The Vampire Chase

by Stephen Mertz

  Feet scurried, diving for cover.

  Madison stalked toward the back of the house, formulating his strategy as he moved. The next room down from the bedroom featured a picture window facing onto the backyard of the house next door.

  Madison didn’t miss a beat. He dove through the plate glass with his arms crossed over his face, keeping his body loose, to the accompaniment of a splash-like shattering sound and millions of flying shards of glass.

  He hit the ground beyond in a roll and came up running. He hefted the Magnum skyward as he ran, snapping off two more rounds. Then he was around the corner of the house and hauling ass down a narrow alley.

  There was a report from somewhere back there. They were firing at shadows. But it wouldn’t take them long to get on the radio if they hadn’t already.

  Madison skidded to a stop when he reached the street. The street was dark, silent; lined with parked cars. The closest was a VW bug. Madison holstered the .44. He approached the bug and got to work. It took him less than thirty seconds to successfully cross the wires. The little engine burst to life.

  He climbed in and got the hell out of there.

  He caught a main artery and traveled east until he reached North Clark. By now he had his bearings again. He steered the VW south toward the Loop and kept his speed down as he tooled through the sparse, sleepy traffic.

  He was vaguely aware of the slivers of glass that covered him, but not much more. He only knew that he felt like a man bursting to the surface after being too long underwater, drawing in the fresh air, free once again...

  Arn Shapiro had been right. There could be no doubt now. There was a killer on The Screaming Tree’s tour. A killer who was perfectly willing to dust a human life simply to tangle Madison up and keep him from asking any more questions.

  It would be a pleasure to waste the bastard.

  Madison got one more turnaround that night, or morning. It happened after he had parked the VW, shook most of the glass shards from his clothes and walked the three blocks back to the hotel. It came as he was crossing the parking lot.

  He had almost reached a densely shadowed rear entrance when a car pulled into a vacant parking space a few yards to his left. He gave the car an idle glance, then pulled up short as Mick Adamson climbed from behind the wheel. The Screaming Tree’s lead singer circled around and held open the other door for his passenger, and Laura Bates stepped out.

  She stepped out—and into Adamson’s arms. Their mouths met hotly, and they merged into a clinch that was R-rated, at least.

  Madison melted back into the shadows, watching.

  Laura was glued to Adamson. Adamson’s hands were busy. A muffled gasp of pleasure drifted to Madison amid the night sounds of the city.

  Madison felt a strange empty sort of hurt wash over him. Then he thought of the dead blonde girl and her staring blue eyes and her bloody, smashed-in head...and he decided the hell with it.

  Finding out that a lady he’d cared about was really no lady at all suddenly didn’t seem so important after everything else that had gone down that evening.

  He turned and entered the hotel. Seeing that the post-concert party was over, he caught an automatic elevator up to Connie Frazer’s floor.

  6

  Connie Frazer took a final toke on the joint, leaned over and snubbed it out in the coffee table ashtray. She looked back at Madison with a smile.

  “Feeling better?” she asked.

  They were in her room sharing a couch that looked over Chicago at night. Lake Michigan was an endless, inky blur beyond the lights of the city. Madison had broken his general rule of abstinence from the weed while working. One glance at the shape he was in and Connie had insisted, and Connie Frazer was far too good-looking a woman for him to argue with. She-wore a floor-length robe that somehow managed to be both homey and sexy, comfortable but designed to hug the rolling curves of her body with the male eye in mind.

  He sipped his can of Pepsi from the hallway machine.

  “I’m feeling a whole lot better,” he admitted. “Only now I’m beginning to think more.”

  He hadn’t told her yet about what had happened. “Things can’t be that bad. Where did Keith take you?”

  “To a dead-end street—almost. How was the party after I left? Really boring, I’ll bet?’

  Her laughter was like music.

  “I missed you a little bit,” she admitted. “The room seemed so empty without you and your ego.”

