Corin & Angelique (After the Fall of Night) (24 page)

Sheriff Pierson was a logical man, but all expression dropped from his face
when he recalled what Mr. Purrant told him regarding the case Jordon Black was working on, the one he referred to as The Vampire. But that was just a name attached to a serial killer, a man, not a vampire. Such creatures didn’t exist outside the realm of folklore and fairytales. No. What he and Patricia were seeing on the tape had to be a very clever trick. The thief was apparently a skilled magician. Pierson refused to concede to the prospect of reanimated corpses and would need a whole lot more proof to ever consider it.

Chapter Sixteen

A Person of Interest

“Rudy wanted to see you, Sheriff,” Officer Traci informed Sheriff Pierson as he
walked into the station, “but he popped out for a bite. He should be back any time.”

“Thank you, Traci.” He checked the time—7:37. “Radio and let him know I’ll
be around awhile,” he instructed and continued on to his office.

Rudy arrived twenty minutes later smelling of burgers and onions.

“Come on in and have a seat,” Pierson motioned. “What do you have for me?”

“About the watch, I did some checking on the inscription and discovered
that a woman did live in Hixton by the name Miralanya.”

“Why does that sound past tense?”

“Because it was sixty-five years ago,” Rudy told him.

“I take it she’s deceased?”

“Yes, sir.”

Pierson lit a cigarette.
“I sure was counting on something more.”

“Wait a minute now, let me finish. I haven’t told you the most interesting part.
Her last name was von Vadim. Miralanya von Vadim. Interesting tidbit of information, huh?”

“Very.” Pierson blew out a whirl of smoke. “She lived at the estate?”

“That was the address on her death certificate.”

“Check with the lab and see if they found a date on the watch.”

“I’m ahead of you, Sheriff. They did find a date on the inside watchcase. It’s marked 1926. They also lifted a couple of prints, but there was no match in the database.”

“That’s unfortunate. The time period doesn’t fit the late uncle—Victor von
Vadim. It would have been the estate owner before him. Does the death certificate show a relative? She must have been a wife or sister.”

“There’s no spouse or family member listed, and
since there’s no previous records, we can’t be sure.”

“It’s curious that the murders started not long after our young von Vadim heir
arrived at the estate,” Pierson said.

“You’re right. He moved in about a month ago.”

“He’s high on my list of suspects, but the only thing I have linking him to any of the murders is a business card he picked up at Purcell’s garage. It was Sandy Darnell’s, the second victim.”

“It’s certainly looking like his arrival corresponding with the start of the
murders might be more than coincidence. But we don’t have strong enough evidence to justify bringing him in. Having an inscription matching a distant relative’s first name won’t suffice. We can’t prove it belongs to von Vadim, and there’s no way of verifying that the Miralanya who inscribed it is even the same Miralanya von Vadim who lived at the estate all those years ago.”

“I’d bet my life it’s his, inherited along with everything else in that estate.
You’re right, though,” Pierson grimaced, “we do need something more solid. It’s ironic, yesterday, I stopped by the estate hoping to question Mr. von Vadim and found Tomes Jaffler there.”

“The first victim’s husband?”

Sheriff Pierson nodded.

“What’s their relationship?”

“Neighbors, for one, and he claims to be working for von Vadim.” Pierson checked the time. “You know, it’s not too late. I still have a while before dark. I think I’ll grab a burger myself, and head over to Hixton…try my luck again. Besides, there’s something else I need to look into while I’m there. I can knock out two birds with one stone.”

“What’s that?”

“I received, on good authority, a report of noises heard in the basement of a vacant ranch house. Mr. Kensington, principal at the high school, declined purchasing the property, thinking the house might be haunted.” He rubbed out his cigarette.

“You’re joking, right, a haunted house?”

Sheriff Pierson laughed and stood up. “Things couldn’t get any weirder, could they?” He moved toward the door and gave Rudy a friendly slap on the back as they exited his office.

“I certainly hope not, sir. This is
Jackson County, not Transylvania.”

* * * *

The sun had just fallen below the horizon when the doorbell prompted Corin to crawl out of his crypt. It was quiet for a moment before it rang out again with three consecutive chimes. Wondering who the persistent visitor was, he pulled on his pants and made his way up the stairs. In the twilight, he was able to leave the protection of the darkened basement, and walk in the dim light that came before the fall of night.

“Sheriff,” he acknowledged upon opening the door, concealing his surprise
and dread.

“Mr. von Vadim. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“Not at all.” Corin made an effort to put forth a friendly front, inconspicuously blocking the light, as his eyes had not yet adjusted.

“I was hoping to have a word with you, if you don’t mind. It won’t take long.”

“Of course, please, come in.” Corin shut the door the moment Pierson entered. “Please, have a seat.” He motioned to a Victorian-style sofa displayed in the living room.

Corin sat across
from the sheriff in a high-backed chair, waiting for him to divulge the purpose of his visit.

“I came by yesterday. Tomes Jaffler was here. I assume he informed you of my
visit.”

“Yes. He told me. I was planning to contact you. He thinks you might be
considering me a suspect.”

“Let’s just say
…a person of interest. About Mr. Jaffler, you’d do well to keep an eye on him. If I’m to believe the dramatic execution he gave, I’d say he’s treading down a dark and dangerous road. The last thing I need is a vigilante to deal with.”

“Tomes is in good hands. And I guess he was right about you suspecting me.”

