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“We’re looking for more family members in the event they require protection,” Morley added. “We already know the relationships of all the victims… every one of them is from the same family, either by blood or marriage. Also, every person killed in the Upper Eastside house shares the same last name. It’s one of the reasons… not the only one… why we invited the Long Island police to join our investigation. Since we believe there’s some chance the rest of the family could be targeted…”

Nick felt a sick misgiving in his stomach.

He knew, somehow, even before Morley finished.

He knew exactly where this was going to go.

It didn’t make it any easier to hear when James finally got it out.

“They all haveyourlast name, Nick. They’re all named Tanaka.”

The senior detective said it gently, watching Nick’s eyes and face.

“It’s not just a coincidence,” Morley added carefully. “The lab techs ran DNA on the first few victims they found. Based on those they’ve tested, it’s likely every single one of our dead from last night… every man, woman, and child that piece of shit butchered… is related to you in some way, Nick. They’re your human relatives. In fact, they’re likely what’s left of your human family here on Earth. At least those who shared your family name.”

Every cop in the room stared between Morley and Nick.

Nick knew they were watching him, looking for some whisper that he might have known, some hint that he might have done it, that he might be their guy.

Nick knew that. It’s what he’d be doing, if he were them.

Knowing that didn’t make it any easier to speak.

For a long-feeling stretch of nothing, Nick just sat there.

He sat there, and said nothing at all.

CHAPTER7

CIRCUMSTANTIAL

It couldn’t be a coincidence.

It flat-out couldn’t be.

That all of this could happen now, after everything that went down with Nick in San Francisco… after the weird dreams and seeing that fucked up vampire on Wynter’s couch… after Nick sleeping too much and dreaming too much, and feeling like a zombie even when he was awake. After Tai telling Nick he’d been pulling her into his dreams.

It was just too much to believe these things weren’t connected.

They had to be connected.

They fuckinghadto be.

Nick just couldn’t figure how.

He remembered something else.

“You have footage showing I wasn’t there.” Nick turned, staring at the lawyer with her enhanced blue eyes and severe, white-blond and dyed red updo. She had it dyed so that one side was nearly white, the other side dark red, with a part in the center dividing the two colors. Nick met her unflinching gaze, then swiveled his stare to Acharya, then to Morley.

“So I can go. Right? You’ve cleared me of this. Unless there’s some question as to the authenticity of the recordings––?”

“There isn’t.” King, the lawyer, cut into his words shortly. “There isn’t a question, that is. The surveillance footage has all been verified as absolutely authentic. Including by the tech team for New York I.S.F.”

King glared at Acharya, then at detective handlebar mustache, and finally at the two H.R.A. agents in the corner of the room, listening.

“They have absolutelynothingto hold you on, Detective Midnight. Which means I would be forced to sue on behalf of my clientthe very instantI thought they might be trying to cobble together some lame excuse to hold you past this meeting. If they were to do such a thing, with not a shred ofreal evidence,and a lot of evidence showing clearly that you couldn’t have beenanywhere nearNew York City when these terrible murders took place––”

Acharya was already waving her off, scowling.