Our working theory is once the perpetrators harvest sufficient blood to play with, they simply use the blood of the previous victim to experiment on and torture the next, Nina said.
Play. That was a good word. It was what Id already figured out, but hearing it made me more nauseated yet. At least thered probably be no bodies older than the ones found at the school.
Experiment? Ivy looked up from her pages.
Nina drew herself up into a lecturing pose, and I wondered if the vampire inside her had been a professor. In each case, the blood has been modified. To what end, we dont yet know.
I didnt know, either, and I looked at the body so I wouldnt have to look at Nina. This mans death had been painful, his body spending several days twisted somewhere between a human and a goat as his captors played with his blood. But why? This was just nasty. Whoever had done this had dumped him to create a sensation and get noticed. A perverted warning against black magic . . . or a way to get my attention?
How about the circle? I said, my hands in my coat pockets. Whose blood made it?
Nina drifted closer to me, her posture having a relaxed tension as she passed the body with barely a flicker of acknowledgment. Were having difficulty finding that out. Our standard, magic-based tests are coming back inconclusive, and were having some trouble duplicating the FIBs barely legal tissue-typing techniques. We think its from the second victim as well. He died only a week ago. A businessman in town for a convention.
Let me guess, I said, doing the math in my head. Thomas went missing exactly five days after the businessman died.
Exactly . . . Nina whispered, her voice drawing through me to make me shiver and Ivy frown. Was she jealous? How did you know?
Knees wobbly, I sat down on the top step, my feet just shy of the word written in blood. The mans cloven feet were at my eye level, and I turned away, breathing shallowly. Because if you know how, and have the right equipment, you can keep witch blood active for that long. After five days, theyd need a new source of blood. I looked up, my gaze flicking to Wayde, at the foot of the stairs. Anyone file a claim for missing lab equipment? I asked Nina, and her eyes narrowed.
Ill find out.
Good idea, I said sarcastically. God, vampires were clueless sometimes, so secure in their superiority that they didnt ask the right questions.
So let me get this straight, Ivy said, the papers hanging from her hand as she stood beside and above me, her hip cocked and clearly not impressed. You found body number two before you found the earlier crime with the kids?
Nina flushed. The location of the first bodies was remote. Whoever did this was unhappy that we missed the first one and so left the next one in a more public space.
The better to tease you with, my dear, I thought as I held my breath and looked at the floor. A drop of coagulated blood dangled at the tip of the mans hoof, suspended forever. Why couldnt I have just taken the blue pill and gone home? Taking a deep breath, I stood, gripping the railing until I was sure I wouldnt fall over. Someone was torturing witches. Why? Ivy, what do you think?
She shrugged. Lots of IV marks. He reeks of antiseptic. They tried to keep him alive.
They were successful for about a week, Nina interrupted.
Seeing me again upright, Ivy slid herself up to sit on the railing and leaf through the packet of information. Her ankles were crossed, and she smiled at me as she saw me catch my mental balance. Shrugging, I turned back to the body hanging before us. Yes, it was ugly, but if I couldnt get past it, Id never find out who had done it so I could pound his or her head into the pavement.
The businessman, I said as I finished my circuit of the man and carefully stepped between the cords keeping his legs spread-eagled. I was at his face, and I dropped my eyes. His skull looked malformed, the brow heavy. Was he contorted like this?
Fairly close, but he still had his hands. Obviously theyre working toward a specific body type. There was no sign of a fight from him. Stress levels recorded in the body say he was kept alive for several days under a sleep charm after he was subjected to the malfunctioning spell. They probably woke him only to try a new charm or feed him. The change in SOP was either to extend his life after the failed spell or because their new facility was somewhere public and they couldnt risk someone hearing him. Were not sure.
Fairly close, but he still had his hands. Obviously theyre working toward a specific body type. There was no sign of a fight from him. Stress levels recorded in the body say he was kept alive for several days under a sleep charm after he was subjected to the malfunctioning spell. They probably woke him only to try a new charm or feed him. The change in SOP was either to extend his life after the failed spell or because their new facility was somewhere public and they couldnt risk someone hearing him. Were not sure.
Whoever did this was insane, but I was willing to bet it wasnt a demon. A demon curse would have worked, and this obviously hadnt.