"Hamilton,.Laurell.K.-.Anita.Blake.-.12.-.Incubus.Dreams" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Laurell K)

УWe know she probably didnТt know the vamps.Ф
УHow so?Ф
УShe came out to get some air, not to visit.Ф
He nodded and made a note. УThereТs no sign of a struggle, yet. ItТs like she came out here for air and just walked over there with them. She wouldnТt do that for strangers.Ф
УIf she was under mind control, she would.Ф
УSo one of our vamps is an old one.Ф Dolph was still making notes.
УNot necessarily old, but powerful, and that usually means old.Ф I thought about it. УSomeone with good mind control powersЧthat IТm sure ofЧage,Ф I shrugged, УI donТt know, yet.Ф
He was still writing in his notebook.
УNow, can I move the Dumpster and move the body around, or do you still need the techies to get back in there and do their thing first?Ф
УI had them wait for you,Ф he said without looking up from his writing.
I looked at him, tried to learn something from his face, but he was all concentration and business. It was a step up that heТd had the techs wait for me. And that heТd called me at all. Before his time off, heТd tried to get me barred from crime scenes. It was a step up, so why was I still wondering if Dolph was capable of letting his personal life go long enough to solve this case? Because, once youТve seen someone you trusted lose it completely, you never truly trust them again, not completely.


4

There was a matching set of bite marks on the other side of her neck. They were so close to the same size as the ones on the left-hand side, that I wondered if the same vamp had bitten twice. I didnТt have my ruler with me. Hell, I didnТt have most of my equipment with me. IТd been planning on a wedding tonight, not a crime scene.
I asked if anyone had something to measure bite radius. One of the techs offered to measure for me. Fine with me. She had a pair of calipersЧIТd never used a pair of them before.
Measurements do not lie. It wasnТt the same vamp. Nor was it the same vamp at each of her inner thighs or her wrists. Counting the bite mark on her chest, that made seven. Seven vampires. Enough to drain an adult human being dry and leave very little blood behind.
There was no obvious evidence of sexual assault, according to a CSU technician. Glad to hear it. I did not bother explaining that the bite alone can be orgasmic both for the vic and the killer. Not always, but often, especially if the vampire is good at fogging the mind. A vampire with enough juice can make someone enjoy being killed. Scary, but true.
After IТd seen every inch of the dead woman, when I knew that her pale flesh might dance through my dreams in their plastic shoes, Dolph wanted to talk.
УTalk to me,Ф he said.
I knew what he wanted. УSeven vamps. One has to be good enough at mind control to have made the vic enjoy what was happening, or at least not mind it. Someone would have heard her screams otherwise.Ф
УHave you walked into the club?Ф he asked.
УNo.Ф
УMusic is loud, lots of people inside,Ф he said.
УSo they might not have heard her, even if she did scream?Ф
He nodded.
I sighed. УThereТs no sign of a struggle. TheyТll look at her nails, but there wonТt be any sign of a fight. The vic didnТt even know what was happening, or at least not until it was way too late.Ф
УYouТre sure of that?Ф
I thought for a second or two. УNo, IТm not sure. ItТs my best educated guess, but maybe sheТs one of those people that doesnТt fight back. Maybe once seven vampires surrounded her, she just gave up. I donТt know. What kind of person was Charlene Morresey? Was she a fighter?Ф
УDonТt know yet,Ф Dolph said.
УIf she was a fighter, then vampire mind tricks were used. If she wasnТt, if she was real docile, then maybe not. Maybe weТre looking for a bunch of young vamps.Ф I shook my head. УBut IТd say not. IТd say at least one, maybe more, were old, and good at doing at this.Ф
УThey hid the body,Ф he said.
I finished the thought for him, УAnd then exposed it, so that someone would find it.Ф
He nodded. УThatТs been bothering me, too. If they had just closed her coat over her body, not messed with the hair, no one would have found her tonight.Ф
УTheyТd have missed her in the club,Ф I said, Уor was she done for the night?Ф
УShe wasnТt done, and, yeah, they would have missed her.Ф
I glanced back at the body. УBut would they have found her?Ф
УMaybe,Ф he said, Уbut not this quick.Ф
УYeah, sheТs still fresh, cool to the touch, but not long gone.Ф
He checked his notes. УLess than two hours since she was on stage.Ф
I looked around us, at the bright halogen lights. There was no good place to hide in this parking lot, except behind the Dumpsters. УDid they do her behind the Dumpsters?Ф
УOr a car,Ф he said.
УOr van,Ф I said.
УThe serial killerТs best friend,Ф Dolph said.
I looked at him, trying to read behind those cop eyes. УSerial killer, what are you talking about? This is the first kill, to my knowledge.Ф
He nodded. УYeah.Ф He started to turn away.
I caught his sleeve, lightly. I had to be careful how I touched him lately. He took so many things as aggression. УCops do not use the phrase serial killer unless they have to. One, you donТt want it to be true. Two, the reporters will get hold of it and report it like itТs truth.Ф
He looked down at me, and I let go of his sleeve. УThere arenТt any reporters here, Anita. ItТs just another dead stripper in Sauget.Ф
УThen why say it?Ф