"Of course. Obviously that's made my workload more difficult," Jagger said.
"Aren't you worried about bringing the city's suspicions down on us?" Grenard asked.
"I'm up to the challenge, I assure you. My top priority is finding the killer, not the corpse."
"What about Billy Harrington?" Jennie demanded.
"What about him?" Jagger asked.
"First, why isn't he here?"
"Because he's doing what I told him to do. He's staying in his room at the frat house and acting like a teenager who's depressed over losing a friend," Jagger said.
August Gaudin stood, clearing his throat apologetically. "Jagger, I believe that Jennie is hedging around something that must be said. We're suspicious. It's evident that Billy was very fond of this young woman. I believe that the natural question--question, not accusation--is whether the young man might have been fond enough of the young woman to want to make her his for eternity, whether she agreed or not."
The room fell silent, and Jagger was certain everyone was waiting for him to deny the possibility. He didn't.
"We have certainly considered that theory," he said.
There was a murmur in the crowd.
"However..." Jagger lifted a hand and waited for the noise to die down. "However, in my position, I've learned to consider all the facts. Have we forgotten Tina Lawrence already? Billy was at the frat house, with witnesses, when Tina was murdered."
"He could have moved quickly, could have left and returned before anyone noticed he was gone," Mateas Grenard said quietly.
"Yes, he could have," Jagger conceded. "But he has no history of frequenting strip clubs, and he did--does--feel a fondness for Abigail. It's doubtful that a man in love--human or vampire--would suddenly start spending time in a strip club. Additionally, as you all know, we found a witness who gave us a good description of a man who talked to Tina that night, though we have yet to find that man."
Jennie gasped indignantly. "Are you implying that he was a shapeshifter?"
Jagger spoke quickly and loudly before her words could sow dissension. "No, Jennie, I'm doing no such thing. I'm simply saying that all the evidence isn't in yet. And in fact, I expect help from this community that no one else can provide, because the rest of the world doesn't even know that we exist, much less what to look for. But I've also been a cop long enough to know that what we see is not always what it seems. Therefore, as we've all made a point of saying tonight, I'm not casting suspicion in any specific direction. We know the killer wasn't a human being, because both women rose. So yes, I'm saying the killer had to be either a vampire or a shapeshifter. An individual shapeshifter or vampire. And we all want that person apprehended--don't we, Jennie?"
Jennie opened her mouth, but she had to agree--she had just given a speech about doing exactly what he was asking--and after a moment of hesitation, she finally did.
Sean O'Casey suddenly stood.
"Sean?" Jagger said.
"I just want to add that peace is the most precious thing in the world. I come from a land that spent hundreds of years in battle. To this day we still fight prejudice--and the hatreds of the past. It's ugly. Innocents get hurt, and the good die with the bad. I pledge my support to you, Jagger. And so will everyone who's seeking the truth and wants to see this murderer caught."
Sean spoke softly, but the Old Country lilt in his voice commanded attention. When he finished, spontaneous applause broke out.
Beside him, Granny Caldwell stood. She was a tall woman, nearly as tall as Sean.
"This city of ours, it has magic. To this day it bears traces of both the shame and the beauty of the past, and life here is a mix of the old ways with the new. But we love our city and hold it dear in our hearts. We come from different places, and different histories run in our veins. I have prayed at the altar of my beliefs, and I'm here to say that I believe in the man who stands before us. The readings say he is a good man, a man who will seek the truth. The father of lies is at work among us now, and we need to learn to see through the forest of his deceptions. In your hearts, don't be angry. Be strong, and look for the truth and goodness that surround you."
She fell silent and looked around at the crowd, as if to emphasize her point.
"Thank you, as always, Granny Caldwell, for your support," Jagger said. He wanted to run over and kiss the old woman. She was as strong as an oak.
She nodded and pointed a finger at him. "There are many paths that lead to God. but the important thing to know is that God exists. And in this, as in so many things, He will have his say. I have seen things while in a trance, and I know that the day will come when the murderer is caught."
The room was eerily silent.
The killer is here among us, in this room, Jagger thought.
He could feel it. Feel the truth as if it were a palpable thing. He wished that he could see who with the same certainty, but he knew the killer was there, smiling, nodding, speaking to his neighbors, watching.... Laughing.