  “Keep track of our other playmates?”

  “Uh, I was hoping you’d forget to ask.” Her breasts lifted beneath the robe as she drew in a long breath and sighed. “Okay, let’s take them one by one. Who was where when you left?”

  Madison rested his head against the back of the couch and squinted at the ceiling as if looking back in time.

  “Jeremy and Laura were at the end of the serving table,” he said. “I’d been with Brocchi. Mick was with you and the record reps.”

  “Ah yes, horny Mick,” said Connie. “He might be interesting if I liked them fast and a little crazy.” Madison caught her eye and grinned.

  “But you’re more the Taurus type, is that it?’

  “Whoa, big fella.” She grinned right back at him.

  “Is this business or are you putting the moves on me?”

  “Let’s take business first and then see what happens. How did things go with Mick?’

  “He might have gotten obnoxious except that Lee joined up right after you left. I guess that inhibited Mick somewhat. He kept looking but at least I didn’t feel like I was in danger of being raped at any second.”

  “How about Jeremy and Laura?”

  Connie’s face clouded with a frown.

  “It was hard keeping very close tabs on them,” she said. “I had my hands full with Lee and Mick. But from where I stood it looked like the two of them were arguing about something, and they weren’t being too cool about it. They weren’t shouting exactly, but you could tell things were heated. Then Jeremy turned and left her there and I had to bust my butt to get out of there after him without looking like an obvious fool.”

  “How long was that after I left?”

  “Not long. Not even a minute, I’d say.”

  “Do you think Jeremy saw me leave?”

  “I couldn’t tell. Like I said, I had my hands full. It was a big party.”

  “And then?”

  “You sound like an old Coasters record,” she laughed. Then she sighed. “And then—nothing. I followed Jeremy through the lobby and over to the elevators. He seemed pissed about something. Anyway, he wasn’t looking behind him. He caught the elevator and I went over and watched the dial. He got off on his own floor. The car came down and it was empty. So, I went back, to the party... and Lee and Mick were gone.”

  “They didn’t waste much time,” said Madison. “Jeremy splitting like that could have been just a diversion so they’d have a clear exit.”

  “But that’s assuming they felt it was worth the work,” said Connie. “Plus, Jeremy didn’t have any contact with them after you left to set it up.” Madison finished his Pepsi.

  “I wonder just how smart those guys are,” he said half to Connie and half to himself.

  “So, let’s hear about your adventures,” she said. “Something about a dead-end street?”

  He stood and walked to the window, looking down at his reflection in the glass and the lights beyond.

  “A girl was murdered, and I was supposed to take the fall,” he said tiredly. “They tried to tie drugs in with it and really hang my ass. Only a cop took too long pounding at a door and I got lucky.”

  Briefly, he told her what had happened after he left the party. By the time he reached the part about waking up with the blonde girl’s corpse, Connie’s face was drawn, and her fingers were touching her throat in a reaction of pure horror.

  “My God! It doesn’t seem possible...”

  He turned to face her.

  “Of course, it’s possible,”
he said brusquely. “That’s what I was trying to tell you on the plane. We’re not trying to nail someone who snatches cookies from girl scouts. We’re after someone who kills people. It doesn’t bother the bastard at all, you’d better understand that. And he’ll damn well kill again if he thinks it’ll buy him anything.”

  “I remember the girl Keith was with when he left,” Connie said slowly. “Was she the one?’

  Madison nodded. His mouth was a hard line.

  “Beautiful, wasn’t she?” he said.

  Connie didn’t answer at first. Then her eyes brightened with a sudden thought.

  “Then if Keith and Lee were talking to each other at the front door of her house,” she said, “it must have been Mick who clubbed you!”

  “Or Jeremy,” said Madison. “It all depends on whether he was drawing you out of that party on purpose for Lee and Mick to cut out.”

  “They’d also have to know why you’re really on the tour for that,” she pointed out. “And they’d have to know that I was working with you.”

