Chapter 19
Beca's POV
After breakfast, I break out my laptop that we manage to hook up to the TV in the living room. The photos pull up and Rachel groans at the brutality of it. It's the exact same as John's murder, just in a different place. I pull up a photo of the victim's ID and nudge Chloe who jumps a little. She seems distracted but I can't figure out why. Her cheeks aren't red so she's not thinking of our moment in the shower this morning. Something else is bothering her but I'll have to get it out of her later.
"Do you recognize him?"
"Umm yeah," Chloe studies the photo. "He's not anyone too special. Just a really rich vampire who likes to flaunt it. A lot of us are rich but he wanted everyone to know it. He was very social and joined practically every club or gathering going on. No one really liked him as he was known for being a jerk. I only met him once and it didn't last very long, actually ending rather badly."
"What do you mean?" I raise an eyebrow and Chloe shrugs.
"He was a jerk and a pervert. Suggested that I should join him in his hotel room and when I refused, he tried to force me. I may have hit him once or twice."
"That's my girl," I grin and Chloe blushes. The sight of her damp hair sends me back to this morning, making it my turn to blush. Shaking my head, I focus on the job at hand.
"It's the same as John's death and Jesse's notes say that no evidence was left at the scene. He did talk to some witnesses who saw the victim go into the alley followed by a man in a trench coat. Sounds like the same person who turned Luke."
"So turning people illegally and framing werewolves for murders. There has to be something they're doing that we're missing. I don't believe that this is enough to cause a war." Darren makes a good point and we all get to thinking.
"Do we know of anyone else who has been turned recently?" Rachel asks and I shake my head.
"Actually," Chloe starts and grabs my laptop, looking something up. "There was a girl that was turned but it was in a different town so I didn't even think about it. Her circumstances were the same as Luke but before anyone could get much from her, she was killed."
"What?" The moment I say it, I realize the only way she could've been killed. "The NLSH must've sent an agent over there to deal with it. I can probably access those records, see if we can get a description of the culprit."
"Smart," Rachel smiles and my heart leaps with joy at her approval. I pull up the NLSH program and put my information in. For some reason, it says access denied and I frown. What the hell? I try it again but get the same thing.
"What's wrong?" Chloe asks and I squeeze her hand before getting up.
"I have to make a call." With that, I dial Reed and wait for him to answer. On the last ring, he finally picks up, making my blood boil.
"What?"
"I'm just wondering why you locked me out of the system." Reed sighs and I can just imagine him rolling his eyes.
"This is why you called me? Look, maybe it's a glitch. Whatever it is, I don't see why you need to get into the system."
"For the case that you put me on. The one you told me I had to solve so can you 'fix it' for me?"
"Look Beca, there is nothing that you could possibly need so no I won't fix it. You need to get your ass back here. This case isn't going anywhere and you missed your doctor's appointment."
"What does that have to do anything? You don't give a shit about my health. I'm staying here until I get a lead so I guess I'll see you whenever." I hang up before Reed can protest anymore and throw my hands in the air.
"He locked me out and I have no idea why."
"There must be something he doesn't want you seeing," Chloe says and I sit back down next to her. "If everyone knows about Luke then he probably knew you would figure out there were others. There has to be something in her statement that got her killed. Something he doesn't want you to know."
"Maybe there are others," Rachel suggests and we all agree.
"We need to look at anyone being turned recently or murdered by a werewolf. Even if they caught the culprit. Everything at this point is suspicious."
"Good thinking," I say and watch as Chloe searches the web. "You know, this turning people illegally and framing werewolves doesn't make sense when we look at them together. With them happening so close together though, they have to be connected but why?" I get up, suddenly restless and start to pace. My headache starts up again as I think about Reed and everything else. What is the connection?
I look up to find Rachel and Darren watching me with something that looks like pride in their eyes. Chloe is the only one who's ever looked at me like that and I can't help but smile a little. Them being together is amazing and them being my parents is almost unbelievable. Looking at them now though, it starts to make more sense. My mom and I have the same dark brown hair and fair skin. Darren and I have the same facial features and gray eyes. Them being together is an anomaly just as I am since I am a product of them. It- wait. Something hits me and I stop pacing.
