Andrew came into the four season room trying to balance the tray with beer, snacks, and cell phone. He put the tray and cell phone down by the edge of the indoor hot tub. It was really nice to have an indoor hot tub since they remodeled the four season room this past summer. It sure was a lot better than freezing your butt off going outside in the snow and cold if you wanted to take a dip in the hot tub.
Andrew tossed his robe and towel on one of the wicker chairs. The soothing waters of the hot tub really felt good as Andrew slipped into it. He opened an ice cold brew and took a long, slow swig. It hit the spot perfectly. Andrew grabbed his phone when it started buzzing. It was a text message from Megan.
“Conference is okay,” Andrew read aloud the text.
“I felt the baby moving during dinner.”
“Miss you and the baby terribly. When you coming home?” