Blood Pact

been prevented. "We've already determined it had to be someone who knew she was going to die. She worked at the university.
    Her friends were at the university. She had tests done at the university. Four, the campus is less than ten blocks south on Division Street. We're close." Her laugh held more hysteria than humor. "Even a dead woman could walk it.”

    "And five," Henry added softly, while Vicki fought to bridle her reactions again and Celluci's arm hovered helpless behind her back, certain that she'd refuse sympathy, unable not to offer it. "There is another, and it was on the campus tonight.”

    Vicki's chin came up, Henry's reminder that it wasn't strictly personal helping her to regain a little distance. Celluci's arm dropped back to his side. She wrote down his words verbatim, took another sheet, wrote "Why?" and had to fight for distance again.
    "At least we know what they wanted the body for. But why my mother? What was so special about her?”

    "They knew she was going to die." Celluci couldn't find a way to finish the thought that wouldn't rub salt in emotions already raw and bleeding, so he drew in a fortifying breath and said instead, "Vicki, why don't you let me deal with this?”

    "While I do what? Pour ashes on my head? Fuck you, Celluci. They knew she was going to die and they needed a fresh body.
    There. It's been said. Now let's go on.”

    His own nerves rubbed raw, Celluci shot a glance across the room at someone who might understand. I didn't want to hurt her!

    I know. Henry's gaze flicked to Celluci's left and back, adding as clearly as if he'd spoken aloud, And she knows.

    "There wasn't an autopsy done." Vicki's pencil began to move again. "I expect that if you're going to get the body up and around, that's important. With a diagnosis of death in six months from heart failure, there'd be no need to do an autopsy when my mother had her heart attack. I wonder." She looked up and frowned. "Did they wait around for this other guy to die as well? We can check personnel, find out who else died recently, see if there's a connection to my mother, and trace it back.”

    With one hand she fanned the three sheets of paper. The other bounced the eraser end of the pencil on the tabletop. "Okay. That's what, where, why . . ." The pencil stilled. "I don't think we need to worry about how .”

    A body stretched out on a slab, its grotesque shadow thrown upon a rough, rock wall. In the background, strange equipment. In the corners, darkness, broken by the faint gray tracery of a spider's web. Up above, a Gothic dome open to the night. Thunder cracks and lightning arcs down from the heavens. And Death is pushed aside.

    "Vicki?”

    "What!" She whirled on Celluci, eyes wide.

    "Nothing." Now that he had her attention, he wasn't sure what to do with it. "You just looked a little . . .” haunted . He closed his teeth on the last word.

    "Tired." Henry stepped smoothly into the pause. "Don't you think you should get some sleep?”

    "No. We're not done. I'm not going to sleep until we're done." She knew she sounded a bit frantic, but she'd gone past the point where she cared. "So, what do we have for who . A scientist, or a group of scientists, at the university, who knew my mother was going to die, who has the knowledge to raise the dead and the arrogance to use that knowledge.”

    "Most criminals are arrogant." Celluci sagged back against the sofa cushions. "It's what makes them criminals. They think society's laws don't apply to them.”

    Vicki shoved at her glasses. "Very profound, Detective, but this is hardly like ripping off a corner store for beer money. We need a motive.”

    "If you had the ability to raise the dead, wouldn't that be motive enough?" Henry asked, his eyes suddenly very dark. "They're doing this because they can do it. They probably don't even see it as a crime, this godlike ability puts them above such petty concerns.”

    "Well," Celluci snorted, "you should know.”

    "Yes.”

    The single syllable lifted the hair on the back of Celluci's neck and he realized, belatedly, that no one understood the abuse of power quite so well as those who shared the potential.

    Vicki ignored them both, shuffling her notes into a tidy pile, her movements jerky. "So we're looking at the university for an arrogant scientist with a medical background who knew my mother was about to die. That'll be like finding the needle in the proverbial haystack.”

    Celluci fought his attention free of