Genn was still examining the body. “Well, he didn’t get a meal out of this one. Her heart stopped before he could extract any blood; she’s full-up.”
“All this for nothing,” Lang said as she surveyed the wreckage. “Well, not exactly for nothing; we’re stuck here until this mess is cleared away.”
***
It took hours to clean up the logs, and damage control supervisors were brought in to deal with the human witnesses; a necessary function due to the indiscretions of thoughtless Vampires.
Lang smiled wistfully as they drove into Pless county. Well preserved old homes and barns passed by panoramically and fields of well tended crops waited to be harvested. All that food grown to feed future bloodstock was a comforting thought to detective Lang and then she reminded herself of what a threat Drake was to this serene setting. They passed by several of the dozens of satellite farms that were dotted across Pless county; all controlled by the central offices in Plesston. Farmer Pless ran the show from the central farm house just on the outskirts of Plesston. He knew little of the accounting and business side of the farming community, but he knew people and how to keep them happy, and he was just a farmer at heart. Bottom line: he produced stock that always fetched a good price. And there it all was in plain view, beautiful humans, of every age and shape just walking around. Genn drove through the heart of Plesston, bustling with activity on their way to Farmer Pless’.
“We could have bypassed all of this and skirted the town, you know,” Lang said.
“What, and miss all this! Are you crazy. This job doesn’t come with too many perks- so I take them when I get them.” Genn’s eyes followed a group of giggling teenagers.
Lang rolled her eyes until her attention was diverted by a dusty farm lad jumping out of his pick-up. Coveralls is not a good name for clothing when there is no t-shirt on underneath, she realized and her focus went to the vein that topped the peak of his shapely bicep.
The drive through town was an exhilarating experience for the two detectives. They weren’t used to seeing so many humans in one place; especially in a free range environment. Genn drove as slowly as possible but they eventually found themselves at Farmer Pless’ place. The overhead sprinklers were just coming on when they pulled in. Detective Lang had called ahead but Pless was curious as to the reason of their visit; although he had heard the news of the murders.
“Detective Lang?”
“Yes. Farmer Pless?” Lang made sure to use his full title a gesture of respect. Being a farmer and producing quality blood stock was one of the most revered professions in the Empire.
“Yes.” Pless extended his hand, welcoming them with a friendly smile.
“This is my partner, Detective Genn.”
“Welcome to my farm. Sorry for the timing of the watering. Come into my private office-we can talk freely there.”
He led the way and opened the door for his guests.
There was something comfortable and homey about Pless’ office. It was neat and tidy, and had a pleasant but distant feeling of comfort and familiarity to it.
Lang smiled at the pictures of show room floor condition, new and vintage tractors. “Wow, a ‘Brickson Stag Turbo XT’! I remember when I was kid driving one of those. Those were some of the best years of my life.”
Genn plopped himself down in a chair, it creaked from the load. “Yeah, when was that? Eight hundred years ago?”
Lang sneered in his direction and tried to ignore the comment. “Only 452-thank you very much. Anyway, I love your office and your farm. It’s great to come back down to the base and remember your roots. Although, Genn is right, it is getting to be a more and more of a distant memory…but, more importantly, is the reason for our visit. We have a very interesting situation that is very unique and fuelled by speculation. We really have no real evidence that our strong suspicions are indeed factual. But, our investigation has led us here.” Lang looked over to Genn.
Genn shifted in his chair. “Do remember a human named, Ulah?”
A smile came across Pless’ face. “Drake. Yes of course. They say we’re to be on our guard not to grow too fond of the humans we are raising, but some of them are just kind of a joy to be around, and Drake was one of those individuals. That’s why I never want to know the plans for my crops-I just grow them and send them on their way to feed the Empire, either by deed or by blood. But Drake, and Megan Durham as well, they were sweethearts ya know, always together. I had to walk away when they would talk about their plans for the future. Ya just wish there was more room in the dome, but it seemed like every century there was tighter scrutiny and less and less spots…and now, with the Great Edict, there’s none.” Pless shook his head.
