by Jamie Davis
“But no one has seen or heard from him since,” Dean said. “Do you expect me to believe he just moved away without a trace?”
“Mike Farver and your chief know where he is,” James said. “Ask them if you don’t believe me. I assure you that no harm came to him at my hand or from those I know.” The conversation paused again as Daisy returned to ask if they needed anything else and to leave the check on the table.
“I think this conversation is over, Dean. I’ve had my say, and you have had yours. I think we will just have to agree to disagree for now. I will say this. I have been honest and straightforward with you here this morning. It is not in my nature to bare myself this way, but Brynne thinks very highly of you. In fact, I think very highly of you. We need open minded and intelligent partners among the normal humans to watch out for us when we need assistance. It’s a better world for all that way.” James paused to pick up the check and stood up next to the booth. “I’ll pay for your meal. I ask that you think on what we talked about and understand that while I am trying to live in this new world, I am still a very old world man. I do not like people meddling in my personal affairs. I will not take lightly to such intrusions in the future. This chat is my way of setting the bar, as they say, to where we stand.”
“And where do we stand, James?” Dean asked, standing as well.
“I’d like to think we stand for the best interest of Brynne Garvey and for the community around us, Unusuals and Normals combined, Dean.” James said. “And I know what is best for my Brynne. You are her coworker, and I appreciate your concerns. However, I am hers, and she is mine in a way that you couldn’t understand. I know what she needs and doesn’t need, and I’m sure she has the same feelings for me. As I said, I’ll deal with the repercussions of my own actions with her. All I ask is for you to stay out of it in the meantime.” James glanced at the check in his hand, pulled out his wallet and dropped the check and a few bills on the table.
“Aren’t you going to burn up or something going out in the sunlight?” Dean asked, looking out diner windows at the brightening morning sky.
“I’m old enough that it would take several minutes of direct noontime sunlight to adversely affect me.” James said. “I assure you, I’ll be fine.” He glanced out the window, chuckled and walked away. Dean watched him go, his appetite was suddenly gone. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do.
He left the diner more than a little shaken by his encounter with James. Somehow the vampire had come across as almost civilized … almost. There had been an undertone to the conversation that had been, well, creepy and frightening. James had not openly threatened him. He’d made the request to leave the Brynne situation alone seem reasonable, at least a little bit.
Dean checked his email to see if Mike had responded back to his request to meet up, but he still hadn’t responded. He did have a request from a Nigerian prince to transfer some money to a U.S. bank account. Based on how he felt after the conversation with the vampire, that scam email might have a better chance of being true than believing anything James had to say.
He sat in his pickup truck for a long time in the parking lot at Hank’s Diner just thinking about the situation. He was sure that Brynne needed some kind of help, but James had assured him she was in no danger. But what was to stop James from charming her, again and again as long as it suited him? What Dean couldn’t get out of his head was that James had all but said aloud that he had drunk from Brynne. She’d acted as if it was no big deal but if it gave her vampire boyfriend some sort of control over her, it was a bad idea.
Dean finally came to the conclusion that there was nothing he could do until he got a chance to talk to Mike and verify some of the things that James had said. He started the truck and headed home to his apartment. There was nothing else to do until he could talk to Mike. Lost in his thoughts, Dean again missed seeing the black SUV that pulled out behind him and followed him home.
Chapter 18
The next day Dean could not sleep, so he had all day to think about the previous night’s encounter. His restless thoughts during the day kept him distracted from getting anything done. He tried doing some laundry and picking up around his apartment, but he always ended up sitting down and staring at the wall of his kitchenette. He mulled over what he was going to do about James and Brynne.
He finally got an email back from Mike. He was away at a conference and wouldn’t be back for a week. If there was a problem that he couldn’t talk to Brynne about, he suggested going to Bill or Lynne about it. That was really no help since Bill and Lynne were off for the next two days, and he didn’t know how to contact them aside from their work email addresses. Did he reach out to one of them or did he wait and see what Brynne was like over the next few days?
Eventually, the clock made the decision for him. It was time to go back to work. He changed into his uniform and headed out to his pickup. This time he noticed the black SUV with the dark tinted windows parked along his street and watched in his rear-view mirror as it pulled out behind him. Great, James was having him followed by his henchmen. Apparently the vampire’s promise to leave him alone if he left this situation with Brynne alone was all a bunch of crap. He watched them follow him and was going to confront them directly when he got to the station parking lot, but they drove past the entrance to the industrial park where the station was.
Dean was fuming when he pulled into the lot at the station. He saw James’ sports car pulled up in front of the building and watched Brynne get out, say something from outside the passenger door, laugh and go inside. Dean jumped out of his truck and strode across the parking lot to confront James before he drove off. In the twilight of dusk, Dean saw the driver’s window roll down as he approached revealing James’ pale face behind the steering wheel.
“James,” Dean said angrily as he approached. “You said you’d leave me alone and yet you have your goons follow me around from my house to here in that black SUV.”
