“A week?” Her eyes filled with tears. “You want Joe and I to take your money and go on vacation while you stay here and deal with these vampires?”
She squeezed Jules’s hand. “Listen to me. This is serious. I don’t know if I could stop Riker if he found out about you and wanted to wipe out your memories. And if the other vamp found out we were friends…”
Jules pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze.
“You have to do this. And you have to convince Joe to go with you.”
“Oh, Katie.”
She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Jules. She hated asking Jules to leave her house, her job, everything, but she loved her friend. Saving her life and memories were top priority.
“I don’t want to leave you,” Jules whined.
“I know. I’ll miss you, but everything will work out. You’ll see. Just take the money and leave tonight. Have Joe call in his vacation to his other job.” She lowered her arms and leaned back into her chair.
“He’s not going to want to go.”
“You have to find a way to persuade him. Tell him how much fun you’ll have getting away for a while, just the two of you. Make it sound romantic, or kinky. Whatever works.”
“God, I can’t believe I’m going to do this.”
“It’ll be over soon.”
“I hope you’re right. And I hope we never see another vampire again.”
“There’s one more thing I need for you to do.”
“What?” Jules asked hesitantly.
“If you have any tote bags, I need you to get them and follow me to Kyle’s place. I want to get some weapons out of the cellar before the sun sets.”
“Sure,” she said, sounding more upbeat. “Where are you going to store them?”
Katie disliked asking Jules, but she didn’t have anyone else to turn to. “Can I store them in your mini-barn?”
“If you can find room. It’s a mess with all the gardening equipment everywhere.”
“I’ll find room. It’s only temporary. I promise.”
Jules stood and placed her hand on Katie’s shoulder. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need to, you and your weapons of mass destruction.” She picked up the plate and headed for the sink.
“Thank you for being so accommodating.” Katie left her seat to stand next to Jules. “I’ll pay you back.”
She chuckled. “You’re giving me money for Joe and I to take a week long vacation. I think you’ve more than paid me back.”
“I’ll check on the house during the day and pick up the mail.”
Jules turned off the faucet and the room became silent except for the ticking clock. “Promise me one thing.” She picked up the dishtowel and wiped her hands. “Promise me you’re not going to get yourself killed.”
Katie met her friend’s gaze. “I’m going to fight like a queen bitch to stay alive. I give you my word.”
“Now that I believe.”
They both grinned.
“When are we leaving for Kyle’s?”
“Now, if you’re ready.”
Jules lifted a finger. “Give me ten minutes.”
“I’ll wait on the sofa.”
As Jules ran out of the kitchen, Katie strolled into the living room and took a seat on sofa. She relaxed her head against the soft cushion behind her and closed her eyes. In one of the rooms, she heard drawers banging and water flowing. Time passed and her mind drifted.
“I’m ready,” Jules said, snapping Katie back to reality.
She took a deep breath and jerked her head up. “Okay.”
“Are you all right? Maybe you should sleep for a little bit. We have time.” She halted in the hallway with several empty bags hanging from her arms. Instead of sweatpants, she now wore skintight jeans.
Katie stretched her back. “I’m good. Just need to get my purse.” She walked into the kitchen and grabbed it from the table.
“Shall I follow you?”
“If you can keep up.” Katie grinned, then headed for the front door.
“You might want to ease up on that gas pedal now that Kyle isn’t around.”
“Yeah.” Katie let out a deep sigh. “I know.”
From Jules’s house, Katie led the way in her Camaro to the back roads outside of town. The sun shined in the clear sky, forcing her to wear sunglasses. Warmth penetrated the windows and heated the inside of her vehicle. She glanced in her rearview mirror multiple times, checking on Jules. Her friend kept a short distance between them.
Anxiety prodded Katie when she turned on the road leading to Kyle’s house. She hadn’t been home in two days. Without any doubt, the damage to the house and the burn mark on the lawn would cause her heart to ache.
She slowed her vehicle as she approached the driveway. Yellow tape stretched from the mailbox to the other side where a wooden fence stood. At first, she considered driving through it, but she didn’t want to risk any damage to her vehicle. She stopped the car on the side of the road.
Jules parked behind her while Katie pulled out one of the ring knives from her purse. She stepped from her Camaro and lifted her hand to Jules, signaling her to stay in her car. Sun bearing down upon Katie, she strode up to the yellow police tape and sliced it with her small knife. She returned to her vehicle and placed the ring in an open slot on her dashboard, close in case she needed it again at the barn.
After Katie turned onto the driveway, she held her foot above the accelerator and let the car crawl forward. A big, black spot in the yard stole her gaze briefly. At least the cross was gone. Ahead the once lively two-story farmhouse lay demolished. The concrete steps were the only part of the structure remaining. Even the long front porch was gone. Wood and debris lay everywhere with more yellow tape fluttering in the wind. She longed to find a way to reach the basement, but given the hazardous appearance of the home, she didn’t dare risk it.
“What happened, Kyle?” She parked near the front of the mountain of burnt lumber. “How did this vampire find you? How did he manage to…cut your head off?”
