Dark of Night

by T. F. Walsh

  Raf wore a huge grin, which at the moment, I did not appreciate. “You couldn’t tell me it wasn’t going to be so easy to get rid of him?”

  “And miss all this drama? Not on your life! Girlfriend, I can fix this and your other problem all at the same time.”

  “What are you talking about, Raf?” I wasn’t in the mood for riddles.

  “I can make you forget how good Randy was. Then you won’t be thinking about him all the time.”

  I cringed a little.

  “That good?” Raf tisked. “Your choice, hon. Do you want to risk a repeat performance in a weak moment?”

  “So, what do we do?” I asked on a sigh.

  “Look into my eyes … ”

  I did, and that night I drove to work without making a single wrong turn!

  CHAPTER 10

  Raf jerked me into the building so hard I was surprised my arm hadn’t torn off. I rubbed my aching shoulder. “Damn, Raf! Try to remember I’m human and, as such, breakable!”

  “Sorry doll. The spell is still in place. It was either that or have you toss your cookies on my shoes.”

  “So, is she the witch?” I gave a nod toward the office. There was a very tall woman talking to Tom. Her black hair fell in waves past her tiny waist. My hand went to my own short do. Tom’s fangs were clearly visible in his ready smile. I turned to find Raf frowning. Had he noticed the boss’s toothy grin as well.

  His arm came across my shoulder, massaging the soreness, “Don’t make trouble, doll. Maybe it’s her time of the month, too?”

  “Okay, do you know how uncomfortable that makes me? Knowing you all can sense that. And by-the-way — it’s not.” Apparently my night visitor caused a little bleeding. How was I to know I needed foreplay in a dream sequence? If spotting caused this much interest, I didn’t want to know what problems the “real deal” might create.

  He shrugged, “What?” Then, as it dawned on him, “Oh, well then it will be over in no time. Just try to ignore it.”

  The witch turned. I tried to act busy as her gorgeous, huge green eyes slanted in my direction. My mood did not improve when she and Tom left the salon together. The night promised to be a long one.

  The quad of vamps from opening night made their second appearance and immediately showed fang. Cleo, the black female, shrugged in an understanding way. “Don’t let it worry you,” she said with her thick British accent. “Fact of nature, Pet.”

  Her statement probably would be more comforting if her fangs didn’t look three inches long!

  “Where’re you from?”

  “Grand Caymans,” Cleo answered briefly as she tossed her dreads over her shoulder, and pulled her card from the hip pocket of her cut offs.

  “That explains the accent. Enjoy!” I punched her card and those of her three beaus as I kept an eye on the front door.

  Tom walked in without the witch and stepped to the counter. “Bianca says it may take an hour or so but there shouldn’t be a problem with such a basic spell. She’s agreed to meet with you afterward.”

  His toothsome smile gave his message a menacing quality. I was doomed to see everyone’s dental work tonight. My groan escaped.

  Raf glanced over at me, shook his head, and returned to helping a male vamp with shockingly red hair decide what size t-shirt to buy. If I knew Raf, it would be two sizes too small. After he rang up the purchase, he came over and gave me a closed lipped smile.

  “Doesn’t that hurt?” I asked. You could plainly see the fangs pushing at the skin.

  “I’ve had a lot of practice, but it is uncomfortable.” He flexed his lips exposing his fangs. “So what do you think of the witch?”

  “I think she’d be easy to hate,” I said coldly.

  “Don’t go there, girlfriend. She could be handy to have around.”

  “Why?”

  “She’s a shifter as well as a witch.”

  “Really?”

  I rehashed my earlier lessons. A shifter could change into an animal form. “Shifter” being the politically correct term — only werewolves called themselves Weres, although technically, they too, were shifters. What was the difference? Well according to Raf, a shifter could turn into any animal within a specific group. If it were a feline shifter, any type cat would do, tabby to tiger. Dog? Any canine, tame or wild — except wolf. If you turned into a wolf you were a Were, short for werewolf. Why could they only become wolves? Hell if I knew!

