Vampire Next Door

by Angela Snyder

  * * *

  Jane sat in a chair beside the hospital bed. Her hands were wrapped around Jack's lifeless hand. His skin was cold, and it made her shiver. The doctor had explained that they did everything they could to try to keep him alive, but that he had died on the operating table.

  She closed her eyes and whispered, "You're all that I have. What am I going to do without you now?" she asked, her voice quivering as she broke down into a sob.

  She heard footsteps behind her. "Jane," Matt said softly. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

  She opened her eyes. She knew what Matt was going to say. It was time for them to go, but she didn't want to leave him. She soothingly rubbed the back of Jack's hand. She didn't want to leave him alone. She didn't want to say goodbye.

  Matt squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sorry I have to tell you…but we have to…" his voice trailed off.

  Jane reluctantly released Jack's hand and stood. She leaned over him and stared at his handsome face. The right side was covered in blood, and she looked away quickly. She focused on his mouth instead. His soft lips that had kissed her more times than she would be able to count. She yearned to hear him tell her that he loved her one more time.

  Tears fell from her eyes and landed on his cheek. She wiped them away gently. "I love you, Jack," she whispered to him. "I'll never stop loving you." She swallowed hard around the lump forming in her throat. "And I love you more. I love you more than you'll ever know."

  She leaned over and kissed his forehead. Then with all of her strength, she turned and allowed Matt to wrap his arm around her and lead her out of the hospital room.

  * * *

  "Jane," Matt said softly. He reached over and touched her hand, and she jumped. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

  She shook her head. "It's okay." She looked up at the detective sitting behind the desk. He was the same police officer who had visited her in the hospital and had taken her fingerprints. That was at a time in her life when she had nothing and no one. That seemed so long ago, and yet she felt as if her world was coming full circle once again. "Did you ask me a question?"

  Detective Robbins nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I asked if your husband had any enemies?"

  Jane thought for a moment, but her mind was cloudy. "None that I know of," she said quietly.

  The detective scribbled some notes down on the paper in front of him. "We are gathering the security cam footage from the parking garage as we speak. Witnesses said that the attacker had a long scar on the side of his face. We might be able to pick up this perp by tomorrow if we can ID him." He looked up at Jane. "I'm sorry for your loss, ma'am."

  Jane's eyes dropped down at the hands in her lap and gave a slight nod.

  Robbins glanced at Matt. "And I'm sorry you lost your brother, Officer Walker."

  Matt grimly said, "If you find out anything, I want to be the first to know."

  "Yes, of course," the detective said. "I'm sorry that I can't be of more help right now."

  Matt stood and turned to Jane. "We'll do everything in our power to find out who did this, Jane." He helped her to stand and led her out of the police station and to the car.

  Jane stared out the window as Matt drove. She felt drained and mentally exhausted. As Matt pulled the vehicle into her driveway, Jane went on autopilot and climbed out of the car. She unlocked the door and walked in the house.

  Matt followed her inside and shut the door behind him.

  Jane stood in the kitchen, wringing her hands nervously. It was late, but the thought of going upstairs to an empty bed terrified her. "I'm going to make some coffee. Would you like a cup?" she asked.

  "Sure."

  She reached up into the cupboard and retrieved two coffee mugs. Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the cups and tried to close the cupboard door. One of the mugs fell and crashed to the laminate floor, shattering upon impact. "Damn," she muttered. She kneeled down and began to pick the pieces up.

  "Let me help," Matt said, kneeling beside her.

  Tears blurred her vision as she retrieved the broken pieces. A sob escaped her lips, and she couldn't control her emotions any longer.

  "Jane," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

  She looked up at him. For a moment, she just wanted to pretend that Jack wasn't gone. She threw herself into Matt's arms. She fit perfectly just as she had with Jack.

  He slowly wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried. "It'll be all right," he whispered in her hair. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," he promised.

