Murder in Vein (2010) (5 page)

"So the cops want me to stay here until they solve the case?
No matter how long it takes?" Madison shook her head and
started for the door. "Uh-uh. No way. I'm outta here."

Notchey grabbed her upper arm to stop her. She winced as
his hand covered a fresh bruise from the night before. "Except
for me, the cops don't know anything about you, Madison. What
happened to you last night never officially happened."

That stopped her short. "But Bobby's body-"

"There is no body. We want the mastermind of these killings
to simply think you and Bobby disappeared, hopefully together.
We want him off balance, pissed off at his underling."

Madison plopped down on the leather sofa across from the
fireplace, her mind burning like the logs in the grate. "So I've
been kidnapped a second time?"

"Think of it as a personal witness protection program."

She turned toward Notchey. "But I didn't see anything!"

"Maybe not, but why did Bobby pick you? Or did he? Maybe
the killer is someone who handpicked you himself and ordered
Bobby to serve you up. If the killer is still on the loose, do you
want to take the chance he'll finish what he started?"

It was quiet between them while Madison churned everything
around in her head.

"I'm going to lose my job."

"You're a waitress, Madison. You'll find another job." After a
slight pause, Notchey toned it down. "I didn't tell your boss I was
a cop. I told him I was a friend of the family and that you had a
family emergency and will call him in a few days. He told me that
stuff about you when I told him I didn't know you well and asked
what you were like."

Notchey sighed and walked over to where Madison sat still
as stone. "Trust me, the Dedhams will treat you well. They have
a housekeeper who comes in during the day, so you'll have
some ... some non-vampire company. Being vampires, the Dedhams mostly sleep during the day anyway."

"In coffins, right?" Madison shuddered.

After giving her an eye roll, Notchey answered, "No, not in
coffins. They sleep in real beds, just like you and me. Modern
vampires seldom sleep in coffins."

Madison wasn't convinced.

"Hang out," Notchey continued. "Watch TV. Read a book.
Sleep 24/7 for all I care. But I want to catch this bastard, and so
far you're the only one who's been snatched who's still alive."

She looked up at Notchey with suspicion. "What's it to you?
Why are you going rogue over this?"

Mike Notchey turned to look at the fire, then rotated his head
back to Madison. He started to say something, then changed his
mind and headed for the door. "See you tomorrow night," he shot
over his shoulder at her.

When Notchey opened the door, the Dedhams were waiting on the other side. Dodie was holding a large bag, which she
handed to him. "Pauline made her chicken soup today, and I
wanted to make sure you got some. There's also a few oatmeal
cookies in there."

Notchey took the bag and kissed Dodie lightly on the cheek.
He shook hands with Doug. With one last grunt at Madison, he
left.

Doug and Dodie entered the den. They stood in front of
Madison, their arms wrapped lovingly around each other's
waists. They looked like an ad for AARP membership or an
upscale retirement community.

"Don't worry, Madison," Doug said, his voice now tender. "We
won't bite ... at least not unless you want us to"

Using her sharp elbow, his wife dug him hard in the ribs.

fter Detective Notchey left, awkwardness as thick and heavy
as motor oil settled between Madison and the Dedhams.
They were trying to be solicitous and charming, yet Madison
eyed the vampire couple warily, still wondering if she was to be
their next meal.

"Can I get you something, Madison?" Dodie asked with a
smile. "Maybe just a little nibble?" When she saw Madison flinch,
Dodie edited her comment. "Well, perhaps later. Maybe we
should get better acquainted instead."

Doug glanced at his watch. "The Amazing Race will be starting soon." He picked up a remote from the table in front of the
sofa and aimed it at the large flat-screen TV mounted above the
fireplace. The TV popped to life. "We love that show. Never miss
it." He looked at Madison. "You ever watch it?"

Madison slowly shook her head from side to side, continuing
to stare at the retired couple with a cocktail of fear and curiosity. Inside her chest, her heart thumped fast with anxiety. Beaters.
That's what she was to them-a beater.

"It's great," Doug continued with enthusiasm. "It's like a
worldwide scavenger hunt with multiple teams of two competing against each other." Satisfied with his channel choice, he put
the remote back on the table and eyed Madison's position on
the sofa. "Scoot over a bit," he told her, "and we can all watch it
together."

Instead of scooting over, Madison got up and started for the
stairs. She might not be able to leave the house, but that didn't
mean she had to stay in the same room with them.

"Please don't go, Madison," Dodie said in a soft, pleading
tone.

Madison hesitated, her mind weighing her options and not
finding many. After a glance at the doorway, she returned to the
sofa but at the last minute chose to sit in the big leather chair
next to it that Notchey had occupied earlier. After exchanging
glances, Doug and Dodie sat side by side on the sofa, with Dodie
sitting nearest Madison.

On the TV, Lesley Stahl was interviewing an environmentalist
about global warming for 60 Minutes. "Dodie's right, Madison,"
Doug said after muting the sound. "We do need to get to know
each other, especially if you're going to be staying with us for a
bit."

"It's not my choice," Madison said sullenly, keeping her eyes
on the TV. "Believe me." She slouched in the chair like a petulant
child.