  Some strong shifters changed at will, but all felt the draw of the full moon. They functioned as humans the rest of the time.

  “Is it unusual for a shifter to be a witch?” It seemed like double jeopardy to me.

  “A little, but it makes them a stronger witch since they’re already in touch with the supernatural world. Besides,” he said with a grin. “They can be their own familiar!”

  “So is she a Were or what.” There was so much info to keep straight.

  “Or what. Cat.”

  Well that would explain the huge green eyes as well as seductive prowl. As if our thoughts summoned her — perhaps they had — she walked in the door and straight to me with extended hand. “Hi Connie, I’m Bianca. You got a minute?”

  Now why did she have to be friendly?

  I shook her seemingly normal hand. No claws or fur, only long nails painted in a silver glitter polish … “Is the lounge okay? Are you already finished outside?”

  “Fine. The spell must have been done by an amateur. It would dissipate on its own in a day or two, not very strong,” Bianca told me as we stepped into the employee lounge. She drew a pinkish crystal from the huge tote she carried and held it between her right thumb and index finger. As she moved it toward me it began to glow. “Yep, someone’s messing with you.” She held the crystal over my head and it shone bright. “Been forgetting stuff?

  “Some, but mostly I haven’t been my cautious self lately. Ah, I guess I should mention Raf, the cute dark haired vamp out there, did a little number on me to help me forget a guy. Well, an incubus actually. Is that what you’re picking up?”

  “Raf and I go way back.” She didn’t bother to clarify that statement. “An incubus, really? So how was he?”

  “I can’t even begin to tell you,” I rolled my eyes. I really couldn’t. “Raf did a real good job ’cause I remember I had a good time but not specifically how, and when I try to picture him in my head … I can’t.”

  “Is something else bugging you? You look a little put out.”

  “Well yeah, not that you don’t seem nice and all, but I don’t normally discuss my sex life — or lack of one with strangers. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. It’s like I don’t have any reservations anymore. Trust me, I’m not like that.”

  “Goody. We know the problem so we can break the spell. I’ll do a little reading and research but I don’t foresee any problems, especially if the spell was done by the same one who put the repulsion spell on this place.”

  “A repulsion spell?”

  Bianca tried to explain. “The spell is set up to protect something from something or someone specifically, in this case, from humans. The magic made you anxious and nauseous, right? To cast a spell strong enough to keep supernatural beings out requires a skilled practitioner. Whoever cast this one is not. Well, I mean spell casting isn’t their strong suit. They could have mad talents in other areas.” She shrugged.

  “Do you think the spell has anything to do with the corpse we found in the dumpster a couple of days ago?”

  Bianca shrugged again, “Not likely. You had humans in here before you found it right?”

  I nodded. “We finished for now? Customers are arriving and Raf’s going to need back-up.” The customers were varying degrees of tan, so I suspected Bianca was right about lifting the spell. Unfortunately, Raf’s vampire speed sometimes freaked
humans out.

  My identification technique needed work. Gender was easy. I had been able to tell the difference between boys and girls for a while now. Age was impossible without looking at a vamp’s ID card because they stopped aging when they were turned. So basically I went by skin tone. If they came in pale they were vamps. I know, I know, I said it needed work.

  What did she just say? I tuned back in to Bianca.

  “Yeah you can get back. I have to check in with Tom and let him know what I’ve discovered. Think you can maintain for a day or two?”

  “Tom? You’re acquainted?”

  “We’ve been friends for a while.”

  “So what kind of cat are you?” That wasn’t a rude question, right? Do I care?

  “Any kind I choose — depends on the mood I’m in. Mostly I’m a black panther.”

  Geeze Lou-ise! And here I figured Persian. I must have gulped, I can’t be sure, but whatever I did brought a grin to Bianca’s face. “Get that a lot, huh?”

