“Do you know who this is?” Daniel asked.
I looked around at the other people, all of whom seemed busy on phones or jotting stuff down on a tablet, none of them paying attention to us. “No. Uh, should I?” I asked.
Daniel released a slow breath. “This is Quillan Laire.”
I gaped down at him. Holy crap. Quillan was the vampire who Turned Bryan. “Do you think—”
Cutting me off, Daniel pulled me closer to him. “I don’t know what to think,” he said in a loud register before lowering his tone. His implication was clear. Don’t say Bryan’s name. “What I know is that this man was a prominent leader of a local vampire coven, and now he’s been murdered.”
He looked toward a man who was writing something down, his expression intense.
So, I looked at the man more closely too. He had dark hair and dark eyes, which only accentuated his pale skin, making for an interesting combination. He was also wearing a dark suit, a nice one at that, one that was tailored just for him. He almost had the same vibe going as Lucifer from that TV show, with an equally… dangerous air to him. And I couldn’t help but wonder if he opened his mouth to speak would he have a smarmy British accent?
Okay, probably not, but I could almost bet this man wasn’t human. Vampire, if I had to guess.
“These people are all here to investigate. They take it rather seriously when one of their own is murdered.” Ah, okay, so theywerevampires and Daniel was trying to get me to understand that them being here complicated things. Got it.
“Of course,” I murmured, taking in the crowd, but especially the man Daniel had eyeballed. He’d wanted me to notice him for some reason. Maybe because the man had what was almost a snarl fixed on his face, as though he was permanently angry or upset. Did that make him dangerous? Someone to be cautious of?
This time, when Daniel spoke, he pulled me close and breathed his words into my ear. “I’m afraid Bryan may be in big trouble.” He kissed my temple and pulled back. “Don’t get worried. We don’t have any current leads, but we will soon.”
"Good." I wasn't sure what else to say. I mean it wasn't like I could speak freely apparently, given the way Daniel was acting. Plus, I was a little irritated with Daniel at this point. If you're going to have someone look at a body you warn them, you don't just tell them to eat a light breakfast. Maybe I was a bit hangry I don't know.
"You okay?" Daniel asked, clearly sensing that something was up.
"Why am I here?" I murmured, trying to keep my voice quiet.
"Let me walk you back to your car, I forgot you aren't used to this kind of stuff." His voice was loud enough that anyone hanging around us would know where he was going and that he'd be back.
Once we were over the hill of the dune and heading back toward the parking lot I stopped and looked at Daniel, waiting for an explanation. He frowned at me.
He tugged on my arm, and I walked a little further with him. Finally, he stopped and said, "I wanted you here to see the body and see who was working on the case so you would recognize them if you saw them around town. I don't know how much investigating they are going to do in Mystic Hollow, but it might be worth it for Karma to stay out of their way if you catch my drift."
“Okay, well, I can’t promise to avoid them. If they’re investigating something that connects to my friends, I want to be involved.”
He sighed. “Vampires are dangerous.”
“Thanks for the newsflash.” I realized I was being a little mean, and adjusted my tone. “I know they are, but so is everything I investigate. My work is dangerous sometimes. It’s the nature of my work.”
He looked like he wanted to say something, then changed his mind. “I understand. I just want you to know that the vampires handle their own outside of our rules. If they find Quillan’s killer, chances are they’ll take his head, and the rest of us will stay out of it. It’s coven business.”
I swallowed. Hard. “What if it was Bryan? He doesn’t deserve to die for this.”
“It won’t be our choice,” he emphasized each word.
I nodded and paused for a moment. I appreciated the warning, but even if Bryan did this, I wasn’t about to get out of the way and let the vampires murder him for it. Yes, I’d warned Bryan not to do this, but if this Quillan hurt Bryan, I understood his need to do something about it. Not that I’d tell Daniel all of that. He was, deep down, a cop, after all. "Next time just give me a heads up when I'm going to see a dead body, okay?" I sighed heavily.
If the dead man was the vampire that had been turning people in Mystic Hollow under false pretenses, then I'm not going to lie, I was relieved he was actually dead now. I just hoped Bryan wasn't the one responsible because to me it seemed like those guys on the beach weren't going to give up until they had answers, and that could prove dangerous for Carol's high school sweetheart.
"I couldn't. I'm sorry. I was barely able to get that text off to you as it was without Inspector Acheron demanding to see it before I sent it. He's not exactly the friendliest person around and he's especially pissed about this since Quillan was his friend or at least coworker."
His apology soothed me enough. "Inspector Acheron is the Lucifer look-a-like?"
Daniel snorted. "Can't say I've ever heard anyone call him that before, but yeah, that's him. He is a vampire crime investigator. Quillan was a prominent member of their society, for him to be murdered sets an uncomfortable precedent. They are supposed to be untouchable."
"And you're worried that he's going to be poking around Mystic Hollow and possibly find things we don't want him to?"
"And find you."
