Charlie Swan: Vampire Hunter

3. Forgery

 A few days later I was no closer to tracking the killer but I was closer to getting fired. Instead of worrying about that I opened the electronic folder I had had emailed directly to my personal address. Inside was everything I wanted and needed to know...

About Edward Cullen.

This wasn't on the up and up as technically I didn't have a warrant to seize his school files and Doctor Cullen hadn't given permission because, well, I didn't ask. But would any father blame me for the egregious violation of privacy I was about to commit? I mean, he was dating my daughter for Christ's sake.

Still my guts turned as I eyed the file. Opening the file, I threw away doubts.

...And there was nothing. He had decent attendance and perfect grades. There was no extracurricular activities or anything extraordinary like that but there was no skipping, or suspensions either. It was nothing more than a common public school record courtesy of the state of Alaska. I was relieved, but not quite happy.

Edward Masen Cullen. Born June twentieth in the state of Illinois. Straight 'A' student. Graduated seven years ago—what?

Someone at the school had photocopied a picture of a High School diploma and attached it along with his records. There was Edward, in a candid picture likely snapped for the yearbook. He looked startled, his eyes dulled by the colorless photo and his pale skin just barely over-exposed.

Was this a mistake?

I got on the phone and called the school in Alaska. "Do you remember an Edward Cullen?" I asked of a woman in the school's administration.

"Oh yes. Good kid. Never caused trouble. Had a stellar record too. Got a couple scholarships to college."

"Scholarships? When was this?"

"About eight or ten years ago."

"Eight years?"

"Stayed in town for awhile after graduation then the whole family just picked up and moved on a couple years ago. Haven't had a doctor quite as good as Doctor Cullen since."

"You said he was only at your high school for a couple of years. Can you give me the information of the school he attended before yours?"

"Sure can."

She sent me the transcripts and I poured over them. I called the high school he went to before that and they gave the same story. Edward Masen Cullen. Straight A student. Never any problems. "When did he graduate?"

"Oh...over fifteen years ago."...Holy shit.

Instead I tried a new tactic. I called the junior high school he had allegedly gone to. When I requested information about Edward Cullen, the woman in the administrative office claimed that there were no records of an Edward Cullen ever attending the school.

Forgery? Why?

What if...what if this was connected to the murders somehow? It seemed implausible but then none of this made sense. What if Edward—or one of the other Cullens was the serial killer? The more I dug the more it looked like their family was nothing but a lie.

I sent requests for the College degrees of everyone in their creepy family; Edward, the weird one, the bitch, the big one, and the ugly one—hell even doctor and Mrs. Cullen. I wanted to know everything about this family.

In the meantime I needed to find out where this forgery came from and why the Cullens needed it in the first place. That wouldn't be an easy task.

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"You looking for a birth certificate and passport?"