Free Deadly Desire by Keri Arthur Page B

is, it's not one that I've smelled before. And it would have to be an extremely powerful magic to restrain someone when you're hacking him to pieces.”
    “Well, there's at least one thing that
is
obvious,” I said grimly. “These people have a serious grievance against vampires.”
    And if they
had,
maybe Armel and Garrison weren't their first kills. Maybe they had a history of it. It was certainly worth checking into.
    “You'll get the report to me as soon as possible?”
    She nodded. “Won't be tonight, though. The lab isseverely backed up at the moment. Even the priority stuff is going to take longer than usual.”
    “As soon as you can, then. Thanks, Mel.”
    She nodded and got back to her fingerprinting. I dug my phone out of my pocket, ringing Jack as I headed back to the car.
    “Anything?” he said.
    “Just the same odd smell that I noticed at Armel's. Have the magi checked out Armel's yet?”
    “They're there now.”
    “Which means we probably won't have an answer for a while yet.” I gnawed at my lip as I opened the car. “Had another thought—”
    “That's always dangerous.”
    Despite his dour tones, he was obviously getting back to some sort of normality if he could throw barbed remarks. Well, as normal as one could get after losing a longtime friend.
    “It might be worth checking for similar murders in other states,” I continued, “just to see if this is an established pattern. These murders are well practiced, Jack. We're dealing with professionals, not novices.”
    “Sal's already on that. There's nothing yet, but it's going to take a while. You got anything else?”
    I glanced at my watch. It was only four, and it wouldn't take me that long to get back to Fitzroy for my meeting with the street kids. But I was betting Joe would probably already be there, and if not, I'd wait. It was better than going back to the office and doing paperwork.
    “I've got a meeting with a kid who knew the latest zombie victim at five.”
    “What about her parents?”
    “She'd been living on the streets for years. I doubt the parents would be able to tell us anything useful about her.” And I really didn't want to confront that sort of grief without the hope of getting something useful.
    Jack grunted. “Once you finish there, concentrate on your report. I want it on my desk by the morning, Riley.”
    His tone added the “or else.”
    “You'll let me know if Cole's report comes in?”
    “Yep.”
    “Thanks, boss.”
    I hung up and drove to Fitzroy. I got there with tons of time, and walked up to the Macca's on the corner to grab a burger and a shake, downing them both before heading back.
    A shiny silver BMW had been parked in front of the building in my absence, and the car looked very conspicuous against the grime and age of the surrounding buildings. Obviously whoever owned the thing had no great love for it, because parking it in an area littered with street kids was nothing short of an invitation for robbery.
    I lightly touched the hood as I walked by. Still warm, so it hadn't been parked here long. Inside, there was nothing more than a few folders to be seen. Maybe it belonged to the owner of these old buildings. Maybe the red tape surrounding the building plans had finallybeen removed, and the street kids were about to find themselves on the street again.
    I walked through the old factory doors and drew in a breath as I headed for the stairs. Though I didn't expect it, there was one major difference in the aromas teasing the air.
    The kids were no longer alone.
    Kye was here.

walked up the stairs and through the wasteland of half-walls. The kids were holed up in the far corner again, and Kye was with them. Though his arms were crossed and his stance casual, there was an underlying tension in his shoulders that suggested he was ready to move at the slightest provocation.
    “What the hell are you doing here, Kye? You were warned off the case.”
    “So you know this guy?” Mike asked, his bright