Jay felt so drawn to her. He had to find out who she was, he was determined to meet her. Without saying a word to anyone, he pulled away from Amberlee’s possessive grasp, and walked straight over to Lia. The tension grew in the room, as everyone watched Jay Patterson leave his date and walk up to the elegant young beauty, that no one had ever seen in Portland before. Some giggled at the humiliated expression on Amberlee’s face , but their attention to that was briefly held , because they wanted to see what would happen between Jay and the new girl. Everyone thought that they must know each other, by the way he was strolling towards her, and the expectant look on her face. She was standing as still as a statue, as if she had been waiting for him all her life. The DJ had momentarily stopped playing music, he was just as curious as everyone else. Then Jay found himself standing in front of her and looking deeply into her big green eyes.
They stared at each other for a full minute, neither one wanting to ruin the moment. Then Jay said a quiet ‘hello’ and saw the smile play once again on her lips. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her. To feel her red lips pressed against his mouth in the passionate embrace that he was longing for.
“Okay you two, we get it, and just for you I’m gonna play an old song from the seventies, by a brother called Al Green. ‘Let’s stay together.”
The DJ put on the seventies soul classic, and Jay took Lia in his arms. He didn’t even flinch from the cold as held her close, but no words were spoken between them, as he danced with her until the end of the song.
By this time Amberlee had stormed off to the restroom.
“You’d better go after her” said Kevin. Who had been standing next to Amberlee with Libby However he was still asking himself ‘what just happened?’ He had never seen his buddy like this before, sure the girl was hot, man she was on fire, but it was like he was in a trance or something.
Libby nodded and followed her friend to the restroom. She was still stunned about how the usual super cool Jay Patterson, had melted to mush in front of the whole college. It was awesome. She couldn’t wait to tell Tori and Judi about it, they had not been able to attend the dance. Tori had been grounded for drinking half a bottle of her parent’s wine, and Judi had not been able to scare up a date.
She opened the door of the restroom and went in. She looked around, calling Amberlee by name but there was no answer. It became clear to her that the room was empty, they were all in the hall, enjoying the show, care of Jay Patterson and his smoking hot new friend.
Amberlee Robinson, however was gone.
Chapter Five
“Amberlee it time to get up, your breakfast is on the table” called her Mother tersely. When there was no reply she sent Joey to wake his sister. He came back and told her that Amberlee is not there, and when she went into her bedroom to investigate, she saw that her daughter’s bed had not been slept in.
It was still quite early, eight forty five in the morning to be precise when the telephone rang in the Peterson household. Candice, Libby’s mother, who had been up and about doing chores for the last hour, answered it. She was very surprised when she found that it was Alexis Robinson on the line. She sounded a lot different from her usual self-satisfied self, she sounded worried.
“Oh hi Corrine isn’t it?” Alexis felt that she was above remembering the names of the parents of her daughter’s friends..
“No, it’s Candice, what can I do for you Alexis?” replied Candice Peterson irritably.
“Is Amberlee with Libby? Only she didn’t come home last night.
‘She probably spent the night in some boy’s bed knowing her’ thought Candice uncharitably. She was glad that Libby was a sensible girl, and would not allow herself to be led astray by the likes of Amberlee Robinson.
“I don’t think she’s with Lib, I’ll have a look, hold on a moment.”
Candice went to the bottom of the carpeted staircase.
“Libby is Amberlee up there with you?” she called to her daughter. Libby appeared at the top of the stairs, still wearing her pyjamas.
“Who is it Mom?” she asked, feeling a rising tension.
“Alexis, Amberlee’s mom.”
“I’d better take it” says Libby, and she rushed down the stairs and took the phone from her mother.
“Hello, Mrs Robinson?” It’s me Libby. Amberlee left before us last night. We figured that she’d taken a taxi home.”
“Why did she leave without you?”
“I don’t know really, she did say something about being bored” lied Libby, to get herself off the hook.
“Oh, okay, thanks Libby I’m sure she’ll turn up.”
“Will you ask her to call me as soon as she does please?”
“Of course, yes I’ll do that.” Alexis Robinson replaced the receiver, she went into the kitchen and poured herself a strong, black coffee.
‘You are going to have some explaining to do young lady!’ she thought as she tried to assure herself that Amberlee would be back within the hour, but Alexis was worried, very worried.
****************************************
Last night Libby had hurried back to Kevin and told him that Amberlee had disappeared. Kevin had shrugged, he assumed that she must have gone home. She certainly didn’t seem like the type of girl who would take being publically dumped on the chin. There was no way that she was going to stay and watch. He was glad that she had decided to go, there had been enough drama for one night. Kevin had pointed to Jay and Lia, still in each other’s arms on the dance floor. They were swaying from side to side, and gazing into each other’s eyes. Kevin and Libby had watched as Jay bent his head towards the beautiful girl, that he’d just met that very same evening.. Their lips had met in an explosive passionate kiss, that had seemed to go on forever.
