SILVER MOON
~*~
Book 2
The Vampire Chronicles of
Jack Holladay
by
Steve Krebs
Argus Enterprises International
New Jersey***North Carolina
Silver Moon © 2011 All rights reserved by Steve Krebs
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ISBN: 978-0-6155172-8-5
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Printed in the United States of America
Chapter One
The name’s Jack Holladay and I used to be a pizza delivery driver. Now I’m unemployed and a human servant to a powerful master vampire named Katrina De Luce. Over the past couple weeks not only did I lose my job, but I also lost a friend and had my life turned upside down. At least one good thing happened from it all, I did meet Selene.
Selene’s a very attractive woman with long black hair and in my opinion, the most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen. She’s the owner of a fine dining establishment named La Luna, which is located in downtown Pueblo Colorado. Even though Selene isn’t a vampire, she does have dealings with them. She made an alliance with Katrina. At first it was for the protection of her people, which was being hunted down and killed by a savage pack of werewolves. Now it’s because of me.
I have kind of been dating Selene for a little over a week, if you can call hanging out with vampires and fighting for our lives dating. Since I am Katrina’s human servant Selene has kept her alliance with the vampires. By the way, did I mention that Selene is a were-panther and the leader of her Pride?
I know what you’re thinking, what is a were-panther? They are lycanthropes, shape changers in other words. In a way they are like werewolves, but much less feral. They can shape change at will, but they don’t lose control of their humanity during the full moon like werewolves. They also prefer to feed on livestock instead of human flesh.
Because of Katrina, last night Selene and I were dragged into a vampire brawl and when I woke up this morning my body still ached everywhere. I sat on the edge of my bed, inspecting the stitches in my shoulder and contemplating the events that took place over the last couple weeks. Selene sat by my side as she held me in her arms. I looked up into her big green eyes and she smiled at me. I ran my fingers through her long black hair, savoring the moment we were sharing together. When I met Selene I never thought we would become a couple, but it’s amazing what several near death experiences can do to strengthen a relationship.
My thoughts started to drift back a couple weeks to when I was working for a pizza delivery business named Aces. On one of my deliveries, while changing a flat tire, I was attacked. The police and medical reports say that the assailant was a mountain lion, but the truth is, it was something far worse. The predator which attacked me was a denizen of the night, a supernatural creature with the lust for human blood. It was a vampire.
I was saved that night by a man named Shaun Miller. Over the last couple weeks he has proven to be a trusted friend and companion against vampires. Since the first night I was introduced to the supernatural world Shaun has saved my life several times. When I was released from the hospital he decided to take me under his wing. He planned to show me how to survive in a world full of supernatural, but instead of being taught I was forced to take the crash course instead.
Selene kissed me gently on the cheek, bringing my consciousness back to the present. She looked deeply into my blue eyes and I saw the sorrow she held deeply for the last couple weeks has lightened. I knew she still mourned her husband, but with the death of Nathaniel she was able to continue on with her life.
The emotions we were feeling together were abruptly brought to an end when a knock came to the front door. I softly kissed Selene on the lips as I got up from the bed. The knock came again as I went out to the front room and opened the door. Standing on my doorstep was Detective Sharon Oswald.
The detective and I first met about a week ago when she was investigating a murder. The victim was drained of all her blood and the newspaper was calling it a vampire slaying. Actually the victim was killed by Katrina’s ex-human servant, Sebastian Saint Clair. The reason for this is because Sebastian was offered in trade to another master vampire named Boris. The bloodsucker wanted me dead, but Katrina had different plans. The offer was declined and I was forced to kill Boris with the help of Shaun.
Sebastian was furious about being offered to Boris so he sought out Nathaniel. He convinced the vampire to help him break the bonds between him and Katrina by telling Nathaniel about his master’s deceptive plans of power. Nathaniel commanded Sarah, his magic-using human servant, to perform a ritual. The ritual was to break the bond between Sebastian and Katrina. The woman, whose death Detective Oswald had been investigating, was used in the ritual as a sacrifice to the dark powers. Once the bond was separated Katrina feared Sebastian was dead and decided to take me as her human servant.
I didn’t want anything to do with Katrina or the supernatural world, but for some unknown reason I had a rare gift, or in my opinion, a curse. Master vampires use their human servants as an amplifier for their powers. It was a little different for me. I wasn’t just able to amplify the vampire’s powers; I was able to combine it with the power of another being. In this case it was Katrina and Selene. Since I didn’t want to be a vampire’s human servant, Katrina threatened to kill my family and friends if I denied her request. I didn’t have any choice.
Nathaniel arranged a meeting with Katrina a few days later and confronted her about the deception. Katrina denied having any involvement and that was when Sebastian entered and accused her of lying. The master vampire was speechless. Sebastian was supposed to be dead, but yet here he was. Katrina asked why he would betray her to Nathaniel, but in truth it was she who betrayed him first.
Sebastian wanted retribution for the deception upon him. He wanted the right to be Katrina’s human servant so he challenged me to a death match. I didn’t want to fight Sebastian. As far as I was concerned he could be Katrina’s human servant, but I guess for my bond to be broken I would have to die. Sebastian pulled out a knife and attacked me. I begged him to reconsider, but instead I was forced to shoot him in self defense. Once the shot was fired Detective Oswald burst into the room and saw me standing over Sebastian’s body with a smoking gun in my hand.
