The Baron Blasko Mysteries (Book 1): Fangs

by Howe, A. E.

  “I don’t know what I want,” she finally said. “How’s that for honesty?”

  “It’s a lie. You want me to change,” he said, his tone aggrieved

  “Fine! You’re right, I want you to stop doing dangerous things that could get someone seriously hurt or killed and that just might land you and me in mortal danger. I can’t even imagine what would happen to us if someone discovers I brought a blood-sucking monster back from another country.”

  “How dare you?” His eyes flashed. “You would also have to tell them that you have my blood running through your veins.”

  “At least I don’t go around killing people.” Josephine felt lost in this endless argument.

  “I haven’t killed anyone! Recently… And I would not be troubling you if you hadn’t bitten me.”

  “Enough! I agree with you. There, how’s that? I agree with you. Do you know what I agree with? I agree that this is a stupid topic and we should stop bringing it up,” Josephine said with finality.

  At last, Josephine pulled the car into her driveway and back into the garage. It was almost one in the morning and everything was quiet. The night owls had gone to bed and the early risers, those who made the bread and delivered the papers, hadn’t yet started their day.

  Exhausted by their unwinnable argument, Josephine and Blasko entered the house in silence and went their separate ways.

  Two hours later, there was a knock on the exterior door to Blasko’s basement apartment.

  “You wanted me to come by?” Bobby Tucker said.

  “Come in.”

  Bobby entered the room, giving it a thorough visual examination.

  Blasko retrieved a small box and opened it, taking out the button he’d picked up in Samuel Erickson’s room.

  “What’s this?” Bobby said, looking back and forth from the button to Blasko.

  “I found it in Mr. Erickson’s bedroom when I went up and looked at the body. It was lying near the nightstand.”

  “And you just took it?” Bobby exclaimed, his face turning red.

  “You all had already been in the room and were off chasing your hobos,” Blasko said dismissively.

  “You had no right!” Bobby said, not letting go of his anger.

  “I’m giving it to you now. You might not have it at all if I hadn’t kept it,” Blasko said coldly.

  “So why are you giving it to me now?”

  “I think you will find that it came off of a garment belonging to Carrie.”

  “That’s what you think, is it?”

  “I doubt you’ll have a hard time finding the clothing.”

  Bobby stood there, studying Blasko’s face. “What makes you so sure?”

  “I’d rather not say.”

  “You know I’m not a dummy.” Bobby’s anger was rising again.

  “Perhaps. Your sheriff, however…”

  Bobby took the button and put it in his pocket. “We’re searching Carrie’s rooms now.”

  “Where are Mrs. Erickson and Clarence?”

  “She’s at the house. Dr. McGuire took Clarence over to his office to dress his wound.”

  “Carrie’s body?”

  “That went with McGuire to his office. He’ll do a full autopsy tomorrow.”

  “And what does the sheriff think?”

  “We have witnesses who saw Carrie driving the car through town. One of them even saw Lucy in the passenger seat. Clarence followed them. It seems pretty cut and dried. Especially if you’re right about this button. Carrie didn’t have a good alibi for either of the first two murders, and I think the sheriff is going to be satisfied with how the case is coming together.”

  Bobby noticed the smirk on Blasko’s face. “What? You see something different?”

  “Proving my theories is the difficulty. Did you search Clarence before you let him go to Dr. McGuire’s office?”

  “Nooooo. Not that he could have been hiding too much. McGuire flushed the wound at the warehouse, so Clarence had to pretty much strip down except for his pants. Why? If you think you know something, you need to tell me now.”

  “I don’t know anything. I suspect a lot.”

  “I suspect some things myself,” Bobby told him, his eyes cold. “And what the hell is that squeaking sound?”

  Blasko ignored the annoyed deputy. “You can suspect what you want,” he shot back.

  “If you get Josephine into trouble, then I’m going to make you pay. Is that understood?”

  “Ahhhh. Now you are speaking your mind. The relationship that exists between Josephine and myself is none of your business.”

