Baited Blood (22 page)

“Why didn’t you go to Lady?” Dodie asked. “Good vampires protect their mistresses and consorts.”

Libby started choking on mucous. She coughed into the tissue, then said, “Lady watched.”

Hyun stalked over to the common wall between the rooms and swung his fist, leaving a good-sized hole in the plaster. “Goddammit, Libby! You said Lady would never hurt her consorts. That’s the only reason I let you go back there yesterday.”

Libby stared at Hyun with red, swollen eyes. They stood out from her pale face like the bloodstains on her bra. “I’m sorry, Hyun. But she’s never done anything like this before, I swear.”

“Samuel,” interjected Dodie. “If this Lady person is following you or has spies on her consorts, then we need to get this girl out of here immediately. Plus, I need to attend to all of her injuries. I can’t do that here.”

Samuel remained kneeling in front of Libby. “One last question—and the right answer will buy your safety, so think about it carefully before you respond.”

Everyone in the room waited. Hyun once again went to Libby’s side. Placing a hand on her head, he bent and kissed the top of it. “Do the right thing, Lib. For all of us.”

Samuel fixed his milky eyes on Libby’s once more. In a deep, clear voice, he asked, “What name does Lady go by?”

Keeping her eyes fastened onto Samuel’s, Libby filled her lungs with air, then released it with a long, slow sigh of surrender and relief.

“Julianne Jaz.”

TWENTY-SIX

T
hat’s impossible.” Madison’s voice was shrill with doubt.

Every face turned to Madison in surprise.

“Do you know this Julianne, Madison?” It was Doug who asked.

“Yes, and she does have red hair—light red hair. I met her on the trail where I run in the morning.”

“Lady took up running about a month ago,” Libby told them. “Not sure why, because vampires don’t need to exercise to stay in shape. Sometimes she goes alone, and sometimes she takes one of the newer vampires with her. She claims it relaxes her.”

“Very early in the morning?” asked Madison.

“Yes, right about dawn. When she returns, she showers, sometimes feeds, then retires for the day. What happened with her and Adam happened right after they returned from a run this morning.”

Madison smacked her forehead with a hand. “
That’s
where I know Duff from.” Everyone looked at her. “That last dead vampire,” she explained. “I thought he looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. Usually Julianne and her running partner wear baseball caps pulled down low.” She turned to Libby. “Did Duff sometimes run with Julianne?”

“Yes, right up until a few days ago when he disappeared.”

“Yeah,” Madison added, still annoyed that she hadn’t made the connection with Duff sooner. “She had a new guy with her on Friday morning.”

Libby looked like she was ready to cry again. “That would have been Adam.”

Madison looked at the vampires. “I sometimes run with Notchey. You think Julianne knows Libby is his sister?”

Samuel stood up and ran a hand over his bald head. “Madison, she’s not monitoring Notchey, she’s monitoring you, and I think you realize that.”

Madison did, but she didn’t want to believe it. She’d thought she’d finally made a friend, only to find out it was probably a setup. She fought the urge to vomit, remembering the morning Julianne had offered her a ride.

“Makes sense,” added Doug. “If she’s watching any of us, she’ll know who you are. Sounds like she’s been watching us all. She certainly knew when to dump the bodies into our pool and when Stacie wasn’t home.”

Samuel pulled out his cell phone and punched at the keys. “And she might even know where we’ve stashed Keleta and is looking to finish what she started.” As soon as the call was answered, Samuel left Byron and Ricky a voice mail telling them to take Keleta someplace safe as soon as possible and stay there until they heard from him.

His concern gave Madison an idea. She moved over to Libby. “Did you ever meet a vampire by the name of Ann Hayes or Annabelle Fogle?”

“I’ve seen Ms. Hayes a few times at Leopold’s. She was a close friend of his and visited often, but I’ve never officially met her. Lady spoke of her often, though.”

The news sparked Samuel’s interest further. “So they’re friends?”

“Hardly. They hate each other.”

Doug, Dodie, and Madison shared a look of raised eyebrows.

“Any idea why?” Madison probed.

“Not firsthand. But the rumor is that Parker was with Ann Hayes before he took up with Lady, and that he’d been with Ann for a very long time.”

