Death Bringer

Chapter Seven

“What the hell’s that?”

Ella looked up as Sam and Rich manhandled another desk in through her office door and dumped it right next to hers.

“It’s for Vad.” Sam beamed at her. “Now that he’s your official partner, he, like, needs his own space.”

“So do I,” Ella muttered as the object of her ire sauntered through the door. “There isn’t enough room for two of us in here.”

“We can make room.”

He pointed out exactly where he wanted the desk to be placed, and Sam and Rich obligingly moved it into position for him.

“I’ll get your desktop and set it up for you. It won’t take a minute.”

“Thanks, guys.” Vadim patted Rich on the back. “I appreciate it.”

She gave up the attempt to work and watched as a parade of boxes and office equipment joined the desk and its smiling owner. Her phone rang and she let it go to voice mail. There was no way she’d be able to hear a thing, with the racket they were making. She tried to study the list she was compiling, but that proved impossible too. Eventually she looked up.

“Have you finished yet?”

Vadim gave her a charming smile. He looked remarkably well for a man who’d been covered in glass the previous day. She wondered if the cleanup spell he’d taught her worked on bumps and bruises...

“It can, but you have to be careful, or else you could overdo the power of the spell and end up looking like you’ve had plastic surgery or something.”

“Thanks for the clarification. Now get out of my head.”

Rich set up Vadim’s desktop computer and phone line while Sam sat in his chair and spun himself around in circles.

Ella looked up again. “Don’t you have somewhere else you need to be, Sam?”

He stopped spinning. “Not really, I was just waiting to tell you that Mr. Feehan wants us all in the conference room at eleven.”

“Thanks. Maybe you could let Morosov try out his chair now?”

“Oh, sure, dude.” Sam leaped to his feet and then swayed. “Man, I’m like, so dizzy right now.”

Ella forced herself not to state the obvious and merely observed his unsteady progress out through the door.

“Idiot,” she remarked.

“Me?”

“No. Sam. He’s such a kid.”

“Lucky him.” Vadim had already assembled his half of the room into something that would feature on the front cover of Office Weekly, if such a magazine existed. For some reason, the space didn’t seem to have shrunk too much after all. “Did you make any progress tracing Adam?”

“Not much. You?”

He checked his watch. “It’s almost eleven. There’s no point in repeating myself when we’re just about to step into a meeting.”

“Even for me?”

He held the door open for her. “This time there’s only one version to tell.”

Sam and Liz were laughing and comparing notes about the last wolf-pack party they’d both attended. Rich sipped his coffee and Feehan looked up as they entered.

“Good, let’s get on, shall we?”

He added a couple of photos of Brad Dailey to the board. The pictures had obviously been taken after his death.

“Dude, that’s weird.” Sam sat up straighter. “His face is, like, beautiful. Like a mask.”

“Which is exactly what it is.” Ella agreed. “Even though he ripped it up before he died, Morosov and I reckoned, as it doesn’t really belong to him, it didn’t suffer the physical trauma of his death and reverted back to being perfect.”

“That’s creepy.” Liz shivered. “It reminds me of that story with the guy with the picture in the attic that aged while he stayed young.”

“The Picture of Dorian Gray.”

“That’s the one.”

“It makes you wonder what’s happening to Brad’s real face right now, doesn’t it?” Feehan mused. “Or if that face even exists anymore. What else do we have?”

Ella held up her hand. “I’ve been attempting to trace Adam through the various conference-registration sites and hotels, but so far no luck.”

“That’s hardly surprising. How about you, Vadim?”

“Nothing here, either. I doubt our killer attended anything in the city at all this week.”

Feehan’s face fell. “Darn it. What else do we have?’

“Well, we have the security tape of ‘Doctor Vadim’ bespelling Delia and then going into Brad’s room.” Liz said. “By the way, how are we going to stop the hospital authorities from seeing that and immediately assuming he is the killer?”

