Blood Sin
an excerpt

The sunlight seemed determined to keep her awake, but Vera Klekas refused to let it win. In her mind, she told the sun that it had every right to be around and shining at nearly eight in the morning, but after working a case until five she was more than willing to get more than three hours of sleep. Turning her back on the curtains, trying to ignore the sunlight as it peeked into her room. The case that she had been working on for the past week and a half was finally solved, the woman who committed the crime was behind bars, and the evidence was solid. Court would come soon and the forensics team would have to show their findings, she would have to most likely testify as well, but there was a good chance she could weasel her way of out of it. I plan to, I’m a detective now, not a lab rat. I don’t need to be explaining all of it to morons who think DNA is still a theory. Laughing a bit, she closed her eyes, relaxed, took a deep breath, let it out, and welcomed sleep as it flowed through her entire body.

The welcomed sleep lasted all of five minutes before the sound of her phone ringing made her eyes snap open. It rang again and she sighed, wishing it was a dream and that someone was not trying to call her at eight in the morning. There was only one person that would call her this early and that meant she would have to move. The phone rang again and the answering machine clicked on. “Hi, this is Vera, do you thing” she heard her own voice say as the loud beep signaled that whoever was on the other line to start talking.

“Vera, I know you’re there, put up your damn phone.” It was her partner, Detective Jason Trinton, and he did not sound happy. “Pick up your phone before I come over there and pull you out of bed myself.” After working with Jason for three years she was more than aware of what he could and would do. Sighing, she reached over and picked up the phone.

“You’re lucky I’m such a light sleeper.” She quipped before yawning, “Unless the world is on fire there better be a good reason you’re calling me at eight in the fucking morning.”

“I just wanted to hear your lovely voice.” He replied, just as sarcastic, “Why do you think I’m calling you at eight in the morning? We have another body.” Those words got her attention and Vera sat up in bed, creasing her eyebrows.

“Another?” She asked. Over the past three months there had been a number of murders that people had mostly just written off, but by the time the third one came the detective on the case noticed far too many similarities. Jason and herself were known as the better people to follow serial murders and now the case was under their jurisdiction. For the last two weeks they were looking into the case, but nothing seemed to be standing out. A new body with fresh eyes, that was what they were hoping for. Hoping for so we can get this guy. I wish they would just go away, but I’m a realist.

“Yes, it looks like the same thing did it.” Jason spit out, “I’ll text you directions to the location, hurry here.” With those words he hung up and Vera pulled herself out of bed. Changing out of her pajama’s and into her work clothes. Fixing her hair in the mirror, she ran her fingers across the rosary on the desk. In the mirror, her strawberry blond hair fell just to her shoulders and curled a little, her green eyes a little bloodshot from sleeping with her contacts in. The rosary was a mock joke from her mother, but it was still not funny now, even so many years later.

She could remember exactly what the world was like the day that the existence of vampires was admitted by the federal government. While there were many people and many deaths that no one could explain, it was the president getting on the air and saying that it was true that made the panic start. It was both a good and bad thing. Churches were filled with people, rosaries were being shipped out of Italy by the thousands, and suddenly there were a lot less people on the street at night. The signs of what to look for also came out and it made people a lot more paranoid. You are looking for someone pale with black eyes and fangs. A vampire will also have unusual strength and speed. These were all things that made people look at friends and neighbors differently and it made Vera’s stomach twist a little at how many people got minimal sentences for killing someone they thought was a vampire.

In the midst of the chaos a few vampires tried to come forward and show people that they were all not killers, demons, whatever it may be, and even pushed for them to be seen legally as human. The law was passed six months after their existence was made. You could not kill a vampire on sight, it was considered a crime, but that did not stop people from taking advantage of the law. Cops would shoot a vampire and claim it was self defense. The cop, the so-called victims, all self defense cases were the same; the vampire was always wrong. It was a form of racism and there were not enough of them to make a real stand. The law was passed and they seemed to fade from existence, into the shadows, and only spoke of in hushed whispers.

Vera picked up her keys and left her home, leaving the rosary on the table.