Chapter 1 (Terry) The End
The precinct was dark and empty at two o’clock in the morning. Perfect working environment for the case Terry was investigating. He leaned over the picture of a mutilated couple. Third one this week. A serial killer, escalating fast. With this level of violence, it had to be personal.
He winced at the memory of the crime scene, filled with the overwhelming stench of charred meat and gasoline. When the call had come at dawn, he’d known who it was before the details. He hated how accurate the media’s nickname was.
The Purger.
His victims were always the same. A human or a witch, in love with a vampire. Burned at sunrise, when the vampire’s body ignited.
This time, the woman’s screams had woken the residents of the townhouses bordering the main square. They could only watch. The silver chains binding her to her lover held fast as his body turned into her funeral pyre.
The killer was bold. To abduct two people, restrain them, and stage a public execution without being seen, he had to be organized and powerful. Or he wasn’t working alone.
Terry squared his arms, muscles aching. He’d spent the last several hours looking for the details connecting the victims. But their social backgrounds were different, as were their occupations and the places they lived. The killer had to find them somehow.
Then it dawned on him. Mixed couples. They had to meet somewhere. Somewhere where a vampire courting a witch wouldn’t be a scandal. Somewhere private, yet public enough to feel safe.
He opened the police database, looking for incidents where both vampires and witches were involved. A bar came up, “Holy Fangs”, at the outskirts of the city. Half an hour drive from the precinct. It would still be open.
Terry shoved the photos of the victims into his trench coat’s pocket and moved toward the door. At the exit, he bumped into the Police Chief. What was he doing here in the middle of the night?
“You’re going somewhere, Green?” Kendall barked, blocking his path.
Terry nodded. “I think I have a lead in the Purger’s case.”
“Not your problem anymore,” Kendall held out his hand, palm up. “Your badge.”
Terry froze, his stomach clenching.
“You’re suspending me?” he asked, staring at the Chief.
“No,” Kendall said with a crooked smile. “I’m firing you.”
Terry took a deep breath, trying to steady his trembling hands.
“On what grounds?” he managed, his voice flat.
“You don’t adhere to the standards of the force,” Kendall spat, his eyes narrowing. “The company you keep is a disgrace.”
Right. He was married to the most powerful witch in the country, who’d recently been cleared of charges of enslavement. And who kept a vampire Patriarch and a renowned wizard as her official pets.
“I’ve never let my private life affect my work,” Terry forced through clenched teeth. “And my familiarity with the supernatural world gives me the upper hand in —”
“Save your breath,” Kendall cut in. “I don’t need a witch’s slut at my precinct. Your badge. And your gun.”
Terry stepped back, out of arm’s reach. It wouldn’t be good if he punched the Police Chief. Blood drained from his face. He reached for his gun.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Green,” Kendall stammered, his eyes going wide.
Right. Chief thought he was a monster.
Terry shook his head. “You should have thought about it before insulting me.”
He took out his service weapon. Kendall blanched.
Terry’s dark laugh echoed in the empty precinct. “You’re lucky I’m not who you take me for.”
Kendall’s knees buckled when he handed him his badge and gun, grip first.
But Terry didn’t look back to watch Kendall squirm. Badge or no badge, he had a serial killer to catch. And “Holy Fangs” was still open.
