A Bite of Murder

by Carolyn Q. Hunter

  Belle worked hard to keep her business premises clean, even the basement which had a habit of accumulating dust. She tried to get down there at least once a week with the vacuum to suck up any dusty residue. Still, even with her efforts, the stairs managed to have a thin layer along the top by virtue of the room being underground and old.

  Walking down the top few steps, she hit a switch on the wall that illuminated the stairway as well as the rest of the basement. Descending down, she was greeted by the familiar sight of shelves and storage drawers all labeled and organized perfectly. While a lot of the items were just silly Halloween decorations she’d collected through the years, others were collectibles or antiques. She had to make sure the items were well taken care of.

  Coming the rest of the way down the steps, she walked across the room toward the drawers where she kept tablecloths. She had various colors and patterns for different occasions and party themes but was looking for the ones that were white with blood spatters for the vampire marathon.

  It was as she was walking, passing the wall of large items such as full-size statues and fake coffins, that something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning to look, she noticed that one of the black coffins was on its back instead of standing up in its slot against the wall.

  She knew she’d gotten out a few coffins to decorate for the week, but she didn’t remember leaving one out. “How’d you get there?” she wondered out loud, walking over to it.

  Could Anna or Valerie have pulled it down for some reason? No, that didn’t make sense. Belle was generally the only person who came down here on her own. Anna only came down when Belle needed help bringing something up.

  Shrugging, she decided not to let it bother her and just put it back upright. Grabbing the sides of the coffin, she groaned as she realized the coffin was much heavier than usual—as if something had been stored inside.

  Letting it back down on the floor, she took a deep breath. Feeling her hands grow instantly ice cold, she hesitated with her hands hovering over the lid.

  Did she dare open it? What could possibly be inside?

  Knowing she didn’t have much of a choice, she slowly and reluctantly grabbed the lid on either side and lifted it. As soon as she got it free, she felt her heart drop into her stomach.

  A pale face with eyes wide in the stare of death looked up at her. Its hands were at its sides, but the fingers were clutching in claw-like shapes. A sense of unearthly horror and terror resided behind the face’s expression.

  She turned away, blinking a few times to clear her vision, just to make sure it was real. It took her a second to catch her breath, but then she looked back at it.

  This time, she recognized the dead man.

  It was the body of William Percy.

  Chapter 12

  * * *

  “What am I supposed to say to this lady? Hi, I know your dead friend, Harlem. Hey, can you tell me about this knife?” Anna complained, standing on a back street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The rain had stopped before they arrived, leaving a cool and welcoming evening temperature in the air. As the sun set across the horizon of buildings, the active lights of the lively city came up to a fervent glow.

  “No, not necessarily,” Harlem answered, taking in the old sites. He hadn’t been to Marilla’s Shop of Voodoo Wares since he was alive. The circular red and black sign that hung on the door was a warm sight to see, but also a little sad—a reminder of something that once was and would never be again.

  He had not bothered informing Anna that Marilla and he had once been lovers and that he still sometimes pined after her even in death.

  It was an unnecessary detail that would only complicate things.

  If he hadn’t felt learning about the dagger was absolutely key, he probably wouldn’t have even suggested coming down here to see her.

  “Oh, well. Let’s get this over with,” Anna sighed, pushing through the front door and hearing the bell chime above her head.

  Harlem floated in behind her, staying close and keeping his eyes peeled. For all he knew, Marilla wasn’t even here at the moment and one of her many temporary shop assistants could be manning the counter. Part of him hoped for the latter.

  He didn’t get his wish.

  “Good evening, my dear,” an elegant woman greeted Anna, sweeping out from behind a curtain of beads dressed in a long flowing red and black gown. Sequins sparkled in the pattern of swirls and skulls along the thin fabric that hugged her curves suggestively. Her midnight black hair draped over her shoulders, a glint of silver ribbons tied in the strands.

  Harlem, if he had a breath, would have felt it catch in his throat.

  Taking a step backward, he tried to hide in the shadows from Anna who might spot his pained expression. He didn’t want to give any hint about his feelings for Marilla.

  “My name is Marilla. How can I help you?” the shopkeeper asked, smiling at Anna.

  “Uhm, yes,” Anna said, glancing over her shoulder for some semblance of help from Harlem. As far as she could tell, he’d wandered off again.

  Pursing her lips angrily, she looked back at the woman. “Yes, I actually have a friend who said you could help me.”

  “And a good friend at that,” Marilla said with a smile. “I will do my best to help you out. What are you looking for?”

  “Oh, I’m not necessarily looking for anything. I was hoping you could help me with a little,” she hesitated, unsure of how to phrase it, “folklore information?”

  The shop keeper’s smile twitched slightly, showing that she wasn’t pleased to not be making a sale.

  Harlem had to chuckle quietly to himself. Marilla was still the same person as she ever was, a businesswoman.

  Anna, not wanting to be here any longer than she had to, dug her phone out of her purse and opened the photo gallery. She held the screen face out toward Marilla. “Do you know what this is?” she asked, not wanting to give away too many details about the murder yet.

