‘Then you really are alone, April.’
April walked strode up Swain’s Lane. Screw Caro, screw school, screw everyone, she thought. She glanced through the railings into the East Cemetery. Probably full of vampires watching her, hunting her, sniffing after her blood. Yeah? Well, bring it on, Suckers, she thought. I’m way past caring.
She was furious with Caro. Who was she to tell her what to do? Caro had no idea of the burden on her shoulders. Save the geeks, she had said, look after the freaks. Forget it; she was going to find out who had killed her dad and then it would be over. She could wash her hands of all of it. It was only as she reached Pond’s Square that April realised she should have been in Miss Holden’s class right now. For a moment, the old April surfaced and she felt a pang of stress: God, I’m going to get in trouble for skiving. She almost laughed out loud. Here I am being hunted by vampires and I’m worrying about my school attendance record. No, she’d let Miss Holden explain her absence away. And if anyone asked about it, she’d plead stress. She had been attacked in the dark by a known, and now dead, psycho. Who wouldn’t expect her to be a little emotional about it? Right now she was free, so she decided to go and get a magazine from the newsagent on the high street. Hey, maybe she’d go really crazy and get one of those coffees with the whipped cream on the top.
‘Oh no.’
Her heart sank as she spotted DI Reece. The policeman was standing on the other side of the road, hands in his pockets, she could tell he had bad news from a hundred yards away. ‘Fancy a walk?’ he asked, walking over.
‘It’s a bit cold.’
‘Come on, it will do us both good.’
They walked in silence, April praying that he wouldn’t point out she should be in school, until they were down the hill by the ponds.
As they crossed the road, April’s phone buzzed in her pocket. A text:
I think we need to talk. Miss Holden
God, was everyone watching her? April turned the phone off.
‘How are you feeling?’ Asked Reece.
‘Okay, I suppose. I’ll cope.’
Reece shook his head.
‘You shouldn’t have to “cope”, April. All this, it’s not normal for a seventeen-year-old girl, you know.’
‘Can I ask you something, Inspector Reece?’
‘Ask away.’
‘You once said you buried someone. Who was it?’
‘My wife,’ he said quietly.
‘Was she—?’
‘They’re taking me off the case,’ said Reece, changing the subject.
‘What? No, they can’t. You’ve been in charge from the start.’
‘They can and they are. There are a lot of very influential people who live in this area and they’re very upset by these incidents. Can’t say I blame them. I wouldn’t want to pay a king’s ransom for a house up here, then have a murder on my doorstep every night.’
‘But it’s not your fault, Inspector Reece. You’ve done your best.’
‘Well, it’s not good enough. It’s gone way over my head now. I suspect I’ll be offered a job somewhere else.’
‘Are you going to take it?’
Reece shrugged. He didn’t look like he cared much one way or the other.
‘I’ll think about it. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you in person. One of my superiors, DCI Johnston, is taking over.’
‘What’s he like?’
Reece pulled a face. ‘I wish I could tell you he’s the man for the job, April, but I can’t.’
‘What’s that mean?’
He took a deep breath.
‘In the modern force, there are two types of copper. There are those who do their best to get things done despite all the red tape and the paperwork and government targets, and there are those who should have been on The Apprentice. They just see the job as any other management role, every case as a way of furthering their career or winning brownie points with their boss. They are hunting criminals, yes, but they might as well be selling baked beans for all they care about the job. And they will do anything to get the job done. Anything.’
‘And this new Chief Inspector is one of those?’
‘Exactly. He’s also been ordered to work more closely with Dr Tame.’
‘Oh no!’
‘Now that’s a sensible reaction,’ said Reece. ‘I don’t mind telling you I don’t like him. But he has connections at the very top. You need to watch yourself.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘They need someone to pin this on, April. They’ve already got your friend Gabriel, but they can’t blame everything on him.’
She looked at him wide-eyed.
‘You think they might blame me? I haven’t done anything!’
