The Cavern was a modestly successful, Lower Manhattan nightclub that pandered to a well-to-do crowd that enjoyed the dinner theater venue and had a fetish for mingling with society's flamboyant, outlandish and tawdry. Patrons who complemented the club’s motif in dress and manner could purchase admittance for a fraction of the price of a table or a booth. The theme of the entertainment within the club was invariably drawn from periods and locations that were suggestive of licentious behavior. Cancan music, Mardi Gras jazz, the Roaring Twenties, Cabaret, Tin Pan Alley and Rock and Roll were common genres of music and entertainment on display within the club. Flamboyant patrons attired in clothing appropriate for the look of the day completed the carnival-like atmosphere that attracted its high paying customers.
The furnishings of the club’s interior were given preference over high-tech visuals. There were no video monitors or computerized lighting schemes inside the club. Basic low voltage recessed lighting in the ceiling and mini lamps on the tables were used to illuminate the dining area. Much of the interior was reminiscent of the Victorian era. The main room was comprised of ornate mahogany chairs, booths, tables, bar, stools and paneling. Brass railings and fixtures complimented the rich reddish brown of the wood and Corinthian leather covered the seating in the booths. Even the mini table lamps had a Tiffany look. Opulence was everywhere.
A characteristic feature of The Cavern was the low ceiling in the lobby and the high ceiling in the main room. This feature coupled with the dim lighting gave rise to the sensation that the room was a cavern. The low ceiling in the lobby was a novelty that identified the club, but there was no evidence that it did anything to affect the quantity of the club’s patrons. The interior of the club was a hand-me-down through four separate owners along with the club’s name. Little about the club was changed from its original design, including its entertainment format. The Cavern was a loud and freewheeling party that took place every weekend, and its owner/operator was David Burrell. Two-thousand years earlier, he went by the name Cristiãn.
David arrived at The Cavern mid-Friday morning. The job of preparing the club for the evening’s festivities required him to be there for the morning deliveries. As the day moved forward, his employees began trickling in at their assigned times. By 2pm, half of the club’s employees were inside stocking shelves and cleaning the club. David was in his office tabulating supplies and expenses when one of his employees lightly knocked on his open door to get his attention.
“Yes, Cheryl?” David asked looking up.
“There's a Herman Weber and Mia Bauer out here,” Cheryl announced. “They say you know them.”
“Yeah,” David quickly agreed. “Can you show them in for me, Cheryl? Please—thank you.”
David knew that Cheryl was uncomfortable with letting unannounced visitors into the club. The normal practice was for visitors to schedule their comings with David and for him to prepare his staff for their arrival in advance. He knew that these visitors’ claim of an acquaintance with him was the only reason why Cheryl did not turn them away. David's please and thank you was his way of apologizing to her for this break in protocol.
David did not tell his staff of Herman and Mia's coming because he did not know they were coming. It was a surprise to David that they were in the United States. Minutes earlier he would have thought Herman and Mia were still in Berlin, Germany. The fact that they made an unannounced visit to the United States was a greater concern to David than their visit to his club during off hours. He suspected their presence here was not a casual visit.
“Can we come in?” Mia teasingly asked at the doorway to David’s (Cristiãn) office.
David (Cristiãn) was in the middle of sorting his paperwork away when Mia and Herman stopped outside his office door.
“Come in,” David (Cristiãn) returned as he closed his desk drawer.
Mia stepped through the doorway with Herman following behind. She exuded confidence and poise as she went to one of the two chairs situated in front of David’s (Cristiãn) desk and took a seat. Herman looked equally assured in his manner as he closed the door to the office, then went to the second chair. David (Cristiãn) showed no objection to his door being closed. He watched Herman take a seat and examined their faces before speaking.
“You're a long way from home.”
“Not really,” Herman coolly disputed. “With the transportation of this era we can travel to the far side of the world within hours.”
“And the daylight?” David (Cristiãn) asked, bewildered. “Isn’t it a little early in the day for a visit?”
Herman and Mia were Dacia vampires, the same as David (Cristiãn). Their true ages went beyond two-thousand years. In the area of Eastern Europe that was once known as Dacia, Herman Weber was known as Stefan and Mia Bauer went by the name Helga. Daylight was always an inconvenience for all vampires, but never so much that it could not endured for short durations, and this was far truer in the 21st century. Cars, trains and aircraft were excellent at blocking direct exposure.
“What’s a little sun between friends?” Stefan queried with a roguish flair.
After hearing Stefan's coy reply to his question, David’s (Cristiãn) concern about their presence in New York went up. He was sure that something serious had to be behind their coming. It was not normal for a Dacia Vampire to travel to the country of a vampire friend without giving notice of their coming.
“Why are you here?” David (Cristiãn) challenged flatly.
“We're here to see how things are going, Cristiãn,” Helga returned nonchalantly.
“It's been more than a month,” David (Cristiãn) countered with a look that said he thought the answer was absurd. “Nothing has changed, at least not on this end.”
Neither Helga nor Stefan were put out by the emotion in David’s (Cristiãn) response. They continued to look on with poker faces.
“So, your Detective Tremaine is still pleased with the deal she made?” Stefan queried after a pause.
David (Cristiãn) gave Stefan a confused look before answering.
“I imagine she is,” David (Cristiãn) returned.