Kyle was strong and fast, ready to fight at any given second. She couldn’t figure out how someone could’ve destroyed him. It just didn’t seem possible. Yet, it happened.
She grabbed her ring knife, pushed her door open, then stepped out.
Jules came to stand near her. She held her hands on her hips and gazed at mess. “Wow.”
Really, what more could one say?
“Let’s get going.” She slid the ring on her forefinger as she strolled past Jules’s car.
The barn sat off to the side of the house, several car lengths away. It held up well, but part of it had received damage. The once red front and left side of the structure appeared charred. Perhaps the firemen had arrived in a nick of time to save the building.
Beyond the driveway, the ground was soft and deep gouges indicated a heavy vehicle had indeed approached the barn. Katie could only imagine the effort the firemen had given to save the structure. She considered thanking the entire fire department, but quickly tossed the idea out the window. Odds were likely they no longer had a memory of quenching the fire.
“Do you think your weapons are still safe in there?” Jules asked, walking next to her and carrying empty tote bags.
Katie took the supply from one of her hands. “They should be.”
“Oh my God!” Jules’s eyes enlarged as they pointed at Katie’s hand. “Is that a knife?”
“Yeah, it’s okay. I know how to use it.”
“There are details about your life I really do not want to know about. You told me he taught you how to fight with weapons, but I guess I never…”
“Put two and two together?” Katie grinned. “That’s not like you, detective Jules.”
“I know. I guess I overlooked the gory details. Blood and guts have never been my forte. I like action. Give me Mission Impossible and CSI, but leave out the gruesome details.”
They stopped upon reaching the entrance to the barn. “Roller skating disco lo
ver turns FBI crime scene investigator. I think there’s a book waiting to be written for you.”
Jules chuckled. “Maybe I should write it. The first crime to solve is the death of her best friend’s lover.”
Katie’s grin slowly flipped upside down.
“Or not.” Jules rubbed her hand along Katie’s arm. “I’m sorry. I really wish this didn’t happen.”
Katie took in a long breath. “I know.” She turned and ran her ring knife across the police tape. Once again, it sliced through the plastic with ease.
She twisted to face Jules and handed her the bags back. “Hold these a second. I know where the key is.”
Jules took the bags, then Katie darted around the barn. Thirty feet away, she searched for a heart etched in the siding. The burnt wood along with the shadow hitting the side of the barn hindered her ability to see anything on the structure. As she removed her sunglasses and hooked them on the front of her shirt, she peered closely at the ground. Kyle had placed rocks in different sizes along the side. She walked slowly and scanned the rocks for two softball-sized rocks with four golf-ball sized ones in the middle. When she spotted the pattern, she stopped and lifted her gaze to the siding. Carved in the black wood, she spotted the heart.
She squatted and turned over one of the softball sized rocks.
“Find it?” Jules yelled.
A black pouch lay in a sunken part of the earth. She picked up the pouch and immediately noticed it was soggy. She squeezed her hand around the wet cloth. Hard keys pressed into her palm.
“Found them.” She jogged toward Jules.
Back in front of the barn doors, she tugged the keys from the wet pouch. They jingled slightly as she unlocked the padlock holding the chains. The lock clicked.
“I don’t think it’s possible for us to get everything. We don’t have the room in our vehicles.” She left the padlock and chains dangling from one of the handles.
“You have that many weapons?”
Katie slid the door to the side. “The cellar is bigger than your house. What do you think?”
Before they stepped inside the barn, a foul odor rushed at them.
“Oh my fucking God. What is that stench?” Jules covered her nose and mouth too.
Katie held her breath from the smell of burnt wood soaked in water.
“Please tell me something didn’t die in here.” Jules’s words came out mumbled.
“I think it’s from the fire.”
Katie headed for the back of the barn with Jules a few steps behind. Light trickled in from between the tiny crevices. She’d forgotten to bring a flashlight, but with her enhanced eyesight and memory, she knew where to go and what to look for. When she reached the back corner, Katie peered closely at the ground for a small rusted ring.
“Stay here,” Katie said.
“How can you even see in here?” Jules asked as she came to a halt. “I think I’m going to gag.”
“I’m used to it. And if you need to puke, warn me first so I can move out of the way.”
Katie baby stepped around the back corner until she spotted a circular figure on the ground. She dropped to one knee and touched the object.
“Got it.” She slid her finger through the loop and lifted the hatch. “Don’t move. I’d hate for you to fall in.”
“Maybe you should fill the bags and bring them to me. I can run them to the cars.”
“That’s a good idea.” Katie set the wood board off to the side, then lifted the bags from Jules’s hands. “Just don’t come any closer.”
Having to take her friend to emergency for falling down a flight of stairs would cut into her plans severely. Not to mention it would put Jules’s life in greater danger if her injuries confined her to a hospital bed.
“I think my eyes are adjusting. I see a darker part of the floor.”
“I’ll hurry.”
Katie descended the steps slowly. Five feet from the door, she stopped at a desk near the wall. A battery-operated lantern similar to the ones used for camping waited for her. She pressed the center of the lid and the florescent lights illuminated. Although she had better eyesight than a regular human did, the cellar was ten times darker than the barn. She needed a little light to avoid running into anything.
