Blood Secrets-Valorian 1 (15 page)

Nodding, she wiped her face again. “Good.”

Caine started back down the alley to the vehicle. “Could you grab my kit? My hands are full,” he tossed over his shoulder while he kept walking.

Eve glanced down at the two metal suitcases on the ground. Sometimes, she had trouble carrying her own. Sighing, she gripped each handle and hefted the kits. They were heavy, and she found her shoulders pulled as she walked.

Well, she did say she didn’t want to be coddled. Maybe she should’ve waited until after they were back at the lab before she made that statement.

“W ell, he was definitely shot and his head was cut off postmortem.”

Caine resisted the urge to berate Givon, especially when Eve was standing right next to him, looking eagerly up at the M.E. “I figured that out, Sil. Now give me something that’s going to help.”

“He was shot at close range.” Givon pointed to the stippling, which resembled a bunch of small reddish-black spots on the victim’s forehead. “Between six inches and two feet. So maybe your vic knew the shooter.” Reaching behind him, he grabbed a small gray plastic tray. He handed it to Caine. “Here’s your bullet. Pulled it out of his frontal lobe. Small caliber bullet with a low velocity.”

Caine picked up the fragmented bullet and tossed it into an evidence bag. He’d take it to Kellen to see if it matched anything they had on file.

“The wound tracks on his neck indicate a large blade at least seven inches, with a serrated edge. Whoever did it was very strong and likely sliced through his neck in a matter of seconds. There were no hesitation marks or chopping wounds.” He made his hand into a flat edge and brought it down toward the victim’s neck. “He set it against the neck, and pushed down in one or two fluid motions.”

“Same knife as with Lillian Crawford?”

Givon nodded. “Could be. Can’t say for sure, but definitely similar. I’ll make a mold of the wound to compare.”

“What about the bite marks?”

Givon pointed to the torn flesh on the body’s side and thighs. “Postmortem. I’d say the lycan came across a hearty meal and couldn’t resist. Took chunks out of the meatiest parts.”

Caine nodded in agreement. That’s exactly what he had thought. The bum had likely been looking for food scraps when he went Dumpster diving. Surprised by a fresh dead body in his trash bin, it was likely too enticing, especially for a lycan who had been starving.

He’d let Mahina know their findings, and get her to release the bum in the morning. He’d make sure that in lockup the man received a meal at least.

“Anything else?”

“He was a young vampire. I’d say he was no older than one hundred. In relatively good shape, except for the small holes in his arm.” He lifted up the body’s left arm and pointed to a clump of pinpricks on the inside of his elbow, a perfect spot for injecting substances into the veins.

“A drug abuser?” Caine asked.

“Possibly. I sent a sample of his blood to tox.”

“Okay. Thanks, Sil.” Caine patted his friend on the shoulder before he walked out of the autopsy room.

“Oh yeah, I got the word on that bone you found.”

Caine stopped and turned around.

Givon handed him the bone in a clear plastic evidence bag. “It’s Sus domesticus.”

Taking the bag, Caine stared down into the bag. “It’s a pig bone?”

Givon nodded.

“Okay. Thanks.” Perplexed, Caine continued out of the autopsy room. Eve followed him close behind, her eyes dancing with eagerness above the green surgical mask.

Once they were outside the swinging metal doors, Eve whipped off her mask and her green cloth wraparound gown. “Do you think this new vic is one of our guys?”

After removing his own mask and gown, he frowned. “Maybe. We’ll hit up Gwen to see if she’s made a match yet.” He marched down the long hall toward the elevator to the second floor. “I don’t want to make assumptions. They can only get us into trouble.”

“I know, but I can feel it in my bones.”

He nodded. “If it is one of our guys, then the other is tying up some loose ends.”

The elevator doors opened, and they went in. Eve pushed the button to the lab. And as the doors shut, Caine could sense her excitement at nearing a solution to the crime. He too felt elation at having a lead. He just hoped it led them in a straight line and not around in circles.

The minute the doors slid open and they stepped out onto the floor, Lyra zipped down the corridor toward them, a piece of paper in her hand, and a sparkle in her eyes.

