01 Rock 'n' Roll is Undead - Veronica Mason

by Rose Pressey

I turned right onto Bluebell Road. My parents’ house sat on the left halfway down. I was never so grateful to see it. Sure, my mother nagged me about my tattoos, my career choice, when I was going to give her grandwitchbabies and my sucky witch abilities, but at this moment, I’d take it.

  As I neared, I recognized Kitty’s car. I wasn’t sure why she had decided to come tonight, unless to tell my parents everything that had happened. I’d torture her if she told them about my apartment being broken into. She was my best friend, though. Surely she was there for moral support and not to tattle. Another vehicle was parked in front of my parents’ house and it made my stomach flip-flop. Buzz's bike was in the driveway.

  Chapter 35

  I wasn't sure how I'd get the tingly feeling for him to go away, but I needed to find the antidote right away. An anti-love spell, perhaps? Since my magic sucked, maybe if I did a regular love spell it would have the opposite outcome.

  No space was left in the driveway, so I pulled into the remaining spot by the road and turned off the ignition. Did I have the fact I’d narrowly escaped death written all over my face? I slipped out my compact with the rhinestone skull and bones on the front and checked my reflection. My cheeks looked flushed, probably from the heat and my car chase—definitely not because of Buzz. I rubbed my lips together to blend my lipstick and grabbed my purse. Seriously? I’d discovered another expired vampire and I was worried about my lipstick? Issues—I had them.

  My parents’ home was a white two story with a wraparound porch. My mother had flowers in every available corner, along with other little lawn doodads that my dad constantly complained about having to mow around. Our human neighbors expected a family of witches to live in a house that looked like an episode from the Munsters; instead, they saw Leave It to Beaver.

  The house and its surroundings encompassed many things I held dear. Like the weeping willow tree with its drooping branches. It reminded me of the one I sat under as a child. I’d played under it for hours. It provided a safe haven when I just didn’t want to be bothered with spells and potions. I wanted to grab a blanket, spread it out, and nap under its shady umbrella. And the huge rose-bushes beside the house brought back memories of my Grandma Annie. She nurtured her flowers as if they were children, comforting them and tending to their every need. Well, she’d had a little help from magic, too, but she really did have a green thumb. The red flowers, in their first bloom for the season, reached out as I walked by, just waiting for me to catch a whiff of their divine perfume. I leaned down, closed my eyes, and inhaled the flowery scent. Now more than ever, I needed a stress reliever, even if it was just for a moment. A few seconds was better than nothing. Someday I hoped to have roses just like those. If I hadn’t inherited her magical skills, at least I’d gotten her green thumb.

  Any minute the police would arrive. I needed to warn my parents before the five-o swarmed the place. I stared at the house, then let out a deep breath before laying the bomb on them.

  I rubbed the cat’s head as he strutted out to greet me. “Hey, Buttons. How’ve you been? Not more fights with the neighbor’s cat, I hope.” Buttons, not the best name for a familiar, but hey, I didn’t name him. That was all mom. I wasn’t worthy of a familiar, not until I improved my skills.

  “Hey there, sweetheart.” My father interrupted my one-way conversation.

  When I glanced up, he was walking toward me. Buzz walked right beside him. My dad smiled at Buzz, said something I couldn’t quite make out, and they both laughed. What the hell was going on? I’d known the guy for less than twenty-four hours and now my dad was already best buds with him? He’d already come home for dinner with the parents in a sense. Well, not really, but he was at my parents’ house. This was crazy. And the feeling I got every time he glanced my way was nuts, too. This wasn’t good.

  “What’s going on?” I asked as I looked from one to the other.

  “Buzz here was just telling me about his time in the military. He’s a former Marine.”

  Oh, dear. They’d be friends for life now. If I ever wanted to fire this guy from the band, my father would be heartbroken. Dad had been in the Marines for four years, but you’d think he was a lifer by the way he acted.

  “Is that right?” I said with a raised brow.

  Buzz smiled. “Your dad is a funny guy.” He patted him on the back.

