by H. M. Gooden
Vanessa shrugged and tried to look anxious. "Yeah, it was weird. The police are still looking into it, which is why I didn't want to be here today. It's been a lot to try to deal with."
Vanessa squeezed out a tear, not wanting Bob to look at her with suspicion. He might like her, but he was still an ex-cop and she imagined he'd been a good one.
He patted her shoulder sympathetically. "Well, I can see it's all been a lot to deal with. I'm sorry that this is happening here. This used to be a safe place, but after this week, I don't think I can say that anymore."
They'd been walking as they chatted and Vanessa saw that they'd arrived at her change room. "Thanks for the support, Bob. Can you give us a minute, but come back?" asked Vanessa, as she looked around nervously. "I'd love it if you could walk us out. I'm a little scared to be here, with everything the way it is right now."
Bob gave the three girls a fatherly smile. "Of course. I'll go do my rounds. It's time for the ten o'clock check anyway. I'll be back in about ten minutes. Just holler if you need anything, alright?"
"Thanks, Bob." Vanessa smiled at him as he left, waiting until he was far enough away that he wouldn't overhear them before she spoke again. "Okay guys, let's check out my trailer first, then we can sneak over to the front desk. It's within sight of here, so we should be able to make it back before Bob returns."
Cat nodded and held up one hand. "Emma Jane first, remember?"
Vanessa nodded meekly, moving aside for Emma Jane to enter the trailer. She flicked on the light switch, more for herself than for Cat or Emma Jane, who could both see auras in the dark, then took a quick look around. Vanessa saw her makeup bag and picked it up, making sure that her excuse was supported before deciding it was safe to leave. They walked cautiously back into the main space. The same eerie silence surrounded them so they kept moving. Vanessa led them to the main desk, checking the location where security usually kept the sign-in sheet.
"It's not here," she said, slamming her hand on the desk.
"You knew that could happen," Emma Jane pointed out calmly.
"Yeah, but I was hoping it wouldn't. Now we have no way of proving who was wearing the jacket," said Vanessa, pouting.
Cat looked at her, frowning at the hint of whine Vanessa could also detect in her voice. "It's not a big deal. We just have to run into her again. I mean, it'd be nice to have physical proof, but we don't really need it. It's not like the police can handle this one, or like we were planning on setting up a sting."
Vanessa knew Cat was right, but she'd really wanted her name. It would help in knowing where to look, so that they could find her before she found them. "Okay, let's get back then. I'm assuming I'll be on set again tomorrow, so we can try to find her then."
"Perfect. I'm not liking being this exposed." Emma Jane was shifting suspiciously at every sound and Cat nodded in agreement.
The three women walked back to Vanessa’s change room and were almost there when Cat suddenly shouted. "Watch out!"
They all sprang into action. Vanessa ducked and Emma Jane leapt over her, facing the threat head on. Vanessa threw a wind blast, holding her off while Cat summoned two fire balls in her hand. In front of them, wearing the same coat as earlier that day, was the very beautiful and unnaturally blond Elaine Montgomery, the wife of Vanessa's producer, who emerged from the direction of the makeup trailer that they'd just left.
"So, it is you," said Vanessa, with satisfaction. "I knew it!"
The cool blond stared at her, then a cruel smile crossed her face. "You're quite attractive, do you know that? I've been watching you for awhile now. You seemed like you'd make a nice meal to tide me over for a few years, if I was right. But this is a pleasant surprise. I'd hoped you had supernatural talent as well as beauty and it seems that I was correct. You could even fund a few decades for me, with the power that I can see in front of me. I was here to revisit the scene of my last power-up, but this is a lovely bonus. I love it when things work out so deliciously for me. Two birds, one stone. Or place, as it were. The amount of energy ripe for my taking in this building is wonderful!"
Elaine walked closer, her heels tapping at a slow, deliberate pace on the cement floor as she approached with the same cold, socialite smile on her lips.
Emma Jane moved to stand protectively in front of Vanessa with Cat at her side.
"Um, lady, I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into here. You should back up. Oh wait, that won't help." Vanessa stood up from her crouch and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure you're already finished."
