Vivienne pulled the phone away from me. “Listen to me, young lady,” she said, “we’ll have none of this. We will find both Chris and your mother.” Lily’s screaming stopped, the pitch of her voice returning to normal, and Vivienne listened intently. “Of course, ma cher, you may come along, I would expect nothing less of you.” Viv nodded. “And Claude as well. I will make all the arrangements. Just see that the two of you are here as quickly as possible following sundown. We’ll drive to London and stay over to catch a flight the next night. Now here is Mitch again.”
She handed the phone to me. “Lily? It’ll be okay, I promise. Can you and Claude drive one of the cars? Sam, Viv, and I will take the other one.”
“Yeah,” she said with a choked laugh, “I can manage that. We’ll just have to watch out for Vivienne’s cows on the way. See you tomorrow at dusk.”
I hung up the phone, shaking my head and giving a small snort. “Cows again. I can’t believe it.”
“There were,” Vivienne’s eyes laughed and she crossed her heart with a flourish, “so very, very many cows on the road. I swear.”
I shook my head then stretched and pushed my fingers through my hair. “Tomorrow night’s going to be hectic. Let’s try to get some sleep. You two take the bed, I’ll take the couch.”
Sleep evaded me even after Viv and Sam quit whispering and slept. I could still scent Deirdre in the apartment. Could still smell her on my skin, regardless of the shower I’d taken. I replayed the events that’d happened since we arrived in Whitby and had to admit that everything Sam said made perfect sense. All the signs were there. Deirdre’s vomiting, especially after the taking of blood, the weakness and the fever and the pain, the inability to change her form, the way she couldn’t tolerate the extremely hot shower she’d always loved.
Yet, it made no sense. How could it be possible? I punched the couch pillow. Life had become exasperating in the past few years. And just because something wasn’t possible, didn’t make it untrue. My own existence and the fact that my son lived again proved that.
I swore under my breath and stared at the dying fire. Then I got up from the couch and sat down at the computer, calling up driving instructions from Whitby to London and printing out two copies. Then I did a search on the name Steven DeRouchard and found the transcript of the retraction given by Terri Hamilton on RealLife Vampires and a few references to the DeRouchard family funeral homes. There were no pictures of the man to be found; I’d once seen a photograph of him when he was a child, standing next to his brother and his father.
As I remembered, he’d been blond in that photo. That fact proved useless in identifying the man; even normal children’s hair often darkened with age. As a man, an Other, he’d grow the body to match the soul. But whose soul? Who hated Deirdre this much to want to do this to her? My first thought had been Larry Martin, but since he’d died the same time Chris had, he was out of the running. I gave a grim chuckle while pulling up the information on the DeRouchard funeral homes. Too damn many dead people walking around these days and Larry’d already lived two lives. More than enough for a lunatic like him.
The DeRouchard funeral parlors seemed to be located in only two cities: New Orleans and New York City. No doubt the Others had similar setups all over the world. What better place than a mortuary for their murderous rites? The transfer of Chris occurred in New York City, but Maggie had chosen to go on to New Orleans from New York. Not that it made much difference. Finding a single person in either city was like finding a needle in a haystack. At least in New York I’d have the benefits of contacts in all the police departments. Certainly contrary enough, she probably avoided the city just for that reason.
I didn’t like New Orleans; I’d been held prisoner there by Deirdre’s daughter. And I’d faced the unthinkable monster of DeRouchard there. Victor, though, had eliminated him. Victor. I shook my head. And where had he gone? I’d never been convinced that there was anything wrong with him, mentally. All of the little poses of illness and insanity were the perfect cover for someone who’d always pulled the strings. I remembered Lily complaining that his mind had gone and how one night she’d come home and heard him talking to—
“Son of a bitch!”
Vivienne sat straight up in bed. “Mitch? What is it?”
“Max. Goddamn son of a bitch, I should have known all along. Who else could it be? Max Hunter is the soul occupying the body of Steven DeRouchard.”
“Max?”
