Vampire Zero (Laura Caxton, #3)(20)

She would anyway, of course, legally or otherwise. But it could be useful to have police powers anywhere in the country. She had often considered what might happen if the vampire moved outside the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If she were him, she would have done it months ago.

“You’d also have access to the resources of our Major Case Fugitive Program.” He sighed and stood up. “Let me show you something you’ve probably already seen.” He took a pen from his pocket and pointed at the warped frame of the bathroom window. “Here.” He indicated a tiny scrap of black cloth stuck in a corner. “Fiber evidence. Maybe something useful, maybe something that could take you to Jameson Arkeley.”

“Maybe,” she said. “I went through there, too. It could have come from my pants. Anyway, I already have our Forensic Services on the way. They do hair and fiber and DNA matches all the time. I’ve yet to see anything useful out of that kind of evidence.”

“And why would you? Your unit operates in a strictly prosecutorial role. They make the case after the subject is in custody. How long does it take them to do a thorough search? Six weeks?”

“About that,” she admitted.

“A lot of bodies could pile up in six weeks. My guys can take those fibers and run them against every national database and have something for you in twenty-?four hours. All it takes is a phone call and I can have them here by lunchtime.”

“Vampires don’t have any hair and they don’t wear a lot of clothes. If they even have DNA, nobody’s ever found it.”

Fetlock sighed. “Alright, then what about manpower? You have two full-?time people in your SSU, including yourself. You can’t afford to hire anyone else, so you rely on part-?time volunteers. With federal money you could hire anyone you want for as long as your investigation lasts.”

She had to admit it was tempting. “What’s the catch?”

He shrugged good-?naturedly. “You’ll have to follow Justice Department guidelines. The paperwork is a bear. But you can hire somebody to fill out forms for you.” He turned slightly away from her and looked down into the bathtub again. “Also, you’d be working for me.”


“But I’d still be lead on the investigation,” she said, needing to make it clear. He smiled. “Of course. Like I said before—you’re the one who’s going to bring him down. I’ll just be there in the background to provide help when you need it. I’m not even a field agent, just a desk jockey. This is not my kind of thing, to be honest.”

“Yeah,” she said.

“I’m sorry?”

She reached into his cupped hand and took the pin. “Yeah, I’m in. Anything that helps me get him. What do I have to do? Swear an oath on a Bible?”

He beamed at her. “I think we can skip the formalities. I think this is going to be a very profitable relationship, for both of us.” He shook her hand and the two of them walked out of the bathroom and back out to the parking lot. The sun was an orange disk on the horizon, carved into pieces by the black branches of dead trees.

Caxton scratched at her head—her hair felt greasy and thick—and started walking toward her car.

“Alright, Fetlock. Get your fiber people down here as soon as possible,” she said, while pinning the star to the lapel of her jacket. “Who knows? Maybe they’ll turn something up. I’m going back to headquarters to tell my Commissioner about this. He ought to know.”

“Special Deputy,” Fetlock called as she yanked open her door.

At first she didn’t recognize her new title. “What?” she asked.

“Maybe—since I am your boss now—you could refer to me not as ‘Fetlock’ but as ‘Deputy Marshal.’”

Caxton bit her tongue before she could say what she thought of that. She had no great love for the Marshals Service. She’d been a state cop too long to ever really trust the Feds. If all he wanted was a little respect, though, she figured she could give him that much. “Of course,” she said. “Please get your fiber people here as soon as you can, Deputy Marshal. Is that better?”

“It’s good enough for now,” he said.

She was already climbing in her car and driving away.





Vampire Zero





Chapter 14.


The silver star felt weird on her jacket. She’d never worn a badge before—Pennsylvania state troopers never did. It was part of their oath that their good conduct was all the badge they needed. Well, she supposed she would get used to it.

There were a million things to do. The first order of business was to go take a nap. Her house was too far away, so instead she headed to the state police barracks on Cocoa Avenue in Hershey, the closest place she could think of. The academy was there—the place where she’d taken countless training classes—and she knew the place well enough to feel safe there. The trooper on early-?morning desk duty showed her to a ward room with a narrow little cot and a buzzing Coke machine. It wasn’t uncommon for troopers to show up and use the spare bed. Troop T, the turnpike patrol, worked weird hours and very long shifts and were encouraged to keep themselves sharp by taking occasional naps. The desk trooper asked no questions as he sorted out a blanket and foam pillow for her, though he stared openly at her new star. When she refused to follow his gaze he eventually just told her to sleep tight and left her alone.