“We got a hit on AFIS.” She handed the sheet of paper to Caine while she rattled off the information on it. “Jamie Duncan, arrested for drunk and disorderly. Guess where?”

“The Howler?” Eve guessed.

Lyra smiled at her. “Good guess.”

“Do we have an address?” Caine asked, as they continued to walk down the hall toward the lab.

“Apartment six, 1016 Twelfth Street.”

Stopping right at the door to Gwen’s lab, Caine gave the sheet back to Lyra. “Good work.

Where’s Jace?”

“He’s out tracking down possible van matches with Detective Calder.”

“Okay, call Jace and get him to meet us at that address.” Caine handed her the other evidence bag with the pig bone in it. “Log this, too. It’s a pig bone found under the bed at the last crime scene.”

Lyra nodded, and raced off down the hallway the opposite way from where they had come.

Caine and Eve stepped into the lab. Gwen looked up from her microscope and motioned toward the printer. “Your results.”

Moving to the printer, he slid the paper from the tray and glanced down at it. Eve was right beside him, eyes alight, peering over his arm at the paper. “He’s a match to one of our perps.”

“Yup.”

“Thanks for the quick work, Gwen.”

She waved at him while still looking into her microscope. He knew that was her signal for “you’re welcome, now get the hell out of my lab since I’m really busy.”

As Caine exited the lab, Eve met him stride for stride. He glanced over at her as they marched down the hall toward the firearms department. She looked like a kid right before a big game, the most important game of the season.

She met his gaze. “We’re close, so damn close. Can you feel it?”

He nodded. “We’ll get Kellen to run the bullet, maybe we’ll get a hit, and then we’ll head over to our new vic’s apartment. Hopefully, we’ll find something there to lead us to his killer and our second perp.”

“I love this part of the job.” She laughed. “Right before you put all the pieces together and solve the puzzle. It’s a rush, isn’t it?”

He grinned at her enthusiasm. He really liked that about her. Her passion for the job.

Passion. Something they deeply shared.

Could they share it on another level?

Before he could respond with something he probably shouldn’t say, his cell phone shrilled from his pocket. Digging it out, he flipped it open and put it to his ear.

“Valorian.” After a few moments, he flipped the phone closed and slid it back into his pocket.

“Is there a problem?” Eve asked, worry furrowing her brow.

“Politics.” He sighed. “I have to meet the baron in my office.”

“I can take the bullet to run ballistics.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “I’m part of the team right? I can do this on my own. You can trust me.” She put out her hand for the evidence bag.

He set the small paper envelope into her palm, closing his hand around hers. “I do trust you, Eve. It’s Kellen I don’t trust.”

She laughed but didn’t pull away from his touch. “He doesn’t scare me.”

“Well, he scares me,” he stated with a chuckle.

“At first he was a little hard to take, but now that I’m used to y’all, it’s a walk in the park.”

After a final squeeze of her hand, Caine pulled his away. The sudden loss of the warmth that had been spreading up his arm surprised him. He hadn’t been totally aware of the sensation until it was taken away. Was her touch really so potent? He wondered what would happen if they increased that connection, touching other, more intimate places.

Again, thoughts of her writhing underneath him flashed in his mind.

Aware that she was staring at him, a little flush in her cheeks, Caine cleared his throat and smoothed a hand down his tie. Did she feel the sensations, too? How could she not when they seemed to crackle all around them like lightning?

“Okay, I’ll meet up with you later.”

She nodded and turned to continue down the hall toward the firearms room. He watched her walk, enjoying the way her trousers fit over her shapely rear end. It was becoming increasingly hard to keep his desire in check. He found the more he was around her, the more he wanted to be with her. Professional distance was becoming a thing of the past.

He knew she was attracted to him. He could smell it on her, taste it in the air whenever they were together and feel it sizzle on his skin. And it was more than just a physical connection. She was definitely beautiful, with a body that made a man wonder what she would look like spread out on his bed, with only the moonlight casting beams on her flesh, waiting for him to enter her.

Pinching the bridge of his nose where a headache brewed, Caine turned and made his way to his office where the baron was likely waiting. His thoughts were for nothing.