  ONE YEAR LATER

  CHAPTER 14

  THE PHONE ON the nightstand rang six times before Jane could wake herself enough to find it and answer it. She glanced at the clock. It was 8:45, which was late for her to be waking up even for a Saturday, although she had every reason for not wanting to face the world that morning. The day marked exactly one year since Jack had died. She put the receiver up to her ear and asked, "Hello?"

  "Jane, it's Margaret."

  Jane closed her eyes. She had kept a tight-knit relationship with Jack's family since he passed. Margaret, his mother, regularly called, and they had gone on several lunch dates over the past year. After all, she had something in common with Margaret — they both had lost their husbands. "Hi, Margaret." She hesitated and tried to think of something to say. "How are you?" she asked.

  "As good as can be expected on a day like today," she answered softly. "I was wondering if you would like to go with Matthew and I to Jack's grave today. Matt said he could pick you up at ten."

  Jane threw her legs over the side of the bed and let her feet dangle above her slippers. She didn't know whether she wanted to accept the offer. She hadn't been able to force herself to visit Jack's grave since the day of the funeral. "Margaret, I —" she started, but Margaret didn't let her finish.

  "I just think it would be really nice for us to all go together. Jack would have wanted that."

  Jane closed her eyes. Margaret was right. Jack would have wanted that. She inhaled deeply and then said, "Okay. Tell Matt ten is fine."

  "I'll see you soon, dear."

  "Bye, Margaret." She ended the call.

  Jane released a long sigh. Her feet slid into the slippers as she stood and walked to the other side of the room. She went through her daily ritual of opening the curtains to the three windows in the bedroom. She pried the fabric open and stared out at the gloomy, overcast sky that matched her mood and did little to brighten the room.

  She made her way into the bathroom and showered. The warm water did little to calm her nerves. After the shower, she wrapped her long hair into a towel around the top of her head. She stared at herself in the mirror as she applied makeup. Her ever-present frown had been her only expression for the past year. She felt empty on the inside, and it was a constant reminder on her face.

  Turning from the mirror, she stripped the towel off her head and proceeded to blow-dry her hair upside down. The heat felt good as she ran her fingers through her long tresses. Then she used a flat iron quickly on her hair to smooth it completely.

  When she was finished, she retreated back into the bedroom and opened the doors to the walk-in closet. She stared at her side of the closet on the right. Then she glanced at Jack's side of the closet where his clothes still hung just how he had left them. Her fingertips grazed against one of his favorite ties. She closed her eyes and felt her heart constrict. She hadn't been able to donate his clothes as she had promised herself months ago. His belongings were the only things she had left of Jack, and to throw them out felt wrong.

  Jane turned away from the tie and quickly pulled out an outfit comprising of gray dress pants, a white cami and a gray blazer. She dressed and slipped her feet into a pair of gray pumps.

  Glancing at herself in the full-length mirror, she stared down at the wedding ring on her left hand. She had worn the ring every day since their wedding. In time, she knew that when she was ready, she would be able to take the ring off a
nd put it away for good. She just didn't know when or if that day would come.

  The doorbell rang disrupting her daydream. "Perfect timing, Matt," she said out loud as she grabbed her purse from on top of the dresser and made her way down the stairs.

  She opened the door, and Matt flashed a big smile. "Hey," he said. He pulled her in close for a hug, as he always did.

  The closeness of him was almost too much for her to bear. It wasn't just the fact that he and Jack looked identical. Everything about Matt reminded her of Jack.

  She was the first, like always, to break the embrace. "Hi."

  Matt had been a steady presence in her life especially since he had moved into the foreclosed house a few miles up the road a couple of months back. He was always checking on her and fixing things that went wrong in her house. She was thankful to have him in her life even though every time she laid eyes on him, her heart ached for her dead husband.

  "We'll pick my mom up on the way." He stood aside to allow Jane room to walk out of the house. "Looks like your neighbors are moving out," he commented.

