Who's to judge?

Chapter XXIV

He was uncomfortable, sitting uneasily in his chair, not daring to look either of us in the eye.

"Elijah Sterling, we'd like to ask you a few questions." I began. The doctor nodded slightly.

"You have some vampire patients, right?" He nodded. "Did you know that many of your patients have died because of vampire blood poisoning?"

He stared at me for a long time, no emotion in his eyes, then shook his head. "Don't you think that's funny. Almost every one of your patients is dead." Still nothing, his gaze didn't change. "Dr. McKenna is a psychiatrist who often treats vampire patients. Did you know you had many patients in common?"

He shook his head."She told us that you are the one who sends her the medicine to "cure" the vampires."

Finally, he showed a reaction. A smile flitted across his lips.

"That's right." was all he said. "You send her medicine, but you don't know that you have the same patients?" mentioned Talon, slightly irritated. "Yes, of course. I give her what she asks of me, that's all." he said.

"But you told me then that vampire blood can be deadly to vampires and that it can cause transformation in humans," I said. He nodded. "That's true, too."

Now he was confusing me.

"So you were aware that you could cause that, but continued to do so."

Again he nodded, but something in his gaze had changed. I started to get goose bumps. Was it him, or was he just doing what McKenna asked him to do? Slowly, I didn't know what else to do. I had to take a different approach.

"Dr. Sterling, is it true that your father was a man of the church?" I asked. He frowned, but nodded. "Was he a man who believed in forgiveness?" I asked further. He leaned back, nodding again. "What about you? Do you believe in forgiveness?"

A scowl filled his blue eyes. Maybe I was on to something there, I had to keep drilling. "If someone came to you and told you that their existence was a punishment, would you help him or her?"

He averted his gaze. "Would you help a vampire who can't live his or her life properly because the world is unfair to us vampires?"

He tightened his jaw.

"We are pitiful, you wouldn't think twice to help us, would you?"

An irritated sigh escaped his lips.

"You would help us ask for forgiveness, wouldn't you?"He frowned and folded his hands over his legs, but still wouldn't look at me.

"And forgiveness only works if you atone too, right? That's how your father taught you, right?"

Now I had him.

Jerkily, he stood up and pounded his hands on the table. So much was happening at once. Talon had stood in front of me, the boss had drawn his gun, and the unbearable burnt smell told me that Valerio had also come forward. With irritated eyes, the doctor looked at us all individually. "You can't just sit here and accuse me of such things! I won't stand for it!" he yelled at us. I stood up as well. "We were just asking questions, dear doctor. But if you want to confess something, we'll be happy to listen."

He was pissed off. I was almost sure now that we were on the right track. I only needed one more proof, something I had never been able to test out properly, partly because it was risky.

"I won't be treated like this!" he continued to hiss.

"Then why did you treat the vampires like that?" asked Valerio. At that moment, the doctor turned around, which distracted him from me. As quickly as I could, I leaned forward, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him as close as I could.