  Leaning in and squinting, the woman’s eyes rested on the image. She was silent a moment, no sign of recognition written on her expression. Then, as if something had hit her like a freight train, her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “Where did you find this?” she demanded, grabbing the phone out of Anna’s hand and looking closer.

  “Uh, up near Sunken Grove?”

  “You just found it in a pool of water like this?” she asked, gasping.

  “Well, sort of, yeah. Actually, my sister took these pictures and sent them to my phone.”

  Marilla shoved the phone back into Anna’s hand. “Where is the dagger now? Please tell me you have it with you,” she begged.

  Anna nervously licked her lips, giving a sideways glance back to Harlem who was still standing off in the corner. This time, she spotted him standing there and realized he hadn’t just wandered off. He only shook his head.

  “We don’t have it, as far as I know.”

  “Y-You just left it there?” she sputtered.

  “No, we turned it over to the police because we didn’t know where it had come from,” she admitted, still skirting around the murder itself.

  Marilla put a hand up to her forehead in distress. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Who sent you here? Who is this friend who said I’d know what this was?” she demanded.

  Anna’s mouth hung open. She didn’t know how to answer that question. “U-Uh, they asked me not to say.”

  The woman cursed quietly. “Do you have any idea what that is?”

  Anna, getting a little fed up, held out her arms. “No, of course, not. That’s why I came to you.”

  Marilla folded her arms and scowled. “Its nickname is The Vampire Blade.”

  How fitting, Anna grumbled inwardly.

  “It was one of many created by an ancient cannibal tribe who believed that by shedding the blood of your enemies you could gain their power and ability.”

  Anna couldn’t help but grimace at the gross history lesson. Somehow, she fe
lt even less sure that whoever had used the blade knew what it’s original purpose was for.

  “That is a dangerous tool to have around, even in a police station.”

  “Why? It’s just a legend, isn’t it?” Anna replied, playing the skeptic.

  Marilla stepped close to her, their noses almost touching. “In the wrong hands, that blade could do some serious damage, and I don’t mean just physically.”

  Taking a step back, Anna put space between herself and the shop owner. “Well, thanks for the help,” she said, quickly turning to rush out of the building.

  “I’m warning you. That blade has dark powers,” she called out just before Anna was gone.

  * * *

  “What the heck? She’s a nutball,” Anna complained once she was back in the car.

  “She’s not a nutball,” Harlem said defensively. “She just knows her relics, as well as their dark magical properties.”

  Anna shrugged. “So, what? Does that mean whoever killed Jason Dobbs also sucked up his lifeforce or something? What does that even mean, exactly?”

  “I’m not sure, but if the killer really didn’t know the knife had powers, they might be in for some surprises.”

  Before Anna could say anything else, her phone began to vibrate. Picking it up, she realized it was her sister. “Hey, Belle. What’s up?” she asked, answering the call.

  “You won’t believe what I found in the basement.”

  “You called me to talk about work? I need to get on the road back to Sunken Grove before it gets too late. I won’t be getting back until seven-thirty or eight at this point.”

  “No, no, no. Listen to me,” Belle insisted.

  Anna could hear the excitement in her sister’s voice and paused. “What? Did something happen?”

  “In the basement. I found William Percy’s dead body. Dan is having a look at things now.”

  “I’ll be there as quick as I can,” she said, hanging up the phone.

  “Something wrong?” Harlem asked.

  “We need to get back to Sunken Grove.”

  Chapter 13

  * * *

  The drive-in parking lot was empty when Anna arrived. Full darkness had just fallen, which meant the movie should be playing. However, she had a good guess that Dan had requested they close for the evening, so he could continue his investigation.

  However, she also didn’t see Dan’s police cruiser. Did that mean he had finished his investigation of the scene? Surely not.

  Parking, she and Harlem rushed into the back door of the restaurant. “Belle?” she called out, stepping past the threshold.

  “Right here,” she said from where she sat at the counter.

  “What happened? Where is Dan?” she asked, walking over and tossing her purse on the counter before taking a seat next to her sister.

  “He ran off to arrest Payton,” she informed her.

  “Arrest Payton?”

  Belle nodded. “With William being dead, and Payton and William being the two main people connected to the murder weapon, he decided he needed to bring Payton in on suspicion of murder before he tried to skip town.”

  Anna sighed, clasping her hands on the countertop. She noticed her sister was drinking a beer and she instantly wished she had some wine. “I see. So, the original assumption was that William committed the crime and took off—which is why no one could find him. Now that he’s dead, the assumption is that Payton killed both of them.”

  “That was what my thought was,” Belle agreed. “He killed Jason for evicting him and then, after telling a lie about selling the dagger to William, he had to make sure William didn’t blab the truth.” Turning on the stool, she sipped her beer and looked Anna in the eye. “Speaking of the dagger, did you learn anything?”

  “Only that it’s a vampire dagger that steals power or something like that.”

  Belle’s eyebrows shot up. “Woah. That’s crazy.”

  “And I still don’t see how it helps in our investigation,” Anna pointed out.

  “We just aren’t seeing it yet, but I’m positive it ties in,” Harlem noted.

