Chapter 53: Breaking the Case

A few hours later Mick was finishing another security sweep when the Cutlass pulled back up. Mick kept walking when he caught the scent of blood stopping him in his tracks. Fresh blood. He looked to Paul and caught his eye, his nose flared as he scented pure rage and…something else he couldn't put his finger on coming from the man who always before seemed so gentle if only eccentric.

Looking into Mick's eyes Paul put the car in drive and tore off down the street. Mick shook his head unsure if his mind was playing tricks on him. Could Paul really be the man he had been looking for this whole time, right under his nose?

Rushing to the doorman Mick pulled out his ID and a hundred dollars, "Did you see who went off with the man in the Cutlass?"

The doorman looked at the hundred and shrugged his shoulders, "Some drunk blonde."

Mick looked over to some of the people in line, people who had been waiting all night to get in not meeting the club admission standards. A couple of guys playing with their camera phones taking pictures of the women getting into the club. Mick made his way over to them, "My name is Mick St. John and I have some questions for you."

"What do you want?"

Mick looked at them trying to control his vampire wanting nothing more than to know this was all a mistake that he hadn't been watching while a girl was taken off and murdered. "I know you want to get in the club. How about if you help me I get you in."

"You can get us in?"

"If you help me."

The other guy was eager, "What do you need man?"

"You've been out here a long time, I see you're taking pictures. Did you happen to get a picture of the blonde who got into the old Cutlass a couple of hours ago?"

"Yeah she was smoking and practically flashed us." Mick tapped his foot trying to control his temper. "Let me find it." The boy clicked around on his phone, "Here it is, we were making a video and then she came stumbling out, had too good a time I guess."

Mick took the phone and watched as the girl stumbled over to the car clutching it for support her barley there top practically falling off of her as Paul made his usual routine. She stumbled but got into the car then the video ended. Mick pushed some buttons sending the video file to his phone and turned to leave, "Wait man you said you could get us in."

Mick growled then grabbed them and walked up to the doorman, "They're with me tonight."

The doorman gave him a look but let them enter. Mick was gone before they even made it half way in the door taking off to Beth's car already dialing, "Kostan Industries."

"It's Mick, is Ryder there?"

"I'm sorry Mick, Mr. England is out of town at the moment can I leave a message?"

"No. Thank you."

Mick disconnected and dialed another number. It rang and rang until finally a groggy voice answered, "Hello."

"Coop, it's Mick. I need your help."

"Mick? You realize it's…after 2am."

"I'm sorry about the time, I'm working on a case and I think I…I think a girl has just been murdered but I need to find her to be sure."

That got his attention, "What do you need?"

"I'm sending you a video, a blonde girl gets into an old Cutlass with California tag of M76HT2. It took off from Dark Side headed East. I was hoping you could track it, use cameras in the area to follow the vehicle."

Mick could hear a computer powering up in the background, "I can try but Mick…that's…it's not really legal."

Mick sighed hating that he was bringing Coop into this but he needed this now. "I'm sorry to put you in this position Coop, but…I've been watching this club…I had this guy checked out and he was clean. I let him slip out right under my nose."

Coop took in a deep breath then let it out as his fingers flew across the keys, "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks Coop I hate to bring you in on this, I know you try to keep your nose clean."

"Yeah more so now, I mean I have a family to think about."

"I understand completely." Mick could hear Coop hard at work and even though he was going crazy wanting a direction to go he pulled over and parked not wanting to get too far in the wrong direction. "So how is Lucas?"

"Happy little baby. Never been around babies before but from all the reading and stuff I've done he's an angel."

Mick laughed talking about children and normal things helped calm his nerves, "Yeah Kayla is pretty wonderful herself. I've been around them before, and most kids her age are more…destructive. They throw fits to get what they want, they're loud and don't listen half the time." Coop laughed at that. "She's so mature for her age, she's quiet and reserved, I know a lot of this is to do with the way she was raised before, having to be good and quiet or bad things happened. She's coming out of her shell though, being more like a child not worried that if she makes a mistake she's going to get in serious trouble."

"She's a sweet kid that's for…hey I've got something; looks like the Cutlass was seen on a store front camera about four blocks east of the club turning right down Coronado Street. I'll look for something further down."

Mick put the car in drive and started heading where Coop directed turning down the street and driving slowly waiting for his next direction. "Mick I don't know I got him running a red light at Coronado and 3rd street coming opposite direction, traffic camera got him but no one else in the vehicle. Looks like he dropped her off somewhere before, I can't find him on anything else right now."

"What was the time lapse between turning onto Coronado and the red light camera coming back?"

Mick could hear more typing as he rolled down the windows in Beth's car trying to scent for fresh blood. "Looks like 13 minutes give or take."

"Thanks Coop. Sorry again for waking you, go back to bed."

"It's not a problem Mick. You have helped me more than I can say. If you don't mind calling me back when you find…something. I want to know now."

"I will," Mick disconnected and focused on his driving. Figuring the time it took to get from the first camera to 3rd street Mick knew Paul only had that much time to drive, kill and be heading back to be caught at the light. Slowing his pace Mick used all his vampire senses, deciding it would be faster he parked the car and went on foot.

Stalking the streets in the shadows at vampire speed Mick stopped dead in his tracks at the corner scenting the faintest hint of fresh blood on the wind. He took off down 4th street, the scent becoming more powerful as he rounded the driveway to a duplex. Propped up against the door with her arms in her lap sat the girl from the club sitting in a pool of blood. Mick knew before he got any closer she was dead, there was no heartbeat, no pulse, she had bled out before Paul had ever gotten back to the club.

Tears brimmed his eyes as he fell to his knees. He had failed her. He had cleared this guy, this murderer and let these murders go on right under his nose. He could have stopped this if he had only seen this sooner, if he had been smarter, more observant. There had to be a big red flag he had missed, how do you miss this. Pulling his phone from his pocket Mick went to dial 911 but stopped.

Taking note of the address Mick took off back to the car, once there he reached into the glove box and pulled out the disposable cell phone that he knew Beth kept in case of emergencies and dialed 911. With a fake southern accent Mick told them he was on a jog and saw a girl laying in blood and gave the address. He quickly disconnected he needed to talk to Beth, but first he had a stop to make.

To Be Continued…

Evilous