Dhampir Love (7 page)

     Gathering my purse, I went to the car.  Driving slowly by Mildred’s, Detective Sean was talking with Mildred on her porch.  Mildred glared at me as I drove by.  Tomorrow I would visit with her and see if she knew anything. 

     When I got back to the house, Tony had the kitchen and bathroom cleaned.  He
had straightened up the living.  “Tony, I’m back.”

    “I’m in the bedroom sweetie.”

     Entering the kitchen, I could see the kitten lying lifeless on the floor.  Of course it wasn’t there. 
Who could have done such a thing
?  After making up a bucket of bleach water, I got down on my hands and knees and started scrubbing.  I wanted to make sure all the blood was cleaned up and the smell was out of the house for Tony’s sake. 

     I went to my bathroom.  Tony was looking through the papers as he was putting them back in the safe.  “Is anything missing?” I asked.

     “The envelope with the money and my grandparents will.  I searched everywhere and they’re gone.”

     “I can’t imagine who would want your grandparents will.  The money I can understand, but the will,” I said, as I was scrubbing the sink.

     “Hopefully Detective Sean will find it.  I have to call father.”  Tony put the safe under the bed and went to the kitchen.  I heard him on the phone.

     Satisfied with the remnants of the blood cleaned up, I went to my bedroom window and looked toward Mildred’s.  The lights were out.  Mildred was my primary suspect.  The way she always showed up for no reason.  The gray kitten she mentioned a week ago.

      In the morning, when Tony went to the blood bank, I would pay a visit to Mildred.

     Tony was busy with his father on the phone.  I went to the kitchen, poured a glass of milk, kissed Tony and headed to bed.

    Bright and early in the morning Tony left for Portland.  “I don’t have much to finish at the blood bank,” Tony said.  “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

     I nodded and closed my eyes.  Hearing the car start and back out of the driveway, I got up and dressed in my sweatpants and one of Tony’s shirts.  I didn’t make breakfast or coffee.  I headed straight to Mildred’s.  Stepping up on the porch, I heard Mildred talking to someone.  Before I knocked on the door, I stood listening.

     “I have the will and Tony is related to Victor, Matthew a
nd William.  Frank is a distant cousin of Margie, Tony’s grandmother.”

     My heart stopped.

     “All I know is that Tony is going to a meeting in Italy next month.  I heard Jessica say the middle of March when she was on the phone.”

     My mouth fell open.  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  No wonder, she was always snooping at odd hours.

     “I don’t know the exact date, but I
will
find out.”

     I had heard enough.  I knocked on the door.

     Mildred said, “Someone’s at the door.  I’ll talk to you later,” and hung up. 

     I hurried and composed myself, so Mildred didn’t know I had overheard.  I started to knock again when she opened the door.  “Hi Jessica, please come in.  I was getting breakfast ready.  Would you care to join me?”

     “No thank you.  I came by to see if you saw anyone last night at my house?”

     “I don’t know.  I was busy getting ready for bed when that Detective came by and wanted to know the same thing.”

     “Did a car happen to drive to the house?” I asked, knowing full well there wasn’t one.

     “No not that I recall.  Like I said, I was busy getting ready for bed.”

     “Is Frank here?” I asked.

     “No, he’s in California putti
ng our house on the market to sell.  He won’t be back until the end of the week, why?”

      “I was going to ask him if he might have seen anyone, but I guess that won’t be possible.”

     “I wish I could help you more, but I haven’t a clue what happened at your house.  I told the Detective all I knew.”

     “Thank you
, Mildred.   Sorry to have bothered you this early.  I’ll go and let you get back to your breakfast.”

     “Sure you won’t stay,” she said, with a smile.

     “No, thanks.  I have things to do today.  I better get back home.”

     “Stop by anytime.  Don’t be a stranger.”

     “Bye, Mildred,” I said, and headed back to my house.

      On the walk back, I felt
her eyes on me.  The same way I felt with Charlotte.  It was an uneasy feeling, but I didn’t care.  When I stepped up on my porch, I looked back to Mildred’s.  She was nowhere to be seen.

     I went to the kitchen and thought about what I heard her saying on the phone. 
Why was she telling someone about Tony’s trip to Italy?  Most of all, who was she talking too?
 

    
Making my breakfast and getting my coffee ready, I tried to put it all out of my mind.  My first thought.
What was the connection between Mildred and who was she was talking to on the phone?  What did it have to do with Tony?
  I thought about Charlotte, William, Jennifer and Victor.  I could rule out Jason. 

     Charlotte was William’s mistress and she only wanted me.  William was Tony’s great-grandfather.  Jennifer was human and Tony’s mother.  Victor was Tony’s father.  Jason was Jennifer’s nephew and a dhampir.  Nothing from the vacation I took last year could possibly have anything to do with Mildred and Frank. 

     A nagging question popped in my mind.  Was Frank really related to Tony or was Mildred assuming?  I couldn’t wait any longer.  I gulped down my breakfast and coffee, and then headed back over to Mildred’s. 

     Instead of knocking on the door, I yelled, “Mildred.”

     She came to the front door, “Well Jessica, I didn’t expect you here so soon.  Is everything okay?”

    “Everything is fine.  I just have a question,” I said.

     “Sure, what is it?”

     “By any chance would Frank and Tony be related?”

     “You’ll have to wait until Frank gets back to ask him.  I wouldn’t know.”

     “Okay, sorry to bother you.”

     “No problem, Jessica.  No problem at all.”

     I went back home, grabbed my purse and keys off the hook in the kitchen.  I needed to talk to Detective Sean. 
Didn’t know if Frank and Tony were related
, I thought.  She knew perfectly well they were, but I couldn’t let anyone know I knew.

