by D C Young
I scanned the minds of everyone in the room. They were as blank as slates. They saw nothing and heard nothing and could do nothing.
Juanita, meanwhile, continued unaffected by Analisa’s song in any way. She instructed the little girl to keep singing until she heard the car driving away. When Analisa finally stopped singing and I was able to move again, there was a Black Edition, Porsche 911, Carrera S roaring away as Juanita Esperanza accelerated out on the road in front of the ranch and disappeared from view almost instantly.
Immediately, I put my fingers in my ears and turned to Analisa. I went over to where she was standing and went down on my knees to look her in the eye.
“Keep singing, honey,” I said softly. “I going to bring your Tia back.”
Analisa’s eyes lit up and she began her song again. The others were just beginning to come out of the trance but as she sang again, they were pulled right back into a state of complete stupor.
***
I ran out into the yard and went down on one knee. I surveyed the turns of the road as it cut along the canyon wall headed down towards the valley floor. When I had gotten a close enough feel for where the car should have been by then, I launched myself into the air towards the road.
Four seconds later, I landed in the middle of the road and braced myself for impact as I spotted the Porsche make the turn and race straight at me. Just then, two more creatures landed in the road beside me. Bjorn and Veronica had been watching everything from the top of the canyon including Juanita’s crafty escape.
“There’s always more to the story,” Veronica called out to me as she touched down on the road.
“Come on now,” Bjorn yelled. “All shoulders into it! Shield wall!”
I’d hoped Juanita would have had the good sense to slow down, stop and surrender when she saw us standing in her way but instead I got more of the rage without remorse from her. There was no way she was letting herself get caught. She floored the Porsche’s accelerator in hopes we would dive out of her way but she clearly didn’t believe what Analisa had said about the creatures roaming around her ranch. We lowered our shoulders and when the Porsche hit us it was launched into the air and over into the wall of the canyon.
I ran over to the wreck as soon as it had settled. She was still alive and with Bjorn’s help Veronica and I puller Juanita Esperanza from the ruins of her precious sports car and laid her out on the road for Detective Massey and his deputies to find.
“Come on, you two,” I said. “She won’t be going anywhere. Our job here is done.”
Epilogue
A few days later, I was sitting in my living room watching Tammy and Anthony open a single gift before bed on Christmas Eve. They’d made a big to do about which one to choose but had finally made their selections and settled down to the opening part.
I swear that the eve present was probably their favorite part of Christmas… besides the food of course!
Just then the door bell rang and for the first time in a long time, it startled me.
Who in the hell was ringing my doorbell at this hour on Christmas Eve?
I focused my mind and instantly sensed the open heart and tired body that was outside my door. It was a delivery man and he was busy dropping off an envelope and was already on his way back down the driveway. I glanced at the clock… it was 8pm.
They do often say the delivery will be made before 8pm on a certain day… I guess they really do stay out on the route this late. That’s kind of sad; it is Christmas Eve after all.
I ran to the door and swung the door wide open just as the driver was pulling away from my driveway. Instinctively, I waved and shouted, “Merry Christmas.” He smiled widely and waved back at me.
When the truck had disappeared down the street, I picked up the envelope, turned and went back inside. The return address was that of Earnest Cumber and the ranchers of the Silver Blue Hermosa Co-op. I’d never said goodbye to the men in person. Bjorn, Veronica and I had left Juanita on the road and gone straight back to Silver Creek, got the Jeep and driven to Blanchard. That very afternoon, we’d all hit Interstate 5 and headed south for home.
I smiled and set the envelope on the entry way table by the door.
I knew it was good news so I didn’t have to rush to get to it.
I’ll open that after the New Year when Moon Investigations is opened back up for business.
Happy New Year, everyone.
The End
The Chronicles of the Immortal Council returns in:
Vampire Enigma
Return to the Table of Contents
VAMPIRE ENIGMA
The Chronicles of the Immortal Council #7
A Vampire for Hire story
by
D.C. Young
Foreward
by J.R. Rain
Hi there and welcome!
J.R. Rain here, and I’m so excited to introduce you to my “Vampire for Hire World”! As you might have guessed, these are written by writers other than me. Fair warning, these stories are non-canon (as in, unofficial) but they’re still a ton of fun. I’m excited to see the Samantha Moon world grow, and I’m equally excited to see all these wonderful writers exploring her world with me.
So, sit back and enjoy Vampire Enigma!
—J.R.
Vampire Enigma
Chapter One
The man waiting on my doorstep wasn’t the type I usually had any dealings with; any dealings.
What was worse was that I didn’t have any appointments scheduled for that afternoon; all my potential clients had come and gone already that morning.
This whole being able to function normally during the daylight hours had made a solid change in my business hours.
Viewing him through the peep hole in my door the tattoos running from his thick neck and down both of the massive arms protruding from his sleeveless Dead Head t-shirt took on an even stranger appearance due to the distortion.
