by Jaz Primo
“Not trying to be critical,” I said. “Just another surprise revelation for me, that’s all.”
She stopped typing and turned to look at me. “Do you really think so little of us here, that we only care for vampire-related things?”
“Well, um, I wasn’t trying to be insulting or anything.”
“There’s something you should know, Caleb; something very important,” she said. “Mr. Rutherford realizes that eventually—though who knows when that may be—humans will discover us. He believes that the more we vampires are already integrated into society in productive, nurturing ways, the easier it will be for us to survive, much less thrive.”
I nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. At least, it’s a hopeful expectation.”
“Most of us enjoy being vampires, but haven’t entirely forgotten was it was like being human,” she said. “I still remember living with the fear of growing old, though I realize now it was merely vanity. Nobody cherishes the idea of their own venerability; of time passing and then eventually withering away to die.”
She had never shared that sober perspective with me before, and I found her words had quite an impact.
“I was so fortunate the day I met Mr. Rutherford,” she continued. “He was easily the most articulate and charismatic person I’d ever met. Truth be told, I was somewhat surprised when he hired me...”
She stared at me, but it was as if she was looking through me.
“Even before he revealed to me his true vampire nature, I’d grown to be in awe of him, impressed with how he valued others, even when he didn’t have to,” she said. “He has a genuine quality about him; something that’s rather unforgettable.”
“I get it,” I said. “Distinctive qualities resonate about people…”
“Distinctive and admirable,” she said.
A vivid recollection struck me like lightning.
“I know now,” I said.
“Hm?” she asked. “Know what, dear?”
“I know where I’ve heard that voice,” I said.
“Whose voice?” she asked.
“The vampire meeting with Kat and Alton.”
“Are you sure? To my knowledge, he’s a new acquaintance to both Mr. Rutherford and Ms. Rawlings,” she said. “You must be mistaken.”
I shook my head. “No. I need to see Kat. Now.”
Chapter 23
Caleb
As I scrolled back through my text messages from Chance, a shift of air washed over me, closely followed by the scent of cherry blossoms.
Kat’s face appeared beside mine as she squatted down beside me. She appeared unamused.
“You look serious,” I said.
“Mm. You do realize this is a very important meeting?” she asked.
“Yes, I do,” I said. “But this is important, too.”
Her eyebrows arched as Marla quietly closed her office door.
I stared into Kat’s penetrating gaze. “The man you’re meeting with, I’ve heard his voice before.”
“That’s not likely,” she said. “He wasn’t even at the Slovene conference. In fact, his faction was sitting on the fence to see what happened afterward.”
“Fine,” I said. “Maybe I’ve never met him, but I’ve heard his voice.”
“Caleb, I know that you want to feel useful—”
“Fine,” I said, throwing my hands up. “Ignore me then. Just forget I said anything at all. Go back to your meeting.”
She paused, completely still and saying nothing.
“Where and when?” she asked.
Well, at least she was taking me seriously.
“On the phone with Chance,” I said. “It was when I called her a few weeks ago.”
She stared at me. “Chance? Why was she talking to him?”
“No, it wasn’t Chance,” I said. “The guy was talking in the background to her father.”
“In the background?” she asked. “Was it over a cellular phone call?”
“Yes, in the background.”
“Caleb, do you realize how easily a person’s voice can sound distorted via digital communications? And more so during a bad cell phone connection.”
“Yeah, sure,” I said. “You’re probably right, and I misheard everything. Never mind.”
She growled at me.
“Hey,” I said. “Don’t be all growly at me just because I wanted to help out.”
I looked up at Marla, who was holding her hand over her mouth, trying to contain a smirk.
“Caleb—”
“Look, I heard the guy’s voice in the background,” I insisted. “That New York accent is unmistakable.”
Kat appeared deep in thought.
“Wait, where precisely was Chance when she was talking to you?” she asked.
“Like I said, she was on her mobile phone,” I said.
She gave me a wan look. “I know that. Where specifically was she located at the time that she talked to you?”
“Oh,” I said. “At her parents’ home.”
She gave me a long look.
“In Philadelphia,” I said.
She frowned.
“Pennsylvania,” I added.
Marla stifled a chuckle.
Kat narrowed her eyes at me. “I know where Philadelphia is.”
I folded my arms before me. “I was just being specific like you wanted.”
She gave one of her infamous don’t-get-me-started looks.
“What?” I asked.
She slowly reached out and tapped me on the chin.
“Remember I love him, remember I love him,” she quietly chanted.
I swatted at her finger, but found only empty air.
“What did the man say in the background?” she asked. “Think back and remember as specifically as possible. Don’t try to manufacture any words that you don’t actually recall him saying.”
I closed my eyes and thought back on my conversation with Chance. Admittedly, I hadn’t been paying that close of attention.
“He wanted to know what he was supposed to do about something,” I said. “And he said that it wasn’t part of a deal they had apparently made.”
