Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“ H ow did you find this place?”
Demetrius detected a touch of caution in Oliver’s tone, and he couldn’t blame him. After Tracey had helped them find some good books with information about vampires, she’d joined them at Margie’s where she’d actually been a bit funny and engaging. Tracey had returned to the library after they’d all paid their checks, and now the three of them stood before the building where Clarabell resided.
It was a two story brick rectangle. A three-car covered parking area extended from one side, supporting a deck above it. The bricks were weathered, dark stains from the black walnut tree towering over the front half of the house marring the face. Demetrius couldn’t recall ever having noticed this building before, and he’d lived in Parson’s Hollow all his life. It was in an area on the other side of town from where he and Cody lived, a strange mix of farm supply, self-storage units, and duplexes. Clarabell’s building seemed to blend into the mix while also standing apart.
“Craigslist,” Clarabell said, smiling.
“Under what listing?” Oliver said. “Crime scenes?”
“It looks a little rough on the outside, but don’t we all?” She started for the front door, set at the opposite end of the building from the garage. “Come on. I’ve got some wine and crackers to go with that video I shot in the morgue last night.”
“A phrase I never in a million years thought I would hear someone say to me as I followed them into their murder home,” Oliver said so only Demetrius could hear him.
“You and me both. Does Dave know where you are?”
Oliver tapped at his phone. “He does now. I just shared my location with him. You going to tell Cody?”
“Maybe in a bit.”
Oliver looked at him as they approached the door. “Wow. You guys must have really had a blow out fight.”
“No, I wouldn’t say it like that.” Demetrius shrugged and fought back the icy sadness that threatened to well up inside him. “I think we both need some space right now. I just saw him this morning, it’s not like we’ve been apart for days.”
“How much do you miss him?” Clarabell asked, looking over her shoulder as she turned the key in the lock.
Demetrius could feel his smile was sad. “A lot.”
A small vestibule on the other side of the door offered two entrances. Clarabell used a key to unlock the first door on their left and led the way up a flight of stairs. They stepped into a small entry area, and then into an open concept living room, dining area, and kitchen. A short hallway led to what Demetrius assumed was a bedroom and bathroom. French doors opened onto the deck area above the parking stalls.
“Wow. This is really nice,” Oliver said. “I was not expecting this.”
“I told you,” Clarabell said. “I’m going to use the bathroom. There’s wine in the fridge and maybe some snacks.”
“I feel guilty we’re not out searching the streets for Zenona,” Demetrius said as he sat on a stool at the quartz-topped island separating the kitchen from the living room.
Oliver uncorked a bottle of white wine and searched for glasses in the cupboards. “We spent the whole day in the library learning about vampires.”
“Right, but what good’s that going to do us if we don’t know where they are? And where they’ve taken Zenona?”
“I didn’t know they hated silver.” He brought down three long-stemmed glasses and poured out wine.
“I knew that one.” He accepted his glass of wine and took a sip. It was very sweet, and he had to restrain himself from puckering up. Twirling the stem between his fingers, he watched the waves in the liquid. “Do you think I have a savior complex?”
Oliver paused with the wineglass at his lips. “Is this a trick question?”
Demetrius frowned. “No. It’s an honest question.”
“This feels like a trap.”
“It’s not a trap. Look, you know me pretty well. We even dated for a while. I respect your opinion, and you usually have an opinion about things.” Demetrius felt a prickle of agitation. He didn’t need flippant responses right now. He needed someone to be honest and explain him to himself. Someone other than Cody, because Demetrius got defensive when Cody started pointing out his flaws. When Cody did it, he felt like the words dragged a hefty dose of expectation behind them. As if he was required to make immediate changes in order to keep Cody. Demetrius knew it was something he was putting on himself, that Cody had never made a demand like that, but it was also hard sometimes to separate himself from Cody. They’d known each other almost all their lives. Echoes of Cody would forever live inside him.
“Well, let’s look at your history,” Oliver said.
“You know what, forget it.” Demetrius walked into the living room area.
But Oliver followed. “I’m assuming this was something Cody said to you.”
“You assume correctly.”
“Okay, I never thought I’d say these words, but I kind of agree with him.”
“I just heard thousands of demons scream as Hell froze over,” Demetrius said in a dry tone.
“I’m serious, though. “I don’t think it’s a deliberate martyr complex behavior, but you always feel like you need to be the one to save people. I mean, you let an alpha werewolf turn you in order to save this whole town, for God’s sake.”
Demetrius sat on the surprisingly comfortable sofa. “I did that because I was the reason Nicolae even came to town in the first place. It was me he was focused on, and he was turning everyone around me for over a year.”
“Exactly. But you also had to do it because you were the one who killed the first werewolf that came into town, one of his children.”
“Because it was attacking Cody and then coming after me!”
“What are you two talking about?” Clarabell said, coming in from the hallway. She had changed to a tie-dyed caftan and rainbow colored socks.
“Demetrius’s savior complex.”
“For God’s sake.” Demetrius gulped his wine. It was still too sweet, but he dealt with it better.
“Oh, yeah?” Clarabell picked up her wine glass and joined them in the living room. “He finally admitting it?”
“Never mind,” Demetrius said with a groan. “How about we watch the video you shot of the vampire in the morgue?”
They all laughed about that, and Clarabell got busy finding the remotes she needed. While she was distracted, Oliver turned to Demetrius.