  “Oh yeah, he’s funny.” I gave a mirthless chuckle. “I need to talk with you.” I pointed at my dad. “Privately,” I added.

  “I’ll wait around back,” Buzz said. “You look beautiful, by the way.” He gave me a long, appreciative look. His masculine voice drifted across the evening air, knocking thoughts of his mysteriousness out of my head. I felt blood rushing to my cheeks. He turned and my father beamed. Would he still think I was beautiful when he found out I’d stumbled across another vampire? My guess was no.

  In spite of his compliment, my stomach hurt and my hands shook. It took all my power not to keep looking over my shoulder. Remaining calm was extremely difficult under the circumstances. I had to tell my dad the grim news.

  I came right out with it. “The police are on their way here.”

  “Here? As in my home, here? What for? Were you speeding? Did you cut someone off?” My dad let out a deep breath and rubbed his graying crew cut. He always did that when upset.

  “No, of course not.” Well, I had been speeding, but that was beside the point. “Um.” I glanced at Buzz who hadn’t moved far enough away. He’d said he was going around back. Standing by the side of the house wasn’t my idea of around back. I lowered my voice. “I discovered a vampire.” My bottom lip quivered.

  “What? Where?” Buzz yelled.

  Chapter 36

  I frowned. I’d expected that reaction from my father, not him. “I was at an old farmhouse on Highway Twenty-Two.” I gestured. “It sits back off the road a ways and is surrounded by a ton of trees. There’s a wooded area behind it.”

  “What in the hell were you doing there?” My dad’s face was drained.

  Saved by the sirens. Two cop cars pulled up before I could answer. Detective Walker’s unmarked car pulled up on the street behind them. I’d grown accustomed to seeing his car. I’d recognize it anywhere.

  “This is crazy, Veronica. What is going on?” my dad asked.

  Buzz remained silent. I watched him, but couldn’t read his face.

  “Veronica Mason, we meet again.” Detective Walker approached with a smirk on his face. “You want to step over here to the car and talk to us.”

  “Wait just a minute,” Dad said.

  I held up a hand. “I’m fine, Dad, I’ll be right back.” His face let me know he didn’t want to listen, but he did. And I was thankful. I could handle the situation. At least, I hoped I could.

  I stood beside the police cruiser and explained everything to the best of my ability. I even told them about the mystery car—I had to. Whether they believed me, well, I wasn’t sure.

  I knew my mother stood in the background, freaking out. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched her pace while fidgeting with her hands. Everyone always said they could tell we were mother and daughter. We looked just alike. My parents liked to keep a low profile. The more they could avoid being under the witch council’s radar, the better their lives were. Soon the International Paranormal Crime Investigators—the IPCI—would have their eyes on me…if they didn’t already. The Vampire Bureau of Investigations oversaw the vampire crimes, but the IPCI oversaw all paranormal crimes. Even civil cases, as well—like the time Aunt Shirley sued her neighbor for casting a spell on her pet monkey. The moment Detective Walker took me in, the IPCI would swarm my parents’ house. They’d just now settled down after the visit involving my brother.

  Around ten years ago, vampires were discovered to be the real deal. Not just fiction. Once they were out in the open, they let their guard down and went wild. Frankly, I never knew how they kept it under wraps for so long. Things had settled down somewhat though, as far as I knew. The only proble
m as of late was humans wanting to be turned. Vampires had to run away from crazy humans begging to have their necks sucked. There were even vampire hunters popping up, trying to lasso a vampire for clients, and making them turn humans. They were raking in big bucks doing this, but the IPCI was trying to put a stop to it. The vampire would didn’t make sense to me, but hell, I was still trying to learn the witch world. For a few minutes, I wondered if they’d drag me off to jail. I realized the odds of finding two bodies were high, but I’d been honest. Except for the visions and dreams—I wasn’t about to go that far in to detail.

  “Let me get this straight. You expect me to believe you just stumbled on two vampires.” Detective Walker fixed his gaze on me.

  That was the gist of it, yes. “I’m telling you the truth.”

