by David
"Where does that go?" Lee shouted, grabbing a woman in scrubs with a stethoscope around her neck.
"Laundry, storage areas, staff lounge," she answered. "You're not allowed…"
"Neither is she." Diane stepped on through, moving carefully for a few steps until she was clear of the slippery glass and debris on the waxed floor.
"Have security cover every exit. The woman has a gun!" Lee yelled back at the emergency-room staff still on their feet as he followed Diane up the flight of stairs.
"She grabbed one from a cop?" Diane whispered as Lee came up beside her.
"I thought I saw an empty holster. Even if she isn't armed, the civilians need to stay out of her way," Lee whispered as he moved quickly forward.
Diane nodded. "Once the story gets around about her taking out two cops from her gurney, that should reinforce their caution."
Lee and Diane continued down the hall, hurriedly checking inside an empty linen storage area, a laundry full of churning machines and three sweating employees, and a staff lounge with two women in scrubs playing cards.
A loud boom, metallic rather than from a gunshot, came from somewhere ahead. Lee ran forward, taking a corner so fast he bounced off the wall on the other side of the hall. Someone was standing in a half-opened door at the end of the passage. It was Elka, barefooted but still in bloody sweatshirt and jeans. She raised a hand in his direction.
"Gun!" Lee yelled, diving to the floor as a bullet ricocheted past him and struck the end wall.
Diane poked her head around the corner, pistol leading the way. Elka fired again, then dove out of sight down a set of stairs.
Lee rose to his knees, his pistol pointed in the direction Elka had gone. "You okay?"
"I'll cover you. Go!" Diane called.
Lee ran to the doorway leading downstairs and hugged the wall. Glancing over, he noted a large dent in the metal door near the latch. So much for keys. Hearing the vampire wrecking crew at the bottom of the stairwell, he took a half step forward and peeked over the edge, ducking back just before Elka, at the bottom, fired two more rounds up the stairwell. The bullets struck a lighted Exit sign on the ceiling, shattering the bulb and darkening the hall even more—theoretically.
There was another loud thud, and then a loud electric bell went off—an alarm.
Diane came running up and actually slid three feet before coming to rest opposite him. They both looked down at once.
"She went outside!" Diane shouted.
Lee looked down below the front sight of his pistol. At the bottom of the flight was a barred door with an alarm and a sign that read EMERGENCY EXIT, ALARM WILL SOUND WHEN DOOR IS OPENED.
Lee took the flight down in two steps, stopping at an open window beside the door, which led down still another flight of stairs. Glancing out the window, he saw that the stairs led to the roof of the ground floor. Beyond that was a section of the parking lot reserved for doctors and staff. "She didn't take the stairs, she went out onto the roof."
Diane joined him, breathing hard. "Is she back in the shadows there against the wall?"
Lee looked. "No, but there are some imprints in the roof gravel. She probably jumped over the parapet and down to the pavement."
"What now? She could be long gone."
"This is on the south side of the building. Take the stairs down, then make sure she didn't cut back into the building. Check the parking lot and see if she's trying to hot-wire a car. But be very careful," Lee said, putting away his pistol and climbing up onto the window frame. "I'll meet you outside."
Diane started to speak, but he launched himself over the metal frame and dropped down onto the roof with a crunch, bending at the knees to reduce the shock. Like stepping off the curb, he thought, then glanced down from the roof at the nearly full parking lot, illuminated by floodlights for the night-vision-impaired.
Seeing nothing that got his immediate attention, Lee moved toward the parapet, then suddenly heard crunching gravel above and behind him.
"Crap!" Lee dove back toward the window. He felt a stinging pain in the back of his right leg at the same instant a boom sounded above his head. Lee rolled onto his back, trying to bring his pistol around and up.
A woman cursed, and then a revolver appeared over the roof edge above him pointed down in his direction. There was a click, then another curse. Fighting the numbness in his leg, Lee aimed, but held off firing when the hand disappeared.
