Prosecution. He snorted softly. So Sam's fate had already been decided — she was being shafted big time. The question he had to answer now was why. And there was precious little time to do it in. "You'll have my final report tomorrow afternoon."
Hanrahan nodded. "See that I do."
The screen went blank. He swore softly and leaned back in his chair. Someone wanted Sam out of the way, someone powerful enough to put pressure on Hanrahan to wind up an investigation.
He had to find Sam, and fast. Not that he had any intention of handing her over to anyone — at least until he'd sorted out the puzzle she presented. But where would she have gone? Where would he have gone, in the same situation?
Jack had been her partner for five years. Given their work, the stress and long hours it often entailed, as well as the fact they were rumored to have been lovers, she had to have known him better than anyone. Except maybe, his wife.
Which is exactly where he would have started. He swung back round. "Computer, do we have an address for Jack Kazdan?"
"Subject currently has two addresses listed — nineteen Lincoln Street Mulgrave, and apartment eight-eleven, fifteen Russel StreetMelbourne."
He raised his eyebrows. That end of Russel Street was right near Federation Square and considered prime real estate. Kazdan, like Sam and her Brighton apartment, should never have been able to afford to rent a bathroom in that area, let alone own an apartment.
Maybe the two of them had something other than sex happening. "Which address is listed as his permanent address?"
"Mulgrave."
Great. It might be only a ten-minute flight in normal conditions, but the wind was picking up. He rolled his shoulders slightly. The muscles protested faintly. If he flew any more today, there'd be hell to pay tomorrow. But flying was quicker than driving, and he had a suspicion he'd better get to Mulgrave promptly or risk losing Ryan for good.
He stood and headed for the roof.
* * * *
The hall was empty. Sam bit her lip and pressed back against the wall. Slowly, carefully, she edged along to the next doorway. After silently counting to three, she quickly stepped inside, her gaze sweeping the semidarkness. Nothing.Tension slithered through her limbs. They were here, somewhere. She could feel them — a whisper of heated evil that burned across her skin. She moved on to the next room, but it, too, was empty. She flexed her fingers and tried to relax a little. The last thing she needed right now was to blow someone else's head off.
Another board creaked, this time in the kitchen. It didn't make any sense. She'd checked the house and had found no one, though she had stupidly left the back door open. But the vampire, at least, shouldn't have come in from outside. They couldn't move round in daylight — it was the one myth that was true.
Yet Jack's body, or at least, his clone's, hadn't burned when touched by sunlight. And no matter what the captain said, he was a vampire.
She stared at the kitchen door for a moment longer, then took a deep breath and kicked it open. Two people sat the table, drinking coffee, totally unconcerned by her sudden appearance. One was a man she didn't recognize — he was the vampire she'd sensed. The shifter she'd sensed was Suzy. Sam frowned. Why had she never noticed this before? Or had she been too busy hating to observe the almost translucent quality of Suzy's skin — the sure sign of a shifter?
"Well, well, if it isn't the little cop killer," Suzy said, her tone dry, but her eyes stormy with hatred.
The tension in her limbs increased, though not because of Suzy's words. The vampire's expression was one of amusement. Either he hadn't yet seen the weapon in her hand, or he simply didn't care because he knew she'd never have time to use it.
Heat washed over her skin, whispering secrets to her mind. A second vampire was behind her.
She spun, pressing her finger against the trigger even as she did. The weapon bucked as it fired, throwing her back against the wall. A blue bolt of light hit the second vampire square in the chest. He made no sound, just fell down in a heap, gasping for air and clutching at his chest.
Behind her, a chair lightly scraped across the tiles. She swung back round and fired a second shot. The blue bolt hit the first vampire in the side of the head. He went down fast, hitting the ground with bone jarring force. She swung around, centering the weapon on Suzy.
"Unless you want to end up lying next to your coffee-swilling friend, get up and drag this thing into the kitchen for me." She lightly toed the vampire at her feet and then stepped back.
Suzy rose, hate warring with fear in her eyes. Moving with a model's grace, she walked across and grabbed the second vampire by the arms. With some effort, she dragged him to the table, and dropped him next to the first vampire.
Sam stepped back into the room and kicked the door shut, ensuring no on else could sneak up on her. "Now sit back down."
Suzy did. "How dare you come into my house and assault my friends like this."
She snorted softly. "Say that with a little more venom and I might just believe these two are actually your friends."
"What are you here for, Samantha? Come to finish the job you started with Jack?"
"The man I shot wasn't Jack, and we both know it."
Amusement flickered through the hate. So she'd guessed right. Suzy did know about the clone.