  Anna shook her head at him. “I’m not sure. I mean, what I want to know is how the body ended up in our basement. That seems like a more important detail at the moment. How could Payton get it down there without anyone noticing.”

  Belle shrugged. “I haven’t the faintest idea. All I know is that the body is down there.”

  Anna’s face went pale and she stood up. “You mean the body is still here?”

  “Yeah, of course. Dan left the other officer here to keep an eye on the crime scene, and to keep anyone from going downstairs in the basement until he could secure Payton.”

  Just then, a loud male scream echoed through the kitchen.

  “What was that?” Harlem asked.

  In a flash, the girls were in a mad dash for the pantry where the trap door sat open. The police officer came bounding up the stairs, his face as white as a sheet.

  “What happened? What’s going on?”

  “There’s a huge bat down there. It flew right at me,” he shouted, his voice squeaking. Clearly, this man did not do well with small rodents.

  A tinkle of glass breaking echoed up from below.

  “Uh-oh. Oh, no,” Harlem gasped, floating through the trio of people standing at the entrance and heading down into the room below.

  Without another hesitation, the girls pushed past the cop and followed the ghost down the steps.

  “H-hey. You can’t go down there. It’s an official crime scene,” the cop yelled, suddenly remembering his job again, but unwilling to go down and face the giant-sized bat again.

  The sisters ignored him and ended up standing on the bottom landing. Looking around the room, they both saw that the window well had been broken out and the night air was whistling through.

  “He’s gone. He flew out the window,” Harlem said.

  The girls looked around. Belle instantly saw that the once full coffin was now very empty.

  “Where did he go?” she asked.

  “The dagger. The murder was committed right behind the movie screen,” Harlem noted.

  “So, what?” Belle asked, not seeing how any of this could possibly relate to a missing body or a bat attack.

  “Don’t you see?” Harlem demanded.

  “The Vampire Dagger,” Anna gasped in realization, looking at Harlem’s black and white flickering figure and starting to come to a new hypothesis.

  “What?” Belle demanded, still being on the outside of this latest deduction.

  “Is it really possible? Could he have accidentally drawn out the powers of a vampire by killing someone behind the movie screen while the showing was going on?” Anna demanded, not even able to believe it herself.

  “I think that’s exactly what happened. He may not even have realized it until afterward.”

  “Wait, wait,” Belle said, putting up a hand for silence so she could think. “Are you saying that William is the killer? He killed Jason while the movie was playing and because this dagger absorbs power, he somehow got turned into a vampire like the one in the film?”

  “Exactly,” Harlem said.

  Belle let her jaw hang. “So, we’ve just unleashed a vampire on Sunken Grove.”

  “Seems so,” Harlem gulped.

  Anna licked her lips. “I think I might have an idea where he’s heading. Come on.”

  Chapter 14

  * * *

  Driving up outside of the old farmhouse, Anna leaped out of the driver seat as soon as the car was in park. Harlem quickly followed.

  It had taken some convincing to make Belle stay behind, but they needed someone to tell the police officer what was going on and call Dan. Meanwhile, Anna hadn’t hesitated to grab one important thing from among the props her sister had stored in the basement—something she had to ask Belle to pull out for her.

  A cross.

  It was made from plastic but painted to look like a gold relic from a Catholic ch
urch. She had it clutched tightly in her hand as she made her way up to the door of the house.

  Unlike the movies, they didn’t have things like holy water or sharpened stakes sitting around—and Anna highly doubted she would be staking anyone anyway, nor did she want to. The cross, however, was right there in the room with them where they’d discovered the body was missing.

  She’d also grabbed a clove of garlic on her way through the kitchen and out the door.

  She hoped she was prepared enough.

  Opening the screen door of the porch, she began to hear the muffled cries from inside. “I think he’s already in there,” she shouted to Harlem, trying the doorknob. It didn’t budge.

  “Let me,” Harlem insisted, floating through the door. Exerting some of his spiritual energy, he unlatched the deadbolt and let Anna through.

  Once inside, Anna looked around to try and see where the mother and her children might be.

  “Upstairs,” Harlem said, pointing up the skinny front staircase to the second floor of the house.

  “On it,” she said, trotting up the steps and entering the first bedroom she saw. Stopping dead in the doorway, she saw the mother huddled in the corner. Standing over her with his back arched like a cat and his hands outstretched like claws was William Percy.

  The kids weren’t anywhere in sight and Anna was betting the mother had hidden them in another room.

  “William!” Anna shouted, grabbing the monster’s attention.

  Spinning to look at the newcomer, he opened his mouth and hissed. Two needle-sharp fangs protruded from the top of his mouth. His eyes had a reddish glow that ran all the way through them and his nails appeared to have grown long and pointed.

  Seemingly completely taken over by his new monstrous urges, he leaped at Anna.

  In response, she lifted the cross in front of her.

  The vampire shrieked in surprise, covering his face from the offending symbol.

  “Now, Anna. Use the garlic,” Harlem urged her.

  “Right,” she agreed, knowing this was her only chance. She had to act while he was distracted.