“It has to be. There’s no other answer. The timing seems right. I wonder . . .”
“What is it? Is there a problem?” Sam’s voice sounded sleepy.
“Go back to sleep, mon beau, you need your rest.” She rose from the bed, affording me a quick glance of her silky white skin before she wrapped a blanket around herself and walked over to me. “Here,” she said, giving me a little push, “you go open another bottle of wine for us and let Vivienne do her magic on the computer. I was out of the country for the blessed event of Max’s death. What date, do you know?”
I thought for a moment. “Deirdre would know.” I winced when I realized that probably wasn’t true, by now she’d no doubt have lost all of her memories. “I don’t recall the exact date. I was pretty badly beaten up and spent a lot of time in the hospital. Mid-December, I’d guess, seven years ago.” I heard her typing as I went to the kitchen and opened another bottle of wine.
“Voilà,” she said quietly as I came back into the room. “It is quite easy when one knows where to look. Steven DeRouchard was born, amazingly enough, in the same time period. Now Sam would say,” she smiled, displaying her dimples, “that we haven’t enough direct evidence to support this theory and that further testing is in order, but I have this feeling that you are right. I wish you weren’t.” She took the glass of wine I offered her and drank it in one long swallow. “Max has never been a creature to be fooled with. I don’t imagine his rebirth as an Other will have given him a better disposition or made him any easier to handle.”
“But why?”
“Eduard,” she said the name with a growl in her voice, “would have thought him useful, no doubt.”
“No, I mean why would Max go to all this trouble to take Deirdre? She killed him once; she’ll do it again.”
Vivienne laughed. “Killing him apparently does no good. Too bad.” She paused for a moment and then gave a little gasp. “What if she is pregnant, Mitch? What will he do to the little one when it’s born? The Others are not exactly known for their pleasant treatment of newborn children.”
That horrible thought had never occurred to me until she mentioned it. “No, Vivienne.” My fists clenched and my voice rose. “No, that will not happen. I will not allow it.”
I moved away from her and punched my hand into the steel shutters covering the window. The pain cleared my head, but did nothing for the lead weight in my stomach. “Damn it, I’d give my right arm now for the ability to go out in the sun. My wife and my child, possibly my two children, are in danger. And I’m stuck here, like some caged animal.”
“Hush, hush,” she came up behind me and rubbed my shoulders, then took me by the hand and led me to the couch. “Here,” she said, taking my head into her hands and looking into my eyes with her gray ageless stare, “I will make it all better. You can do nothing now, Mitch. And what will be, will be. No amount of raging will change it. So sleep.”
As I’d always suspected Victor was faking his senility, I’d also suspected Vivienne carried more power than she ever displayed. Now, I knew that was true. Somehow, she entered my mind and my eyes opened wide for one second in surprise, before they drooped and closed, barely leaving any time for my final thought. Can she teach me how to do that?
Chapter 8
I woke later that afternoon, more than well rested. It looked as if Vivienne and Sam had been awake for a while. Sam had stacked their bags by the front door and was now washing the dirty glasses in the kitchen. Vivienne sat at the computer again. She glanced over her shoulder
at me and flashed me a twisted smile.
“Sleep well, mon chou?”
I laughed and rubbed my chin. “You know I did, Viv. If you could bottle that power, you’d be a rich lady.”
Her high-pitched melodic laugh filled the apartment. “I am already rich. The lady part, alas, has always been questionable.”
“You won’t be rich for long if you don’t quit spending it,” Sam called from the kitchen. “Seriously, how many black leather corsets does one vampire need?”
“That, my darling doctor, is a silly question. You might as well ask how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.”
Ignoring their banter, I pulled a large duffel bag from the closet and began to load it with clothes, mine and Deirdre’s. We didn’t have much these days, having lost most of our earthly possessions when the Others took over Cadre holdings. The lack never bothered me and if it bothered Deirdre, she never let on. Collecting our items in the bathroom, toothbrushes, shaving kit, cosmetics, and hair dye, I grew angry again about what had happened. All the two of us had ever wanted was a life together, a place to call our own, and a little peace of mind. My stomach growled. “And a good meal,” I said savagely, tossing the rest of our toiletries into the bag. “Are you sure we can’t use that blood you provided, Sam?”