  Jane looked up. A large moving truck was parked outside of the house directly across the yard from hers. "The Johnsons are moving," she said in disbelief.

  "Looks that way."

  Mr. and Mrs. Johnson had been the best neighbors Jane could have asked for. They were an older couple and had moved into the house a few years ago where they planned to spend their retirement. After Jack passed, Mr. Johnson was always mowing Jane's lawn, and Mrs. Johnson was always bringing over casseroles and pies. The couple had an extensive library and had spent a small fortune in Jane's store. Jane found it odd that they would be moving without telling her since they had grown so close over the years.

  "Are you ready?" Matt asked, bringing her back to reality.

  Jane nodded and followed him down the sidewalk to the car. She decided that she would investigate the Johnsons' moving decision when she returned.

  Matt opened the car door for her, and she climbed inside. Once he was behind the steering wheel, he started the engine. The car pulled away from the curb, and they cruised down the road towards his mother's house.

  "So how has it been going with the store lately?" Matt asked.

  "It's been okay." The book sales had been slowly decreasing as e-books became increasingly popular. In an attempt to increase her customer base, Jane had added a small café, which had helped significantly. She had a group of regulars, four older gentlemen, who she had deemed the coffee club. They drank more coffee and ate more bagels than she thought humanly possible. The local book club was a big plus as well. She was constantly ordering multiple copies of best sellers to fulfill the book club's demands.

  "You know if you need help financially —."

  Jane put her hand up, stopping him. "Matt, I appreciate the offer, but things are fine. The café has really helped over the past few months."

  He nodded. "Okay. But you know you can ask me for anything."

  Jane glanced at him and smiled. She did know that Matt would do anything for her, and she appreciated his offer. "I know. Thank you."

  He pulled the car into the driveway of his mother's house. Jane climbed out of the passenger's seat and sat in the back, so that his mother could sit in the front. Margaret walked to the car. "Oh, Jane, you could have stayed in the front."

  "It's all right. I want you to be comfortable."

  Margaret smiled widely. "You're always so thoughtful, Jane."

  When everyone was in the car and the doors were shut, Matt pulled out of the driveway, and they headed down the road once again. The cemetery was only a few miles away, and Margaret chatted the entire time.

  The Bedford Valley Cemetery sign came into view, and Jane felt a wave of anxiety wash over her. She had been putting off the visit to Jack's grave for far too long, but she realized in that moment that she still wasn't mentally ready.

  Matt turned onto the blacktopped road situated between two brick pillars. He took the road to the left and drove over the steep hill. Jane stared out at the numerous tombstones littered through the grass. Her heart began to beat a little faster as the car turned left onto the narrow road at the top lined with tall pine trees. Memories of the night Jack died were fresh in her mind, and she tried to suppress them. It didn't seem possible that an entire year had passed when it felt like time had completely stopped the night Jack died.

  Matt parked in front of a large stone mausoleum, which sat on the right. As everyone climbed out of the car, Jane closed her eyes and held onto the door for a moment. The memory of Jack's funeral came flooding back. She had felt so numb on that day, unaware of her surroundings. She still didn't know how she had gotten through that day. It was an entire year later, and not much had changed. No one had been arrested nor charged for Jack's murder, and the thought haunted her at night. His killer was still out there living, and Jack was gone. It wasn't fair, and she just wanted to know why. Why Jack?

  Margaret and Matt started toward the grave, and Jane followed slowly behind. The tombstone was down a set of cement stairs on a grassy slope and at the end of the second row. Jane's legs felt heavier with every small step she took. Matt stopped walking and looked back at her. When she caught up to him, he held out his bent arm. She placed her hand around his arm, thankful for the support. They walked slowly, and eventually caught up to Margaret.

  "I planted miniature roses," Margaret commented.

  Jane stared at the blooms of tiny white roses. Then her eyes ventured across the name Jack L. Walker etched into the black, reflective gravestone. She tightened her grip on Matt's arm, and he glanced down at her.

