Page 47 of Whispers at Dusk
“Do what you must. You’re dying today.”
“You’d let her shoot me?” the woman shrilled furiously.
“You know the Master! You are lucky he lets you live on with us!” Tom said.
They were at a hell of a standstill, and Della feared she might die that day. It was obvious that whatever vampire cult they’d become entangled in, it didn’t value the lives of women. He really didn’t care if he needed to kill his companion.
She held her Baby Browning firm, and Tomaso raised his gun higher. Then a shot rang out, an explosion that seemed to rip through the forest.
Della hadn’t seen him fire... She hadn’t fired...
But Tomaso screamed in agony. His gun went flying from his hand. He dropped down and fell behind the car.
Mason Carter came striding out from the bushes and trees, followed by Bisset. “Whoever the hell you are,” Mason said, “we’re taking you in. They’ll be charging you both with murder. Hands behind your backs, please,” he said, producing cuffs from his jacket pocket as Bisset, staring at the couple with narrowed, furious eyes, remained straight and silent.
“No!” the woman screamed. “No! He made me do this! He made me do all of this. I’m innocent, I never did anything—”
“I’m bleeding! Brutality! You’ve destroyed my wrist!” the man cried.
“Be grateful that’s all,” Bisset said quietly.
The woman started to make a mad rush for Mason, now that his gun was lowered as he handled the cuffs.
He would have been all right. But Della stepped forward swiftly, an arm straight out, hard. “Mandy” ran into it and went flat on her back instead.
Mason glanced her way.
“Nice move.”
“Thanks. And good timing, too.”
He smiled. “I have it all recorded.”
He hunkered down and rolled “Mandy” over and cuffed her wrists. Della drew her to her feet while Mason went for “Tom.”
“You can’t! You can’t! You’ve shattered my wrist!” the man screamed. “I... No, no, and she’s a liar. She’s the most vicious human being I’ve ever met. She loves it when the victims wake up. She loves to see their faces when they know they are dying. She’s the monster. She’s horrible, horrible. I... I was nothing but her servant. She’s the killer, not me!”
“How are we taking them—” Della began.
“We’re not. Wilhelm is on his way with local police. They’ll see to it this man receives medical care for his wound, and that they’re both incarcerated until we’re ready to talk with them.”
The pair were at the car, staring at each other now as if they’d truly like to murder one another in the most brutal way possible.
“You will pay! This is brutality. You shot me!” Tom said scathingly. “You will pay for this—”
“Well, as my friend noted, I think you’re lucky I shot you in the wrist,” Mason told him. “You killed a friend of a detective who is coming now to take you in. He’s a good officer, so I imagine you’ll arrive alive—but I wouldn’t argue with him—he spent the day at her autopsy and with her family.”
The woman suddenly started sobbing, great wet tears, gasps that shook her shoulders.
“I will never reach it now! Reach that level of immortality! Never...never. Unless!” She suddenly looked up at Mason and Della, venom in her eyes. “The Master will come for you. This last kill was for the life-giving blood! I would have earned my place, I would have...found another recruit among the men and taken another woman for her blood. But you will die! It may take time, but you see nothing, nothing. The Master is all-powerful, and he will save me and take your lives! He prefers the blood of women, but he will allow his followers to indulge in yours!” she told Mason.
“We’ll see, won’t we! Ah, listen. I hear a car. Yes, here are the fine men and women of Norway’s law enforcement! And there’s Wilhelm.”
The man went silent, holding his injured arm. Two cars arrived, and Wilhelm got out of the driver’s seat of the first.
He walked over and nodded to Della, Mason, and Bisset.
“We’ll take them from here,” he assured them.