  “I’ll tell you what is my business and what isn’t,” Bobby said, his anger boiling. “I don’t know what your deal is, but I don’t trust you. And I’m not the only one around here who thinks you’re more than a little odd.”

  “I’ve had some experience with villages like this. You all might do well to look beyond your own dirt roads. I’m here for as long as I want to be here. But I am no threat to you or to anyone else that doesn’t interfere with me.”

  “Josephine means something to me and to a lot of other folks here in town. Let me be clear, we’re keeping an eye on you.”

  “Bah! Keep an eye on me. I’m going to solve these murders and it’s up to you if you help or hinder.”

  This gave Bobby pause. He wanted to arrest the right person for the murders, and he’d been disappointed with the sheriff’s performance so far.

  “I’m not going to cut my nose off to spite my face. If you know something or find out something about these murders, then come to me. I’ll listen to you. I’ll give you that much.” His words were clipped and professional.

  “When I know who the murderer is and have proof, I won’t keep it from you.” Blasko was growing tired of Bobby.

  Apparently, the feeling was mutual. The deputy gave Blasko one last look before turning and walking out. Over his shoulder, he muttered, “Get that damn squeaking fixed.”

  As the door closed, Blasko whistled and Vasile flew down from the rafters and landed on his arm.

  “Did you have good hunting tonight?” Blasko asked. The bat squeaked in response and settled down to clean his face and wings.

  Blasko sat down in a chair, his back rigid and his eyes open. He replayed the night’s events in his mind, picturing the scene at the warehouse as a series of still images. He listened again to the words that had been spoken.

  Abruptly, he stood up and looked at the clock. It was almost four in the morning. Time—he couldn’t give the killer time. But the sun would be up in just a couple of hours.

  “Go now. I have more to do tonight,” he said, encouraging Vasile to find a new perch.

  Blasko hurried out of the basement and up the stairs.

  “What? Stop that!” Josephine yelled, grabbing a dressing gown and throwing open her bedroom door in response to Blasko’s pounding.

  “Come now. We have to get back out to the warehouse,” Blasko said, his accent strong in his urgency.

  “What’s going on?” Grace called down from the third floor, her voice edged with fear.

  “It’s nothing, Grace!” Josephine shouted up to her.

  “Tell me that man isn’t wakin’ us God-fearin’ folk up at this hour for some more craziness.” Her voice had changed from fear to irritation.

  “Go back to bed!” Josephine yelled. “Can’t it wait?” she said in a loud whisper to Blasko.

  “No. I think I know where there is evidence that can prove who the killer is. But we need to hurry or it could be gone.”

  “Give me five minutes.”

  Blasko went back downstairs to wait for her. The clock chimed four, causing him to run back down to his room to grab a handful of the native earth from his coffin. “Just in case,” he muttered to himself as he put the dirt in his pocket.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ten minutes later, Josephine and Blasko were rumbling out of town once again in the Chevrolet.

  “I will learn to drive,” he
told her over the roar of the motor. Josephine just nodded, keeping her eyes focused on the two beams of light piercing the darkness in front of the car.

  There weren’t any other cars when they got to the warehouse, but a thick rope had been strung across the entrance to the parking lot with a crude, hand-painted wooden sign hanging from it that read: Closed by Order of the Sheriff.

  Blasko leapt from the car and removed the rope.

  “What are we looking for?” Josephine asked him after she parked the car. She was carrying a railroad lantern that gave off a yellow light that barely pushed back the darkness. She was grateful for the little bit of heat it gave off. She hadn’t had time to throw on anything more than slacks, a shirt and a light coat.

  “Back by the dock. Where the shooting took place,” Blasko said, walking quickly while his eyes scanned the dark. The light from the lantern was actually making it more difficult for him to see.

  “I didn’t ask where, I asked what,” Josephine said, trying to keep up.

  “I’ll tell you when I find it,” he responded cryptically.

  “This better not be a wild goose chase.”

  Once they were near the spot where Clarence had been lying, Blasko got down on his hands and knees and started moving over the ground. At one point, he crawled under the loading dock.