“Positive,” he said, moving out of the kitchen after drying the glasses he’d washed. “We’ll find an untainted supply soon, I’m sure. For now, though, it’s better to be safe. I’ve emptied them all out and thrown the bags away.”
“Good. Seal up the garbage bag and we’ll get rid of that in the can out back. And then we’ll be on our way.”
“London,” Vivienne said with a nod, “is a wonderful city; filled with all sorts of people. No one need go hungry for too long and we’ll have hours before dawn to hunt after we arrive.”
The phone rang. I didn’t jump this time, but picked it up immediately. “Yeah?”
“Sundown, Mitch,” Lily said. “Claude and I will be there soon. Do you want us to follow you?”
“Sure, but I also have driving directions for you in case we get separated. And Viv has your e-tickets and boarding passes. We should be all set.”
“Great. See you in a minute or two.”
Hanging up the phone, I looked around the apartment. There wasn’t much left of us and the life we shared here: crumpled blankets and sheets, a few bottles of wine, and a glass or two. Still, I took in one great gasp of air, pulling in what scent of her remained. It would have to do until I found her. And find her, I would.
Vivienne tilted her head to one side, laying a soft hand on my arm. “Are you ready?”
“More than ready,” I said.
Downstairs, I dumped the garbage in the can, locked the back door, and turned out the lights in the kitchen. In Maggie’s room, I left a note for Pete, so he would know where we’d all gone and promised to call when I got the chance to fill him in as much as I could. The calendar on the wall had his return date circled: two days from now. Bad timing, I thought, if Deirdre shows up, no one will be here. Useless to worry about that, somehow I knew she was far away by now.
Lily and Claude arrived, knocked on the front door of the pub, and walked in. “I’m sorry I acted like such a shit on the phone, Mitch,” she said, giving me a hurried hug. “I’m so worried about, oh, about all of it. Maggie’s taken Chris off somewhere, Victor’s nowhere to be found and Deirdre’s gone without a trace. It’s so typical of her. Just when I was finally starting to like her, she up and disappears on me.” Lily clamped her hand over her mouth, looking embarrassed. “I’m sorry again, I didn’t mean that quite the way it sounded. But you know what I mean, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I do. Don’t worry about it, kiddo.” I kissed the top of her head.
“And I know why you have to follow after Chris and I know what a bitch of a decision that is for you. I’ve been thinking about it all, and let’s be realistic, Mom can probably take care of herself after all this time, right? In spite of how she seemed so frail the night before last—like one bad word would break her. She’ll be fine, she’s a fighter, isn’t she?” Lily’s eyes shone with unshed tears.
“Do not worry, child, it will take more than this to break my sister.” Vivienne kissed Lily on both cheeks and then turned to reach up and pat Claude on the cheek. “Good evening, mon petit chou.”
Claude murmured a greeting and pulled a white handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe his brow, a hold-out habit from his human days.
“Now,” Viv said, “if we are going to get anywhere, I suggest we leave now.”
Claude groaned. “I hate the thoughts of crawling back into that tin can of a car, but let’s get it over with.”
“I’ll drive,” Lily said, “and you can just stretch out in the backseat.”
I watched in amazement as Claude curled up into a car two sizes too small for him. Funny, how I tended to forget how large he really was; he was so quiet in manner and had developed an almost invisible stance in the world. In a strange way, he reminded me of Moe, the mastiff stray who’d adopted Deirdre. For all the good it ever did her. Or him. Damn.
I handed Lily her directions and her tickets, gave her shoulders a brief squeeze, then Sam and I loaded our bags into the trunk of his rental car. Like Claude, Viv took the backseat. “I may want to nap,” she said, “it is always good to conserve one’s energy until it’s needed. I get a better view back here, as well, so I can watch for the cows.” She giggled. “Such silly cows. And you can navigate for Sam. Even after all my centuries on this earth, I’ve still never learned how to read a map.”
