He heard a noise behind him, and turned to find his boss standing at his desk. Captain Jack Meyer was a man who was hard to miss, as everything about him was large. He was tall and beefy, with a big head and a round face that was a permanent shade of red. When he spoke, he always spoke loudly. In spite of this, Danny had liked him since his first day in the Fairbanks office.
“What can I do for you, sir?” Danny asked.
“I need to talk to you, Fitzpatrick. What have you been up to on the missing women?”
Danny considered how to answer and imagined himself telling the truth. “Well, I had sex with our only witness last night and told her all the details of the case. Oh, and I know who the perp is, and he's a vampire.”
“Fitzpatrick?”
“Oh, sorry, just thinking for a minute.” Danny imagined himself taking a one-way trip to the psych ward, and chose a different answer. “Well, you know the Treibel case has gone cold. But I'm still certain Nechayev up in Coldfoot is our guy.”
“I thought you said you didn't find anything up there.”
“I didn't. But I know in my gut he's the one. I just need another warrant and I'll go back up there.”
Meyer sat down on the edge of Danny's desk, his burly leg taking up at least half of the desktop. “What judge do you think is gonna give you another warrant based on your gut?”
Danny sighed. “None. I know that. I'm trying to go through some of these old missing persons' cases and see if I can find a link. Something concrete to support another warrant.”
“It sounds to me like you're spinning your wheels.”
“I don't see it that way.”
Meyer looked around the room before continuing, wanting to make sure the other detectives had all left. “Listen, I think you should step back from this. Take a few days off.”
“What? That's the last thing I need to do. I don't have time for that.”
“These cases are cold, Fitzpatrick. Time isn't of the essence here.”
“I think it is for Maria Treibel.”
“And yet you have absolutely no idea where she is. Are you thinking you'll just sit here at your desk and pull her whereabouts out of your ass?”
“I know exactly where she is.”
“Here we go again.”
“Is it wrong to want to find the woman?”
“No, obviously it's not wrong.” Meyer sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Listen, there's no gentle way to put this and I've never been too good at all that anyway. But I'm not asking you about taking time off. I'm telling you that's what you're going to do.”
Danny stared at him, unable to hide his surprise. “What? Why on earth?”
“Take a look in the god-damn mirror and that should answer your question! You look like you haven't slept in a month. Everyone can smell the alcohol on you. You've got circles under your eyes the size..”
“The size of Texas, I know.” Danny shook his head. “I'm fine, sir. Really.”
“I know about Chicago, Danny.”
Danny sighed. “I know you do.” It had been a condition of the job. Meyer was the only one who knew any details of Danny's departure from Chicago homicide. “Can I ask how that's relevant here?”
“I think the time of year is getting to you. The holidays and all that. The anniversary of your wife’s murder coming up…”
Danny flinched. He had been doing all he could to not think of that upcoming anniversary.
“Or else this Treibel case is getting to you,” Meyer continued. “I don't know which it is; maybe it’s a combination of both. But I do know that you look like shit and I can't have you going out on cases looking like this. You need a break.”
“Even if I don't want a break?”
“Right. Like I said, I'm not asking.”
“So how long is this break supposed to be?”
“You covered over Christmas, so I thought you could take the New Year’s holiday for yourself. Maybe a week off is just what you need to come back here with a clear head.”
“And by the end of that week Maria Treibel will probably be dead.”
“We both know there's about a 1% chance that Maria Treibel isn't already dead. We'll find her body soon enough and this will be a homicide.”
“They never found a body in any of the other cases.”
“And if they don't find one here, odds are more than good that she left of her own accord. People walk away from their lives all the time, Danny. You ought to know that better than anyone.”
“I do know that. And I also know that's not what Maria Treibel did. And Anna Alexander didn’t either.”
“Right. And we're back to square one again. You know that, but you don't have a shred of evidence to prove it.”
Danny stared at the wall in front of his desk. “So when does this break start?”
“I think it would be a good idea to start now.”
Danny nodded and turned off his computer. “I'll see you after the New Year, boss.”
He stood up from his desk without saying another word, and headed to the doorway. He grabbed his coat, making sure to bundle up before he headed out into the cold. Meyer watched as Danny walked outside towards his car, got inside, and started the engine. There was no doubt in his mind where Danny was headed as he turned out of the police station parking lot. Meyer knew he was headed for a bar.
Chapter 36
Aleksei paced the length of his study, waiting for the sun to set for the day. It was typical of his luck that the snow had stopped and the sun had made a brief appearance on the one day he planned to travel. Luckily for him, he didn't have the same travel restrictions humans had, so he would still be able to get to his destination in spite of the delay. He just needed the sun to go away.
While he waited, he turned the problem of Maria over in his mind. He was going to just kill her when he roused her from her sleep that morning, but instead he had decided to give her a reprieve. He had given her breakfast and allowed her to get cleaned up, then locked her back in her room. While he didn't want to think about it, he knew there was a chance his plan for the rest of the winter could go awry. He decided to keep Maria around while he made sure all of his ducks were in a row. She was his backup plan now. It wouldn't be an enjoyable winter with her, but at least he wouldn't be alone.
