‘Gone.’ He looked away. ‘I’ll spare you the gory details.’
I supposed I should be thankful for that. I nodded and pushed myself off the gurney.
‘Here,’ Lukas said, ‘I brought you some clothes.’ He passed me a bundle, his fingers brushing against mine. A shiver of electricity zipped through me. No wonder so many people found vampires irresistible.
‘Thanks,’ I mumbled.
‘We’ll have to start a wardrobe for you,’ Laura said cheerfully. ‘So we’re prepared for next time.’
My stomach tightened. ‘There won’t be a next time.’
Lukas offered me a gentle look. ‘Let’s hope not, D’Artagnan.’
***
I strolled into the Supe Squad building the next morning. Part of me was expecting Fred and Liza to rush out to greet me with questions about Tony. When I walked into the main office, however, I realised why they hadn’t. Sitting on the small sofa and sipping a mug of tea was DSI Barnes. She looked like she was holding court. From the expressions on Fred and Liza’s faces, they were a very reluctant audience.
‘Ah,’ she said, without rising to her feet, ‘I was hoping that I’d catch you, Emma.’
‘We’re going out,’ Liza announced. ‘Aren’t we, Fred?’
He started. ‘Uh, yes.’ He nodded at me. ‘Good to see you, Emma. We heard what happened. Tony can rest easy now, thanks to you. You did him proud.’ He spoke gruffly, but there was a ring of honesty to his words. I thought I was fine but before he finished talking there was a painful lump in my throat.
Liza came towards me, took my shoulders and leaned in to kiss my cheek. I was so surprised by her uncharacteristic action that I didn’t move. Then she whispered into my ear, ‘Stay with us. Please.’ She walked out with Fred at her heels before I could react.
DSI Barnes examined the contents of her mug with vague disinterest. ‘They don’t know about you,’ she said, ‘if that’s what you’re wondering. They don’t know that you possess the curious ability to un-die.’
I remained where I was, watching her and trying to decipher her agenda from her bland expression. ‘Un-die? Is that what you’re calling it?’
She placed the mug on the table and leaned back in her chair. ‘Well,’ she said, ‘to call it a resurrection makes it sound like you’re the Second Coming. While I admire you, Emma, I don’t believe that of you.’
I was hardly going to disagree with her.
‘I saw you, you know,’ she remarked. ‘When you were brought into the morgue this second time. You were most definitely a corpse, so it’s extraordinary that you’re standing in front of me now. Can you imagine what the world would be like if we could bottle that sort of power?’
I folded my arms.
‘Don’t worry,’ she said, ‘your secret is safe with me. I’m not suggesting we start experimenting on you or anything as crass as that.’ Her expression grew more serious. ‘Don’t advertise what has happened, Emma. This is a secret best kept to yourself.’
Despite her hard-nosed façade, she did care about what happened to her officers. I couldn’t deny that. ‘What do you want, DSI Barnes?’
‘Straight to the point,’ she murmured. ‘I like that.’ She met my eyes. ‘You know what I want. Your training is almost over. There’s the matter of the final examinations, but I’m sure they won’t trouble you too much. I want to know what you’re planning to do next. You’ve done well here. Your work into investigating DC Brown’s death means that you can have your pick of departments. The entire Metropolitan Police Department is at your disposal.’
‘You want me to stay here?’
‘Of course I do,’ she answered simply. ‘But, tragic as it was, DC Brown’s murder at the hands – or rather claws – of a werewolf does have a silver lining.’ She allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction. ‘I’ve managed to procure an agreement with the clans and the vampires that we’ll keep the details of his passing secret in return for greater autonomy for Supe Squad. It doesn’t have to be you, although since you’re a supe too, it will make it an easier pill for them to swallow.’
I drew in a sharp breath. ‘The clans know that I…’ I struggled with the terminology, eventually choosing to use DSI Barnes’ own word, ‘un-die?’
‘Oh no. I wouldn’t allow that to happen – it would open a whole can of worms. But they are aware that you’re different.’ She shrugged. ‘They are quite impressed with what you’ve achieved in a short space of time. What happens next, however, is up to you.’
Her gaze remained steady. ‘If it sweetens the proposition, I should tell you that DC Brown’s flat belongs to Supe Squad. Should you choose to take up a permanent position here, the flat is yours for your entire tenure. And you’d be the sole detective here, at least for the time being. No newly qualified detective has ever had such power. You’ll effectively be running your own department right out of the gate. Although,’ she added with a hint of darkness, ‘I’d prefer it if you didn’t choose to go down DC Brown’s route and accept bribes from the supes in return for your services.’
I started. She’d known about that all along?
‘So, Emma,’ DSI Barnes said. ‘What is it to be?’
I swallowed. It would never have been my choice and I wasn’t sure I was up to the task. Without another experienced detective on board, I’d be flying blind. And I wasn’t naïve enough to believe that the supes would now fully accept the authority of the human police.