Genn continued. “Well, we think he may be headed this way, illegally converted, unregistered, and by far the worst serial killer in Empire history.”
Pless’ jaw dropped.
“Don’t be alarmed Farmer Pless,” Lang said. “We think he is on his way here to start a rebellion. It’s very important that we apprehend him before he can begin to spread revolt. A quarantined area of any size is not what we want, and we think it could be more of a threat than the Government is willing to admit. Ulah is clever, but he has been careless to lead us directly here. It really isn’t what I would have expected from him.”
“You’re right.” Pless said. “He is very intelligent and should be caught right away. My blood, I never would have expected Drake to turn this way…he was such a nice youngster.”
“Well, circumstances beyond his control got him into this situation. Somebody with an obsession, selfishly endangering us all. She’s the real criminal here,” Lang said.
“Miss Fleck.”
Genn looked over at his partner, interested in her response.
“Actually, Mr. Pless-we’re not really supposed to be talking about this because nothing is proven yet. Our superiors have given us the okay to tell you about our suspicions but nobody else…and of course the same goes for you now. Once we catch him we can get his DNA, match it to our serial killer, and get him executed as quickly as possible. That is our goal.”
Genn sat upright. “He should be bled out and left to rot in his own aged decay.”
Lang displayed a look of distaste. “As you can see; my partner has strong feelings on the subject-thank you for that graphic description, Genn. We’ll need a place to stay, and someplace out of the way to park our car, if it’s not too much trouble, Mr. Pless.”
“We have two very comfortable rooms in the big house that you’re welcome to use for as long as you need to.”
“Thanks. Now, let’s go over some scenarios quickly so that we’re ready for anything. We have 10 officers at our disposal, now out in the field, looking for Ulah, but can be here within the hour. We want to take him quickly, with numbers, as quietly as possible.”
Pless nodded and listened intently.
***
Elsie Fleck sat, then stood and paced around her office, then sat again; all the time biting the inside of her mouth with a deep furrow of worry between her eyes. She couldn’t even count on her work as a distraction. Why did they even keep this position around anymore, she thought to herself. The phone jarred her out of her thoughts. “Hello.”
“Elsie, it’s your father.”
Elsie felt a tightening in her gut. “Oh, hi Dad. Sorry I haven’t called for a while. I’ve been kind of busy lately.”
“Not with work, obviously.’
“No. Just some other stuff.”
“I read the paper this morning…and just like it has been for the last several months, the papers are full of the worst Vampire killer in Empire history. The authorities know that it is the same Vampire doing the killing but for some reason can’t catch this guy. Now I learn that the reason they are having difficulty is that he is an unregistered Vampire. Never before in Empire history has there been an unregistered Vampire.”
Elsie felt her stomach tense up even more.
“I’ve been meaning t
o come over and visit. Do you think I could come over and see you tonight? I’d like to ask Drake something while I’m over.”
“I already told you, I bled him out weeks ago!”
“For the love of crimson, I wish it were true, but I have a hard time believing that. You know that there was no way you were going to feed from him.”
Elsie’s head dropped.
“You converted him, didn’t you? And now he’s loose and on a killing rampage. And I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but I just heard breaking news that a Vampire killer is on the loose at the base of the dome. At the base, Elsie! Do you understand the implications of that? In a worst case scenario Drake could spearhead a revolt that could bring our whole way of life toppling down.”
Elsie bristled. “There is no way it could go that far. Sure, Drake is clever but, there is no way that he could lead the humans in a successful revolt. It’s just impossible and you know it.”
“Well, at the least, many innocent citizens are losing their precious lives to what you have created. You need to find him and talk some sense into him.”
“I already found him when he was still up top, and he wasn’t too receptive to coming back home, where he belongs.”