“Dean,” James said calmly. “I have no idea what you are talking about. I assure you that I don’t need to use anything as mundane as a black SUV to have you followed. I have access to the whole pantheon of Unusuals at my command.”
“What?” Dean said, confused. “Well, who is following me then?”
“I don’t know,” James said with a smile. “But it’s not me. Perhaps you owe someone money? If you need a loan or something, I’m sure I can arrange favorable terms for you. I am a man of some means after all.”
“I don’t think I want to get into your debt, James,” Dean said. “We both know that would be a bad idea.”
“Dean,” James said smoothly. “You act like I’m some sort of mobster goon. I’m a businessman who is not above helping out a friend of a friend who is in need. Also, I just thought you’d want to know I told Brynne the truth after our chat. I realized that you were right. I shouldn’t have considered charming her about the girl. She’s ready to talk with you when you get inside. She can smooth everything over for you.” He glanced at his watch and looked at Dean. “You had better get inside. You are going to be late for work. I’ll be around if you need to chat again. Just let Brynne know and she will get in touch with me.”
Dean stood there as James put the window back up and pulled out of the parking lot. He watched the vampire drive away, revving his engine again as he left. He was more confused now than he had been when he left the diner that morning. It was like James had listened to reason and suddenly done the right thing. Could a leopard change its spots? Dean didn’t think so. He crossed the rest of the way to the entrance to the station and went inside. Maybe Brynne could shed some light on the situation.
Brook and Tammy were packing up to leave when Dean got inside. They were animatedly chatting about their night with Brynne as Dean set his stuff down. Apparently, they had gone back to Lydia’s house to manage another asthma attack, and she had asked about Dean. She wanted to personally apologize to him. They giggled at this. He was not amused.
“Lig
hten up, Dean,” Brook said. “She seems really sorry for unleashing her vocal charms on you. And, you have to admit she’s pretty hot. You could do a lot worse.”
“I don’t think dating a former patient is such a good idea,” Dean said. “Anyway, isn’t she married? That guy with her was her husband, right?”
“Who said anything about dating her?” Tammy said, which brought howls of laughter from the other two.
“Very funny,” Dean said. “Brynne, I think I’ll go out and check the gear and do the shift med check.” He nodded to Brook and Tammy. “Ladies, I’ll leave you to your gossiping.” They burst into laughter as he walked through the room shaking his head. He headed out to the ambulance bay and started going through the gear for the night. A few minutes later he heard the door to the squad room open, and Brynne was standing by the open back doors of the ambulance. She looked up at him where he was bent over the med bag with his checklist open on the iPad.
“They didn’t mean any harm, Dean,” Brynne said. “I don’t think they realize the effect that situation had on you.”
“It’s fine,” Dean said. “There’s just been a lot going on over the last few weeks. First that thing with Lydia and then this situation with the cardiac arrest the other night.” He looked over at her. “You know that James came and had a chat with me over my meal at the diner this morning, right?”
“He told me,” she said. “I’m not sure what you have against him, Dean, but you have to get over it. He’s my boyfriend and what I do on my private time is my own business.”
“This has nothing to do with you and him together,” Dean said. “It has everything to do with his involvement in the cardiac arrest with that girl. He said just now that he worked the whole thing out with you. Is that true?”
“He and I have dealt with the situation,” she said.
“Did you know that he all but told me he was going to change your memories about the call and have you adjust our reports on it based on that influence?” Dean countered.
“Let me deal with this, Dean,” she said firmly. “I know there are some strange things going on from your point of view, but you’re too new to this job to understand. Just let me handle it. James and I have been together for over four years. I know how to deal with him.”
“I’ll let you handle it as far as it goes, but I’m going to write a version of my impressions of the call and submit it as an addendum to the patient care report.” He defiantly met her eyes.
“That’s your right," she said, “but it’s not necessary. Headquarters is completely aware of the situation so you would just be wasting your time.” She turned and walked back into the station’s squad room. He watched her go and heard the door to the ambulance bay shut behind her.
The rest of the shift passed again in relative silence. Dean sat at the computer and drafted his version of the cardiac arrest call but didn’t attach the document to the official record yet. He was still not sure of the right course of action to take. He needed to talk to Mike, and he was out of town for the rest of the week. He considered emailing it directly to him, but then changed his mind after a quick review of the service’s HIPAA electronic security policy. The email was not secure, and he would expose himself to disciplinary action or worse if he sent out patient information over that route of communication. Instead, he saved the document locally on his account and plugged in his thumb drive to keep a copy for himself.
Later, as they were riding back from their first call of the night, a Wiccan with food poisoning from spoiled eye of newt, he brought it up again. “Brynne, I’m not trying to make trouble. I just really don’t understand,” he said. “Just tell me how you’re alright with how James planned to manipulate you.”
“I am not alright with it at all, Dean,” she said, “but, I’m not talking about that with you. I said I’ll deal with it and I will, but it is a personal matter between James and me. As far as the official report goes, everything is on the up and up. The patient did give her consent to be in that, uh, situation, and while you might not choose that option, she did make that decision and we have to respect it.”