“You imagine?” Stefan quickly challenged.
“I haven't seen Detective Tremaine since the day you last saw her,” David (Cristiãn) defended with an adamant inflection.
Stefan and Helga gave each other brief glances out the corners of their eyes.
“That doesn't sound promising,” Stefan calmly returned with an undertone of suspicion.
David’s (Cristiãn) suspicions about why Stefan and Helga were in New York went up to a new high. He was now sure that there was something amiss that was behind their coming. He wondered what he should say next.
“What does that mean?” David (Cristiãn) questioned with a glare toward Stefan.
Stefan considered David’s (Cristiãn) question, but It was Helga who began speaking to it first.
“Why, you're our resource on everything that's going on with Cassidy Tremaine, Cristiãn,” Helga playfully declared. “If you two aren't even on speaking terms, then we've got nothing,” she finished with a dismayed inflection.
David (Cristiãn) looked from Helga to Stefan repeatedly. He knew that this conversation was going on for too long to be a casual inquiry. There had to be something that was motivating these questions, but he knew from long experience that Stefan and Helga were not going to give him more than what they were willing to share and that his only recourse was to read between the lines.
“What's going on here?” David (Cristiãn) asked. He knew they were not telling him everything. “What are you looking for?” He flatly added.
“We just want to know that Detective Tremaine is happy with the deal she made.” Helga pleasantly returned.
“Why wouldn't she be?” David (Cristiãn) asked in disbelief that he had to say this.
There was a moment of silence between Stefan and Helga. They used this time to look at each other and to consider David’s (Cristiãn) question. During the silence, David’s (Cristiãn) thoughts touched upon the idea that Stefan and Helga were thinking of doing Cassidy harm.
“If you're thinking about killing Cassidy, it would be a mistake,” David (Cristiãn) challenged with a scowl.
“Relax, Cristiãn,” Stefan quickly countered with a nonchalant wave of his hand. “No one said anything about killing Detective Tremaine.”
Once again, David (Cristiãn) studied the faces of the two Dacia Vampires in front of him before asking, “What is it that you're not telling me, Stefan?”
“We need to know that Detective Tremaine is not having second thoughts,” Stefan explained in a lecturing tone. “And you're supposed to be our resource for that information,” he sternly finished.
“She chose you as her contact,” Helga promptly spoke up. “And you two aren't even talking,” she added in a bewildered tone.
Suddenly, David (Cristiãn) felt as if he was being scolded for not being a part of Cassidy’s life. It had become plain to him that Stefan and Helga wanted him to develop his relationship with Cassidy, and he suspected that there were others who shared this expectation. The thought that he was being pressured to pursue Cassidy sent David (Cristiãn) into a huff. He was determined to respect the separation that Cassidy was maintaining between them, and he had no intention of being bullied into doing otherwise.
“She'll talk to me when she has something to say,” David (Cristiãn) explained softly.
“It could be too late by then,” Stefan sharply countered.
“Why? What would be too late?” David (Cristiãn) sternly questioned back.
Helga noted that the conversation was on the threshold of erupting into an argument and quickly leaned forward to intercede.
“Cristiãn, we need you to manage this mortal,” Helga politely urged.
Helga’s calm tone lured David (Cristiãn) away from his growing anger, and he took a breath before responding to her words.
“Helga, trying to manage Cassidy would be a mistake,” David (Cristiãn) softly stressed. “There's no telling what she will do when she feels threatened,” he finished with a slight shake of his head.
Helga’s smile was clear evidence that she was not convinced by David’s (Cristiãn) sincere return.
“Cristiãn, come on, you're under selling yourself,” Helga countered as she sat back in her chair. “She's an unattached woman, and she's not even immortal,” Helga finished with a smile.
“You underestimated this mortal before,” David (Cristiãn) nearly whispered back.
Stefan became impatient with their exchange and quickly spoke up changing the tone.
“We need to know if and when Detective Tremaine’s position on us changes,” Stefan declared sternly. “Can you do that?”
David (Cristiãn) took a moment to give Stefan a look of warning, and then he spoke in a grave tone of voice.
“You'll know when I know.”
“You're a growing disappointment, Cristiãn.” Stefan grumbled.
David (Cristiãn) showed no sign that he was phased by Stefan’s remark and held his stare.
“I'm so sorry that I’m not living up to your hard-hearted standards, Stefan,” David (Cristiãn) countered.
“We're just looking after our own, Cristiãn,” Helga softly proclaimed. “That is the pact we made,” she added spitefully.
“As long as we keep our end of the deal, Cassidy will keep hers,” David (Cristiãn) assured them.
Helga and Stefan paused to consider what they should say or do next before getting up from their chairs and starting for the office door. Stefan stopped halfway across the room and looked back to give David (Cristiãn) one last question.
“And we have your word for that?”
David (Cristiãn) delayed answering the question just long enough to rise from his chair.
“Stay away from Cassidy, Stefan,” David (Cristiãn) began with finality. “I mean it.”
“Relax,” Stefan returned with a smirk. “If we were here to do harm to your Detective Tremaine, Cristiãn, we wouldn't be talking to you now.”
David (Cristiãn) and Stefan glared at each other for a moment before he turned and started for the door that Helga was now holding open. A few seconds later Helga and Stefan were gone from David’s (Cristiãn) view.
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