Nathaniel was outraged by the detective’s interruption and was going to have her killed, but I intervened at the last moment and managed to save her. My valiant rescue didn’t stop the vampires from making another attempt on the detective’s life a couple nights later. Lucky for the detective we were able to intervene again before it was too late.
******************************
Detective Oswald looked at me with her big blue eyes as she stood on my doorstep. She wore the same red skirt and dress jacket she had on the day we met. Her long black curly hair draped down over her shoulders and even though I didn’t think she was as attractive as Selene, she definitely wasn’t hard to look at.
Detective Oswald had a serious expression on her face so I knew she was here on business. I thought all our problems were taken care of last night, but apparently there was something we missed. I smiled at Detective Oswald and said, “Good morning, Detective. How are you doing today?”
“I’m fine, Jack,” Detective Oswald replied and her voice sounded a little stressed. “Can I come in and talk to you for a moment?”
“Sure,” I replied as I stepped aside and let her by. “What’s up?”
“We’ve been through a lot over the past few days,” Detective Oswald said as I shut the door and walked over to her. “I wanted to wait until it was over before I did what I came here to do. First of all I just wanted you to know that I appreciated everything you have done for me and to let you know what happens next isn’t personal. It pains me for saying this Jack and I’m sorry for doing it, but you’re under arrest for the murder of Sebastian Saint Clair.”
I definitely wasn’t expecting this. My eyes grew as big as saucers and my jaw dropped. I was sure I had a very funny expression on my face. I was waiting for Detective Oswald to say April’s Fool or something, but she was serious and I was totally surprised.
“I have a car waiting outside,” Detective Oswald said as she gestured towards the door. “I’m hoping the use of handcuffs won’t be necessary.”
I was speechless and before I found the words to reply I heard Selene’s voice from the bedroom, “You piece of crap!”
I saw Detective Oswald look to where Selene’s voice came from. I followed her gaze and saw the were-panther standing in the doorway, wearing one of my t-shirts and looking very menacing at the detective.
“Jack saved your life twice,” Selene said as she took a few aggressive steps towards the detective. “If it wasn’t for Jack you would be dead right now and this is how you repay him.”
“I didn’t want to do this,” Detective Oswald said as her hand dropped to the gun strapped at her side. “I don’t have a choice.”
“What evidence do you have?” Selene asked as she took a couple more steps towards the detective, which brought her within striking distance. “There isn’t a body and Jack’s gun was lost in the fire last night.
Detective Oswald pulled her handgun and aimed it at Selene’s heart. The were-panther glanced down at the weapon, then looked back at the detective and smiled. The detective’s face lost all color as she stared into Selene’s eyes and then said, “That’s close enough.”
“Are you going to shoot me?” Selene asked as she took another step forward until the gun was touching her chest.
“Only if you make me,” Detective Oswald replied and I could hear the fear in her voice. “Jack, call your girlfriend off or you’ll find yourself back on the availability market.”
I knew the detective needed silver to hurt Selene, but I wasn’t sure if she did. Even if she knew of Selene’s immunities I doubt the detective had enough time from last night till now to find some silver bullets. No matter how improbable the possibility, there was still a chance she did.
“Selene, leave her be,” I said and the were-panther didn’t show any intentions of backing down. “I’m sure there’s a way we can work this out.”
“Do you have wood bullets in your firearm, Detective?” Selene asked and she didn’t take her attention off the detective for a moment. Sharon was obviously scared and the were-panther took great pleasure in it.
“You bet,” Detective Oswald replied and I could hear her voice quiver.
“Then if I were you I would put that futile weapon away before I rip you’re arm off,” Selene said and when she did I saw her pupils become slitted like a cat’s eyes. “Wood bullets will only piss me off and you don’t want that to happen.”
Detective Oswald looked over at me and I confirmed it with a nod. Sharon took a couple steps back, but she didn’t put the gun away. She still had it pointed at Selene and even though the detective tried to act brave her hand shook from fear.
“What do you mean that you don’t have a choice about arresting me?” I asked as I slowly moved over to Selene. I felt vibes of energy flow from the were-panther and knew she was just waiting for the detective to give her a reason to attack.
“When I saw you standing over Sebastian’s body with a smoking gun in your hand I was sure you murdered him,” Detective Oswald replied while she still had her gun trained on Selene. “At the time I didn’t have a clue what really happened. I didn’t know you shot him in self defense and after Nathaniel’s son attacked me I was completely freaked out. After you saved me I didn’t know where to go so when I left the Crimson Chateau I went to the only place I thought was safe, which was the police department. While I was there a couple FBI agents approached me and said they have been keeping an eye on the club every since the murder of the woman I was investigating. When the FBI saw me sprinting from the Crimson Chateau with my tail between my legs, they followed me to the station. They wanted to know everything that happened and I told them. The FBI has been in contact with me every since and they even helped me clear up the little incident that happened at my house.”
“Let me get this straight,” I said and I couldn’t hide the fact I was a little angry about being followed by the FBI for a week, especially since they never did anything to help me against Nathaniel. “The FBI has been a part of this ever since Sebastian killed that woman and dumped her body a block from the Crimson Chateau. They have been watching me every since that night and never did anything to help me. Why? Why didn’t they do something besides watch?”
“Because the supernatural activity in this city goes a lot deeper than the surface you touched upon,” a voice said from the front door. When I looked in that direction I saw a man with black hair that was combed straight back. He had blue eyes and was dressed in a black suit, with a white dress shirt and black tie.
