Chasing Daybreak

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Stunned by Heather’s abrupt declaration, I slid into my car, resting my head on the steering wheel as a headache grew behind my eyes. Was she right about the brave Duke? I mean, I didn’t particularly like the idea of my little sister being involved with one of the furry persuasion. Was that speciest of me? Maybe. And besides, who was I to judge? I had a vampire shacking up in my attic after all. I sighed as my purse vibrated a second before busting out with the Buffy tune.

Grumpy, I flipped open the phone. “What, Shane?”

“Izzy, I think you need to come home. Now.”

Behind the tense voice, I could make out sirens. “What? What happened?” I hurriedly slipped the key in the ignition and turned, suddenly impatient for the engine to come roaring to life.

“We have a problem. The police are here. Just… just get here. Now.” Click.

“Shane?” I asked into the receiver, but he was gone. I flipped the phone closed and tossed it into the seat next to me, mumbling, “Great.”

Peeling out of my mom’s driveway I sped home, hoping the police were there to help Shane with whatever had happened and not to carry him off to jail.

After cursing my way through five red lights and three stop signs, I saw the cruisers’ flashing red and blue lights before I turned onto my street. When I pulled up to the curb in front of my house, the first thing I noticed was the yellow crime scene tape strung across my porch. Second, I noticed Shane and Mercy standing in the side yard, talking to Reggie. Neither vampire was in handcuffs or perma-dead, so that was a relief.

Shane must have heard my door slam because he said something to Mercy and Reggie and walked toward me. But knowing he was safe, my interest was focused on the black bag lying across my porch.

“Isabel.” Shane put his arm around my shoulders.

“What happened?” I nodded toward the porch. “Who’s in the bag?”

At that moment, Reggie and Mercy joined us. She slid her head under Shane’s other arm in a maneuver that was both possessive and childish. I shook my head and slid out of Shane’s grasp.

Reggie answered my question. “Shane and Miss Mercy here say they came home from a movie and found the deceased on your porch. He’s been identified as one Billy Young.”

“Wait. Young, the arsonist?”

“Looks that way. You tell anyone else that he was bothering you, Isabel?”

I shook my head, staring at the bag, trying to make sense of the situation. On the one hand, I was weak with relief that it hadn’t been someone I cared about. On the other, I was racking my brain. Who would have done this? “Just Shane,” I replied automatically.

Reggie nodded. “It looks as if he was killed somewhere else and placed here.”

“How do you know?” I asked.

“The body was drained of blood. But there isn’t a drop here.” He motioned toward the ground.

“So, you’re thinking vampire?” I asked.

Reggie shrugged. “Maybe, but there were no bite marks. It looks like whoever did the deed slit the bastard’s throat.”

Shane and I exchanged a glance. It didn’t sound like a vamp kill, but it didn’t exclude them either. A squeal of tires from behind me made me turn. A Channel 7 news van had just showed up to the party. Super.

Reggie tucked his notebook in his pocket and nodded. “If y’all will excuse me, I need to go deal with this.”

As soon as he was out of earshot, Shane grabbed me by the elbow and led me off to the side, Mercy still in tow.