At 1:34pm, Cassidy arrived outside the apartment door of Sandra Moore. She spent more than two minutes knocking on her door before giving up and setting off for option number two. After a five-minute drive, she arrived at the apartment door of Toby Kennedy. The proof of someone’s presence inside was made evident by the sound of a guitar twanging on the other side of the door. After several knocks, Cassidy came face-to-face with Toby Kennedy.
Toby reluctantly let Cassidy inside his apartment after she showed him her badge and advised him that she was there to question him about Patricia. Not wanting to appear evasive or defensive, he stepped aside for Cassidy and then fanned the air behind her as she passed, suspecting his apartment smelled of marijuana. Cassidy was indifferent to the smell of cannabis. She was there for one thing, information about Patricia and Jeremiah.
“Tell me about the missing person report you and Sandra Moore filled out.” Cassidy began after examining the tiny, cluttered apartment.
“It was a lie,” Toby quickly countered. “She wasn’t missing.”
That response from Toby was the last thing Cassidy expected to hear. Her initial thought was to wonder why this man would confess to giving a false police report. She quickly came to the thought that she might be misinterpreting his meaning, or that he was misinterpreting her question.
“Filing a false report with the police is a crime,” Cassidy asserted after a pause.
“Hey, I didn’t file a false report,” Toby quickly defended. “I thought something happened to her. She’s the one who was lying.”
“She, who? Are you saying Sandra Moore filled out a false report?” Cassidy fumbled out with a confused expression.
“No, we thought she was dead or something—me and Sandra,” Toby explained with a little anxiety. “It turns out that she was just out there screwing around.”
Cassidy hesitated to get a handle on what Toby was saying. It now made sense to her that the young man in front of her, who was clearly tripping on marijuana, was accusing Patricia Boyd of being the liar.
“Okay, but that’s not lying to the police,” Cassidy corrected as she studied Toby’s manner and expression.
“Yeah, well, anyway,” Toby began in confusion. “When she came home, she tried to sell us some lie about being kidnapped, like we’re stupid.”
Cassidy was surprised to hear that it was Patricia Boyd who made the claim of being kidnapped. That information did not match what she read in the police report.
“She said she was kidnapped?” Cassidy questioned with surprise.
“Yeah!” Toby almost yelled back at Cassidy. “That’s what she was trying to make me believe, but then she wouldn’t say that to the police,” he continued with a wave of his hands in disbelief. “And then, when I confronted her about it, she came at me like she was hyped up on some serious uppers. I mean she was crazed out of her mind,” he finished with a dramatic flourish.
“She attacked you?” Cassidy asked with disbelief in her voice.
“She threw me across the room,” Toby insisted with vehemence.
Cassidy paused and took a half step back after Toby’s accusation. She could see that he was a borderline miscreant and a drug user, and she began to believe that Patricia Boyd was likely the same as him. It was starting to look like a petty squabble between two young adult delinquents.
“Oh, okay,” Cassidy sighed in resignation. “So, we’re just talking about a three-day drug and alcohol bender?”
“And sex,” Toby forcefully exclaimed. “Pat was never heavy into drugs. The only reason she’d run off for three days is because of some dude, you see,” he continued with a manic expression. “That’s why I got in her face about lying to me. And then her eyes got all weird and she started growling like an animal. I’d never seen her like that before,” he finished with a shrug.
The comment about the eyes caught Cassidy’s attention. She was doubtful that there was anything of importance in Toby’s claim of weird eyes, but she was intrigued enough to want clarification.
“What do you mean about her eyes being weird?” Cassidy asked in confusion.
“Yeah, well, her eyes got all bright like they were tiny little flashlights,” Toby exclaimed. “It was really creepy looking.”
“You mean like cat eyes?” Cassidy softly questioned in a leading tone.
“Yeah, that’s it,” Toby emphatically agreed. “It was really creepy.”
“Did she have fangs?” Cassidy quickly questioned.
“Fangs?” Toby asked in bewilderment. “No. Why would she have fangs?” He questioned with a shrug. “She just had those creepy eyes, and she was strong. She picked me up off the floor,” he finished with insistence.
Cassidy had suddenly heard enough to make her wonder if Patricia Boyd was a vampire. She immediately decided that Jeremiah was someone that she had to know more about.