“Simple, we just don’t give them the tape back until we’ve found the real murderer.” Ella snapped.

Liz blinked at her. “There’s no need to be so defensive. I’m not accusing your partner of anything.”

Aware that everyone was staring at her, Ella subsided into her chair.

“I do have some more evidence for us to look at.” Liz glanced at Sam. “We got the before-and-after pictures of the last three victims from Otherworld.”

She opened a large brown envelope and spread the pictures out on the conference table.

“They all ended up with fair hair, which is the opposite of what we’ve seen with Brad.”

Sam put his finger on the closest picture. “And they all retain perfect features, even after killing themselves.”

Ella contemplated the horrific differences between the happy faces of the “before” pictures and the death masks of the “after” ones. It was damned unsettling.

“Should we assume Adam is going for three blonds this time?”

“Seems likely.”

Everyone looked at Liz and Ella.

Liz tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s okay, we’ll be careful.”

“You’ll need to be,” Vadim said. “Even though you’re half-Fae, you still need to be protected. I’m sure Doug and the wolf pack can take care of that for you.”

“They will, but I’ll be extra vigilant, I promise you.”

“I’m all human,” Ella noted.

“But I’m your partner, Ms. Walsh, and I don’t intend to let you out of my sight.”

The sincerity and purpose in his eyes was intense. Damn, he might as well be down on his knees proposing to her. No one would believe there wasn’t something going on between them now.

“Um, thanks.” She dropped her gaze and fiddled with her pen.

“We can’t exactly protect all of the blonds in the San Francisco Bay Area from one man when we have no description of him, can we?” Feehan’s shoulders slumped.

“He’ll choose someone close.”

Feehan turned to Vadim. “You sound very sure of that.”

“The last three victims lived within ten miles of each other. I should imagine Adam has already decided on his next victim.”

“I think you know more than you are letting on, Vadim.” Liz turned to face him. “I sense a connection between you and this Adam in my Fae-Web.”

A muscle flicked in Vadim’s cheek. “I suspect Adam is connected to one of my family bloodlines. Unfortunately, I can’t help that.”

“You could if you asked your Otherworld family for more information.”

“I’m not friends with anyone in my family. I left Otherworld on extremely bad terms.”

Ella held her breath as Liz continued to stare at her partner. What was her friend seeing, and how would it affect the rest of the team’s ability to trust Vadim? She didn’t dare say anything else in case she put her big foot in it and made things worse. A thought occurred to her.

“Couldn’t you ask Rossa?”

“No.”

Fine, he wasn’t interested in listening to her. She folded her arms across her chest and pretended to concentrate on the photos. There were two men and one woman. Was that significant too?

“What’s the plan now, Mr. Feehan? Sit and wait for another crazy patient to show up saying he’s lost his face?”

Feehan looked at her as if she was the most insensitive person he’d ever met. As long as it got everyone’s attention away from Vadim and Liz, she didn’t care.

“Unless we get more information, I suppose there isn’t a lot we can do.” He turned to Vadim. “I really would appreciate it if you could get some help from Otherworld as to what exactly we are dealing with. If you can’t, I’ll have to take the matter up with the SBLE head and his Otherworld counterpart, and that never goes well.”

“I’ll do my best.” Vadim said. “After our last experience with Drew Spencer, I’m sure we’d all rather avoid him if we can.”

Everyone agreed and filed out. Vadim followed Ella back to their office. She closed the door and leaned against it.

“You have to do something to stop Feehan going to Spencer. He’s a dick. Last time he waltzed in here, he was quite happy to use me as bait to capture a serial killer. And he doesn’t like you at all, does he?”

“Spencer doesn’t like anyone in my family, apart from my father. I have to stop Feehan taking this anywhere, or he’ll get us all killed.” Vadim sat on the edge of his desk. “The question is, how much do I need to tell him to get him off my back?”

“Without mentioning the cult, sect thing?”

“Exactly.”

“Can you find out anything about Adam?”