His thick beard and mustache, the bandana tied around his head and the dark, Oakley wrap-around shades didn’t help to improve the image I was getting.
The black leather leggings and combat style boots completed an image that made me pretty sure that I didn’t want to open the door.
As I started to turn away, I nearly leapt out of my skin when his heavy fist struck the door three times.
I’m not sure why I was afraid, I’m a vampire for crying out loud. What was the dude, as big and bad as he looked, really going to be able to do to me?
“Geez, Sam,” I sighed, laughing at myself a little bit for being afraid. I reached for the handle on the door, turned it and opened to view in full the monster of a man that loomed in front of me. “Can I help you?”
“You Samantha Moon?” he asked in a voice that sounded like that big guy from the movie, The Green Mile.
“Yes,” I said, just above a whisper, still feeling a little intimidated by the large biker on my door step. I made that assumption after catching a glimpse of a fully tricked out Harley Davidson in my driveway behind him as I opened the door.
“I was told that you could help me find something… someone actually, but something too.” He stumbled over his words a little bit. That began to disarm me. “They said you’re the best at this sort of thing and, well… I don’t know, this is something bigger than I can handle, so…”
It seemed completely unbelievable that the man in front of me could be intimidated talking to me. That particular turn gave me a little bit more courage and I decided to let the man come inside. “Would you like to come in?”
“If it’s not too much of an inconvenience,” he replied.
A polite biker the size of a mountain? No, he certainly wasn’t the type who usually came to me for help. I started to hold the door open and let him pass through, but realized that there wasn’t enough space for the two of us to fit in the small area of the entry hall. He hesitated a moment as he drew the same conclusion as I did and when he did, I regained my composure.
“J
ust follow me into the office,” I beamed. “Can I get you something?”
“No, ma’am, I’m good,” he replied, lowering his massive frame to one of my visitor’s chairs. I was sure it was going to collapse under him, but it held.
“How did you hear about me?” I asked, curious to know what connection I had to the world of bikers.
“Grapevine, mostly, I guess you helped out a friend of a friend of mine with a safe or something? I don’t know. I don’t have first or second hand knowledge of you, but I’m pretty desperate to get some answers and well…”
“Charlie Anderson,” I blurted, remembering the safe and the man with the peaceful aura.
The biker shrugged. “Like I said, I don’t really know the guy, just that you were supposed to be the best at finding stuff and people.”
“I don’t know if I’m the best…” I decided that there was no point in continuing with the exchange and skipped straight to business. “Would you happen to have a name?”
“Sledge,” he said without hesitation.
I waited for a moment, expecting something other than what I assumed was a nickname.
“Uh… Josh Slader, actually,” he said, noticing my hesitation. “Everybody calls me Sledge.”
I was pretty sure that just about everyone called him whatever he wanted to be called. “Okay, Sledge,” I replied with a smile, trying out his name. “What is it that you need my help with?”
“Another friend of mine came to me for help…” He paused, made a strange face and then started again. “I need to back up a little before I get ahead of myself. I head up the local chapter of an international organization, which you may or may not be familiar with, called BACA. That’s an acronym for…”
“Bikers Against Child Abuse,” I cut in, feeling relief rush over me and letting him know that I was aware of the organization all at the same time.
“So you have heard of us then.” I noted something of a smile come up in the left corner of his previously expressionless lips.
“Yes, I have.”
“So, you know about our advocacy work for abused children.”
“Yes, I proudly support what you do,” I responded. As I spoke, my mind switched to what he had said about finding something or somebody. “But you’re looking for someone or something?”
“Well, it is something that sort of fits in our purview, but not entirely. But we also need your help in finding someone who we think was abducted. It isn’t something that BACA would normally take on, though it fits very closely to child abuse… We wouldn’t have gotten involved at all, except that the man… the family, actually, are close friends of mine and he asked me to look into it. To tell you the truth, Miss Moon, I’m in well over my head, but I made a promise to help him and, well…”
I detected some deep emotion mixed with frustration in the big man. It baffled me how such a giant and a leader of a strong group of men, could appear so vulnerable. I decided to help him out a little bit. “Why don’t you tell me about your case and I’ll tell you whether or not I can help you?”
“That sounds reasonable,” he replied. “Of course, it might be better if you could talk to the family and get a fuller picture of what you’re up against.”
“That might be true, Mister Sledge…” I began.
“Just Sledge, Miss Moon.”
“Just Sam, Sledge,” I returned, unable to hold back a smile at the exchange. “Anyway… Are we looking for someone or something? You’ve sort of hinted at both.”
“Mostly, we’re looking for someone, but my gut tells me that we might be looking for something too.”
“I’m not sure that helps,” I frowned.
“Well, my friend’s wife thought she saw their daughter, who went missing ten years ago, at Golden Bear Land a few days ago. She swears it’s her and won’t let go of the idea. My buddy thinks she’s just hoping it’s her, but she has been pretty insistent, so he came to talk to me about it. If it was her, and I’m not saying it is, then we might need your help finding her.”