“I didn’t mean what I said as an insult. You’re the most empathetic guy I know. You have this endless capacity of feeling responsible for everyone else in the world.”
“Is that a good thing?”
Oliver shrugged. “It’s something you need to find a way to balance, apparently, if your husband is calling you out on it.”
“Here we go,” Clarabell said. “It was in the chair cushions.”
They were quiet as they watched. When Aldrik freed himself from the body bag, Demetrius shivered. He was handsome, with an old world air about him, his dark hair pulled back into a pony tail. Men and women would find him attractive, and men would want to be near him even if they weren’t gay.
And how many lives had Aldrik taken during his centuries prowling the night? How many people had died at the hand of the mysterious and frightening Xavier? And what about friendly and nervous Dr. Michael Graham? Could they really trust Michael had had a change of heart and menu and was now a vampire’s version of vegetarian?
“What did he say there?” Oliver asked, bringing Demetrius back to the video.
Clarabell paused and rewound it. When she started it again, Aldrik held Zenona in front of him as a shield, and Lucia had her gun out and trained on him.
“Let her go,” Lucia ordered. Watching it again after the fact, he could hear the slight tremor in her voice. He had grown much closer to Lucia the last few years, and he knew she had to be feeling responsible for Zenona being taken. Apparently he wasn’t the only one in town with a savior complex.
Aldrik talked back to her, smug and dangerous. His voice was smooth and deep, the English accent similar to Dr. Graham’s but also possibly a bit more refined. Or overdone.
“There, stop!” Oliver pointed at the screen. “What’s that he said right there?”
Clarabell rewound the video a few seconds and pressed play. Aldrik looked around their group with a wicked smile before saying, “You have no idea how many I have turned since I was invited to your idyllic small town. And now that?—.”
“Pause it,” Oliver said, and the image on the TV froze with Aldrik’s mouth open in the middle of speaking, just enough to show the tips of his fangs. Oliver looked between them. “Did you hear what he said?”
“He was invited,” Clarabell said. “I didn’t catch that when he said it last night.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Demetrius said. “Who the hell would have invited a creature like that to town?”
“Could it have been whoever he’s using as his own personal Renfield?” Clarabell said. “He needs someone living to guard him during daylight hours and set things up for him, right?”
“Yeah, maybe.” Oliver got up to pace. “But it sounds like he’s been here in town for a long time. He’d need someplace dark and quiet to stay during the day. A place where he wouldn’t be suspected or found, and his own personal Renfield wouldn’t draw suspicion by behaving maybe a little differently.”
“His own personal Renfield sounds like a terrible remix of a great Depeche Mode song,” Clarabell said.
“He’d need someone with access to bodies and maybe digging equipment or space to house himself and however many he’s turned.” Demetrius looked up. “Funeral home maybe? Or cemetery?”
“Worth a visit,” Clarabell said, then looked toward the French doors. “But tomorrow. Sun’s going down soon.”
“It gets dark so much earlier now,” Demetrius said, thinking of Cody. As if on cue, Demetrius’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out. And smiled.
“I know that smile,” Clarabell said with a smile herself. “Did the big galoot apologize via text?”
“So classy,” Oliver said, then got up to refill his wineglass.
Demetrius read the text several times, his heart lifting higher with each pass.
I’m sorry I was such an ass this morning. I love you, and I missed you today. I reacted badly because I’m afraid I’m going to lose you to these crazy cases. Please let me know you’re okay. I’m going out to see my grandma. I think a lot of weird stuff has gone on out there, and I want to make sure she’s okay. I love you with all I have. Please tell me you’re okay.
Before Demetrius could respond, another text from Cody came in.
I must really love you, because I left a shawarma in the fridge for you instead of eating a second one. And John the Bastard sends his love.
This time, Demetrius laughed aloud.
“Well, looks like everything is back to normal in the Bower-Singleton household,” Oliver said from the kitchen island. “Ready to make a plan for the rest of the night?”
“I’ve got crosses and holy water,” Clarabell said.
“Of course you do,” Demetrius said. He put his phone away without responding. He needed some time to think about what he wanted to say. And maybe he should say it in person.
“We could drive up and down the streets and look for people acting like vampires,” Clarabell said.
“The streets are packed with tourists dressed like werewolves and vampires,” Demetrius said. “We need to do something different. Something more specific to saving Zenona. Do we have wooden stakes?”
“Not on me,” Oliver said.
“Let’s take a trip to the hardware store,” Clarabell said. “I’ve got some discretionary money I can spend.”
“Yeah, about that.” Oliver waved a hand to indicate the apartment. “How are you affording this place? Do you have a job we don’t know about? Are you, like, some kind of secret banking person for a few hours a day?”
Clarabell gave him a look. “How much wine have you had?”
“One glass,” Oliver said.
“One very full glass,” Demetrius amended, receiving a look.
“I’m very good at finding, applying for, and receiving grants,” Clarabell said before getting to her feet. She grabbed her small shoulder bag and slung it across her body. “Let’s go. Hardware store will be closing soon, I’m sure.”
Demetrius took in her tie-dyed caftan and rainbow socks. “Do you want to change?”
Clarabell held out her arms. “Are you kidding? This outfit is a statement. Come on, dudes, we’ve got some stakes to make.”