Murder in Vein

by Sue Ann Jaffarian

  "It's a long shot," she told the Dedhams without explaining her plan, "but it's worth a try."

  Grabbing a pitcher of iced tea from the back counter, Madison glided over to the corner booth. "Anyone need a refill?" she asked the group as she held out the pitcher. Two of them scooted their glasses forward and thanked her.

  As she filled the glasses, Madison asked as nonchalantly as possible, "Where's your friend-the one who always orders the Cobb salad?"

  "Con called in sick today," a woman with purple-rimmed glasses and short red hair answered. "At least he said he was sick." Everyone laughed.

  "Con?" Madison said, realizing her long shot had not come in a winner. "I thought his name was Ben. My mistake."

  "It is," one of the guys piped up. "Benjamin is his middle name. Some people know him as Ben instead of Conrad, especially outside the office where no one knows his dad, who's a big shot at the studio. At the office, he makes sure everyone knows who he is."

  "Conrad Benjamin Winthrop Jr.," said the red-haired woman, drawing out the name with a nasal tone.

  "Yeah, man," another of the men at the table said to Madison. "We're really sorry he gives you folks in here such a hard time. He's the same way at work"

  "No problem," Madison told him with a smile. "People like him are definitely in the minority here." She started to walk away. "Have a nice day."

  After putting the tea pitcher back, Madison rejoined the Dedhams. "Did you tune in to that?" she asked them.

  "Sure did," answered Doug. "Sounds like he might be our guy after all. That long hair is probably a wig."

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  hen they returned to the Dedham house, Doug and Dodie retired immediately. Madison was also very tired. She'd had only a couple of hours' sleep at Colin's and tonight would be out very late again. She wasn't sure what Samuel meant by "bring your toothbrush" but thought it a safe bet she wouldn't be returning to the Dedhams' until daybreak. She was burning the candle at both ends living both vampire hours and human hours.

  Madison tried to take a nap, but the events of the night before and that morning were hard to ignore. She would have to spend several days cleaning out her apartment, trying to sort out what was salvageable and what wasn't, though much looked ready to be junked. Maybe it was time she looked for a nicer apartment. Seemed like now would be a good time, but that would depend on the job situation. She could hardly spend more on an apartment if she didn't have a job to go back to next week. She never talked to Kyle about it. With his own break-in on his mind, when he did emerge from the back office, he was irritable and not focused on anything but the vandalism. And the last thing Madison wanted was to alert him that his break-in might have been tied to her. Before leaving, she simply told him how sorry she was about what had happened at the diner and promised she would call him at the end of the week.

  Realizing sleep was futile, Madison got up and went to her computer and turned it on. The Dedhams had WiFi, so Madison connected to the Internet right from her room. They were going to run a search on Conrad Benjamin Winthrop Jr. later, after everyone was rested, but since tossing and turning was getting her nowhere, Madison decided now would be a good time. Googling his name brought up some interesting items, especially about his father. Winthrop Sr. was one of the founders of the studio where Ben worked. No wonder he used his full name at the office; he was cashing in on Daddy's reputation and clout.

  Madison sifted through the various articles that popped up. Most were about Ben's father. Ben had a Facebook page, but only his Facebook friends had access to it. The photo attached to the account was not a close-up, so she couldn't tell much from it. She moved on to the Google image search. There she found several photos of Ben with his father and tried to picture the younger man with long hair and sunglasses. There were none of Ben with his mother or any siblings, just with his father. She still didn't have any solid proof that he was the Ben from Dark Tidings, but there just seemed to be too many coincidences.

  When she couldn't find an address for Ben online, Madison considered going back down for her nap. As she shut down her computer, she heard the doorbell ring. A moment later, there was a knock at her bedroom door. It was Pauline, bearing a large box.

  "What's this?" she asked when Pauline brought the box in and set it on the bed.

  "Won't know until you open it."