"I just figured it out," I announce and everyone looks up at me. "The Old Ones aren't necessarily going after werewolves and vampires hoping that they'll turn against each other but you guys. The First. That would explain the attacks on both vampires and werewolves. They're sending a message. They want to start a war with you and when that happens, they'll make species pick sides. Then, the bloodbath will start."
"They can try but it won't happen," Darren declares, clenching his fist. "I refuse to be involved in a war."
"Not unless they push you too far," Chloe whispers and looks at me. "Reed knows that you're Darren's daughter. If he's involved in this, which we all know he is, he might try and use you to provoke him."
"I wouldn't be enough to cause a war," I protest and Darren suddenly gets up, coming over to me.
"Beca, you're my daughter. If they were to do anything to you, I would destroy them." I freeze at his words, my daughter. Those words are forign to me as Reed never accepted me, making it a point to call me anything but that.
"And I would join him," Rachel says, coming over to stand by Darren. I swallow past a lump forming in my throat as unknown emotions arise in me. I grit my teeth to stop the tears trying to form and frantically look for Chloe. She is nowhere to be seen and I silently curse her.
"Beca, we may have just met you but our love for you is great," Darren says softly, setting a gigantic hand on my shoulder. "Those years that we thought you were dead were some of the worst and now that we have you back, we will do anything to keep you. If that means participating in a war, then so be it."
"That would be giving them what they want," I whisper, my voice shaky and a few tears fall down my face.
"You, my dear, would be worth it," Rachel sets a hand on my cheek, wiping away a tear. With those words, I break and they wrap me in their arms. I hate crying and feel like that's all I've done these past few days. While I love this, my head pounds and my stomach starts to churn. I pull back and spot Chloe standing in the doorway, smiling. With my emotions so high, just the sight of her stunning self brings more tears to my eyes.
"What next?" Rachel asks, wiping her own tears off her face. I smile when I notice Darren swiping at his eyes.
"Come look," Chloe says, leaving her stance at the doorway and going into the kitchen. We all follow, me dragging behind as every movement makes my head sway and my stomach threatens to turn on me. Maybe I do need to go to the doctor as Reed was saying.
"There are at least 5 other cases with people being turned in different towns. There are 3 with vampires being murdered but most chalked it up to a pack of rabid dogs. I called Jesse and any witness statements about the cases were redacted oddly enough."
"So we have nothing?" Darren plops down into a chair.
"We have me." At my words, everyone freezes and looks at me. "NLSH keeps paper records of everything. As long as Reed didn't take away my access to the building, which I'm positive he didn't, I can get in and retrieve copies of the statements we need. If we can expose this group, we can stop any war from ever happening."
"If they capture you, they'll get exactly what they want," Chloe shouts, slamming her hands down on the table. "I'm not letting you do this."
"Chloe, I have to. We have no other leads to go on. If you can give me anything, then I'll wait but if not, I'm going back." Chloe goes silent, her chest heaving as we stare each other down.
"Do you have any allies that can get the files for you?" Rachel suggests, trying to break the tension. It doesn't work.
"I'm not very well liked there." That's an understatement.
"What if we talk to some of my people before taking any drastic measures?" Darrens says, not really asking. "We can think about letting you go back later, but in the meantime, let's see if we can figure out who all is involved in this. Some were in this pack with me when it was created so we can see if they remember anyone from back then."
"I like that idea," Chloe agrees and walks to the front door. "Before though, I need to talk to you."
"Is there anywhere we can go that no one can hear us?" I ask my parents and they smile. Rachel is the one to answer my question.
"Go around the house and down that path. It'll lead you to a pond. No one goes back there except for us and we can't hear anything that far from here."
"Thank you," Chloe says and leaves the house. I stall for a minute before going after her. I'm in so much trouble.