Elaine laughed incredulously. "Oh, you are a sweet thing! You have no idea how many times I've heard that over the centuries. And yet, here I am."
She held her arms away from her sides, highlighting her trim form in the expensive looking blue skirt and blazer. "I'm the most fabulous person you'll ever meet. Well, until you die anyway." She made a show of looking down at her watch before tapping on it. "Which is about now. Any last requests?" She pretended to pause, then laughed again, a maniacal edge to the sound as she resumed her approach.
Emma Jane leapt into action. Not only did she block the woman from reaching Vanessa, she knocked her down with a savage front kick. Her sunglasses and bag had been thrown to the side earlier to free her up for fighting and Vanessa and Cat now watched her move with awe. She moved into a defensive posture, with her arms in front of her as she balanced her weight on the balls of her feet.
Emma Jane moved so fast that Vanessa could hardly follow her movements. She may have started her fight training in a piece-meal fashion, but it had obviously been refined over the years. She jumped, ducked, and threw out spin kicks so smoothly she looked as though she were dancing instead of fighting. Vanessa gasped when Elaine somehow pinned Emma Jane to the ground, but watched in amazement as Emma Jane twisted and reversed their positions, locking Elaine into a grip with her thighs squeezing around the blonde's back, then wrapping her arms around her neck. Elaine was now completely immobilized. Emma Jane started to glow, lighting up the night as if she was the moon. Vanessa watched, transfixed, as the glow travelled into Emma Jane’s arms and hands before moving onto the witch.
Elaine screamed, frantically clawing at Emma Jane. Her screams weakened as the glow completely covered her, then they faded away completely as she slumped onto Emma Jane, her body unmoving. Emma Jane rolled the woman off herself and stood up, breathing heavily as she leaned on her knees, still bent over on the floor.
"Are you okay?" Vanessa moved toward her, hesitating, then stopping completely when Emma Jane held up a hand with one finger raised.
"Don't,” she gasped. “Not yet." She shook her head while strong emotions passed over her face and the odd glow slowly faded.
Vanessa moved closer to Cat. "What just happened?"
She hoped Cat had seen or understood more than she had from the short and intense scene they’d both just witnessed.
"It looked like the woman was trying to suck out Emma Jane's life force when they were on the ground, but instead Emma Jane absorbed whatever she had that let her do that. It looked like it boomeranged on her."
Vanessa nodded, pursing her lips. "Wicked." She felt a swell of pride as she regarded her bad-ass girlfriend.
"Yeah." Cat agreed, but there was a look of concern on her face. "Remember what she said though. That means that she also absorbed her powers and probably some of her darkness. I think we should stay back, at least until she's able to control herself."
"Good idea." Vanessa said, then pointed her chin at Elaine, who was motionless on the floor. "What about her? Is she dead?"
Cat looked at the woman, her eyes unfocused for a moment before snapping back and looking at Vanessa. "No aura, light or dark. She looks dead to me. We shouldn't touch the body, not until the police do their thing."
Vanessa groaned. "God dammit. I'm going to end up with such a bad rep in this town. Now I'll have my name attached to four deaths in one week. I'm going to be locked up, aren't I?"
Cat fro
wned. "I sure hope not. It's not like these deaths are easy to explain. And you weren't found with a smoking gun or anything. Plus, witnesses, right?"
"Yeah, right." Vanessa sank back on her heels, looking at the now wrinkled body across the floor from her. "We should agree on our story at least. I'm thinking that she trapped us here and was bragging how she killed Eloise and Sandra out of jealousy. The camera guy was working for her. You were clearly her next target and she was planning to kill you after making you suffer by killing all your friends first. As to how she died...well, I'm going to say I have no idea."
Cat nodded in satisfaction at Vanessa’s explanation.
"That sounds reasonable," said Emma Jane, coming over to stand beside them.
"Are you okay?" Vanessa searched her face to see which emotion was the most prevalent, relieved to see that Emma Jane looked calm and stoic again. Vanessa glanced at Cat, who nodded once. It was safe now.
