Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Colletion_ Books 6-10 - Laurell K. Hamilton [506]
“You still with me, Blake?” Henderson asked.
“Sorry. The night we arrested her, two uniforms had had to drag her out of another man’s bed, handcuffed. They didn’t have another female on site that night, so I rode in back with her. She was loud and boisterous, flirting with the men, being snotty with me. I don’t even remember what I said, but I remember the look on her face when she turned to me. We’re riding in this dark police car, and as she turns her head to look at me, the hair on my body stood up. There were no glowing eyes, no smell of sulfur, Captain Henderson, but I felt evil rise off of her like some disturbing perfume.” I looked at him, and he was scrutinizing my face like he was trying to memorize it. “I don’t scare easy, Captain, but for that instant, I was scared. Scared of her, and it showed on my face, and she laughed, and the moment was gone.”
“What did you do?”
“I recommended they do an exorcism.”
“Did they?” he asked.
“Not the police, but her husband signed the papers for it.”
“And?” Henderson said.
“And it worked. If she stays on her medication, the mental illness is under control. The possession didn’t cause the schizophrenia.”
Henderson nodded. “We all get the lecture in training that mental illness can open a person up to demonic possession, Ms. Blake. It’s like PCP but weirder.”
“Yeah,” I said. “PCP doesn’t cause people to levitate.”
He frowned at me. “Did you witness the exorcism?”
I shook my head. “I won’t talk about it. I especially won’t talk about it here and now. Words have power, Captain. Memories have power. I won’t play into it.”
He nodded. “Are you positive humans didn’t do this?”
I shook my head. “They ate her to death. It ate her to death. A person might be able to bite your throat out and do some of this damage, but not all of it.”
“If you told me this was a possession, I’d call my chain of command and start looking for a priest; but Blake, do you know how rare overt demonic attacks are?”
“Probably better than you do, Captain. I get called in for all sorts of weird shit.”
“Have you ever seen a demon kill a person by straight attack, not trickery?”
“No.”
“Then how can you be so sure?” he asked.
“I told you why I’m sure, Captain. Once you’ve been in the presence of the demonic, you don’t forget what it feels like.” I shook my head and fought the urge to take another step away from the body.
“But I’m not an expert on demons, Captain Henderson. I suggest you contact a priest. I’m also not an expert on this kind of magic. Call a local witch to look it over. They may be able to give you more information. The best I can do is general stuff.”
“Could you have called a demon and made it kill her?”
I frowned at him. “What are you talking about?”
“Just answer the question, Ms. Blake.”
“I raise the dead, Captain. I don’t do demons.”
“A lot of people don’t see that big a difference between the two.”
“Great, just great. You call me down here. I tell you it’s black magic, and now you’re going to blame me. I don’t feel like being the toasty end of a witch hunt, Captain Henderson.”
He smiled. “Just answer the question. Could you do it?”
“No, I could not do this. Trafficking with the demonic taints the soul. I may not be a perfect Christian, but I am trying.”
“Fucking vampires taints the soul, too, Blake.”
I stared up at him. I looked at him for several long seconds, because what I wanted to do was hit him or scream at him. No, hit him. But I couldn’t do that. I settled for one of those smiles you get sometimes when what you really want to do is hurt someone.
“Fine, Captain, fine. This was powerful magic, and I have a reputation for powerful magic. It’s not your fault that you don’t understand the vast difference between the two schools of magic. Lack of education, can’t hold that against