Blue Moon Rising (The Patroness) (19 page)

He took a deep, and probably meant to be calming, breath, although lucky him, he didn’t have to worry about something as trivial as high blood pressure. “We found the ashes of five of them in the Rue de Braque. Rammed five crosses into the ground beside them.”

My heart sank into my stomach. “Shit!” Five out of six. Was Josianne still alive? Oh, I hoped so, please.

“We should check that out,” Kylian said and I agreed.

Valère frowned. “Wait! This doesn’t seem to surprise you. Why is that?”

I answered without thinking, since he’d been fairly cooperate after Valère-standards. “Five shapeshifters were found dead on Saturday, then this night five witches. Council was informed after the first murder.” And with a gesture towards Kylian, I added, “They send Kylian the Killer to help with my ongoing investigation.”

Valère’s eyes became slits, his voice hard with more than just a hint of anger, “The Council knows about this situation and didn’t deem it necessary to forward this to the Queen? That’s an inexcusable offense and will have consequences!”

With a loud crack the air filled with smoke and instead of the bloodsuckers we were face to face with four furiously screeching bats. Faster than the human eye could follow in the night they zig-zagged and flew away, back to the Den, reporting. Damn.

Well done, Maiwenn, would it have killed you to shut your mouth for sec and to use your brain?

“I kinda messed this one up, didn’t I?” I looked at Kylian.

“Yep, that suicidal urge of yours again.”

“Ha-ha. You’ll have to warn your grandpa that some maniac vampire queen is after his hide.” I grimaced, “Because of me.”

“Oh, no need. He’s used to it.”

“Right. That’s comforting. Not.”

“Let’s check out the new crime scene, okay.”

We didn’t find the ashes – the wind already must have blown them away – but the scents of the unknown, feathered creatures were according to Kylian’s nose all over the place. We couldn’t determine whether the vamps were killed on scene or not, since they unfortunately left no traces of blood and so it was possible that they’d transported and deliberately placed the ashes there. No new clues, no leads, but more deaths. I didn’t like that at all.

I pulled out one of the six inch long wooden crosses, stuck in the ground and after examining them, lifted my eyebrows in surprise. They’d been sharpened at the end. Hmm, that might come in handy. I collected the remaining four.

After the patrol was done for the night, I politely persuaded the guys to boost the city’s economy and tourism sector by crashing in a hotel for a change. Besides, I desperately needed some testosterone-free time, even though I would be mostly sleeping through it. Still, the bliss of one restful night, in an estrogen dominated household without any disturbing, male vibes was enough to make me smile and relax. Or so I’d hoped. Instead I dreamt of murder, Kylian and sex. How very subtle, dear subconsciousness.

We’d decided to meet up early the next morning at my place to brainstorm over the gargoyle’s riddle and so I’d prepared accordingly.

It was seven in the morning. I’d already showered and dressed in a dark blue pants and white shirt, a mug of coffee in my hands I looked around the kitchen and living room. Cutter was safely tucked into the harness and hidden from view strapped across my back, check. A city map with the crime scenes colorfully highlighted was taped to the wall, check. Beside it lay a sheet of paper where I’d written down the riddle, check. Big board to scribble down notes onto, check. Pictures taken on crime scenes, printed out and lying on the table, check. Coffee for everyone, check.

The bell rang and I went to answer the door. In a whoosh the room filled up with people. Kylian and Chastel, followed by Viviane and Pauline. Pauline had informed Viviane about our little gathering only this morning, since Viviane had already been sleeping when I came home last night. All of them looked serious and ready for whatever battle.

“Good Morning everybody! Coffee anyone?”

“Yes,” they all answered in chorus.

As I poured coffee for everyone and we sat down, Kylian gave Viviane and Pauline the heads-up and told them about the five dead witches and vampires and the gargoyles.

When he was finished Viviane eyed me and demanded, “Did it really have to be a blood vow?”

