Night Kill (Private Investigator Andrew Knight Mystery Series) (2 page)

The idea for this book actually came from a question my oldest daughter asked me one day; why don’t you write a story about vampires? Well, did she forget that I write mysteries were the first question on my mind? Probably not, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. I responded that it would have to be a mystery. Now this raised some more questions in my mind. First of all, how would I be able to many these two very distinct genres? Second would the story line be strong enough to hold the interest of the reader? And finally, would I be able to pull it off? So once more it was off to the internet to do some more research.

I started with the Vampire genre. Vampire literature covers the spectrum of literary work concerned principally with the subject of vampires. Okay, well that was pretty straight forward I thought. I mean, there have been countless books about vampires. I’ve even read some like Bram Strokers ‘Dracula’ and watched movies like ‘Interview with the Vampire’. And yes, I admit that I have watched the ‘Twilight movies’. I mean we have been fascinated with these undead creatures since the beginning of history.

The next area of research was the mystery genre. Now this was familiar ground to me, but nonetheless fascinating. In my research I found a definition of the mystery/crime genre I want to share with you. Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term that is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective (either professional or amateur) investigates and solves a crime. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction. The term “mystery fiction” may sometimes be limited to the subset of detective stories in which the emphasis is on the puzzle element and its logical solution (cf. whodunit), as a contrast to hardboiled detective stories, which focus on action and gritty realism. However, in more general usage “mystery” may be used to describe any form of crime scene fiction, even if there is no mystery to be solved.

Okay, now we have our two different genres, how do you bring them together? Well, you need a story, a plot, and a mystery that revolves around vampires. That seems easy enough, right? It could not be a true vampire story about the undead, for after all it still had to be a mystery. It had to be rooted in the vampirism culture of today, and yet be true to my roots in the mystery culture I grew up with.

So to get a better understanding of this whole vampirism culture, I had to do some more research and want to share what I found out with you. A Sanguine (or Sang) is a vampire that feeds specifically off of the blood of others, and cannot achieve satisfaction through any other feeding methods. Psychic Vampire (psi vamp) is a vampire that feeds directly upon the vital energy of a being, and cannot achieve satisfaction through the intake of blood. Psi feeding methods can be long ranged or up close. Hybrid vampires are a vampire that requires both blood and vital energy to satisfy its needs. So basically it is person who cannot adequately sustain their own physical, mental or spiritual well-being without the taking of blood or vital life force energy from people. I also found out there are also is autovampirism. Let me explain further.

Clinical psychologist Richard Noll proposed a term for clinical vampirism and named after the very fictional Renfield character of Dracula fame due to his eating flies, spiders and various other behaviors in belief that he requires/craves their lifeforce the syndrome is said to be a pathological and delusional disease ‘fetishistic and compulsive’ and for the most part affecting males.

Now that I had a better understanding of this culture, what was next? When you have vampires, you must also have vampire slayers, right? So what is a vampire slayer? A vampire hunter or slayer is a character in folklore and works of fiction, such as books, films, and video games, which specialize in finding and destroying vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures. A vampire hunter is usually described as having extensive knowledge of vampires and other monstrous creatures, including their powers and weaknesses, and uses this knowledge to effectively combat them. In many works, vampire hunters are simply humans with more than average knowledge about the occult, while in others they are themselves supernatural beings, having superhuman abilities. A well known and influential vampire hunter is Professor Abraham Van Helsing, a character in Bram Stoker’s 1897 horror novel,
Dracula
.

I had all the elements to move forward; the vampires, the vampire hunters, and of course yours and mine favorite Private Investigator Andrew Knight. But the one thing I did not have was the story. With all of this information and prior experience, what kind of story was I going to write? They say that you need to capture the reader’s attention in the first chapter of the book, or you will lose their interest. Okay, so that was simple enough, right? Let me see, vampires and vampire hunters, hmmm? Well of course it was simple. In the first chapter I had to have some vampires killed, right?
Night Kill
puts forth a fantastically thrilling effort with just such a story.

The story
Night Kill
… In the snowy, quaint countryside, a loving family gathers in their home to celebrate the much anticipated winter solstice. Finishing touches are being made for the arrival of the rest of the clan. Suddenly, the Higgins family, are attacked one by one and murdered in cold blood. The only survivor of the brutal attack is the couple’s daughter, Storm. The authorities suspect Storm’s boyfriend, Wyatt, immediately. Evidence found at the crime scene brings the authorities to this swift conclusion. The clan’s council of elders set forth governing laws and expects everyone to follow them. Several months earlier, Wyatt, was excommunicated for violating these laws. Wyatt’s mysterious disappearance has added more chaos only making things worse! Wyatt’s mother, Nedra Collins, and the family priest pay a visit to Private Investigator Andrew Knight. Andrew is informed of details of recent events and the fact that Wyatt is being treated by Psychologist, Claudie Straussman, for a mental condition. Nedra hires Andrew to find her son before the authorities and prove his innocence of the murders. Immersed in the Gothic world of modern-day vampires, blood feasts and a ritualistic killing, Andrew becomes drawn in and discovers his dark side. Things get even more sinister as the newly elected County Sheriff shows her contempt for Andrew. She loathes Andrew’s involvement in the investigation. Things only intensify in the search for Wyatt and clues to the Higgins murder as their relationship becomes more confrontational. Andrew and ultimately the reader will be shocked by the truth as the solution to this mystery is revealed in the final two chapters.

It is my hope that the reader will enjoy this book. So what are you waiting for?