  The box was white and tied with a blue ribbon. The logo of an expensive Beverly Hills clothing store was embossed into the cardboard. Madison opened it to find several articles of clothing separated by delicate tissue. She pulled out the top item. It was a cashmere turtleneck sweater the color of fine gold. Under it was a pair of copper-colored wool slacks. Another sweater and another pair of slacks were beneath them. At the bottom of the deep box was a fine-knit dress in deep green. Madison held the gold sweater up to her and looked in the mirror. It complemented her creamy complexion and brown hair and eyes perfectly.

  "Did the Dedhams buy these?" she asked Pauline.

  Pauline looked puzzled. "I don't think so. I think Mrs. D would have had more fun shopping with you than shopping for you." She fished around in the tissue until she found something. "Look, there's a card." She handed it to Madison.

  Madison read the card over several times, not believing its contents.

  "Well, what is it?" Pauline asked with impatience.

  "It's from Samuel," Madison told her. "It's an apology for ruining my top last night."

  "He ruined your top?" Pauline cocked an eyebrow at Madison.

  "It was during the meeting here at the house. Just an accident." Madison had no intention of telling Pauline about the marks on her neck and Samuel's reaction to them.

  Pauline fingered the fine weave of the slacks. "You tell that vampire if this is how he apologizes, he can ruin all my clothes if he wants."

  "These are very expensive, Pauline. I can't accept them."

  "Why not? To Samuel La Croix, the cost of these duds is like you and me going to Target. Enjoy them."

  Madison flushed, thinking how Samuel had admitted that he wanted her, and not just for her blood. The flush turned to real heat remembering his fangs against her neck. The next mental image was of Colin ravaging Miriam. With short, quick movements, she shook the thoughts from her head and dropped down on the bed next to the elegant box.

  "I'm so confused, Pauline. One minute Colin's turning me on, the next it's Samuel. I've never been like this before. I like it and hate it at the same time."

  "It's the vampire charm," Pauline told her with sympathy. "There's something alluring about them, no doubt. Both of those men are handsome, rich, and mysterious-a perfect potion for turning a girl to jelly. I saw it plenty with Mr. D before he met and married Mrs. D. He had women following him around like he was the pied piper. It's the same with the female vampires. They're regular femme fatales when they want to be, especially that Isabella."

  "But you fall for it, too."

  Pauline laughed. "I'm just an old married woman soaking up the sweet talk like a kitten at a saucer. But you-you're different. Samuel La Croix isn't just apologizing here, he's wooing you."

  "All I want is my life back," Madison said with a sagging sigh. "I want to go back to when I didn't know about vampires and blood sucking and bloodlines."

  "From what Mr. D told me when you guys got back, you don't have much to go back to anymore."

  Madison jutted her chin out. "Unless some crazy vampire worshiper gets to me, I still have my life. My apartment was just a box of things; I can replace those. And I can get another job if Kyle cans me. I have no intention of being the mistress of a vampire-not Samuel's or Colin's, no matter how rich or handsome they might be."

  Pauline reached a hand out and touched the top of Madison's head. "Good girl." And Madison knew she meant it.

  Later, when Samuel came by to pick Madison up, he eyed her old jeans, sweater, and sneakers with narrow eyes. "You didn't like the things I sent over?"

  Madison walked over to the dining table where t
he big white box was waiting to be handed back to Samuel. "I can't accept these. You'll have to return them."

  Samuel didn't ask why. He knew why. "They were an apology for the damaged blouse, nothing more."

  "Then just replace the shirt you tore and we'll call it even."

  Opening the box, Samuel looked inside. The clothing had been carefully folded and placed between the tissues like they'd just come from the store. "Instead of accepting them all, why don't you just pick one of these as a replacement? That's it. Just one.

  "Just one?" Madison asked. "And only to replace my other top?"

  He nodded. "Pick your favorite, and I'll return the others."

  It sounded reasonable to Madison. She knew immediately which article she wanted-the gold sweater. Gently, she lifted it from the box and draped it across the back of one of the chairs. "There. You happy?"

  Samuel grinned. "I'll be happier if you would put it on and wear it tonight."

  After a slight hesitation, Madison went upstairs and slipped on the sweater. It fit her perfectly and felt as soft as an angel's touch against her skin. When she came downstairs, both Samuel and Pauline looked at her with approval.

