“And we’re sure it’s him?”

“The description of the girl matches. Ten years old, small boned, blond hair. The timing is too perfect. It’s him, all

Baldwin felt his heart rate rise a fraction.

“We need to make a move on this Arlen guy, quickly,” Geroux said.

“Keep looking at everyone, Geroux. We can’t put all our eggs in one basket. But, Sparrow?”

“Yeah, boss?”

“While Geroux finishes these files, you see what you can find out about Arlen. Track his every move. I want all the details of this guy’s history, credit reports, who he talks to, what kind of soap he’s using. He may be using online accounts-you can go work your magic there, too. He started killing five weeks ago. What made him start? If Arlen is our guy, was there something in his recent past that stands out as a good stressor? Talk to Sears-see if he’s been disciplined lately. Look at his close relatives, his exes, anyone and anything that you can find.”

Sparrow smiled at him, careful not to let her teeth show.

The front two were crossed a bit, and it gave her fits. He thought it gave her an air of mystery, but she hated the perceived flaw.

“Butler, I’d like you to start cross-referencing the databases. See what you can dig up. There was a three-year lag time between Arlen’s release from prison and the start of these murders. Check through ViCAP and see what other crimes have been committed in this area, and throw in Maryland and West Virginia too, just to be safe.”

“Checking for an escalation pattern, Doc?”

“That’s it exactly. Let’s make sure we didn’t miss anything in the local area.” He smiled at Butler, clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Charlotte and I will go talk to the Homicide guys, let them know what we’re on to. We’ve gol a few hours of daylight left. Let’s make the most of them.”

As they left the building, he felt a spark of hope. This might come together after all.

Twenty-Two

Nashville

11:00 a.m.

Taylor and McKenzie left Hillsboro High School with the files of several students, including Juri Edvin, and a list of the kids the counselors had termed Goth. She was surprised to recognize a name on that list-Letha King was a part of the alternative crowd. Taylor couldn’t help but wonder if she was involved.

Could a girl murder her own brother? The answer, unfortunately, was yes. She called Marcus, asked for a meeting with the girl later.

Taylor wanted to go directly to the hospital and have a chat with Juri Edvin, then do a six-pack of like photos and take them to Theo Ho well, see if he could pick out the drug dealer he knew as Thorn. It all made sense to Taylor, the idea that Thorn and Juri Edvin were one and the same. And maybe Theo could shed some light on the relationship between his friend Jerry and Jerry’s little sister, Letha, and what Jerry and Brandon Scott had been fighting about.

But as they drove back downtown, her cell rang. It was Marcus.

‘That was quick. What’s up?” she asked, driving with one hand. They were in Hillsboro Village, passing Vanderbilt, and she sent a quick prayer toward Brittany Carson.

“We’ve got the man who was at the crime scenes, Keith Johnson? To start, he insists on being called King Barent. And he’s claiming he’s responsible for the murders.”

“‘Really. Why do you sound so unconvinced?”

She heard him sigh. ‘“I don’t know. He knows some details that haven’t been released, but he might have seen the video online, too.”

“We’ll come there first then. Can you check on Juri Edvin’s status for me? I’m more convinced than ever that he’s the boy named Thorn who’s been pushing the drugs into Hillsboro. Make sure there’s a guard on his room, too. If he tried to kill Brittany Carson once, I don’t want him getting any ideas now that she’s in an even more vulnerable position.”

“Sure. Hey, speaking of that-at the Carson place? There was a small patch of semen found on the bricks outside the bay window. It looks into the den.”

“Semen, huh? My gut was right on the money there. I bet you Mr. Edvin was watching through the windows, masturbating to Brittany Carson’s dying body. That nasty little bastard. I should have let Max chew him to pieces.”

“You want me to send that over to Private Match as well, get DNA from Edvin to look for a match?”

“Yes, please.”

“One more thing. The letter? Tim Davis said to tell you that he thinks the blood came from several different sources. Possibly all the victims. He’s matched blood types to them. Several distinct samples, he said.”

“Jesus. So the symbols were drawn in the victims’ blood?”

“Looks that way.”

“Wow. All right. I’ll see you in a few.”

She hung up the phone and filled McKenzie in. They were nearly to Broadway now, just a few more minutes to the CJC.

“You look exhausted, LT.”

“I am exhausted. Aren’t you?”

“Sure. But this is an incredibly fascinating case. Witches and vampires and Goths, teenagers possibly murdering their peers, all thrown into a psychotic melting pot. What’s not to like?”

She huffed out a laugh. “I’m glad you can find the intrigue in all this. I just want to piece together the case and find who’s responsible. Let’s go see if the vampire king knows from whence he speaks.”

Taylor was surprised by the looks of the man calling himself the vampire king. He was burly in an unfit way, a red-and-blue-striped rugby shirt stretched taut across his belly. His brown hair was mousy and thinned at the top, curling over the collar of his shirt in greasy tangles. His skin was pale and strangely devoid of facial hair-there was no sign of a beard or eyebrows. Brown eyes, not unintelligent, capped off his moon-round face.

She watched him on the video-feed monitor that was running into Interrogation One, assessing. He didn’t seem nervous or excited, just bored. One long finger snaked against his chin, then sauntered casually up to his nose. With a furtive glance at the door, he indelicately picked, then examined the end of his finger. Taylor turned away, mildly repulsed.

McKenzie and Marcus watched with interest. “Amazing. His teeth, he has fangs, too. Though I can’t tell if it’s the mouth from the video. What do you think, LT?”

“Is his finger in his mouth?” she asked.

“No,” McKenzie laughed.

She turned around and looked back to the video.

“I’ll have to see the movie again to be sure, but it could be him. Though it seems to me that the face on the film was thinner-it had a much sharper chin. I’ll talk to him alone to start. You guys observe from here.”

Interrogation One was right next door. She entered the room and B a rent jumped to his feet. The movement was so sudden, so surprising that her hand went to her weapon. She unhooked the snap with her middle finger. He backed away from her, hissing.

“Sir, sit down,” she said, voice ringing with authority. He feinted at her, going right, then left, still making the hideous noise that sounded like a strangling cat. The room was small-he’d have to go through her to get out. She heard the door open, but she didn’t take her eyes off Barent. He was staring into her face like she was holding a knife to his jugular. His eyes finally strayed away from hers, and that moment was all she needed. She pounced on him, flipped him around and smashed him face first against the wall. He snapped his jaws at her and she leaned away while he struggled. Then Marcus was next to her, and Barent was in handcuffs and pushed heavily into the chair. He was panting, frustration bleeding off him in waves. Taylor caught her breath and stepped away, letting Marcus secure Barent.