     Pulling up to the police station, Detective Sean was getting out of his car.

“Hello Jessica.”

     “Hello Detective.  May I talk to you?”

     “Sure.  Let’s go inside.”

     Detective Sean and I went inside.  He pulled out a chair for me.  “What brings you here today?”

     “I overheard my neighbor talking on the phone this morning when I went to visit her.  She said she had Tony’s grandparents will.”

     “You heard her say this?” he asked puzzled.

     “I sure did.”

     “Would you mind writing out a statement?” he said, getting up and walking over to the filing cabinet.

     “I don’t mind at all.”

     Detective Sean placed a statement form in front of me and handed me a pen.  I wrote down all I heard Mildred say this morning.

     “You know, we’ll have to have solid proof than just your word, don’t you Jess.”

     “I understand.  Tony and I will be gone for a few days next month.  I wanted you to know what I heard incase
anything happened while we were gone.  I don’t want to come home to a burnt house or anything.”

     “When will you be gone?” he asked.

     “We leave on the eleventh.  I’ll leave the phone number where I’ll be staying in case you need to get a hold of me,” I said.  I wrote Jennifer’s phone number on the statement.

     “I’ll have Hank keep an eye on your place.”

     “Thank you, Detective Sean.  I appreciate it.”

     I left the police station and went straight home.  I didn’t see Tony’s car in the driveway when I turned onto our street.  Mildred wasn’t sitting out on the porch.  Taking my cell phone from my purse, I held onto it before getting out of the car.  Fearing she might be in my house, I tiptoed up the steps.  Before reaching for the door, I listened for any movement inside the house.  All was quiet.  Turning the door handle, I slowly opened the door and peaked in.  Looking toward the kitchen, everything looked to be in place.  Sitting my purse down on the sofa, I tiptoed down the hall to my bedroom.  The house was exactly as I
had left it this morning.  Breathing a sigh of relief, I went back to get my purse.  Shutting the front door, I locked it.  I checked the backdoor and all the windows in the house.  All was secure, but held onto my cell phone.

     Waiting for Tony to come home, I sat in the quiet wondering if I should mention Mildred’s phone conversation I overheard.  He was worried enough with the upcoming meeting in Italy, so I decided not to bother him about Mildred.  I would have to do the best I could to keep my eye on her. 

     The sun was setting when Tony pulled into the driveway.  Getting up, I went to the kitchen, flipped on the light laying my cell phone on the counter.  Flipping open the calendar to June, I sat in the chair.  “Jess,” Tony called as he opened the door.

     “I’m in the kitchen.  Did you get everything finished at the blood bank?”

     Tony came up behind me and kissed the top of my head before going to the refrigerator.  “Yes, I did.”  Tony took a drink from his flask and continued, “I believe we’ll be opening sooner than father expected.”

     “That’s nice.  Do you know when?”

     “Since I have the meeting in a couple of weeks, I’m thinking as soon as we get back.”  Tony stopped at the table.  He moved my hair from around my face, gently placing his hand under my chin.  I looked up at him with a straight face.  I wanted to tell him about Mildred, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him.  He leaned down and passionately kissed me.  “I missed you,” he softly said.

     “I missed you.”  I stood up and hugged him with my eyes fixated on the front door.  Tony and I released our hug.  He went to his recliner, I went to the bedroom.  Getting the paper and pen from the nightstand, I started writing my vows.  I knew exactly what I was going to say.

    
Tony, when I first met you, I knew you were the one for me.  You have loved and protected me through everything we’ve been through together.  My heart is yours forever
.

     Satisfied with what I had written, I put the paper in an envelope.  Opening the closet door, I moved the blankets I
had stacked on the top shelf.  Finding my tin box, I placed the envelope inside and put it back.  Shutting the closet door, I leaned against it.  Taking in a deep breath, I knew nothing was ever going to come between us and went to the kitchen. 

     Grabbing a drink out of the refrigerator, I went to
the sofa.  “You’re quiet this evening,” he said.

     “I am?
”

     “Is anything bothering you?” he asked raising his eyebrow. 

     Tony knew me well enough to know when I had worries.  I tried hard not to show it, but Tony saw right through me.  “Why do you ask?”

     “Jess, is something bothering you?”

     “I just have the wedding on my mind and Italy.”  Mildred was the one on my mind.

     Tony got up and came over to the sofa.  Taking my hair, he twirled it around his finger.  “I’m not the least bit nervous about the wedding.  You are finally going to be my wife, and Italy will be okay because father will be there with me.  The mess doesn’t pertain to me, just the rules.  I do need to know them, so I won’t mess up myself,” he said, tucking my hair behind my ear.

     “Does your father know the rules?” I asked.

     “He is
as new to this as am I.  If any questions come up, my father will be sure and ask.”

     “I trust your father will take care of you in my absence.  He
had shown that with Charlotte and William.”

     “There’s nothing to worry about, sweetie.”

      Tony and I kissed.  The phone was ringing.  Tony got up to answer it.  I got up and went to the front door.

     “Hello,” Tony said, into the receiver.

     “Hello son,” Victor said.  “The meeting is set for March thirteenth and fourteen.  I will need you here by the twelfth.”

     “Father, Jess is going to stay with mother while we are
in Italy.  Will you let her know?”

     “I sure will son.”

     Looking around the yard and down the street, I didn’t see Mildred.  Leaving the front door open, I went to the back door and looked around the yard.  No Mildred.  I was glad she wasn’t around to hear the date of the meeting.

     “I’ll see you on the twelfth,” Tony said.   “Good bye father.”

     “See you then.  Good bye son.”