The Briar Creek Vampires 01 - Kiss of Death

by Jody Morse Jayme Morse

  Laughing in spite of herself, she took the lid off the box and placed it on the bed beside her. The first things she saw were a photo album and a journal. There was also a vial on a chain with a dark brown liquid. Lexi’s mouth dropped open. It looked like blood. What was Austin doing with a vial of blood?

  Shuddering, Lexi put Austin’s personal belongings back in the box and stuffed the box into her duffle bag, zipping it up to hide its contents. She knew that she had to go through Austin’s journal and photo album to find out what she could, but she felt way too queasy to right now.

  Getting into bed, she curled up into a tiny ball – something that she had always done when she was scared as a child – and pulled the floral comforter over her head. Lexi wasn’t sure what it was, but something wasn’t right. First there was that strange email from Mary-Kate and now there was a vial of blood which could belong to anyone.

  As she drifted off to sleep, Lexi realized what she had to do. She had to go directly to the source. If anyone knew what Mary-Kate and Austin had done the night of his death, it would be Mary-Kate. Would Mary-Kate be honest with her, though? Lexi wasn’t sure, but it was worth finding out.

  ****

  Chapter 5

  The next morning, Lexi found Aunt Violet, Uncle Tommy, and her mom huddled around the dining room table where they were talking in hushed voices. When Lexi entered the room, the three of them stopped talking and stared at her.

  Lexi became self-conscious when she thought that she noticed that they had accusing looks on their faces. “What’s going on?” she asked suspiciously. She and her mom never kept secrets from one another at home, and she didn’t want them to start keeping secrets from each other now.

  “The police are looking further into the cause of Austin’s death, Lexi.”

  “Why?”

  “They took his laptop for a routine investigation, you know, just to make sure that nothing weird was going on. And while they were searching, they found out that someone had signed onto Austin’s Facebook account after he had already…passed.”

  “Oh,” Lexi looked down at her cereal. Should she tell her family that she had been the one to log onto Austin’s Facebook? She didn’t want her aunt and uncle to worry for no reason, but she also didn’t want them to know that she had intruded on Austin’s privacy. Deciding against it, Lexi took a bite of her Frosted Flakes instead. There wouldn’t be a way for the cops to figure out it was her, anyway – she hoped. “Did they find something strange?”

  “No,” Violet said, adding more creamer to her coffee. “It’s just the fact that someone signed into his Facebook account after he was already gone. And we know it wasn’t us, and the cops are asking some of his close friends if it was them. It’s a little strange. The police are now suspecting some form of foul play.”

  “It is a little weird. But then again, who knows how many people he gave his Facebook password to?” Lexi rattled on, “Maybe one of his ex-girlfriends or something went on his account to look at pictures of him or something because she misses him.” She decided that she’d better stop defending the issue before she made it too obvious that she was the one who had been snooping on Austin’s Facebook.

  “Austin was a very private guy,” Violet said. “I doubt he would have given his password to anyone, except for Dan, maybe. And Dan already said that he wasn’t the one who signed in.”

  “Oh.” Lexi wasn’t sure what else to say, so she changed the subject. “How was your night?” she asked.

  “It was okay. I had some trouble sleeping, but I got up and took a Benadryl to knock me out,” Violet answered.

  “Dan was kind enough to bring us the newspaper this morning. He asked about you, Lexi.” Uncle Tommy looked up from his empty plate. “He said that he wanted to talk to you sometime before you went home. I guess things didn’t go too well?”

  “Well,” Lexi picked her brain for an excuse. “It was just a little awkward. I think he’s devastated about Austin and I didn’t really know what to say to him. I also wasn’t expecting him to call me,” she looked at Violet. “I thought that I was going to be the one to call him, so I wasn’t really prepared.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry about that Lexi. You can blame me. It’s just that he was so excited about getting to know you. I hope that I didn’t ruin anything. I would love to see you two date,” Violet smiled ashamedly from across the table. Lexi noted the glimmer of hope in her eyes and found herself accepting her apology.

