by E G Bateman
Lexi frowned. “I expected documents.”
The other woman leaned over the box. “Is there anything else in there? Maybe the documents are hidden to mislead prying eyes.”
“No.” She lifted the tissue paper to make sure before she looked at Scott. “Is there an enchantment on it?”
He put a hand over the box. “Nope.” He took the vest and held it up. “It seems a little heavy for linen.” With a small frown, he slid two fingers into a little pocket in the front, pulled a key out, and passed it to her.
She turned it in her hand but saw no distinguishing markings on it. “I’ll have to take it back. She’s mixed me up with a customer. Maybe she does alterations on the side.”
The sorcerer looked more closely at the fabric. “Can I see your shuriken?”
Lexi passed it to him. “Be careful. I don’t want to have to pay for this.”
He held it next to the vest and let go. It snapped to a hidden magnet in the garment. “There are a few magnets along the front and magnetized pockets for blades, which explains why it’s heavy. I think this was definitely meant for you.”
She held the key up. “But why hide the key in a vest? And how is a key without a lock supposed to help?”
Scott rolled his eyes and tutted. “I think we’re being dense.”
“Speak for yourself.” Dick walked through the door.
Lexi held her palms up. “Does everyone have a key to this place?”
The vampire waved the key in his hand. “The young man who tried to enter my apartment had a master key. It fits both locks. So, why is everyone but me dense?”
“Dolores must have sent the vest,” Scott explained. “Mrs. Bird put the key in it. Try it on. I bet it fits.”
She removed six little knives and a length of garrote wire from the lining of the leather vest and tugged at the hem in preparation to lift it off.
The sorcerer spun away, and Dick rolled his eyes and turned.
“Okay, you can look. This is fantastic.” Lexi turned in the linen vest.
“It’s lined and feels so cool. What a revelation.” She clicked the ornate shuriken into place on the front. “This material’s amazing. I need to find out if they do pants in this.”
“Yes, I think they do pants in linen.” Dick drawled with sarcasm. He shook his head. “I need to dress for dinner. Then we can head to your crime scene and I can be back in time for my new little friend.”
Her brow creased. “I thought you were on the blood bags.”
“There’s no sense in looking a gift horse in the mouth.” He grinned. “He smelled very healthy.”
“I’ll get ready too.” Betsy walked slowly to the other apartment.
Dick watched her go. “That woman is remarkable. If she were a man, I’d marry her.”
Scott laughed. “Don’t tell her that or she’ll ask for a new necklace to help her grow things she ought not to grow.”
The vampire’s eyes widened. “Scott! She was married to my best friend.”
“It never ceases to amaze me how the object of someone’s affections can remain so oblivious.” The young man shook his head. “If I were to guess, I’d say she was in love with you long before your friend.”
The other man shook his head firmly. “That’s positively ridiculous. Betsy and Harv are one of the greatest love stories of a generation. All the girls wanted Harv and all the boys wanted Betsy. She had the looks of Lauren Bacall, the grace of Audrey Hepburn, and the humor of Doris Day.” He turned to face Scott. “And if you say, “who?” so help me I’ll—”
“Calm down. I’ve heard of the middle one,” the sorcerer assured him.
“But you always looked like you,” Betsy said as she entered as a woman in her thirties in a silk dressing gown. She went to the table at the mirror and retrieved her hairbrush. “Better looking than Clark, classier than Cary, and probably more gay than Rock.” She patted Dick’s face before she retreated to the other apartment again.
Five minutes later, she was back. “The bathroom’s all yours.”
They sat at a table in the Napoleon House restaurant and looked at the menu.
“Have I turned into an eighty-year-old again?” Betsy asked.
Scott looked up. “No. Why?”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I can’t see a word on this menu.”
“It is a little dim in here.” Lexi agreed and glanced at the ceiling.
“The lighting in here is more a hint of light—a suggestion for atmospheric purposes.” Dick took the menu and read it to the older woman.
When he reached Jambalaya, she called a halt. “That’s the one for me!”
Lexi and Scott ordered po’ boys, and the vampire asked for a double Jack Daniels and “keep them coming.”
Betsy put her hand on Dick’s arm. “You won’t be drunk at a crime scene, will you? I’m sure that’s terribly bad form.”
“Darling, I’m undead. It’s impossible to incapacitate me.”
Scott grinned. “Except that time—you know, when Caleb’s vampire pal almost cubed you.”
She scowled. “That monster.”
“Sorry, Betsy.” The young man’s brow drew down in a guilty expression.
“It’s all right dear.” She smiled at him and turned to Dick. “Do you miss food?”
“Not really. I did for the first ten or twenty years, though.”
The meal arrived and Scott picked up his po’ boy. “I think I’d miss it forever.” He tucked in but dropped half the contents of the sandwich down his front.
Lexi stared at him. “At least as much as you miss your mouth.”
Scott flicked a finger at the crime scene tape across the door. A further whisper opened the lock and the door swung open.
Betsy’s eyes widened. “That’s awfully clever and so useful.”
Lexi turned to glance at her, then at Scott.
He received the unspoken message. “You two go up. Betsy and I will keep a lookout.”
