“He said he’s going to keep calling us until you call him.”
“Did he say why?”
“He’s always polite, always brief. But he’s firm. He doesn’t sound like the kind of man you want to get on the wrong side of. Call him, I’m sure it’s just a formality.”
“I don’t know. I wonder if I should speak to a lawyer first.”
“What do you need with a lawyer?”
“I didn’t say I needed one. I’m saying I’m tired of this detective. This guy named Ken disappears and the cops don’t have a suspect so they go after me because I just won a gold medal. That way they automatically get their face on TV.”
“Detective Treach doesn’t sound like that kind of person.”
“Well, you might be right.” I dislike putting Detective Treach down, because I happen to like the man.
“Do you want me to call Fritz Chandler for you?” Dad asks.
Fritz is an old friend of the family, a lawyer from church. He can set up a living trust and help with a DUI, but he’s way out of his league when it comes to a murder case, which is what this is, even if my parents can’t see it.
“Let me think about it,” I say.
“You’re a big girl, you take care of it.” My dad often defaults to that line when he doesn’t know what else to say. “The agencies keep calling as well. ICM, CAA, and William Morris Endeavor all want to represent you. They think you’ve got to strike while you’re hot. But they say you’re not returning their calls, either.”
“The Olympics were only two weeks ago. People haven’t forgotten me. They’re pushing for me to call because they’re in competition with each other. That’s good, I’m flattered. But I’m not sure if I want to go that way. Selling shoes and cereal on TV. What kind of doctor does that?”
“The endorsement money could pay for medical school.”
“I know. I haven’t dismissed the idea. I just want to take it slow is all.”
My mother finally speaks. “Is this the best time to be traveling all over the country with Matt? You know Mayor Spender still wants to throw you a town party. He wants to give you the key to the city. That’s an honor, Teri. I think you should come home.”
“I will. But I promised Matt this time together before the games, when I was training night and day and hardly talking to him. I owe him, Mom. And I need this time to unwind. Really, I’m having a great time. Just be patient with me. I’ll be home soon.”
That’s good enough to pacify them. After hanging up, though, I realize I have to stop Detective Treach from calling. I wonder what state of mind the detective and his wife are in. I worry I might have started a “loop” in one of their brains, where they fixate on an idea and keep repeating it to whoever happens to be nearby. At the hospital, Sandy had shown definite signs of looping.
I decide to give the cop a call and feel him out.
“Detective Treach. This is Teri Raine. I heard you were looking for me. What’s up?”
“Teri, thanks for calling. I appreciate it. How’s all the newfound celebrity treating you?”
“Fine,” I say, already worried about the man. He only has to say a few words for me to know he sounds tentative, like something’s bothering him that he can’t explain.
“Good, I’m glad. The reason I called, well, it’s sort of complicated. You know about the young man who disappeared at the hotel?”
“Sure. Has he turned up yet?”
“No. And it’s beginning to look like he’s not going to, if you get my drift. But he’s not the reason I called. I no longer think you had anything to do with his disappearance. I’m sure of that.”
Shit, I think. The detective is repeating word for word the suggestion I placed in his mind. Not a good sign.
“Why did you call?” I ask.
“There’s another man, his name is Gary Stevens. He works with my wife at her hospital. He’s in charge of their blood supply. The other night, at work, he says he saw someone who matches your description.”
“When?”
“The day we met.”
“Detective Treach, I don’t know your wife or this Gary Stevens.”
Detective Treach sounds embarrassed and confused. “I believe you. I told him that my wife’s never met you and she’s certainly never been to the hospital with you.”
“This hospital must have some sort of security.”
“We have a problem in that area as well. That night, the man in charge of the security cameras was knocked unconscious and his digital records were removed. When we add to that Gary Stevens’s accusation that you assaulted him, just before you stole a large quantity of blood, then we have a problem.”
I chuckle lightly. “This is getting more complicated all the time. Does Gary Stevens say your wife stole blood as well?”
“He says she helped you steal it, which is of course ridiculous. My wife would never do such a thing. The entire case is a mystery, but I’m still required to investigate it, especially since my wife stands accused.”
“This is obviously a case of mistaken identity. I’m not a vampire. I have no need to go around stealing blood.”
“My partner’s working on the case as well. He’s sitting across from me right now. He’d like to talk to you. It’s his understanding that many endurance athletes do what’s called ‘blood doping.’ They store up their blood months before a big race and then inject it into their veins to boost their red blood-cell count. It’s supposed to heighten their endurance. I’m sure you’ve heard about the procedure.”
“Sure. I know athletes who’ve done it. But they withdraw their own blood before a major event like the Olympics. They don’t just stroll into your local hospital and steal a few gallons of strangers’ blood and inject it. If the blood types didn’t match, it would probably kill them.”
“That’s exactly what I told them. That the hospital’s blood couldn’t possibly help you. But that’s the only motivation they can come up with for why you might have wanted the blood.”
“Lieutenant Treach, to be blunt, it doesn’t sound like Gary Stevens or the hospital has a shred of proof that your wife or I was involved in this theft. For that reason, I’m not going to worry about it. I suggest you do the same.”
Lieutenant Treach is slow in answering and I feel bad for him. He can’t point the finger at me without pointing it at his wife. And besides the fact that he doesn’t want to get her in trouble, nothing about the case makes any sense.
“I told you, I’m inclined to take your word that you’re innocent. But Gary Stevens is pressing charges against you, and my captain wants you to return here for questioning. I tell you this as a friendly warning. If Gary Stevens should go to the papers and associate you with blood doping, even if you’re totally innocent, it could damage your name. That’s why I prefer we nip this in the bud.”
“I can’t return to Denver at this time. I’m busy and I’m innocent. Tell Gary Stevens that if he does speak to the media about this incident, I’ll sue him for slander. Impress upon him how serious I am. Also, please stop calling my parents. If you need to speak to me, call me.”
“I tried your number. I only went to your parents when you didn’t return my calls.”
“From now on, I promise to call you back. But right now I have to go. Tell your partner I’ll speak to him later. Okay?”
“He just needs a minute of your time.”
“Not now. I’ll check in with you in two days. Bye.”
I hang up and groan. For centuries I fed my thirst without raising eyebrows. Even when modern times arrived, I adapted and kept my need for blood hidden. Largely because I required so little and because the power of my gaze was so formidable. Now I slip up a couple of times and I’ve set a whole mountain of suspicion in motion. The only positive in this whole mess is that these are mistakes Teri would make.
I finally call Matt and confess to him the mess I’m in. The guy has his sources. They are much more extensive than my own. He already has a fairly clear idea about my legal problems. He reminds me that it’s all my fault, that I should have turned to him for help. But he doesn’t spend a lot of time scolding me. He probably considers Detective Treach and Gary Stevens minor irritants. Matt has power. If and when he returns to Denver, he’ll visit both men and look them in the eye and they won’t even remember who I am.
“I’ll take care of them when I get a free moment,” he says. “For now, Charlie might have fixed the T-11 vaccine to work on your average person. He’s anxious to try it out on Shanti and Seymour.”
“That’s incredible. How did he do it so rapidly?”
“The guy’s a genius. We underestimated him because of the way he carries himself. Also, he admits that the Telar did experiment with normal people while they were developing the X6X6 virus, mostly in backward villages in Africa where it was easy to hide the atrocious results. Before Charlie joined our team, he was already thinking how the vaccine could be adjusted. But he didn’t want to admit it until he had something concrete to show us.”