Dead Spots (Scarlett Bernard #1)(43)
“Sorry, this is Officer Jesse Cruz. I’m sort of helping him with a problem.”
Jesse stepped forward, unsure if he should reach out for a handshake. He didn’t really want to touch this woman, human or not, he decided, so he kept his hands by his side. “Nice to meet you, ma’am. I was wondering if we might have a few minutes of your time?”
“Of course,” Ariadne said, smiling genially. “Please come in.”
She led them deeper into the house. It was overdecorated, like his parents’, but where their house always smelled of spices, lilies, and dog, this one stank of age and decay. It looked like something straight out of Dickens. But although the furnishings were old and uncared-for, Jesse recognized them as very expensive. If Ariadne had this much money, why was she answering the door herself? Shouldn’t a vampire who was this rich and powerful have a legion of servants?
The three of them finally reached a Victorian-style sitting room, and Ariadne gestured to two elaborate blue silk armchairs, perching herself on the edge of the opposite matching couch. As if reading Jesse’s mind, she said, “You’ll have to excuse my lack of proper hospitality. My maid is on an errand, and I’m afraid I’m between butlers right now.” She smiled slyly, displaying a mouthful of sharp little teeth.
She was seriously giving Jesse the creeps, and that was as a human. He glanced at Scarlett, but she was just looking at him expectantly. His cue.
“Ma’am,” Jesse began, “I’m investigating several murders that took place in La Brea Park a few nights ago. Did you hear about that?”
“Oh, yes, I get all the papers,” Ariadne said happily. “I understand that it was quite the bloodbath.” She licked her lips, just like Gregory.
Jesse thought of the scene in the park and tried not to shudder. “Did you know the victims?”
Ariadne gazed pensively at the ceiling for a moment, frowning. “Let’s see...Joanna and I were friends, of course. I was terribly sad to hear that she had passed.” It was such a perfectly normal thing to say about a dead person, but sounded so strange coming out of her black-lipsticked mouth. “I never thought much of her boyfriend, Demetri. Oh, and everyone knew Abraham, of course.”
“Can you think of a reason why anyone would want to harm any of them?”
“Why, my dear boy, of course I can. Can’t you?” she said demurely, looking up at him through her eyelashes. When Jesse remained stone-faced, she sighed. “Fine. Take all the fun out of it.” Her eyes turned to Scarlett. “How much do you know, Miss Bernard, about our internal structure—or lack thereof?”
“Almost nothing,” Scarlett answered cautiously.
“As I imagined. Most vampires, including Dashiell”—the name was said with a hint of scornful hissing—“prefer to keep any of our history from the humans, even those in our employ.” Ariadne rolled her eyes a little. “But I’ve always found their need for secrecy a touch excessive. Who on earth would believe you? Besides, it is so easy to control humans’ minds. Well, most humans.” She licked her lips again and gazed over at Jesse.
He couldn’t help a little involuntary shiver, but managed to resist scooting closer to Scarlett, his protection.
“I’m assuming your young man is privy to our world, if he is accompanying you?”
Scarlett nodded.
“Well, then this will be educational for both of you.” She smoothed her black layers down as though they were the finest of gowns.
“Once, vampires had a governing council, a consortium, which made important decisions on behalf of all vampires. It was this consortium that decided that we would remain a secret from the humans. When the New World was discovered, however”—she gestured vaguely to the room—“the world became too big for a single source of authority to manage, and the consortium fell. There are now precious few vampires old enough to remember it at all. Without it, we took to governing ourselves.” Her eyes darkened. “For decades, vampires fought over territory, both here and in the older countries.
“After dear Mr. Stoker published his book, however, we knew we had to find a more stable way of life or face extinction. When the dust finally settled, each major city was ruled by a cardinal vampire, who was responsible for all the vampires in his territory. Some, like Dashiell, even tried to care for all the needs of the Old World, including the wolves.” She wrinkled her nose with distaste.
“What if the cardinal vampire wasn’t suited?” Jesse asked, fascinated despite himself. “What if they abused their power, or did things that humans noticed?”
She waved a hand dismissively. “It happens less often than you might think. If you’re powerful enough to control a city, you’ve been around long enough to understand the importance of discretion. Our kind cannot exist without it. But if a cardinal was unfit for some reason, neighboring vampires would group together to help a new candidate usurp the old.” She leaned forward, eyes suddenly bright with an intensity that was all her own. “That, you see, became our one rule, besides keeping our existence secret. No petty jostling for position. To maintain order, you didn’t just need a leader who would lead, you also had to have followers who were willing to follow. If a vampire kills off a master of the city just to gain his power, the vampires in the area will rise up against him.”