Chapter five

I woke before my alarm went off, but lay there just staring at the ceiling.  The sun should set soon, meaning it was time for another night of police work. I rolled out from under the blankets and headed for the bathroom. I was anxious to get to work and start investigating the case. Nobody should be forced to turn against their will. Or be starved after.

I dragged my feet as I walked to the shower. My felt like a truck ran it over and backed up to run it over again.

This sucks. I didn't even drink that much.

The hot water felt so good as it fell onto my sore body. 

We need to figure out what is going on in this city. Who is forcing people to change and then murdering them?

"Mrow."

"I know, Socks. I'm late," I said to the cat as though he was scolding me for my bad time management skills.

I hurried out of the shower and dried as fast as I could while searching for something clean to wear. 

I grabbed my shoes and a jacket while running out the door. Standing in the foyer of the building, I pulled on my boots and dug into my pockets for my keys. The rain outside made the streets eeriely foggy as the street lights came on. A human  woman may have a small inkling of fear walking down the creepy road. 

Hopefully this will mean a quiet night.

I knew that wouldn't be. Vampires, monsters, and ghouls loved nothing than a foggy night to prowl.

The drive in to the station was quiet. Too quiet. There wasn't traffic on the streeets and even the sidwalks were empty. 

Brrrriiinnnggg

"Detective Perry," I grumbled.

"Cassidy?" the gruff voice came through.

"Andrew?"

"Yeah."

"What's wrong?" I asked, the coroner rarely called me. I usually got a report from him a few days after an autopsy was done.

"You need to get down here. Now," he replied.

"Why?"

"It's too odd to describe over the phone. You just have to get down here," he repeated.

"Is it about our starved vampire?"

"Yeah."

"Alright,  I'm pulling into the station now. I'll grab scott and we'll head to the coroners office."

November usually signaled the true start of winter in this part of the state. I zipped my jacket and headed for the small station that was on the corner. One plus about being a detective was I got preferential parking treatment so the walk wasn't long. 

Inside, I bypassed the elevator and ran up the stairs.

'Whoa there, Perry," a tall, dark-haired man said.

"Chief!" I exclaimed surprised.

"What's the hurry?" he asked motioning me to his office.

"I need to get Scott and get to the morgue."

"Did the coroner find something?" he asked glancing up at me.

"Don't know yet. He called a little bit ago and told me he wanted to see Scott and me." I watched his face. His pale skin was the essence of perfection. His black hair was cut short and it made his gray eyes stand out even more. 

He opted for the bite about 60 years ago after his cancer diagnosis. He'd waited until the very end, but wanted to live. He made the vampire in me hungry and not for blood.

He pursed his ice-cold lips and nodded. "Get Jackson and go."

"Aye, sir." If I could blush. I would have.

What blood I did have never rushed anywhere though. A blessing at the moment.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Fine, sir," I squeaked out.

He narrowed his eyes again and stared into my eyes. "You're a hard one to read, Perry."

"I know, sir."

"You are a fascinating woman. Very unique."

I nodded and divereted my gaze else where. "I, um, Scott."

He nodded his head and moved out of my way.

I hadn't noticed that I held my breath the entire time. Shaking my head, I searched around for my partner. We shared an office at the back of the room, and the lights were off.

Where is he? 

I opened the door and saw his briefcase sitting on his desk so he was somewhere in the building. Hopefully.

"Has anyone seen Jackson?" I shouted out to everyone.

"Coffee run."

"What?"

"Coffee run. He was last in, he went on the coffee run."

"Technically I'm last in," I mumbled.

"You never go for coffee, Perry," a petite blonde at the reception desk said, shaking her head.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Does anyone know where he went? Or how long ago?"

"How long ago what?" Scott asked as he walked through the door with his arms overloaded with cardboard cup holders. "Coffee's here. Donuts too."

"Stereotype," a short, brown-haired man said, standing to help with the hot beverages.

"Yeah, yeah," Scott replied.

"You. We have to go."

"I just got back."

"Grab your coffee. Grab  your donut. Let's go."

"K," he mumbled, following close behind with a bag and two cups. "Here."

"What is it?" I asked.

"A blodd lattee. Figured you might want one."

"You know me too well." I happily took the cup and sipped at the brown-red liquid. 

"How do you drink those? That's gross."

"Half vampire, Scott. I do need the blood."

"Meh."

We slid into my car and drove toward the coroners office.

"Why are we so motivated this morning?"

"Andrew has news on the vic."

"Oh, really? What did he find?"

"I don't know, but when he's calling me first thing in the morning and saying get down here now, I'm getting down there fast."

"Yeah, that's not like him to be working this early."

"I don't think he's in early. I don't think he left last night. He sounded exhausted on the phone."

"Curious."

"Incredibly."

He happily scarffed down two chocolate glazed donuts while sipping daintly at the steaming beverage in his cup. 

"What is that?" I asked, crinking my nose.

"Uh, something new they had on the menu. Caramel apple lattee."

"Ew. What?"

"It's weird, but kind of good."

"And you think my blood lattees are gross. You're gross."

"Perhaps but we full humans like weird things."

Thankfully the coroner's office wasn't far from the station. We pulled up to the ominous building as the drizzling rain turned to snow.

"God, it's cold."

"Is it?"

"Have you ever felt before?"

"Felt? Felt what?"

"Anything."

"Well, yeah," I said.

"Like what."

"Emotions. I feel emotions."

"Temperatures?"

"That? No. I do not feel temperatures. I'm always cold. Cold-skinned. Cold-blooded. Cold-whatever."

"Interesting."

"Hello?" I called out as we walked in. "Andrew?"

"Back here!" he hollered. "You are not going to believe this."