Dodie crossed her arms in front of her chest. “And we all know how Ann feels about losing a man to another woman.”

Samuel ignored the remark. Doug winked at his wife.

“But what about these new vampires Lady has been creating?” Samuel asked Libby. “Do you know what they’re for?”

She shook her head. “No, but they are all fairly new, and she’s not training them properly, except to fight. I have noticed that the newer ones seem rougher and more violent than those she’s turned before.”

“Samuel,” said Dodie, “that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s sending them after us.”

“No, it doesn’t, Dodie. But whatever their purpose, it can’t be good.”

Samuel let his eyes rest on Libby again. “Libby, do you have a cell phone with you?”

She nodded.

“Good,” Samuel told her. “I want you to call Lady or someone at the castle and tell them you’re not coming back. Tell them after what happened this morning, you’re quitting, and you never want to see them again.”

“I don’t!”

“Then say that and let the tears flow. Tell them you’re leaving town, getting as far away from them as possible. If you don’t, they might come looking for you. I want you off their radar.”

“But they might look for her anyway,” Hyun observed.

“True, but then again, they may not, especially if Lady has stopped caring about her consorts and is about to kick into action a much bigger plan.”

“But what about the other girls?” Libby asked. “I just can’t abandon them.”

This time it was Hyun who knelt in front of Libby. “Sweetheart, you may have to.”

Libby held out her arm toward her bag, which was on the table. Dodie dug through it, found the cell phone, and handed it to her. She hit a button and placed the call.

“Heather?” she said into the phone. She looked down into her lap as she spoke. “It’s me, Libby.” Libby didn’t have to force the tears; they came naturally. “I need you to give Lady a message for me. Tell her I quit. After last night and this morning, I can’t work for her anymore. I’m done. After what she let Adam do to me…,” she sobbed. “I just can’t.” Libby wiped her nose with a tissue. “No, I’m not coming back, not even for my things. I’m on my way out of town. I’m starting over.” She paused again. “Heather, you should leave, too. You and the other girls. Get out before she lets them kill you. Remember Mary, that young girl from Oklahoma who disappeared? She didn’t run away from us like Lady claimed. Mary was murdered by Duff—
that’s
what happened to her. Get out now, Heather.”

Samuel took the phone from Libby and snapped it shut. He smiled down at her. “Well done.”

They left the motel, each with their marching orders direct from Samuel. Dodie had wanted to take Libby back to their home, but Samuel nixed that immediately. “If our homes are being watched, we’d be better off all together at my place. I have all the first-aid supplies you’ll need there. Plus, my estate has the fewest neighbors.”

Samuel pulled back the drapes and looked out at the parking lot. “Thankfully, it will be dark soon, and the other council members will be getting up.” He took out his phone and started making calls. His first call was to Colin, telling him to not pick up Keleta but to meet at the villa before the party. He also told Colin to call him the minute he received the message.

The message surprised Madison. “You’re not still thinking about us going to that party, are you?”

“Where better to face Ann than in her lair, when she’s playing hostess and off-guard?” Besides, I need to go, and I want you with me at all times.” Samuel chucked Madison under her chin. “We’ll find you something special for tonight.”

Doug was concerned. “You don’t think Julianne will be at that party, do you?”

“On the contrary, I hope she is.” He turned again to Madison. “You’d recognize her, wouldn’t you?”

Madison nodded, then tried to reason with Samuel. “But I know where the castle is. Why can’t we just raid it right now while they’re asleep?”

“Because we’re exhausted, and you and Hyun can’t do it on your own. I don’t want any more innocent people hurt. Let’s find out more about this Julianne and her plans, then forge a plan of our own.” He caught Hyun’s eye. “Do you agree, Hyun?”

“Yes, Mr. La Croix. We need to find out exactly how many are there and what their intent is, so we can strike efficiently.”

Samuel turned to the Dedhams. “Is Pauline at your house?”

“No,” Dodie answered. “She has both today and tomorrow off.”

“Call her and tell her to take Monday off as well, just to be safe.” He hesitated, then added, “Call Stacie and Kate. Tell them all to get to my house immediately and to give any household help they might have off until Tuesday. I don’t want any of our associates in the way. Foster and Enid will stay with me. They have nowhere else to go.”

