Mamaw rubbed her hairy chin and looked up at the ceiling, as if trying to recall something. "Well, it all fits. It said in the papers the girls from the policeman's house were all drained of blood. What else would do that?"
"Oh there are many ways," said Noah. "They could have had their throats slit and be hung from their ankles, like they do with cattle."
Holly gasped, surprised at Noah's bluntness. "Jesus Christ, tone it down. She's a little old lady."
"Oh, sorry. My apologies," said Noah sincerely.
"Ha!" said Mamaw humorlessly, unfazed by the suggestion. "I don't think so. When they found them, they were all in a living room sitting on a sofa. A bit odd, don't you think, that they weren't running about, in desperate fear for their lives? From what I heard, when they were found, they might just have been having a little tea party, they were sitting so nicely."
"Lemme see."
Mamaw whipped out a bunch of old newspapers and spread them on the counter. "Of course, I can't see anything worth a pickle, but all these papers covered the story. Take a look for yourself."
Holly and Noah huddled over the old stories and started sifting through the pages. Holly recognized the family from the Internet at once. There were plenty of images of the beautiful girls, standing outside of a church, playing on the beach, having fun at a picnic. In some, the cop was right alongside them, looking as proud as any father could be. But a few must have been taken after the event, because he now had dark circles under his eyes and stared unblinking into the lens. Only in those he looked much, much older.
One picture even went so far as to show the kill scene, only the faces were obscured by black tape. Holly's heart broke just looking at them all, especially the youngest girl. She inhaled deeply. This wouldn't do at all. She needed to focus.
"Maybe the killer placed them that way after murdering them?" suggested Holly.
"What, and then vacuumed and dusted to cover his tracks? Oh no, the papers said there wasn't a thing out of place. What man on earth having satisfied his lusts would do that?"
"You think they were... I beg your pardon, ma'am, I don't mean to be indelicate... sexually assaulted, then?" asked Holly.
"No, no sign of that at all apparently. No, the young ones died as pure as they were born, I heard. Tragic, really, truly tragic." Mamaw shook her head sadly.
"Mamaw, is there any other reason why you think a vampire is behind this?"
Mamaw's eyes lit up, clearly she was unused to anyone taking her so seriously. "Well, most people around here are too young to remember, but this isn't the first time strange things have happened around here."
"Like what?" asked Holly.
"Well, back during the war, I remember a girl I knew named Sue. One minute she was working in the drug store, and then one day, she just disappeared. Not a trace of her from that day to this."
"You mean World War II?" asked Holly.
Mamaw scoffed. "Hell no, I ain't that old. Naw, I'm talking about Korea. I was in my twenties then, and a real beaut."
Wow, thought Holly, doing some quick mental arithmetic. That made Mamaw what, around ninety? Older maybe? She was in damned good shape if that were true.
"I've got a picture of us both over there on the wall," Mamaw continued. "Wanna see?"
"Sure, I'd love to," said Holly.
Mamaw led them across the store to a picture hanging by one of the garlic-framed windows. "Look," she said, all bright-eyed. "That one's me, and the other there is Sue. Weren't we a pair of knockouts?"
"You sure were," said Noah.
Holly couldn't agree more. The two girls were both in hot pants, and although both were exceedingly pretty, Mamaw's pal Sue was something else. With her jet black hair, slender figure and perfect smile, Sue could have been a film star.
"See that ring on her finger?" said Mamaw.
"Yes?" said Holly.
"Look." Mamaw held out her hand and twiddled her fingers.
Holly admired the silver filigree ring with a pair of silver pearls embedded in the design. It cut a little into Mamaw's flesh, though it didn't look painful.
"I had the exact same ring," continued Mamaw. "We bought them at the same time, said we'd never take them off. And you know what? I never did." Mamaw touched the ring sadly. Holly looked back at the picture.
The two women were standing in this very spot in the store, and Noah peered intently at the picture. It looked like something else had caught his eye.
"What is it?" asked Holly.
"I was just admiring the sword in the picture. Samurai isn't it?"