She was one to talk. First she decided to tell everyone about her previous lives with a smile on her face and now I was the one taking unnecessary risks with a blood vow or what? “Yes.”

She sighed. “Okay, then let’s think this through, what have we got?”

I walked towards my brainstorm-wall, and read the riddle out loud, though I already knew it by heart. “One is ambitious and not from here though in two different minds he likes to appear. Three sets and it might be too late despite the four split souls forced into the shade. For in the end all he needs is five and five, in a circle wide.”

I moved in front of the city map and continued, “We’ve got dead shapeshifters, found last Saturday in the Passage Main d’Or, dead witches, found last night in the Rue Saint-Julien le Pauvre, and now really dead vampires, found the night before last in the Rue de Braque. Always five victims. Shapeshifters and vamps, all disappeared during the last week. We still need to verify the time of disappearance for the witches.”

I turned towards my little audience. “We think the shapeshifters were the first vics, since the killer left a message. He left the symbols of a wolf, a cat, a cross, wings and a ghost burned onto the victims’ chests. We’ve found bundles of fur, from a wolf according to Kylian, beside the shapeshifters, five dead cats next to the witches and five crosses at the last crime scene...”

I trailed off, as realization hit me. I whirled around, gazing rapidly forth and back between the city map and the riddle, and I murmured under my breath, “Five and five in a circle wide. Five and five in a circle wide.”

“What is it, Maiwenn?” Kylian asked.

I raised a hand to block him off, pulled out my cell and pressed speed dial.

“Allô?” Mathieu answered after the second ring.

“Hey, I need to speak to Philippe, please!” I asked him, excited and anxious at the same time.

There was a little fussing around, since Mathieu had to hold up the phone for the transparent Philippe. “Hey, Maiwenn, what’s up?”

“Listen, I know it sounds weird, but do you know whether five ghosts where killed, exorcized...or offed in the last couple of days?” What was the right expression here?

“Err, first of all, scary thought and second of all, no idea. Why?”

“I’ll explain it to you guys later. Now I need you to check out the ghost community and find out whether they heard of something like that. Please hurry, okay?”

“Sure, see you later.”

“Bye,” I hung up and turned my attention back to the others.

Kylian got up. “You think, they already have or will kill five faeries and five ghosts?”

“Exactly. Then there’s the riddle, ‘five and five’. The Council is also called the Big Five, five species, five victims of each. Five and five.”

He nodded. “Logic. But what about the wide circle?”

“No idea. Yet.”

Viviane joined in, “As the gargoyles’ riddle go, they tell us everything we need to know. ‘One is ambitious and not from here’, probably or most certainly speaks of the killer. He must be ambitious indeed to pull this off. But what about the ‘not from here’ part? Here, as in Paris, or France?”

I bit my lip and thought about it, than shook my head. “That’s too vague. We’ll worry about that later. ‘In two different minds he likes to appear’? Any ideas?” I looked at the others, than at Pauline. “Shapeshifting? Telepathy? Mind control, maybe?”

Pauline tilted her head, picking up my last train of thought. “The killer’s mind and that of a subject’s he’s controlling.”

Kylian, as much absorbed in the riddle as the rest of us, added, “Would confirm our theory that he doesn’t like to get his hands dirty. But I think it’s rather he appears in two other minds, literally, two different persons.”

“Maybe.” I frowned. “Four...‘despite the four split souls forced into the shade’. Maybe the gargoyle’s were talking about those feathered things there. Split souls. You said, they perspired, and that’s a human thing, right? Maybe they are a mix between humans and birds?”

“Bird-shapeshifters exist, I’d recognize the scent.”

“Then they’re some other kind of mixture between humans and birds.”

“What other creature could come out of that?”

He had a point. Damn it.

Silence settled, as everybody was lost in thoughts trying to crack the gargoyles’ little riddle. After some time I blew out a deep breath, at the end of my wisdom, and pinched the bridge of my nose as a headache started in the front of my head.

“What about the ‘three’? ‘Three sets and it might be too late’?” Chastel threw in.

