Baited Blood (A Madison Rose Vampire Mystery)

by Sue Ann Jaffarian

  Mike wiped his sweaty brow with the towel. “I did find a missing persons report on a Keleta Kibreab. But here’s the thing.” He paused and took another couple of deep, normal breaths. “It’s from about eighteen months ago.”

  Madison’s jaw dropped like a runaway elevator. “A year and a half ? I thought he was newly turned.”

  “He still could have been. Who knows—maybe he was held captive all this time, or maybe he’s not talking out of fear? Remember, whoever tried to kill him is still out there. And that was probably the same person who kidnapped him.”

  Madison climbed into the driver’s seat. “I’m going over to Samuel’s this evening. Can’t wait to hear his take on this.”

  As Notchey settled into the passenger’s seat, Madison glanced over at him. “You should put on your jacket. You’re sweaty, and it’s chilly out.”

  “You’ve been hanging around Dodie too much. You’re starting to sound motherly.” In spite of his comment, he knew it was a good idea. Notchey turned to reach between his seat and Madison’s to where his jacket lay on the back seat. It was just beyond his grasp. He twisted more until nearly half his body was wedged between his seat and hers.

  “Having problems, old man?” she teased, turning in his direction.

  “Got it.” As Notchey turned back toward the front, pulling his jacket through the two seats, his head bumped Madison’s.

  “Ow.”

  “Sorry,” he said, but he made no move to sit straight. “You okay?”

  She laughed lightly. “If you haven’t noticed, I have a thick skull.” She looked at him, and their eyes met like in the movies, glued to each other with longing.

  “Yeah,” he said in a low voice, his breath glancing off her face. “I have noticed.”

  Before he could move away, Madison grazed her lips against his. His mouth welcomed the advance and responded, but, like before, after a bit he jerked back as if burned. Without giving any explanation, he settled back on his side of the front seat and slipped sloppily into his jacket. “Got any bacon to go with those eggs?”

  “So what do you think?” Madison asked Samuel. “Do you think Keleta is a brand-new vampire? Or was he turned when he first disappeared?”

  They were working in Samuel’s home office. It was early in the evening. He’d already informed Madison that it would not be a long night for her because he was going out later with Kai, a gorgeous Chinese woman, a beater, who was his main companion. Madison had gotten to know Kai in the time she spent at Samuel’s. A former model, Kai wasn’t just beautiful, she was also sophisticated and intelligent. She was attending law school at UCLA with Samuel’s financial assistance. Samuel kept a stable of three gorgeous women as his mistresses and assisted them all financially toward their future. Besides Kai’s legal pursuits, one was studying architecture and another art, but Kai was Madison’s favorite of the three. Samuel had an eye for picking winners.

  They were kept women, something Madison had trouble accepting no matter how much she liked them individually. It wasn’t that she was a prude; she wasn’t by a long shot. She didn’t hold it against Kai and the others. It was their choice, but it wouldn’t be hers.

  Samuel had made it clear to Madison that he would be more than willing to assist her in the same manner; she just had to say the word. But she had declined. These women traded their bodies and their warm blood for an easier lifestyle while furthering their careers; there’d be no waiting tables for these ladies. To Madison, it was the same as turning tricks on Hollywood Boulevard, just with nicer trappings. When she left foster care in Boise, Idaho, and was desperate for money, Madison had used her looks to entice drunks into the parking lots of bars with the promise of sex. She’d never delivered on the sex part, but she had rolled them—taken advantage of their drunken state to rob them. Usually, the men were too embarrassed to report it, until one did and she was arrested. Being so young and a first offender, she’d been let go with a harsh warning. It wasn’t something she was proud of and she swore never to do anything like it again, and that included taking Samuel up on his generous offer, even though she did find him very sexy and appealing. Besides, Madison still wasn’t sure what her goals were. Before she transferred to a four-year college, she’d have to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. Samuel was nudging her toward business management and eventually an MBA, saying she had a definite aptitude for it.