When I opened my eyes again, Kat was watching me closely.
“Anything else?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Honestly, I wasn’t listening that closely at the time, and it sort of caught me off-guard. I mean, I was more worried about if Chance was okay or not.”
“Was she in trouble?” she asked.
“Nah, her father—I think his name is Nick—just wanted her to get off the phone,” I said.
Then I recalled something else.
“Chance and I had dinner after that,” I said. “And when I asked her about it, she said that the guy and her dad were grilling her about her time on campus. She thinks that it had something to do with her father stalking her or something.”
“Stalking her?” she asked. “Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know,” I replied. “She’s told me a few times that he’s a major control freak.”
“More importantly, if you’re correct, why would Chance’s father have anything to do with a vampire?” she asked.
“Ms. Rawlings,” Marla quietly prompted. “Shall I interrupt Mr. Rutherford to inform him about this?”
“No,” she said. “But he should hear this. I’ll return to the meeting and tell him that he needs to check with you on something. Then Caleb can recount what he told me.”
“Very good,” she said, opening her office door.
Kat gave me a reassuring look and a quick kiss on the lips. “Whatever you may think, I don’t casually discount what you confide to me,” she said before disappearing amidst a flurry of air.
Moments later, I heard heavy footsteps down the hallway and Alton appeared in the door.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“That would be for me to explain,” I said, holding up my right forefinger.
He closed the office door behind him and t
urned toward me, folding his arms before him.
“Why do I get the impression that I’m not going to like what you’re about to tell me?” he asked.
“I dunno. Recent history?” I asked.
His steady gaze fell upon me. “Start talking.”
* * *
Once Alton had finished speaking with me, he returned to his meeting, but not before giving me an assignment.
“Marla will get you a blank writing tablet,” he said. “I want you to write down everything you can remember about what you overheard, as well as everything you have ever learned about Chance’s father.”
Well, there went my day.
Midday gave way to late afternoon and, by the time I finished writing down everything that I could recall, what should have been a brief meeting with a guest vampire had turned into a marathon meeting.
“Do you think they’ll be much longer?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” Marla replied. “Perhaps you should go eat an early dinner or something.”
It was true that I had grown somewhat hungry over the ensuing hours.
“I’ll be back later,” I said. “Maybe have Kat text me when the meeting’s over?”
“I will,” she said.
I proceeded to Shakespeare’s, with two vampire bodyguards in tow, for a quick bite to eat and then returned to our hotel room to take a nap.
When I awoke, it was early evening and I felt both refreshed and pensive.
On a whim, I grabbed my smartphone and searched for something that had piqued my interest.
I exited the hotel room and headed downstairs to the lobby. One of Alton’s vampires, a lady wearing smart business attire who I remembered seeing around the office, looked up from where she sat reading a magazine in a lobby chair.
As I approached the hotel’s front exit, she rose from her seat.
“Mr. Taylor,” she called. “Going out?”
“Yeah, just headed out for a walk,” I said.
“Very good,” she said. “I’ll arrange for your escort.”
Oh, yes…my escort; whomever that might be.
I missed the days when I was pleasantly of no interest to the world at large.
Dane and Lyra soon appeared through the doors of the hotel’s entrance. In particular, he looked wholly displeased while she appeared merely less than enthused.
“I hear that somebody needs a keeper,” Dane said.
“Hey, guys,” I said. “I hope that I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Well, you are,” he said. “Still, it’s my job.”
I just couldn’t win with these two.
“Yeah,” I said, turning to lead the way back outside.
I led the way, occasionally glancing at my smartphone to make sure I was following the proper route from the Internet mapping app. Dane and Lyra remained a couple of steps behind me.
“So, where are we headed?” Dane asked.
“I need some exercise,” I said.
“You know, I’m told that the hotel has a lovely workout room, complete with treadmills,” he said.
“And a sauna,” Lyra added.
Not used to her saying much of anything, I glanced back over my shoulder at her.
“Oh, well of course, let’s not forget the sauna,” Dane said.
“Shut up,” she said.
“Sitting about in a steamy room with all sorts of strangers,” he said. “Who wouldn’t flock to that?”
“Hey, it’s no worse than you and your hot tub tarts,” she said.
“Now, now, hot tubs are quite chummy,” he said. “Particularly when shared with some lovely ladies with whom I’m trying to socialize.”
“Or as I call them, strangers. My brother, the cheeky monkey,” she said. “And ladies? Slappers, the lot of them.”
“To each his own, I say,” he said. “You just don’t know them like I do.”
“Happy to say I won’t,” she said. “I prefer a different sort.”
“Oh, real men’s men, as I recall,” he said. “Pity that few of them have seen the proper end of a deodorant stick.”
“Don’t start,” she said.
I smiled.
We walked for a few blocks before I stopped to double-check my smartphone for further directions.
“Listen, Caleb, I like a walk just as much as any other bloke,” Dane said. “But do you have any idea where you’re going?”