“Kate and Jerry are touring museums in Europe right now,” Dodie told him. “They left yesterday.”

“Even better.” Samuel stopped to think, then called Kai and left a message telling her with regret that their date for Sunday night had to be postponed and that he’d call her soon.

“Give Eddie a call and alert him as well,” he said to Doug. “He should call Joni. I don’t think they’re in danger, but we can’t be too careful, especially with all that computer information Joni keeps. Isabella is out of the country.”

When they left the motel, Hyun drove Libby’s car, and Madison followed in Hyun’s. They were to hide Libby’s car, then drive together to Samuel’s house. Dodie and Libby rode in the back seat of the rental. Doug drove, with Samuel riding shotgun. They were going first to the Dedham house to pick up a few days’ worth of clothing for themselves and Madison, then head to Samuel’s villa.

Before they took off, Madison pulled Samuel aside. “What about Notchey? Shouldn’t we tell him about his sister?”

“Call him and ask if he’ll drop by my home. Don’t tell him why, just convince him it’s important. I’d rather he be told there, with us around, than on the phone.”

Madison made the call as soon as Libby’s car was safely out of the way and she and Hyun were on their way to Samuel’s, with Hyun driving.

“Hey, Notchey, it’s me. I need a favor.”

“Have you noticed that every time you call lately, you need something? A dead body in the pool. A ride to the airport. A ride from the airport. ‘Oh, wait, Notchey,’ ” he said, mimicking a ditzy, high-pitched woman’s voice, “ ‘I’ve changed my mind about the ride home. My bad.’ ” His voice returned to normal. “What do you think I am, some fucking taxi service with a wide-open schedule?”

“Okay, I’m sorry I changed my mind about the ride back from the airport, but it was very important. And so is this.”

“I’m listening. Make it good or I’m hanging up.”

“Samuel needs you at his house as soon as possible.”

“I’m a fucking LAPD cop, Madison, not some dead man’s errand boy.”

“Please, Notchey. Just trust me on this. It’s a matter of life or death.”

“Well, it must be your life, because they’re all dead.”

“Seriously, Mike, it’s extremely important.”

“Aw, shit. There you go calling me Mike again. Where are you?”

“I’m with Hyun. We’re heading to Samuel’s.”

“Must be important if the big guy’s covering you with his own bodyguard.” His tone was snide.

“Quit being such a wise ass.” Madison felt tears start to swell. She took a deep breath, but her voice cracked. “We need you, Notchey. All of us.”

“Did I just hear tears, or are they just as fake as the pot roast a few days ago?”

Madison made one more effort. “When you find out what this is about, Notchey, you’re going to hate yourself.”

“Too late for that, Madison. I already do.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

A
s soon as they reached Samuel’s house, Madison made a beeline for the office and the computer.

Dodie was attending to Libby, immersing her in a warm, soothing bath in one of the guest room whirlpool tubs to which she’d added soothing herbal essences. Shortly after examining Libby, Dodie had reported that the bites didn’t appear as bad as they looked but were excessive in number and obviously meant to torture the recipient. Enid was thrilled to pitch in and prepared something light and nourishing for Libby. The two older women fussed like a couple of old hens over the emotionally exhausted and abused woman.

“While I admire your work ethic, Madison, I think you should relax a bit before we go out tonight.” It was Samuel. He’d come into the office, sitting down heavily on the leather sofa near the desk. He looked drained, his handsome brown face ashy. “Doug and I are going to grab a few hours of rest. Dodie will, too, as soon as she’s done with Libby. Vampire or not, I suggest you do the same.”

Madison kept plugging away at the keyboard, her frustration growing with each error message. In front of her was the security fob Joni had given her. “I want to check the database for something,” she told Samuel without a glance. “Joni showed me how to gain access to it remotely with this thingamajig.” Another error message beeped from the screen in front of her.

“Damn! The problem is, I only have about a minute before the password on the fob changes or I have to start all over.”

“Slow down,” Samuel advised in a tired voice. “Take your hands off the keyboard, then close your eyes and go over the steps in your head.”