"Yes. I have a few of them about the place, just in case."
"Just in case of what?" asked Holly.
"If a vampire ever dared cross my threshold, a samurai sword is the best thing for lopping off their heads. Sad thing is, at my age, I doubt I'd have the strength to wield it." Mamaw sighed. "But if I ever met the monster who ran off with my Sue, with God as my witness, I swear I'd find the strength somehow."
"Do you have any katanas for sale?" asked Noah.
"Well, I suppose I could sell one of them," replied Mamaw. "But not the one in the picture. I could never part with that. It'd be like saying goodbye to my little Suzie all over again."
"I understand," said Holly. She wanted to pat her shoulder, but was afraid Mamaw's eyes might see better at short range.
"Come on. There's a very nice one over on this wall if you're interested."
Mamaw led them to the back of the shop which was a mess of small boxes, books and cups. The samurai sword was mounted high on the wall. While Noah helped Mamaw retrieve it, Holly picked around at some of the cups on the shelf. An ornate silver goblet caught her particular attention, but when she picked it up a sharp pain shot through her fingers. She dropped it at once.
"Ow."
Both Mamaw and Noah turned round to see what she was doing. A small blister appeared on the tip of her finger.
"What's the matter, dear?" asked Mamaw.
"Oh nothing, pinched my skin, that's all," Holly lied.
Mamaw peered at the goblet. "If you're interested in that, I can do a very nice deal on the two items. That's a lovely old silver goblet from a Catholic church. I believe it was used in Communion, a very nice piece, I must say. Are you interested?"
"No," said Holly.
"Yes, we'll take it," said Noah quickly. He had just pulled down the samurai sword and slid it out from its sheath. "This is very nice," he said. "How much do you want for it?"
"Oh I dunno. I never thought about selling them before. Say, two-thousand bucks?"
Holly snorted, but Noah didn't raise an eyebrow.
"I believe it's worth a whole lot more," pressed Mamaw.
"You think it's genuine?" whispered Holly.
"Give me your scarf," replied Noah.
"But I need it!" protested Holly.
"You bought two. You can spare me this one," argued Noah. "Come on. I saw this done in a movie once. It'll be fun."
Noah handed the sword to Holly, blade up. "Hold it straight and steady, legs two feet apart."
Holly did as she was told.
"Yes that's it. Hold steady. Now watch." Noah tossed the scarf up in the air. It landed directly on the blade, was cut into two pieces and fluttered to the floor.
"I'd say it was real," said Noah.
"You owe me a new silk scarf, pal." She handed the sword back to Noah who returned it to its sheath.
"Two thousand, you say?"
"I couldn't accept a penny less," said Mamaw. "I'm giving it away as it is."
"Two thousand, and the silver goblet?" suggested Holly.
Mamaw rubbed her chin, thinking. "I've had that sword an awful long time, and that goblet, well, it's pure silver...."
"Please, Mamaw. It's for a good cause. We can't say what exactly, but we know you'll like it."
Noah treated Mamaw to his most winning grin, and Holly went faint at the knees. She had no idea he could turn on the charm like that. "Two thousand, one hundr
ed then, for the sword, the goblet...and the dagger. I'm afraid I can't go higher than that."
Mamaw smiled. "Oh, alright then. Come on over to the cash register, and I'll wrap it all up for you."
While Mamaw wandered off, Holly looked askew at the goblet. "I can't pick that up," she whispered. "Look what it did to my finger." She held out her forefinger and to her amazement, Noah brought it to his lips and kissed it better. He lingered a little longer than was necessary.
"It's the silver. I forgot it's deadly to vampires. And the fact that it was used in Communion services can't hurt, either." He picked it up. "We may as well have it as not."
"Good thinking," said Holly, though her thoughts were still with his lips on her finger.
Noah wandered over to the cash register and pulled out his wallet. Holly went to object, but Noah raised his hand to stop her. "I got this. Anyway, I always wanted a genuine samurai sword for my house. It'll look good over my fireplace, don't you think?"