Lee stood, shakily, and heard footsteps fading across the roof above. Clambering up onto the window ledge, he leaped up and grabbed hold of a drainpipe, then pulled himself on up to the roof. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye just as Elka dropped out of sight below the roof level.
Limping across the roof as quickly as he could with a bullet wound in his calf, Lee came to the spot where Elka had disappeared. The revolver shed been using was lying on the roof. The click he'd heard suggested she'd run out of ammo and explained why she'd left it behind. About fifteen feet below was a van. A big dent in the vehicle's roof showed where she'd jumped. In the distance, probably a hundred yards or more, he could see Elka running rapidly across the parking lot.
Lee thought about jumping down, looked down at his bloody pant leg, then decided to watch where Elka was going instead. Crossing a side street at a run, the woman disappeared down an alley and out of sight.
Lee moved back across the roof and, finding that his leg had already stopped bleeding and was healing rapidly from the inside out, climbed back down to the porch roof, then inside the hospital again.
Ten minutes later, after finding Diane and directing officers to the area where Elka had last been seen, Lee was back in his own vehicle with Diane, checking alleys and side streets in an ever-increasing spiral search. City officers were combing the entire uptown area now.
Lee knew Elka would probably break into a home or business and, undetected, steal some clothes and hole up for a while. The hours of darkness were the perfect time for vampires, and Elka was a predator with an entire city of victims to stalk. But who was her real target, and what had happened with Rogers less than an hour ago? He wasn't sure if he'd just been lucky, or if Elka was carrying out part of some greater plan.
.Lee and Diane soon left the block-by-block search up to the officers already involved and decided to interview Rogers. While he was driving, Diane dialed up the CIA man's hotel room. Grumbling to herself, she quickly made two other calls.
"You mean that nobody knows where he is?" Lee demanded as Diane finally put away her phone.
She shrugged. "Either that or it's a cover story being given to everyone right now, especially the press. According to the Albuquerque Police Department, Rogers said that he'd call in later, then drove off with his own security people. Logan said he'll have Rogers give us a call as soon as he checks in. I think Rogers believes that someone tipped off Elka."
"Elka probably hung back and watched him leave Los Alamos. His motorcade involved at least three vehicles, and those big Suburbans are hard to lose. It would have been a cinch to follow him here. His security has plenty of muscle, but I doubt they're used to working against a professional like Elka."
"Logan's going to fax me a photo of the person who saw Elka kill that police officer, though he said it really doesn't show much. The license plate was stolen, so that wasn't much help either."
"So maybe Elka does have a partner. That's something else we'll have to deal with."
"Speaking of dealing with things, how's your leg?"
"The bullet passed right through. Don't let all the blood mislead you," Lee smiled. "I'm just glad that was her last bullet. Another hit might have made it very inconvenient."
"Like in your heart? You're lucky the weapon she grabbed was a revolver and only had six rounds."
Lee nodded. "How are the officers she attacked doing?"
"Both are expected to live, but Elka really manhandled them. Which raises the question, why almost kill them and not Rogers?"
"Maybe he'll be able to g
ive us an idea." Lee was driving west toward I-25, having intended on heading south again to the hotel where Rogers had been. Now he decided to go north instead and began looking for the next exit.
"When we talk to Rogers we'll find out exactly what happened between him and Elka," Diane said.
"Let's go home, check out the fax, then we can both clean up and have something to eat. Afterward we can figure out our next move while we're waiting for the call," Lee suggested. "I gather from your side of the conversation with Logan that the President still isn't going to cancel his visit."
Diane shook her head. "No. But they're going to keep his security extremely tight and close the ceremony to everyone except base personnel, invited guests, and a few members of the press. At least the ceremony is going to be in broad daylight on the loading apron right beside a gate and those participating will come by vehicle directly to the site. I just wish we had some idea what Elka was planning."
They arrived at Diane's apartment building shortly thereafter, but before Diane could open her door, Lee reached out and touched her arm. "Wait, let's look around before we get out. We have more than one enemy looking for us now."