She shot him a goofy look. “That’s lame.”

“Do it and you’ll see. You’re too wound up and it’s affecting your memory. Take a deep breath, go through the instructions in your mind, then tackle it. Don’t rush the process.”

“Well,” she conceded, “it couldn’t hurt.”

Following Samuel’s advice, Madison closed her eyes and mentally went over the instructions Joni had given her for accessing the database. She’d written them down but had left them on her desk at home. Before leaving Marin, she’d gone through the exercise several times, until Joni was satisfied she knew the procedure by heart.

It was at least a full minute before she opened her eyes. When she did, she placed her hands on the keyboard and went through the access steps, one after the other, with a calm mind and steady fingers, in plenty of time before the fob changed passwords. Up popped the opening page to the database.

“We’re in!” Madison beamed at Samuel like she’d won a goldfish at a school fair.

Samuel chuckled. “Slow and steady wins the race, Madison, nearly every time.” He got up and leaned over Madison’s shoulder to look at the screen. “So what are you looking for?”

“A profile for Julianne Jaz.”

Going through the search procedure, she found the profile for Julianne Jaz. There was a photo, and it looked a lot like the woman Madison had met on the trail in Topanga. With Samuel watching, she flipped over to Julie Argudo’s profile.

“Wow, they really do look alike, don’t they?”

“At least in the photos.” Samuel leaned forward to examine the photo on the computer. “This touched-up photo doesn’t do Julie justice. She was much prettier in person, with more delicate features. That’s one of the problems with vampire photos—they’re usually just a resemblance rather than accurate.”

Madison turned her head toward Samuel. Still looking over her shoulder, he was so close her nose nearly touched his face. “You knew Julie Argudo was already dead, didn’t you?”

Samuel didn’t look at her. “Yes, I did.”

“And you know how she died. That’s why you didn’t push Libby to say anything more about it.”

Samuel finally turned his head toward her, his lips nearly touching hers. “Yes, I know what happened.”

“You took her out, didn’t you?”

He didn’t confirm her suspicions, nor did he give any further explanation. Madison knew none would be coming.

They both returned their attention to the computer screen. Madison switched back to Julianne’s profile. There were no names listed under associates or downlines. The upline and bio were another story. “Look at this,” Madison pointed to the screen, first to the upline listing, then to the bio. “It says here Julianne was turned by Julie Argudo. Before that, she was a consort to King Leopold.”

It didn’t take Samuel long to cover the considerable distance from the office, through the main part of the house, and down the long corridor of the guest wing. He entered the room now occupied by Libby without knocking, a concerned Madison half- jogging behind him.

Libby was in bed. Hyun sat in a chair next to the bed. They were both surprised by the intrusion. Hyun leapt to his feet as soon as he saw the scowl on his boss’s face.

“Libby,” Samuel said, jumping to his purpose. “Did you know Julianne Jaz before you became one of her consorts?”

Libby looked frightened. She reached out to Hyun, who took her hand. “Yes, I did. Did I do something wrong, Mr. La Croix?”

“Tell me everything you know about Julianne,” he ordered. “Right now.”

Libby fumbled like a drunk to dig through her memory and get the words out in an orderly fashion. “She was a consort at court before she was turned vampire. When she became wealthy and powerful, she hired consorts for her own household and asked me if I’d consider managing them for her.”

“Who turned her into a vampire and when?”

“I … um …,” Libby faltered.

“Spit it out, girl,” Samuel boomed, flashing his fangs.

Hyun stiffened, ready to defend Libby. “There is no need for that, Mr. La Croix.”

“He’s right, Samuel,” Madison added. She rested a hand on Samuel’s upper arm. “Slow and steady, remember?”

Samuel jerked his arm away but retracted his fangs.

“Well?” he demanded.

Libby sat up straight. “Julianne was a popular consort at Leopold’s court,” she began. “Both Julie and I met her when she attended a party Julie gave. They found it amusing that they looked alike and even had similar first names. Almost immediately, they became close friends, and Julie received permission from Leopold to turn Julianne. After that, they were inseparable—they even referred to each other as sister.”