I heard a soft growl come from Selene when she saw him and I figured he also heard her because he pulled out a gun. I looked at the weapon as he pointed it back and forth between Selene and me.
I felt Selene’s energy begin to flow outward and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I wasn’t sure, but I swore she was about to attack the FBI agent. I was just about to do my best to calm her down, but then I heard the agent cock the hammer of his gun and say, “You had better calm yourself lady. We know what you are and I guarantee there are silver bullets in my gun.”
I felt Selene tense up for a moment and she growled again. I didn’t know if she meant to attack the agent or not, but I decided it was best if I tried to calm her down. Like I did before in the past, I moved between the FBI agent and Selene and said to her in a soft voice, “Calm down Selene. Let’s hear them out before we make any haste decisions. I have a feeling this has to do with more than the death of Sebastian.”
Selene looked at me and when she did I saw her eyes return to normal. She trusted me and for that I was thankful. Selene looked past me to the FBI agent, then to Detective Oswald and said, “Fine. I’ll listen to what they have to say.”
“Wise decision,” the FBI agent said with a smirk on his face. “Now that the leash is on the animal we can get down to business.”
I immediately felt Selene tense up again from the agent’s remark and knew this time she meant to kill him. I really didn’t blame her. I personally thought he went to far as well. Before Selene was able to attack I turned towards the agent and said, “Do you want a bloodbath in here? I had Selene calmed down, but you had to open you’re big mouth and antagonize her again. Do you know how fast she is? Sure, you have silver bullets and may possibly have a chance to get a couple shots off, but not before she rips out your throat. So if you want to get down to business as you said, then I suggest being a little more polite.”
The FBI agent looked at me, then to Selene. A small smile snaked across his face and then he slowly put away his gun. Detective Oswald saw him do so and followed suit. Now that all the weapons in the room were put away, except for Selene anyway, I felt a little more comfortable and willing to have our talk.
“Would the two of you like to have a seat before we begin our discussion?” I asked as I looked back and forth between Detective Oswald and the FBI agent.
“I wasn’t planning on doing this here, but apparently we don’t have a choice,” the FBI agent said as he walked towards my couch.
Detective Oswald sat on the couch next to the agent, while I sat on the chair. Since my only two pieces of furniture was already taken, Selene sat next to me on the arm of the chair. It was big enough for her to do so, but I don’t know how she managed to be comfortable. Then again I saw cats get comfortable in some really weird positions, maybe Selene was the same.
“Let me start off by introducing myself,” the FBI agent said once everyone was seated. “My name is Agent Larry Jacopo. I’ve been with the Agency for fifteen years and have been hunting down the supernatural for the last five. I started off my career as any other agent would, busting drug dealers and things like that. I didn’t even know the supernatural existed until about five years ago. My partner and I were about to bust a big time drug dealer up in Detroit named Antonio Vesuvius. Everything was going as planned until we tried to arrest him, then to find out he wasn’t human. I always wondered why we never saw him during the day, we found out why the hard way. My partner cuffed Antonio and to our amazement he snapped the handcuffs like they were made of cheep plastic. The sucker’s eyes glowed red and before I could even blink Antonio attacked my partner and ripped out his throat. I was petrified with fear, unable to move. The vampire seemed to indulge in my fear because it drained my life force slowly.”
Agent Jacopo paused for a second and loosened his tie. He then pulled down the collar of his shirt, revealing the scars from his attack. I was sure the bite marks on my neck would look similar, if it ever had a chance to heal properly.
“The only reason why I’m still alive is because our backup arrived. Antonio left me where I lay, drowning in my own blood. Once I was out of the hospital I filed a report on what happened. Soon after I was contacted by the FBIPA, which stands for Federal Bureau of Investigation of Paranormal Activity. They offered me a position and after what happened to my partner I felt obligated to find out more about the supernatural. I wanted justice for my partner’s death so I learned all I could. Over the years I have searched the globe for Antonio Vesuvius so I could avenge my partner, but I only ended up running into one dead end after another. We heard about the vampire activity here and decided to investigate. I quickly found out that Antonio wasn’t here and we kept to the shadows until we could analyze the situation better. The last thing we wanted to do is go head-strong into a vampire’s coven without a well-organized plan. While we watched the vampires we noticed you had dealings with them. At that time we didn’t know exactly why so we kept our distance from you. We approached Detective Oswald after the attempt on her life and found out everything that was going on. We wanted to approach you last night and offer our assistance, but everything went down before we could. Were still at a loss about what happened last night and I was hoping you could shed some light on the subject.”
“Let me get this straight,” I said in a mocking voice and I didn’t bother hiding my anger. “Everything that happened this morning was because you wanted some insight on the occurrences last night. Selene could have attacked you and quite possibly even killed you or the other way around. All because you sent Detective Oswald to arrest me instead of knocking on my door and asking if we could talk.”
“I thought it would be best if I revealed the real reason why I’m here at the headquarters,” Agent Jacopo said and something told me I wasn’t going to like where this was going. “I didn’t think you would come with us any other way.”
“What makes you think I’ll do it now?” I asked, not at all satisfied with Agent Jacopo’s answer.
“Because if you don’t we will be forced to arrest you,” Agent Jacopo replied and I saw a slight smile snake across his face when he did.
“On what grounds?” I asked in a confident voice because I knew there was no evidence of me killing Sebastian. The only thing Detective Oswald saw was me standing over his body with a smoking gun. “Like we told Detective Oswald earlier, there isn’t any evidence.”