“That’s going to be difficult.”

“Why?”

He exhaled. “Because I thought he was already dead.”

“What?”

“I’m beginning to wonder if Adam is simply impersonating this deceased person to draw my attention, or if he is the real deal.”

“You mean he’s come back to life?”

“It happens in Otherworld sometimes.”

“Like a zombie or something?”

“Not quite. Most Fae are immortal, but under certain circumstances, and with certain weapons, they can be destroyed.”

“I know that. So if Adam has been brought back to achieve a certain purpose, can he be killed again?”

“That’s a good question.” He glanced down at his locked hands. “Normally, I’d say yes, but in this world? I’m not so sure.”

“Morosov, you’re beginning to scare me.” She advanced toward his desk. “Are you saying Adam is unstoppable?” He smiled at her and she went still. “What?”

“I told you that it might be better to let him have his way, didn’t I?”

“And I told you what I thought of that stupid idea.” She touched his arm. “What is it?”

He cupped her chin, his thumb skimming the corner of her mouth. “Just remember that as your mate, my first priority is your safety. I will do whatever is necessary to keep you alive.”

“Why are you telling me this now, and why does it sound like a threat?”

“Because if we interfere with Adam’s plans, we’ll be putting everyone we know in danger.”

“Are you trying to frighten me?”

He brushed a kiss over her mouth. “No, I’m just telling you the truth. I’ll always put you first, Ella, never doubt it.”

He released her and she stepped out of reach with an uneasy feeling in her gut. Why did he sound so convinced that disaster awaited them? She didn’t like it at all, but she liked the idea of endangering everyone around her even less.

“Okay.”

“Okay what?”

“Find out what you can about Adam and tell Feehan enough to get him off your back.”

“Of course.” He nodded.

The door opened suddenly and Sam appeared.

“Hey, Mr. Feehan wants you both to go with him to the hospital. Apparently, Brad Dailey’s family wishes to speak to you.”

“Oh, crap,” Ella groaned. “What are we supposed to say to them?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Vadim stood up and shook out the creases in his sleeves. “I’m sure Mr. Feehan will tell us exactly what he wants us to say on the way over.”

In the hospital elevator, Vadim reached for Ella’s hand and for once she didn’t stop him.

“If the Daileys get cranky, you can wipe the memories, can’t you?”

“Sure. But I always like to have a truthful conversation about what really happened first. It helps them deal with the subconscious aspects of the Otherworld experience.”

“Does Feehan know this?”

“I’ll tell him right now.”

She cleared her throat. “Boss, if it’s okay with you, we’ll answer the Dailey’s questions as truthfully as we can and then retrieve those memories and replace them with new ones that follow the more conventional version.”

She realized she’d said “we.” Was she really thinking of her and Vadim as a matched set now? Could he perform the same empath tasks that she could?

“That’s my function as your mate. Seeing as you might be dealing with several people at once, I can at least bolster your powers with my own and stop you from becoming drained.”

She smiled up at him. “I keep forgetting that.”

“What?” Feehan was staring at her. Had she spoken out loud? Damn.

“I was just talking to myself. Are you okay with what I suggested, Mr. Feehan?”

“If it’s necessary, please go ahead. I’ve never had to deal with a situation like this before directly.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be a breeze.”

Ten minutes later, in Ms. Phelps’s office, she was beginning to wish she hadn’t been quite so confident. There was no sign of Ms. Phelps to help smooth things over. Instead, they’d been met by Brad’s parents and grandfather, who were in no mood to listen to reason or Ella’s Otherworld interpretation of exactly what had happened. Threats about lawsuits, medical negligence and government incompetence were flying around the room. No one was giving Feehan a chance to explain.

Eventually Ella held up her hand and raised her voice above the racket.

“Will you all shut it?”

Shocked faces greeted her loud pronouncement.