“Well if everything is alright, then why did James feel like he had to do what he did?” Dean asked.
“He panicked,” she said. “He comes from a different time. Back in his early days such things would have wound up with him being chased by villagers with torches, pitchforks, and sharpened stakes.” Brynne held his gaze for a moment then looked away. “I won’t lie to you. I’m pissed at him for doing what he did, but I also understand why he did it.”
“Aren’t you afraid that what he was planning to do with you was, well, abusive in some way?” Dean asked. “I’m just worried that he’s exerting control over you somehow. You may not be reacting normally, and how would I know if you weren't?”
Brynne glanced over at him. “Believe me, I’m acting normally, Dean. Let’s just say that I’ve taken precautions to make sure that he doesn’t do anything like that to me. I will not be a position to be influenced like that again. I made that clear to him and I think he won’t try it, but I’m also not leaving myself open. I’ve sought what you might call professional help, and no vamp can threaten to charm me like that.”
“Is it something I can get, too?” Dean asked. “I’d like all the protection I can get after recent events. I don’t even know what is dangerous to me anymore. I feel like my sense of scene safety is kind of a joke right now.”
“Don’t stop trusting your instincts,” she said. “They’re good. They alerted you that something was up with that cardiac arrest call and they alerted you that James was up to something. All were true. Your instincts were dead on.” She stopped as they arrived back at the station. “Hop out and back me in. We’ll finish talking about this when we get back inside.”
Chapter 19
Dean jumped out as she pressed the button to raise the garage doors. He helped her back the ambulance into the bay safely. Then he hooked up the electric line to the side of the ambulance box and headed into the squad room just in time to see a figure in dark clothes run out the other door to the parking lot. A quick glance showed the desks in disarray, papers all over the floor and the room a complete mess. He shouted at the person as he ran across the room, pushing the door to the parking lot open and watching as that same black SUV sped away from the station parking lot. He tried to get a look at the license plate, but they were gone, disappearing into the night too fast for him to make out the letters and numbers.
Brynne came into the squad room just as he returned. “What the …?”
“I just chased some guy out of here. He was dressed all in black like some sort of ninja,” he said. “He sped off in a black SUV. I’d swear that’s the same black SUV I’ve seen around for the last few weeks off and on. I thought at first they were with James, but when I asked him about it, he denied having anything to do with them.”
“James wouldn’t do something like this,” Brynne said. “He could just ask me if he wanted information.” She walked over to the pair of desks and the computer workstations. “It looks like they were trying to pull the hard drives out of these but couldn’t get the cases open. The filing cabinets are still locked.”
Dean walked over to the break area. “They tore apart the bookshelf and dumped our small collection of tomes and legends on the floor. It’s like they were looking for something in particular.”
“I’ll call this in. We should probably get the police involved,” Brynne said. “You check through the rest of the building and see if you can find anything else that’s missing.”
“Maybe they were looking for drugs or something,” Dean proposed.
“Why look in here, then?” she asked. “They would have been trying to break into the med dispenser out in the bay if that were the case. It’s like they were after patient information or something. There are some hate groups out there that target the Unusual population.”
Dean looked at his desk and quickly checked his pockets. “Oh no,”
he said rushing to the messed up desk and moving papers and books around.
“What is it?” Brynne asked.
“My thumb drive,” he said. “I think I left it plugged into the computer. I was keeping a record of my call reports on there and had a copy of my version of the cardiac arrest call complete with my suspicions about James’ involvement.”
“That’s not good, Dean,” Brynne said. “Why would you keep an unencrypted copy like that in your personal collection? That’s protected patient information, Unusual or not.”
“I just wanted to keep track of what I was doing. I only had the last few days of calls on it.” He looked up at his partner. “I upload it to a secure cloud-based server when I’m home, but I hadn’t updated it for the last several days. There were three or four run reports on there as well as the cardiac arrest report.”
“Okay, we’ll deal with that later,” she said. “I’ll call dispatch and report the break in. You keep looking around and see if there is anything else missing.”
It didn’t look like the intruder had made it back into the bunkrooms or bathroom of the station. He, or she, had just focused on the office and squad rest areas. He wasn’t sure what to do next. He remembered his class on dealing with medical crime scenes and decided not to clean anything up until the police had come and gone. He walked back into the main squad room area and saw Brynne talking on the phone.
“They’re sending a police unit over - one that specializes in Unusuals so we can talk to them freely,” Brynne said as she hung up the phone. “They’ve put us out of service for now. We’re to continue to inventory anything that’s missing but try not to muck up the crime scene any more than necessary.”
The two cops arrived in about five minutes. They said the door looked like it had been forced open and that they would probably have to get it repaired before it would lock correctly again. A crime scene unit showed up, and a tech came in and looked around. He dusted the computer and desk for fingerprints, as well as the inside and outside of the door. He said it all looked smudged like the intruder was wearing gloves. Dean couldn’t remember if he saw the intruder wearing gloves or not. He closed his eyes, trying to picture what the person looked like as they ran out the door. He couldn’t get a clear picture in his mind.