Case 20: Entry 2

Well I went to check out the supernatural paraphernalia and it was...lame. As far as I can tell it was some kind of Mexican folk magic, except that it was pretty amateur. Mind you, most folk magic is pretty amateur by definition. But one thing I can be sure of is that the prosecution is going to be very angry at me. Everything I saw suggests that he was trying to use protective magic. Of course, that doesn't actually prove he's innocent. It could be he's insane and he believes that an evil spirit is forcing him to kill people. Although I don't think this is the right stuff for warding off spirits.

I'll finish this entry later today after I've finished the hardest part of any job: talking to other people.

* * * * *

I started by seeing my contacts on the force. Actually, all but one of them are more Agency contacts than my contacts. They're the ones who have run into the supernatural on the job at some point or other and as a result have developed a special relationship with the agents who occasionally come specifically to deal with those problems. One of them actually has one of those cylindrical cameras you use to scan documents (I should ask him where he got that) and he makes a point of having his own backups for any data on weird crimes, especially murders. 

Anyway, most of the victims have died of blood loss. Some were cut with a knife, while others appear to have been mauled. Most of the victims appear to have been killed in the same place their body was found, usually someplace quiet and isolated. The locations are scattered across the greater Sacramento area, suggesting that this isn't the work of a ghost or any other creature bound to a particular place. As far as the police can tell, the only thing the victims have in common is that they were all unfortunate enough to catch the killer's attention. Additionally, workers at various homeless shelters have reported missing homeless people, although by definition there's never any place the police can go to check on them. Oh, and many of the victims were grabbed in the middle of some routine or other such as a nightly run, suggesting that the murderer studied them before making his or her move. 

After that I met with the suspect, Esteban Ramirez, and found that he had come to the same conclusion I had. He believed that the killer was a vampire, and he set out to track it down using the stories his aunt (supposedly he's part of a withered offshoot of a long line of monster hunters) told him. He used some techniques based in folk magic, and at some point it seems he did well enough for the vampire to notice. The thing toyed with him and led him on just enough for him to be seen around the crime scenes before the police got there. It's possible he really is the killer and he's just lying to me, but I doubt it. Esteban works full time at a local supermarket. He doesn't exactly have the leisure or resources to be a really effective serial killer.

Next, I called up the Agency. Cases like this are basically the whole reason they exist, but I still wasn't too surprised when the Director told me that he can't spare anyone. The Progenitor is dead, but it still left behind a huge mess of nasties back east for them to deal with. Not to mention that there's also an abundance of cases just like mine on the waiting list. Given that I did a lot of the work analyzing those cases, I kind of knew that answer was coming. Still, I was hoping I could get help sometimes sooner than a week or two, which is how long the Director said I should expect it to take if everything went perfectly. At least he said he might be able to send some cleaners in a few days to get Esteban off the hook. He advised me not to take on the vampire myself.

I might even take that advice except for one thing. See, apparently one of the victims...I'm actually having a hard time writing this. Well, one of the victims was an old client of mine named Lucia Alvarez. My clients from my first eight cases were all below the poverty line, and most of them were Latino. I still go to the neighborhoods at least once a month for some routine checks and whatnot. Well, actually it's been a few months since something hasn't come up at the same time. Still, I should have known she was dead. I'm sure the media skimmed over her on account of the fact that she isn't some upper class cheer leader. 

I called up Lucia's family and some of my other old clients. I made sure they knew to stay inside after dark, not to invite anyone into their home whom they don't know, and to keep crucifixes on at all times. I also invited her brother to stay at my house. I'll be out and about for the most part until this is done, so I want him here to make sure anyone who needs sanctuary gets it. That's another part of the new safety protocol. My house is in the middle of downtown Sac, so I told everyone to put out word that anyone in my neighborhood who thinks they're being followed can head there for sanctuary. I'd be worried, but I have a reputation for helping people. Also, I have a reputation for being able to hex people. Plus my home is a supernatural fortress, so if the vampire tries to play the victim it'll find that getting in is easy part. Seriously, there are wards and circles every five feet, and every room is a potential panic room.

I'm not some huntsman or knight, but I have a few tricks. And, more importantly, I have connections. 

I am going to kill this leech.