Diane turned her head, studying the area. About a third of the parking spaces normally occupied were vacant. "Seems normal for this time of day. People going out for dinner, a movie, dating."
"Don't see anyone waiting in their vehicles—except us," Lee said, checking everything outside within his view. "Isn't that a light on in the apartment, though?" He looked closely, seeing what appeared to be flickering lights on the living/dining area window curtain.
"In our—my apartment?" Diane ducked down lower to see out the windshield toward the second story. "Looks like the TV is on. It wasn't like that when we left." She reached down and felt for her pistol, checking the side mirror to make sure nobody was coming up from behind.
"Thieves don't usually evaluate the loot before taking it, do they?" Lee opened the door slowly, keeping an eye on the apartment windows. The bedroom was dark, and nobody was visible inside that he could spot. "Don't close your door. We want to do a silent approach. It might just be a snoopy landlord."
"Nobody is supposed to have any key except me. I had a deal with management." Diane slipped out her door, bringing up her pistol and keeping a sharp eye around them.
"I'll go up first," Lee said.
"It's my place."
"I'm harder to kill."
"That's true. Okay, just this time." Diane stopped, letting Lee get a few steps ahead. She'd provide cover and watch the windows.
"The freaking sound is on. The damn burglar is watching the news," Diane whispered.
Lee nodded but kept moving silently up the stairs. When he reached the door, he saw no signs that the entrance had been forced, but the match that had been placed in the upper jamb of the door was gone. Whoever was inside, or had gone in and left leaving the TV on, either had a key or was an expert locksmith.
Instantly thinking of Elka, he turned and mouthed the word to Diane, shrugging to make it a question. She set her jaw as she brought her pistol in line with the door, then nodded.
CHAPTER 17
« ^ »
Lee switched his pistol to his left hand and slowly turned the knob. It moved freely. Nodding to Diane, he turned it completely and lunged forward, muscles coiled enough to break the deadbolt free if necessary. The door flew open with barely a sound and he dove across the dimly lit room, vaguely aware that someone was sitting on the sofa in front of the TV. Rolling and coming to a crouched position, Lee swung his pistol up. "Don't move!"
Seated on the sofa in front of the television, looking over at him with her hands up and an anxious expression on her face, was an attractive long-haired blonde barely out of her teens, dressed in tight jeans and a baggy sweatshirt. "Don't shoot me, Officer Hawk. Or should I call you Lee Nez?" Her voice was a bit shaky, but the words came out as if they'd been rehearsed.
"Who the hell are you?" Diane said, peering around the door. Her pistol was aimed at the young woman's head.
"I'm Bridget. You must be Special Agent Lopez—Diane in the card you sent Officer Nez in Las Cruces."
Diane stepped forward and closed the door, locking it with her left hand while she kept her handgun directed toward the woman seated on the sofa. Then Diane flipped on the light switch. Bridget was clearly visible now, even to her.
"I'll check out the rest of the apartment," Diane said.
Lee nodded, but kept his pistol and eyes directed toward the young woman while Diane checked the other areas of the apartment. She returned within the minute, indicating with a thumbs-up that the place was clear. Diane's weapon was still out, and she pointed it toward Bridget again.
Lee spoke. "I noticed you in a car outside this morning when we left, Bridget, putting on makeup. You're wearing a lot of sunscreen and it smells like the brand I use. Does that mean what I think it does?"
"That all depends, Officer Nez. Agent Lopez does know what you really are, doesn't she?" Bridget smiled sweetly, looking and sounding more confident now.
Lee looked at Diane, who shrugged. "A state policeman?" she asked, not lowering her weapon a centimeter.
"You know he's more," she answered, not taken in by Diane's evasion. "I'm speaking of the undead, Nosferatu—vampires." She smiled, showing that her hands were empty as she stretched and yawned, trying to appear at ease, though Lee thought he could see nervousness in those blue eyes. "I've been waiting all day for you two to return. I turned on the television so I wouldn't surprise you and get myself shot. I managed to stop myself from raiding your cupboards and refrigerator, but I'm really hungry now. If I can have something to eat, I'll tell you what's going on."