“If need be, evidence will be found to put you and your girlfriend away for life,” Agent Jacopo replied and the smile on his face became more sinister. “A badly burnt and unrecognizable body will be found, but his dental records will prove him to be Sebastian Saint Clair. A bullet will be extracted from the body, which will be linked to a gun found at the murder site. Your fingerprints will cover the handgun and needless to say by tomorrow morning every police officer within a hundred mile radius will be searching for you.”
“Let me get this straight,” I said and my voice sounded tenser when I did. I could also feel the tension from Selene and I knew she wanted to rip Detective Oswald and Agent Jacopo apart. “If I don’t cooperate with you, then you will set me up for Sebastian’s murder.”
“I prefer to call it exaggerating the truth,” Agent Jacopo said as he smiled at me and I was getting really tired of seeing that smug looking smirk on his face. “You did kill Sebastian so by placing evidence to prove you as the murderer isn’t really a set up. At least not by my book.”
“I’ve been down this road before with Katrina,” I said and like before I knew I really didn’t have a choice. “She pulled the same stunt on me. Do as I say or else. Fine, you win. Let’s hear what you have to say.”
I felt Selene look at me, but she didn’t say anything. I guess she knew as well as I did that there was no way out of this. Want to or not, one way or another we will have to come to terms with Agent Jacopo or spend the rest of our lives on the run.
“I’m happy you understand the severity of the situation,” Agent Jacopo said with a triumphant tone in his voice. As of right now he knew he had us. “What we want from you isn’t much more than what you are already doing. We want to know more about Katrina and her covenant. How many servants does she have and where will her new resting place be since the Crimson Chateau burned down? We also want to know more about Shaun and why he’s involved in all of this.”
“Why do you need me to get this information for you?” I asked, not liking the idea of having to deal with Katrina again.
“Because only a fool would charge blindly into a master vampire’s coven without knowing what he’s up against,” Agent Jacopo replied. “Once we get the information we can make our plans of attack. Anyways, Detective Oswald told me you can’t stand Katrina. Help us get this information and I’ll make sure she is no longer a burden on you.”
“Anytime before today I would have happily gotten you this information,” I said, remembering what Katrina brought to my attention. “But unfortunately I am Katrina’s human servant and after what I learned last night I will not be able to help you with this.”
“Why?” Agent Jacopo asked as his smile faded and a curious look replaced it. “What did you find out?”
“You obviously don’t know much about vampires if you are asking me that question,” I said as I looked at the blank expressions on Detective Oswald and Agent Jacopo’s faces. “Don’t they teach you anything at the FBIPA, other than how to kill vampires?”
“They are monsters that prey on human life,” Agent Jacopo replied and I could hear the distaste in his voice. “We destroy them when we find them and nothing more.”
“Since you lack the insight on vampires, let me enlighten you,” I said, not knowing how Agent Jacopo was going to take this bit of information. “Like you know I am Katrina’s human servant. What you don’t know and neither did I until last night, since I am linked to Katrina, if you kill her I will also die.”
“That puts a damper on things,” Agent Jacopo said as he pondered on what I told him. “What happens to her if you die?”
“Nothing,” I replied, not liking the question or even the fact that it came up.
“I’ll have to bring this information to my supervisor,” Agent Jacopo said and his voice didn’t sound as confident as before. “Maybe we can confine Katrina until a way can be found to break the bond between you and her or until we can find a way to permanently hold her. We already found out that religious items and holy water doesn’t work.”
“Good luck with that,” I said, not liking either of the suggestions. “Confining a master vampire would be almost impossible and I saw what happened to Sebastian when he broke the bond between him and Katrina. Personally, I think death would be better.”
“What do you suggest?” Agent Jacopo asked and I could tell he was becoming irritated. “Let her keep feeding on humanity? Let her power grow until we can no longer stop her? Katrina has to be stopped before it’s too late.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I said as I struggled to think of a way out of this. “I just prefer stopping her without dying.”
“The only way to break the bond between you and Katrina is through magic,” Selene said and everyone looked at her. “There is no other way.”
“That’s great,” I said and I couldn’t hide the sarcasm in my voice. “What do I do? Walk up to one of those spiritual bookstores and announce that I am looking for a sorcerer to break the bond between me and a vampire?”
Selene didn’t say anything. She just lowered her gaze to the floor. I could tell I hurt her and I felt like a jerk for doing it. The situation at hand was very stressful and taking things out on Selene was only going to make the situation worse for us. I slowly put my arm around Selene and whispered softly in her ear, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken my frustrations out on you. Forgive me?”
Selene looked into my eyes and saw the sincerity. She smiled at me and nuzzled her head into my neck. Then in a voice no louder than a whisper she said, “Apology accepted, but if you ever use sarcasm on me again you will find out that vampires aren’t the only creatures that bite. I will leave a hicky on your neck that makes Katrina’s look like a mosquito bite.”
I found it kind of weird that I was unnerved and intrigued by the threat at the same time. I was almost willing to say something just to see what it was like, but with Detective Oswald and Agent Jacopo staring at us from across the way, I figured it was better to wait until we were alone.
“We can still go through with the surveillance part of the plan until something can be figured out about your bond with Katrina,” Agent Jacopo said, dragging me out of thought and my attention back to him.
“So you want me to spend time with Katrina and learn as much about her coven as possible,” I said with much displeasure. “I finally broke away from the devil and you want me to go marching back in. Will I at least be getting paid for this? I did just lose my job because these darn vampires.”