  “Whoever was playing that game, they’ll be damned surprised to see me on the tour again tomorrow morning,” growled Madison. “They’ll try to stop me again. Only next time they might not play it so cute.”

  Connie rose from the couch and crossed to stand before him. The lights from outside illuminated the worry in her soft eyes.

  “Steve, it isn’t right for you to put your life on the block like this—”

  “It’s what Arn pays me for, Connie. Do you think he pays me ten grand just for insulting him?”

  “But tonight...maybe if you’d stayed and explained to the police—”

  “He doesn’t pay me to get his name blasted all over the papers, either. He pays me to take care of business—my way. Hell, it’s the only way I know.”

  Her eyes searched deeply into his. “Who do you think slugged you, Steve?’ she asked.

  “It’s too early to tell,” said Madison. “It also depends on how you want to figure it. I’d like to know how deeply Lee Brocchi is involved in things.”

  “I don’t understand how he could show up at that girl’s house,” said Connie, shaking her head. “You would’ve been long gone following Keith by the time Lee and Mick were able to slip out of the party.”

  “There are ways,” said Madison. “I seem to remember that a bunch of girls came into the party together. Maybe some of them knew the blonde girl. Maybe Brocchi or Adamson had time to get her address while you were following Jeremy. That’s the only way it adds up right now. If Brocchi’s on the level, he had a good enough reason for going through the trouble. I lit some fires under him just before I followed Keith out. Maybe he thought he was doing Keith a favor.”

  “If that’s the case,” said Connie, “where does that leave Mick?’

  “That depends on whether he and Lee left the party together,” said Madison. “Do you know for a fact that they did?”

  Connie nodded.

  “That’s what Laura told me,” she said. “I spent some time with her after I found them gone—before I came back up here to stew.”

  Laura. The hurt washed over Madison again for a moment, pulling at his stomach, but he tried to keep it from showing. Sweet Laura. Sweet cheat... “What did she say?’ he asked blankly.

  “Just that they walked out together.” Connie paused as if debating whether to speak her mind. Then she said, “Most of our conversation was about you.”

  The way she said it made Madison forget about the hurt.

  “Comparing notes?” he prodded, his eyes glinting.

  “I didn’t know there were notes to compare.”

  “And if there were?’

  “I—I don’t know...”

  “Okay. It’s only fair that you know what you’re working with. Laura and I were very close to each other once. A long time ago. Very B.J.—Before Jeremy.”

  “So much for my powers of perception,” said Connie. “I missed that completely. I thought I was getting to know her and the easiest way seemed to be to talk about men. I guess I was too bummed out about blowing my assignment to read the signals.”

  “You didn’t blow anything. They were too slick or too lucky. It happened. Don’t knock yourself out about it.”

  “What I am knocking myself out about is a question Laura asked me,” she said. “At the time I thought she was just making conversation, and I didn’t feel bad about not having an answer. Now...I don’t know. Maybe I’d like to know the answer myself.”

  “Must have been a tricky question.”

  “I don’t think so. She asked me what you and I meant to each other.”

  “Lady,” she said, “that can be one of the trickiest questions in the world between two people: Especially on a rock ’n roll tour. Especially doing the job we’re trying to do.”

  She turned from him, looking down into the street.

  “It wasn’t fair of me to pin you down like that,” she said contritely. “I’m sorry.”

  He stepped behind her, moving his body against hers. The natural scent of her hair was like musky perfume in his nostrils. He slipped his arms around her. She showed no resistance.

  “What would you like us to mean to each other?” he asked softly.

  “I’m not sure,” she said. “It wasn’t a fair question. We’re supposed to be doing a job. The only reason we’re here together is that we both work for Arn. I tried to tell myself that tonight while I sat up worrying about you.”

  Madison turned her around. She was beautiful there, framed by the dark window and the mellow reflection of the city lights that stretched out like a bed of diamonds beneath her. An aura of sexuality emanated from her, igniting his whole system with a warm glow.