  “If you had anything to do with this, I’ll see to it that you spend the rest of your life in jail.” He glared. More than likely, he was daydreaming about cuffing me and shoving me into a tiny cell. He turned and walked away.

  That went well. He answered my question on whether they believed me—they didn’t.

  Detective Walker and the officers left. They were headed to the old farmhouse and I was shocked they hadn’t insisted I go with them.

  My dad wrapped an arm around me as we walked toward the back of the house. “You want something to eat?”

  “Dad, I can’t eat at a time like this.”

  “You need something, you’re too skinny. I've been cooking on the grill. It’s over now, and you need your strength. You’ve been through a lot. Besides, men don't like skin and bones. They want a little meat.” He winked at Buzz and I wanted to disappear. Was there a spell for disappearing? “This dress is practically falling off you.” He tugged at the fabric.

  “The longer you live with mom the more you sound like her,” I said.

  Talk about embarrassing. My dad had perfected the knack of saying all the wrong things in front of men when I was about thirteen. Except back then, they weren’t men, but boys—it didn’t sting any less though. Sure, the embarrassment had eased over the years, but it never went away completely. My cheeks blushed. Buzz eyed me up and down as if assessing what my father had said. All my life, my parents reminded me about my ancestors’ powers. They all had them—some more powerful than others. Like my parents for instance, their powers were above average, but not nearly as strong as Grandma Annie’s. Imagine their disappointment with my lack of magic skills. Their gentle coaxing did nothing to help, either. For their sake, I didn’t give up, but it was only because of them. My mom’s sad eyes made me feel like crap every time a spell fizzled out.

  Something had drawn my parents together—their powers complemented each other. Stars aligned, allowing you to find your soul mate, I’d heard. My lack of talent would explain my lack of significant other. No doubt my parents worried I’d find a witch with magical aptitude equal to mine. Or even worse, they feared I’d fall in love with a human with no skills at all. My question to them: Wasn’t it better to have no skills than bad skills? They never answered.

  Part of my parents’ special skills was finding missing items. They never had a problem finding lost keys or the remote. I could ask them to help locate the spell book, but I didn’t want to disappoint them more. Or remind them of my deficient magical abilities.

  “I’ll eat a little, but no burgers, please.” I smiled at Buzz. Was it just today we’d shared a burger? “What else you got?”

  “How’s grilled chicken sound?”

  “Fine.” We moved around to the back deck where Mama was sitting next to Kitty. Danny sat on the other side of Kitty. Mama was still fidgeting with her hands.

  She jumped up. “Oh, I’m so glad you're okay. I’ve been worried about you. Kitty filled me in on everything.”

  I gave Kitty an evil glare.

  She held up her hands in surrender and mouthed, “I swear I didn’t mention anything.”

  “And of course your father told me about the rest.” She leaned in close. “Maybe you shouldn’t hang around those vampires. See, they’re nothing but trouble.”

  “I’m fine, Mom.”

  “Well, you can’t be fine. Finding vampires that way,” she whispered as if the whole world didn’t know by now. “It just runs chills up and down my spine. You shouldn’t be walking out there late at night by yourself. What if you’d been out there when it happened? And what in blue blazes were you doing at an old farmhouse?”

  I shrugged. Honestly, I had no idea how I’d ended up there. At first, it seemed a random event, but now I wasn’t so sure.

  “Yeah, what if?” Buzz stood beside me. “I can assure you, Mrs. Mason, now that I’m a part of the band, Veronica will never walk out to her car late at night without an escort from me. Now as for old farmhouses, well, let’s hope she isn’t snooping around anymore.”

  My mom blushed as her lips twitched into a half-smile. Could this guy enchant everyone or what? He’d charm the cardigan sweaters off all soccer moms within a fifty-mile radius. Buzz walking me to my car late at night, in the dark, under the starry moon filled sky. Hmm, sounded way too romantic. No, it was just a walk to my car. Why was I reading more into it than that? And why did he feel the need to protect me?

  “Sit down and eat something,” she ordered.

  How could I explain to them that I didn’t want to eat anything grilled—after I’d seen a body grilled, I wasn’t in the mood for a barbeque.