Holly disliked weapons, but nodded anyway. If Noah liked it, that was good enough. She just hoped he wasn't breaking the bank just to please her.
Mamaw finished wrapping the cup, the dagger, and the sword in brown paper. After running his Visa, she squinted at the machine, unable to read the keys clearly as she typed. But it went through okay, and she pulled off the paper receipt for Noah to sign.
Mamaw closed the cash register drawer and handed the sword to Noah. She popped the goblet into a plastic bag. The bag had the old photo of Mamaw and Sue emblazoned on it. Holly noticed the same picture on Mamaw's business cards.
"Can I have one of these?" asked Holly.
"Sure, take a couple. Pass them around. Business is slow, these days. It doesn't hurt to advertise."
Holly picked up three and popped them into her purse. "I'll show them around," she promised. Mamaw handed her the bag containing the goblet, and Holly held it tentatively aloft, afraid it might hurt her. She jabbed at it quickly, then, since she felt no pain, decided it was safe enough to carry it in the bag.
They were about to leave when Mamaw called them back. She had a peculiar look on her face, like she was trying to puzzle them out. "Just a second."
Holly and Noah turned around.
"Yes?" asked Holly.
"Well, if you ever come across a vampire, you should carry some of this."
Mamaw held out a small vial on a black cord used as a necklace. "I sell a lot of these."
"What is it?" asked Noah.
"Essence of garlic, a little holy water and a drop of turmeric. It's deadly to vampires."
"Vampire poison?" asked Noah, skeptically. "Does it work?"
"Well, of course I've never tried it. But I sure as hell sell a lot of the stuff."
"Ah, well, that's okay," said Noah. "Thanks, and now we'd best be off.
Noah turned to leave, and Holly turned with him.
"No, wait!" Mamaw ran agitatedly from behind the cash register and across to Holly. "I'm sorry, dear, but I'd feel much better if you wore this. Please. Wear it for my sake. If Sue had had it, I'm sure she'd still be with me today!"
Oh, what harm? Holly bent down and let Mamaw place the gaudy talisman around her neck. In that second, the two women's eyes locked. There was such a depth of sadness in Mamaw's eyes that Holly suddenly wanted to cry. But she restrained her tears and straightened up instead.
For just a second, Mamaw looked at Holly askew. Mamaw opened her mouth as if she had something more to say but must have decided against it, because she merely shook her head. "I must be imagining things," Mamaw mumbled, more to herself.
"Thank you," said Holly.
"Oh, you're very welcome," said Mamaw. "And if you come across any nasty vampires in your investigations, tell 'em Mamaw said hi."
Holly and Noah both laughed.
"Will do," said Holly.
Mamaw returned to the cash register and started rummaging through more trinkets.
"Now where did I put those silly spectacles?"
12
St. Judes
Outside Mamaw's was a news-rack offering a free local paper, real estate news, and a map of Misty Cedars. Noah grabbed one of each while Holly hot-footed her way back to the Alfa.
The day was cooling off, and he didn't need his wolf's nose to know it would soon be raining. Good. A change in the weather might reduce Holly's symptoms. But it wasn't the change in the weather which most concerned him. Time was running out for Holly, and fast.
Still, there was no point going gung-ho now. It was time to pause and think. But they had to be quick about it.
After securing the sword in the trunk, Noah slid in the passenger seat and handed Holly the real-estate circular and the map. She had a fresh scarf wrapped around her head.
"What are these for?" asked Holly, flipping through the pages of the circular. "Are you planning to go house-hunting now?"
"No. We're looking for an abandoned building," he replied.
"Why, what did you have in mind?"
"Have you ever wielded a samurai sword before?" asked Noah.
"Um, no."
"Well, neither of us can become a master swordsman in a couple of hours, but we should at least take a few practice shots at a target or something."
"Good idea. So what am I looking for in here. Vacant properties? Are you thinking of breaking and entering?"
"No, not exactly," said Noah. "But vacant properties with both land and a barn might be a good idea."
"Right. Good thinking." Holly flipped to page one and started perusing the ads properly. Noah opened up the newspaper looking for any vacant property that might be suitable.