“This guy that Patricia said kidnapped her,” Cassidy began questioning with a full step forward in Toby’s direction. “Did she give you a name?” She asked with a stern stare.
“I don’t know,” Toby dismissively shrugged off. “What difference does it make. She was lying. She was just making it all up to hide the fact that she was out screwing around.”
“Did she say his name was Jeremiah or Jerry?” Cassidy insistently queried.
“No, no,” Toby dismissed with a wave of his hands as though the question was an annoyance. “She claimed the guy was a regular at the diner where she worked and that he was all doe-eyed for her.”
A memory suddenly popped into Cassidy’s thinking.
No one chooses to go through eternity alone.
These were words that Nadja said to her earlier that day, but it was only now that she gave them credence. It all added up to the possibility that Jeremiah was a vampire and Patricia was the female he chose to be his mate. Without asking another question, Cassidy turned away from Toby, left the apartment and started to her next destination.
~~~~~Line Break~~~~~
“Who are they?” Mary asked as she stepped back and opened the door wide.
Lola hurried into Mary’s home with Patricia and Keegan quickly following her. It was mid-Monday morning, and the sun was situated just above the housetops.
“They’re—friends,” Lola answered with some reluctance.
“They’re not human,” Mary hesitantly stated while sniffing the air between her and her two unknown guests.
Lola instantly picked up on the fact that Mary was smelling the vampire in Patricia and Keegan. It caught Lola’s attention because she only became familiar with the difference in the scents between humans and vampires after her first excursion out from Jeremiah’s home. It quickly dawned on Lola that Mary must have been in the company of humans at some time while she was gone. She shortly decided that some contact with humans was to be expected. Anyone from the next-door neighbor to the mailman could have made a brief visit to the house. Lola put the subject aside in her thoughts and then turned her attention to Mary’s appearance.
“You’re looking good, babe,” Lola acknowledged with a soft smile while gently touching Mary’s cheek, “just the way I remember.”
Mary responded to Lola’s declaration with a tearful smile of appreciation.
“Do I?” Mary plaintively queried and smiled.
“Yeah, babe,” Lola confirmed. “You’re looking great. Have you been eating?” She added with surprise.
“Ah, yeah, a little,” Mary answered hesitantly.
While Lola and Mary were talking and hugging, Patricia and Keegan went over to the sofa and flopped down onto it. The room was in a darkened state because of the covered windows. All the lamps were turned off. What illumination there was came from the diffuse sunlight bleeding through the curtains. Keegan and Patricia watched the reunion of the old friends in silence up until the moment their happy greeting had come to an end.
“So, what are we doing here?” Patricia asked with exasperation.
“We’re going to spend the day here,” Lola answered flatly.
“Why?” Patricia asked in confusion.
“Why?” Lola asked with an astonished expression. “You want to know why?” She continued with a flourish of disbelief. “Well, let’s try this on for size. Jeremiah’s body is scattered into pieces in his kitchen thanks to you two. Paula is in the wind doing who knows what, and when Tony finds out about Jeremiah, I’m pretty sure he’s going to want your heads on platters. How’s that for a fit,” Lola sarcastically finished.
“He started it,” Patricia countered with vehemence and sass.
“You know, I really don’t care if Tony takes your heads,” Lola countered with exaggerated indifference. “But if you knuckle heads attract the attention of the police, then we’re all screwed.”
Patricia had no reply to what Lola had just said. She sat back, crossed her arms and began to pout with anger.
“Tony won’t be back until tonight,” Keegan pondered while he considered Lola’s reasoning. “There was no need to leave in a rush. We could have dumped the body.”
“Jeremiah is dead?” Mary suddenly asked in surprise.
Lola ignored Mary’s question for the moment and kept her attention focused on Keegan.
“Paula is gone,” Lola strongly asserted. “Maybe if you two hadn’t been fucking around all last night we wouldn’t be wondering where she’s at right now,” she finished with a point.
“Us?” Patricia popped up loudly to counter. “You were with her. You should have stayed at the house if you were so worried about her leaving.”
“I wasn’t worried about her leaving,” Lola angrily spoke back. “But she’s gone now.”