My mind raced ahead. If the girl was alive after ten years, then that spoke of something more sinister than a simple abduction. I voiced my thought aloud. “You think that it could be an abduction ring?”
“Exactly.”
Chapter Two
Another thing that I don’t usually do is hop onto the back of a Harley with a stranger. I’m really not the biker chick type, although I was immediately aware of the appeal. The tuned pipes of the motorcycle rumbled with a powerful growl as Sledge started it, sending a thrill racing all through me, not to mention the earthshaking vibration under my tush as I settled into the seat. In spite of the fact that Sledge blocked most of it, as we cruised down the Five toward San Clemente, I breathed in the fresh air on my face and relished the way it teased and played with my hair. I have to admit that I was lost in the experience and we arrived much too soon in San Clemente. We exited the Five and wound our way through a maze of streets before we came to a moderate home in a moderate neighborhood, not a great deal unlike my own home.
The Atkins’ was etched on a plaque on the front of the house and not only announced who lived there, but also reflected the cheerfulness of the sunflowers which surrounded it. I trailed along behind Sledge toward the door, glad that he was on my side; I hoped. If I was being led into something sinister, well, big man Sledge and his buddies were about to get a lesson in why you don’t mess with a vampire. I stayed alert, but pushed the thought out of my mind. I wasn’t the mind reader my daughter was, but I was pretty good at reading people and their intentions. Sledge had good intentions. I wouldn’t have gotten on the back of his bike if he hadn’t.
Sledge touched the doorbell button and then took a step back to wait. A slight woman with dark hair and dark eyes answered the door, calling out in a cheerful tone as she recognized the visitor. “Sledge, it’s so good to see you,” she beamed, disappearing into his arms as she attempted to give the large man a hug. “Taz said you might be by.”
I nodded and smiled as she took notice of me. I was about to introduce myself, but Sledge interrupted as I opened my mouth to speak.
“Caroline, this is Samantha Moon,” he announced in a formal tone.
“Sam,” I said, extending my hand.
“Pleased to meet you, Sam,” she replied, taking my hand and laughing. “I’m Caroline. I’m afraid I don’t have one of these fancy nicknames like the guys do.”
She slugged Sledge playfully and then winked at me. “This big bruiser ought to be called fluffy rather than Sledge. He’s got a heart bigger than most.”
“He’s got an everything bigger than most,” I laughed and then blushed, realizing that someone with a dirty mind might read more into the statement than I intended. Thankfully, Caroline took it as I meant it.
“Well, you two come on in the house, Taz is out back doing, God only knows what this time to the bike.” We followed her into the house and she ushered us into the kitchen, directing us to sit. She looked directly at me. “Can you believe these guys? They’re constantly working on their bikes and there’s never anything wrong with them; except, of course, after they’ve been working on them.”
I glanced at Sledge and laughed along with Caroline. I was pretty sure that Caroline assumed that I was a part of the biker scene. I tended to wear black, and I had chosen to put on my leather jacket, but there wasn’t much else about me that said ‘biker chick’.
Since Sledge hadn’t picked up any hints from my glance, I opened my mouth to explain our situation, but before I could, Caroline interrupted me.
“Let me go holler at Taz and then I’ll get you two something to drink or whatever.”
I didn’t have a chance to respond before she turned away. A moment later, I heard her calling out her husband’s name, a muffled response, and then an announcement followed. “Leave that bike a minute and come in the house, Sledge is here with his gal!”
Other than the sparkle in his eyes, the only reaction Sledge had to Caroline�
�s announcement was the slight upturn in the left corner of his lips.
“Beer?” Caroline asked as she came back into the kitchen and went straight to the fridge. It really didn’t matter what the response was going to be, the two of us were going to get beers. She pulled out three, popped off the tops with a bottle opener and placed three glasses beside them. She brought the first bottle and glass and pushed it across the table toward me.
“None for me, thank you,” I smiled.
“I don’t blame you, Honey,” she laughed, moving the glass and bottle in front of Sledge. “I can’t stand the stuff. I’ve got some peach iced tea that suits me better, if you’d prefer.”
“Thank you, but I’m really okay.” How did you explain that vampires really didn’t need a drink? I could have indulged her but I really just wanted to get down to business.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
I heard someone come in through the back door, heard him stop off in the bathroom and heard whoever the washing of his hands.
“So, Sam, how long have you known Sledge?”
I could see that she was following a line of thought that I really didn’t want her to follow and started to speak, but, again, I was interrupted as Taz called out as he walked into the kitchen.
“Sledge,” he called out, sweeping up one of the bottles and leaving the accompanying glass on the counter as he came to the table. He glanced in my direction and grinned. “Who is this gorgeous gal?”
Taz was the polar opposite of Sledge. He was an average sized man who was clean shaved, had his hair cut and styled and his fingernails neatly clipped. His appearance screamed accountant.