“Elsie, listen to yourself; it’s all about you. He’s a rabid animal and needs to be executed, not coddled in your home until he gets another urge to kill. Come to your senses, Elsie.”
“What do you propose I do? Admit to the cops what I did? It’s their strongest theory already. The woman Detective, Lang, is about as sharp as they come. Dad, I’m in so much shit. What should I do?” A torrent of pent up emotions came spilling out.
Tenderness and relief were revealed in her father’s smile. “We need to find him before the cops do, then we need to kill him and disfigure him so that he cannot be identified. Remember, they have no DNA from him before his first murder, so without a visual, they have nothing. You really have gotten yourself into a predicament, and now you’ve dragged me into it…along with your obvious accomplice-Tasha I presume. That’s my advice, because sure as blood is red, the cops will catch him, and when he talks, and I’m sure he will, you and Tasha are in big shit. So what’s it to be little lady? Do they even know what Drake looks like?”
“No. Luckily, Kamber has been really stubborn about giving them a picture. I’m the only one with personal photos of him.”
“Destroy them!”
Elsie grimaced. “I will, dad.”
“No, I mean it! That’s our big advantage. We know what he looks like…they don’t. We need to prevent them from finding him as much as we need to find him ourselves. You have a relationship with the people of the area, that’s another thing in our favor-we can do this.”
“Okay, Dad. When do we get started?”
“I’ll pick you up in 2 hours.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Just be ready to go. See you soon, sweetheart.”
Elsie hung up. A feeling of relief temporarily exceeded her fear of the overall situation. Just to be active in the most important event in her life. Crap, what a mess, she shook her head and thought of Drake and all of the trouble he was causing her. It’ll be a pleasure to rip his face off…and Megan’s, too.
She rushed home and collected enough things for a short road trip.
“Margaret. I’ll be away for a few days,” Elsie continued talking as she walked over to a wastebasket. “Please have Christopher do the shredding, today please. I’ll keep in touch and let you know when I’m coming home.”
A car horn distracted them both.
“Where is Christopher? He could have carried my bag out for me.”
“I can try to find him if you like, Ms. Fleck.”
“No. There’s no time for that. You can give me a hand.”
Margaret helped Elsie out with her travel bags and tried to stay out of her way. She waved at them as they drove away, glad to have Elsie out of the house for a few days; she was such an ill-tempered bitch lately. No wonder Christopher made himself scarce whenever she was home. Margaret hurried back into the house, eager to see what Elsie was in such a hurry to shred. Recognizing the pictures of Drake, Margaret retained 1, and returned the remainder to the bin.
***
Lang and Genn had been camped out at the Pless farm village for days with no sign of Drake.
Lang paced while Genn sat at the window and watched the workers go about their busy days. The young women were so beautiful; they pulled at him like a strong magnet.
Genn stood up suddenly. “I’m going to have to leave for a day soon,” he said.
“Yes, I know - they’re starting to look pretty good to me, too.”
“What’s your feeding schedule?” Genn asked.
“By the time you’re back, I’ll have to go back up to feed.”
“I don’t understand why we can’t feed down here,” Genn said. “You’d think they would make an allowance for us; what we’re doing is vital for dome safety and security. Ulah’s on a feeding frenzy down here and we can’t even partake in a completely legal feed? It’s crazy.”
“It’s a very strict rule that they won’t compromise for any reason. But you’re right, Ulah is the bigger threat to our way of life right now.”
Genn’s transfer reminder sounded on his phone. He angrily turned it off. “I know it’s time to feed. I don’t need a reminder for that!”
“You’ll need to go to a transfer station within 5 hours or a supervisor will track you down and remind you of your duty. Bye, Genn. See you in a day or so. I’ll try to wait for you before I apprehend Ulah.”
Genn sneered as he walked over to collect his gear.
“You’ll have to catch a ride. I may need the car.”