She looked to Samuel to see if he was satisfied. He gestured for her to continue. After taking a deep breath, Libby did. “After Julie was killed, it was Julianne who helped me get the consort job with Leopold. The rest is as I told you—she later hired me herself, shortly before she moved to California.”

Samuel walked to the French doors that opened onto the pool area, a feature of all of the guest rooms. He stared out at the pool that sparkled in the night, the submerged lights making it look like a cauldron of crystals.

“Did either you or Julianne know who killed Julie Argudo?”

When Libby didn’t answer right away, Samuel turned around and fixed her with one of his famous glares.

“No, sir. At least I didn’t know the vampire who killed Julie. I had never seen him until that night.” After a short hesitation, Libby added with emphasis, “Nor since. Nor have I ever told anyone what I saw … until today.”

Samuel approached the bed. “Not even Julianne?”

“No. Julie and I were alone that night. If Julianne knows, it’s not from me. She’s never mentioned it in all these years.” She met Samuel’s stare with one of her own. “Whoever killed Julie did me a favor, Mr. La Croix. She was almost as bad as Gus Himmel.”

When Samuel was finished giving Libby the third degree, he and Madison left Libby’s room and walked down the hall.
Samuel
stopped outside the door to the guest room Madison usually occupied when she stayed overnight. He opened the door. “Like I told you, I want you to get some rest. We have a very long night ahead of us. I’m going to turn in myself. Later we’ll find something for you to wear. I’m sure there’s a party dress around here somewhere.”

“We’re still going to the party?”

“Yes, of course. I want to find out how Ann Hayes fits into all this. Could be dumping branded vampires, especially Parker, is simply Julianne’s way of tweaking Ann’s nose while carrying out her bigger plan. I’m hoping Ann will cooperate and tell us something. At the very least, she lied to us about knowing Parker, and I want to know why.”

Madison grabbed Samuel’s arm and dragged him into the room, shutting the door behind them. “Do you think Julianne is coming after you because you killed Julie Argudo?”

“Who said I killed Julie?”

“That’s the point, no one said it, but the suggestion is hanging in the air like bullshit at a county fair.”

“Another colorful phrase. You seem to have an endless supply of them.” When Madison said nothing, he added, “It could be she’s after the council because we banished Julie.”

Madison shook her right index finger at him. “I don’t buy that. How long ago was that banishment—thirty-five, forty years ago?”

Samuel offered up a casual shrug. “About that. So what’s your point?”

“My point is, Libby disappeared about seven years ago. Since she worked for Julie sometime after that, and if you account for Libby spending a year in Julianne’s employment and maybe a couple at Leopold’s court, it would put Julie’s death somewhere in the neighborhood of three to seven years ago.” Madison put her hands on her hips. “Why would anyone connected with the council wait over thirty years to carry out an overturned execution like some vigilante?” Madison squinted at Samuel. “And I know you would never kill someone without a good reason.”

“Again, who said I killed Julie?”

Madison plopped down on the bed and pounded the mattress with her fist. “I want to know, Samuel. I know I’m just a teeny-weeny speck in your lifespan, but I want to know why Julie Argudo died, especially if it had anything to do with you or the council. I work for you. I put my life on the line for you. I deserve to know what’s going on before I walk out that door tonight with a target on my back.”

Samuel leaned against the closed door and studied Madison, his face dark and unreadable. Madison fidgeted, knowing that one day she might go too far and he’d take her head off.

“A little less than five years ago,” Samuel finally began, “Julie Argudo killed a former mistress of mine, a bloodline holder who I turned, much as I turned Isabella and Joni after our time together. Her name was Rebecca. She’d been a vampire only a few years and was in Bulgaria on holiday with some friends. Julie did it out of cold-hearted revenge against me.”

With sadness, Madison looked down, almost wishing she hadn’t made him tell her.

Samuel pushed off from the door and approached her. Roughly grabbing her chin with one hand, he squeezed her cheeks together and forced her head up to look at him. His opaque eyes blazed like white-hot coals.

“I kill those who kill mine.” He let loose of her face with enough force to push her backwards on the bed. “If you haven’t learned that by now, Madison, you haven’t been paying attention.”