Sebastian Hildegard had built the place with materials brought over from the Bavarian section of Germany and had filled it with antiques from the same region. It looked like a truly Gothic version of one of Mad King Ludwigs fairy-tale castles.
As Brodie maneuvered the car toward the drive, his phone rang. Rhiannon, he told Mark briefly, pulling over to take the call. He frowned as he listened, occasionally asking cryptic questions. Really?...Is that possible?...What does it mean?
When he hung up, he was silent.
Well? Mark demanded.
Its Alessande.
Is she all right? Mark asked, wondering why his heart had started pounding so suddenly when he found her to be such a nuisance.
Shes fine. Sheshe changed.
Changed clothes? Changed religions? Political parties? What do you mean, she changed?
Brodie turned to stare at him. Apparently she was talking to Merlin and became very upset. When she did, she suddenly grew a foot taller and looked like an angry giantMerlins words, according to Rhiannon. Anyway, they discovered a birthmark on her foot.
What? Mark demanded. Keepers were born with birthmarks. The woman is Elven. Ive never seen anyone who looks so Elven in my whole life.
Brodie nodded. I know, but...shes mixed.
She cant be, Mark argued. It was forbidden until this generation. The Others barely got along with each breed, which is surely why the Ultimate PowerGod, if you wantcreated Keepers. We Others can be nasty bloodthirsty monsters when were not kept in check.
So can human beings, Brodie reminded him. Anyway, Alessande never knew her real father, because he died when she was a baby. Her mother remarried, and then her mother and her stepfather died
I know that. And Im sure thats why she feels so responsible for Regina, Mark said.
The point is, she didnt know her father. And the evidence says he must have been a shifter Keeper.
Mark mulled that over. She wont know what shes doing, he said quietly. This could mean even more trouble for her.
A Keepers job is trouble, Brodie reminded him.
But shes not a Keeperyet. Not really. A Keeper is assigned to a certain area. Rhiannon is the Keeper of
The canyon, yes, Brodie finished for him. But there are all kinds of areas around L.A. where she might belong. Or maybe shes meant to be somewhere else altogether. Only time will tell.
This isnt good; it isnt good at all, Mark thought. The woman is already headstrong and...
Lets get through this, then well head back to the House of the Rising Sun, Brodie said.
He pulled the car into the Hildegard drive and announced the two of them into the guardhouse speaker. A moment later the giant iron gates swung open. They navigated the long drive and parked in front of the house.
Mark stared up at the facade. It was a fitting home for a line of illusionistsand shapeshifters. It was like Cinderellas castle gone over to the dark side. Giant gargoyles sat guard above the porch and window ledges.
The day itself seemed to darken as they rang the bell.
A butler admitted them.
Human, Mark thought.
They were led down a dark hallway with ancient chandeliers and stands with armor from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries. A doorway led to the study where Alan Hildegard was waiting to speak with them.
Mark stared up at the facade. It was a fitting home for a line of illusionistsand shapeshifters. It was like Cinderellas castle gone over to the dark side. Giant gargoyles sat guard above the porch and window ledges.
The day itself seemed to darken as they rang the bell.
A butler admitted them.
Human, Mark thought.
They were led down a dark hallway with ancient chandeliers and stands with armor from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries. A doorway led to the study where Alan Hildegard was waiting to speak with them.
He seemed to be a surprisingly small man, but then Brodie was Elven and six foot four, and Mark, though a vampire, was his equal in height.
Mark had known the Hildegard name most of his life. His mother had been a working character actress, and she still emerged from her Arizona retirement now and then to play someones mother or grandmother. Hed grown up hearing about the famous inhabitants of L.A.
He knew all the legends about old Sebastian Hildegard. Hed just never had occasion to be at the Hildegard estate or meet the current generation.
Alan Hildegard did not fit the house, and not only because he was slight. He was in a navy blue suit that made him look like a stockbroker. He was about five foot eleven and had sandy hair. While his clothing gave him the appearance of a businessman, his casual haircut and deep tan made him look like a surf bum gone Wall Street.
Shapeshifter, most likely, Mark presumed, given the Hildegard lineage.
Good to see youIve been waiting for L.A.s finest, he told them, offering his hand to each man in turn.
Yes, thank you for seeing us, Mark told him. Im Detective Mark Valiente, and this is Detective Brodie McKay.
Can I get you gentlemen something? I realize youre on duty, so...coffee? Water? A soda?
I could definitely go for coffee, Brodie said.