He glanced at the clock on his wall, noticing the time was nearly 3:00. The sun should be gone now. He walked to his window and pushed the heavy shade slightly aside so he could peer out, happy to see the sun had indeed set, and the twilight now cast a purple glow across the snow surrounding his home. It was time to go.
Aleksei had already prepared several meals for Maria and left them in the root cellar, along with enough water to tide her over, a lantern, and a clean chamber pot. He had also tossed several blankets and a pillow down the stairs into the cellar. Now, he would toss Maria there as well, and be on his way.
He walked quickly to Maria's door and swung it open. She was sitting up in the bed, and jumped when he entered the room.
“Get up,” he said.
Maria quickly rose from the bed. “What's going on?”
“No time for talking.”
Aleksei opened the bottom drawer of the dresser and pulled out a pair of thick fleece pants and a heavy wool sweater. He threw them onto the bed.
“Put these on, it's going to be cold where you're going.” He turned his back and faced the door. “I'll give you privacy.”
“What do you mean, where I'm going? Where are you taking me?”
Aleksei bit his lip and swallowed his temper. “Did I not just say we don't have time for talking? Shut up and put the warm clothes on. I'm giving you one minute. If you're not dressed, you'll be left with nothing on but that nightgown. Believe me when I say you won't like that.”
Maria suppressed her rising terror and quickly put on the pants and the shirt. She kept the heavy socks she had found the night before on her feet.
“Don't I need shoes to go somewhere? Where are my shoes? What did you do
with my own clothes?”
Aleksei whipped around to face her, his face filled with rage. His mouth was open and two fangs protruded from his gums. Maria screamed and stumbled back onto the bed.
“I told you to shut up!” Aleksei yelled. He stood over Maria's shaking figure and purposely bared his fangs as he grabbed her arm. “Do you see what I am now?” he whispered. “Do you know how easy it would be for me to kill you right this second? To sink my teeth into your neck and drain every last drop of your blood?”
“Oh my God,” Maria said. “Oh my God, please.”
“Please what? Are you asking some god of yours to save you?” Aleksei drew in his fangs and stared down at Maria. “This may surprise you, but I can actually understand that. I've been there. And you know what? It doesn't do a damn bit of good.”
He tightened his grip on Maria's arm and pulled her from the bed. “You're in luck today though. I'm not going to kill you. Mind you, I was. But I realized that I need you as my backup now.”
Aleksei continued to talk as he dragged Maria out of the bedroom and down the hallway towards the kitchen. He knew his grip on her arm was the only reason she hadn't fainted dead away. As it was, she was too frozen with fear to resist him.
“I'm not sure how long I'll be gone,” he said. “But don't worry, I've left supplies for you. If you learned anything from the start of your stay here with me, you'll be smart enough to conserve the lantern this time.”
Maria's lack of resistance ended as she heard the word lantern. She stopped in her tracks, catching Aleksei off guard.
“No,” she said, her voice cracking with panic. “No, please, not back there. Please!”
Aleksei recovered from his momentary lack of attention and continued pulling her into the kitchen. “You're wasting your breath,” he said.
He opened the kitchen door and dragged a now kicking and screaming Maria outside. She immediately gasped at the burst of frigid air.
“Good thing you kept those socks on,” Aleksei said.
He pulled Maria through the snow and opened the door of the root cellar. “I'll see you when I get back,” he said, before throwing her down the stairs of the cellar as carelessly as he had previously thrown the blankets and pillow. At least she had those to break her fall, he thought. Not that he cared if she got hurt.
He slammed the door on her screams, and slid the lock in place. He smiled, unable to contain the thrill he got from knowing Maria was down in the cellar, fumbling in the pitch dark, and wasting her breath on screams no one but him would ever hear. Regardless of his disdain for her, he absolutely loved the power he had over her. He was glad he had decided to keep her in reserve. Killing her wouldn't have been nearly as fun.
He allowed himself time to savor the moment. If he blocked out Maria's tinny screams, there was nothing but silence in the still darkness around him. He could barely contain his excitement at the journey that lay ahead of him.
It was time to get going now and to leave Maria behind. He was moving on to his new companion and he knew exactly where to find her. Guest books and credit card invoices were such wonderful things.
He went back inside and took one last look around his home before locking it up for his trip. He felt a rush of adrenalin as he locked the front door behind him. Before he knew it, he would be in Seattle and in front of the Bailey home.
Aleksei paused for a moment, wondering what Katie Bailey was doing now. No doubt school was closed for the holidays, so she was likely to be out with friends. Maybe shopping or going to the movies. Wasn't that what young girls did nowadays? He smiled as he imagined her laughing and smiling with her friends, with no awareness of the fact that her days as Katie Bailey were numbered.
Katie had been so sullen when visiting Snow Creek with her family, it was obvious the girl needed something more out of life than boring vacations with her parents and imbecilic little brother. Aleksei could tell she had longed for excitement and adventure. He would give that to her, in ways she could never imagine. She would thank him when it was all over, he was sure of that.