The woman darted him a withering look. “I have a strong stomach.”
He frowned. “I haven’t. I threw up the last time I was in there. You’re staying to look after me.”
“Oh, you dear boy.” Betsy took his arm and patted his shoulder.
Scott leaned through the door behind Lexi as she entered the building. “Take a look down the couch. The light went wherever the magic was, and it went through that couch. Something might be stashed there.” She nodded and headed up the stairway with Dick.
She touched her scar. “Open.” The door to the apartment flew open and banged against the wall.
“Jesus! Isn’t there a dial on that thing?” The vampire put his hand over his chest. “My heart.”
“Which doesn’t beat.” She smirked. “Drama queen!”
He turned to her. “I resent that remark.”
“What would you prefer?”
“Sensitive queen.”
She rolled her eyes. “Get in.”
They entered the apartment and wandered through to the living room. The body was gone, thank goodness. She glanced at the lamp in the corner, relieved that the spine had also been removed.
Dick walked to the center of the room. “That’s an enormous quantity of blood.”
“No snacking,” Lexi warned.
He screwed his face up. “Seriously, would you eat food off the floor?”
“Five-second rule.” She shrugged.
“Animal.” He shuddered and sniffed the air several times.
Lexi opened drawers and poked around on shelves. “What can you smell?”
“Well, I can detect at least three hallucinogens.”
She held a black satin bag up and shook it next to her ear. “Anything else?”
“Blood, star anise, blood, mandrake, blood, and mugwort.”
“Very good.” The unexpected voice spoke from the door.
It was the disappearing Gandalf from the crime scenes. Lexi’s katana was in her hand in an instant.
Dick
stepped between them in a fraction of a second. “Please don’t decapitate Joseph. Marcel’s taken quite a shine to him.”
With a dramatic sigh, she put the sword away. “This voodoo stuff makes me antsy.”
The vampire smiled at her with no sincerity whatsoever. “What a charming thing to say to a voodoo priest.”
She studied the new arrival suspiciously. “Joseph and I keep almost bumping into each other.”
“Yes, I am quite eager to make your acquaintance.” The man’s voice was deep, rich, and southern. Lexi couldn’t shake the feeling that something about her amused him.
Dick stepped aside. “Joseph, Lexi. Lexi, Joseph.” To his friend, he said. “Lexi used to be with our Kindred friends but recently had a change of heart and decided to spread her wings.”
Joseph nodded. “Ah! I’m sure that went down well. Are you planning to stay in New Orleans, Lexi?”
She answered honestly. “No, I’m planning to get the hell out of here before the local Kindred return.”
He grinned. “That’s a shame. It’s a family get-together I’d pay money to see.”
“So, what were they up to in here?” She indicated the ritual area in the room.
“Young Jamal has only been in town for a couple of weeks. He and his pretty young friend have done the rounds and tried to ingratiate themselves with the local priests and priestesses. They were tourists. I didn’t detect the capacity for anything like this in either of them.”
“You mean murder?” Lexi went to the couch, intending to ease her hand down the back of it, but paused and stared at it.
I’ve battled demons but I still don’t want to stick my hand down the back of this couch in case it’s icky.
Joseph shook his head. “I mean power. Something powerful and quite evil has been in this room.”
“Did you hear how Jamal died?” Dick asked.
The other man nodded. “I’ve spoken to the detective. It seems quite…exotic.”
Lexi opened a cupboard, glanced in, and closed it again. “And where might this evil something be now?”
He spread his arms. “It could be anywhere. I’m sure your mage friend could locate it.”
She returned to the satin bag and upended it onto a side table. It was a pile of bones. When she moved to swipe them into the bag, a strong hand caught her wrist. Joseph studied the bones. He glanced at her, raised his eyebrows, and laughed a deep, loud belly laugh, then walked out the door.
A little startled, she narrowed her eyes. The guy was annoying. She followed him through the door to ask what was so funny, but when she turned into the hallway, he was nowhere to be seen.
“Seriously,” she snapped as she entered the room again. “That is one creepy fucking dude.”
Dick smiled. “He’s very nice when you get used to him.”
Lexi returned to the couch and lifted the cushions. “We’ll have to speak to Amy, won’t we?”
“It looks that way.” He looked at the couch. “Is there nothing in the couch?”
“Not even a quarter.” She pushed the cushion into place again.
He raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never heard of a couch without a quarter hiding in there somewhere.”
They headed out and down the stairs.
Betsy greeted them. “Interesting. Two went in and three came out.”
Their two friends stood beside Joseph.
“I was introducing myself,” the man said jovially. He turned to the older woman and bowed. “Good evening, little mother, you look extraordinarily well.”
Her hand went involuntarily to her necklace.
“Ah, the necklace.” He turned to Scott and nodded appreciatively. “Nicely done.”
Lexi felt a tug at her side. She turned to see the young girl had found her again. “You have to be kidding me. Don’t you have a curfew?”
Joseph held a hand out. “Hello, Agatha.”
“Hi, Joseph.” The kid held his hand without hesitation.
“Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” He patted her cheek. “You need her, don’t you?”