  Samuel was slouched on the rich burgundy leather sofa reading Notchey’s findings. He was wearing an Indian kurta, snow white with white embroidery, and matching loose lounge pants. Madison was at the desk in her usual jeans and sweater going over e-mails that had come into the council’s general mailbox. E-mails to and from the council and vampires were written carefully so they would not disclose the nature of the sender or of the council in the event of a computer security breach. Even after nearly four months, it still took Madison a few moments to decipher some of the more cryptic messages.

  “It’s difficult to say what happened to Keleta,” Samuel answered. “But at least now we know about when it began.”

  “Has Isabella had any luck finding Annabelle Fogle?”

  “Not yet. According to some of Isabella’s contacts, Annabelle was last seen in France about twenty years ago.”

  “Twenty years?” Madison threw a smart-ass glance at Samuel. “In vampire time, that’s, like, what—last week?” Even though Samuel was her boss, she was comfortable with him.

  “Cute.” Samuel put down Notchey’s report. “But she showed up right before Doug married Dodie. That’s a four-year gap followed by a fifteen-year gap. She’s either keeping low, died, or changed her name.”

  “But if she’s dead, who branded Keleta?”

  “Excellent question. I’m leaning toward the last option, that she’s changed her identity. But unless one of her old friends recognizes her and tells us, we won’t know that.”

  Madison stopped typing the e-mail response she was working on. “Do vampires change their identity often?”

  “Some do. Before he was Douglas Dedham, Doug’s last name was Hayes. He took the name of Dedham right before he married Dodie so they could start fresh together.”

  Madison liked that idea. A fresh start was what she’d wanted when she had moved to Los Angeles. “Is Samuel La Croix your real name?”

  The head vampire shook his head with sadness. “I was so young when I was enslaved that I don’t even remember my childhood name. I was simply called Blind Boy for a long time. When I got older, one of my owners gave me the name of Samuel. I heard the name La Croix when I was traveling many years ago and took a fancy to it.”

  Madison swiveled back and forth in the desk chair thinking about the vampires and their names, wondering how many of the others were using aliases.

  “Colin was born Colin Wingate,” Samuel informed her, reading her mind. “Reddy was his mother’s last name.”

  Colin Reddy was a very handsome and sexy vampire on the council. He appeared to be on the edge of thirty years old. Half English, half Indian, in truth, he was several hundred years old.

  “Speaking of Colin,” Samuel continued, “as soon as he heard the name Annabelle Fogle, he disappeared.”

  “What?” Madison swiveled her chair 180 degrees until she was facing Samuel. “Does he know her?”

  “She turned him.”

  “What?” Madison repeated with more surprise.

  Samuel looked around the room. “Is there a parrot in here?”

  Madison rolled her eyes. “Come on. You can’t expect to drop a bomb like that and not have me be surprised.” When Samuel just chuckled, Madison continued. “So this Annabelle Fogle turned both Doug and Colin into vampires. Did you know that?”

  “I make it my business to know who turned every member of the council before they are appointed to the council. It’s like reading a resume.”

  Madison pointed a finger at him. “Now that does not surprise me.”

  Another deep chuckle rumbled up from Samuel’
s chest. “Colin was turned after he happened upon Annabelle while traveling through India.” He paused to clear his throat. “I had a conference call with the council, letting them know what had happened at the Dedhams’ house and how it’s possible this Annabelle was connected. Since then, Colin has been out of touch.”

  “Did he say anything to you about it?”

  “Not a word.” He looked directly at Madison. “Have you heard from him?”

  She shook her head. As with Mike Notchey, Madison and Colin had become friends with a spark of attraction between them, becoming not friends with benefits, but friends with possibilities. Had Colin not been a vampire, she knew she would have encouraged his advances, but she wasn’t ready yet to make that big a leap into the world of the undead and knew she might never be. Colin respected that.

  Madison got her mind off of Colin. “This Annabelle has everyone upset, especially Dodie. I’ve never seen her like this. She’s usually fearless.”

