A moment later, Rex appeared in the doorway to the room with the pond, drenched in sweat. The corporal looked dreadful. He was covered in dust, his blue tunic seemed faded and sweat-soaked, and when he took off his helmet, it turned out that his hair was plastered to his skull. On top of that, the guard looked utterly exhausted.
Bleist’s deputy walked wordlessly over to the other sofa and sat down heavily. For a moment he panted, staring at the gushing water, before finally abandoning all pretence and washing his face in the fountain.
‘We managed to find all three of them,’ he began as Darius handed him a jug of water. ‘They were terrified and immediately started confessing to everything.’ He added with a wry smile. ‘From snacking on rations to petty theft. I couldn’t believe you could say so much in a single breath.’ He shook his head.
‘And what interesting things did they say?’ Bleist returned to his seat and focused on his interlocutor.
‘I admit, Colonel, that at this point it’s not exactly a revelation, but they didn’t know our victim. What is interesting, however, is that they were persuaded to interact with Rocha by a certain soldier throwing gold coins about.’
‘I presume the description matches the one the victim was arguing with.’
‘Yes, it matches perfectly.’ Rex raised the jug to his lips and drank in silence for a long time. ‘With one small exception that Ethman and McKinnon might well have missed. All three testified that the soldier who ordered them to stage that scene was rather pale and had violet irises with almond-shaped pupils.’
‘A vampire.’ Darius tapped his fingers on the back of the chaise longue. ‘He should be easier to find if he’s still in the area.’
‘After a week? If he had any sense at all, he’d have vanished long ago.’
Bleist just sighed. What did I expect? he thought bitterly. A name and an address?
‘Did they say anything else?’
‘Unfortunately not,’ the corporal admitted resignedly. It was hard not to notice that he, too, was beginning