  “Not as much as you might think. We shifters aren’t out and about like vamps. Only people in certain circles know about us. Now the witch thing is different. I have an ad in the Yellow Pages,” Bianca said proudly.

  “Really? Don’t people think you’re just a scammer?”

  “Sure, some do. But more people out there believe in the craft than most folks imagine. I mean people have gone to fortunetellers, witches, mediums, and the like for centuries. Do you think it would go on so long if some of us weren’t the real deal? People seem to be more accepting now. I haven’t decided yet if that is a good or bad thing. Definitely great for business, though.”

  “Hey, Bianca, is there a spell or something to let me know if someone is not human?” This whole not making eye contact could be a problem with humans. It made you look untrustworthy if you couldn’t look a person in the eye.

  “I suppose I could work one up. Why?”

  “I was warned not to look into the eyes of supernaturals.”

  “You do seem to be having a problem with that. So you don’t want to see their true nature or anything? Just know if they aren’t human?”

  I realized I had been looking her in the eye during our entire conversation.

  “Yeah, that would be a big help.

  “I’ll see what I can work up. When is your next day off?”

  “I’m off Saturday and Sunday.”

  “Oh, he does like you. Weekends off … ”

  She didn’t get any farther down that road because Detective Becki Elms walked through the door. “Hey Connie, your boss in?”

  “He’s in the office.” I motioned toward the door. She knocked and stepped inside.

  “Guess you lifted the spell all right.” I said as Bianca tapped on the office door. I was pretty sure Becki was human.

  “Don’t act so surprised. I told you I did. I’ll call you Friday night and let you know if I’ve come up with something to help you out.” She stepped into the office. A few moments later she made her exit.

  A customer came in as Bianca left, forcing me to concentrate on work instead of office goings on. A thought flashed through my addled brain and I ran to the door, hoping she wasn’t out of sight. Her raven locks blew in the evening wind as she made her way toward the parking lot.

  “Hey!” I called. “What do you charge?”

  The witch tossed her mane over a shoulder as she turned back to shout, “Don’t worry, you can afford it.”

  Why let cost worry me? Nothing else had. I shrugged and went back inside where a miffed Raf informed me he was taking a break. Perhaps he was ticked off because I left him to do all the work. I didn’t blame him one little bit.

  As I walked past the lounge a couple of minutes later with a fresh load of towels, I saw him sipping a bottle of RR and conversing with a really cute guy. The guy barely looked legal. His red-tinged tan coupled with his strawberry blonde hair, Kelly green eyes, and the Pepsi in front of him gave his human status. Well, good for Raf.

  I was a card punching fool for the next hour. The folks who came in were mostly humans. Apparently lots of people had wanted to tan last night but had been unable due to the curse — spell — whatever. They were making up for lost time. Our t-shirts were selling like hotcakes and I tried to be as helpful as I could with the sizing. Logo tees were the in thing right now. Unlike Raf, I tried to direct them to shirts that actually fit. Of course some wanted them small so their navel rings would show. Ouch! To each their own.

  I noticed a FedEx box in the corner. Thinking it contained more tees the day crew hadn’t gotten around to un-packing; I opened it when we got a lull. Not tee shirts, but gold lamé shorts like Raf wore. Were we going to sell these now too?

  “Oh, good! They’re here,” Raf said over my shoulder.

  “We sell shorts too?”

  “No honey, those are yours, the rest of your uniform.

  “Oh shit! You’re kidding me right?” My hopes were dashed by his bright smile.

  “You better stay away from sharp wooden objects. Someone just might push you into one.”

  Scowling first at him and then the shorts, I lifted a pair of the skimpy things. They were like a jogging short with the panties built right in. Excellent! Now when my butt showed as I bent over at least it would be covered in matching gold fabric. Woohoo!

  “Your idea I suppose?”

  “Of course, the staff uniforms must match.”

  “So the day crew wears these, too?” Somehow knowing that didn’t make me feel better.

  “Of course,” Raf assured me. “We’ll all be wearing the same outfits.”