  “Dodie need not worry,” Samuel replied, his voice comforting. “Doug is not about to go off with Annabelle or anyone else. He adores Dodie and chose her specifically as his eternal partner. He waited a long time for someone as special as Dodie to come along.”

  “But Annabelle tried to kill Dodie.”

  “True, but Dodie wasn’t a vampire then. Dodie has a core of steel. Annabelle, if she’s wise, would think twice about challenging her.”

  “Have you ever met her?”

  “No, not personally, but I’ve met vampires over the years who have.” Samuel smiled. “I’ve been told she’s quite a handful: very headstrong and determined. She fits the description Keleta gave us.”

  In spite of Samuel’s attempt to soothe her worries, a chill ran through Madison’s veins like a slippery eel. “But why would Annabelle come back and bother the Dedhams after so many years?”

  “We won’t know that until we find her and talk to her. Personally, I’m more interested in why she tried to kill one of her own charges, then dumped him here in our back yard.”

  “It was the Dedhams’ back yard,” Madison corrected.

  Samuel grinned. He liked the sharp banter he received from Madison. She was quick and gutsy. “You know what I mean. The council doesn’t like the unexpected. If someone else had seen Keleta instead of you, there’s no telling what kind of uproar it might have caused.”

  A thought crossed Madison’s mind. One of the things she enjoyed about working with Samuel was that he was always willing to answer her questions about vampires and their culture.

  “Samuel, is it okay for a vampire to kill a vampire that they’ve turned? That seems an awful lot like a master-slave relationship, especially with the branding.”

  By the way Samuel leaned his head against the back of the sofa, Madison knew he was weighing his words. He’d always tell her the truth, but he didn’t always tell her all the gruesome details. She wasn’t sure if she liked the editing or not, but she trusted him enough to accept it.

  “Yes,” he finally answered in a blunt, short tone. “A maker does have dominion over the vampires he or she turns, but only to a point. It’s rather complicated, but basically a vampire should mentor the newly turned vampire until he is able to fend for himself. Some go off on their own as soon as they are able. Others develop a special bond with their maker and choose to stay with them for many years, sometimes forever. We’re usually very strict about the mentoring here in California, but if someone doesn’t live up to their responsibilities, the baby vampire is sent to Ricky and Byron. They are quite good at working with the orphans. But in general, we consider vampires killing other vampires to be murder, just as humans killing humans is murder.”

  “But you’ll exterminate Keleta if he doesn’t make the grade. That’s murder.”

  “Extermination of certain vampires,” Samuel explained, leaning forward to give the topic the serious attention it required, “is sometimes necessary to protect the community. It weeds out bad apples or potential problems. And it is not done lightly. Keleta will be given a fair chance.”

  Madison still wasn’t satisfied. “But it’s playing God.”

  Samuel stood up and came to stand in front of Madison. He placed a hand under her chin and raised her face up to look at him. “Let me remind you, Madison, that vampires are already dead. We’re just trying to manage those that God has already forsaken.”

  The two of them, vampire and living, remained in that position while Madison digested the words. She could feel the beat of her heart echoing in Samuel’s fingertips.

  “Is that why you chose a name that means ‘the cross’?”

  “As I told you, I just liked the name.” Samuel gave her a gentle smile and removed his hand.

  “Is it like this with vampires all over the world?” Madison asked. “You know, the managing, judging, and extermination thing?”

  “I’m afraid not. There are some communities like ours that take it very seriously, but most do not. A new vampire either sinks or swims. Older vampires are allowed to do whatever they please. Our council is modeled after a very successful one in Switzerland.”

  “Leave it to the Swiss.” Madison turned back to her work, breaking the intensity that had filled the room like heavy humidity.

  Samuel continued to watch her long after she had resumed her work. “Are you quite comfortable with the computer and various programs?”

  She glanced at him while her fingers worked the keyboard. “Pretty much, especially if I have a manual to check. I took a couple classes before I came down to LA, and I like working with computers. I’ve been teaching myself more stuff as I go.”