  Margaret leaned down and pulled out a few weeds that had sprouted up around the roses. Then she placed her hand on top of the tombstone. "We miss you, Jack. You left this world just like your father — too soon."

  Several minutes of silence passed as the three of them huddled together beside Jack's grave. Wiping tears away, Margaret said, "Well, I'm going to go back to the car." She turned to Matt. "Let's leave Jane alone for a little while." She gave Jane's shoulder a light squeeze. "We'll see you back at the car, Jane."

  Margaret walked back towards the car, and Matt reluctantly walked away, but lingered in the distance.

  Jane stared down at the tombstone. "Jack," she whispered. "I miss you so much. You were the only person I knew and the only person I loved." She swallowed hard against the lump forming in her throat. "I don't know how much more I can take. I feel so empty inside. My memory hasn't come back, and perhaps it never will."

  She stared at his tombstone. Everything that she could not and would not feel on the day of his funeral rushed to the surface. She couldn't wipe away the tears fast enough. Feeling lightheaded, she quickly grasped onto the tombstone. Within seconds, Matt was at her side. "I think that's enough for today," he said, placing an arm around her for support. "Let's go back to the car."

  Jane nodded and allowed him to lead her back to the vehicle. Margaret was leaning out of the car door with a concerned look on her face. "Did you faint, dear?" she asked.

  Jane shook her head. "No. The fainting spells aren't nearly as bad with the medication I'm on."

  "That's good to hear."

  Matt helped Jane into the car and then went around to get in the driver's seat. They left the cemetery and drove back towards Margaret's house. Margaret glanced at Matt. "I think now is a good time to tell Jane about this weekend."

  Matt nodded in agreement. He stared into the rearview mirror at Jane. "Everyone is going to the lake house."

  The lake house was a half an hour away from Bedford Valley. Jack had taken Jane there several times when they were together to get away from the world. It was a beautiful and peaceful place.

  Margaret cleared her throat. "You are part of our family, Jane, and we want you to be there."

  Jane hesitated. "But the store —."

  Matt interrupted her by saying, "I'm sure Ashley could cover for you, couldn't she?" He glanced at her in the mirror
again. "Besides, Uncle Don is going to be there. He just got back from his trip to Alaska, and I'm sure he's going to have a lot of stories to share."

  Uncle Don was smart, funny and a jack-of-all-trades. He had always made Jane feel welcome and always had the funniest and tallest of tales to tell.

  "You can't say no to a weekend with Uncle Don," Matt said, grinning.

  Jane chuckled. "No. I guess I can't."

  Margaret clasped her hands together and smiled. "Great. Matt will pick you up Friday afternoon."

  Matt stopped the car in Margaret's driveway, and Jane returned to the passenger's seat. "See you next weekend, dear," Margaret called before she disappeared into her house.

  On the way to Jane's house, Matt said, "My mom really loves you. You know, she thinks of you as the daughter she never had. She told me that."

  Jane nodded. "Well, I think of her as the mother I never had." Or the mother I don't remember she silently corrected. Her mother could be out there somewhere, but unless Jane regained her memory, she would never find her.

  Perhaps sensing her tension, Matt reached over and squeezed her hand. "Hey, even if you never remember your real family, you have all of us. We are your family, Jane." His fingertips skimmed over her wedding ring. He glanced down at the ring, but didn't say anything.

  Matt pulled the car into her driveway and parked it. They both stepped out, and Matt walked Jane to the front door. She fumbled with her purse and retrieved the house keys. She felt exhausted even though she had been awake for less than three hours. It was already an arduous day for her, and she didn't know if she was ready to face the rest of it.

  Jane's hands shook as she attempted to fit the key into the lock. Matt's hand grasped hers to hold it steady. "It's okay," he murmured.

  She stared down at his hand over hers. "I can't believe it's been a year," she whispered, her voice breaking.

  "I know," he replied.

  She looked up at him. "Thank you for being there for me, Matt."