Pure Blood_ A Nocturne City Novel - Caitlin Kittredge [25]
“Get a grip?” she said incredulously. “Coming from the woman who almost snapped me in half, that’s really ironic.”
I growled, and this time it had nothing to do with the were. Shelby O’Halloran pushed my buttons, plain and simple.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sorry. That was unfair.”
“Bet your ass it was,” I muttered. “Rude too.” Valerie Blackburn broke our discomfited silence, finally. She slipped out the front door of the apartment building and waved us down. “Not you,” she said when Shelby followed me. “I’ll only talk to Detective Wilder.”
In what may have been the first smart decision of her young life, Shelby backed away and let us have our privacy. Valerie favored her back with a glare. “Sanctimonious witch. How do you put up with that?”
“Heavy drinking seems to work pretty well,” I said, and earned a tiny smile. Valerie had the same black hair as her brother, but hers curled past her shoulders and her eyes were a molten brown. In another few years, she’d be stunningly beautiful, but right now her round cheeks lent her an air of cherubic mischief.
“My father would never tell you any of this,” she said. “He’s been shamed.”
“I promise he won’t find out any information came from you,” I said. Valerie bit her lip.
“I hope Henri isn’t watching us.”
“If you mean the scarecrow dressed for a Cure concert, he’s not,” I assured her. “I’d smell him.”
“That’s cool. I’ve never met a were.” Valerie appraised me up and down. “You look pretty normal.”
“Twenty-eight days of the month, I am,” I said. “Or twenty-seven, if it’s one of the short ones.”
“Vincent’s shacked up with a guy he met at his club,” Valerie blurted. “Was, I mean. Sorry.” She looked at her feet and I knew from experience she was hiding tears.
“Your brother was gay?” Somehow, on the list of offenses that would embarrass the head of the Blackburn clan, a fondness for the un-fair sex seemed relatively minor. Still, maybe Vincent the elder was one of those traditional, family-values sort of black magicians—America, apple pie, and blood rituals.
“He’s—was—bisexual,” said Valerie. “He had girlfriends before, but then him and my dad started fighting and he moved out.”
“What did they fight about?” I asked.
Valerie blushed. “My brother wasn’t very good at magick, Detective. He wanted to leave and go do a show, like a band gig, or work on his art. He painted and did these really cool ink drawings. Daddy freaked out and said that he might as well slash his wrists and transfuse himself with plain human blood.”
“That sounds like something your father would say,” I agreed. “So Vincent felt the pressure and got a boyfriend as a Hex-you to Senior?”
“Yeah,” said Valerie. “Except the guy is total sleaze. Vincent used to be really sweet. He was good, with the painting. After he got the job at Bete Noire he totally changed. Last time I came to the club looking for him he yelled at me and called the bouncers. I know I’m underage, but talk about Jekyll and Hyde.”
I’d be willing to bet my entire shoe rack that the job at the club coincided with Vincent’s drug use. All I said out loud was, “What’s his boyfriend’s name?”
“Samael,” said Valerie, rolling her eyes. “Like Samuel, only goth and pretentious? Star tweaker freak of Bete Noire. You can’t miss him.”
I touched Valerie’s shoulder lightly and she flinched. “I’m going to do the best I can to make sure your brother doesn’t slip away without someone answering for his death.” There I went again, making crazy promises to dead people. I really needed a new hobby.
“Thank you,” Valerie said. “That’s nice, but I guarantee you’re the only one who cares.”
“If someone killed Vincent, it’s my job to care,” I said. “Have a little faith in me.”
She didn’t; I could tell from the hard expression in her eyes. Valerie was probably the same age I’d been when I’d gotten the bite and had to leave my admittedly shitty life behind. You never get over a loss like that. The least I could do was bring in the person who’d caused it.
“Thanks for your help,” I said finally. “We’ll be in touch.”
Valerie turned