  “Good. I might add another duty to your job description.”

  Madison swiveled a quarter turn in her chair. “Director of Vampire IT?”

  “Sort of.” Samuel leaned against the desk. “There’s a special vampire database I want you to learn. Currently, it’s run by a vampire named Joni Langevoort up north. I may send you to her for training. I think it would be very advantageous for us to have you familiar with it.”

  Madison nodded her consent. “Always like to learn new things. Just let me know when.”

  “I think it will be soon.” Samuel pushed off from the desk. “But for now I need to get ready for my date with Kai. We’re going to the Disney Concert Hall tonight.”

  As he started for the door, Madison swiveled back around in her chair toward him. “One more question, Samuel.”

  He stopped in the doorway and waited.

  “Don’t your lady friends ever mind that you never take them to dinner? You know, like someplace elegant and fancy?”

  A deep, rich laugh escaped his lips. “If they do, they manage to get over it. They know enough to eat before we go out.” He winked at Madison and flashed his fangs. “I dine when we get home.”

  FIVE

  S

  ame scream, different day. Another mug shattered on the patio floor.

  Madison couldn’t believe her eyes. She closed them tight, held them shut, counted to ten, then opened them. But it was still there. Hopping over the spilled coffee and broken pieces of mug, she ran into the house and up the stairs.

  This time, she went straight for the X-Acto knife, slicing a different finger. If this kept up, she was going to be slitting her wrists. As before, Madison woke Dodie first, then Doug. Although the two vampires had only been asleep for a few hours, they flew down the stairs and out to the patio.

  The body was exactly where Madison had last seen it—in the middle of the pool, facedown, arms stretched out, naked. It hadn’t made a desperate crawl to the side.

  Doug jumped into the pool and pushed the body toward the steps at the shallow end, where Dodie and Madison waited to help. As with Keleta, a stake had been driven through the man’s chest. They got him out of the water and turned him on his side to examine the stake.

  Dodie’s eyes moved from the stake to the man’s face, then traveled up, seeking Doug’s eyes. She shook her head very slowly. Madison first gave
one Dedham, then the other, an anxious look, knowing instinctively what Dodie’s look meant even before Doug released his hold on the dead vampire.

  “Are you sure?” Madison asked.

  “Look at his face, Madison.” Doug pointed to the eyes of the man, who was now on his back.

  Madison took a step closer and gasped in disgust. The man had a rugged face with a lantern jaw, a short beard, and longish, light hair, now plastered to his head like seaweed. His eye sockets were hollow, dark, empty orbs, shiny with residual pool water.

  “Yuck.” Madison backed away, a hand over her mouth to squelch a gag. “Why would someone do that? They’d already killed him. Is it some sort of sick message?”

  “No, dear,” said Dodie, standing up and going to Madison. She put an arm around the girl in comfort. “No one took his eyes. That’s what happens when a vampire dies. The eyes sink into the skull almost immediately after death.”

  Madison stole a glance at the eyeless body again, summoning the courage to look longer. This was the true meaning of lights out. “Does he have the brand?”

  Doug turned the body on its side and checked. He nodded toward the women and gently lowered the body back in place. “Yes, it’s there. There’s also this very nasty and old scar on his side. Looks like a sword or very large knife injury. Might help in identifying him.”

  “Now what?” asked Madison.

  It was nearly ten in the morning. Madison had slept in, then gone downstairs for breakfast and coffee. She didn’t have a class until two. Pauline had told them yesterday she would be in after running errands. She’d been spared once more from finding a body in the pool.

  “Let’s move the body into the house and out of sight,” Doug suggested.

  The man was larger than Keleta, and the vampires were slowly being sapped of their strength by both the sun and the lack of sleep. With Doug clutching the torso and Dodie and Madison on each leg, they carried the body into the house and deposited him on the kitchen floor just as Pauline came through the door leading to the driveway. She was carrying a couple of plastic grocery bags in one hand and dry cleaning in the other.