"I'm sure it's not," Doug continued with soft amusement in
his voice. "Until tonight, did you even believe vampires existed?"

Madison shot him a glance, then aimed another at Dodie. The
Dedhams looked like grandparents straight out of a Disney family movie. Grandparents trying to have a heart-to-heart chat with an errant granddaughter. She shook her head and turned back to
stare at the TV. After a few moments of silence, she turned back
toward them and straightened in her chair.

"No. And I'm not a hundred percent sure they exist now." She
narrowed her eyes at the couple. "What's the catch? If you two are
powerful vampires, why do you need me, a lowly beater?"

Dodie looked embarrassed. Doug laughed.

"I'm guessing," Doug said, still chuckling, "that Mike told you
about that term."

Madison nodded. "Yes. And he said you're helping the cops
find some killer that's on the loose."

"No," Doug corrected. "We're helping Mike. In general, we
don't like the police much and tend to stay away from them. We
find them a bit too nosy."

For the first time, Madison offered the Dedhams a small
smile. "That much we have in common."

Encouraged by Madison's slight thaw, Doug got up from the
sofa and sat on the edge of the coffee table, directly in front of
Madison. "You can go at any time, Madison. We're not going to
hold you prisoner here. But we-and that includes Detective
Notchey-feel you'd be safer here for the time being"

"So he told me." Madison looked at the TV, where 60 Minutes
had gone to commercial. She turned back to the Dedhams. "Like
I told Notchey, I don't know anything. Bobby Piper came into the
diner once in a while, usually alone, although Notchey told me
that Bobby might not have been working alone."

The Dedhams exchanged meaningful looks, which put Madison on alert. "What?" she asked, looking from one vampire to the
other as her heart pounded faster. "There's something you're not telling me." She sat up straight in the chair. "And why are you two
involved anyway? Why would you care if a few beaters die?"

Frowning, Doug snapped, "Why don't you quit beating that
term to death."

Dodie put her hand on her husband's knee, letting him know
that she would field the questions. "These murders, Madison,
could adversely affect our way of life. By `our,' I mean the entire
vampire community."

Madison scooted hard back into her chair, putting distance
between herself and the Dedhams, even if only a few inches.
"There's a whole freaking community of you?" She quickly looked
around as if more vampires would come oozing out of the wall
paneling any second.

"Madison, dear," Dodie told her in a motherly tone, "please
calm down. And, yes, there are other vampires in the world and
quite a few right here in Los Angeles."

"So a vampire is behind these killings?"

"No," Doug answered with blunt confidence. "Definitely not.
But we believe someone posing as a vampire may be behind
them."

Dodie nodded in agreement. "A lot of people are into vampires these days, Madison. Some even pretend to be us. I'm sure
you've seen or heard of that."

Madison had. "Yes, but they're usually harmless goth types,
aren't they? Creepy posers?"

"Most of the time, yes," Doug answered. "For obvious reasons,
real vampires don't wear their true identity on their sleeves for
public viewing. Over the years, most of us have learned to adapt
and blend in. Others simply stay away from the living. We just
want to live quietly. If these murders continue, it could trigger a serious scare in Los Angeles. A lot of innocent people could get
hurt, and I don't mean just the women who get kidnapped."

On the TV, Andy Rooney was doing his end-of-show monologue. Madison stared at the screen while she digested the information she'd just received. "But how can I help if I don't know
anything?"

With a soft smile, Dodie rose and left the room, but not before
giving her husband a nod of encouragement.

Doug got up and paced in front of the fireplace, stretching his
long legs. "For starters, you can keep yourself safe. We don't know
if there is a pattern to how the victims are chosen, but if there is,
it could help lead us to whoever is doing this. Mike is going to
come by again tomorrow. I'm sure he'll have more questions."

Madison thought about her previous conversation with
Notchey. "Detective Notchey said the police think they have the
guy who's been doing this. But Notchey doesn't think they do."

"They don't, or else why were you grabbed?" Doug's eyes
zeroed in on her with intense frankness.

That thought had also occurred to Madison. Unless it was
some copycat creep, the real killer was still on the loose.

"Whoever it might be, Madison," Doug continued, "he is still
out there. And he's powerful, able to control others and get them
to do his bidding. If it was a vampire, the rest of us would know,
even if it was a vampire from outside our area. We're a very tight
community."

Dodie returned with a small tray. On it was a plate of oatmeal
cookies studded with plump raisins, along with a large mug of
steaming hot chocolate. She placed the tray on the coffee table
in front of Madison and resumed her place on the sofa. "Here's a
little snack for you, Madison. I made the cookies yesterday."

Doug came to stand near Dodie. "You will be safe here, Madison. I promise you that." As he spoke, he placed a hand on his
wife's shoulder. Dodie looked up at him, and again the couple
exchanged looks before Doug's attention returned to Madison.

"We understand that you will miss work," Doug continued.
"And Mike told us that you might even lose your job. If you
decide to stay, you will be well compensated for your time here"

Madison shook her head as if she hadn't heard correctly. "You
want to pay me to stay here until this is over?"

"Yes," Doug said firmly. "It's that important to us."

"And I will not be considered a food source?" she pressed,
determined to know all the details.

Doug threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Do you want
to be?"

"Hell, no!"