Twenty-Three

The second victim.

If it weren't for Embry and his constant declaration that he would dedicate an entire section of his future tell-all to the discovery of a possible second victim, Leah would have completely forgotten about the discovery.

"They couldn't find anything else about the blood?" Jacob asked, staring at the Dahlia's crime scene photos, frowning. He held the picture of the bloodied wall up to the ceiling light as if it would provide him a revelation. It did not. "DNA? Trace it to anyone? Anything?"

"Nope," Leah said, regretful.

"If we can't find out who that second person is," Embry said, being completely unhelpful in Leah's opinion, "Then we can forget about solving the Dahlia murder."

It had been an oversight on everyone's part (Leah didn't want to blame CSI on everything; it wouldn't have been fair. Shit happened). The wallpaper littered with blood spatter hadn't been taken as evidence only photographed because apparently everyone not named Embry had assumed that the blood had belonged to Jessica.

One week had passed since the discovery, and they still didn't have a lead.

Until they did, and it had come from the last person the trio expected.

Perhaps they needed to give Officer Jared Cameron more credit.

"Jared, so nice to see you," Jacob greeted enthusiastically the Monday before Independence Day, the Fourth of July. Most of the task force, including Paul, was in a good mood knowing that in a few days, they would all be off for a holiday (barring something happening, of course). He pointed at the mail cart. "Back on mailman duty this week?" Before Jared could retort, Jacob motioned at his partner, who wasn't paying him any mind. "I'm sure you've met my partner, the Lovely Detective Leah Uley."

Jared playfully rolled his eyes as he dropped a package on the desk. Based on the sound it made, it had to contain something more substantial than paper. "But in any case," he extended a hand. "Nice to meet you, Detective Uley. How did you get assigned to the ever-so-entertaining Voldemort Task Force? Do you not like your sanity?"

"We've met," Leah said, deadpanned.

"Oh, come on," Jared whined, earning a lighthearted chuckle from Jacob. "Can't you keep up with the joke?" He glanced at Jacob. "Seriously, man, how do you work with her?"

Leah narrowed her eyes.

"She's the best," Jacob said, winking at his partner, and then clapped. "Okay, so what's in the envelope?"

"Security tapes," Jared replied, practically giddy. He picked up a pair of scissors off of Jacob's desk and put open the envelope, revealing a VHS tape and a CD. "I was able to get the tapes burned onto the CD. Free of charge," he added with a dramatic wink. "All from LaPush. All from the night of the Dahlia's murder."

Jacob picked up the CD and held it up to his face like it was the Holy Grail. "How the hell did you get these?"

Leah waited for an answer.

"It's actually a funny story," Jared began. "See, I met the head of security's son at Comic-Con last year. Nice guy. Serious gamer— I'm talking serious. Long story short: we got to talking, played some games at another video game tournament, I kicked his behind and instead of getting the money that he would never have as the prize, I told him that he could return a favor at a later time. It wasn't until I talked to Paul when I realized that the Dahlia was killed at LaPush." He clapped. "So, I called my gamer-friend a couple of days back, and he said: sure, I can help you out. It's better than paying you seven hundred dollars, and voila!"

Jared just gaped at him, and Leah shook her head. Only Jared, she thought to himself. Only Jared. "So, your gaming obsession finally paid off."

"Sure did," Jared declared, so proud of himself. "Now, before you ask, yes, I would be honored to watch these tapes with you, but I made a bet with the receptionist about handing out all of the mail in under thirty minutes, so I got to go before I lose twenty bucks."

"How long you're on mailman duty?" Leah asked.

"Until the fall," Jared grumbled. "Which is just not fair. Paul's being unfair."

"That's because you ignored his demand not to transfer any calls from the Bureau to him during lunch."

"It's the FBI, Jacob," Jared argued. "You don't say no to the FBI."

"You could have just taken a message," Leah pointed out.

"I'm not his damn secretary."

"No, now you're just the mailman," Leah said, smirking.

Jacob laughed.