  Pauline left the house when they did. Samuel put the box containing the other clothing in the trunk of his car and climbed behind the steering wheel.

  "No Gordon again tonight?" Madison noted.

  "He's on a different assignment. Doug called and gave me Ben's real name. I'm having Gordon track him down. If he does, he'll stick to him like glue." He pulled out of the driveway. "With Colin and Doug at Bloodlust, Dodie at Dark Tidings, and Gordon tracking down Ben's home address, if that bastard shows up anywhere, we'll have him."

  Madison was going to bring up the fact that Mike Notchey could get Ben's address in a heartbeat, but she knew they'd never go to him, especially now that he was out of the loop for his own good.

  "And what about us? What's our assignment?" she asked Samuel as the car maneuvered the canyon streets toward the highway.

  "We're off to meet Stacie Neroni. If she locates that homeless man, I want to question him myself."

  When they reached Hollywood, Samuel found a rare parking spot on a side street just up from Hollywood Boulevard. The area was seedy and depressed in spite of the glitz of Hollywood attractions and the glow from souvenir shops. It was the height of the evening. Hookers, hustlers, and drug addicts mingled with thrill-seeking college kids and tourists snapping photos. Stacie was waiting for them by a twenty-four-hour newsstand.

  "Find him?" Samuel asked as soon as they reached her.

  "Yes" She pointed to a grizzled black man sitting on the sidewalk across the street. He had his back against a boarded-up shop and held a cup in his hand, holding it out to people who passed by. Most of the storefronts on that side of the street were boarded up, so few people walked on that side. Those that did either ignored the homeless man or gave him a wide berth. Next to him was a shopping cart stuffed with his belongings. Several yards away, a trio of hookers called to cars that slowed down.

  "His name's Clarence, but everyone calls him Cubby. If he stays on that side of the street," Stacie explained to Madison and Samuel, "the police won't bother him. On this side, the cops or the shop owners will run him off. The other side of the street is where we usually run our legal clinic on Wednesday nights."

  The three of them crossed the street and approached the homeless man.

  "Hi, Cubby," Stacie greeted him cheerfully. "I brought some friends to meet you."

  The man was old and dirty and smelled of garbage and filth. He wore several layers of ragged clothing against the night's chill. Looking up at Stacie, he flashed her a smile of jagged yellow teeth in recognition. When he turned toward Madison and Samuel, his face clouded with caution.

  "This is Madison and Samuel," Stacie continued. "My friends. I told them what you said about vampires, and they want to help you.

  "Vampires?" The old man asked, befuddled, then clarity made a brief appearance on his face. "Yes, vampires."

  Samuel crouched down closer to the man. "Tell me about them, brother."

  Cubby turned and fixed his runny eyes on Samuel. "Vampires are here." He held out a shaking hand and pointed an index finger toward the concrete beneath him. "Right here, I tell you. In the city of angels." He emphasized the word angels. "But no one listen to old Cubby. They say Cubby crazy."

  Samuel stared into Cubby's eyes. "I'm listening. Tell me."

  "I saw them," Cubby said, keeping his eyes latched onto Samuel's sunglasses. "They were doing unspeakable things."

  "You have to tell us so we can stop them," Stacie told him.

  "Unspeakable things," Cubby repeated, not taking his eyes off of Samuel. "They were drinking her blood," he said in a low, hoarse voice.

  "Whose blood?" asked Samuel.

  "Naked, she was. Skin pale as the moon. They cut her. Drank her blood." He barely choked out the words. "Poor girl."

  Samuel crouched closer. "Where did this happen, Cubby? Can you show us?"

  Cubby shook his head and withdrew into his rags. "Cubby not going back. No, sir. Evil things. Had to leave Porky. Have to find new home."

  "That explains the shopping cart," Stacie said. "Usually he doesn't have it with him. He's on the move." She bent down. "Please, Cubby, you have to tell us where you saw this. We'll make the bad men go away so you can go home."

  Cubby looked up at Stacie. "Cubby never going back. Never. Place cursed." He retreated further into his dark mind, the light in his eyes fading into the fringe of madness.

