My Vampire Harem Will Dominate Everything

He had summoned Connell quietly, not wanting to raise suspicion or cause unnecessary alarm among the other officers.

This conversation, if it went the way he expected, should solve the puzzle of the strange things that have been happening within the peacekeepers.

Connell might be a crooked cop but he found it hard to believe she would even hurt a fly. There was a reason she was stuck at the front desk.

The door to the office opened with a soft creak, and Officer Connell stepped inside, her usual composed demeanor slipping slightly as she saw the serious expression on Ezra\'s face.

Her hands fidgeted as she closed the door behind her, and her eyes darted around the room before finally settling on Ezra.

"Captain Matten." She greeted, saluting nervously. Her voice was even quieter than usual.

Ezra gestured to the chair across from him. "Take a seat, Connell."

She hesitated for a brief moment before walking over and sitting down.

Her hands were clenched tightly in her lap, and she looked at him expectantly. It was clear she was already on edge.

Even if she wanted to run away, she couldn\'t. Ever since the missing prisoner and body incident, the peacekeeper building was on full lockdown.

Olivia and Red were currently manning the black zone in the walls while Olivia was overseeing the checkpoints.

The only way out is through the front door and she\'d have to fight her way through the other peacekeepers.

Ezra didn\'t waste time. His voice was calm but firm as he spoke. "You\'re probably wondering why I called you in here."

Connell swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. "Am I in trouble, sir?"

Ezra regarded her for a moment before answering. He\'d play this by being honest.

"Yes, Officer Connell, you are. But I\'m not here to act on my suspicions just yet. Instead, I\'m giving you the benefit of the doubt."

Her eyes widened, fear flashing across her face. "I don\'t understand, Captain. What suspicions?"

Ezra leaned forward slightly. "Your finances don\'t add up. Large, unexplained withdrawals. Your movements after hours have also been suspicious. There are gaps in your time that no one can account for."

"You see how all this looks on our end." Ezra said in an understanding tone. "Now, I need you to explain what\'s going on."

Connell\'s hands trembled, and for a moment, she didn\'t speak.

Ezra could see the fear building in her, the panic rising as she struggled to find the right words.

When she finally spoke, her voice was shaky and desperate.

"I- I don\'t know." She stammered, her eyes wide. "I swear, Captain, I don\'t know what I\'m doing. I can\'t explain it because I don\'t remember."

Ezra made sure to keep his expression calm and nonjudgmental as he asked. "What do you mean you don\'t remember?"

Connell spoke like a broken dam, her words spilling out in a rush.

"There are times, hours, sometimes entire nights, where I just… lose time. I have no memory of where I\'ve been or what I\'ve done. I don\'t even know where the money\'s coming from. I just snap back to myself and it\'s there. It\'s like I\'m losing control of myself, and I don\'t know why."

Ezra leaned back, his eyes narrowing as he processed her confession.

He had expected some form of deceit or guilt, but this? He hadn\'t expected this.

From what he could read off her, she seemed genuinely terrified, caught in a situation she couldn\'t explain.

He\'ll play along and see where this leads. For now.

"These blackouts," he pressed, his voice softer and sympathetic, "how long have they been happening?"

Connell shook her head frantically. "I don\'t know exactly. A few months, maybe longer."

"It started small at first. Just little moments where I couldn\'t remember what I\'d been doing. But then it got worse. Entire days gone. I- I thought maybe it was stress, but then I realized…"

Her voice cracked, and she lowered her gaze, her fear easily seen to anyone looking.

"I realized I don\'t even know why I\'m here. I don\'t remember leaving my former coven to join the peacekeepers. It\'s like my life just shifted without me knowing, and I can\'t piece it together. I\'m scared, Captain. I\'m losing myself."

Ezra studied her carefully. He already knew Connell wasn\'t the one behind Hyde\'s murder or the missing vampires.

She had been here, working the front desk, during the time of the incident.

But if she was telling the truth, this was troubling.

Something was happening to her, something that might tie back to this whole mystery he was trying to solve.

"Have you told anyone else about this?" Ezra asked.

Connell slowly shook her head. "No. I thought… I thought if I told anyone, they\'d think I was crazy. And maybe I am."

She paused, her voice barely a whisper. "Captain, please… I need you to take me into custody. I don\'t know what\'s happening to me, but I don\'t want to hurt anyone. What if I break a law during my blackouts? I- I\'m afraid of what I might do next."

Ezra looked at her, seeing the raw vulnerability in her eyes.

Vampires were great actors and manipulators but his guy told him Connell wasn\'t lying.

He could feel the desperation in her voice, the fear of losing control. Whatever was happening to her, it wasn\'t something she was doing willingly.

After a moment of silence, Ezra stood and walked around the desk.

"Alright, Officer Connell," he said, his voice calm but authoritative. "You\'re right to be afraid, but you\'re not going crazy. We\'ll figure out what\'s going on. But for now, I\'ll place you in protective custody."

Whether she was lying or not, this was the best outcome he could\'ve asked for.

Connell nodded, her hands shaking as she stood. "Thank you, Captain."

Ezra gently guided her out of the office, leading her down the winding halls of the HQ to the prison cells.

When they reached the cells, he opened one of the doors and stepped aside.

Connell hesitated briefly, her eyes filled with sadness and fear, but she walked into the cell without resistance.

She looked back at Ezra, her voice trembling as she said, "Please, Captain… find out what\'s happening to me."

Ezra gave her a solemn nod as he closed the door behind her. "I will, Connell. You have my word."

As the door clicked shut, Ezra stood there for a long moment, staring at the steel bars.

There were two possibilities here. First, Connell was acting. That was unlikely.

Second, someone was manipulating her, controlling her in ways she couldn\'t understand.

Whatever was at play here, he knew that Connell\'s blackouts were definitely not a coincidence.