Corin was careful to maintain the appearance of a man at ease with nothing to hide. He knew Sheriff Pierson was carefully observing his reactions, no doubt surmising him and Tomes conspirators.

“A person of interest,” Pierson reiterated.

“If you don’t mind my asking, just what is it about me that’s sparked such interest?”

“To be truthful, Mr. von Vadim, a couple of things
have led me to your door.” Pierson pulled his notepad from his pocket and skimmed his notes. “It’s curious how the murders started just after your arrival here in Jackson County. Then there’s the matter of Sandy Darnell. You were supplied one of her business cards when having some spark plugs changed on your Harley at Purcell’s Garage, the very night of her murder.”

“Yes, I don’t deny it. But I was never able to reach her,” Corin told him the
truth of the matter, knowing the man had done his homework.

“So you’re alleging that you never made contact with her by phone, or
otherwise?”

“I n
either spoke to nor saw her,” Corin affirmed.

“With this large estate, I don’t understand why you’d be looking to purchase
more real estate.”

“Just seeing what’s available on the market for investment. I don’t believe
there’s any crime in that.”

Pierson moved on with his questioning.
“There were two murders last night—one in the parking lot of Black River Falls Memorial Hospital, and the other at the county fair. I’m sure you’ve heard. It’s been all over the news.”

“Yes, I heard.”

“I don’t suppose you’d know anything about either of those murders, would you?”

“Nothing more than what’s been broadcast.” Sheriff Pierson’s accusatory
demeanor irritated Corin, but he kept his cool.

“At the hospital murder site we found a gold pocket watch. The chain was
broken, we presume yanked off during a struggle between the victim and her attacker.”

“That’s all very interesting, Sheriff, but I don’t understand what any of this
has to do with me.”

“On the back of the watch there’s an inscription,
For my prince of the night
.
Miralanya.
Would you know anything about this particular timepiece?”

“No. And I don’t know why you’d suspect I would.”

“I should tell you, Mr. von Vadim, we did some checking and discovered that a woman named Miralanya von Vadim resided in this very house, sixty-five years ago.”

“I won’t dispute that I had a past relative named Miralanya, but come on,
Sheriff, it’s preposterous to think the watch you found belonged to her. Anyone having that same first name could have inscribed it.”

“True. But it’s a rather uncommon name. No other records match it in the
county. So let’s just suppose for a moment that Miralanya von Vadim did inscribe the watch we found and gave it to one of your relatives as a gift. It was dated 1926, so presumably, whoever resided here before your late uncle. And if that is the case, it would mean the watch came from this house, which is now your home, Mr. von Vadim.”

“But you are only speculating, Sheriff. And I assure you, I know nothing about
such a watch.”

“If you’re telling the truth, you shouldn’t mind coming down to the station for
fingerprinting. We lifted some prints from the piece, and if they prove not to be yours, that will put you in the clear. What do you say?”

“I always aim to cooperate with the law, but something tells me I should speak
with my lawyer first. How about I have him get back with you on this fingerprinting issue, and we’ll go from there.” Corin didn’t give an inch, irritated by Pierson’s attempt at coercion, assuming the man lacked necessary legal grounds to enforce compliance.

“Fair enough, I can’t force you to co
mply…yet.”

I thought as much.

“I guess I’m not under arrest, then?” Corin got up, remaining cordial, despite the imputation.

“No, you’re not being charged with anything at present. However, I could
bring you in on suspicion alone,” Pierson threatened.

“Suspicion of what?” Corin asked with all
seriousness. “There’s no proof I’ve committed any crime.”

“If you’re innocent, why refuse fingerprinting? What are you afraid of?”
Pierson countered. “Something tells me I should bring you in right now.”

“But I don’t think you’ll do that, Sheriff. In turn, I’d have to sue the
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for false arrest. I know people, and it wouldn’t look good for you. Besides, I told you, I don’t know anything about that watch, or the realtor’s murder.”

“So you say, Mr. von Vadim.”

“It’s the truth, whether you chose to believe it or not. But if you insist on hounding me, my lawyer is only a phone call away. A little forewarning…he’s
the best
at what he does, always eager to rip into someone.” Corin escorted Sheriff Pierson to the door, more than ready for him to go.

“Just don’t plan on leaving town anytime soon.” Pierson was adamant. “And
that’s an order, not a request.”

“I just got here, Sheriff. I have no plans of leaving.”

Sheriff Pierson’s cell phone rang just as he stepped outside. “Hello.” He turned and moved several feet from Corin to talk. “Yes, Traci, but it’ll be a little while. I have a ranch house to check out while I’m in Hixton.” Pierson took several additional steps. “I guess Rudy didn’t fill you in.” He silently paused. “No. I got a report of strange noises coming from the basement of a vacant property over on Hillman Road. I assume it’s mice, but you can never be too careful. It could be vagrants.”

There was a
second silent pause.

“Okay. Just leave it on my desk and I’ll get to it later.” Pierson slid the phone
in his pocket and turned back to face Corin.

“I couldn’t help overhearing, Sheriff. With night on the fall, you might want to
consider putting that task off till tomorrow,” Corin attempted to dissuade him, thinking Boldor could be the source. A vacant, secluded home would suit the nightwalker’s needs perfectly. “I heard you mention Hillman Rd. I recently passed by that ranch and the place is overrun with weeds and overgrowth. I don’t think it’s been tended to in months, not a place you’d want to check out in the dark.”

“You might be right,” Pierson s
tarted for his SUV. “Remember, von Vadim, don’t leave town.”