“We might be able to work something out,” Agent Jacopo replied, seeing the determination in my eyes. “We could put you on the payroll as an informant.”
“Do I get a badge?” I asked, not really liking the part about being an informant. To me, informant was just another word for snitch. At least if I had a badge I could be an important snitch.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Agent Jacopo replied and I frowned when he did. My disappointment showed clearly on my face. “What the heck do you want with a badge anyway?”
“No reason I guess,” I replied and I didn’t think Agent Jacopo bought my answer. I’m sure he knew exactly why I wanted a badge. Let’s face it. Every since we were kids every one of us wanted to whip out that badge and say those famous words. Who am I? Holladay. Agent Jack Holladay.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Agent Jacopo said after seeing the disappointed look on my face. “I can guarantee the informant pay, but the badge won’t be so easy.”
At that moment Detective Oswald’s cell phone chimed and we watched as she unclasped it from her belt and checked who it was. The detective frowned as she looked at the number and then looked at us and said, “It’s the office. They wouldn’t have text me unless it was important. This will only take a moment.”
We watched as she dialed the number to the police station and then a moment later she said, “This is Detective Oswald. What’s the problem?”
I heard a voice on the other end, but I couldn’t make out what was being said. The detective’s expression darkened as she listened so I knew it couldn’t be good. Once the voice stopped Detective Oswald said, “Ok, I’ll be right there.”
As soon as she hung up the detective looked at us and said, “There was a murder last night. A body of a young woman was found in an alley off Broadway Street.”
There weren’t very many homicide cases in Pueblo, maybe five a year. Not only were there very few murders, but none of them were like this one. Detective Oswald explained to us that the woman was found in a puddle of blood. She was first knocked unconscious by the use of ether, and then the arteries in her arms and legs were cut by a very sharp blade. The woman bled to death while she was unconscious.
“That almost sounds like some kind of ritual sacrifice,” Selene said after the detective finished her description.
“Are you sure?” Detective Oswald asked as she looked eye wide at Selene.
“No, I’m not positive on that,” Selene replied and I was sure everyone was hoping it wasn’t. “It’s just that bleeding a victim is used regularly in rituals.”
“I sure hope your wrong,” Detective Oswald said as she stood up from the couch. “But just in case would you and Jack come have a look? Maybe if it is a ritual killing you could find something we missed.”
“I don’t know what help I can be, but if you think I might be of some assistance in solving the case, then I will do what I can,” Selene said as she stood from the arm of the chair and started for my bedroom. “Just give me a moment to get dressed and I’ll be ready.”
“So, do we have a deal, Jack?” Agent Jacopo asked as we watched Selene walk into the bedroom and shut the door.
“Doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice,” I replied as I shifted my gaze to Detective Oswald as she walked out the front door. “I guess we can work together for now.”
“Good,” Agent Jacopo said with a triumphant tone in his voice. “I’ll call headquarters and get you on the payroll as an informant. I’ll also see what I can do about getting you some kind of badge.”
I definitely wasn’t happy about having dealings with Katrina again or about being a snitch, even if I did get a badge. I didn’t like the idea of working with the FBI, but at least I had a paycheck, even though I had no idea how much informants were paid. Most of all I didn’t like the idea of seeing a dead body, especially early in the morning before breakfast. This, in a way, was a good thing. If it was after breakfast I would probably throw up on the body. I bet that would make the coroner real unhappy. Geez, first I was forced into servitude by vampires and now the FBI. What’s next? Aliens? Knock on wood.
Chapter Two
Half an hour later we were driving down Abriendo Avenue towards Broadway Street. The trip took longer than usual because the construction on the Forth Street Bridge had begun and there was only one lane open in each direction. For a while now the city had been planning to tear down the hundred year old bridge that crossed the Arkansas River and replace it with a new one. This was definitely going to clog up traffic and make travel from the East side of town to the South a nightmare.
Since our cars were still sitting in the parking lot across from the Crimson Chateau we rode with Agent Jacopo and Detective Oswald. I found it kind of funny that Agent Jacopo drove the same type of car Katrina does. It must be some type of trend people in the supernatural world share. Maybe I should trade my Hyundai Accent in for one as well.
Once we reached Broadway Street Agent Jacopo turned right. He drove halfway down the street and parked his sedan behind a police car. Selene and I got out and met Detective Oswald and Agent Jacopo at the mouth of the alley. There were several other police cars parked up and down Broadway Street and at least a dozen officers were at the scene. The opening to the alley was taped off so no civilians could enter and contaminate the crime scene.
Agent Jacopo ducked under the tape and started down the alley, followed by Detective Oswald. They took no more than ten steps when a bald uniformed police officer looked up and saw them.
“Excuse me,” the police officer said in a loud, commanding voice as he walked towards us. “You can’t come down here until after the investigation.”
“It’s alright John,” Detective Oswald said as she stepped out from behind Agent Jacopo. “They’re with me.”
“Hi, Sharon,” John said and the stern look on his face melted when he saw the detective. “So they got you to investigate this mess. I guess when you’re the best you have to deal with all the crap. So who are your friends?”
“This is Agent Jacopo with the FBI,” Detective Oswald said and I noticed she didn’t say FBIPA. My guess was unless they were involved in the special unit they wouldn’t understand what the PA stood for. Just because they were police officers, it didn’t mean they knew the supernatural existed. “Coming up from behind is Jack Holladay and Selene. They will be lending a hand in the investigation. Everyone, this is Sergeant John Adams. He joined the force a little while after I did.”