She would never look back at the life she was soon to be leaving behind. Katerina would never be Katie again.
Chapter 37
Katie Bailey typed out a text to her friend Jessica as she walked to her car after finishing her shift as a waitress at her grandfather's restaurant. Her feet ached and her shirt was stained with the coffee she had managed to pour down the front of her instead of into her customer's mug. She had been lucky she hadn't been burned, but she didn't feel particularly lucky. It had been a crappy day.
Katie resented the fact that she had to work, when so many of her friends were able to spend all of their time on school clubs and teams. Why did she have to get stuck with parents who believed work experience was important for every young person to have? She could hear her mother talk about the importance of learning responsibility in her head and she rolled her eyes. She used to love hanging around her grandfather's restaurant before she had been forced to work there. Her mother managed to ruin everything.
She got into her car and slumped into the driver's seat. She sent Jessica another text, letting her know she would be picking her up at 8:00 that night, and stuck her phone into her purse. The last thing she needed was to be stopped under Seattle's new bullshit “texting while driving” law. Her mother's lectures would never stop then.
Katie didn't notice the tall blond man who was watching her from the group of trees surrounding the restaurant. She didn't know he had followed her mother and brother from their house when they had come to the restaurant for an early dinner a few hours earlier. She didn't know he had watched her while she waited tables and chatted with her customers. That he had watched with joyful anticipation while she hung up her apron and clocked out for the evening, giving her grandfather a hug before she left the restaurant.
She didn't know.
Katie pulled out of the restaurant parking lot and headed for home, just as the rain started back up again and she had to quickly turn on her wipers. There was no getting away from the Seattle winter rain. She just hoped it might slow down for a bit when it was time to head out with her friends. Within minutes, she had arrived home and she ran through the rain onto her front porch and into her house.
An hour later, Katie ran back out, having showered and changed into her favorite outfit, a black tunic dress and red platform pumps. She played with her large hoop earrings as she got into the car and turned on the ignition. She and Jessica were meeting Tyler and Ryan tonight and Katie couldn't wait.
She was so excited about her upcoming date that she didn't notice the tall blond man across the street from her house as she pulled out of the driveway and sped off down the road. She didn't see him as he stood on the sidewalk and watched her drive away.
Chapter 38
Aleksei opened the door of his Seattle hotel room and immediately closed the heavy drapes that hung across the window. He lay down on his back on the hard double bed in the center of the room. The sun would be coming up soon enough, and he needed to rest for the day. He had a big night ahead.
As he glanced down at his chest, he noticed a spot of blood on his black coat. He frowned and brushed at it with his fingers. He had obviously been careless when he had made the homeless woman down near the shore of Puget Sound his dinner. At least her body shouldn’t be turning up any time soon and would probably be in the middle of the Pacific Ocean by the time he got back to Alaska. Still, he would need to remember to clean up the coat before he left the hotel.
He felt confident that he had watched Katie long enough to know her routine and it was clear that the restaurant where she worked as a waitress would be the best place for him to make his move. The parking lot was small and poorly lit and was apparently used only by restaurant staff. The customers seemed to all park along the street in front of the building. Best of all, there was no security camera anywhere in sight. Aleksei was sure he could distract Katie as she walked to her car and take her with him withou
t anyone being the wiser.
Aleksei stared at the dull white ceiling and visualized how the evening would go in his head. He could see himself grabbing Katie around the neck and stifling her screams with his large hand placed over her mouth. He would pull her into the woods next to the restaurant and choke her windpipe with his forearm until she lost consciousness. From there, it would be smooth sailing until he got her back to Snow Creek.
He planned to keep her in his home right away and he would prepare the bedroom Maria had defiled for Katie. He wasn’t sure exactly when he was going to turn her, but he knew he didn’t want to waste much time. His anticipation was getting to be too much for him. And he had decided that Maria would be the first kill he and his companion made together. That alone made him nearly giddy. Or at least as giddy as a nearly 100 year old vampire could be.
There was only one thing holding him back. If this was all going to work as he planned, he had to do everything correctly when he turned Katie. Aleksei was ashamed to admit, even to himself, that in all these years he had never turned a vampire. He just hadn’t wanted the aggravation. He had been all about killing, feeding and moving on.
But there shouldn’t be any problem turning Katie. Obviously he knew how it was done, because it had been done to him. All he had to do was remember.
Aleksei heard the rustle outside the torn walls of the medical tent and knew the vampires were back. He sat up in his cot and clenched his threadbare blanket in his hands, trying to calm his nerves. Tonight had to be the night.
It was February now, and his leg had completely healed. The only reason he had been able to remain in the relative safety of the field hospital was because the Russian troops had devolved into such chaos both at the front and in Petrograd, no one paid any attention to which soldier was where. No one had any idea anymore where anyone belonged. As long as Aleksei kept to himself and remained in the confines of the hospital, no one noticed him.
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