office. His file describes him as unremarkable, a borer in name only, barely above a standard and therefore not offered a position within the Agency.”
Edward’s face tightened, but he kept smiling.
“He wandered around the country without incident for most of that time, neither causing trouble nor managing to accumulate any significant wealth or influence, which is abnormal for someone his age. A model citizen, until he let himself starve and killed Kaja Gorecki.”
“She’s not dead,” Edward said, frowning.
“Yes, she is, Mr. Green. You drank over four pints of her blood, and she died of exsanguination a few minutes after you left her on that bench in Balboa Park. If you’d called an ambulance or gotten help, she might have survived. It would have been difficult to talk to emergency services with her blood in your lungs, but hardly impossible.”
Edward gripped the bench. His body trembled.
“None of that was a crime, however.”
“It wasn’t?” Eve asked.
“No,” the director answered, his eyes on Edward. “He was starving. Mr. Green couldn’t be expected to overcome his nature, therefore her accidental death falls under exigent circumstances.”
Eve clenched her fists. He’d just gotten away with murder. Edward exhaled, though Eve couldn’t tell if he felt relieved or guilty. He looked at the director and asked, “If she’s dead, why is she still in my head?”
The director looked at Eve. She sighed. “A person’s barrier drops and their memory unravels in the moment they die,” she said.
Edward looked at the director, then back at Eve. “I don’t-”
“Their life flashes before their eyes,” the director said, then nodded to Eve. “Continue, Ms. Gallagher.”
“If a vampire is inside someone’s head when they die, the feedback can overwrite part of their brain. It’s called imprinting, and it’s particularly dangerous for young vampires like me. It’s also one of the first things I learned.” She shook her head. “How does he not know this?”
“Mr. Green has led a sheltered, directionless life, Ms. Gallagher. Spare a moment to feel sorry for him later. More importantly, what does the severity of his condition tell us?”
Eve wasn’t thrilled about getting quizzed in front of her quarry, but her eyes widened when she thought about it. “He watched her die.”
“Yes. And?”
“She wanted to live. She wanted it so badly she burned herself into his mind.”
The director smiled. “Excellent, Ms. Gallagher!”
Edward looked like he was going to be sick.
“But even if she’d been a vampire as skilled as Ms. Gallagher, she shouldn’t have made such an impression on you, Mr. Green. Imprinting is dangerous to young vampires because their identity can be swallowed by an adult’s memories. Despite her enthusiasm, Kaja Gorecki lived a fraction of your years.” The director leaned forward. “You starved yourself on purpose, didn’t you, Edward?”
Edward jerked back, raising his hands toward his chest but the handcuffs stopped him short. He swallowed, then looked down at his lap. “I was just so tired,” he said.
“You…” Eve gaped at him. “Why didn’t you just walk out into the sunlight?”
His face turned red. “We’re not all as brave as you think you are, Miss. I lost a leg to sunlight, once. My body remembers the pain.” He shrugged. “This seemed easier. I didn’t have to make myself do anything. I could just… fade away.” He looked up, face pale and lips pinched. He’d confessed Kaja’s murder was his fault. There was a kind of nobility to him in that moment Eve almost respected.
The director set the clipboard down on the bench. “Despair is also part of a vampire’s nature.” Eve started to protest, but he raised his hand to cut her off. “We can discuss it once you’ve lived over a century, Ms. Gallagher. Exigent circumstances still apply.”
Edward seemed to sag inward, and any warm feelings Eve might’ve had deflated with
Edward’s face tightened, but he kept smiling.
“He wandered around the country without incident for most of that time, neither causing trouble nor managing to accumulate any significant wealth or influence, which is abnormal for someone his age. A model citizen, until he let himself starve and killed Kaja Gorecki.”
“She’s not dead,” Edward said, frowning.
“Yes, she is, Mr. Green. You drank over four pints of her blood, and she died of exsanguination a few minutes after you left her on that bench in Balboa Park. If you’d called an ambulance or gotten help, she might have survived. It would have been difficult to talk to emergency services with her blood in your lungs, but hardly impossible.”
Edward gripped the bench. His body trembled.
“None of that was a crime, however.”
“It wasn’t?” Eve asked.
“No,” the director answered, his eyes on Edward. “He was starving. Mr. Green couldn’t be expected to overcome his nature, therefore her accidental death falls under exigent circumstances.”
Eve clenched her fists. He’d just gotten away with murder. Edward exhaled, though Eve couldn’t tell if he felt relieved or guilty. He looked at the director and asked, “If she’s dead, why is she still in my head?”
The director looked at Eve. She sighed. “A person’s barrier drops and their memory unravels in the moment they die,” she said.
Edward looked at the director, then back at Eve. “I don’t-”
“Their life flashes before their eyes,” the director said, then nodded to Eve. “Continue, Ms. Gallagher.”
“If a vampire is inside someone’s head when they die, the feedback can overwrite part of their brain. It’s called imprinting, and it’s particularly dangerous for young vampires like me. It’s also one of the first things I learned.” She shook her head. “How does he not know this?”
“Mr. Green has led a sheltered, directionless life, Ms. Gallagher. Spare a moment to feel sorry for him later. More importantly, what does the severity of his condition tell us?”
Eve wasn’t thrilled about getting quizzed in front of her quarry, but her eyes widened when she thought about it. “He watched her die.”
“Yes. And?”
“She wanted to live. She wanted it so badly she burned herself into his mind.”
The director smiled. “Excellent, Ms. Gallagher!”
Edward looked like he was going to be sick.
“But even if she’d been a vampire as skilled as Ms. Gallagher, she shouldn’t have made such an impression on you, Mr. Green. Imprinting is dangerous to young vampires because their identity can be swallowed by an adult’s memories. Despite her enthusiasm, Kaja Gorecki lived a fraction of your years.” The director leaned forward. “You starved yourself on purpose, didn’t you, Edward?”
Edward jerked back, raising his hands toward his chest but the handcuffs stopped him short. He swallowed, then looked down at his lap. “I was just so tired,” he said.
“You…” Eve gaped at him. “Why didn’t you just walk out into the sunlight?”
His face turned red. “We’re not all as brave as you think you are, Miss. I lost a leg to sunlight, once. My body remembers the pain.” He shrugged. “This seemed easier. I didn’t have to make myself do anything. I could just… fade away.” He looked up, face pale and lips pinched. He’d confessed Kaja’s murder was his fault. There was a kind of nobility to him in that moment Eve almost respected.
The director set the clipboard down on the bench. “Despair is also part of a vampire’s nature.” Eve started to protest, but he raised his hand to cut her off. “We can discuss it once you’ve lived over a century, Ms. Gallagher. Exigent circumstances still apply.”
Edward seemed to sag inward, and any warm feelings Eve might’ve had deflated with
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