  “Here!” he yelled triumphantly. Crawling back out, he held a Smith & Wesson Army revolver wrapped in a handkerchief. “Clarence buried this a couple of inches down in the dirt.”

  “He had a gun?”

  “Yes, I had a gun,” said a voice from the darkness behind them. “And I have another one now. So, please, drop that one.”

  Not having much choice, Blasko dropped the gun.

  “Clarence?”

  “Yes, Josephine. You and this freak just had to stick your noses into everything. Now it’s going to cost you your life.” Clarence stepped into the moonlight. His head was bandaged and he held a Colt 1903 automatic in his hand.

  “Don’t be an idiot,” Blasko said, putting himself between Clarence and Josephine.

  “Shut up and get back.”

  “Everyone knows what you’ve done.”

  “Nonsense. You might have made some good guesses, but that’s all you’ve got.” Clarence sounded sure of himself.

  “Of course, you aren’t the one who came up with the plan, are you?” Blasko said, causing Clarence to twitch. For a moment, Josephine thought he was going to shoot Blasko right then and there.

  “I told you to keep your mouth shut, you damn foreigner.” Clarence was practically growling.

  “You’re nothing but a spoiled rich boy,” Blasko said, moving forward and trying to keep Clarence’s eyes locked on his. Blasko knew he wasn’t close enough yet to get the jump on Clarence. He wasn’t worried about himself, but Clarence could still manage to get a shot off at Josephine. Blasko wouldn’t take a chance with Josephine’s life.

  “Stop it!” Clarence said, not making it clear if he meant Blasko’s words or his approach.

  “She came up with the plan, didn’t she?”

  “I’m not going to warn you again.”

  She? Josephine thought, then some odd images began to surface from her memory. She thought she might be sick.

  “It was you and Lucy,” Josephine breathed, her voice barely conveying all of the shock and disgust she felt.

  “Both of you, walk toward the river,” Clarence said, stepping to the right so that he had a clear shot at both of them.

  Blasko moved, willing to go along with Clarence and wait for his chance. He had to keep Clarence’s attention focused on him.

  “Lucy killed Samuel, didn’t she? Did the two of you always plan on killing Amanda and Carrie?”

  “Amanda had to go. Carrie could have waited, but we needed a scapegoat after Hopkins fell through.”

  “I’d ask why, but I assume that you and your stepmother are… unnaturally close. I heard you had a crush on your teacher in school. Have you always had a thing for older women?”

  “Damn it! I told you to be quiet. Less talking and more walking,” Clarence ordered.

  Blasko had hoped that Clarence would be tempted to strike him. If he came closer, it would be the opportunity Blasko needed.

  “How did you figure it out?” Josephine asked Blasko. She was having a hard time finding her way in the near dark. The moon was setting, and there were a lot of shadows cast by the pecan trees that filled the small area between the warehouse and the bluff overlooking the river.

  “I’ve had my suspicions for a while. The button I found was too convenient, which belies his story that Carrie wasn’t marked from the beginning.”

  “It was always a backup plan,” Clarence grumbled.

  “However, my proof came tonight. After the shooting, when Clarence was being treated for the damage done by the shotgun to the side of his head, he was speaking with everyone normally.”

  “And…”

  “If a shotgun had been fired that close to his face unexpectedly, he would have probably lost most of his hearing, at least temporarily.”

  “You’re right,” Josephine said, irritated at herself that she hadn’t noticed it.

  “I realized that the shotgun blast to the side of his face was just a ruse. Clearly he’d had time to pick up some of the cotton and put it in his ears before the gun went off.”

  “Perfect. It wasn’t like there aren’t tufts of cotton lying all over the ground,” Josephine said.

  “I’m surprised Lucy would let you do that,” Blasko said, turning to face Clarence. They were halfway to the river bluff.

  “I told her I wasn’t going to lose my hearing over this. Now move!” he said, and stopped until Blasko started walking again.

  “So now you’re going to the gallows,” Josephine said.

  “No, I’m not. You two are going in the river.”

