“Do you think the techno vampire knows?”  Ren asked.  “I mean, she’s coming with him to his lectures, is she cooperating with him?”

I shook my head.  “Claire was pretty adamant that a techno vampire wouldn’t willingly and knowingly be involved with humans’ deaths.  She thought that either the vampire was being held unwillingly, or tricked.”

This time it was Riven who shook his head.  “I don’t think it’s entirely either of those,” he said slowly.  “Well, maybe the unwilling one.  Come look.”

He went to the computer and started pulling up his college’s website, then searching until he found one of the lectures.  He hit play and pointed out an individual in the front row while the professor started talking.

The person he pointed out was fair, brilliant redhead with long straight hair, and delicate features.  Since she was sitting, it was hard to tell her height.  She was quite beautiful, but that wasn’t the focus of my attention.

“I think she’s drugged,” Riven was explaining.  “At first I thought she was drunk – I mean, some students do come in hungover, but whenever I’ve seen her it’s always been the same thing – and it’s an odd time of day for someone to be drunk.”

Dad was watching the video closely, probably trying to make a more medical guess based on what little he could see.  “I’m inclined to think you’re right, although there’s not much to see here.  She doesn’t look entirely healthy, but 10 years of fasting and binge eating can’t be great for you.”

I leaned down to give Riven another quick hug.  “Thank you,” I told him fervently.  “Thank you.”

He looked a tad embarrassed.  “I didn’t do much,” he mumbled.

Ren tousled his hair and smiled at him with his feelings written all over his face.  Honestly, it surprised me that they’d taken as long to start dating as they did – Ren wasn’t exactly subtle with how he felt about Riven.  “Babe,” he told him, “you always say that, but it’s big stuff to us.  You know you likely just identified a serial killer, right?  And potentially are helping someone who has been held captive for almost 10 years.  That is a big deal.”

“It is,” I agreed.  “I owe you a huge favor, babe.  Be sure to take him out to someplace nice for dinner,” I told Ren, ignoring his glare at my use of his pet name for Riven, “I’ll pay.”

Riven started protesting that I didn’t have to do that, but I overruled his objection, gave him a smile, and motioned to Dad for us to leave.

Eventually, I would need to process Claire’s death properly, but for now, I had a goal in mind – helping resolve the thing that had brought us together in the first place and brought her back here at the end.  And keeping my promise to her.

~~~~

Captain Dennis looked at me doubtfully.  “So…an anonymous source told you about this other techno vampire, apparently under the control of a male witch.  That…doesn’t sound at all preposterous to you?”

“Might be worth at least checking into,” Drew Mills offered quietly.  “It’s not like we have a ton of other leads.”

“It’d help if we knew the source was reliable,” Captain Dennis crossed his arms, his expression intense, “and would hold up in court.”

I knew he wouldn’t push me too much – he couldn’t without risking the wrath of my family – and I wasn’t about to budge.  I’d just stand here and repeat myself until he agreed to cooperate.  “They want to remain anonymous.  I’m not breaking their confidence.”

“But – ”  Captain Dennis started to say.

“You have ways to use confidential informants, don’t you?”  Mom’s voice interrupted from behind me as she breezed into the room.

Mom.  I felt relieved.  Mom would definitely not let the captain learn the identity of our informant and would make sure the lead was followed up on.  I could rely on stubbornness to get the job done, but Mom would get it done faster, with fewer hurt feelings.

“Well, yes,” Captain Dennis said doubtfully.

“Excellent.  Let’s arrange that, then.”  Mom’s non-nonsense tone wouldn’t even let him protest before she continued.  “The individual who talked to Sorrel is a close friend of our family.  We will vouch for them, but we refuse to violate their privacy.  This individual wants to help, and we will not force someone who is attempting to help us solve serial kidnapping and murdering to reveal their identity if it places them at risk.”  Her eyes were almost daring him to disagree.

Captain Dennis immediately folded.  “No, of course not, ma’am, and if your family vouches for their honesty, that should be enough for the court.  Bennet,” he turned to one of his officers, “please prepare the appropriate paperwork.  Dr. Woodson can take it and have the informant complete a written statement.  Meanwhile, we’ll proceed with getting a warrant for this professor’s place.”  He hesitated, looking at me.  “Did Claire say anything else?  I kind of expected her to contact me about this.  I thought she might want to be involved in wrapping this up.”

Claire.  I felt a pang in my heart.  I’d told them what her theory was but hadn’t explained what happened after.

I felt Mom slide her hand into mine, squeezing it gently.  Dad must have told her when he presumably sent her over here to help protect Riven’s identity.  I appreciated her support.

“Claire – won’t be able to help anymore,” I stumbled a little over the words, trying not to break down in the middle of the police station.

“What,” Officer Bennet muttered, “is she too busy playing carnival games or something?”  She said it under her breath, but I still heard.

I felt a flash of anger fill me.  “No,” I said bluntly, looking directly at Officer Bennet.  “She died.  She took the last bit of her life to make sure she got this information to us so we’d have a solution and could stop these murders.”

They were all taken aback – Officer Bennet a bit mortified, probably more by me calling her out, unfortunately, while Drew seemed genuinely sad.

Captain Dennis looked thunderstruck and sat down on a chair heavily.  “She – died?  How?”

That, I wasn’t going to explain, because I knew it would essentially tell them that all techno vampires faced the same future, and that didn’t seem entirely fair given that the secret of her death had been entrusted to me and Dad.  I wasn’t about to make it public.

“It wasn’t foul play,” I managed.  “But point is, she did want to help us resolve it, did everything she could.  She just – can’t help anymore.”

“So let’s get the warrant,” Mom said briskly, likely sensing I didn’t want to talk about it anymore and we needed to get back on track, “see if we can’t take advantage of the help she offered and the new information our informant gave us.  Let’s catch this murderer before he kills again.”

They rallied and started rushing off to do whatever they needed.  I went into one of the interrogation rooms to wait, leaning against the wall while I closed my eyes.

The excitement of identifying the witch and finding the other techno vampire was starting to drain – bringing up Claire again made me remember those moments in the clinic, not so long ago.  Had it really been only a few hours since I thought everything was normal?  When I saw that note on the back of my business card from Claire, saying “Sorrel, I need your help, ~Claire,” for a moment I’d been happy, glad she had decided to come back into my life.  The moment I saw her slouched in a chair in that waiting room, though, faded and bleak, I knew.  I tried to convince myself there was a chance to save her, but I knew.

She said she dressed according to how she felt.  She wouldn’t have looked like that if she felt anything other than approaching death.

I leaned my head against the wall and took slow, deep breaths.  I tried to remember when I first saw her, how much she shocked and annoyed me, but all I could see was her sticking out her tongue at Drew, smirking as she told him something, or waving her hand without looking back at me as she said she didn’t want to see me again.  Then the next day, her amusement over my failure to recognize her, the fire that burned in her eyes when she called me a bully, and her scoffing at my concerns over being lonely.  I hadn’t seen her again until today, but her emails, texts, and phone calls still rang with that same vibrancy.

It was terrifying to see that drained out of her.  I wished – I wished there was something I could have done.

I felt Mom wrap her arms around me and give me a tight hug that smelled of flowers and home.  “I’m so sorry, Sorrel.  I know she was important to you.”

I buried my face in her hair and willed myself not to cry, not here at the police station.  “It’s not fair,” I whispered.  “I thought – for a second I thought she had come back into my life after all this time, but instead she just – she’s gone forever.  And Dad couldn’t even do anything.  It’s genetic, it’s not – not something that can even be healed or fixed with medicine or anything.  And they’re all like that?  It seems like an awful thing to face, knowing you’re doomed from birth.”

Mom gently rocked me in tiny swaying motions.  “She lived her life to the fullest while she could, didn’t she?  She may not have lived a long life, but she used it as best she could.  That’s more than some people can say.”

“That’s true,” I admitted, laughing a little despite my grief.  “She said life was too short to follow all the rules.”  I hadn’t known then how serious she was.

“Sounds like a good philosophy,” Mom said approvingly – a little ironic given that she was one of the people in charge of making and enforcing rules.  Well, rules on supernatural behavior within the city for all our safety, not rules like the kind Claire liked to break.  “I wish I could have met her.  I think we would have been good friends.”

“Yeah, I wish so, too.”  Claire had only met Dad, when she was dying, and Riven, briefly, before he met us and became comfortable talking to supernaturals.  I wished the rest of my family had had a chance to know her, too.

Claire deserved to be remembered.  Not just by me, but like a star in the sky or a –

A magnificent butterfly that made such an impression it could never be forgotten.

