Adduné - the Vampire's Game (25 page)

“
I don’t either! Don’t these people realize they’re not only hurting themselves? And don’t bother to answer that one.” Miranda paused for a moment. “But wait…. You were tying together the deaths of William Figgs and Herbert Pinckus when you mentioned this coffin. Wait a minute! This coffin was at Weatherly! That’s where the items were stored. So the coffin was something Figgs had seen there? Is that what you’re saying? What was a coffin doing there, Reginald? Was it one of father’s antiques?”

“
From the description, I suppose it could be categorized as old, but entirely worthless I’m afraid. It was quite unremarkable. Its only use would be for a pauper’s grave. It sounds like the kind used by people that had no money and no means of burying their loved ones except by putting them into makeshift pine boxes with copper nails. At least that was how it was described.”

“
Well, then, it can’t have been father’s. He’d never keep something like that around.”

“
I suppose he wouldn’t,” Reginald agreed. It made sense as far as it went.

“
So the coffin was at Weatherly Manor. Well, it probably was tucked away … maybe downstairs? Did you and father ever go through that place?”

“
I don’t know about Arthur, but I never did …and …”

“
William Figgs probably did! Is that what you were going to say?”

“
Yes, Miranda. That’s what I was leading up to.”

“
Well, then there you have it. No connection really except they both saw this coffin. Did Figgs discuss it with you? Is that how you know Figgs saw it? Had he mentioned it before?”

“
Yes, on the day we were there, he mentioned something about it,” Reginald responded. Deep inside he wanted to tell her all of what Figgs said, but knew it would open up too many subjects that were better not discussed – at least not without proof. No, there would be no point in going over it with Miranda. He had told her what she needed to know and no more. It was enough for now and he was willing to let the subject go and accept Miranda’s conclusion. It was a perfectly reasonable, logical explanation and one that he was willing to live with – for now. If he learned more, he’d tell more. For the moment, he’d keep the contents of the notes and the nature of Figgs’ conversation to himself.

“
Reginald are you alright?” Miranda asked suddenly concerned. Reginald hadn’t argued with her at all. He was being too entirely agreeable. And there was that flatness in his voice. As if the air had gone out of him. He sounded tired. That was it – tired.

“
Yes, fine, my dear. It’s been a long day and these deaths …”

He didn’t need to finish the sentence. Miranda realized her friend was getting old and didn’t need to explain certain things to her. She’d been right; he was just tired.

“
Well, then I’ll let you go. Have a good evening and do get some rest.”

“
I will, Miranda. You do the same and,” Reginald said, giving the pen a final push. He watched it rolling quickly across the desktop. “Miranda, please be careful,” he added in a rush.

Miranda stared at her phone wondering where that came from.

“
I will, Reginald. I will,” she responded as Reginald watched the pen roll off the edge of the desk and disappear.

CHAPTER 15

Rachel sat huddled over her computer. Her head was throbbing and begging her to sleep. She didn’t like the daytime anymore – she craved the night, but she couldn’t give in to her body’s overt demands – not now. There were important plans to finish since the exhibit opening was on August 10
^th
– a scant 4 days away. While the preparations were nearly finished, there was one more thing that needed to be accomplished.

The loud, insistent footsteps pounding into the stone floor told her Jake was on his way – they were his calling card. To Rachel the meaning of the boisterous pronouncement was so apparent. It belligerently telegraphed, “Notice me! Notice me!” Jake was a cock – a game cock – and that’s why he was being kept alive. He was a cog in the wheel of the big plan. It would have surprised him to learn he wasn’t in control and reduced to being a pawn – an insignificant nothing. No amount of pounding his heels into the ground would change that. In fact, Rachel could hear the difference already. The echoing sound reverberating off the walls no longer only contained a warning to Jake’s subordinates that he was soon to encroach on their meager territory. It now heralded the reign of a new king.

“
Rachel!” he snapped in his normal pejorative tone. She knew he was standing right on the other side of her desk. Looming there like some ominous presence that could affect her existence. That was all in the past. This was the dawning of a new day – or night. Rachel laughed to herself. Why share her humor with anyone ignorant of its implications? She wouldn’t – neither would she acknowledge him – at least not right away. She was toying with her titmouse. She kept her head down, staring at her computer. She knew that ignoring him would ignite his passions as surely as dousing him with gasoline and lighting a match.

“
Rachel! I’m speaking to you!”

She heard the scuffing of his feet hurrying around her desk. It was a brazen, pathetic, desperate attempt for validation. She would acquiesce, but not because Jake wanted it. She’d do it because Peter did.

Rachel looked up lazily – keeping a leisurely pace. No jumping to attention for pastry puffs filled with cream.

“
Yes, Jake.”

“
What the hell is this all about?”

His tone was louder and more arrogant than it needed to be. Rachel felt her muscles twitching – getting ready to spring. She took a deep breath touching the spots on her neck that had been punctured. She had to contain herself. Peter had given specific instructions to her and she would follow them – to the letter.

“
I’m sorry, but I’m not quite understanding you,” Rachel answered in calm restraint.

“
This! Everything!” Jake screamed as he picked up random papers on her desk and flung them up in the air. Rachel still didn’t react in any other way other than to serenely straighten them back into the piles they were abducted from. She pretended not to see the cords in Jake’s neck that were popping, or those blue, blue veins carrying rich red blood to his beating heart. It was so tempting – so very tempting.

