“I bet if we asked nicely, some of those people might remember you visiting the victims or giving them drugs. Who knows? Maybe some of the bottles are still lying around.”
“Doesn’t matter. If it killed the victim, that means they took all the poisoned pills.”
She smiled at his admission. “There’s always residue.”
Graham wiped his face with his hands, finally regaining his composure. “You still can’t prove anything. Slander is against the law.”
“All we need is a Vampire. I’m sure you’ll sing like a bird, you conniving little monster. You poisoned all those people—even children. Why would you do that? How could you hurt a child? For what? So you could sow violence by killing young alphas?”
He scoffed. “Shifters don’t need alphas to survive. Not really. Some of the groups might disband, but maybe that’s for the best.”
“It’s not for you to decide.”
Rings of sweat had formed on the armpits of his striped shirt. Graham tried to step away from the car, but she shoved him right back in place. When she did, a visceral look crossed his face.
“Alphas are entitled little mutations who do nothing but control people and cause pain and suffering,” he spat out.
Her eyebrows popped up. “That’s not entirely true. You got a few dark souls out there, but most alphas are decent men.”
“Oh? I spent my childhood around packs, tagging along with my parents while they saw clients. I’ve seen what alphas are capable of.”
“So now it’s your mission in life to murder them or anyone who can produce them? You’re an idiot. Anyone can have an alpha. It’s not just redheads.”
“Anyone can, but not everyone does. Most couples never produce an alpha. Redheads almost always do, and they make the stronger ones who have to be put down. Why do you think I can’t have kids? That’s a Relic’s entire purpose in life—to build knowledge and then have children to pass it down to. This is the time in my life when I should be settling down with a family, but that won’t ever happen. An alpha wolf took that away from me when I was twelve. He and his friends thought it would be fun to see how many times they could kick me in the testicles before I lost consciousness. It was part of some initiation thing after the alpha went through his first change. Their little game did irreparable damage.”
Blue leaned in, her expression tight. “I’m sorry about your balls, but murder is murder. You’re going to jail for a long time.”
“Why do you think I have all this knowledge about drugs and poisons? To save Shifters?” He laughed wildly. “This is my destiny. I’m the last of my bloodline, and it all makes sense. It took me years to figure out that this is what I was born to do—it’s the will of the fates.”
Blue touched her chest and got a sickening feeling. Why was he telling her all this? Criminals didn’t just confess their crimes unless they were boasting because they had a backup plan.
Graham sneered, revealing teeth that were slightly yellow. “Why do you think I didn’t put any mustard on Raven’s hot dog? I know you like mustard because you put it on that chili dog back at the diner. I pay attention. The poison only works on Shifters, so I mixed it in with your condiment.”
“You’re lying.”
“Am I? Remember that gum you so eagerly took from me? That was the first dose. It’s a cumulative toxin that doesn’t leave your body, and when you get enough of it—death.”
“You’re not that stupid. It would look suspicious if I suddenly dropped dead.”
He smirked. “Not if you two were thinking this was a virus. I really like that idea. Very smart.” Graham pushed away from the car and dusted off his sleeves. “I gave you the first dose just in case, even though I was certain you wouldn’t find anything. But when Raven called and said you had a connection, I knew I had to finish what I started.” Graham cockily adjusted his watch, as if proud to finally brag about his plot. “I had to be careful about dosing. Giving someone a single pill that does the job is foolish. If they died after taking it, people would have figured it out. So I divided the toxin into multiple doses and gave them their first one. The remaining tainted pills in the bottle would only be enough to kill that person and nobody else, just in case they decided to give away or share the medication. Had to be careful I didn’t kill the wrong person. Wouldn’t want that! Sometimes it was heartburn or indigestion pills, other times vitamins. The ones who weren’t my clients, I gave a stick of gum to. When I bumped into them the next time, I’d give them a tainted pack that would finish the job, like I did with that Shifter on the motorcycle.”
Blue gripped a sign, trying to steady herself when she got a sudden dizzy spell. “Even if it’s true, you’re still not getting away with it.”
“If you want the antidote, you’ll let me walk. And yes, there’s an antidote. A smart man doesn’t create a poison without also understanding how to reverse it. Once I’m in a safe place, I’ll call you with the information.”
She fisted his shirt when he tried to walk away.
Graham wrenched free. “What are you going to do, arrest me in front of all these humans? Maybe stab me with a dagger? If you tell people about me, who will believe such an outlandish story without any proof? That a reputable Relic whose family has been working in the community for generations decided to go on a murdering spree? I have a number of Packmasters who would testify on my behalf. I’ll convince them it’s a virus, and they’ll believe me.”
“A Vampire works on our team, you nitwit. He can charm the information out of you.”
“If your partner comes after me, I’ll make this available to everyone. I have a buyer on standby, and all I have to do is send him the formula. How many people do you think would pay good money to launch a massive attack on Shifters? They can sprinkle it in a water source, on food—the possibilities are endless. And it only kills Shifters. I don’t think you want that on your conscience,” he warned her, holding up his phone as he backed away. “All it takes is one call to destroy your kind. Whose life is more important? Yours or every Shifter on the planet? Don’t worry—you still have a few hours. Once I’m safe, I’ll call you with the antidote. Follow me, and all will perish, including you.”
Graham turned and ran.
Blue started to go after him, but her weakened muscles wouldn’t allow it. Instead, she slumped against the car and reached for her phone, but it wasn’t in her pocket.
Chapter 27
I ran in circles before locating the hot dog stand. When I got there, Graham’s table was empty, nothing left behind but wadded-up wrappers, drinks, a few hot dogs, and Blue’s phone. I spun in a circle and searched the immediate area. “Blue?” I called out.
When no one answered, I grabbed her phone and crashed the neighboring table. “Did you see where my friends went? They were sitting at that table a few minutes ago. Big guy with brown hair and kind of a beard; the girl has long hair and feather earrings.”
A blonde sipping her orange drink raised her hand, the baubles on her wrist clattering together. “I did,” she replied, her accent so Southern that it was clear she was a tourist. “They went running across the street thataway. Well, he went running, and then she tore after him. Almost got hit by a car. Are they lovers? They didn’t look like it.”