“What trust.” Caleb gestured for Jane and Eve to precede him as the waiter led them to a table. “But at least you think I have something to contribute.” He waited until they were all seated and had ordered drinks before he continued, “Tell me about Heather Carmello. The information on the news was very sketchy.”
“We weren’t hiding anything from the media. She was a prostitute who usually worked the bars on Peachtree. Same MO as the Norris killing.”
Caleb stared him in the eye. “Except?”
“No goblet. Does that have significance?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Then what the hell does it mean?” Joe said through his teeth, when Caleb didn’t elaborate. “Do I have to pull it out of you?”
“No, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t intend to tell you what you need.”
“He’s pissed at you, Joe,” Jane said bluntly. “He wants to give you a few needles before he lets you have what you want.”
“Exactly.” Caleb smiled at Jane. “How perceptive you are.” He turned back to Joe. “But I’m through with that for the time being. What do you want to know?”
“Tell me about Jelak in Fiero. Tell me about the ritual. Tell me about the goblet.”
“In what order?”
Eve had had enough. “Don’t play games with us,” she said curtly. “A woman was killed last night. You think Jane may be on his list too. I won’t have her in danger because we don’t know enough.”
“You don’t mention that you’re his prime target.” Caleb smiled. “I find that curious.”
“Tell us,” Eve said. “Everything.”
Caleb shrugged. “There are people fascinated with vampires all over the planet. Your United States is particularly fond of the concept. Movies, best-selling books, TV series. It’s no wonder Jelak became so obsessed with them.”
“It’s entertainment,” Jane said. “No one believes they actually exist.”
“People believe what they want to believe. Particularly if they’re unstable to begin with. I’m sure you’ve found out by now that Jelak has always had an affinity for blood. He collected vials of blood from the time he was a boy.”
“We just recently found that out. How did you know that?” Eve asked.
“I had an extremely violent discussion with Jelak’s teacher, Master Franco Donari. Jelak had bared his soul to Donari while he was teaching him.”
“Teaching him what?” Joe asked.
“The way to win the game,” he said softly.
“You mentioned a game before. What the hell do you mean?” Eve asked.
“Blood Game. The path that would lead Jelak to his heart’s desire.” He glanced at Joe’s impatient expression. “I’m getting to it. Give me a little time.” He took a sip of the margarita the waiter had set before him. “Franco Donari was a member of a cult group located in Fiero, Italy. It was a fairly small group, a dozen or so, whose members bragged that they were of the true blood and had all kinds of rituals and ceremonies to glorify themselves.”
“They actually thought they were vampires?”
“Yes, or on their way. They conveniently forgot the stories about the effects of garlic, or crosses, or melting in the sunlight. That would have been uncomfortable. But they embraced the power and the fear.”
“Ridiculous.”
“I can’t argue with you there, but they’d bought into the idea and developed it along the lines they wanted it to go. They looked upon themselves as scholars above the rest of humanity. When Jelak discovered them, he thought he’d found a home. But to his chagrin he found that it wasn’t that easy. He couldn’t just join the fraternity. He had to earn his way.”
“Killing?” Jane asked.
He nodded. “And the ingesting of the blood. The cult doctrine preached that eternal life and godlike powers could only be attained by taking the life and blood of many truly exceptional victims. That way he could gain all their strength and power until he reached his exalted state. It was supposedly an odyssey that could take years.”
“He killed a prostitute last night,” Joe said. “That wasn’t very selective.”
“No, that may have just been a gesture of defiance. Or he could have reached out and took her to soothe the hunger.”
“Hunger?” Eve said.
“Donari says that after years of continuous blood taking, Jelak probably developed an appetite that had to be appeased. That’s why Donari told Jelak that he should find a host that would provide him with basic sustenance and free him to search out his exceptional kills.” He took another drink. “Jelak told him that he had someone in mind. He didn’t give him a name, or I’d have been able to locate Jelak a hell of a lot sooner.”
“Kistle,” Eve said.
“Probably. I’d bet that he was hovering around Kistle like a vulture.” He met her gaze across the table. “He let Kistle do his work for him. When Kistle made a kill, he’d follow him and take the blood he needed from the victim. Of course, it was only an appeasement. I understand Kistle was big on killing children, and they usually don’t have time to become exceptional.”
