Always the Vampire (33 page)

Of course, Maggie didn’t say a word about the murder victims, but the surprise was that Neil didn’t make a single crack. He had to know. Maggie wouldn’t keep that to herself because she wouldn’t want a neighbor to blindside Neil with questions. Hmm. Had Lia cast a forget spell on Maggie and Neil along with the protection spell?

Saber and Lynn arrived right at six. Snowball, free of her carrier, lapped up Saber’s attention but snubbed Lynn. Typical. Lynn wore khaki pants and a striped khaki and turquoise boatneck blouse that made her eyes look brilliant. I thought about changing out of my emerald green sundress but didn’t want to hold up the meeting with Gorman. Lynn was nervous enough after having waited all day for this moment.

Gorman answered his door wearing black jeans, a black tee, and a scowl. His expression went slack as soon as he laid his cold blue eyes on Lynn.

“God Al-freakin’-mighty.”

“Lynn Heath, meet your daytime protector, Victor Gorman,” I said.

“You said she wasn’t no jailbait,” he choked.

“She isn’t,” Saber said in his steely cop voice. “She’s a job. One you’d better do damned well.”

Gorman recalled himself and straightened. “ Course I will. Ms. Heath, nice to meet ya.”

“Thank you.” Lynn offered a shy smile. “Shall I call you Mr. Gorman?”

“No! I don’t want those damned vamps guardin’ you at night knowin’ my real name.”

“Oh, okay. I could call you Vic for victory,” Lynn said in such a sugar-sweet way, I thought Gorman would call her on it.

He didn’t. He nodded. “Vic for victory. Yeah. That’ll do.”

“Are you going to keep us standing on the porch,” I asked, “or show Lynn around?”

“She can come in, but you can’t. I ain’t takin’ no chances invitin’ you inside.”

“You believe that tripe of vampire lore?”

“Better safe than sorry. Tell me how this is gonna work.”

“The guys will drop Lynn off forty minutes or so before sunrise and watch to be sure she gets inside safely. At night, they’ll pick her up as soon after sunset as they can get here, but the exact time will depend on traffic.”

“I still say I can guard her at night, but I’ll go along.”

“Yes, you will,” Saber said, “or we won’t help you with that other matter.”

“And remember that the vampire Hess has human minions,” I added. “Call the police if you have any problems, then call Saber or me.”

“I ain’t an idiot.”

I
so
wanted to debate that, but I waited in the car while Saber and Lynn went inside Gorman’s house. Which was fine. The less time I spent with Gorman, the better, and Saber would give Vic a copy of the sketch.

They came out again in under five minutes, Lynn with a good-bye wave at Gorman, Saber with a look I couldn’t decipher. He opened the back door for Lynn then slammed into the driver’s seat.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Does he have a cannon in every window?”

“No, but he has a shotgun in every room.”

“Even the bathroom,” Lynn piped up.

I twisted to see her face. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not. He asked if I knew how to shoot.”

I bit my lip. “Are you going to be okay with him? We can still call this off.”

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t miss this experience for the world.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m studying psychology, and he’s a trip. The perfect subject for a paper next semester.”

“Tell Triton that, will you? Maybe it’ll calm him.”

“Oh, I will.”

And she did, as soon as we arrived at South Beach Grill. While the two of them hung back, Lynn gabbing away to Triton, Saber and I went inside to request a table upstairs with an ocean view. Sure it would be sundown soon, but South Beach is right on the dunes, and the colors of the sunset reflected in the wet sand. Might as well enjoy it.

Saber ordered the famous pasta dish with chicken, and I sampled a few bites of his pasta with my sweet tea, heavy on the ice. Lynn and Triton split an enormous seafood platter, and now I noticed that Lynn wore a gold charm on a gold necklace. The mermaid seated on the treasure chest. I didn’t know if Triton had chosen the gold version in deference to the vampires who’d be guarding Lynn or if he was just that wild about her. Whatever the case, I hoped Cosmil and Lia had spelled it to the max.