  Blasko nodded. “I see. You plan on getting us in the river somehow and then pushing our car in after us. Not the worst plan. Not that you have much choice at this point.”

  “Keep talking. I don’t mind putting a bullet in you right now, ’cause with the currents, nobody is going to find your body before it has rotted to bones.”

  “You paint a grim future for us.”

  “You’re in love with your stepmother, which is just sick, so you all decide to kill your father, your wife and your sister?” Josephine said, unable to hide her revulsion.

  “Was it Lucy’s idea to have you on the ground so that you could shoot Carrie when the sheriff showed up?” Blasko asked.

  “That was my idea.”

  “You had to make sure she was dead,” Josephine said, her mind rapidly filling in the plot. “You two kidnapped her. Lucy had the gun in the car and put a gag around her own mouth. When they were driving through town, it looked like she was the victim, when in reality she was holding a gun on Carrie down low so that no one could see it.”

  Blasko picked up the narrative. “Then when the sheriff and his deputies arrived, they gave Carrie the empty shotgun while Clarence held the revolver on her from down below, out of sight of the deputies. When Clarence pulled the trigger, Logan and the deputies also fired. Everyone was shooting at virtually the same time. It was almost foolproof. If Clarence had fired and the lawmen hadn’t followed suit, Clarence could have just said he’d grabbed the revolver when he went in pursuit of Carrie after she kidnapped Lucy.”

  “You think you’re so damn smart,” Clarence snarled.

  They were almost to the bluff. Blasko looked down the twenty feet of sandy slope to the water below. He turned back to see Clarence raising the gun toward them.

  “I’m sorry,” Blasko said to Josephine, reaching over and pushing her gently down the bluff.

  As Josephine rolled down toward the water, Blasko leaped at Clarence, who managed to fire two rounds before being tackled. One bullet pierced Blasko’s chest while the second ripped through his left shoulder.

  Ignoring the red-hot pain coursing through h
im, Blasko slammed his head against Clarence’s forehead while trying take the gun away. Their wrestling match seemed to go on forever, until Blasko elbowed Clarence in the nose. There was an audible snap and Clarence released his hold on the gun. Blasko grabbed it and stood over him.

  “Fawkan brawke ma nos,” Clarence mumbled, rolling around on the ground in agony. Blasko gave him a swift kick to the ribs for good measure.

  “Are you all right?” said a worried voice from behind him.

  Blasko turned to see a sandy and disheveled Josephine, breathing hard.

  “For me, these are just flesh wounds,” Blasko said, reaching for her hand. The pain from his wounds was excruciating. He looked toward the east. Even now, a faint blue tinge of color was evident on the horizon. “I don’t have much time. We need to tie him up. Hold this.”

  Blasko handed her the gun and grabbed Clarence’s leg with his good arm. Josephine followed as Blasko dragged him toward the warehouse. Clarence whined until Blasko threatened to kick him again.

  At the warehouse, they found some rope and used it to tie and gag Clarence. He looked at them in defiance, but couldn’t fight them both.

  With Clarence finally secure, Josephine turned her attention to Blasko. “Let me see your wounds,” she said gently.

  Blasko took off his coat and pulled his shirt open to reveal the oozing holes.

  “You’ll heal?” Josephine asked, concern in her voice.

  “With fresh blood.” Blasko looked meaningfully at Clarence. “If I take enough from him, he won’t remember anything from the past hour. When I feed, it releases a small amount of toxin that causes a mild form of amnesia. That’s why Hopkins didn’t remember what happened.”

  “So there’s a two-fold advantage to you taking Clarence’s blood,” Josephine said, looking down at the man. His eyes were wide as he looked back and forth between them, trying to scream around his gag.

  “Yes. But I’ll do whatever you say,” Blasko said sincerely.

  “There’s no real choice. You’re just making it so that I have to tell you it’s okay,” Josephine said. After a moment, she gave a small nod.

  “You know I have to,” Blasko said as he knelt beside the squirming Clarence. Josephine turned away, cursing herself for being a hypocrite who could condone the behavior but wasn’t willing to witness it.