“Something terrible happened to Brad, something that is beyond normal human comprehension. Whichever world he hangs out in, we will do our best to apprehend the criminal. We will not stop until we have achieved justice for your son and closure for your family.”

Mr. Dailey scowled at her. “You’re right, this is bizarre. Your whole explanation is downright insane!” He glanced at Feehan and then back at Ella. “What kind of government employs idiots like you?”

“We wanted you to know the truth, Mr. Dailey.”

“The truth?” He got in her face. “That my son’s face was stolen, and he was left with someone else’s? Bullcrap!”

Ella stared him down. “Yes, now step back, sir, or I’ll let my partner at you. He really doesn’t appreciate it when people aren’t polite to me.”

Mr. Dailey looked up and went very still. She sensed Vadim at her shoulder, emanating a sense of cold menace that would probably make Dailey wet his pants.

“Morosov isn’t quite human, so don’t think to appeal to his better side. He doesn’t have one. He could probably kill you without even touching you.”

Her adversary stepped back, his gaze still fixated on Vadim, who appeared to be making a low growling sound.

“Now if you will all sit down, I’ll explain exactly what is going to happen next.”

She waited until the three family members were seated and looking obediently up at her.

“Can you keep them calm for me, Morosov?”

“I’m already on it.”

She took a deep, centering breath and focused on the turmoil of the three minds in front of her. Vadim’s power blended smoothly with hers, and she began to extract the memories of the conversation, of the family’s anger and disbelief, of their sense of horror... Other images—Brad as a sunny-natured little boy, a baby, a sullen teen—jostled with the ones she sought. She pushed those gently away and focused on only what needed to be removed.

After a quick check to see that she had everything, she opened her eyes and studied the vacant faces of the family. Usually she needed skin-to-skin contact to make the necessary connection, but with Vadim’s help she could do without it.

“When you wake up, you will understand that Brad was an extremely unhappy individual who was afraid of letting you down by disclosing his lack of interest in a medical career. You will know that on his last night of life he unknowingly took some as-yet-unidentified new street drug and suffered a series of hallucinations that made him believe his face was not his own. Despite the hospital’s best efforts, Brad was unable to recover from the effects of taking this substance and killed himself.”

Mrs. Dailey’s mouth quivered and a single tear ran down her cheek.

“You will feel shock and anger and grief over his death. You will insist on an investigation, which the hospital will offer you. It will become clear to you that no member of the hospital staff or the SBLE were responsible for your son’s death.”

She looked across at Feehan, who nodded, and then at Vadim.

“Good enough, Ms. Walsh.”

She held out both of her hands, palms facing out, and gave a final push of power to set the new memories in place. The usual twinge of nausea and unsteadiness made her sway on her feet. Vadim was immediately at her side and led her to a chair.

“We can take it from here, can’t we, Mr. Feehan?”

“Indeed we can. I wonder where Ms. Phelps has gotten to?” Feehan joined Vadim in front of the Dailey family, who were gradually coming out of their trances and staring up at the two men.

“Do you have any more questions for me, Mrs. Dailey?” Vadim asked.

“No, I...I don’t think so, not at this moment.” She wiped away the tear on her cheek. “It’s just so sudden and unexpected.”

“I understand.” Vadim turned to her husband. “Mr. Dailey?”

“I’m not happy about this at all. My son was a fine, upstanding individual who never took drugs!” He stood up and brushed at the creases in his pants.

“You’re probably right, sir. We don’t know the circumstances. It is of course possible that another individual gave your son something illegal without either his knowledge or his consent.”

“Exactly!” Mr. Dailey looked over at his father for a long moment, and the older man nodded. “We will be demanding a full investigation into this matter.”

“As you should, sir.” Vadim agreed. “I don’t think the hospital should offer you anything less than a full public hearing.”

The ex-senator cleared his throat. “A private hearing. My family has suffered enough.”

“I’m sure they’ll do whatever you want, Senator.” Vadim handed over his card. “If you have any further questions or information for us, please call me or Mr. Feehan, and we will do our best to help.”