The night was clear and cold and felt strangely empty to me. I looked back once at the breathtaking view of the ruined abbey on the hill, then turned in the seat and left Whitby behind me. Even if we managed to get our lives back, we wouldn’t live them here. I’d never return to this place.
The first hour or so we drove in silence. Sam concentrated on the road, pausing only to glance at the directions. Vivienne seemed absorbed in the landscape and I chewed on my own thoughts, trying to make some sense of it all.
Just as we merged onto M1, Sam turned to me and smiled. “That was the worst of it, from here on it’s pretty much freeway driving. As long as I remember which side of the road to stay on, we’ll do okay.”
I turned around in my seat and checked on the rest of the crew. Vivienne was sleeping and Lily and Claude were a few cars behind us. “I guess Viv’s given up on spotting the cows.”
Sam craned his head up to see her in the rearview mirror. “She’s an angel, isn’t she?” he said, smiling.
I shrugged. “She’s pretty enough, but . . .”
“Yeah, I know. She’s not Deirdre. Totally different personality type, for one thing. Our little swan is a sociopath, I’m afraid. But for all of that, I worship the ground she walks on. Still, it takes some getting used to.”
“You two seem to get along pretty well.”
“Yeah, we do. Now. Once I realized that she was what she was, really knew, then we adjusted.” He leaned toward me and lowered his voice to a whisper, “I don’t quite know what I’d do without her. But I think I’m going to lose her. And maybe soon.”
“Why would you say that, Sam?”
He shook his head and his hands tightened on the wheel. “We’ll talk later, this next bit of road is sort of tricky.”
The road didn’t look tricky to me, but I kept my mouth shut. If the man wanted to confide in me, he would in his own time and his own way. The relationship between them was none of my business and I had more than enough other things to occupy my mind.
“I’m going to make a stop at the next service area.” Sam’s voice returned to its normal level. “You folks might be able to fly all night, but I need to stretch my legs and get a cup of something hot. Coffee would be nice, but I’ll take tea if that’s all there is.”
There was coffee, it turned out, strong enough to keep Sam wide awake and alert for the rest of the journey. Lily and Cl
aude followed us into the rest area, also looking for sustenance, but of a different sort. Lily found hers in the form of a gaunt boy dressed all in black leather with enough visible piercings to make me wince. Claude waited by our car, and when we came out of the little kiosk that held the food and drink machines, he held the door open for Vivienne to get into the car.
“Merci,” she said to him, curling up into the backseat. “See you in London. And tell Lily to watch out for the cows.” She giggled to herself and Claude nodded seriously, then leaned in toward Sam who was seated once again behind the wheel. “I’ll wait here for Lily, but you three might as well go ahead. We know where we’re going.”
“If you’re sure,” Sam said, putting the car into gear, “we’ll see you there.”
Viv turned and waved to him as we drove away. “He is a good man, no? Devoted and loyal.”
“Yeah,” I said, leaning my arm over the seat and looking back at her. “He makes a very good watchdog.”
She sighed then and started to say something, glanced at the back of Sam’s head, and gave her head a small shake. “Poor Claude,” she said finally. “Perhaps I should have left him in the blues club where I found him. I fear he is not happy with the life I chose for him.”
“He does okay, Viv. And I’m sure you gave him a choice.”
“Do any of them have a choice, Mitch? Is there a way to withstand the allure?”
“Sam’s managed.” I blurted it out, saw his hands tighten on the wheel, and wished I’d kept my mouth shut.
“Yes, but my Sam is an exception.” She reached up and tickled the back of his neck. “Aren’t you, mon amour?”
He laughed a humorless laugh. “Always the exception, Vivienne, sweetheart. After all, someone has to keep you vampires amused.”
“Just so,” Viv said, then sighed again, resting her head against the side window.
Blood Red Dawn Page 6