  “Speaking of that…we’re leaving tonight Lexi,” her mom reminded her.

  “Mom, I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here.”

  Her mom frowned. “We talked about this before we got here, Lexi. We agreed that we would go back to New Jersey tonight. The hospital wouldn’t give me any more days off.”

  Violet looked at Tommy, who nodded in return. “School’s out for the summer, Eileen. Lexi is more than welcome to stay with us. If she wants to, that is.”

  “No,” her mom snapped at her, her anger showing on her rosy cheeks. “Absolutely not. Lexi is coming home with me.”

  “And actually, Eileen, with Austin gone, we have more than enough room for both of you. You and Lexi don’t really have much in New Jersey and –”

  Cutting her off, her mom said sharply “We do have a life in New Jersey. I have my job. There are parents who would be angry if their pediatrician were to just up and leave for who knows how long without any previous notification. And Lexi has school.”

  “Yes, but I’m sure that Briar Creek Medical Center is always looking for new pediatricians. Greg could pull some strings. And the high school here is good…I bet Lexi would fit in just fine.”

  “Yeah, mom,” Lexi said hopefully. “Can we?”

  “No, Lexi. We’ll talk about this more later,” Eileen said.

  “Please, mom?” Lexi persisted. “I want to stay here. I miss it. And everyone’s so much nicer here. I’m already starting to make some friends here – Dan and Gabe. Do you remember him? He lived across the street when I was little. His brother was Kevin.”

  “No. I don’t remember him. I don’t see any reason why you would want to stick around to get to know these…these people,” Eileen said carefully, shifting her gaze back and forth from Lexi to Violet and Tommy. “You have friends at home. You haven’t had enough time to see what these new friends of yours are really like.”

  “Fine,” Lexi yelled back at her. “Can I at least stay for the rest of the summer?”

  “No, Lexi,” her mom huffed.

  “Why not? They already said that I’m allowed to. I’m going to be so bored this summer if I go back home.” This was the first time in a while that Lexi felt like her mom was trying to control her. She didn’t like it. They never had that type of relationship before; her mom had always been her best friend, not her keeper. “I feel like I belong here right now.”

  “Because I said so. End of discussion.”

  “You never let me make my own decisions!” Lexi yelled. “I’m sick and tired of doing things your way. You barely pay attention to me at home. I think I would be happier here.”

  “It may seem like that at the moment, but I know what’s in your best interest. Staying in Briar Creek wouldn’t be good for you,” her mom insisted.

  “You don’t care what’s good for me! All you care about is yourself! You’re so selfish! I hate you!” Lexi shrieked.

  “You don’t mean that,” her mom said quietly.

  “Yes, I do,” Lexi said, stomping away.

  Lexi felt guilty. She and her mom had never fought like that before. She understood why her mom was upset. Lexi was all she had in New Jersey. Her mom would probably be lonely if she went home without her. The only time she and her mom had been away from each other was when Lexi went to sleep away camp one summer and had called her mom, in tears, begging for her to come get her on the fourth night.

  Deciding to not let her mother’s disappointment bother her, Lexi went into the kitchen and grabbed the phone book, which had
always been kept in the bottom cabinet. Putting her bowl and spoon in the sink, she flipped to “L.” She reached in the drawer and found a pen and a note card. She scribbled down: 125 Birch Street. Shoving the phone book back in the cabinet, she headed upstairs for her bedroom. She was on a mission and no one was going to stop her.

  Upstairs, Lexi grabbed a change of clothes out of her duffel bag, trying to avoid the box of Austin’s personal belongings, which were screaming out at her. No, she thought, there’s no time to read his journal right now. There were more important things that she had to take care of. Deciding to read it later, she grabbed a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a yellow sequined tank top out of her bag.

  Slipping into the bathroom, Lexi stripped off her clothes and glanced at herself in the mirror. The gaping hole glared back at her through the floral wallpaper. She found herself wondering again what had happened. Did Austin and Uncle Tommy get into a fight or had it been an accident?

  Stepping into the old-fashioned claw foot bathtub, Lexi turned on the cold water and let it hit her bare chest. She thought about the mission that she wanted to accomplish today.

