Promise Me Anthology

by Tara Fox Hall

  “Nothing,” Theo said bleakly, turning away. “Just go away and leave me alone.”

  There was potential opportunity here, no question, Danial thought. “You helped me. I’d like to treat you to a shower and some food in appreciation.”

  Theo turned around, sarcastic. “Who are you? How did I get blessed to have a benevolent vampire as my guardian angel?”

  “I’m Danial. I do detective work, mainly.”

  “Crimes?”

  “Mysteries, usually. Sometimes they’re tame. About six months ago I took a case where a family’s two cats went missing.”

  “Who calls a detective for a missing cat?”

  “They called me in when they found a white bone of a front paw sticking up in their flower bed like a plea for help.”

  Theo grimaced. “What was the mystery?”

  “Strange, actually. A neighbor boy was interested in the girl. He’d tried to kidnap the cat so he could return it and be a hero. Instead, it had dashed away from him as he’d chased it and gotten hit. He buried it out of respect, not because he was trying to scare anyone. He felt terrible.”

  “And the other cat?”

  “He was several houses over, locked in a neighbor’s shed by accident.” Danial smiled. “One of the happy endings.”

  “That’s the tame end of the spectrum. Give me an example of the other end.”

  “Last year I spent a month shadowing a killer who was going after blonde has-been cheerleaders at high school reunions—”

  “Serial killers frequent high school reunions?”

  “Frequently. Where else do people trust a name card to identify a person they can’t recognize?”

  Theo shrugged. “You’ve got a point. Do you only do murders?”

  Danial laughed. “I do anything I’m interested in. If you partner with me, I’ll give you a say in what cases you handle, at least some of them.”

  “Are they always humans?”

  “Mostly other than human, actually. I just took the cat one because I have a soft spot for cats.” Danial opened his wallet, took out some money and offered it to Theo. “For your help tonight. No strings.”

  Theo took it. “Thanks.”

  Danial walked away. “Take care of yourself, Theo.”

  “Wait.”

  Danial stopped. “Yes?”

  “Are there any cases you’ve committed to already nearby?” Theo said slowly.

  Danial nodded. “There’s an amusement park that’s supposedly haunted that’s next on my calendar. If there’s anything to the story, it won’t be a tame one. Interested?”

  Theo’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re shitting me.”

  Danial laughed for the first time in ages. “I’m due there in two days. You want to meet me or not?”

  Theo nodded. “I’ll be there.”

  * * * *

  Theo was waiting when a showered and rested Danial pulled up in front of the rusted gates of Fantasy Land a night later.

  “I couldn’t believe this was the place,” Theo said, walking over. “It looks like it’s out of business.”

  “That’s because it is,” Danial said, checking his gun. “The new owners want to tear the place down and build a new mall.”

  “What happened?”

  “A teenage couple crept in here to have sex. They were found the next morning dead in each other’s arms. The media frenzy has panicked the investors. Two have already backed out of the project. The owners need this solved fast before the rest pull their funding.”

  “Why a media frenzy? They might have had a suicide pact, or—”

  “They had cuts all over their body, so many they were almost completely exsanguinated of blood. There was no weapon found.”

  Theo made a face. “I’m guessing you ruled out vampires already. Any other ideas?”

  Danial rummaged in the back seat. “No. I favor a human killer who was jealous as the culprit. That’s the usual motive in a crime like this.”

  Theo leaned against the truck, incredulous. “What do you do if the cause isn’t human? Do you have access to magic?”

  Danial chuckled, slipping a vial into his pocket. “Yes, to a small extent. Come on, the night is wasting.”

  Opening the locked gate with a key, Danial and Theo entered the park. The night was balmy, the dry air cool on their faces. They wandered down one path, then another, passing rides, empty concession stands, and vacant game booths, a few dusty faded prizes still hanging from hooks.

  “Sense anything?” Danial asked. “I don’t.”

  “I smell stale popcorn faintly,” Theo replied. “But nothing supernatural. Where did the murders take place?”

