ust have a deeper meaning . Sydney said when she arrived, Damien was holding the bloody sword , and the victim was already dead on the table. She claims she feared f o r her life and ran out of the cave , and the other three teens followed her. She believes they were going to kill her. ”
Maddie shook her head slowly, staring at me for a prolonged moment.
“Oh my gosh, Fiona. Well, case solved, right?”
I shrugged.
“Due diligence . Everybody is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. We still have to pr ocess evidence, analyze the data, and discuss the case. Plus, Damien is adamant he was at home that night, and Victoria is claiming she was home. They deny being in the cave, so that’s where our cave samples might come into play. We have got to place them in the cave that night. ”
Maddie’s expression was thought-ridden yet morose.
“Is there anything else?”
I examined the report for a few moments.
“Damien Lee . Leader of the House of the Nightmare Army , ” I flinched as I spoke the words. “It seems the House is a section of the larger group, Order of the Black Moon. He says the House of the Nightmare Army recently downsized when three brothers, who were all members, were sent away to a military boot camp by their parents. This group must be trouble. ”
She shrunk into her seat , cocking her head to the side in repulsion.
“ Is the House of the Nightmare Army the name of the cult or something?”
“I guess, I don’t really understand it , but it might explain where the NA comes from . We spoke about him before —Damien’s a senior, large guy, over six feet tall, bulky , and very pale . H is head ’s shaved on one side.”
“ Yep, the natural blonde — he dyes it jet black ,” she added .
“ He has tattoos across his knuckles that read LIFE SUXX. He lives with his grandmother in a trailer by Silver Springs Marina , and s he has an advanced case of Alzheimer’s disease .”
“You know what, Fiona. That guy always has an Addams Family lunch box with him. I wonder what’s in there. ”
“Funny you mention that . It says here he had it with him when he was picked up , as well as a backpack. The backpack had school folders, pens, pencils. The lunch box contained a small black book containing guidelines for vampires, a black candle and some unmarked vials of oil. No prior arrest record and never been in trouble at school.”
A minute of silence passed while I glanced over the rest of the email.
“ Hi s GPA is 1.9. He’s either rebellious or not very smart. He stated he joined the vampire cult at the age of thirteen . He is dating another cult member, Victoria Newsted.”
Maddie nodded her head in sarcasm .
“Figures. Who else is he going to date? He’s n ot exactly somebody to bring home to meet the parents . ”
I shrugged a shoulder; I suppose I agreed.
“And they’ve already made a match with the latent and patent fingerprints on the sword. There were multiple prints belonging to each cult member including Victoria, Camber, Damien and even Sydney. Also, there are prints belonging to Emily Vance and an unknown individual. There was one patent print belonging to Damien Lee.”
“A bloody print ? ” Maddie inquired.
“Yes, and the r est of the prints were latent.”
“How is there a bloody print of Damien Lee’ s if he claims he wasn’t a t the cave ? ”
“Good question.”
St udents exited in increasing numbers , I checked the cafeteria’s clock—almost time for the bell . I scanned the email at a faster pace .
“Oh, wait; it seems Camber Johnson didn’t have a long stay in jail. Her parents posted bond within thirty minutes of her arrival. She c laims to have been at home and not in the cave that night . Her house is huge; her p arents claim she was home and in her bed room , although they admit to never seeing her . ”
“Figures. She ’s the only one with money in th e group. Of course, her parents popped her out of jail immediately .