?"
Kat rose and followed her grandmother into the other cabin. Benton and Mark looked at Ethan.
"She can sometimes see future events," he explained. "Through a crystal ball."
Benton snorted. "You really believe that rubbish?"
Until he'd met these two, he hadn't really believed in anything supernatural, despite the fact he'd been born and raised in a community of werewolves. But the last couple of days had certainly opened his eyes to just what was out there. "I thought you were willing to use anyone who helps solve this case?"
"Doesn't mean I have to believe it."
"Believe in them. They're the real deal."
Mark's blue eyes glimmered with amusement. "You've changed your tune over the last few days. Wonder what the reason for that is?"
"I've seen things — "
"I just bet you have."
Benton's gaze wavered between the both of them. "Am I missing something here?"
"Nothing important," Ethan muttered, shooting an annoyed look his partner's way.
"Did you come up with any ID matches for the driver that attacked us?"
Mark shook his head. "Not yet. And it's a long shot, at best."