  “The bodies were found in the House of Mirrors,” Danial said. “In the center room.” He pointed. “There.”

  The attraction wasn’t very big, no more than an acre. The outside was painted dull black with no ornamentation other than the word Mirror Maze above the door. Each huge letter was itself formed out of mirrors, their reflective surfaces shining in the moonlight.

  “I smell blood now,” Theo said uneasily. “And something else I can’t identify. It’s sickening, whatever it is.”

  “That’s sulphur,” Danial said darkly. “That usually means a demon—”

  Theo turned to Danial. “How do you know that? How did you get called for this job?”

  “I have a lot of experience,” Danial replied, moving past him towards the building. “This particular job came from the sister of one of my donors. It was her best friend that was killed.”

  Theo blinked. “What’s a donor?”

  “Someone who contracts to donate blood to me.”

  “Don’t you hunt for blood in nightclubs or something?”

  Danial gave Theo a dour look. “Very funny. Come on.”

  Danial pushed inside the open door, Theo right behind him. Once their eyes adapted to the lack of light, they followed the police markers to the center. A large pool of dried blood was there, many smears and tracks from police shoes at the edges. Danial crouched near the blood, studying the floor.

  Theo shrugged. “I can’t smell anything but blood and that sulphur—”

  All the mirrors cracked abruptly, shards shooting out to bury themselves in Danial and Theo. Theo dropped, screaming and writhing, his body a pincushion of glass razors. Danial fell forward into the blood, his back and neck a mass of blood and silica.

  Theo jerked, keening in pain. Danial was still.

  An apparition formed slowly, the features of a young boy scowling. He ghosted closer, peering down at Theo.

  “I’m not leaving,” the thing whispered longingly. “You can’t make me leave—”

  Danial reared back suddenly, throwing a cloud of power at the ghost. The specter screamed, burning holes appearing, the flames eating it in a shower of white glowing fire. It flailed, falling to its knees, then disappeared.

  Danial got to his feet gingerly, then helped Theo up. “Brace yourself on the mirror frame and hold on.” He began to pull out the shards, Theo’s skin healing up as the glass came free.

  “Son of a bitch,” Theo snarled. “What the hell was all that?”

  “A demon masquerading as a child,” Danial said, still working efficiently. “That white fire burnt up his physical form. He’s back in Hell now.”

  “Ouch,” Theo growled as Danial yanked a large chunk out. “Why not just use some holy water or something?”

  “I’m agnostic. You need faith for that to work, not just a Bible.” Danial plucked out the last piece. “Turn and I’ll get the front.”

  Theo turned, grimacing. “That white fire was magic.”

  Danial nodded. “A witch friend makes it for me. It’s white magic.”

  Theo stretched, pulling out the last few shards on his arms. “You don’t do dark magic?”

  Danial laughed, but the sound was resigned rather than exuberant. “I do whatever it takes, Theo. Don’t sugarcoat me. I get enough of that from my donors.” He turned away. “Do my back
, please.”

  Theo pulled out the shards, Danial flinching and hissing in pain. “Is one of the reasons you offered me a job because I can take wounds like this and not die?”

  Danial nodded. “I’d be lying if I said otherwise. Regeneration is an asset in my business. But I offered you a job because when I gave you the choice of helping or running, you chose to help.” He faced Theo. “I need someone who can be trusted to make not only a quick decision, but also the right one. Are you in?”

  Theo nodded. “Yes.”

  “Good,” Danial said, pleased. “Now let’s get out of here.”

  They retraced their steps, their gait slow and stiff from their weakened state. As they left the building, the lights all around them came on, the rides suddenly coming to life as carnival music blared tinny from the loudspeakers.

  Theo turned to Danial. “I hope you’ve got more of that powder.”

  “Fresh out,” Danial muttered, his eyes scanning in all directions.

  Unnatural shadows gathered growing larger and darker as the music swelled. Eyes appeared in the inky blackness, red-orange pupils staring.

  “What are you?” Danial shouted. “What do you want?”