~~~~

I leaned against the car, waiting impatiently.  The patrol had its version of a SWAT unit which had entered the professor’s house five minutes ago.  Magic trained, prepared for the specific types of magic the witch knew – thanks, Riven and Sophie – and definitely more than capable of handling a witch.  Even a witch who was using techno vampire luck to apparently challenge his coven members to try to get more magic by taking their marks.  All the luck he’d murdered for over the years wouldn’t help him now.

From what we could tell now that we had a specific person to investigate, the witch had used techno vampire luck to increase his magical power.  He also tried to get popular online through his lectures to make some extra money that he used to fund the foreign films that he got done cheap in other countries.  He then used some sort of witch hypnosis spell on the film that would target the particular victim in question, leading them to exit the building at a specific time, only to find the invisible witch waiting – thanks to an invisibility potion – and the witch would use a potion on them, too, so he could take them to wherever he killed them.  We still weren’t 100% sure how and where he disposed of the bodies, but we had more answers to how he had gotten away with this for years.  Hopefully we would get the rest of the answers after we got inside his house.

I was waiting outside for them to let me try to deal with the techno vampire.  Given our ability to help calm people via magic, the police had agreed that a fairy would be the best option to approach the vampire since we didn’t know how much she knew about the situation and how violent she might become once she realized the professor – who for all we knew she might see as an ally – had been arrested.  Which was why I was sitting here, waiting to go in.  I’d volunteered for – well, demanded – the role.  I felt like I needed to do this for Claire, to help fulfill my promise for her and close the case she’d given her last bit of energy to resolve.  In theory, I could also have helped with the witch, but the patrol didn’t need my help, they were capable on their own, plus I was a little worried under the circumstances that I might be tempted to turn my grief into anger and take it out on him.  It was best if I just waited here until called to deal with the techno vampire.

I had my phone in my hand, seriously considering opening up all my emails and messages to Claire over the years and going back over them, reliving every detail.  But – I wasn’t ready for that yet.  Eventually, I would be able to look back at our time together and appreciate the memories without wallowing in all the pain I was feeling now.  She’d only died yesterday – it’d taken longer than we’d wanted to get the warrant – so I still needed time to process before I could reopen those messages.

Dad had told me that I needed to give myself time to grieve.  I knew that.  I just needed to resolve this case first.  Once I did, I felt like then Claire could rest in peace.  I needed to do this first, for her.  And for me.