"I was worried about you." Vanessa held her hand out for Emma Jane and almost cried with happiness when she accepted it.
"I know, but I'm okay now. It just takes me a few minutes to contain a new wave of power. The abilities don't last, but the energy does. It's part of what keeps me so strong and young."
Vanessa blinked. She'd wondered about that. "Umm, say what? Exactly how old are you?"
Emma Jane gave her a nervous smile. "I was born in 1975. Is that a problem for you?"
Vanessa did the math quickly and blinked. She was twice her age, much older than she'd thought, although she’d had her suspicions already. So not only was she in love with a girl, but that girl was a cradle robber.
"Dude, you are so incredibly old!" said Cat, breaking the silence with laughter. "Vanessa's dating an older woman."
Vanessa glared at her sister, who was now slapping her knees with exaggerated laughter. She waited a minute until the volume decreased before ignoring her and turning back to face Emma Jane.
"I love you for you. It's a bit of a surprise, but not nearly as big a deal as the whole sucking my energy thing. If I'm okay with that, how could I possibly mind you being a little older? They kind of go together." Vanessa shrugged, giving Emma Jane a deliberately cheery smile and watching as her shoulders relaxed.
"I'm glad. Now what?" asked Emma Jane, gesturing at the body on the floor. "Is it time to have Bob call it in?'
Vanessa and Cat looked at each other, their eyebrows raised in a similar expression of worry.
"I never thought about Bob,” said Cat. “Do you think she got to him?"
"I hope not,” Vanessa replied. “He's so cute and such a nice guy. Work wouldn't be the same without him and I’ve already lost enough people I care about." Vanessa looked around, searching for Bob as she spoke.
"Just a minute,” said Cat. “I'll do a little aura-vision reconnaissance."
Vanessa waited as Cat once again scanned the area with unfocused eyes, sighing in relief when she nodded.
"He's just coming around that corner, over there. It's dark, but his aura looks fine. She was obviously only focused on us."
"Well, let's scream and pretend we just came out and found her like this. That will help our story," Vanessa said, before releasing the best horror-movie scream she could muster.
Bob came racing up seconds later, impressing them all with the speed he could muster at his age. He skidded to a stop when he saw the body.
"Oh my god! It's Elaine Montgomery. At least, it looks like her, a little." Bob looked at the body with his lip curling in disgust, noticing the very obvious decay that had already begun to set in. She'd looked normal when Emma Jane had drained her at first, but the wrinkles had progressed at an alarming rate and the body was now beginning to have a putrid smell.
"Oh Bob, it's so horrible!" Vanessa went over to cry on his shoulder. In between sobs, she wailed. "She looks like she's decomposing in front of us. You need to call the police, right now!"
Vanessa continued to sob on Bob's shoulder, peeking from beneath her arms at Cat, a mischievous grin on her face.
"Why does this keep happening around me, Bob? I don't think I can handle anymore of this!" Vanessa leaned her head back and cried loudly, impressing Cat and Emma Jane with her very realistic portrayal of a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Bob looked at the body in disgust once more, then gently turned Vanessa to shield her from the sight. "There, there, Miss V. Let me call it in. You and your girls can come wait in the security booth. I think I can rustle up a drink for all of you. I think we could all use one." His face was pale but determined as he guided the girls toward the security booth as he talked.
True to his word, Bob managed to find four Dixie cups and some Glenmorangie. It wasn't exactly what the girls had hoped for, but the heat of the scotch as it went down their throats certainly was relaxing. They waited as Bob called 911 then reported what had happened to the site administration on-call person, before he came back to sit down with them.
"Well, that's not what I was hoping to get out of tonight." Bob smiled ruefully, pointing to the small TV in the corner. "The hockey game is on, but I guess I can listen to the highlights tomorrow. The cops will be here in a few minutes. Is there anything you guys may have seen that could help them figure out what happened?" He looked searchingly at the girls.
Emma Jane kept her face deliberately blank as she shook her head, still wearing her sunglasses and playing up her visual impairment, while Cat flushed and stammered that she hadn't seen anything. Vanessa shook her head, allowing a single tear to fall from her eye, looking completely beautiful and disheveled.