Dinner conversation flowed naturally, and we lingered at the table while Saber and Triton had coffee, and Lynn ate a mile-high dessert.

Straight silver blond hair
and
a high metabolism? Good thing I was a vampire, or I’d have been envious for two reasons.

The four of us took a short stroll on the dark beach to kill time before meeting Ken and David, me praying they wouldn’t be delayed. Much as I was coming to like Lynn, I’d done about all the entertaining I could do for a day.

When we topped the beach access steps, I spotted the vampires on the south end of the parking lot, half sitting on the hood of a tan Ford Taurus sedan. Not an entire division of Marines, but they were the keys to phase two of my plan, and, boy, did they look the part. In uniforms of black slacks, medium blue shirts, and dark sneakers, they exuded the spit-and-polish spirit. They even came to attention as I approached with my party in tow.

“Hi, guys. Thank you for coming.”

“We’re at your service, Princess Cesca,” surfer-blond David replied.

“It’s just Cesca,” I said automatically. “David Marks, Ken Crandall, meet Deke Saber and Triton Delphinus.”

“Pleasure,” each of the vampires said as they shook hands.

“And this is Lynn Heath. Your protectee.”

“Ms. Heath, nice to meet you,” tall, dark, and fanged Ken said.

“Ma’am,” David acknowledged. “Would you like to ask us questions before you accept our protection? We can sit there in the arbor.”

He pointed to the structure at the head of the beach access walk, and I watched Lynn, Saber, and Triton for their reactions.

Lynn’s eyes sparkled at the males, but Triton and Saber were tougher sells.

“How long have you been vampires?” Triton asked.

“Since the 1980s,” Ken replied.

“So before the VPA,” Saber said.

I knew where Triton was going, and David apparently did, too.

“I assure you, we’re well adapted to bottled meals,” he said. “We will not harm Ms. Heath.”

“What do you men do for a living?”

Lynn rolled her eyes. “Triton, you’re not my father.”

“It’s a fair question, ma’am,” Ken soothed, and turned to Triton. “David is a web developer. I’m a dance instructor.”

Ken watched Triton, waiting for the crack that didn’t come.

“A dance instructor? Really?” Lynn gushed. “Would you teach me to merengue?”

“Lynn.”

“Chill out, Triton. It’s only a dance.” She turned back to Ken. “Well?”

“It’ll be my honor, ma’am.”

With that, Triton was overruled.

Saber knew how to reach the beach house, so I rode with Ken and David. We covered the few miles in minutes, and since I didn’t have a driveway, I directed Ken to pull onto the grass instead of parking behind Saber on the blacktopped road. This way the car would be closer to the house, near the flagstone walkway. Couldn’t hurt for a quick entrance or exit, though I hoped neither would be necessary.

When I opened the door with pride, Saber’s reaction didn’t disappoint. He gaped at the changes as soon as he walked inside. The crisp white paint on the wood plank walls and the same treatment on the door casings and baseboards provided a high contrast with the oak floors and exposed beams I’d cleaned, sanded, and restained in a dark finish. The large ceiling fan with its directional lights moved air efficiently throughout the thousand square feet or so. And for being mishmash garage sale finds, the furnishings completed the cozy look of the place.

“You did all this in the few weeks I was gone?”

“I told you it wasn’t a ratty shack anymore.”

“How did you get licensed people to complete the jobs so fast?”

“I asked nicely.”

“Hah,” Triton said. “I waited on workers for months when I renovated.”

“That’s because you aren’t a pretty woman,” Lynn shot back, then turned to me as she dropped her duffel bag beside one of the two rather ugly wicker chairs I had yet to spray paint. “It’s a great place, Cesca.”

“Thanks, let me show you around. Ken, David, I need you to take the tour, too.”

While Saber and Triton peeled off to poke around on their own, I pointed out that the daybed in the living area had a trundle bed hidden beneath a striped, ocean-colored coverlet. They’d have to move the oval coffee table out of the way to get to the trundle, but it was there if needed.