  “Okay, but as soon as Craig and Frank get here we have to practice.”

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  “I’ll get it, you sit down and relax,” I replied.

  “You’ve got enough stress, take it easy.”

  “I’m a grown woman, I can put food on a plate, you know.”

  When the words ‘grown woman’ left my lips, I met Buzz’s gaze. Why I glanced his way, I don’t know. A natural impulse, I guessed. He gave a sexy grin, looking me up and down. I looked away quickly, placing a piece of grilled chicken and baked beans on a paper plate. When I moved forward, my napkin slipped from my hand and cascaded to the ground. Buzz and I bent to pick it up at the same time. Our hands touched and I turned my face toward him.

  Chapter 37

  With our faces mere inches apart, our eyes met. Staring was unavoidable. My gaze wandered down to his lips. I wasn’t sure, but he seemed to be moving closer to me. My stomach danced and I wondered what his lips would feel like against mine. What would he taste like? When I remembered I was in my parents’ backyard, I jumped so quickly, I almost pulled a muscle. My cheeks burned like I’d been caught making out in the backseat of my father’s car. I was an adult, no need to be embarrassed. Was Buzz about to kiss me? I may never know.

  I sat on the other side of the deck, far away from Buzz. Kitty gave a smirk when I looked at her. I read her smirk. She was saying: you like him. She was in full-on matchmaking mode. Buzz flashed me a compassionate look as he grabbed a burger from the grill. I shifted in my seat. How did I get into this mess?

  I stared out across the lawn and contemplated, avoiding everyone’s eye contact. The distinct smell of summer in the air reminded me of summer days as a child when Daddy built a tree-house for me to play in and Mama made lemonade. We played outside for hours until forced to come in for the night. Those were the good ole days—young and unaware of the pressures adulthood brought. Oh, to have those innocent days back again. Playing with my brother and home with my parents, but they’d never be back and I had to look forward to days ahead. At least my mom still made the lemonade.

  “Do the police have any ideas about what happened to poor Johnny or the other vampire?” my mother asked, forcing me to pay attention.

  “I’m not sure. They talked with the rest of the band and me about Johnny. The detective came to the bar where we were practicing and sat down with each of us, one by one. I guess to see if we’d forgotten anything. But that was before this evening’s discovery, of course.”

  “Well you never know what Johnny was into,”
Dad said while flipping a burger. He seemed to get over the fact I’d found two dead vampires easily. That was his way. Sweep things under the rug and they went away.

  He handed Buzz a beer, but he shook it off. “No thanks, I’m driving.”

  Mom shoved a tall glass at Buzz. “Here have some lemonade, dear. I made it fresh.”

  Buzz caught me watching him. I diverted my eyes and took a bite of chicken. My stomach churned. No way could I eat another morsel. I’d have to push the food around on my plate like when I was a kid.

  “It could’ve been drugs,” Mom said.

  “Yes, I guess it could have been. But I've never seen him do anything like that. Sure, he liked to drink sometimes, okay, a lot of the time, but nothing more than that. I think I would have seen him at least once.”

  “People can hide things fairly well. Look at your dad’s co-worker. He was addicted to pain pills and no one even knew until he went into rehab. He was poppin’ pills left and right.”

  I nodded. “I guess you’re right. I did see him talking to some shady looking guys a couple of times.”

  “Oh, was that the guy with the old Buick in need of a paint job?” Kitty asked.

  Chapter 38

  My thoughts flashed back to the car. I couldn't be sure because it had been dark that night, but it could have been the same car that was now following me everywhere I went. Kitty said Buick, but she didn’t know her cars like I did. Maybe it had been a Cadillac.

  “You okay?” Kitty scooted her chair closer to me.

  “Um, yeah. No, I don’t think I remember the car. It may have been.” I stumbled over my words.

  “I can’t believe you found the remains of two vampires,” she whispered. “That would gross me out. I can’t stand the sight of blood.”

  “There wasn’t blood. Just ashes, really. Wait, you practically eat your meat raw. You’re a werewolf.”