  Lexi had already decided that she would pay a visit to Mary-Kate; she just wasn’t sure what her excuse for dropping by the Lawrence house would be.

  As she stepped out of the tub and dried herself off with a fluffy pink towel, Lexi realized that she couldn’t stay here for even one more day without buying some new clothes. Although her suitcase had been overflowing when she packed, she somehow managed to forget to bring a comfortable pair of clothes for the drive back home. Maybe she would also pay a visit to the Briar Creek Mall before she stopped to see Mary-Kate. Of course, her mom was never going to agree to the shopping spree that she had already promised her when they first arrived in Briar Creek after the argument that they had just had.

  Lexi’s heart ached. She and her mom never fought. This was the biggest fight they had had in years. Lexi reminded herself that for now, Mary-Kate should be the most important thing in her mind. Austin deserved justice, but she couldn’t get that for him unless her emotions were in check. He might have really been attacked by a wild animal, though Lexi had a gut feeling that there was a lot more to the story than the police were letting on, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

  *

  Grabbing her Coach bag, Lexi decided that it would probably be better if she didn’t tell her mom where she was going. She didn’t want to spark another argument or have her mom tell her that she wasn’t allowed to go.

  Stepping outside, she breathed in the fresh Pennsylvania summer air, a mix of freshly cut grass and outdoor barbeques. She glanced across the street. As if on cue, a curtain was pulled closed.

  Had Gabe been looking out his window before she went outside, or was he spying on her? Lexi sighed, shaking the thought from her head. Why would he spy on her? He had made it crystal clear the other night that he wasn’t interested in her.

  Lexi began walking to the mall. The trip to the Briar Creek mall had seemed like a journey to another world when she was a kid, but when she and her mom had passed it on the way to Aunt Violet’s, she realized that it was only about a mile from Aunt Violet’s. Still, the walk would probably take her about an hour. Lexi wished she had her Dodge Neon in Briar Creek.

  The mall had seemed like a castle to her when she was little, but when her mom drove past it earlier, it looked dark and depressing, just like every other building in this town. Thinking about it, Lexi felt a chill go up her spine. At least it had clothes.

  Turning a corner, she nearly bumped into a large, dark figure that was hovering in the shadows. Looking closer, she realized that she knew who it was: Dan.

  “Hi, Lexi,” he smiled at her, his blue eyes shining in the sunlight. They looked slightly greener today, with yellow flecks from the reflection of the light. She suddenly realized how cute he was – something that she had overlooked when she was busy obsessing over Gabe.

  “Dan. Look, I’m sorry about last night. Things have just been weird ever since Austin died.”

  “Don’t even worry about it,” Dan said, lightly touching her shoulder. “What are you doing today?”

  “Well, I’m walking to the mall. I need to buy some clothes. And I was supposed to go to the carnival later, but now I have no one to go with.”

  “I’m planning to go to the carnival tonight with my brother, Dave, and his girlfriend, Julie. Why don’t you tag along? It’ll be fun.”

  Wasn’t Julie the name of that girl who had been talking about Mary-Kate and Austin at the funeral? Lexi wondered. The carnival could be the perfect opportunity for her to find out more about what she had overheard. “Sure,” she smiled at Dan.

  “Cool. They have this really fun scavenger hunt every year. Now we have enough people for it.”

  “I love scavenger hunts!”

  “This one is probably the best one you’ll ever go to, I promise.”

  “I hope you’re right. My mom never let me do scavenger hunts when I was little.”

  “She sounds over protective,” Dan sympathized.

  “She became a pushover when we were living in New Jersey. With the way she’s treating me this weekend, I feel like I’m a little kid again. It’s like she has something against Briar Creek.”

  Dan’s face stiffened. “I don’t know why she would have something against it. Maybe it’s just because she and Tom don’t get along too well.”

  “They don’t? How do you know?” Lexi was surprised that she hadn’t noticed that herself. Some detective she was, she thought.