  He seemed awfully happy of a sudden. I couldn’t help wonder if little mister green eyes was causing at least a part of his smile. I grinned back because you can only stay mad at Raf for a short period of time, in my case, about ten seconds.

  “Can I see you in the office for a minute?” Tom asked from his doorway.

  Becki still sat by his desk and neither one looked particularly cheerful. Raf motioned me to go on.

  “What’s up?” I asked to anyone who felt like answering me.

  “Detective Elms has a few more questions for you,” Tom replied as he motioned to the other chair in front of his desk. When I was seated opposite Becki, he returned to his own chair and waited.

  “Connie, did you notice anything else the night you found the body? Anything at all?”

  “Well yeah I did — an odor. I thought I told you about it?” She shook her head as she looked through her notes.

  “I couldn’t put my finger on it until yesterday. It smelled like formaldehyde. Like in Biology class? But there was something else mixed in, sort of like vanilla. Sounds sick right?” I noticed Tom and Becki make eye contact. “So what’s going on?”

  “Detective Elms thinks this may be some sort of prank,” Tom answered. “The corpse was preserved and some of the dismemberment occurred post-mortem.”

  I’d watched enough C.S.I. to know what he meant. “So do you have an ID?”

  Becki shook her head. “Probably a John Doe. Some homeless guy who died on the streets most likely. Nobody claims them the med students get them for anatomy class or whatever.”

  “So you think med students did that?” A class had just graduated. And a bunch of newbies had entered pre-med. “Isn’t that unlawful, desecrating a corpse or something?”

  “We’re looking into the possibility. I hope it wasn’t a student prank. It could cost some young doctor his or her license. I’ll have forensics recheck for anything vanilla in the dumpster. They’re gonna love me.”

  “It was like industrial strength, Becki,” I said, not sure if it made a difference.

  She nodded as she rose, “I’ll tell them. Thanks for talking to me. I’ll let you get back to work. Hey, Rocky sure misses you. H
e won’t let anyone else cut those toenails. He’s beginning to look like Freddy Kruger.”

  I smiled. Rocky was her rescued Rottweiler and he had a mind of his own when it came to getting his toenails trimmed. It’s hard to argue with one hundred pounds of muscle and teeth. You couldn’t muzzle him or he went berserk. For some unknown reason he liked me. I scribbled my address and phone number, something Raf must have stuck in my head, on the back of a business card. I stuck it in her hand as she walked to the door. “Bring him by sometime and I’ll cut them.”

  “Oh God, thanks! I’ll owe you big time.” Becki paused to raise her skirt mid-thigh. The bruised scratch ran down to just above her knee.

  I winced. “I’m off Saturday. Any time after noon.”

  “I’ll call first. Thanks a million.” She exited, climbed into an un-marked car and drove away.

  “So tell me!” Raf said as soon as I reached the counter.

  “Not much to tell. She asked if I noticed anything else that night. I told her about the nauseating smell. She explained part of it. The corpse may be a cadaver, preserved in formaldehyde.”

  “Does she have any leads?”

  “They sort of think it might be a prank, med students stealing a cadaver from the hospital.”

  Willy started to growl under the counter. “What’s got you going?” I asked him. He had growled more in the past few days than in the entire time we’d been together. Every time he did, something bad happened. I felt the hair on my nape rise in anticipation. A group came through the door and Willy’s growl grew stronger. How do dogs know these things in advance? They had trouble written all over them. One even had an obscene tattoo on his bald head.

  “So this is the vampire place,” Baldy said to his buddies. “Don’t look so special to me. How ’bout you Kat?” He asked of the girl under his arm.

  “I want one of them spray tans to cover up my bikini lines, Harley,” she said with a smile.

  So, Harley was Baldy’s name. The alpha of the group by the looks of things.

  “Sure thing, babe. We’ll all get spray painted. Y’all do wash down the equipment right? I wouldn’t want to catch nothing.” He looked at Raf as he said it. “So what’ll it cost for the five of us, pal?”