"Oh, yes, there's the humor!" Jared grinned, slapping Leah's shoulder, but brought his hand back when the detective raised an eyebrow at him. "She's a keeper man."

"Shut up, and get outta here," Jacob demanded, and then, glancing at Leah, embarrassed. "Ignore him."

Leah thought nothing of it.

"Cameron!"

Jared groaned and threw his hands up. "Oh, come on, I'm going to lose my bet."

"Looks like the boss wants to see you," Jacob told Jared, laughing at the cop's pained expression.

Leah joined in as she texted Embry to come to her desk as soon as possible.

"I don't even know why I'm friends with you," Jared bit back, but without much heat, before rushing towards Paul's office.

"Is that fool on his way?" Jacob asked, speaking of Embry. "I gave him a specific ten-minute window to flirt with that new guard."

"She's cute," Leah remarked. "I mean, she may break Embry in half, but something tells me that he'd like that." She laughed at Jacob's disgusted expression, and then, "Jared Cameron, he's a rookie, right?"

"Rookie and a half," Jacob said. "Came on board in the fall of '16."

Leah looked in the direction of Paul's office. He was still speaking to the younger man, but he didn't seem to be reprimanding him or anything. "And he got sent here so soon?"

Jacob shrugged. "Some said it was a punishment to instill more discipline in him. You know how he is with his pranks... Paul has a reputation for scaring the shit outta rookies. But as you can see, Jared ain't one of those guys."

"He likes it here."

"Yeah, he does."

"And he's okay with the whole supernatural-thing?"

Jacob gave Leah a puzzled look. "Yeah... why wouldn't he be?"

"It's just that this is a heavy place to come to so early in his career," Leah explained. "It's like getting transferred to Violent Crimes off the bat."

"He can handle it," Jacob said.

As soon as Embry returned, the video started to roll on Leah's computer screen. The security cameras captured the scenes on the 29th floor, which up until Jared did his magic, were supposedly "lost"— Leah made a mental note to speak to the manager about this new development. At face value, it wasn't much. It was about five minutes long, showing the guests and staff walking up and down the hallway—"

"Stop," Jacob ordered. When Leah hit the pause button, he pointed at the screen.

"There's Demetri and Jessica."

Leah and Embry leaned closer and gasped. Yes, Jacob was right. There they were, both holding a suitcase, all over each other, occasionally stopping to devour the other with their mouths. They had caught the attention of a few hotel staff walking past with a baggage cart.

Leah made a note to find the names of those particular employees for questioning. In the far right-hand corner, Leah caught sight of another woman. Young, probably in her twenties or early thirties, wearing a red bandage dress with matching stilettos. White, straight black hair. Eye color was indiscernible. She following the amorous couple's every move with Demetri glancing back at her ever so often.

"He knows her," Embry concluded. "He's not telling her to fuck off."

Leah and Jacob nodded as the tape rolled on. In the far left-hand corner, they could see Demetri and Jessica entering a room— the murder room—with the other woman following close by. She stopped before entering, looking down the hall as if she was looking for someone.

"Keep an eye on that one," Leah said.

Nothing much happened after all. Just three minutes of people walking up and down the hall until the last twenty seconds, when two men. Both white, dressed in black suits with brown briefcases, methodically walking towards Jessica's room.

"Stop," Leah ordered, although the video was playing on her computer, and therefore, she had the control. Leah's head shifted to the side as she studied the video more closely. She picked up a couple of photos lying around at her desk—victims of the slaughterhouse murders—and compared them to the figures on the screen. She gasped— those two men, she recognized them. She had seen them before in a gruesome matter, two of the thirteen bodies found inside the slaughterhouse walls. John Doe One and Five.

"Well, I'll be damned…" Jacob breathed out when Leah told him and Embry the revelation. "What the fuck were they doing there?"

"And just like that, this case got more complicated," Embry whined. "Great."

Leah immediately created a screenshot of the paused tape and printed it. Embry rushed to retrieve the copies. With the copies soon in her hands, she quickly picked up the desk phone and dialed Benjamin's number—a move that she almost regretted, especially since Benjamin was undercover and technically a mob associate, and not an agent, but she would explain herself when the time came along. "I am going to send you a couple of photos right now," she said. "Tell me if you recognize the two men."