“Thank you.” Mr. Dailey took the card and studied it. “May we see Brad now? We’d like to say our last goodbyes.”

Ella and Feehan stared at each other. Feehan cleared his throat.

“As to that—”

Vadim stepped forward. “It’s not a problem. Mr. Feehan, I know you’re expected at another appointment. I’ll take the Daileys to see the body.”

“If you’re sure, Vadim.”

“I’m happy to do so.” He glanced at Ella. “Will you accompany me, Ms. Walsh?”

“Sure.”

With a reassuring pat on Feehan’s arm, she followed Vadim down to the ER.

“I’ll need your help to maintain the illusion. Do you remember what Brad used to look like? That’s what I’m going to project.”

“Got it.”

She held the door open for the ex-senator and waited while they completed the necessary security checks to reach the body. Mrs. Dailey was the only member of the family who seemed genuinely upset by the tragedy. Ella was mainly picking up anger and disgust from the two men. It chilled her. Was that how they’d seen Brad? As some sort of pawn in their family empire, one that had disappointed them? No wonder he’d acted like such an insecure loser...

Vadim opened the door into the temporary morgue, and the Daileys filed in after him. She focused her attention on her partner, adding her emerging magical powers to his as he lowered the sheet and revealed Brad’s altered face. How odd that they were using magic to add yet another layer to Brad’s mask. Would Adam sense their spell and come looking for them?

Mrs. Dailey burst into tears and tried to reach for Brad. The two men held her back, their expressions remote and tinged with impatience. Mr. Dailey caught Vadim’s eye.

“We should leave. There are arrangements to be made. When will you release the body?”

“You’ll need to consult with the hospital authorities about that.” Vadim replaced the sheet. “Hopefully it won’t be too long. May I suggest you liaise with Ms. Phelps about drafting a statement to be released to the media? I’m sure she gave you her details.”

Ella held the door open and waited until the Daileys had gone before turning back to Vadim.

“Where is Ms. Phelps anyway? Wasn’t she supposed to be at that meeting?”

Vadim slowly raised his head. “Yes, she was.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Dammit, she’s blond, isn’t she?” She ran for the door, only to have Vadim catch her arm.

“Hold on a minute.”

“Why? She might be in danger!”

“Wait. Think this through. We’ve both got a good sense of Adam. Let’s use our combined power to see if we can locate him.”

“How?”

“Just close your eyes and use your empath abilities.”

“But—”

“Ella, shut up and do it!”

She complied and forced herself to slow her breathing and turn her thoughts inward. Vadim’s magic flowed along with hers, sometimes in parallel, other times so closely mingled that she couldn’t tell where he ended and she began.

“He’s close.”

“Yes.”

“Now what do we do?”

“Concentrate on where you feel his power most strongly and find him.”

She opened her eyes, and this time he didn’t stop her leaving. Adam’s power drew her on. He was in the hospital. He was close. She was standing outside Ms. Phelps’s office, Vadim right behind her.

“She can’t be here. We were just in here.” She tried to turn the handle. “It’s locked.”

“Try it again.”

A surge of Vadim’s magic passed through her fingers and the lock clicked open. She drew her weapon and gently pushed open the door. Someone sat in Ms. Phelps’s chair. She didn’t turn or react to the opening of the door. Her eyes were wide open and she wasn’t blinking.

“Holy cow.” Ella whispered. “That’s not how Ms. Phelps looked yesterday, is it?”

“No.”

Vadim went past her. “She’s in a trance.”

“Maybe that’s for the best.” Ella moved closer. “If it is Ms. Phelps. Her face and hair coloring are completely different.”

“It’s her, all right. Can’t you feel the magic? Remember, this was where Adam’s power was most concentrated.”

“Shall I call Feehan?”

“Yes, tell him what’s happened and get him to send a second SBLE security team up here. I’ll keep her under. You and I can take turns standing guard until they get here.”