“Well, that one seems easy actually,” Viviane said.

I lifted my eyebrows. “Oh really?”

“Sunsets, my dear! Three sunsets and it might be too late.”

I groaned. “Sure, why the hell not.” A little more pressure, that’s all we needed right now.

Around noon Kylian, Chastel and I were in my office, reviewing the information we got on our case as the telephone rang.

I grabbed it and answered, “Bonjour, this is Maiwenn Cadic, Saints Investigation, how may I help you?”

“You forgot to recharge your battery. Again,” Mathieu’s voice accused me.

I pulled out my cell, to find it indeed dead. Damn it. “You know me. Any news?”

“Yeah, though not what you were looking for. Quite the contrary, actually. Remember you wanted me to look for a group, or whatever, denouncing otherworldlers and stuff in some way. Well, got nothing there. But I found one flyer that said something like, ‘Do you feel different from those around you? We can help you. Sign up!’ I know it doesn’t sound threatening in any way, but...I swear if you saw it, read it...it has a weird ring to it.”

An unpleasant and foreboding feeling tickled between my shoulder blades, and even though I’ve never had that flyer between my fingers, I agreed with Mathieu. Something was off. “I believe you. Did you talk to anyone about that flyer?”

“No, but I can if you want to. Find out whether someone went...”

“No,” I interrupted him, “you don’t. Forget the flyer, stay put, and concentrate on studying. I’ll come by some time later to have a look at it, okay?”

An alarm went off behind me. I turned around to watch Chastel jump up out of his chair as if his ass was on fire, and then pull out a black cell. “One of our traps is moving!”

Into the phone, I said, “Hey, thanks for helping me, Mathieu. You’re the best. But stay put, please.”

“Fine, whatever. Bye.” He hung up, without another word. Ouf, teenage boys.

I didn’t put the phone down, instead I dialed one of my own numbers, the apartment. “Hey, Pauline, it’s me. Could you come down and help out in the office. The guys and I have to go out for a while.”

“Sure, I’m coming right down.”

I thought of the killer’s to-do-list, of the ghosts and fairies likely to be abducted and added, before she could hang up on me, “But, please, don’t leave the house while we’re away, okay?”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

With that Chastel, Kylian and I were heading out to look after one of the traps.

“He’s headed north, now.” Chastel reported.

Kylian and looked at each other, both of us thinking the same. North, like the rogue I’d fought with. “Okay then, let’s hunt ourselves some nice rug!”

I was on my way to the bus that would bring up the fastest up north, as Chastel exclaimed, “Wait! He’s turning around, south, now.”

“Where exactly is he?” I demanded.

“Crossed the river, Ile de la Cité, Notre-Dame now.”

“Ah, shit. That won’t pass unnoticed.”

We tried to follow the zig-zags of the rogue until we finally circled him in the Quartier Latin, which covered the fifth and sixth arrondissement and was known for a lively atmosphere thanks to the many bistros. The sun was still up and everything seemed bright and real - except for the rogue lying on the ground a few yards ahead and baring his teeth at me. He was nervous, and wild. Sure, he was a rogue, but his wilderness seemed to be caused more out of fear than madness. He was anxious. But why?

Behind him I could see Kylian approaching the gray wolf. From yet another little alley I knew Chastel did the same. The rogue was cornered, and knew it. The wolf whined, a sad and heartbreaking sound.

I unsheathed Cutter, a movement that was greeted with snapping teeth. The wolf got up, his hackles up and baring his teeth with a loud snarl. Ah, doesn’t want to go down without a fight, huh?

“It’s not our rogue!” Kylian suddenly called out.

“What? Are you sure?” Well, that last one was kind of stupid. Kylian was a shapeshifter for God’s sake, he would know.

“It’s not him. He smells new. Freshly turned, I think.”

What the hell? “But he’s crazed, right?” I whispered back, though I didn’t have a damn clue why I whispered since I knew the mad wolf probably wouldn’t understand us anyway.