Jacob watched his partner expectantly as she waited for the agent's response.

"Mikhail and Dave," Benjamin soon replied in a muffled voice. Leah inferred that he was standing along the shores of Lake Michigan. "Arms dealers from out west. Cali, I believe."

Leah snapped her fingers, motioning her partner to hand her a new notepad and a pen. Upon receipt, she whispered her gratitude. Jacob gave a thumb up in reply. "Got last names?" she asked. He didn't. "Did they work for the Cullen's?"

"They worked for themselves," Benjamin corrected. "But they had ties to everyone. Both human and otherwise. Heard they used to be active in the Middle East—" He let out a humorless chuckle. "You know how it goes."

"Do they have ties to the Defense Department?" Leah asked, earning an alarmed look from both Jacob and Embry. She waved at the both of them dismissively. "You know, as contractors?"

"Do you really want to go down that road?"

Leah bit her lip. "We'll save that for later," she decided, earning a sigh of relief from her partners-in-crime. "What else do you have for me?"

"Nothing as of now," Benjamin said. "I'll keep you posted."

"Thanks." Leah hung up the phone and told the two men staring at her. "Dave and Mikhail. They were there with Jessica and an unknown woman. Both dead, found in the slaughterhouse. The unknown woman—"

"She must be the second victim," Embry said. "Do you think it was Demetri's doing?"

"I honestly don't know…" Jacob said. "But before we can do anything, we need to get the ID on that woman. That's our goal—right before Independence Day. We'll deal with the rest after."

"Got a name," Embry announced, entering the car. It was the Tuesday before the holiday. They were in front of the office of a private investigator Embry had known for some time. Going to a P.I. for an identity check wasn't particularly protocol, but the systems back in the police department couldn't find a match. "Gianna Castellano of Cicero, Illinois. Age 30, a recent MBA graduate of Notre Dame. And get this: she was reported missing back in February by her boyfriend."

Leah and Jacob shared a look.

"Oh, the boyfriend..."

"Yeah, I know. Seems suspect," Embry said. "But I honestly don't think he has anything to do with it. He had an impeccable background, according to the P.I. Not that we can ask the boyfriend, himself. He died in a car accident in March."

"Well, there goes that," Jacob mumbled.

Leah frowned as she received a copy of Gianna's information from Embry. She glanced down at it. A young woman with black hair tied up into a messy bun with piercing green hairs and olive skin. Based on appearance and her suit, she might have come from means. "She's pretty," she remarked.

"Former beauty queen," Embry said. "Worked as a receptionist at Napolitano's in Cicero for four months."

"As in Napolitano's Consulting?" Leah asked. "Isn't that a front for...?"

"The Volturi," Jacob finished, turning on the engine.

"Where are we going now?" Leah asked.

"To our favorite talent scout."

"I do not appreciate the Chicago Police Department's constant visitation at my private residence without a—"

"Would you rather do this at your place of business?" Leah asked, pushing past Alistair with Jacob and Embry following in toe, giving the vampire smug looks. "Vice would have a field day."

"What I do is not illegal," Alistair insisted, lifting his chin. "It is a talent—"

"Agency, yeah, we know," Jacob said, popping his gum. He looked around the vampire's living room and nodded approvingly. "I see you've hired an interior decorator. Nice."

"I wanted to liven up the place," Alistair said before ordering his butler, another vampire, to fetch him a glass of blood. "So, I am sure you are not here to discuss my new color schemes. What do you want?"

Leah pulled out a picture of Gianna and held it to Alistair's face. "Know her?"

Embry followed up with, "Did she work for you?"

Alistair observed the photo and gave the detectives an exasperated look. "Despite what you want to believe, I do not employ every single pretty girl in Chicagoland."

"So, you didn't know her?"

"I didn't say that. You didn't ask that," Alistair said. He took a dramatic breath and, "Gina—No, Gianna. Last name, I am not sure. She was not important to ask around about it," and then added, "She wasn't one of my girls. I am not a foolish man."