“OMG, get a room already” exclaimed Libby as she watched the young love blossom.
“I think it’s safe to say that we just lost our ride home” said Kevin, and he had taken her by the hand. At that point they left the dance after picking up their coats, and went home in a shared taxi.
“Where do you live Lia?” Jay had led her away to a quiet corner, away from prying eyes.
“I’m renting a house in Westport” said Lia, her voice sounded so sweet to her own ears. She felt so happy, she thought that she would burst. Being so close to Jay was everything that she had imagined it would be, and more. Lia was however, keeping her strong, vampire inclinations under iron grip control. There would be a time and a place....
“Westport?” Jay was impressed. “That’s about an hour from here isn’t it? I’ll give you a ride home but I have to find my friends because....”
“Your friends have already left Jay.”
Jay had looked a little concerned. He had been so engrossed in Lia that he had forgotten all about them. He felt that he had abandoned them, Kevin would be cool, but Amberlee would be furious with him. Jay had known that Amberlee had wanted them to become an item. The thought had horrified him. However he had intended to let her down gently, at the end of the evening. He had not been relishing the thought of how he would have to fight off her amorous advances. She had made it perfectly clear to him, during the time they had been together, that she was his for the taking. She had been so eager, that he had started to think that she believed his standoffishness was some form of disguised encouragement. He too was glad that she had left. Kevin was a good guy. He would see that both of the girls got home safely.
“C’mon we’re out of here” he said to Lia, “I’ll take you home.”
He was driving his mother’s car and he felt good about that, because this girl looked like she was used to travelling in style.
****************************************
Two days later Cora Patterson was still alone in the house. Jay had called to say that he was staying with a friend in Westport of all places. He still had her car but she didn’t mind, she wasn’t going back into work for a few days, and she knew that he would look after it. It wasn’t unusual for Jay to
stay out so she wasn’t concerned, he had done it many times before with Kevin. That’s who she assumed that Jay was with now, and she so switched on the television to hear the morning news.
The familiar, longstanding newsreader confronted her with a very serious look on his face, and some news about a disturbing turn of events.
“Good morning. A teenage girl has been missing for over twenty four hours after leaving the Claremont college dance, to celebrate the anniversary of its opening sixty years ago. The girl Amberlee Robinson has not been seen since she left the college on last Friday evening. The police are questioning all the students who attended the dance, and are treating this disappearance as suspicious.
Cora felt the blood drain from her face, as she grabbed the phone and tapped in the numbers of Jay’s cell. He had switched his phone off, which only added to her frustration. She wondered if he was in Westport with Amberlee, and although she did not approve of the girl she hoped that this was the case. Portland had not yet recovered from Elena Hudson’ tragic death. Suddenly the doorbell rang and she rushed to open the door, thinking it was her son, and he had mislaid his key. There had to be a perfectly good explanation for Amberlee’s disappearance. Cora was sure that there was no real need for alarm. She opened the front door.
“Good morning ma’am, we have some questions to ask your son, Jay Patterson, regarding the disappearance of Amberlee Robinson.”
****************************************
It was six o’ clock on Sunday evening. Jay switched on his cell and called his Mother, to tell her that he was on his way home. He had been in Lia’s rented Westport house the whole time. They had talked into the early hours of the morning, and sat on the leather sofa, holding hands and exploring each other’s faces, with their eyes and their lips. Jay had never minded the cold, and his concern for her welfare was misplaced but touching. He gallantly offered her his fleece coat, and said that he could turn the central heating on. Both of which she refused. There was a coffee machine in the kitchen, and the real estate woman had provided coffee powder as a welcome gift for her client. Jay had made them both a cup of coffee each, which Lia pretended to drink for appearances sake. This was too early a time to reveal who and what she really was. Nevertheless she had surprised herself by her intention to one day let him know the truth. She was however, honest with him when he asked her for her full name. He had inquired if she had Russian origins, when she said that her name was Lia, Henrietta Beauchamp-Malenkov. She told him that he father was Russian and her mother was English, and that they had met in Maine about two years before she was born. She did not go into detail, or give him specific dates and times because she could not. However she told him that her parents and sister had gone to the United Kingdom to visit her mother’s relatives, and take a six month vacation. As Jay fell asleep in her arms, he told her that he was glad that she had decided not to go with them.
Lia and Jay had spent their time together walking around the nearby woodland, at the rear of the house. They had stood by the river, comfortable with each other’s silence, and watched the boats sail while listening to sweet birdsong. Jay had driven her to the shops, and brought some bread and some eggs and milk. When he asked Lia why she didn’t have any food in the house she had lied, and told him that she had just moved in on Friday, and had not yet got herself settled. He accepted her excuse without further question, and cooked them both scrambled eggs and toast. The diet of human beings held no appeal at all for vampires. So when Jay was momentarily distracted, she had grabbed the food from her plate and thrown it away.