She nodded her head and they both looked at Lexi.
“Another one.” Scott’s shoulders slumped. It wasn’t a question.
“Do you need me?” Dick asked.
Lexi shook her head. “No, it’s late and, as I recall, you have an arrangement.”
Betsy touched her arm. “May I wait in your apartment, dear? I’d like to enjoy the balcony for a while.”
She smiled. “Of course. And if you prefer not to room with a sleazy vampire, you could stay with us.”
Her gaze drifted to Joseph and she regarded him with a questioning eyebrow.
He sniffed the air. “I’ll be around.”
“We’ll see you later,” she assured Betsy and turned to Joseph. He was gone. “How does he do that?”
Scott shrugged. “Probably the same way I do.”
“Yes, but it’s not creepy when you do it.”
Once again, they followed the girl through the dark streets.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Dick opened the door of the apartment, well aware that Betsy was across the hall and peered through the peephole to get a glimpse of the young man. He stood with his fingers twisting nervously and wore a Saints hoodie and jeans. The vampire studied him for a moment. “You must be Mike.”
“Actually, it’s Peter. Sorry. I panicked when I saw her earlier. I’ve seen her around but not up close and personal like that. I thought I would mess myself.” He gave an apologetic shrug.
“Don’t worry, Peter, she affects us all that way. Well, come on in.” He stepped aside to allow him in, then winked at the spy hole before he closed the door.
He headed straight to the kitchen, opened a cupboard, and pulled out a bottle of Jack. “Would you like a drink?” he called. “I have bourbon or tea.”
“No thank you,” Peter responded. “I just had a couple with friends.”
He’s not exactly the life and soul of the party, is he?
Dick poured himself a large drink and walked in to find his visitor in exactly the same position he’d left him in. “Well, it seems I have catching up to do, chin-chin.”
Peter smiled. “Penis.”
He choked on his drink. “Pardon?”
“Chin-chin is Japanese for penis.”
The vampire struggled to lower his eyebrows. “Well. I did not know that. In fact, it’s remarkable that in all my years, that hasn’t come up before. Have you eaten? I don’t want you fainting on me.”
“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”
Dick led Peter through to the living room and gestured to the couch. “Great! I’m ravenous, Take a seat.”
His visitor complied but he noticed the man’s heart lurch when he said the word “ravenous.” He decided he should probably slow things somewhat.
As non-threateningly as he could, he sat on the other side of the couch. “So, Peter. You said you were a fan. Of vampires in general?”
Suddenly, the young man perked up. “No, your movies. I think they’re great.”
What an astute young man. I was completely wrong about him.
“Peter, we will get on like a house on fire. Tell me, what’s your favorite?”
“A Long Dark Night in Hollywood.”
He frowned. “But I die at the end of that one.”
“I know. It always makes me cry when she holds your hand to her cheek and says, “Don’t go, Johnny, don’t go,” and as you slip away, she doesn’t see your other hand open and the diamond ring falls through the gap in the floorboards.”
“I had to drop that goddam ring about a hundred times before it finally slipped through the—”
The vampire straightened quickly and Peter looked like he might have a heart attack. “Stay right where you are. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
Humming “Tonight” from West Side Story, he hurried into the bedroom, opened a drawer in the big trunk, and flicke
d through a pile of DVDs before he drew one out and closed the drawer. He walked through the room and dropped a copy of A Long Dark Night in Hollywood onto the couch. “Be a dear and put that on. We can watch it for old times’ sake.” He moved to the kitchen, took a pack of Betsy’s popcorn out, and threw it into the microwave. While it popped, he texted Lexi.
I have a theory.
Five minutes later, he was back on the sofa. Peter shoveled handfuls of popcorn into his mouth with one hand while he held his wrist out. Both had their gazes fixed on the movie in companionable silence.
Dick was unaware that anything was wrong until the bowl slid from the man’s lap and scattered popcorn across the floor as he slumped.
“Peter?” The vampire checked his watch. They’d only been going seven minutes but he could hear the man’s heart slowing.
Alarmed, he jumped to his feet to help him, but the moment he stood, he felt light-headed. He swayed and fell heavily. While not quite unconscious, he couldn’t move when the door opened.
“Get Peter out. He’ll be dead in an hour if he’s not already. Drop him in a dumpster somewhere.”
“What about the vamp?”
“I put enough roofies in Peter’s drinks to fell an ox. Lorenzo wants us to take him to the roof and tie him up. He’ll meet the sun in a few hours.”
Dick began to lose consciousness.
“Why not chop his head off now and get it over and done with?”
Lexi stared at the body. “So where’s his head?”
Broullard exhaled sharply and shrugged.
She looked around. “This is the smallest bathroom I’ve ever seen. How do you behead someone in such a tiny space? The logistics are a nightmare.” She noticed that he stared at her from her peripheral vision. “Like you didn’t think it too. So, out with it. Why am I here?”
The cop pointed at the body. “This gentleman was Ambrose Jackson. His wife, Cora, does housekeeping for an agency that services several vacation apartments in the city.”
The penny dropped and she nodded. “Let me guess—Jamal’s place?”
“Correct.”