Jacob crossed his arms. "Explain."

"She worked for Napolitano's. That agency is owned by associates of the Volturi," Alistair said. "I wouldn't be caught alive in that such a place, employing an associate of an associate of the Volturi."

"I thought you held no loyalties?" Leah asked.

"I don't," Alistair said. "But like I've said: I am not a foolish man."

"Was she human?" Embry asked.

"Yes."

"The Volturi employs humans?" Jacob asked.

"They do it all the time," Alistair said. "Apparently, to make their customers more comfortable. But human employees seldom last long. Unless, of course, they have something that the Volturi wants."

Oh, Leah was starting to understand where Alistair was coming from. She took one step closer. "Did Gianna have what they wanted?"

Alistair shrugged nonchalantly. "All I know is that Demetri flirted with her all the time."

"Demetri flirted with everyone," Jacob pointed out.

"Only the desperate ones," Alistair replied with a smirk.

"So, Gianna was another Jessica, doing anything to get the goddamn bite," Leah concluded as soon as they all back into the car. "Seriously, what is the appeal of turning into a vampire besides living forever as long as you don't get hit with a UV?"

She wondered if Lauren also wanted to be turned.

"That's not something you should ask a couple of shape-shifters. We're kinda biased," Embry said.

"They think it's sexy, I guess. Alluring, dangerous, like something out of a terrible vampire-romance novel," Jacob said. "And, of course, you don't age."

"But you turn so pale," Embry complained. "I guess it's fine if you were already pale, but if you had some melanin in you while human... It's like you have to dump an entire bottle of lotion on you, so you don't look like you've dumped powder all over you, but then you still do."

Jacob let out a hearty laugh.

"Benjamin doesn't look as bad," Leah argued. "And I've seen Laurent... it's not that bad. The paleness is because of the lack of blood flow, right?"

"Right," Jacob confirmed. "See, they ingest blood but got no heart to pump it. I guess it's safe to assume that Gianna's the second victim?"

Embry nodded enthusiastically.

"So, why kill her?" Leah asked, crossing her arms. "Why kill her there? Why was she there in the first place?"

"Based on the tapes, it looked like she and Jessica knew each other," Embry said. "Which is pretty weird since they work for rival families."

"But we've already established that Jessica was playing on both sides," Jacob reminded Embry. "They probably met through Demetri."

"Really?"

"Dude, they were probably sister wives," Embry said, and then defended himself when Jacob and Leah gave him the look. "Oh, don't look at me like that. Don't you know that Demetri had a community dick? If it weren't for him being a leech, he'd be on Maury with a string of baby mamas. All demanding child support. He'd be a recurring guest."

"Really, Embry?" Jacob gave the younger a dirty look through the rear-view mirror. "Really?"

"What?" Embry exclaimed, arms flailing. "It's true!"

Leah placed two fingers on the bridge of her nose. "I can't," she mumbled, not knowing whether to laugh at Embry or gag at the thought of Demetri being with those poor women. "I just can't."

"How's Bella?"

"Oh, she's fine. A little out of it," Eric said the following afternoon, rummaging through the never-ending piles of paper inside the medical examiner's lab. The state had pushed an initiative to make the workspace "green," starting with significantly reducing the usage of paper. Obviously, that initiative hadn't gone into effect at the Office of the Medical Examiner. Or in the Chicago Police Department, in that matter.

"But then again," Eric added, rubbing his chin. "Who isn't? Do you know how many times I've questioned my decision to enter the medical industry because of this year?" He sighed. "Hey, why did you ask?"

Leah waved dismissively. Eric didn't have to know about the last conversation the detective had with the senior medical examiner. "Just asking."

Thankfully, Eric didn't pry into the subject, but he pulled out Jessica's autopsy report. After receiving it, Leah skimmed through the packet. "The patient was a 24-year-old Caucasian female with no significant past medical history…" she read out loud. The official cause of death was cardiac arrest. Toxicology test results, inconclusive. Mutilation of the body occurred post-mortem. "So, nothing's changed?"