Keys, lantern and bags in hand, she headed for the first storage shelf. She stopped at the one containing a variety of daggers and knives. After unlocking the unit, she stuffed as much as she could into two bags. As she placed several sheaths in a bag, she realized she needed a nice jacket to help her hide them once she strapped them to her body. Another task she’d have to finish before sundown.
She delivered the two bags to Jules and set back to work filling more. This time she gathered hand-held guns and ammunition, especially all the white tipped bullets. They contained a powdery acid in the head, not lethal to a vamp, but certainly a major pain.
On one of the many nights they’d spent discussing how to beat a vampire, she’d asked Kyle if acid would stop one from attacking. He’d told her it would anger the vampire and burn their flesh, but it wouldn’t detour the vamp for more than a few seconds. Always the thinker, he pondered if the same effect would happen internally. He came with the idea to make a bullet that contained powdery acid in the head. Upon impact with a body, the tip would dislodge and release the acid as the bullet passed through. Then the powder would liquefy as it mixed with blood, spread and cause internal burning. His idea was a good one, but testing it became an issue. Katie didn’t want to shoot acid into Kyle. He finally convinced her, after she gathered and stored enough bagged blood to last for two weeks. She shot one of the homemade slugs into Kyle and the result terrified her, but encouraged him to produce more. He’d told her the acid had spread quickly; burning his insides to the point he’d thought he would spontaneously combust. It also roused his wild side and made him ravenous, but he controlled himself thanks to the extra blood. Would it slow down a vampire from attacking? Kyle seemed to think a couple would lend plenty of time to make a good getaway.
With two more bags filled, Katie left them at the top of the stairs for Jules, then returned to the cellar. She stopped at one of the trunks and unlocked it. Within the wooden chest, empty duffle bags and scabbards lay in wait. She snatched them and headed for the glass case with the swords.
Staring at the deadly swords, she released a heavy sigh. She couldn’t take all the heavy weaponry. Besides, what would she do with them? For the time being, she selected two from the case. She slid the swords into the scabbards, added a few daggers, then placed them in the duffle bag. The remaining would have stay behind with the rest of the weapons. At least she could keep the cellar locked. If the vamp who destroyed Kyle did his job of cleaning minds properly, then no one should come looking on the property.
Rifles were next on her retrieval list. Katie selected two from within the case, grabbed the shells and placed them in a separate bag. When Jules announced her return, Katie took the duffle bag with the swords upstairs.
“It’s heavy,” she said as she handed the bag to Jules.
Jules used both hands to keep it from landing on her feet. “Heavy? Have you got a dead body in here?”
“Do you smell any extra rot?”
“Ha, ha. Very funny.”
Katie returned to the cellar. She placed a few more knives in the last of the tote bags, then grabbed the one with the rifles and did a quick scan. A wave of sadness passed through her. She didn’t know if she’d ever see such a collection of weaponry or ever be back. She and Kyle had touched every weapon in the room. He’d taught her how to use everything, as if he knew the day might come when she would need to fight a killing machine that fed off humans. Maybe he knew more than he shared with her.
Ready to leave, she set the lantern back on the desk and turned out the light. With a heavy heart, she ascended the stairs. Jules hadn’t returned yet, so she set her bags aside and then closed the hatch. Mission completed, she picked up her weapons and headed for the bright exit.
“Is that it?” Jules asked as she jogged toward her.
Katie heard the padlock click and then gave one final tug on it. Declaring it secured, she grabbed the bags and headed toward Jules. “I have to put the keys back.”
Jules came to a stop in front of her. She took the smaller of the bags from Katie’s hand. “What’s in the duffle bag?”
“Rifles.”
Katie set her duffle bag on the ground. “Wait here. I’ll be back in a second.”
She dashed to the hiding place for the keys and returned them the way she’d found them, in the damp pouch and under the rock. From a distance and up close, no one would have a clue that access to thousands of dollars worth of weapons lay hidden under the rock. It had been that way for eight years and she hoped it would continue for more.
“Do you know how to shoot a rifle?” Jules asked as Katie came to a halt.
“I learned from the best, at night no less.” Katie grabbed the duffle bag and together they headed for the cars.
“That’s a bit scary. On second thought, I like it. I can use it. Don’t fuck with me or I’ll have my best friend shoot your ass.” She deepened her voice so she sounded influential.
Katie chuckled and then stopped. Jules took additional steps until she noticed Katie missing from her side.
“Do we have a couple hours of daylight left?” Katie asked.
“Yeah, quite a bit.” She shifted the tote bag to her other hand. “Why?”
An opportunity presented itself. Katie had time to kill before returning to the hotel. Visiting Ben and shopping for a jacket were on her agenda, but she didn’t believe those tasks would take long.
“Want to learn how to shoot one? I’m sure it will look good on that FBI application.”
“Seriously?” Her elevated tone revealed her excitement.
“Why don’t you put that in my trunk, then come meet me behind the barn. There’s a place Kyle and I used to go in the woods, not far from here. We can shoot a couple of rounds and chat. I know it’s not shopping or roller skating–”
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