  “They want your blood,” an old voice creaked from behind them. “So do I.”

  Theo and Danial whipped around. A bloated clown floated there, his painted face skeletal, his eyes dark holes, his mouth a twisted misshapen slash that opened revealing pointed teeth like a shark.

  “Any ideas?” Theo whispered.

  “Yes...run!”

  Danial and Theo turned, only to find the clown behind them. It kicked Theo with his left boot, the solid blow sending him crashing through a rusty fence into the bumper car rink. Driverless, they converged at once on his prone form, ramming him hard from all sides as he cried out in pain.

  “You’re no man,” Danial said, dodging as the clown reached for him. “Show your real form, demon!”

  The clown grinned, his outline morphing fluidly. “What do you wish, Danial? There are so many horrors from your past I’d love to become—”

  The thing knew his name. What else did it know? Danial gritted his teeth, fighting his sudden fear. “What do you want?”

  “To make you suffer,” the clown lisped, leering. It lunged for him, ripping his shirt.

  Danial drew his gun and emptied it into the phantom. The bullets passed through harmlessly, thudding into the side of the building.

  Suddenly the outline morphed, the clown’s body becoming masculine and blond as an elegant face formed, its golden eyes gleaming.

  “No,” Danial breathed.

  “Yes,” the figure purred, beckoning with two taloned fingers. “Come to Dev.”

  Danial drew a knife from his boot. “Come and get me.”

  “You’re just like me,” Dev said lovingly, moving closer. “You become more like me every year—”

  “No!” Danial shouted, backing away.

  Dev advanced, long fangs smeared with blood. “You could’ve killed me long ago, but you didn’t. Don’t you rue that day, Danial? How many lives could you have saved? Thousands? Millions?”

  “That’s not true—!”

  “I’ve drunk an ocean of blood and I have you to thank.” Dev laughed wildly. “Without your deeds, I’d never have come to America. It was you who killed Annabelle—”

  “No,” Danial said weakly, going to his knees. “It wasn’t my fault.”

  Dev stood over him, gloating as an ax formed in his white hands. “It was. Your paltry good deeds of the last century can’t atone for all the evil you’ve done.” Dev raised the ax. “You deserve to die—”

  Water hit Dev in the back, the force of it propelling him over Danial. The creature landed hard on its side, momentarily stunned, its clown’s form reappearing for an instant before Dev’s features reformed. Danial threw himself at it, his knife coming down in a deadly arc. The figure screamed and shifted, Dev’s features melting into a tiger’s ravening jaws that lunged up for Danial’s throat. Danial snapped with his own fangs, latching onto the beast’s shoulder as it buried its fangs in his forearm, his arm driving the knife deeper into the monster’s chest, twisting it.

  The thing shuddered once, then sickening black smoke wafted up from the body as it fell in, crumbling.

  Danial climbed to his feet shakily, then walked to where Theo sat, his bloody hands still clutching the fire hose.

  “You okay?” Danial asked.

  “Broken ribs,” Theo answered, wincing. “Are we done?”

  “For tonight,” Danial said, putting Theo’s arm over his shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Walk slow,” Theo said weakly as Danial helped him to his car. “I can’t walk well, much less fight. I wasn’t sure what to use as a weapon—”

  Why hadn’t Theo changed form in the fight, Danial wondered. Not only would it have speeded the healing ribs, but a cougar’s powerful form would have withstood the blows better than Theo’s human form. In fact, Theo had not even partially shifted at all, which was behavior Danial had never seen from any were in a fight. His aversion to change was something to keep in mind, as it could prove a potential weakness.

  “—thank God that fire hose was nearby.”

  “Thank God for you, you mean.” Danial rubbed his eyes.

  “Who was that?” Theo asked. “That person the demon became? It was someone you knew.”

  “A vampire I know,” Danial lied uneasily. “A bad one.” He managed a smile. “You did good, Theo.”

  “Thanks,” Theo said awkwardly. “Do you need blood? You look like hell.”

  “Yes, but not yours,” Danial said, taking out his phone. “That’s what donors are for. Do you prefer beef or chicken?”