  Sex with this woman would not be give and take, but an ultimate sharing of sensation and fulfillment. “Maybe we just need to step back from it for a while,” he said. “Sometimes you can become so much a part of it, you forget who you are and what you need.”

  “I need to be a woman,” she said simply. It was almost a whisper. “I need to know that there’s at least one other person in the world tonight who isn’t like all the others I’ve met today. I guess I’d like to know that there’s some love left in the world tonight.” The sensuous lower lip extended in an enticing smile. “Or a little loving...”

  “It’s what we both need,” said Madison.

  He stooped and scooped her behind the knees and suddenly she was up in his arms, the house-robe billowing out beneath her. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her warm face drawing close to his. Their mouths met in an urgent, hungry kiss that was still working as Madison started toward the bedroom.

  7

  Madison awoke with a start from deep sleep. He was in a cold sweat. Someone was pounding on a door; wouldn’t stop. For a fraction of time he was back on the hard, wooden floor of a nameless girl’s bedroom, staring into dead eyes.

  He sat up, shaking the disorientation from his head. Sunlight filled the room. The air was warm and muggy. He was in bed. Right. Connie Frazer’s bed. Their lovemaking of the night before had been passionate, inventive and thoroughly exhausting.

  That’s why the sleep had been so deep. Connie’s body was warm against his beneath the twisted sheets. She nuzzled in closer against him and purred.

  But the knocking at the door wouldn’t go away and the purr became a feline growl.

  “My God, it can’t be past six o’clock. Who could that be and why aren’t they in bed?”

  Madison grunted. Nude, he threw back the sheets and got to his feet. He padded over to the window, parted the curtains and looked out. It was wet and dreary in Chicago, the sky a horrible off-gray color. And hot. He swore, jabbed the air conditioner unit into life and climbed into his slacks.

  Connie had buried her head under a pillow. Madison appraised the lady’s flowing curves, fully visible through the clinging sheets, with a fond, bittersweet glance. Then he left the bedroom and walked barefoot to the front door. He yanked the door open angril
y.

  It was Lee Brocchi.

  “Let’s you and I have a talk, Madison,” he said without preamble. “I just got off the phone with Shapiro. I had the bastard against the wall and he finally leveled with me.”

  “Yeah, I was wondering if he would,” growled Madison. He stepped aside and nodded into the living room. “Okay, but let’s make it fast. The less people who know you’re here, the better.” He walked over to the open bedroom door, grabbed the knob and started to close it. Beyond Brocchi’s line of vision, Connie Frazer had managed to prop herself up on her elbows, the sheets drawn around her breasts. She opened her mouth to speak. Madison shot her a cold glare and the words died stillborn. He pretended to close the door but did not bother to latch it. Turning to Brocchi he said, “It didn’t take you long to find which bed I was in.”

  “I get paid to keep an eye on things,” growled Brocchi. “With you and Connie I figured if it hadn’t happened yet, it wouldn’t take long.”

  Madison thought he heard a faint indignant gasp from within the bedroom, but he kept a straight face.

  “We can talk, she’s in the tub,” he said. “Don’t worry about her, she’s just cover. Dumb.”

  “Yeah, Shapiro told me that too.” Brocchi’s mouth was a tight line. “I don’t like crap like this being pulled behind my back. I’m running this tour. I could blow this whole crazy pipe dream of yours sky high if I wanted to.”

  “Relax,” Madison told him. “We had to see how good you were. You tumbled—so you’re in. So now that you’re in, what do you think?”

  “I think it’s the biggest load of crap I’ve ever seen shoveled,” said Brocchi, He was keeping his voice down only with visible effort. His words were a breathy snarl. “I’ve been through plenty with Jeremy. Me and the dude are like that. And now you’re asking me to buy that he’s a vampire—some psycho who gets his kicks killing with his teeth? I don’t think so.”