—R.L. Edinger

Chapter 1

The shimmering moonlight danced across the fields of white which were etched with black shadows of forest trees. The cold winter night lay still with nary a breath of wind, or sounds from the forest creatures.

A dark manor at the end of the long, winding road, quietly nestled, seeming snug and warm, waited for those who had been invited to come safely inside.

Natasha, and her husband Jonathan, were putting the finishing touches on their dining room table. While Jonathan arranged the place settings, Natasha lit the candles and dimmed the lights. Tonight they were celebrating the winter solstice. Soon their guests would arrive to partake of the rituals set forth by the clan. It would be a celebration for both kindred and those whose life blood was freely offered for the taking.

The doorbell interrupted as it announced the first guest to arrive. Natasha told her husband she would get it and that he should finish with the settings. She excused herself and left the dining room to go answer the door.

Natasha brushed aside the tussles of her long, flowing auburn hair. She paused briefly in front of the hall mirror to check her looks. Satisfied, Natasha walked up to the door, and grasped hold of the knob. She flung it open with dramatic flair, though not necessary, but it was just her way.

A lone, hooded figure greeted her with silence. Sadly, Natasha never had time to ask who they were, or to react. A single sharpened wood arrow ravageously pierced her body. Natasha stumbled back a bit, but was able to catch herself against the wall. The hooded figure had already loaded a second arrow in the crossbow. Natasha was about to cry out, but the second arrow struck next to the first! The force of the blow sent Natasha crashing into the hallway table.

Jonathan heard the crash, and immediately flew out from the dining room and into the hallway. He saw his beloved lying amongst the splintered, broken wood and remnants of a shattered vase. He rushed to her side, knelt down, and drew her close to him in his arms. Jonathan’s mind screamed as he gazed upon the lifeless, bloody face of his wife. He howled out his agony at seeing the twin arrow shafts protruding from Natasha. Jonathan gently laid Natasha back down whilst he brushed her lips with one last kiss. Suddenly Jonathan caught a glimpse of something moving in the shadows of the front porch. He stood and turned to face the shadowy figure.

Jonathan took a step towards the shadow. He saw that the person wore a hood.

“Coward,” Jonathan hissed. “You murdered my wife. Why do you hide your face from me? Let me see who you are, so that when I kill you I will see death on your face.”

Jonathan exploded at the person, who at the same time reached beneath their long, black leather overcoat. Jonathan felt the sharpened points of the three throwing stars strike his chest. He torn them away and kept going. The hooded figure leapt into the air and with a round house spin kick, slammed a boot heel into Jonathan, whom tumbled to the snowy ground. Jonathan stood defiantly and spat blood from his mouth to the ground.

“Do you think you’re fast and strong enough?” Jonathan cursed. “Or smart enough to take on me and not some poor defenseless woman?”

Jonathan charged again and lunged into the air; however, the hooded figure was ready and leapt again, this time drawing two blades of sharpened steel. As both came together in a mid-air death dance, Jonathan winched as the blades struck him without regard in the chest, back and neck. Jonathan plummeted back to the snowy ground in a heap. The hooded figure instead landed back down without as much as a sound.

Jonathan rose to his knees and looked up at the hooded figure. He brushed aside his blood-matted golden hair. Jonathan felt his life ebbing away. The hooded figure stood in front of Jonathan forming an ‘X’ with his two swords.

“Let me see your face,” Jonathan coughed.

The hooded figure took the two swords in one hand and with the other removed the hood. Jonathan’s eyes drew open wide and before he could utter a word, the hooded figure struck!

Peter was in the kitchen finishing up with the tray of appetisers. He was listening to his favorite tunes on his Ipod. He liked to pump up the volume. Oh sure his parents complained that he was ruining his hearing, but he didn’t care. His mother told him to have plenty of nourishment for the blood partners. Peter was glad that the rest of the clan was going to be here tonight. The winter solstice was the one gathering that he looked forward to every year, unlike his sister.

Peter walked from the kitchen into the dining room. His parents weren’t there. Where could they be? Peter tuned off his Ipod and removed the ear buds. That’s when Peter heard his father shouting at someone. Peter put down the tray and sprinted out into the hallway.

“Mother!” Peter cried out. He rushed to her and knelt at her side. “What the hell?” he was shocked upon seeing the arrow shafts. She felt so cold to the touch. Peter trembled as the realization of his mother being dead finally hit home. Peter lay her back down and continued outside. Just as Peter stepped onto the porch, he saw his father hit the ground. A darkened figure stood with his back to Peter. He heard his father ask to see the person’s face, which they did. Peter watched in horror as the figure replaced the hood and without remorse, killed Jonathan. “No!” Peter bellowed. He flashed his fangs and tore off in the figure’s direction.

Peter hadn’t gotten far when the first throwing star slammed into his neck. He stumbled to his knees, but quickly recovered. Peter went on, but was hit with two more throwing stars with lethal force in his chest. Peter flashed his fangs and ripped them out. He crouched down and sprang forth. Peter did a forward hand flip and with both boots drove the figure to the ground. Peter instantly spun around and grabbed the figure by the collar. His eyes reflected the rage in his soul. Peter threw the figure against the tree not far from them. Peter retrieved one of the swords as the figure dropped.

“Nice blade,” Peter said running his finger tips across the unsharpened surface. “Its now time for you to die.” The hooded figure had loaded his crossbow while Peter was preoccupied admiring the sword. Peter raised the blade and rushed to strike, but was hit instead with the arrow. Peter dropped the sword as the arrow perforated the flesh of his chest. Peter tumbled face down in the snow, driving the arrow further in.