  “Chicken,” Theo replied. “After we eat, what’s the plan?”

  “We take a few days to rest and heal up at my house. Then we’ll head to the next case. I have a small job in New York, if you’re interested.”

  Theo grinned. “Looks like there’s never a dull moment with you around.”

  Danial smiled widely, baring fangs. “That’s right. You sure you want to do this?”

  Theo bared his own cougar fangs in a smile. “Yes, partner. Let’s go.”

  * * * *

  Later that week, Danial and Theo disembarked from the plane in Syracuse, New York.

  “Be on your guard,” Danial cautioned, getting into the truck. “Devlin is a fiend, as I’ve told you. Lash, his henchman, is no better.”

  “Why you’d consider moving here closer to them is beyond me,” Theo said bluntly. “You could’ve shipped back the equipment you borrowed.”

  “I need to know what Devlin really wants with me,” Danial said darkly. “It’s time to face him and find out.”

  * * * *

  An hour later, Theo and Danial were standing in Devlin’s home, the tall striking blonde man dressed in gold and black regarding them intently, his interest no longer on the poetry he’d been writing.

  “Danial,” Devlin purred from his ornate chair, his golden eyes shining, “What an unexpected surprise.”

  “Not really, when you all but summoned me for an audience,” Danial said. “Pass on my thanks to Lash, please.”

  Theo put down the tent and other camping gear on the floor.

  Devlin nodded. “Unfortunately Lash is not here to accept right now. He’s out west himself, tending to a personal errand.”

  Danial tensed. “Where?”

  “Not sure, really,” Devlin said with a dismissive gesture. “And you don’t care anyway, so let’s get to business. Are you coming back east or not?”

  “Spell out directly the lucrative work you mentioned; who it’s for, what it entails, and how long it’s expected to last,” Danial countered.

  “Or?” Devlin asked, picking up a pencil and twirling it.

  “Or my new partner and I will be on our way.”

  “Partner,” Devlin said deliciously, studying Theo with new interest. “This is unpre
cedented.” He dropped the pen and steepled his fingers. “The work is hits for the mob, it entails killing degenerates, and it will last as long as you and I will, Danial.”

  “Murder?” Theo asked, repulsed. “I didn’t sign on for murder.”

  “I don’t kill innocents for pay,” Danial added. “That’s assassin’s work.”

  “Don’t pretend you’re Sherlock Holmes with me,” Devlin hissed, his eyes reddening. “You’re old enough to know the only true innocents are children. None of those will be on your list.”

  “No,” Theo said staunchly. “We’re not interested.”

  “You don’t matter,” Devlin retorted coldly, snapping the pencil in two. His hardness eased as he addressed his brother. “Danial, you have been playing detective for years now. You’re known in Colorado, but nowhere else. That is how it will stay unless you take the next step. To do that, you need cash.”

  “Blood money,” Danial replied evenly.

  “It isn’t the first you’ve been offered,” Devlin said meaningfully. “It wouldn’t be the first you’ve taken.”

  “Danial, you can’t seriously be considering this,” Theo said.

  Danial didn’t reply.

  “Of course he’s considering it,” Devlin said gleefully. “His business is the most important thing to him.” He bared his fangs at Theo in a wide grin. “Something you would do well to remember, Cat.”

  “Don’t call him that,” Danial said mildly. “There will be no insults, Dev. That’s one of my first terms. Make sure your snake henchman agrees.”

  Devlin nodded. “Of course. What else?”

  “I want freedom to do what I wish, without your interference—”

  Devlin nodded. “As long as you give me the necessary respect at formal events.”

  “—I want all my employees and friends, such as Theo, given freedom from persecution—”

  “As long as they obey the vampire laws.”

  “—I want a loan and your backing to get Solution’s Inc. on track to a global business—”

  “Name your price. The references will not be a problem. You are a master sleuth.”

  “—my business will take me all over the world if I succeed. I want you to secure me safe passage. I have enemies here and abroad—”