“
I don’t know what you mean. The candlesticks are here, the arrangements with the vendors are complete, and the exhibits are finished.”

“
Rach, stop being obtuse! You know damn well what I mean!”

Rachel shook her head in disbelief. Had he really had the temerity to truncate her name to Rach? He was so good at using familiarities to keep people in their place. She hated nicknames, and hated he couldn’t summon the energy to speak her entire name, and yet could to fuel his little rampage of disparaging nitpicking.

“
Your coming in late is what I’m talking about! And your covering up that window!” he exclaimed pointing to the transom she’d covered with a towel ever since …

“
And keeping the lights off, goddamn it! How can you see like this, anyway?”

He squinted, trying to imitate what he imagined Rachel was doing to see. He didn’t know that her vision was now even better at night than his feeble imagination could dream. Liken it to that of an eagle – to the power of 10.

“
Finished?” Rachel asked more annoyed than anything else. She had to keep her temper though. He couldn’t suspect a thing.

“
Hell, no! There are the naps! People have told me that they see you sleeping in here – when you do manage to show up that is. I looked for you myself this morning. I wanted to know about the exhibit arrangements and couldn’t find Rach. Now why is that?”

She couldn’t resist. He was just such a cocksucker. Rachel placed her elbow on her desk and rested her chin prettily in her porcelain hand.

“
What can I say? You found me out – I admit that I’m a nocturnal creature that craves darkness.”

Jake stood over her with both hands on his hip – feet apart. He was tall and used his height as yet another tool for intimidation, but Rachel knew he was just a fool. A babbling idiot that wasn’t worth the air he was breathing. He had no idea of the war he was involved in.

“
So you’re saying that you’re a bat or something?” Jake snapped.

Rachel arched an eyebrow and merely sighed – derisively. He was trying to be cute. Sarcastic. Well, he’d better try it on someone that cared. She crossed her legs beneath her desk feeling her crotch touch the material of her chair. She liked not wearing panties. She felt freer without them. More sinful. She returned to her paperwork.

“
We are not finished!” he said grabbing the papers out of her hand.

She glared at him, but knew they had company. She knew who was watching and was glad they were. The extra pair of eyes would assure that she keep her cool and not do anything to ruin the plan.

Jake took hold of her wrists. She tried not to laugh. Did he really think he was overpowering her? It would make him getting his due all the sweeter.

“
You know there’s more! I have two police detectives in my office that want to talk to you! Now why is that, Rach? You’re trying to destroy everything I’ve done to build up this museum’s reputation? We have the most prestigious collection this museum has ever been privileged to exhibit ready to open in a few days, but you just can’t let that be, can you? No, you manage to become a prime suspect in a murder investigation and bring us to the brink of derailing what this could do for us! What the hell are you thinking, Ms. Abbott”

Rachel’s eyes traveled to the folded newspaper she kept on the corner of her desk. It was the edition published the day Sara Puhlman’s bloodless, dismembered body was discovered. The article left out a lot of the brutal details, but it was accurate as far as it went. Jake saw the paper and ran over to it. He lifted it up, overreacting to the story on the front page.

“
Oh, Christ! Are you crazy? What the hell are you keeping this for?”

“
A memento
,” was the answer Rachel gave herself. For Jake, she had another more innocent explanation handy.

“
The doctor that I’ve known for many years and that was responsible for saving my cat was killed – viciously. I had feelings for her – deep feelings. And yet, you find it offensive that I would want to know what happened? That I didn’t just read the story and toss the paper in the wastepaper basket? Are you telling me that’s what you would have done, Mr. Monroe? All I can say is that you and I are very different. Very different indeed.”

Rachel made sure she spoke in the manner of various professionals she’d encountered. The ones that regarded themselves as some kind of authority, all the while looking at the people they deigned to help as pathetic, abnormal degenerates.

She saw Jake’s face react to her little speech. It looked tense – even more tense than it usually did. She didn’t know why anyone found him handsome, but they did. Everyone was trying to get in Jake’s pants – everyone but Rachel. She wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot pole.

Rachel read Jake’s expression. He didn’t like what went down. Didn’t like not being in control and being talked down to. Jake jumped to the side and snatched a wooden chair. He dragged it to the window and stood on it. He surprised Rachel by making a grab for the towel. She wasn’t worried. She knew Jake wasn’t tall enough to reach it. And he certainly wasn’t the athlete Rachel now was. No amount of bouncing up and down was sufficient for him to seize the prize. Let him try floating up to it. It had worked for Rachel. Just let him try to levitate.

Rachel watched him wobble and fall to the side. He clutched at the wall to steady himself and prevent himself from crashing to the floor. He was panting and obviously winded. His shirttail had come loose and there was sweat on his brow, but he stubbornly refused to climb down from the chair.

Rachel knew she had an appointment upstairs that she needed to keep, but she felt the need to straighten things out with Jake. She could risk it now.

She stood slowly and walked the few steps to reach Jake. Jake was ready for her and stepped down to the ground. He rubbed his hands that were smarting from scraping against the wall. He turned and faced her. He was surprised that she was eye level with him. It was impossible. He was 6’2”. He had more than a few inches of height in his favor, but there she was – right in front of his face. She must be wearing heels. That was it. She was wearing heels. It had to be that. It made sense – heels would complete her new, trying-hard-to-be sexy look.