Murder in Vein (2010) (19 page)

"Was he among the photos Mike Notchey showed you?"
Doug asked.

Madison shook her head. "I recognized Lilith and Wilhelm
from the photos. I didn't recognize Lady Harriet at first. She's
aged some and gained weight; Mike must have an old photo. This
guy's picture could have been there and he's changed since then.
But I have a gut feeling I know him from somewhere else."

Doug cocked his head with interest. "From the diner, maybe?
Or from school?"

"Hard to say. He was wearing dark glasses, which I noticed
several people wearing inside at all the havens."

"Yes," Colin confirmed. "Many people don't want to be recognized as coven members. Others think it is rather cool and mysterious." He sounded amused at the idea.

"Well," Madison continued, "if he has been at the diner, I
don't think he's a regular. Could be from school. He looked to be
around thirty or so. People of all ages attend night classes."

Doug finished his drink and put the glass back on the tray.
"I'm sure you'll think of it, Madison. You're probably too bushed
right now to think straight." He stood up. "In fact, it's time for all
of us to turn in. Colin, you're welcome to stay here today if you
like, which makes sense if you're coming back later."

Colin stood up. "Thanks, Doug, but I'm going to head home.
I always sleep better in my own coffin." He gave Madison an
uncharacteristic wink.

"You don't sleep in a coffin," she said in disgust, then hesitated. "Do you?"

The three vampires laughed.

"No, Madison," Colin told her with a smirk. "I stopped doing
that over three hundred years ago"

Dodie and Madison also got to their feet as the men headed
out the door to the foyer. "Is he kidding about the `three hundred
years' thing?" Madison whispered to Dodie.

Dodie smiled. "No, dear, I don't think so"

hen Madison woke up, she had an idea. While at Bat
Beauty, Wilhelm had given her his card. It was almost
noon, and she knew the Dedhams would be sleeping for
another five or six hours. After taking a shower and dressing, she
went downstairs to find Pauline dusting in the living room.

"Pauline, I'm going out for a bit."

"Where're you off to?"

"We get paid every Wednesday at the diner. I want to stop by
and pick up my check and say hello."

"Wednesday's an odd pay day, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but that's Kyle." Madison wasn't lying. The owner of
Auntie Em's did pay them on Wednesday. "I also want to drop
by my place and check the mail and pick up a few more things.
That's okay, isn't it?"

"I don't see why not." Pauline stopped her work. "Just don't
linger in either place-a quick in and out. And take your cell
phone in case someone needs you."

In response, Madison held up her phone.

Pauline returned to her task, then shot back at Madison, "But
eat something first. You're as thin as a baby bird."

Madison headed out the front door. "I'll grab something at
Auntie Em's. I miss their cheeseburgers." Before Pauline could
protest, Madison was in her car and heading out of the Dedham
driveway.

During the drive to Culver City, Madison thought about
the changes in her life in just a few days. No one had ever cared
before where she was going or if she had her phone. Pauline and
the Dedhams seemed genuinely interested in her, but a mile later,
self-doubt rose like bile. They needed her. When they didn't,
she'd be back to her old life. The idea both pleased and disturbed
her.

Auntie Em's was bustling even though it was near the end of
the lunch crowd. All the tables were full, so Madison grabbed a
stool on the far end of the long lunch counter.

A couple of regulars had nodded to her when she came in.
"You still working here?" one of them had asked on his way out.
She recognized him as a studio suit-one of the buttoned-up,
conservative business types who handled the purse strings and
decision making behind the artists and tinsel-town glamour. He
always ordered the Cobb salad, no bacon, dressing on the side.

"Yes," Madison had answered. "Just took a couple of days off."
When he seemed to expect more of an explanation, she added,
"Family stuff." It felt like he thought she worked for him and not
the diner.

"Time off is good. Family stuff, not always." His face contorted into a half frown, like he'd seen more than his share of
unpleasant family drama. "Come back soon, you're missed. Had to send my salad back two days this week." He'd said the last few
words like it was her fault and an apology was in order.

Sandra, Kyle's wife, always worked the counter and often the
cash register. She stepped in front of Madison. She was a thick,
tall woman with bleached hair, a big mouth, and an even larger
personality-at least in the diner. When waiting on customers,
Sandra liked to give them a loud, colorful show reminiscent of
Flo, a waitress from an old TV sitcom. Off work, she was lowkey. "Nice to see you, Madison. Hope everything's okay with
your grandparents."

"My grandparents?" Madison caught herself. That was the
story she had handed Kyle when she'd called him, a health problem with her grandfather. "Yeah, they're fine. Thought my grandfather had a heart attack, but it was just a scare. I've been staying
with them this week, helping out until everyone and everything
settles down" She smiled at Sandra. "Thanks for asking."

Sandra cocked her head and studied Madison. "What happened to your face?"

Madison groaned. So much for the artful use of makeup. "I
fell at my grandparents' place," she lied. "On the back patio, moving stuff around for them. I was lucky I didn't break my nose. But
it should be gone by the time I come back to work."

"Hope so. You're far too pretty to look like you went the distance with Mike Tyson," Sandra laughed. "You come in for your
pay?"

"Yeah, and a cheeseburger." Madison rolled her eyes. "You
wouldn't believe what my grandparents eat. It's disgusting."