‘That won’t matter to them, April. You have connections to the case, and if they can make a case they won’t care if you’re guilty or not.’
‘God. What can I do?’
‘Stick to your story, don’t lose your temper. And wait.’
‘Wait? What for?’
‘I think you know as well as I do. There are going to be more killings before this is over.’
They walked back up to the High Street, where Reece had left his car.
‘Thanks, Inspector Reece. For telling me in person. You didn’t have to, I know that.’
Reece reached into his pocket and pulled out his notebook, scribbled something down, then tore the page out.
‘Here,’ he said, handing it to her. ‘That’s my phone number. If you need anything, even to talk, give me a call, okay?’
‘You’re worried about me, aren’t you, Inspector Reece?’
‘Who wouldn’t be, April? I don’t know exactly how you’re mixed up in this whole mess, but I do know one thing. Death seems to be following you.’
‘And who’s this I see? Is it April Dunne?’
I’m hopeless at truancy, thought April. First I bump into a policeman, then into a sucker.
‘Hello, Davina.’
She glanced at her rose gold watch.
‘Shouldn’t you be in school?’
‘Shouldn’t you?’
‘I get special dispensation. Mr Sheldon and I have an understanding.’
‘An understanding?’
‘Let’s just say he relies on my father to keep his job. I don’t think he’ll be giving me a hard time about truancy. You on the other hand …’
‘Yeah well, I don’t really care what Hawk or anyone else thinks at this precise moment. I’m sick of Ravenwood.’
‘That’s the spirit!’ said Davina. Her eyes twinkled with mischievousness.
‘What’s the point of doing all that boring schoolwork? Why bother when we could all be dead tomorrow?’
‘Oh, I know.’ Davina touched her arm. ‘How are you doing? Who would have thought Marcus would come back for you? Were you terrified?’
‘No, funnily enough. Well, I was scared, but he pissed me off more than anything.’
‘You’re so brave. And Gabe coming to your rescue! It’s like a fairy tale.’
‘He did not come to my rescue,’ said April petulantly. ‘I’d already got away from Marcus, I didn’t need Gabriel Swift to rescue me.’
‘But I couldn’t believe it when I heard he’d –’ she glanced around her at the passing shoppers ‘– killed Marcus. I mean, I know Gabriel has a bit of a temper, but killing him? That’s mental, isn’t it?’
April shook her head.
‘I don’t know. I don’t know what Gabriel thinks or why he does anything.’
Davina pouted.
‘Yes, I heard you’d had a bit of a row. I never knew what you saw in him – I mean, he’s sexy, but after all this I think you’re better off without him.’
‘I couldn’t agree more.’
Davina glanced around again.
‘Listen, we can’t talk here, do you want to come over to mine? Daddy’s away again and Ben will be at rugby practice all afternoon so we’ve got the place to ourselves.’
For all her rebelliousness, April was still nervous about being spotted in the street by a teacher or, even worse, by her mother.
‘Okay,’ she said. ‘Let’s go.’
April barely recognised Davina’s bedroom. On her previous visit, it had been buried under piles of clothes, but today it was like something from the ‘décor’ section of a swish magazine. The cream carpet was spotless, the ironed bedcovers barely had a wrinkle on them and apart from a few copies of foreign fashion magazines artfully tossed onto a side table, nothing was out of place, not a speck of dust or a coffee-mug ring anywhere.
‘Your room is incredible,’ said April. ‘In mine, you can barely see the floor for clothes and books and stuff. How do you live in it? I’d be scared to move anything.’
‘Oh it’s okay I suppose, but it’s so poky, isn’t it?’ said Davina. ‘I’ve been lobbying Mother to get her to let me have their room, I mean it’s not as if they’re ever in it, but all she would do was add the dressing room.
‘You have a dressing room?’ gasped April, thinking of her own crammed Ikea wardrobe, with socks and knickers poking out of the wonky drawers. ‘I didn’t see that the last time I was here.’
‘Ah, that’s because it’s hidden.’