  Samuel glanced up at Stacie. "You know where he used to live?"

  She shook her head. "Not really. Always thought it was a back alley around here somewhere. Bloodlust isn't far from here, though-maybe a half mile, maybe a mile, tops. It would have been convenient."

  "Who's Porky?" Samuel asked her. "A pet? Another person?"

  "Not sure about that either. I've never heard him speak of Porky before. Never heard of a street person out here called that either. Can't you see anything?"

  Samuel shook his head. "Only bits and pieces. It's all jumbled inside his head."

  Standing up, Samuel looked around. "Where's Madison?"

  Both he and Stacie turned their eyes to the streets around them, searching for any sign of her.

  "Damn it," swore Samuel under his breath. "How could she have vanished?"

  It was then Stacie spotted Madison. She was across the street, coming out of an all-night coffee shop, heading back to them. In one hand was a bag; in the other, a large covered coffee cup. Samuel watched her carefully as she waited for the light, then crossed over to them.

  "Couldn't you have eaten before you came out here?" Stacie snapped at Madison.

  "It's not for her," Samuel said to Stacie.

  Ignoring the vampires, Madison knelt down in front of Cubby, bracing her stomach against his stench. She transferred the paper cup of coffee to his dark hands with their dirtencrusted nails, making sure he had a firm grip on it before letting go.

  "Bless you," the old man said to her, clutching the warm cup.

  She put the paper sack down next to him. "There are sandwiches in the bag, Cubby, and a couple of bananas."

  Cubby gave her a nod of understanding and took a sip from the opening in the lid of the cup.

  "Careful," Madison warned him. "It's very hot."

  After a couple of sips of coffee, Cubby looked again at Madison as if seeing her for the first time. "You look like the girl," he said. "The naked girl."

  "Where did you see her, Cubby?" Madison asked in a soft voice. "We're trying to find her."

  Samuel bent down again and stared at Cubby, concentrating. Cubby, though, kept his eyes on Madison.

  "They want you," the old man said to her, his eyes growing wide with fear. "They want your blood." His voice trembled.

  "They want our blood?" asked Stacie.

  "No," Cubby said, not looking at Stacie. He released one hand from the mug and pointed it at Madi
son. "Hers"

  Madison stood up with a jerk and backed away. Samuel dug into his pocket and pulled out some cash. He tucked it into Cubby's donation cup.

  "Thanks, brother," he told him. "If you remember anything else, you tell Stacie here. Okay?"

  Cubby, forgetting about blood and vampires, gave Stacie a smile. Clutching his cup with both hands again, he went back to concentrating on drinking his coffee.

  Samuel turned to Stacie. "Keep an eye on him. What he knows is in that head of his somewhere. Who knows when it will come out. But he does know something, I'm positive. I kept getting glimpses of what he saw, but not the place. Try to find where he used to live and who or what this Porky is. It might help."

  "Will do," Stacie told him.

  Samuel and Madison headed back across the street. Samuel kept a death grip on Madison's upper arm as they walked.

  "Ow, that hurts," she protested.

  Once at the car, Samuel spun her around to face him. "What were you thinking, going off like that without a word?"

  "I was just getting him food," Madison said in her own defense. "He's probably only eaten garbage for who knows how long. Food isn't exactly anything you guys think about, but we beaters need it."

  "You did a very good thing, Madison, but all you had to do was say something and we would have gone together to get it. Stacie could have gone with you while I talked to Cubby." When Madison turned away, Samuel put his hand on her chin and turned her face back, forcing her to look at him. "You're in danger, Madison. Get that through your thick skull."

  "How did he know that?" she asked. "How did that homeless man, who I've never seen, know about them wanting my blood?"

  Samuel took his hand away from her face. "I don't know, but sometimes madness opens other doors in the mind. He may have received some image or vision through his darkness."

  Madison shivered and started to open the car door. Samuel reached down and opened it for her. As she stepped in, he bent close. "Millions of things in this world can't be explained, Madison. Vampires and visions are just two of them."