Viktor had appeared about five minutes after Mike but was left cooling his heels outside as the human crime scene investigators and homicide detectives completely took over the house.
When I got the call that he was here, I finally stood up and made my way down the steps. Mike and Mathew would have to handle the human aspect of all this, but the three of us knew it was more in the land of monsters than humans.
There would be no determined cause of death and the death of all these people would go into a closed case file, their families never knowing what happened. I think that was the worst part about this; that those who loved them would never get the closure they needed. But at the same time, I was not going to confess to anything so I couldn't sit too high on my horse. I was the reason they were dead after all.
I met Van Helsing just on the other side of the porch. It was hard to miss him and the 20 Knights that he had circled around my car. I wasn't too sure if it was by accident or if he was trying to make sure I didn't leave the crime scene, but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"You want to tell me what is going on?" He asked, looking down at me as he leaned against the hood of my car.
"I don't suppose that Monster Law has the Fifth Amendment?" I asked, half joking and half serious. The look he gave me made me realize that he did not apricate my sense of humor… that or there was no Fifth that I could plead.
"I went to your office today to let you know that I am officially taking over the duties of the Head of the House Gypsy. I figured that it would get you to tell the other Houses that the House of Gypsy and the House of Tesalor would be combined back into one, anyone wanting to stay in the House of Gypsy needed to formally register again through me and Gypsy blood needed to be proven."
Viktor nodded his head that he was following everything so far, so I continued. "I thought that I should talk to Jenny directly as she was the current Head but let her know that this was not a discussion."
"So how do you account for all the dead bodies?" He asked… apparently the man was full of questions today.
"In my defense, I never actually stepped foot in the house until I heard the screams," I replied, not lying at all.
"We are Monsters, Nadezda. Some of us don't even have to step foot into a house to cause death."
Well now, that statement made me interested. "There are monsters that don't need to be near the victims to kill them? Which ones?" I asked, genuinely curious about the answer.
The silence I got in response told me that I was pushing my luck.
"When I got inside, I saw a bunch of dead bodies. After entering the attic," I closed my eyes, not really wanting to see that scene again. "I discovered about ten individuals practicing dark magic. Or to be more specific, there were ten people trying to curse me to death using dark magic."
I wanted to laugh at the look on Viktor's face after I said that. Heck, even the Knights stiffened in response.
"Dark magic is not part of the Gypsy bloodline," he said, an almost growl coming out.
"Nope," I confirmed. "Not a single Gypsy died in that house today… even if they were all registered as Gypsies."
"Any idea what is going on?" He asked, his attention back to me. I shook my head slowly.
"The best I can guess is that Jenny, and whoever she allowed into her House, are not Gypsy, but thinks that being a Gypsy is nothing more than big hoops and the ability to lie through their teeth."
I tried not to be offended by the stereotypical image that most people have of a Gypsy. You know the one… the handkerchief tied on the head, the big skirts, and the fortune telling. Not a single Gypsy that I knew had the power to tell the future or read a palm. In fact, palm reading was thought to originate in Eurasia, not Romania. But I digress.
"Yeah, so, I am thinking that everyone who was practicing dark magic in that house is dead. Does this mean that you won't have to investigate it?" I asked, the hope apparent in my voice. If he investigated what was going on in the house, he might find out how I was able to kill that many people at the same time. I really, really didn't want him to do that.
Hell, I didn't even know how I managed to do it. But I do know that there is no more taint in the House of Gypsies… and dark magic would have left a rotten thread on anyone that practiced it.
"Sorry, but that is not how it works. If there is dark magic in that House then it needs to be completely eradicated," said Viktor, signaling to his men to fan out. The humans might have the inside, but he would look around the property first until they left.
I nodded my head in understanding. "Don't worry about the house itself, I am not going to bother keeping it. I don't suppose you have a good real estate agent handy. I'm in need of a new house, and probably a new condo as well."
"You can afford all that on a police officer's salary?" He asked, the sarcasm apparent in his voice.
"Not a chance. But after today I will no longer be a police officer. And as Head of the House Gypsy, I can more than afford a few properties."
Viktor nodded in approval and reached into his pocket. "Sasha said that you were declaring yourself as Head of the House. He also suggested that you might be looking for a place," he said as he handed me a real estate agent's card. "She is from the House Monstru, so she tends to be able to find places that cater to our… uniqueness."
I laughed at that term. 'Uniqueness'. Yup, I definitely needed some help catering to my… 'uniqueness'.