Davina walked over to her floor-to-ceiling mirror and gave it a push. It slid aside to reveal a doorway into another room almost as large as April’s living room. On either side were hanging spaces full of shimmering gowns and dresses and shelves piled with neatly folded jeans and tops. But it was the far wall of the room which really made April gasp. It was a honeycomb of shelves, each slot housing a pair of shoes, displayed like museum exhibits.
‘God, I’ve never seen so many shoes in one place before.’
‘I can’t help myself,’ laughed Davina. ‘Mummy’s got an account at Browns, you see. Plus I have a few friends in the press offices of some of the fashion houses. I should really send some of them back.’ She giggled.
‘Hey, you know what we should do?’ she said suddenly. ‘Let’s give you a complete make-over. Hair, make-up, clothes, everything.’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ said April, glancing nervously at the rails and then back at Davina’s super-slender figure. ‘I don’t think I’d fit into any of your dresses.’
‘Nonsense!’ said Davina, ‘You wore that gown at the fundraiser and you looked fabulous. Come on, it’ll be fun!’ She took April by the hand and led her through another door into her ensuite bathroom.
‘First things first, we’re going to give this lovely hair some shine.’
‘Davina, I’m not sure,’ protested April as she was pushed down onto the edge of the bath.
‘Well I am,’ said Davina, turning on the shower head. ‘We’re going to condition and then wash in a gentle colour. It’s going to look amazing, trust me.’
Suddenly April panicked. The Fury birthmark behind her ear! She couldn’t have Davina staring at the back of her head – that would be suicide. The paranoid thought struck her that Davina might have offered to wash her hair for that exact reason.
‘Okay, but let me do that,’ said April, reaching for the shower head and turning Davina around. ‘You go and rummage through that massive wardrobe of yours. I’m going to need shoes and bags and earrings, everything.’
Davina looked surprised.
‘Are you sure? I do a great Indian head massage.’
‘Stop stalling, you just don’t think there will be anything that fits a whale like me.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous, just leave it to Auntie ’Vina.’
April let out a long breath. Bending over the bath, foam running into her ears, water splashing her face, she began to laugh. She was still grinning when Davina walked back in.
‘What’s so funny, young lady?’ Davina said with mock severity.
‘Just all this,’ said April, wrapping her hair up in a towel. ‘It’s nice. I always had you down as a bit of a selfish cow.’
‘Oh that’s nice!’ said Davina, flicking some water into April’s face.
‘No, but seriously, Davina, this is nice of you. Better than any therapy. It’s just what I need, so thank you.’
Davina looked away. If April hadn’t known better she would have thought she looked embarrassed. Did vampires get embarrassed? Gabriel had said that the lack of connection to the real world through pain, fear or discomfort had robbed them of their humanity, their ability to empathise. But here was Davina, head vampire, with a full-on blush. Maybe Gabriel didn’t know everything. He certainly didn’t know how to treat girls properly, that was for sure.
‘It’s all an act, you know,’ said Davina quietly.
‘What is?’
‘The selfish cow thing,’ she said. She pulled a cleanser pad from a packet and began to swipe it across April’s skin in a soothing circular motion. ‘Shock news: I’m just like everyone else, April. But because my dad’s rich and I live in this nice house and have nice things, everyone assumes I’m sort of a bitch. After a while you get sick of all their “well it’s all right for you” comments and start playing the part.’
‘But you could be nice, like this.’
‘Believe me, I’ve tried. But people don’t allow you to show weakness. I mean, we’ve got pots of cash, how could we have any problems, right?’
‘What problems?’
‘Oh, don’t worry about it.’
‘No, tell me.’
‘Well I suppose everyone has a father who’s never there and when he is flies into vicious rages or whose mother is like a zombie on prescription drugs and is only interested in her tennis pro. I suppose having a big lovely house is perfect, unless you’d rather have a small cosy one like yours.’
April would have laughed if Davina’s face hadn’t been so sad.