“Yes,” I replied. “And we’re almost there.”
Minutes later, we stood before the rustic-looking property of Saint James the Less Church.
“What? You’ve brought me to a bloody parish church?!” Dane demanded. “Look, mate, you’re daft if you think I’m going in there.”
“Not that you’ve seen the insides of one to know what you’re missing,” Lyra murmured.
“Spare me, Mother Theresa,” he said.
He gave her a long look before returning his attention to me.
“Burst into flames when you pass beyond the doors?” I asked.
“Oh, sod off,” he said. “Look, I just don’t fancy hanging about with that pious lot. Bunch of worthless old duffers for the most part.”
“What are duffers?” I asked, noting Lyra’s sardonic expression. “Listen, I shouldn’t be very long.”
“Funny, I didn’t take you for the worshipping sort,” he said.
“I just heard about it and wanted to check it out,” I said.
“Do you want one of us to go inside with you?” Lyra asked.
I looked at her and noticed a tentative look of sincerity.
“No,” I said. “But thank you.”
Her expression turned bored again. “Have a nice chin wag then,” she said. “We’ll wait out here for you.”
I walked through the main gates and up to the historic-looking church doors.
Inside, I felt as if I was walking into a bastion of antiquity, peppered here and there with modern accents. A bingo signup sheet sat atop an old oak table while a locked wooden box beside it stated Food Drive Donations.
Above that, a message board hung against a section of the church’s original brick wall. A prominent message cautioned Please Silence All Mobile Devices.
The interior was lit in subdued fashion, but it felt welcoming, if not a bit dated.
I proceeded into the main sanctuary and immediately noted the beautiful stained glass that was inlaid along the brick walls of the sanctuary. Rows of worn wooden pews proceeded along a central aisle leading to the raised front dais.
“I’ll be with you in a moment,” said a nearby clergyman who was kneeling down to minister to an older lady sitting in one of the pews.
“Oh, no need,” I said.
He gave me a peculiar look and returned to the lady before him.
I stared again at the interior of stone and brick buttresses. I wondered what history the old church had seen over the decades. For the most part, it seemed eternal, as if untouched by modern times.
That is, until I laid eyes upon the projection screen hanging at the front of the chapel, just above the pulpit.
My gaze returned to the line of nearly medieval-looking stained glass images.
I wondered if Alton frequented the old church. Somehow, much as Dane had noted about me, I didn’t envision Alton as the worshipping type, though we had never discussed religion at length.
A few minutes later, I was preparing to walk out when the clergyman, a fellow who was a few years my senior, approached me with a welcoming expression. The old woman to whom he had been ministering walked up the central aisle toward the front entrance area.
“Welcome to Saint James,” the clergyman said. “I’m Thomas, one of the reverends here. How can I be of service?”
“Hi,” I replied, reaching out to shake his hand. “I’m Caleb. I was just passing by and wanted to take a peek inside. The stained glass is beautiful.”
“I see,” he said. “Yes, the architecture is remarkable here. The church was built during the late 1850s, so we do ho
st the occasional curious tourist from time to time. Feel free to take photos of the interior.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“Certainly. Enjoy your evening,” he said.
I watched as he returned to replacing hymnals along each of the pews into their respective holders.
My thoughts returned to Alton and how rapidly things were changing around me and Kat. Things were evolving so fast. I ventured that pretty soon I’d feel much like one of the relic images depicted in the stained glass.
Just a couple of years ago, vampires were merely mystical creatures from movies and novels—pastimes of popular fiction, but little else of substance to me.
Now I felt as if the world around me was something foreign, if not alien in some ways.
How much of what I believed the world to be was misconception, much less outright fantasy?
More to the point, beyond being Kat’s mate, it was hard for me to determine exactly where I fit in amongst the ranks of Alton’s vampire-centric organization.
“Caleb, wasn’t it?” Reverend Thomas asked, suddenly standing beside me.
“Hm?” I asked. “Yes.”
“I don’t mean to pry, but I couldn’t help but notice that you appeared somber, as if perhaps something might be weighing heavily in your thoughts,” he said. “Is there anything that I can do to help? If you’d like to talk, I think you’ll find that I have quite a sympathetic ear.”
He seemed nice enough, but how was I supposed to broach the subject of vampires while standing in a church? One of the cardinal rules of being Kat’s mate was never to reveal the truth about vampires to anyone. Rules aside, and given the fantastical nature of such a claim, mentioning vampires to him might result in little more than his referral to a psychologist.
“As I look at these stained glass images, I can’t help wondering if people from days gone by understood the world around them. Sometimes I feel as if I don’t even know what’s real in the world anymore,” I said. “Much less knowing exactly where I fit into it.”
“Ah, well, that would indeed feel troubling,” he said. “Still, you’re not alone. As has always been the case with humanity, the world is rapidly changing before our very eyes. Granted, it’s moving at a much more accelerated pace in recent years.”