There was no way they could consummate their feelings for each other. It was unethical and dangerous.

A vampire’s lust was overpowering. Eve would not be able to handle his desire. It would overwhelm her and consume her until she could think of nothing else but him. Even after, she would desire him like no other. She would be branded with their lovemaking, his scent so ingrained into her skin that the craving could drive her mad.

He wouldn’t let what had happened to Amanda, his late wife, happen to Eve. Morally, he couldn’t venture down that path once more.

When he’d fallen in love and married Amanda, he had made a fatal error. He had tried to turn her. She hadn’t been strong enough to survive the transformation. Her heart had stopped beating and he didn’t have the power to get it going again. He had killed her with his selfish desire to possess her for an eternity.

He vowed never to make that mistake again.

“I knew you were coming,” Kellen announced the moment Eve stepped through the door.

Taken back, she halted at the door and almost considered turning around and leaving.

“Ah, do you have psychic ability or something else that I should know about?”

Grinning like a lunatic, he shook his head. “Nah, I could smell your perfume floating down the hall.”

She should’ve felt some sense of relief from his statement, but it just made her more nervous. He made her nervous. For the past few days, he’d been around every corner watching her, eyeing her as if she were his next snack.

He neared her and lifted his nose in the air taking in a deep whiff. “You smell intoxicating.”

“Um…”

“But you know that already, don’t you? I’m sure the chief must tell you that all the time.”

Taking a step back, she thrust out her hand, showing him the little evidence envelope.

“Can you check out this bullet, please?”

“Sure.” He took the envelope from her and rounded the large rectangular counter to stand near his microscope and computer. As he dumped the bullet onto the table, he glanced up at her and winked. “Good job changing the subject.”

Refusing to acknowledge his remark, Eve came around the counter to stand beside him.

Not right beside him, but near enough that she could watch what he was doing. “Is it a twenty-two?”

Kellen picked up the bullet with tweezers and set it in a small vise under his microscope.

After setting the tweezers down, he peered into the lens, adjusting the magnification.

“It’s a thirty-eight, darling.” He glanced sideways at her. “Do you want to look?”

She nodded, and then looked through the microscope after he took a few steps back.

“See those striations there? Those are unique to the gun this came from, a Smith & Wesson .38 Special, or possibly a .357 Magnum. Find me the weapon and I’ll get you a match.”

When she raised her head from the lens, Eve was very aware of Kellen’s presence. He hovered over her. She could feel the heat from his buff body.

“My God, I can see why he wants you.”

She whirled around and glared at him. “Excuse me?”

“Caine.” Smiling, Kellen boxed her in against the counter, putting an arm on either side of her. “I can completely understand why he wants to possess you.” He leaned toward her and sucked in a deep breath through open lips. His eyes nearly rolled back in their sockets. “You are an exquisite piece of ass.”

“I suggest you back away from me.” She tried to control the quaver in her voice, but she heard it, as she was sure did he.

His eyes seemed to glow from the inside as he spoke. “I’m surprised he hasn’t taken you yet, but it’s just a matter of time. I can sense his intent from all the way down the hall. He hasn’t been frequenting the Club to slake his desires, so he must be suffering something fierce.”

Pushing away from the counter and breaking his hold on her, Eve shivered and started for the door, eager to get out of the room. “I don’t know what you’re rambling about.”

“Sure you do, love. But I won’t tell anyone.” He put his finger to his lips. “Your secret is safe with me.” He laughed. “I’m good at keeping secrets. I know everyone’s. Including Caine’s. Including yours.”

Eve didn’t stay to ask what he meant by his last comment. She wanted nothing more than to get out of that room and away from Kellen. He made her extremely uncomfortable.

She believed he had meant to do exactly that.

Was it that obvious that she found Caine attractive? That there was something brewing between them? Could everyone see it as clearly as Kellen had? God, she hoped not. The last thing she needed was for the rumors to start flying about her again.

Because of her foolhardy relationship decisions, her career had suffered before. Her affinity for powerful men in charge was well known. Captain Morales had reprimanded her once before. He had kept it out of her record, but he warned her if anything like that were to happen again, he would dismiss her.