Demon King Series Books II & III

Chapter 22

Earlier that Day

"What exactly are we missing?" Special Agent Sally Roux asked aloud. It was a rhetorical question but her partner, Donald Ferguson, still answered.

"Maybe it has something to do with the vials of blood you're getting from the killer each time he kills a victim."

Sally sighed, "Maybe, but what do you think it means?"

"Well...what do you normally associate with blood?" Donald asked.

Sally tapped her fingers on the desk she was sitting at, "Blood means death."

"Your answer says a lot about you Roux," Donald chuckled.

Sally pressed her forehead against the cool metal desk in front of her and muttered, "What else could it mean?"
Donald shook his head as he looked at his partner. To everyone else, she appeared to be this calm and collected FBI Agent but in front of him, she had no qualms about showing her frustrations. He never gave her a hard time about it and Donald thought it had helped their partnership.

"Well when I think of blood...I think of family," Donald answered.

Sally didn't bother to look up, "You're a sick man Ferguson."

"I'm serious. Haven't you ever heard the saying that blood is thicker than water? It's about family. Blood bonds. Blood relations? Blood means family."

Sally lifted her head to rest it in her palm, "You know...maybe you're right. Maybe he's a blood relation to the demon king."

"Chad Harris?"

"No," Sally pulled out a file, "Chad Harris was just a patsy. I still think there's a mastermind behind everything. The question is...who is it?"

Donald sat across from his partner, "Why do you think that Chad was just a patsy?"

"Because what did he have to gain from it?"

"I'm not following," Donald confessed.

"Chad Harris was friends with Christopher McDaniels who is supposedly dead."

Donald nodded, "Okay. Go on."

"Even if he was friends with Christopher...is that a good enough reason to try and kill a bunch of women to frame Christopher's brothers Tom and David?"

Donald mulled this over, "Well maybe Christopher held a grudge because he was sent off to live with his uncle Roger Fleming while Tom stayed with their parents. Roger Fleming was abusive towards Christopher. Vincent McDaniels admits to spending time with David Wilson more than he did with Christopher. Maybe it really was just a grudge."

"That's very possible but it still doesn't explain why Chad would go to such lengths for a dead man. He got plastic surgery to look like David Wilson and became a serial killer. Why do that for someone that's already dead?"

"But you said Christopher is still alive," Donald interjected.

"Might still be alive," Sally corrected. "But I have no proof. It would just make more sense if he was."

"Then how would Vincent McDaniels fit into all of this?" Donald asked. "You've been saying Vincent was our guy since forever ago. Are you changing your mind?"

Sally leaned back in her chair, "Not at all. Vincent is our guy. Or at least he was. I think we're dealing with someone new."

"Sally, cut the crap and tell me what you're thinking," Donald fumed.

"It's going to sound crazy," Sally warned him.

"It already does," Donald responded dryly.

"I think that Christopher McDaniels is still alive and asked Chad Harris to help his father Vincent McDaniels. From the adult male sites we saw before, we know Chad was gay. Maybe he and Christopher were lovers or maybe he was in love with Christopher like a one-sided kind of thing. It would explain why Chad would risk his life for Christopher."