We greeted the sergeant and once the formalities were finished he said, “Well, now that you guys are here I don’t have to worry about being in charge anymore. I’m going to get some coffee. Just holler if you need me.”
I watched Sergeant Adams step under the police tape and then followed after everyone. As we approached the body I saw an officer taking pictures of the crime scene. Blood was everywhere and I instantly felt sick. Detective Oswald and Agent Jacopo walked over to a couple police officers that were at the site and started questioning them.
I didn’t know why I was here. I had no experience in any of this. My stomach turned as I glanced at the body. It was a young woman in her early twenties. She had long silky black hair, which was now covered with blood. Even through the splattered blood spots on her face I could tell that she used to be very attractive. The young ladies pants and shirt were lying next to her in a puddle of blood, but she still wore her under attire. I said a silent prayer and hoped she wasn’t assaulted before murdered. From what I could see she had deep gashes under each armpit and also her wrists. There were also wounds on her inner thigh and a couple other places on her legs. The look and smell of blood was more than what I could bare. I staggered to the farthest wall from the body and leaned against it. Taking deep breaths I forced myself to calm down. Now if I could just get my stomach to comply as well.
I saw Selene walk up to the body and look down at it, then she sniffed the air. I wondered what she was picking up with her were-panther senses. Selene circled the body a couple times, smelling the air and looking around as she did.
Detective Oswald walked over to Selene and waited until the were-panther acknowledged her, then she asked, “Have you found anything?”
“I can tell you that one of the murderers is male,” Selene replied as she looked up at Detective Oswald from the gory scene.
“There’s more than one murderer? How do you know that?” Detective Oswald asked as she looked questionably at Selene.
“Their scent is everywhere,” Selene replied as she sniffed the air again and walked over to a wall closest to the body. “I think one of the two murderers smells of decay. I know it isn’t coming from the woman. Something else dead was definitely here.”
“Are you saying one of the murderers was already dead?” Detective Oswald asked as she followed Selene over to the wall with a confused expression.
“Or undead,” Selene replied as she looked at the detective. “All that I can tell you is the second person that was here has been dead for a long time. I can smell the rot.”
“So do you think this is a ritual killing?” Detective Oswald asked as she watched Selene.
“There aren’t any arcane symbols used in a ritual so it doesn’t look like one,” Selene replied as she knelt down and reached for a notebook-sized piece of paper which was lying against the wall. Selene carefully pealed the paper away from the wall, parts of it sticking as she did. Behind the paper was a man’s bloody fingerprint.
“Oh my God,” Detective Oswald said as she looked down at the crimson print. “Get forensic over here. We need to get this analyzed right away. Maybe we will be able to match up this finger print to one in our computer base and find out who did this.”
I watched as the forensic crew began their work. I was still feeling noxious and couldn’t wait until our part in this was over. Selene walked over to me and I guess my condition was apparent because she asked, “Are you alright?”
“Yea,” I replied with a shaky voice. “This is my first crime scene.”
“You’ve seen a dead body before,” Selene said and she was right, I have, but none of them were like this.
“Yea, I know,” I said as I remembered Sebastian’s lifeless body lying on the floor and the charred remains of the patrons from the Crimson Chateau. “The others were not like this. There’s just so much blood. I don’t know how you and the others can stand it.”
“When you’re around death enough you will grow accustomed to it,” Selene said as a grim expression appeared on her face. “This isn’t my first crime scene. I have seen much worse than this.”
“Excuse me,” a voice came from a doorway a little to my right. I looked in the direction of the voice and saw an elderly lady standing in the doorway. There was a sign above the door that read “The Bookery.”
“Yes,” I said as I looked at her. The elderly lady had a kind smile and she wore a flowery dress. Glasses adorned her face and as she stared at me I saw years of wisdom in her eyes.
“Do you think the fingerprint this young lady found will be enough to find the murderer?” The elderly lady asked.
“It was kind of smudged,” Selene replied as she watched the forensic crew work on the bloody print. “Hopefully they will be able to I.D. the murderer.”
“Excuse me Miss,” Agent Jacopo said as he noticed us talking to the elderly lady. “I’m sorry, but you can’t be out here at this time.
The elderly lady stared at Agent Jacopo and didn’t say anything at first, and then a moment later she smiled and said, “I hope you catch him. We live in a relatively safe town and events like this do not belong here. Good day to you all.”
With those words the elderly lady shut her door. I agreed with her. Pueblo is a relatively safe town. Sure it has a shady past with all the old mafia dealings, not to mention some of the other things that have happened. Besides that and all the supernatural creatures, Pueblo’s not such a bad place to live.
Chapter Three
Agent Jacopo drove us home, while Detective Oswald stayed at the crime scene. As soon as we entered my house I heard the phone ringing. I rushed over and picked it up on the third ring, it was my mom. With all the excitement this morning I forgot to call her.
“Hi, Mom,” I said as I watched Selene disappear into the bedroom. “I was just about to call you.”
“I guess since you were at Janet’s last night you heard about Brian breaking his leg,” my mom said, bringing back memories from the night before. Nathaniel tried to have my family killed, but luckily with the help from Shaun and Danny we were able to save them.
“Yea,” I replied, trying to think of something to tell her. I didn’t think the truth was the best idea and I didn’t know what Janet told her. I would hate for our stories to contradict each other. “He broke his leg shortly before I got there. That’s the reason why I couldn’t stop by last night.”
