Page 7 of Their Haunted Hearts (Detectives Kane and Alton #27)
Six
Jenna and Kane spent the rest of the afternoon hunting down missing persons from every county in Montana.
They sent out the description of the victim to all the law enforcement offices throughout the state.
She collected the names and descriptions of a few people but none of them seemed to fit the person she’d seen on the autopsy table.
After writing a media release, something that she usually gave to Rio to complete, she contacted Bret Housing at the local media outlet.
She discovered the media were already buzzing with information from the public.
The rumor about a vampire being found in town was rife among the locals.
Many people had called the local TV station to get information.
A small segment had been on the news about a body being found on Main but nothing had appeared online yet.
She had little choice but to give a statement and rolled her eyes at Kane, sitting at the desk across the room.
“Yes, a deceased woman was discovered on Main this morning after the shooting. We do not consider her to be a victim of the shooter, who is currently in custody. The investigation into the woman’s death is ongoing and we will keep you updated when necessary. ”
“There are many people calling in and giving eyewitness accounts of seeing what appeared to be a newly bitten vampire killed with a stake. They are saying they could see marks on her neck. You can’t deny she had a stake through her chest because we have photographs taken at the scene.
” The reporter sounded excited, as if this was the story of a lifetime.
Jenna’s eyes went to Kane, who shook his head in disgust. She cleared her throat.
“I would request most strongly not to publish those photographs. This poor woman has a family, who has no idea she has died. Can you imagine the shock at seeing your murdered loved one splashed all over the news? You must wait until we identify the victim and notify the next of kin. I’ll need the names of the people supplying you with images and warn them not to post them on social media. ”
“I can’t do that and there’s no law that compels me to reveal my sources, but I will make the request, as you have issued a statement.” Bret Housing tapped away at a keyboard. “One thing: do you believe that this is a sick Halloween joke or something more sinister?”
Jenna pushed both hands through her hair. “Honestly, we haven’t gotten all the facts together. The autopsy report is pending. I’ll give you more information as it comes to hand. There’s no need to panic the townsfolk. I can assure you the poor woman we discovered is not a vampire.”
“Have you considered she might have been stolen from a grave?” Bret Housing paused a beat as if waiting for a reaction. “Body snatchers or someone stealing from a medical facility?”
Considering that line of investigation might be a good idea, Jenna shook her head. “Right now, I can’t give you an answer. It’s under investigation. I’ll call you with another media release when we have more information.” She disconnected and blew out a long sigh. “This is going to blow sky-high.”
“I’ve read about people who are abnormally fixated on vampires.
” Kane stood and went to the counter. He filled two cups with coffee and handed one to Jenna before dropping into a chair in front of her desk.
“They fall into different categories. There are those who are fixated on horror movies, so this might not be one person. It could be a cult of likeminded people. Then there are those who dress like them, have their teeth filed into points and such like but are generally harmless, and others who descend into ritualistic meetings where they drink blood.” He sipped his coffee.
“That would tie in with a stolen-body theory.”
A chill skittered down Jenna’s spine. “Okay, so I’ll make sure the graveyard and the hospital are checked for any missing cadavers. What’s the other kind? I know there’s something much worse. I can see it in your eyes.”
“Yeah, I’m afraid so.” Kane rubbed his chin and his dark blue gaze moved across her face. “We don’t need to be dealing with a twisted vampirophile. I guess we’ll know if this is a one-off, it’s likely a cult or a disgusting prank.”
Unsettled, Jenna swallowed hard. “Define vampirophile.”
“The last type is more sinister and caught my interest when I read about a case way back eighty years ago about a serial killer who believed they were ridding the world of creatures disguised as humans.” Kane eyed her over the rim of his cup and then sighed.
“This guy convinced himself that if people had very pale skin or moved around at night, they’d turn into a vampire or other mythical creature at Halloween.
So, he’d hunt them down, drain the blood, and then stake the heart to ensure the victim wouldn’t rise the following night. ”
Horrified, Jenna blinked a few times. “From the things you’ve read, I wonder how you can sleep at night.
” She shook her head. “That’s not how a vampire is born, is it?
If we’re considering the folklore of a vampire, isn’t it a vampire that does the draining of the blood?
They bite their victims and turn them, and then the next night they rise as vampires? ”
“That’s what I’ve been led to believe in fiction.
” Kane shrugged, stood, and gathered the cups.
He took them to the counter, rinsed them, and set them to dry.
“In the case I mentioned, we are talking about a serial killer. What they choose to believe depends on how deeply they’re involved in their delusion. ”
Stretching and biting back a yawn, Jenna leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling, thinking. “So, if we have another murder, we can assume this is a serial killer who is triggered by the Halloween displays?”
“Yeah, and they’re an out-of-towner or we would have seen his activity before now.
” Kane headed for his own desk. “This murder looks clean to me. It wasn’t rushed and it was well planned.
So, from our past cases, I can only imagine that this killer is living in a fantasy world at the moment.
He is surrounded by his obsession and the only way he can get through another day is to prevent the monsters from overrunning the town on Halloween night.
If this is correct, more things will happen this week we don’t expect.
He might have started with a vampire but there are other mythological ghouls that could be in his wheelhouse as well. ”
Concerned for the safety of her townsfolk, Jenna frowned. “So, if it’s worst-case scenario, it’s likely he’ll escalate fast over the next few days?”
“I believe so.” Kane twirled a pen in his fingertips. “The other problem I can envisage, is that he could be targeting people of different sex and ages. Anyone who appears unusual to him would become a threat.”
Horrified, Jenna stared out of the window.
The wind had blown the fall leaves from the forest and they littered the sidewalk and blacktop.
The decorations bounced in the wind, and the smiling jack-o’-lanterns gave the town a festive feeling.
Their adopted son, Tauri, had been talking nonstop about Halloween.
Being a Native American, with solid ties to his people, he had both sides to the story but really enjoyed the costumes and trick-or-treating.
This year they’d planned on allowing their fifteen-month-old, Jackson, a peek at some of the nonviolent displays.
Kane had already purchased a few pumpkins to carve and now someone was going to spoil it.
She turned back to Kane. “We’ve got five days to catch whoever did this.
We start with hunting down any missing corpses.
I’ll take the hospital and undertakers; you check out the graveyards. ”