"Old-people food," Sandra said knowingly. "Same thing with
my folks."

Madison gave her a mild grin, thinking if Sandra only knew
exactly what her `grandparents' ate, she'd swoon.

Sandra put Madison's order in, then served food to a customer near the middle of the counter. When she returned, she
had a tall glass of Coke. When she put the soda down in front
of Madison, she lowered her head and whispered, "Did you hear
about Evie Banks?"

"Evie? No, what?" Madison concentrated on unwrapping her
straw. She didn't look up until after she'd stuck it into the liquid
and took a long pull.

"It was all over the news last night and this morning." Sandra
paused for effect, then looked around before lowering her voice
even more. "She was murdered."

Madison faked surprise by popping her eyes wide with astonishment. "Murdered? You sure?"

"Dead as a doornail. Her body was found in Angeles National
Forest. She was naked. Can you imagine?"

Sadly, Madison could.

"The cops came in early this morning asking about her."

Sandra left to cash out a customer. When she returned, she
had Madison's food.

While she poured ketchup onto her plate, Madison asked, "I
thought Evie left Auntie Em's to travel or something like that?"

"That's what we all thought." Sandra leaned back against the
counter behind her. "Isn't that shocking?"

Madison picked up her burger. Before she took a bite, she
asked, "Do they know who did it?" Her teeth dug into the perfectly cooked burger and chewed with delight. It was heaven.

"Not a clue that I know of. Poor girl." Sandra picked up the
coffeepot to go refresh someone's cup. "Her parents must be beside themselves with grief. You know, her father's a Baptist
minister in some little town up by Sacramento."

"I didn't know that." Madison stuck a fry into her mouth and
wondered what it was like for Evie's parents, mourning a daughter killed so brutally. She'd mourned a mother killed senselessly,
but she'd been a child when it had happened. Most of her grieving had happened later, as she got older and realized more clearly
what she'd lost. She'd almost been killed like Evie and the other
girls, yet no one would have mourned her. She thought about the
Dedhams and wondered if they would be sorry if she died while
helping them. Or would they just chalk it up to one beater down,
plenty more to go?

After taking another bite, Madison pushed her plate away, her
burger half eaten, and concentrated on drinking her soda.

"Not hungry?" It was Kyle Patterson, her boss, asking.

Madison shrugged. "Guess not."

Kyle took the stool next to her. As much as his wife's diner
persona was loud and brassy, Kyle's was quiet and behind the
scenes. He was not as tall as his wife and of an average build,
except for the soft belly that hung over his belt from eating too
much of his own diner's good food. "Sandra told me you'd come
in. You coming back?"

"Monday, as planned," Madison told him. She wiped her
mouth on a paper napkin. "Sandra just told me about Evie.
Pretty awful, isn't it?"

Kyle nodded and looked off, his eyes not focusing on anything in particular. "Yes. She was a nice girl." He refocused his
attention back on Madison. "Here's your check," he said, handing
her an envelope.

When Madison held out her left hand to receive her pay, Kyle
noticed the bogus bloodline. "What's that on your hand?" he
asked, examining it. "An ink stain?"

Madison wasn't sure what to say, then decided to throw out
another lie. "I'm thinking I must have broken a blood vessel or
something when I fell." She pointed at her face. "Landed face first
on my grandparents' patio like a klutzy dork." She took the pay
envelope and stuffed it into her purse.

"Your grandparents live in the area?" Kyle asked. "You've never
mentioned them before."

"They have a place in Topanga. I never saw them growing up,
not until I moved here. Still don't see them much. They're retired
and travel a lot." Madison was surprised at how easily the lies
fell from her lips. Maybe if she said it often enough, she'd start
believing it, too.

"Topanga's nice."

"Yeah, they have a cool place. Almost like being on a real
vacation."

Sandra finished with a customer and came over. She looked at
her husband. "You convince Madison to come back sooner than
later?"

Kyle laughed. "Never even brought it up. Girl's worked hard
for us. She's entitled to time off." He turned to Madison. "We do
need you back, Madison. You're my best waitress. Even better
than the old lady here."

Madison laughed softly and felt a low-level blush start. "I'm
not sure about that."

"It's true, Madison," Sandra told her. "I'm not as young as I
used to be, and neither are my feet."

Madison glanced at her watch. She still had things to do.
"Guess I'd better be going." She dug in her purse for her wallet,
but Kyle stopped her.

"You still work here, Madison," he told her. "Lunch is
included, as always."

Madison's next stop was her apartment. Her only mail was
a utility bill. She looked around the place, realizing now, after
spending time with the Dedhams, how shabby it was. She wondered what the Dedhams had thought when they came to pick up
her things, then dismissed her concern. It was hers. Everything
was paid for, and there was nothing wrong with it. She went to
the closet and pulled out a couple of tops that she thought might
pass muster with Colin. There was no way she was going to wear
that tee shirt with the stupid girly skull again. Pulling out a duffle
bag, she folded the tops into it, along with her bathing suit and a
few other favorite items of clothing. With one last glance at the
tidy but meager apartment, she left, thinking that maybe it was
time to upgrade a bit.

Madison had gone halfway down the stairs when she had a
thought. Returning to her apartment, she headed straight for the
cabinet under the bathroom sink and pulled out two boxes of
tampons. Stuffing the boxes into the duffle, she headed back out
and down to her car.