And maybe feeling the slightest hint of trepidation after Granny Caldwell's words.
It was time to end the assembly, he decided, but before he could speak, that option was taken away from him.
"Where is the young lady who's the newest addition to vampire society?" Mateas Grenard asked.
Jagger was surprised when David Du Lac rose from his chair to reply. "Why, she is here, of course. I am grooming her for her new role in life."
"How can we be sure that she will understand and obey the laws of our community?" August Gaudin asked quietly.
"Would you like to ask her that yourself?"
"Of course," Mateas Grenard said smoothly.
David looked at Jagger, who shrugged.
Fiona was still standing. She smiled and walked over to David, who took her arm. They went out together.
"What about this witness at the strip club?" a shapeshifter who was also a reporter called out. "Is she reliable?"
"I'm going on instinct here, but I believe she is," Jagger said. "What concerns me is that no one has admitted seeing the man she described."
"I hate to say it, but in the interest of being open-minded and catching the killer, that suggests a shapeshifter to me," shapeshifting cop Michael Shrine said. "The problem is, a shapeshifter can be anything or anyone, then choose never to appear in that guise again."
Jennie looked as if she was about to object when a sudden hush fell over the room, for the first time that night making it feel like the consecrated church it had once been.
David and Fiona were back, escorting Abigail, and the three of them were walking down what had once been an aisle toward the podium. Jagger backed away, staring at Abigail.
She had undergone a complete transformation. Her long blond hair was now short and curly and red, her blue eyes were hazel, and she was dressed in the kind of suit a new MBA graduate would wear to look for a job in a bank. With heels, she appeared taller. The overall look was both cute--and oddly sophisticated, half gamine and half urban sophisticate.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce Annie Du Lac, my niece, who will now be living in New Orleans and working at the club," David said.
"Hello," Annie, nee Abigail, said to the crowd. Though she appeared to be a little bit overwhelmed, she had a beautiful smile, and despite the touch of sophistication, there was still something--naive and sweet about her.
Someone in the crowd suddenly stood.
Valentina.
"Annie, is it?" Valentina said. Jagger was surprised to realize that David Du Lac had been keeping his plan for Abigail a secret from everyone, even his hostess.
"Annie, how do we know that we can trust you? You'll be working with me. How do I know that you won't look at my throat--and decide you're hungry?"
"Oh, there's absolutely no fear of that," Annie said.
"David has been a wonderful teacher. I know how to find nourishment when I'm hungry."
"Right," Valentina snapped. "Because kids are always such models of self-control."
Fiona stepped up to the microphone. "David and I have complete faith in Annie. She will still need day-to-day help and guidance in negotiating our world, of course, and, Valentina, she'll be looking to you, especially, since you'll be working together. I have no fear whatsoever that Annie will be violent. On the contrary--I worry that her soft heart may be her undoing, if she sees her former friends mourning her death and feels tempted to reassure them."
"I have a question," Mateas Grenard said.
"Yes?" Fiona asked.
"Abigail--Annie, did Billy Harrington kill you?" he asked bluntly.
Annie stepped to the microphone. "No. He most certainly did not."
"How do you know that?" Valentina demanded. "Did you see your killer?"
"No, I didn't," Annie admitted.
"Then how do you know?" Jennie Mahoney demanded.
"Because I know Billy," Annie said. "I know in my heart." She put a hand on her chest. "And the heart is more than an organ. It's a part of the soul, and I have a soul, and I know Billy does, too."
"You can't know any such thing," Mateas said with a sniff.
Fiona took back the microphone. "I think we should leave the solution of these murders to the police and move on to the purpose of this meeting, which is that every one of us needs to work, and work hard, to keep the peace. My parents died for the peace we've enjoyed for so many years. Why do you think they did that? Because they believed. They knew in their hearts that peace could exist. And now it's up to all of you to keep the peace, and I know you'll do it. My sisters and I learned well from our parents. They taught us about strength, about wisdom and mercy and most of all, they taught us about acceptance. And no, I'm not talking about being blind or naive and just ignoring problems and differences. I'm talking about working together. About relying on instinct, the instinct that lets us distinguish between good and evil--even in one of our own--and believe love. Trust me. My sisters and I will keep the peace."