“Wait,” Mary quickly inserted while throwing her hands up with animated confusion. “Who is Paula and why is Jeremiah dead?”
“They killed him this morning,” Lola answered with exasperation while gesturing toward Keegan and Patricia.
“He had it coming,” Patricia yelled with attitude. “He was a creep.”
Mary paused to consider Lola and Patricia’s responses.
“And Tony doesn’t know this?” Mary queried with a look toward Lola.
“Not yet,” Lola answered with a disgusted shake of her head.
“And Paula?” Mary brought up after a quick change of thought. “Who’s Paula?”
“She’s one of Tony’s—vampire grandchildren,” Lola fumbled out diplomatically.
“Grandchildren,” Mary exclaimed astonishment. “How many of us are there?”
“Not a lot—yet,” Lola casually tossed out. “Tony is trying to keep us a secret, but at the rate we’re growing I wouldn’t be surprised to see a box marked vampire on the next census form,” she sarcastically added.
Mary made a silent gasp in response and then quickly composed herself. Patricia and Keegan detected no deviation in her manner, but Lola noticed the brief change in her expression and filed it under suspicious.
“And why is Paula a problem?” Mary asked with intrigue and concern in her voice.
“The last time I spoke to Paula, she had a Jesus thing going on,” Lola answered with a dubious frown. “And right now, I have no idea what she’s doing or who she’s talking to.”
“Lola thinks she might be ratting us out,” Keegan bluntly explained.
“Do you really think she’d do that?” Mary questioned with a look of shock.
“I don’t know what she might do,” Lola responded with a shrug. “I just know she’s gone, and Tony told her to stay in the house.”
“You left,” Keegan quickly pointed out.
“Yeah, but I came back,” Lola promptly countered.
“What’s the big deal?” Patricia spoke up with loud impertinence.
“The big deal,” Lola countered with irritation. “If the government finds out about us, they will hunt us down—all of us,” she continued with intensity. “And they will lock us up.”
Lola paused to give weight to her words.
“Now I don’t know about you, but I think eternity is a long time to spend in a cage.”
Patricia and Keegan quietly agreed with Lola and said nothing more about it. Noting that the discussion on that subject was over, Lola turned her attention toward Mary with a stern expression.
“Where were you?” Lola asked in a strict tone of voice.
Mary was surprised by Lola’s sudden change in demeanor. She heard nothing in her voice before to indicate that she would behave in such a serious manner. The fact that she was speaking to her in this way suggested to Mary that Lola suspected her of lying over the telephone about her whereabouts. She briefly considered the options of telling the truth or defending her lie. She shortly concluded that the truth was going to come out eventually and decided to tell Lola everything.
“I went to a neighbor,” Mary confessed fretfully. “I was hungry.”
Keegan and Patricia were stunned into silence by Lola’s question and attentiveness by Mary’s reply. They were not sure where their discussion was going, but they both wanted to find out.
“And you were there all night?” Lola inquired with a hint of surprise.
“Yeah,” Mary answered with a nod.
“Is this neighbor dead?” Lola asked with a look of concern.
“Ah, no,” Mary fumbled out reluctantly. “I mean—no more than you or I.”
Lola was shocked to hear that answer. She knew exactly what Mary was saying the instant she said it.
“Who did you turn?” Lola asked with shock.
“Her name is Sarah,” Mary meekly confessed. “Sarah Price, she lives a few houses down the street.”
Lola shook her head in disbelief as she wondered what should be done about Sarah.
“And—and Kenneth,” Mary hesitantly spoke out after a pause. “Sarah’s son.”
“What?” Lola almost shouted out. “You turned two people into vampires?”
“Yeah—I mean, I think so,” Mary answered in a voice laced with trepidation. “Sarah is like us, but Kenneth wasn’t awake when I left.”
Lola suddenly threw her hands up and began to turn about with an expression of bewildered disbelief.
“This is getting out of hand,” Lola spoke mostly to herself.
“What are we going to do?” Mary asked hopefully.
With a look of frustration Lola turned to face Mary.
“We go to this mother and son vampire duo that you made, and we make sure they’re on the same page with us,” Lola stated with finality.
“Or we kill them,” Keegan added softly.
“Hell yeah!” Patricia resolutely concurred.
ns216.73.216.33da2
and then Add to home screen.