This one I didn't kill. I swear.

1644 Words
I'll be honest, death was no mystery to me, I'd seen my fair share of dead bodies. But I didn't usually find myself in a morgue gawking at dead bodies I hadn't made dead. This one I didn't kill. I swear.      The death of the man in question, well vampire more accurately, did have a sense of familiarity to it. He obviously had a rough time in the last few hours of life (if that's what you could call it). His wrists were sliced open and every drop of blood in his body had been drained, ironic really. His pale skin was almost gray and it clung to his bones like dry, brittle paper. But that was not his cause of death. In fact, it would be entirely impossible to kill a vampire that way. It would weaken them, sure, but the speed in which they heal is absolutely remarkable. The vampire laying on the cold metal slab before me hadn't gotten that chance to heal. His head was severed from the neck with a clean cut. His heart was ripped from his chest.     That's a great way to ensure a bloodsucker stays dead. And I'm talking genuine "deader than a doornail" death. Not that bullshit dead he was before.      Franklyn, the coroner, stood "slab-side" as I looked the body over. From my peripheral vision, I could see him trying to contain his jittery hands and I knew he was jonesing for a smoke. In the years that I've known this man, I couldn't remember a time when he wasn't a smoker. It was a nasty habit he just couldn't kick. I didn't blame him, after all, everybody's addicted to something. But some addictions are worse than others I'm sure the vampire on the slab could attest to that. "Where's the heart?" I asked glancing into the gaping hole that was the chest cavity.     "Hell have I know. This was all I got of him, " Frank answered. It's hard to believe that vampires actually have hearts but they do. Non-beating that is. And honestly, I'm not entirely sure if that counts.      "Why am I here, Frank? Why am I staring at this dead bloodsucker?" I asked because, for the life of me, I couldn't figure it out.      "Edwards told me to show you the body and when the boss tells me to do something I get it done, " he smiled smoke-stained teeth at me. "You could learn a thing or two from that, Eden."      Edwards. Chief Edwards, that is. He's the head of the supernatural investigation bureau or SIB for short. He's the man responsible for putting together this task force that solves supernatural crimes here in the city of Gradyveil. Although, I'm not at liberty to discuss why Edwards hired me, even if that were a possibility, I'm not sure I'd openly share the information. Everyone has a past that they don't want to be excavated. A skeleton or two in the closet if you know I mean.     "Fascinating isn't it, " Frank pointed to the slit wrists that hadn't healed properly.      "It's interesting, sure. A vampire drained of blood. But why?" I asked.      "I do believe that is the million-dollar question, " he said.      I looked up from our dead friend and to him. "If I can be straightforward with you, Frank, " I didn't wait for him to answer. "I don't really give a s**t. One less bloodsucker on the streets."      That was my opinion and always will be and a lot of people agreed with me on that. There was truly nothing good to say about vampires. But there were also people, humans, who felt differently. Humans who believed vampires should have the same rights they have. Sadly, those people, idiots, won the majority of the vote. Now, I live in a city plagued by supernatural existence. A city that was stupid enough to elect the first vampire mayor.      "I didn't suppose you would care, " he said it like he knew me. And he should, I'd been keeping Franklyn in business for the last fifteen years.      You couldn't tell by looking, but he and I were the same age, Forty-eight. He had aged terribly, to be honest. He started balding about ten years ago and the hair that he did have left was mostly gray. He was a delicate man who looked like he didn't get enough to eat at the dinner table. I, on the other hand, hadn't aged a day and could pass for twenty. My hair is just as black as it was the day I was born and curled down to my hips. My eyes were dull dark blue and my skin was pale and flawless.      "You best go see what Edwards wants, " he said. And he was right. I didn't fear Edwards but I also didn't enjoy listening to the man yell.      I left Franklyn alone with the dead and took the elevator all the way up to the top. It dinged, metal doors sliding open on floor forty-two. I stepped out into a pristine white corridor with marble floors and dark oak doors. It was a tremendous contrast to my leather trench coat. At the end of the hall, on the last door was a gold plaque with "Chief Jammies Edwards" engraved into it. I gave the dark oak one good, loud knock. It was only seconds before I received an invitation inside.      Edwards gestured for me to take the seat in front of his large desk and so I did. His office looked like any office owned by a middle aged married man- unkempt. His wife wasn't around to nag about the cluttered desk housing papers that should have been tossed out over a year ago. She couldn't see the overflowing can of garbage that sat by the door or smell the untidy, red couch against the back wall- it most definitely could use a spritz of air freshener right about now.       "I take it you looked at the victim?" Edwards' voice rumbled.      He was a big man with wide shoulders. Not fat per se but he wasn't hitting the gym either. He was built like an ex-cop turned Sargent. The dark brown hair he had was still thick for mid-forties, good genes I suppose. He sure was tall, my 5'7 looked slight next to his towering 6'5. And I couldn't recall ever seeing Edwards wear anything other than a suit. They weren't flamboyant suits but the were still nice. Today he wore a dark suit, white button up, and a white tie with tiny, pink flamingos posing on it. I always found his choice of ties amusing. "I viewed the body, " I leaned back in the leather chair which whined against my trench coat. "But I didn't have much of a choice, did I?"      He didn't like my tone but he ignored it. "I was hoping you would have some insight."      "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to get your hopes up, Chief Edwards?"      "You're really trying me tonight, Eden."      "I suppose I'm just irritated. You call me in and have me look at some dead bastard in the basement on my night off, " I said. "But if you really want to know, Chief. No, I don't have any insight."      "I'm getting Deja Vu, Eden. I don't like Deja Vu, it gives me a goddamn headache. If you know something you better start talking."      "I'd like to help. Really, I would but you know what I know if not more." And that was the truth. Well, maybe not the "really would like to help" part, but I didn't know anything.      He watched me intensely for a moment, looking for the lie in my eyes. Well, I had news for him, he wasn't going to find it. "I believe you, " he said finally. "But I can't be too careful. So, I'll apologize in advance."      I didn't have the slightest clue what he was going on about.      A knock came from the door then. And the faintest aroma drifted into the room with the person it wafted from as Edwards called them to enter. A man came in and closed the door behind himself. He stood there by the entrance not making a move to come any further into the room. His scent was stronger now and I knew instantly that it was no man at all.      It was a distinct odor that flooded my nostrils and made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. It was the delightful scent of roses almost powerful enough to mask the sickly, sweet smell of death. I'd know that smell anywhere. And I now knew the beast that stood before me was a vampire.      I turned back to Edwards with a deep frown. "What's going on?" My tone had been less than friendly before, now I was angry.      "This is Drithadeous, " he gestures to the vampire. "He's here to help us out with this case."      "And what exactly does that have to do with me?"      " I've hired Drith to be your partner for the next few weeks, " Edwards said.      I stifled a mocking laugh but I sure as hell wanted to let it out. "Let's look at this for what it really is, Edwards. You've hired a bloodsucking babysitter."      I turned to look at the monster in the room. He looked like every other vampire I'd ever killed. With that sickly, pale skin that they all sported. He was tall, 6'3 at least and muscles pressed against the black T-shirt he was wearing. His blond hair brushed his shoulders and his blue eyes were a lighter shade. I took all of him in and concluded that there was no mistaking him for anything but what he was. A bloodsucking monster. A vampire.
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