Lee didn't move, though he finally smiled. "What are you doing here, Bridget?"
"I'm supposed to be helping Elka Pfeiffer kill her enemies, including you, Officer Nez. She was going to pay me a lot of money. I could probably get a bonus for killing Agent Lopez too. But after seeing Elka kill that policeman this morning—I decided there were limits to what I'd do for money."
Bridget gestured toward the kitchen table. "My pistol and ammunition are over there, well out of reach for even someone as fast as me. My purse is there too, but all I have in it are makeup, my phony ID and billfold, car keys… stuff like that. There's a fax in your machine with my picture. It was taken by a police camera, so you can't tell for sure it's me, but it is."
Diane took a few steps toward the table, but Lee kept his eye on the innocent-looking young woman. No vampire was innocent anymore, not even the decent, moral ones.
"There's a fax from Logan here, and her fully loaded .380 handgun along with an extra clip containing four rounds." Diane examined the contents of the small, black leather handbag, laying them out on the table. Then she turned to look at Bridget. "Where's your knife, Bridget?"
"You mean the one I carry in case I have to cut off somebody's head—if I'm attacked by an enemy who happens to also be a vampire?" Bridget sat up, then bent down and lifted the hem of her pant leg up enough to reveal a flat, long-bladed dagger in a soft leather case taped to her ankle. "But you could shoot before I could pull it out, so relax."
"Where's Elka, Bridget? We came across her at a hospital not long ago." Lee moved to the side of the window and looked outside. For all he knew, Elka could be within fifty feet.
"Was that her I heard about on TV? There was a report of someone being attacked at a motel by a woman who went berserk. I understand she was taken to a hospital, then escaped from the emergency room." Seeing the answer on their faces, she added, "I should have known that was Elka. She's been freaking out like that from time to time lately."
The young woman looked down at Lee's pant leg, where there was a hole and dried-up blood. "It looks like you've been shot, Officer Hawk… Nez. Did Elka do that?"
"Yeah, at the hospital. But getting back to her current location…"
"I really don't know where she is. I haven't seen her at all since she killed the
officer this morning and, just so you know, I wasn't involved in that at all. The police video used to lift the photo on that fax you received proves that," Bridget said, gesturing to the table. As she started to get up, Diane tensed slightly.
"Sorry. I understand you have no reason to trust me. Want me to get rid of the knife? It's my only weapon now."
Bridget reached down and slowly eased the blade out of the holster with her thumb and forefinger, then tossed it gently to the floor. It stuck in the carpet. "Ooops."
"You starting to relax a bit now, aren't you?" Lee said, taking the knife, then sitting in the chair across from her.
"Finally. I sat outside in that car nearly all day, worrying about the possibility of being attacked by you two and having to defend myself. Believe me, the last thing I want is a fight. The past few months have been scary enough." Bridget looked down at her hands, and told them about being forced to become a vampire, then how she'd used her skills as a thief to help the group.
"I was never given a choice, not from day one. They would have killed me if I hadn't obeyed them." She looked at Diane and Lee, tears in her eyes.
"Now that I'm away from Elka and the rest of them are dead, I've got the chance to start living my own life again without being afraid. I've decided to go for it. Elka's on her own. I'm putting myself in your hands." Bridget folded her legs up beneath her on the sofa and leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest, then smiled selfconsciously as she wiped the tears away from her eyes with her fingertip.
Diane took a step forward, lowering her pistol to her side, but keeping it firmly in her grip. "Interesting story. But you said you'd come to New Mexico to kill Lee—Officer Hawk—and some other people as well. You want to tell us more about that now, Bridget?"
After Diane had gone outside, checked out Bridget's car, and moved it away from the apartment complex in case it harbored a tracking device, they all worked together to fix dinner. Soon the three of them were seated at the table, sipping iced tea and eating lasagna.