Bentz muttered tautly, “Those bodies pulled from the river had only traces of blood in them. Traces. And the puncture wounds. No one’s reported finding any bloody crime scene without a body.”

“Except for our stripper, Karen Lee Williams aka Bodiluscious. There was blood there. And she went missing.” Montoya scratched at his goatee. “You think they’re connected?”

Bentz scowled. “Don’t know. There was blood there, yeah, but not six quarts. Not a whole body’s worth.”

“So, this fuckin’ vampire worshipper probably drank the rest. And then turned into a bat and flew off on bat wings to a vault somewhere and slept in a coffin while he digested his meal.” He reached into an inside pocket of his leather jacket and found a pack of cigarettes, the ones he saved, Bentz knew, for nights like this. His sarcasm couldn’t quite disguise the hint of uncertainty he felt. Neither of them knew what they were up against.

Bentz saw the exit for Baton Rouge and angled the Crown Vic toward the ramp. “All I know is my kid’s missing and there’s a whole lotta weird shit going on.” He thought of Kristi. Her smile. Her green eyes, so much like her mother’s. The way she loved to bait him, or play up to him and call him “Daddy” when she was trying to wheedle something from him. Inside he felt empty. How many times would he have to go through this? She was the light of his life, and he suddenly felt a jab of guilt for the happiness he’d found with Olivia. Had he ignored Kristi, his only child? Shit, he’d even blamed Jay McKnight for abandoning her when he’d really been pissed at himself.

“Don’t beat yourself up over this,” Montoya said, lighting up, the smell of smoke drifting through the car. “And don’t say you’re not. I see it in your face. I’ve been through this with you before. We’ll find her.”

Dead or alive.

The phrase cut through Bentz’s brain, but he didn’t repeat it. Couldn’t think that he’d never see his daughter alive again.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Mai demanded, her gun trained on Jay, who’d immediately dropped to the floor.

“I’m the boyfriend, remember? I think I should be asking you that question. I’m with the crime lab, for Christ’s sake.”

“FBI.”

“What?”

“You heard me. I’m a field agent with the FBI. I’ve been working undercover on the missing coed case ever since the second vic went missing.”

He looked up at her and saw the hardness in her small face. She was dead serious as she pulled out a badge. “Get up.” She motioned with the gun, then crossed to the door and pulled it shut.