Jay had not thought about Amberlee, and had no idea that she was missing. He couldn’t have been more unprepared when his mother answered his call.
“Jay, where the hell are you? The police are looking for you everywhere!”
“What, what are you talking about, why, why are they looking for me?”
“Amberlee Robinson has gone missing, the police want to ask you some questions.”
Jay felt that the already cold temperature of the room had suddenly dropped another hundred degrees. He immediately thought about Elena Hudson, and how he had been with her also, on the night of her disappearance.
“Jay are you still there?”
“Yes Mom I’m still here.”
“Is Amberlee with you Jay? Tell me she is with you please” begged Cora, she didn’t want this to be the beginning of another nightmare.
“Mom she’s not here, she’s not with me. I met someone else at the dance and Amberlee must have left. I don’t know where she is.”
“What? Oh son, you mean you dumped her, at the dance and you didn’t see that she got home safely?”
“Yeah I know Mom, you don’t have to tell me, I did the wrong thing, but I didn’t know she was going to go off on her own.”
“Jay you know the type of girl she is for God’s sake! Don’t you remember how she behaved towards that nice boy Tom Harrison when he wouldn't have anything to do with her?”
Jay had forgotten all about that.
“I’ll be home as soon as I can Mom, it should take me just over an hour” and then he hung up.
‘So, the vulgar looking girl has gone missing’ thought Lia, after Jay had filled her in and made a sudden exit. She had been with Jay in the dance hall, so if the girl is dead it can’t be blamed on another ‘wolf’ killing. Jay couldn’t be held responsible either, he had been with her at the dance, in front of witnesses. Lia decided that there was nothing to be concerned about.
She changed back into her nineteenth century dress, and went back through the portal to her own time frame. Jay was going to be busy for the next few days, so she decided to take this opportunity to go and see her family. She went into her house and saw, once again that nothing had changed. The oak cased grandfather clock still displayed the time twelve o’clock. Lia went into the drawing room and sat on the window seat and waited. About two hours later her family returned.
****************************************
“My Mom said that you came round to our house looking for me?”
“Yes, we want to ask you a few questions Jay, about Amberlee Robinson.”
He had gone straight to the police station on his arrival back in Portland. He was desperate to clear things up, before they really got out of hand. Jay hoped that they didn’t think that he had directly had something to do with Amberlee’s disappearance, but paranoia was beginning to take hold of him. He knew that the cops had a habit of putting two and two together, and coming up with ten. He imagined that the angle that they would take, it would be that he was also with Elena Hudson, on the night that she had disappeared. This would be deemed as too much of a coincidence for them. If Amberlee’s body turns up there would be no forensic evidence to link him with the homicide, but a mean prosecution could say that he had an accomplice for both murders. He sat down in interview room one, trying not to look too nervous, but feeling a sense of impending doom. He had called his mother when he’d stopped at a gas station on his way back to Portland. She had offered to go with him to see the police, but he had persuaded her to stay at home and wait for him there. After about five minutes two police officers, a man and a slightly younger woman, had come to question him.
“Okay, what do you want to know?” said Jay, after they informed him that his statement was being recorded.
“We are investigating the disappearance of Amberlee Robinson. Her Mother tells me that you were on a date with her on the night of the disappearance. Is that correct?”
Jay nodded to the female police officer who was now sitting opposite to him. She sensed his rising anxiety.
“You’re not in any trouble Jay, we just want you to tell us about what happened that night okay?”
Jay proceeded to tell them how he had borrowed his mother’s new car, and how he and his buddy Kevin Philby had gone to pick up Libby and Amberlee to take them to the college dance. The police officer then asked him if he had been having a good time with Miss Robinson.
<
br /> “Yeah, it was okay you know, we weren’t going out or anything like that, I was just doing Kevin a favour.”
He explained how they had gone together as a foursome so that Kevin could get together with Libby.
“But Miss Robinson had other ideas right?” The male police officer spoke for the first time.
Jay suddenly felt his skin tingle with embarrassment. He also felt more than a little self conscious, talking about this stuff with two strangers. The last thing that he wanted to do was beat the drum of how much of a crush Amberlee Robinson had on him.
“No I don’t think so, well not really I think we both knew pretty much where we stood.”
“Would you take a look at this please Mr Patterson.”
At that very moment another female police officer came into interview room one, and place a sealed, clear plastic bag on the table in front of her colleague. She removed a small book item, with a bright pink cover from the bag. There was a huge heart drawn on the front of it in blue pen, with an arrow through the middle. Inside of the heart were written just two names-Amberlee and Jay. He stared at the diary in disbelief, before the police officer opened it to a certain page, and told him to read what was written there.
Night Feast Page 8