“I know,” my mom said to my relief. “Janet told me about last night when she called this morning.”
“How’s Brian doing?” I asked as I wondered what Janet told her.
“Besides the broken leg, he’s fine,” my mom replied. “Janet did say she wants to talk to you as soon as you have a chance.”
“I do have some running around to do,” I said as I saw Selene come back out of the bedroom. “After I finish I’ll stop by her house.”
“I’m sure she would like that,” my mom said. “She probably needs a lot of help since Brian is going to be held up for a while.”
“Mom, I need to go,” I said as Selene pointed to her watch, gesturing that we needed to get a move on. “I have a lot to do and if I don’t hurry I won’t have time to stop by Janet’s.”
“Alright,” my mom said and I could tell from the tone of her voice she still had a lot to say and wasn’t ready to hang up yet. “Call me later when you have more time.”
I said goodbye to my mom and hung up. Selene was looking at me with her big green eyes and a sarcastic smile on her perfectly proportioned face. I saw her make that look before and knew she was feeling playful. I also knew what she was going to say even before she said it.
“Are you finished talking to your mommy,” Selene said with a giggle. I stared at her and I guess my expression amused her because she began to laugh.
“Do you want to hang with me today or is there someplace you want to be dropped off?” I asked, ignoring her comment.
“I actually need to do a few things at La Luna,” Selene replied as she peered out the window overlooking the street. “Today is Cleo’s day off so I called her and asked if she could give us a ride.”
“There’s no need to bug Cleo,” I said as I fumbled in my pocket and pulled out my car keys. “I can give you a ride.”
“Really?” Selene questioned with that playful look again. “How do you propose you will do that since you car is sitting next to mine in the lot across the street from the Crimson Chateau?”
I got a dumbfounded look on my face and Selene laughed again. More memories from last night flooded my mind. The gawking crowd that surrounded our cars as they watched the Crimson Chateau burn. The short walk to La Luna and the pain from the stitches in my shoulder.
“I forgot we left our cars last night and grabbed a ride with Cleo,” I said with a stupid smile on my face. Selene left the window and walked over to me.
“Well, you did lose a lot of blood last night,” Selene said as she slid her arms around me. “You’re entitled to forget something. Just as long as that’s all you forgot.”
I blushed at Selene’s comment and she purred as she nuzzled her head under my chin. I returned the embrace and the feeling of her body against mine was seducing. Images returned to me from last night as my hands began to wander. A desire to pick up Selene and carry her to the bedroom rose inside of me, but before I could react, a car horn honked outside. Cleo was here.
Cleo, like Selene, is also a were-panther. She has been a part of Selene’s Pride for a little over a year. Selene explained to me that a were-panther Pride is much like a werewolf pack. One of the differences is there are many werewolves in a pack and only a handful of were-panthers. The reason for this is a person will only be turned into a were-panther if they choose so. Werewolves on the other hand could care less. Any survivor of a werewolf attack becomes one, transforming for the first time on the next full moon. At that time they will kill and feed on anyone who comes their way.
We walked out to Cleo’s car. I didn’t notice last night, but she drove a black Toyota Celica. It looked newer, but since I didn’t know anything about cars, I really didn’t have a clue.
Selene slid into the backseat first, and then I followed. As soon as I shut the door I noticed Cleo grinning at me with big brown eyes, then she said, “I see Selene didn’t hurt you to bad last night.”
I blushed for the second time today. I didn’t look at Selene. I didn’t need to. I knew she was blushing as well. I was just about to make the comment, but Selene beat me to it and said, “What happens behind closed doors stays there.”
“Alright, whatever,” Cleo said and her smile grew even bigger. “I’ll just drill you later for details when Jack isn’t around.”
“Drive,” Selene said as she blushed a deeper shade of red. “Another comment and I’ll make you work on your day off.”
Cleo immediately faced front, but the smile never left her face. The last time I saw Cleo she had her long black silky hair tied back in a tail, but today it hung loose. Personally I thought she looked very attractive with her hair styled like this. It framed her perfectly-shaped cheekbones and brought out the color in her dark skin.
“You look really nice with your hair down, Cleo,” I said and this time it was her turn to blush. “You should wear it this way all the time.”
“Thanks Jack,” Cleo said with a giggle. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
As Cleo drove I felt Selene’s hand slide into mine. I looked into her green eyes and they sparkled as she smiled at me. I kissed her gently on the forehead and pulled her close. Selene laid her head on my shoulder and contently we rode the rest of the way to what was left of the Crimson Chateau.
Ten minutes later we pulled into the parking lot across the street from the nightclub. Ash and soot was everywhere. Our cars were covered with it. What was left of the Crimson Chateau smoldered under the afternoon sun. Most of the building lay in ruin, while what was still standing was scorched and blackened. The once red neon sign which portrayed the name of the establishment lay broken on the ground from the heat of the fire.
I got out of Cleo’s car and began to remove some of the ashes from mine. It was a mess. I haven’t seen this much ash since Mount Saint Helens erupted back in the late nineteen eighties. The ash carried all the way from the North-Western United States to little old Pueblo.
Selene began to wipe the ashes from her Mercedes Benz as well, but with the same results. Cleaning the grime from her hands she looked at me and said, “It looks like we’re going to have to visit a car wash to get this off.”
I agreed with Selene as I got in my car and cleaned the windshield with wipers and fluid. Even with the fluid the ash still smeared.