"Of course you ladies don't, a horrible thing you had to find her like that. Horrible." Bob shook his head, taking one last quick sip of the scotch before tucking the bottle away in the cupboard next to the TV. "They don't need to see that, do they?" he added, with a wink to try to lighten the mood.
Vanessa smiled, but only weakly before it faded. That was the least of her concerns when it came to the grilling she was sure lay ahead of them.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
With the amount of death surrounding Vanessa over the course of one short week, she wasn't surprised when the police arrived to question them thoroughly. She wasn't even surprised when people from the CDC arrived to check that they didn't have some weird virus, given the state of decomposition of the body when the police had arrived at the scene. But everything else was anticlimactic. The actual fight had been so much shorter and easier than the last time Vanessa had battled evil that she was actually disappointed. She hadn't been able to shift into her other form, missing a chance to fight in her raven form.
Man, her bird was a good scrapper, she thought fondly, before snapping back to the situation at hand. In fact, the police statements took longer to finish than it had taken them to deal with Mrs. Elaine Montgomery.
The police had naturally called the producer to identify the body of his wife, but officers ended up having to lead him out while he alternated between sobbing and vomiting at the sight of her remains. By the time he'd arrived, pieces of flesh and hair were falling off Elaine's head and only her wedding rings and her previously smart suit were identifiable. Vanessa was grossed out, but had seen worse things in her life than a decomposing body, so was able to hold onto her supper without as much difficulty.
The officers allowed the girls to leave after what felt like hours, again making them promise not to go anywhere for the next month without notifying the police. Vanessa smiled and promised gleefully the moment she realized they’d included Emma Jane in that statement. That meant that she couldn't run away, or at least, Emma Jane had officially promised not to. Vanessa wasn't sure what she'd do in the long run, but it gave her something else to tie Emma Jane down, which was appreciated, no matter how it came about.
Vanessa unlocked the door to the apartment, her weariness dragging her down as she kicked her shoes off for the millionth time under the chair by the door. She moved out of the way for Cat and Emma Jane, going to the kettle to flip the switch.
"Anyone else want tea or hot chocolate? I'd like something warm and soothing, although I'm perfectly fine never having scotch again."
Cat yawned. "You know what? I'm good for tonight. I think I'm going to call it quits. I guess this means I'll be at school tomorrow, after all." Cat pouted for a minute, before shrugging. "Oh well, that way I don't have to catch up on anything. So, win-win! Ha!"
She started to walk away into the living room before turning slightly, giving Vanessa a warning look. "Be careful tonight, until we have the other thing figured out, okay? I'm hoping to have some news for you soon. So have patience, my children. Toodle-loo!"
Cat winked, wiggling her fingers behind her back as she walked away, leaving Emma Jane staring at Vanessa.
"What did she mean by news?" asked Emma Jane.
Vanessa thought she sounded as hopeful as she felt, although she didn't know what to tell her. She stirred some hot chocolate powder into a mug, gesturing to Emma Jane. She nodded, so Vanessa pulled out a second mug. She brought both of the cups over to the small table beside the window, placing Emma Jane's across from her.
"All I know is that Cat said she'd ask around. I sort of think that means talking to Evelyn, but Cat has more contacts than I do." She leaned over to whisper. "I also think there’s someone at school she's keeping a secret from me, so maybe that's who she's talking about." Vanessa wiggled her eyebrows, before taking a sip of her scalding hot chocolate and wincing.
Emma Jane sighed. "That would be fantastic, if she could find something. I've lived a really long time alone and I don't want to have to leave. But I will, if it ends up being too dangerous for you."
She sounded firm, but Vanessa could tell leaving was no longer a foregone conclusion.
"Do you know what I'd really like right now? More than a drink, more than hot chocolate?" Vanessa softly asked, waiting until Emma Jane shook her head. "I'd really like to just hold you tonight."
Emma Jane protested. "It’s too dangerous, Vanessa," she said, shaking her head. "What about the chance of me accidentally draining your energy? I don't know what would happen if we fell asleep. What if you never wake up? I couldn't live with myself if that happened."