Sure. Have a seat. Ill call Jimmy, and hell take care of us, Hildegard told them.
He indicated a group of chairs arranged on three sides of a lion-legged coffee table that faced a giant tiled and marble hearth. They sat while Hildegard moved to a phone on a side table and spoke with Jimmy.
Then, flipping the tails of his jacket, Hildegard joined them.
I understand that a group of...thugs has been using my family tomb for some brand of cult nonsense, he said, irritated. And that you two broke them up and got them the hell out of theresomething for which Im eternally grateful. I cant believe that the family sold off the cemeterybefore my time, I assure you. Its disgraceful.
We caught a number of peoplebut, sad to say, none of them were the ringleaders, Mark said. They claimed there wasnt going to be a sacrifice, that
I dont care! Charge them with trespassing. With desecrating a grave, Hildegard said impatiently. I want them jailed. We may not own the cemetery any longer, but we have a contract that guarantees perpetual care of the family vault.
Mr. Hildegard Mark began.
Vampire, right? Hildegard demanded suddenly.
Yes.
And Elven? he asked, turning to Brodie.
Yes, Brodie told him.
At least this time I dont have to mess with idiot human beings who have no idea what theyre up against with some of thesecreatures!
A werewolf runs our robbery homicide division, Brodie told him.
Yeah, I talked to him today. I was impressed, Hildegard said.
All right, well, we dont mean to be offensive in any way, Mark said, but, you understand, we have to ask you some questions.
Me? Hildegard didnt appear to be offended, just surprised. I certainly wasnt there when my familys vault was being so shamefully used.
I understand that, Mark said. But its become clear that someone out there is making use of your great-grandfathers legend. Theyve put together some kind of cross-species blood cultthere were human beings, shapeshifters, vampires... Were not sure just how many Other races were involved.
They worship Sebastian Hildegards memory and are convinced they can raise him from the grave to be some kind of god, Brodie said.
Trust me, Hildegard said, and he grinned, Im not behind any faction that wants to make a god out of my great-grandfather. I like being the head of the family.
You are in the magic business, arent you? Brodie asked.
Hildegard laughed at that. Noor rather, only in the typical Hollywood sense. Im a producer. I put together packages for that new cable channelHorrific. Theyve just started airing original movies, although were still pulling cheapies from the studio vaults, mostly. He gave them a wry look that made his opinion of those cheapies quite clear. Next originalSlasher and the Sleaze. Thing is, you can make those pictures ridiculously cheaply, and they sell like hotcakes on DVD all around the world.
So, these movies youre producing, Brodie said, are you using the old family studio at all?
Alan Hildegards features tightened as if hed just been attacked by a sudden jolt of extreme indigestion.
As you know, the fate of the studio is still in dispute, he said angrily. Its the land I want. Nothing on those old soundstages is worth two cents. The equipment is older than Moses. No, Horrific has brand-new, state-of-the-art soundstages in Universal City. And I dont really like hanging around the studio all day anyway. Im a moneyman. I invest my own funds in prime projects and raise more as neededand I confess I like wielding power. I love having the right and the ability to fire idiots at will. He glanced at Brodie and half smiled, tilting his head at a curious angle. Thats where Ive seen you beforeyou were an actor! I saw you on stage in
Brodie shook his head firmly. I was undercover at the time. Im not an actor. Im a cop. I like being a cop. Im good at it. Its what I was born to be.
Then you understand how I feel, Hildegard said. When youre born a Hildegard, everyone thinks you have to be a magician. Well, Im not. So, back to the vault. Just why were you there, if you dont mind my asking?
The department received an anonymous tip, Mark said, and we went in to investigate. We discovered a young woman, who we later found out had been kidnapped, being held captive and apparently unconscious on top of your great-grandfathers sarcophagus. We believe that the head priest or whatever he calls himself was going to sacrifice her in the mistaken belief that her death could bring Sebastian back to life.
Thank God you saved her, Hildegard said.
Mr. Hildegard, Brodie said, leaning forward. Two women mysteriously disappeared in what we believe was the vicinity of your old family studio and later showed up dead. Another woman is missing in similar circumstances. If you can think of anyone who might believe they can bring your great-grandfather back to life or is simply fixated on him in some way, were on a desperate hunt to find the missing girl before she, too, winds up dead.
Hildegard looked confused. This is L.A. County. Its sad, but women come here all the time, drawn by the desire for fame. And even sadder, some of them die. We do have crimedespite your best efforts.