On the fifth page was a picture of an old, Gothic-looking church. The headline read:
ST. JUDES SCHEDULED FOR DEMOLITION AT LAST.
Hmmm. An abandoned, church. Noah checked the date. Demolition wasn't scheduled for another two weeks. There was a fair chance there wouldn't be anyone there right now. He turned to Holly and opened the pages wide so she could see it.
"Hey, what do you think?"
Holly took a second to scan the headline. "A church? I mean, I was raised Christian and all, but isn't that supposed to be a no-no now? You know, the vampire thing. If I go inside, won't I go up in flames or something?"
"I dunno, maybe? I would imagine it's been deconsecrated is that the right word? Unconsecrated maybe. Whatever, but if they're tearing it down, it won't be holy ground anymore, so you should be safe I think. It was just an idea. Did you find something in your book?"
"Nah, mostly commercials mainly. There doesn't appear to be a lot of houses for sale around here. You'd think with all the killings, they'd be inundated."
"Yeah, maybe." Noah flicked through the rest of the paper but with no luck. "We could try any old barn, I suppose, but chances are, we'd get our heads blown off just for trespassing."
Holly tossed the circular and the map on the dash and sat back determined in her seat. She buckled up and crossed her arms. "Take me to the church. If I blow up into a thousand pieces, I'll know exactly who to blame!"
"Are you sure?" asked Noah.
"No, but like you say, we're running out of time. We've gotta do something."
Noah knew she was being brave and wouldn't have risked it if they had any other choice, but they did not.
"Okay." He pulled the location up on his Samsung. The church was just five minutes away, not too bad. He pulled on his own seatbelt and pressed hard on the gas.
The black outline of the old church loomed dismally on the cloudy horizon. Holly shivered. She'd never liked horror stories, and liked them even less now she felt she was in one.
Noah pulled round the back of the church, away from the main view of the street. Smart. Her red Alfa wasn't exactly inconspicuous.
It was spitting rain when she stepped out of the car, and her skin itched less. The shitty weather agreed with her at least.
Noah also climbed out of the car and ran round to the trunk. He joined her again in just a second with bo
th the sword and the unopened bag of apples he'd brought to the guest house last night.
"How do you feel?" Noah asked.
"Okay so far. Come on."
Holly inched slowly past the cracked headstones of the rickety, abandoned cemetery. It had been a long while since anyone had cared for this plot of unhallowed land. She tiptoed cautiously, with a renewed respect for the peaceful slumber of the dead. Still, a shiver ran along her spine which had nothing to do with her condition.
Holly paused at the once great Gothic entrance that now hung precariously on its broken hinges and was covered in some sort of graffiti. She held her breath. Slowly and carefully, Holly raised her hand to the cold, wooden facade and splayed her palm flat upon it. Nothing. She was perfectly fine.
"Phew," said Holly.
"Good. But we're not done yet," Noah reminded her.
No. They had yet to venture inside.
She took another deep breath and pressed hard on the hanging door. It creaked and groaned, but with a determined heave she forced it open. So far so good.
Her courage faltered at the last hurdle, and she glanced back at Noah. "You first," she said.
"If you like."
"No, wait! I suppose this really ought to be me."
Summoning all her will, Holly closed her eyes and took a step over the threshold.
The musty, abandoned stench of the old church invaded her nostrils, but that was all. Holly didn't spontaneously combust or vaporize or anything annoying like that.
"Everything okay?" asked Noah. "No funny warts or blisters?"
"No. I'm just fine. A little giddy maybe, but that might be left over church juju, I dunno." She removed the scarf from her head, shook out her hair and tied it around her neck. “Let's get started."
"Okay then."
There were still a few church pews, though most were broken. Holly suspected the good ones had been sold off prior to the deconsecration. Noah upturned a smallish one. He shuffled it around until the seat was as level as he could get it. After that he fished in the bag for a single apple and placed it precariously on the back of the pew.
Blood Curse (Misty Cedars - Vampire Edition) Page 8