  “The whole town knows. I guess years ago, they made a big chaotic scene at Giant. Rumor had it that she hit him in the face with a shovel, but I’m not sure what it was over. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned it...I really thought you already knew.”

  “No, I didn’t,” Lexi replied. “It’s not your fault, though. You’re not the one who hit him with the shovel…or the one who started the rumor, I’m assuming.”

  Dan laughed. “No, I didn’t start it. Hey, do you want me to give you a ride to the mall?”

  “That would be great.” Lexi hoped that her excitement about spending time with Dan didn’t show too much.

  *

  After a long day of shopping, Lexi finally made it back into Aunt Violet’s house to get dressed for the carnival. She was surprised that Dan had stayed with her the whole day. She even made him go into Claire’s for her own entertainment purposes (not that he knew that was why).

  She put the shopping bags on her bed and pulled out the pink flowery sundress that she had picked out at Forever 21. It would be perfect for the carnival. Reaching in her drawer, she grabbed her best Victoria’s Secret push-up bra. Suddenly, Lexi cared what Dan thought about her appearance.

  Once the dress was on, Lexi twirled in front of the mirror on the closet door. The dress hugged her breasts and waist perfectly, fluttering out at her hips and stopping just above her knees. She felt confident. Lexi reminded herself that Violet had already told her that Dan thought she was cute. Unlike Gabe, Dan was sure to find her attractive tonight.

  Lexi sighed. She had been trying her hardest not to think about Gabe, but something always seemed to bring him back into her head.

  As she headed for the door, Lexi found her mom at the foot of the stairs. She gulped. The last thing she wanted to do right now was get into yet another argument and have it ruin her entire night with Dan before it even started.

  “You look very pretty,” her mom said quietly. “Where are you going?”

  “Out with Dan. I’ll be home later tonight.”

  Her mom nodded. “Have fun. Don’t get into any trouble.”

  Lexi huffed. “Do I ever get into trouble? Seriously, it’s like you’re suddenly super mom. You don’t have to put on a front for Aunt Violet and Uncle Tommy, Mom.”

  “It has nothing to do with Violet or Tom, Lexi. I just want you to be careful. You’re too trusting. You’re in a place that you don’t know very well an
d that makes you vulnerable to strangers.”

  “I do know it well. I grew up here!” How could her mom think she was a stranger to Briar Creek? It was her fault that Lexi hadn’t been able to spend much time here.

  “Yes, you grew up here. You were an innocent child. You don’t know everything about this town...it has secrets. Secrets that I wanted to shelter you from then and secrets that I want to keep you away from now.”

  “We used to tell each other everything. Now you’re keeping secrets from me? Whatever, Mom. I’m old enough to make my own decisions anyway. I know you don’t like Uncle Tommy, but that’s no reason to try to shelter me from this town or my family.”

  Lexi turned, stomping away from her mom. Dan was probably outside and she wasn’t going to make him wait for her just because her mom was being an uber-bitch.

  ****

  Chapter 6

  Climbing off the Tilt-A-Whirl, Lexi found herself thinking about Gabe, once again. She remembered that his lame excuse for not going to the carnival was that he hated Tilt-A-Whirl. At least she had come with someone who found it just as fun as she did. Plus, Dan was actually turning out to be a really sweet guy.

  So far, they had shared a cotton candy and he had played a water gun game three times to win her a cute pink stuffed bear. It reminded Lexi of Austin. She wondered if Dan had subconsciously chosen a bear for her because he, too, was thinking about the bear attack.

  Dan seemed to sense that something was wrong. He pulled her in his arms, kissing her on the forehead. “What’s wrong, babe?”

  “I was just thinking about Austin,” she said, looking down at the stuffed animal that she was holding. “You know, the bear...”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that. I’m a jerk.”

  “It’s okay. You’re not a jerk. I’m just being stupid.”

  Dan hugged her tightly. “I knew Austin pretty well and, if it makes you feel any better, I honestly think that he wouldn’t want us to dwell on it. He’d want us to be happy. Even if that meant that I would be kissing his cousin in a second,” he said. She looked up into his blue green eyes.