"That's the official report," Eric said, turning around pick up another stapled packet. He handed it to Leah. "This is the under-the-table one."

Leah raised an eyebrow before flipping through the pages. "What's changed?"

"The biology of vampires," Eric said. "I know a guy who specializes in supernatural forensics. Kinda a creep, not officially recognized by the American Medical Association, but he knows his stuff. The feds contact him from time to time, so he has to be legit."

"Encouraging," Leah remarked, stopping to read over the analysis of the bite.

"We were able to collect a DNA sample from Jessica's bite, and according to this guy, the origin of the bite was of human and bat origin. Like a hybrid."

Leah raised an eyebrow. "A vampire?"

"Correct. So, you know how you and Jacob mentioned that Demetri was the primary suspect? Well, thanks to his body also being in our custody, we were able to get this DNA. Now, get this: did you know that the venom is unique to each vampire? We tested out the venom from all the other deceased vampires, and they were all different," Eric explained. "So, in other words, Demetri Karlov was the killer."

Leah should have been relieved at the confirmation, but the fact that nothing could be done to Demetri only made her more upset. "And he's dead."

Eric glanced behind him, where Demetri laid on the operating table with a white sheet covered up to his head. He sighed. "Yeah…"

"I got a question for you," Leah started, closing the packet and handing it to the medical examiner. "Did you happen to pick up any other traces of DNA from Demetri? Particularly from a woman? White, about five and a half feet?"

Eric shook his head. "He was killed after LaPush. Unless he didn't bathe, it would've washed away…However, I'm not a psychologist by any means, but that guy seemed like a creep. A sexual predator— they like trophies. Examples of their conquests. He must have something lying around."

Leah nodded. "We'll check on that."

"Anything on who could have chopped her up?"

Leah shook her head. "This wasn't a one-person job," she concluded. "Plus, we have good reason to believe there was a second victim. Another young woman."

Embry swallowed. "From that same night?"

"From that same room," Leah clarified. "We found more blood spatter that couldn't have been from Jessica. We strongly believe that Jessica was killed via bite next to her bed but then mutilated in the bathroom." She shook her head. "The trajectory wouldn't have made sense."

"Holy shit."

"Sentiments exactly."

"Well, we got nothing on Demetri," Eric said. "But we can check if there was anything foreign on Jessica. Do you have a body?"

Leah shook her head.

"Can you get her DNA somehow?"

"We're working on it."

"Good." Eric nodded. He then snapped his fingers, recalling something. He returned to the crowded table and pulled out another file, Demetri's autopsy, and handed it to Leah. "Found something interesting about him. Demetri didn't die from the bullet in his temple. He had suffered the weirdest allergic reaction I had ever seen… like he was burned alive while his body was rejecting the substance."

"The UV."

"Yeah, but here's the kicker," Eric said. "We were able to extract some of the liquefied light from Demetri's brain matter and, after further inspection, discovered that the light found in him was different than the light found in the others. Demetri's had a purple tint to it while the other's found in Mike's victim's the Denali's, and the slaughterhouse had a more bluish tint."

"So, two batches of UV's," Leah concluded. "Do you mind if I get a copy of Jessica's, the Denalis' and Demetri's autopsies?"

"No problem."

"This doesn't mean the case is solved," Jacob told Leah about two hours later. "Unfortunately."

"I know," Leah shrugged and sighed. "Anyway, based on this report, Jenks wouldn't have been able to charge the man. It just said she died from a heart attack. All of the juicy details are in a report we can't release. And then there is the discovery of the bullets."

"And then there is the discovery of the bullets…."

"You've all done some damn good work," Paul said a few days later as he once again read over the trio's reports. "So, there was a second victim, and she was connected to the Volturi."

"Seems that way," Jacob said. "We haven't figured out a motive yet."

"And she didn't work for our favorite pimp?"

"Alistair insisted that she wasn't one of his girls," Leah said. "Judging from his words, he didn't think she was worth his time."

"Damn," Paul said. "And the boyfriend who reported her missing died from an accident?"