“I can’t drive around like this all day,” I said as I watched Selene wipe her windows with a rag. “I guess the car wash will be my next stop.”
“I don’t have time for that right now,” Selene said as she gave up on the futile effort. “I’ll go after work. I can see good enough to get the three blocks to La Luna.”
“Are you guys ok?” Cleo asked, looking at all the ash on our cars.
“Were fine,” Selene replied as she opened her car door. “Thanks for the ride, Cleo, and have a nice day off.”
I waved goodbye to Cleo as she drove away, then hoped in my car and headed to a car wash. I had my choice of two that were nearby. There was a expensive hand wash and wax on Santa Fe or the traditional “do it yourself car wash” just over the fourth street bridge on Erie Street. Cash was a little tight at the moment so I decided on Erie.
I was half-way to the car wash when my cell rang. I pulled the phone out of my pocket and checked who was calling. It was Sam Sanchez, my long-time best friend. Sam is tall and heavyset. He used to have long black hair which he kept tied back in a tail, but his wife liked shorter hair, so he cut it off. He wears glasses and adorns a neatly trimmed goatee. When I first met Sam he had a full facial beard and wore a green shirt. To me he looked like a tall, fat, Hispanic leprechaun. At that time Sam was edging close to three hundred pounds. He told me if he ever reached it, just take him out into the field and shoot him, because at that time he wouldn’t be good for anything else other than grazing. Since then Sam got a job unloading trucks at a warehouse and has dropped forty pounds.
Sam and I used to hang out all the time until he got married. Now if we’re lucky we get together a couple times a month. It was hard to adjust to at first, for both of us, but his marriage met a lot to him. It was hard playing second fiddle, but if Sam was happy, so was I.
“Loser boy,” I said as soon as I answered my phone.
“Loserus Maximums,” Sam replied, which was our normal greeting.
“Grand Poombah Loserus Maximums of all losers,” I retaliated.
“Yes you are,” Sam said, much to my disappointment. Normally we would have kept adding to the call-downs until it was too long for us to remember.
“To what do I have the honor of this phone call?” I asked, which really didn’t make any sense, but Sam understood what I meant.
“The wife and I are going out for dinner this weekend and we were wondering if you would like to come?” Sam asked and I could hear the excitement in his voice.
“Can I bring someone along?” I asked even though I knew it would be alright.
“Who?” Sam asked.
“My new girlfriend,” I replied and I heard Sam begin to laugh.
“You have a girlfriend?” Sam asked after he was finished laughing. “When did this happen?”
“We’ve been seeing each other for about a week now,” I replied and I couldn’t believe it’s only been that long. With everything that’s been going on it seemed much, much longer.
“And she’s still with you?” Sam asked with feigned astonishment. “She must be mentally challenged or look like Quasimodo.”
“So it’s alright then,” I said, ignoring his comment.
“Yup, it is with me anyway,” Sam said and I knew what he meant. Now that he’s married, his other half would have to agree as well. Sandra was really nice so I didn’t foresee any problem with it.
“Where are we going and at what time?” I asked, figuring it was best if I knew where and when to show up.
“Probably around six,” Sam replied with a little hesitation in his voice. “Were not sure where or what time yet. Just as long as it’s someplace nice.”
“I know of really nice place,” I said as I turned on Erie Street. “I could probably even get us a discount.”
“What’s the name?" Sam asked and I told him about La Luna. “I’ll have to run that by my wife and let you know later on in the week. Anyways, I have to go. Sandra needs me to do a couple things. Talk to you later, Infamous Grand Poombah Loserus Maximums of all losers.”
I was about to retaliate on his call down when I heard a click and the call ended. Sam hung up with the last word. What a loser.
I put the phone back in my pocket as I pulled into the car wash. Like always it was almost full, but I did find an open hose. I fumbled around in my pocket for some quarters. Every since I stopped working at Ace’s Pizza I didn’t have much in the way of pocket change.
Five minutes later my Hyundai Accent was clean again. I called Janet to make sure she was home. She was, so I headed towards her house.
Janet is seven years older than me, but we get along great. She has long straight brown hair that she parts down the middle. Normally, she is full of energy and fun to be around, but since last night her eyes seemed to sparkle less. Where once was life and playfulness, now is replaced by fear.
As soon as I arrived I got out of my car and walked up to their house. As I did I noticed one of their windows was busted out. I didn’t notice it last night in the dark. Then again, with all that happened last night a broken window was the last thing on my mind. I knocked on their door and Janet answered almost immediately. She invited me in and once I entered I saw little had changed from last night. The couch was still turned over, but the shattered fragments of the lamp was swept into a neat pile. To my right was the hall which went down to a bedroom and to my left was the kitchen. In the middle of the kitchen was a table and four chairs neatly surrounded it. Sitting on one of the chairs, with his newly wrapped leg propped up, was Brian.
Brian watched me as I walked into the kitchen. His face showed signs of pain and stress. I broke my wrist once when I was seventeen. The pain from it was extreme and even worse when the pain pills wore off.
Brian has short brown hair and kind of bulgy eyes that makes him look like he’s surprised all the time. He is clean-shaven and has several tattoos on his arms. They weren’t covered with ink; he just had a few small ones on each arm. When he was younger, Brian was kind of built, but now his six-pack is looking more like a keg.
“Hi, Brian,” I said, feeling horrible that I brought this down upon him. “How are you feeling?”