Remember she’s an evil vampire, she said to herself. Remember she’s an evil vampire. But then couldn’t vampires have problems? It was hard enough being a teenager at the best of times, but imagine being trapped there, living with your mum and dad for ever with no prospect of getting out. Being a vicious killer must get wearing after a while.
April let out a giggle.
‘What?’ said Davina, stiffening. ‘What are you laughing at?’ April could hear the hurt in her voice. She stood up and strode back into the bedroom.
‘No, sorry Davina,’ said April running after her. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just …’
‘What?’ Davina turned around, her hands defiantly on her hips, but there were tears in her eyes, just like when she had talked about Layla. Maybe Gabriel really had been wrong. Maybe vampires could feel pain.
‘It’s just I was thinking about my Dad’s funeral. You know, when you came to my house? I was cringing, worrying about what you thought of our tiny little terrace, when in real life you would rather live there.’
Davina grabbed a tissue and wiped her eyes.
‘Oh, it’s okay living here I suppose and I know I shouldn’t grumble, but it’s so … so dark and cold sometimes. I know it sounds mad, but after a while you get sick of hiding out, cowering, scared of being found out.’
‘Found out?’
‘That you’re not what everyone thinks you are. That you’re a fraud.’
She blew her nose.
‘I see you, April. You never pretend to be anything you’re not and your family, your house, seemed so warm and cosy and full of life. And I know your mum’s a bit unusual …’
‘You can say that again.’
‘But that’s great! She gets drunk and goes out to clubs and does her own thing. I wish my parents would dare to deviate from the posh person’s handbook once in a while.’
‘Your dad seems to like bad disco tunes.’
Davina laughed sadly.
‘Yes, but that’s so embarrassing. It’s as if he’s developed this one thing he’ll do in public that makes him seem human. “Hey look! I dance badly to Duran Duran, I can’t be all bad.” I just wish I had a relationship like yours with your mum and dad.’
April could feel the tears start in her eyes now.
‘Oh God, now I’ve got you started,’ said Davina, plucking another tissue from the box and handing it to April.
‘Don’t worry, it’s just it’s not so long since he died. Somehow it seems to get harder, not easier. I miss him. And I suppose my mum’s okay, I just wish she could open up. Since Dad died she’s been so wrapped up in her own grief, it’s as if I’m an embarrassment or that I remind her of him or something.’
‘Maybe you should give her more of a chance.’
‘Look who’s talking.’
‘Ah, well I’ve tried again and again with my mum. I don’t think she’s ever going to be an apple-pie-and-knitting sort of mum.’
‘Mine either.’ April blew her nose and laughed. ‘See? I told you this was better than therapy.’
‘Yeah, but it was supposed to be for you, wasn’t it?’
After April had dried her hair, she sat patiently with her eyes closed while Davina did her make-up for her, more subtle and natural than she would have done it herself. Then she pushed her into a wrap dress which accentuated her curves and added some insanely high heels.
‘Wow!’ she said looking at herself in the mirror. ‘Is that really me?’
‘It’s all you, honey,’ said Davina.
It was a transformation. She looked more grown up and mature. The colour Davina had given her had darkened her hair and made it twice as shiny. Maybe vampires aren’t supernaturally beautiful, thought April, maybe they just have good beauticians.
‘Well, I think you’re too good to waste,’ said Davina, reaching for her phone. April gave her a questioning look, but Davina only smiled and held up a finger. ‘Hi Miggy, are you free?’ she said into the phone. ‘Excellent. Can you be out front in fifteen? We’re going to the Dorch. Could you ring ahead for me? You’re a star.’
She hung up and grinned at April. ‘Come on, if you’re going to ditch lessons, then we’re going to make the most of it. I’m taking you for tea.’
‘No really, I can’t, I’ve got to …’
‘You’ve got to what? Do homework? Not dressed like that you haven’t. Come on, Mummy doesn’t need Miguel at the spa so he’s only going to waste. Plus he’s gorgeous. And since you’ve got to eat at some point, you might as well do it in style.’