Embry shrugged. "According to the P.I., there was nothing nefarious about the car accident. He just lost control on an icy road, and the car slammed into a tree."

"Contacted the family?"

"We will eventually," Jacob said. "We plan on talking to them, asking if they know anything. But we have to be sure that the second victim was Gianna. I mean, based on the evidence, it most likely was, but..."

"What you need to do is find those other fuckers in the video," Jacob said. "Hopefully, they're still alive."

"We'll also ask the hotel staff," Leah said, glancing at Embry and Jacob. "See if they remember her, and with your permission, of course, get access to her phone records."

"Have a number?"

"We'll find it somehow," Jacob promised.

"Just when I thought this case wouldn't be more complicated..." Paul trailed off as he stood up. "Well, like I said. Keep up the good work. Hopefully, we can get a confirmation that it was Gianna so that we can avoid getting chewed out about not taking in a piece of bloody wallpaper as evidence."

"You weren't initially assigned to that case," Embry pointed out.

"It doesn't matter," Paul said. He then clapped. "So, before I forget. I have some news about one of our cases. I told everyone else earlier, but you weren't here... The Bureau's now primarily handling the Denali case," Paul informed the team. "It's not the best, but at least, we have somewhat of a lesser workload. And as you all know, the Deal doesn't pertain to the feds."

"They're really going to go after the Volturi?" Leah asked.

"They can try," Paul responded with a shrug. He downed half of his coffee and continued, "They have a good chance of making something happen. They have concrete proof that the Volturi ordered the hit."

"Who did it?" Jacob asked. "Demetri?"

Paul shook his head. "Believe it or not, that would have made our lives so much easier." He let out a dramatic sigh. "You remember Felix and Santiago, right?"

Felix and Santiago, two of the top hitmen in the country (and Western Europe) whose loyalty exclusively belonged to the Volturi. Leah remembered them alright; they had been actively involved in the St. Patrick's incident, only to not be charged with anything because of... Leah didn't know. She recalled Sam telling her about a deal made or something.

"I can't say I'm too surprised," Jacob said. "They seemed the type to have no qualms about killing babies."

"Ain't that the truth," Paul said. "Oh, and one last thing. Guess who decided to return to the Windy City?"

Leah sat up in her seat. "Who?"

"Mike-motherfucking-Newton," Paul declared. "We're bringing him in the morning, and if he knows what's good for him, he'll talk."

It seemed that Mike's time away had done him some good, common-sense wise. The day after he had returned to Chicago, a Friday, he had gotten himself a defense lawyer. It had been a timely move because that following Monday (a little later than Paul would've liked), he had pushed into the back of a police car and hauled over to Paul's station for booking.

"It's the smartest move he's made all year," Paul said. "He must've finally learned from his mobster-buddies."

"You're not concerned?" Leah asked.

Paul shook his head. "Nah, Mike's a fool, but he's the least of our problems. Relatively-speaking. I just need Jenks to come up with a wonderful plea deal and have Mike sing like a canary."

"You're going to let him go."

"This isn't my decision," Paul maintained. "I have some power, I admit, but procedure is procedure. I have to pick and choose which rule to break... and that fool got himself a goddamn terrific lawyer."

"I see."

"We should be fine. Just as long as he doesn't do anything stupid."

Leah wished she could be as optimistic as Paul. "And what about Lauren?"

Leah feared that someone was going to find out about Lauren's trip to the police station and her talking. They were going to have to silence her before she had the opportunity to testify... she had a sinking feeling that this was going to happen. If only Lauren Mallory could see the light (or disappear again). And then there was Mike—he was going to receive all of the blame. After all, he had saved Lauren's life that fateful night.

Paul raised an eyebrow. "What about her?"

"She's in the area," Leah reminded the captain. "Mike's now in the area..."

Leah knew Paul was concerned about Lauren Mallory. It was written all over his face, but she also knew that if Paul could've one something about it about, it would've been done already. Lauren wasn't going to accept a witness protection order, and there wasn't enough evidence to keep her under custody.

All Leah could do was hope that fate was on their side.