Relentless (Vampire Awakenings #11) - Brenda K. Davies Page 0,71
a reason to feel bitter about his absentee father, but had he decided to take his bitterness out on Julie?
It was so easy to become twisted as a vampire, so easy to give in to the malicious side of the demon DNA lurking inside them; had he decided to seek revenge on his father and his family once he turned? Or had a festering resentment and hatred always resided inside him?
“Did you know Dr. Abbott has a daughter?” Dante asked.
“I’d assumed him and that bitch would breed, but I didn’t know for sure,” Lindsay replied.
“Did you know your son contacted his sister after their father died?”
Her pursed mouth and a flicker in her eyes were the only indicators of her surprise over this revelation. “No, I didn’t.”
Dante asked her more questions about Preston’s childhood, where he grew up, and what he liked to do. They used to have a house on the outskirts of New Bedford, but something caused their lives to take a downturn. He suspected it was the glass of booze in Lindsay’s hand.
Preston was on the debate and soccer team in high school and very popular. Dante learned she got married when Preston was three and his stepfather raised him. When Preston was sixteen, the man died in a freak work accident.
The more he learned, the more Dante noticed the striking similarities between Preston and Julie’s stories. They were both happy, well-adjusted kids until they lost their fathers at sixteen.
He suspected that’s when Lindsay turned to the bottle and, according to Lindsay, Preston started to withdraw and stopped doing the things he once enjoyed. She didn’t know as much about her son’s life afterward.
She could still name his high school friends but couldn’t tell him one of Preston’s friends now. When he asked about a Jasmine, she stared blankly back at him before demanding Cassidy get her another drink. Dante gritted his teeth as Cassidy obliged.
“What happened to your home?” he asked.
She glowered at him. “I couldn’t afford to keep it after my husband died.”
“Did you ask Dr. Abbott for more money?”
“Of course, but that piece of shit said he couldn’t afford to give me any more money. I promised to tell everyone his shameful little secret, but he told me he wouldn’t have to pay me anything then.”
Dr. Abbott had taken a gamble and called her bluff, and deciding she’d rather have some money than none, Lindsay kept her mouth shut.
“Does Preston have a room here?” Dante asked.
“Of course he does,” Lindsay said.
“Can I take a look around it?”
“Why are you looking for my son?”
It was the first time she’d asked this question, and her words slurred as she stared skeptically at him.
“I’m not looking for your son; I’m looking for Julie Abbott,” Dante said.
“Who’s that?”
“His sister. She went missing two weeks ago.”
She smashed her cigarette into the ashtray. “My son has nothing to do with that!”
“I’m sure he doesn’t.” That was a complete lie; Preston was suspect number one. He had a good motive in money, revenge, and resentment over being abandoned to fuel him, but Dante couldn’t tell Lindsay that. “I’m trying to learn as much about Julie and her friends as I can.”
“Preston’s not her friend.”
He had to tread carefully here as the alcohol was making her angrier and more suspicious. “I’m sure he’s not.” That was at least the truth. He doubted Preston had anything good in mind when it came to Julie. “Can I take a look around Preston’s room?”
Her eyes narrowed as they went from him to Cassidy. Having had enough, Dante shut his pad and returned it and his pen to the inner pocket of his jacket.
“I’m going to take a look at your son’s room,” he said as he took control of Lindsay’s mind. “You’re going to stay here and not say another word. Do you understand me?”
Lindsay stared at him for a minute before nodding. Dante held his hand out to Cassidy, and she clasped it. Leading her down the hall, he used the toe of his boot to push open the doors they passed. They discovered the bathroom and Lindsay’s room before finding Preston’s bedroom at the end of the hall.
After flicking on the light switch, he ignored the cockroaches skittering across the floor and walls as he surveyed the room. He released Cassidy’s hand and left her standing in the doorway while he entered the room.
A mattress lay on the floor with blankets tossed haphazardly onto it. The white walls were bare, and only a