Cheyenne nodded with a grimace. “Yes, legends allow for alot, right? There was a real frenzy back then from what I understand. Peoplebecame desperate to stop the vampire by breaking the gates, desecrating tombs.All that and more.”
“In 1971, a headless, charred body with a stake through itsheart was found in the cemetery,” Andre noted. “And, according to a book byManchester, he stalked the vampire for thirteen years, found it, staked it, andkilled it. But then his companion, Luisa, was taken over by the vampire. Sheturned into a giant spider, and he staked her, too.”
“Thing is, as with any legend, people will see what theychoose to see.”
“And crazies will help them see things,” he murmured. “Thatwas the past. This is the present.” He glanced at her again, glad that talkingwas easy enough on their long flight.
Adam hadn’t just approved their trip, he’d managed to getthem a great flight in the business section of a 787 Dreamliner.
It was nice, and Andre was grateful. He knew Cheyenne wasstill amazed. While being in the Krewe sometimes drew ridicule, it had itsperks, too. And even those who ridiculed had to begrudgingly acknowledge theKrewe’s statistics for solving unsolvable cases.
Few, of course, would believe why.
“So, to today…while none of the bodies have been found inthe cemetery, they’ve been found close by. And thus, the legend of the vampirehas risen again,” he said.
He was somber as he spoke. The police didn’t buy the conceptthat a vampire had returned to Highgate. Not officially—and probably not atall.
There were three dead. The first, Vanessa Lark, had beenfound at one end of Swain’s Lane, draped over a bench, white as a sheet and, asthe medical examiner would soon discover, drained of blood.
The second, Olivia Wordsworth, had been found at the otherend of the lane, leaning atop a stone plaque, also exsanguinated.
The third and most recent had been found on the steps ofEmily Donegal’s small entry porch. Eric Morton, her fiancé, had been questionedrelentlessly, and Emily had been brought in for questioning, as well, rightbefore her frantic call to Cheyenne. The third victim had been identified asSheila Marie Lynsey, and she had once dated Eric Morton. They had, in fact,been involved for several years before they split up two years ago.
When the two were together, Sheila had lived with Eric inthe house on Swain’s Lane.
“The murderer returning Ms. Lynsey’s body to her previoushome…sickly poetic,” Andre murmured.
“Just sick,” Cheyenne said. “Andre, you don’t think someonekilled the other women just to put a vampire spin on it all before getting toSheila Lynsey, do you? Trying to make Eric look guilty? Or Emily? It soundslike they questioned my cousin, thinking she could be guilty of this becauseshe was jealous or afraid of Sheila.”
“Admit it, we’d have to take a look at that possibility,too,” Andre said.
“You haven’t met Emily yet,” Cheyenne said. “She’s sweet,tiny, fragile. She moved to London about four years ago because she was workingin customer service for the hotel business, and her company transferred herover. Because she’s so sweet, she can usually soothe even the most enragedcustomer. But she has a good head on her shoulders and can solve situationswith both the hotel and the customer, delivering the best solution to anydiscord.”
“And Eric? You know him?”
Cheyenne nodded. “He’s a translator. He speaks fourlanguages fluently and has been hired to translate books from Spanish, Italian,and French into English. His mom was Norse, and so, while I’d call him fluentin Norwegian, as well, he says he’s not completely proficient in the languageand won’t offer his services in it. His dad was a professor at Oxford. But he’stall, and I guess that means he could pop on a hat and grab a cane and be avampire… I don’t know. It was the last victim that caused the police to look atthe two of them. The thing is, Andre, it’s likely that whoever this killer is,he knew about Eric’s past and that he’d be a suspect. And Emily…she could be aperson of interest. Or if they’re trying to nail Eric, a victim.”
Andre reclined his seat and looked over at Cheyenne.
“Try to get some sleep. It’s going to be a very long day.And night,” he surmised.
She leaned back.
He caught her hand—not easy over the divide—and squeezed it.
This killer was playing off the legend and the past.
A headless, charred corpse with a stake through its hearthad been found on a long-ago Halloween.
And the last day of October was fast approaching.
They were going to have to discover the truth quickly.Because Andre was in no way convinced this killer was a vampire.
Just a very clever murderer. One with an agenda.
And that plan might well include Emily.
Chapter 2
Eric’s house was on the steep end of Swain’s Lane. HisVictorian home was just down from a modern housing complex, complete with glassand chrome—and, Cheyenne thought, every possible modern convenience.
She’d let Emily know when they landed, and while Emily hadoffered to pick them up, Andre had wanted to rent a car. She’d been somewhatnervous about either of them driving on what they saw as the “wrong” side ofthe road, but Andre quickly proved adept at changing lanes. When she glanced hisway, he shrugged and said, “Yeah, I’ve done this before. But last time, it wasfor a vacation.”
“Well, we can think of this as a strange holiday. Touristsdo come to visit Highgate. It’s considered a microcosm of Victorian