Next, I showed Lynn, David, and Ken the bedroom I’d painted a light blue gray color. White iron twin beds sat against the far wall, dressed in plain light blue linens from a bed-in-a-bag ensemble. A dark wood nightstand nestled between the beds, and a dark wood chest of drawers stood on the opposite wall.

“I had storm shutters installed all over the house and I’ve left them closed, but I haven’t been here in the bright day enough to know how much sun will still get in.”

“We noticed the shutters from outside, but sunlight won’t be a problem. We travel with special sleeping bags. We’ll do.”

“Oh, okay, then, next room.”

The bathroom was also off the living room and was a work in progress since the tub and tile I’d wanted was out of stock. A new toilet and an inexpensive pedestal sink had been installed, though, and I’d scrubbed the shower-bath combination thoroughly. It might not be an HGTV quality bathroom, but it was no longer disgusting.

The kitchen and enclosed back porch rounded out the tour. I’d bought new, apartment-sized stainless steel appliances and had replaced the nasty countertop with one made of butcher block. The cabinets and floors had been sanded, and the wood floors stained dark like those in the rest of house. The cabinets I’d left unfinished until I decided on a paint or stain, but the stainless sink and fixtures were new, and every corner had been cleaned. I even had four place settings of dishes, glasses, and utensils, and a few pots, pans, and cooking spoons on the shelves and in the drawers. Garage sales rock.

The storm shutters blocked the ocean view from the porch, but I opened the back door to point out the crude walkway to the beach.

“What a great place to sleep to the sound of the ocean,” Lynn said, eyeing the hammock hanging from the porch beams.

“Knock yourself out, if Ken and David are cool with it.”

Ken shrugged. “I don’t object as long as Ms. Heath understands that we’ll need to check on her through the night. No matter where she sleeps.”

“Just don’t laugh if I snore.”

“Word of a Marine, ma’am.”

“Okay, then, I just have a few more things to go over.”

I led them back to the living room where Triton and Saber sat in the wicker chairs. Saber handed me the list I’d prepared, and I turned on a side-table lamp. Lynn plopped onto the daybed near Triton.

“First, I’ll get a small TV if you need one, but I don’t have cable hooked up, so the reception might be rotten.”

“Don’t bother,” David said. He and Ken stood facing the door. “If I can get a strong wireless signal, we can watch television on my computer.”

“Great.” I unfolded my list and handed it to Ken. “Here’s the information I thought you’d need. The guy watching Lynn during the day is Vic. He’ll be expecting her from before daybreak to after sunset. And don’t freak if he stands at the door with a shotgun.”

Ken chuckled. “Not a problem.”

“Don’t take him lightly,” Saber warned. “Vic hates vampires and has a history of going off half-cocked. If he gives you any grief, I need to know.”

“Will do, Saber.”

“Also, here’s a sketch of the guy you need to watch out for. Starrack.”

David stiffened as soon as he heard the name, and snatched the likeness from Saber. One glance, and he swore under his breath then shoved the sketch at Ken.

I laid a hand on David’s arm. “You know Starrack, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I know him,” David spat. “I built a website for the scary piece of shit.”

“Shifter Magic?” Saber rose from the chair, eyes alight. “Is that the website you designed?”

The blond vampire looked pole-axed. “That’s the one, but how’d you come across it?”

“I told them about the site,” Lynn chimed in. “I was led to meet Triton through a message posted in the forum.”

“Ken, you know Starrack, too, don’t you? You’re clenching your jaw like you want to chew him up.”

“More like spit him out, Princess, but yes, I know him. All of us in the Atlanta nest saw Starrack in March when he invaded Vlad’s nest.”

Saber’s cop face crashed into place. “We need to know everything. Now.”

Triton rose from the chair. “Since this could take a while, I should call that other party we were supposed to meet tonight. Tell them we won’t make it. Lynn, you want to keep me company?”