“Yeah, yeah,yeah. I’ll be thinking of you sitting here, bored, while I’m ripping into the soft flesh of a pretty young human. The blood is going to taste so good. Just sit at the window and watch all of the muscular, strong men walk by…hour after hour.” Genn smiled impishly. “By the time I’m back, all filled up and ready for our next lead, you’ll be desperate enough to feed off a 150-year-old human.” Now he laughed.
Lang’s distasteful expression smacked in her mouth. “Humans can’t even live that long, you doofis. Just hurry back.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t want to miss this collar.”
Genn’s phone rang. “Genn here. He listened intently and motioned to Lang to fetch a pen and paper. “Yeah, okay, I got it. Thanks.”
Genn tore the top page off the note pad and handed it to Lang. “A missing supervisor from the village of Westhaven.”
“That’s only 30 miles from here. How long has she been missing?”
“They figure a couple of hours-at the most.”
“They’re almost here,” Lang said.
“I can’t believe I have to leave,” Genn said. “Why would he be so stupid to come here, anyway? He must know this is where we would come to look for him first. And besides, he’s leaving a trail directly here. I thought this guy was supposed to be so smart.”
“I guess he figures this is his best option to start his crusade. It would be very difficult and riskier than this, to try to get a group of strangers together and demonstrate a killing in order to get them to believe. He would likely be reported and caught. Although this is also risky, it is his best chance. But, yeah, he has left a pretty obvious trail of mayhem. Haste, excitement and a certain confidence and comfort level at being back on his home turf, and I think he’s making a bravado statement to us. Calculated and careful in the fact that he respects us enough to know that we would naturally assume Plesston as his first destination.”
Genn shook his head. “We’re in kind of a tricky situation, aren’t we? Do we want to lure him in, or scare him away?”
Lang smiled-Genn was learning. “I don’t know, Genn. Our best shot of catching him is to lure him in. But, for the threat he poses to our existence, this is the most dangerous place for him to be. What do you think we should do?”
&nb
sp; “Well, he likely knows this area like the back of his hand, so catching him on the outskirts with our meager force is unlikely. So that tactic would only serve the purpose of scaring him away. What do you think the chances of catching him within the community are?”
“Slim and none. He’s too smart, and again, he knows the area too well. All we could do is tail and stakeout his closest friends and hope we get a lucky break.”
“With only 10 extra agents? The area is pretty spread out, but with lots of humans. Pless runs a pretty efficient farm. When I buy blood stock on line I see his brand on lots of my purchases,” Genn added.
“I’ll call, again, for reinforcements. They just don’t seem to get the urgency of the situation.”
“Well, they still don’t believe our crazy theory. They prefer to think of it as a clerical error. And, may I remind you, my good detective Lang, that we aren’t even sure that our suspicions are founded.”
Lang looked sideways at her partner.
“Yeah, I know. How can they be so stubborn? It’s so obvious.”
“They’re all over a thousand years old, and stuck in their ways and beliefs and comfortable lifestyles. It’s never happened before; therefore, it can never happen is the way they see it.”
“Do you think he could actually make enough humans believe him to make a difference?”
“I know it sounds far-fetched, but there’s never been a situation like this to compare it to. So I think we have to continue to treat it with the utmost urgency. Ulah has the advantage of being able to prove his claim. They just don’t seem to be able to grasp the importance of that little fact. How can you say something is an old wives tale after it’s been demonstrated right before your very eyes,” she vented.
Genn pictured the scene in his mind and shook his head at its implications. “So what do we do?”
“I don’t think even a complete quarantine of the area could keep him out. So we’ll bring in our agents from their field search and assign them to key spots within the community. Man, this is scary.”
Genn nodded and collected his keys from the table. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon sometime. I hope you catch the bloodless bastard.”
***
“We’ll need to disguise ourselves. If someone recognizes us, it will be an immediate complication,” Drake said to Megan as they walked briskly along. “How are you feeling?”
The Nectar of Eternal Life Page 17
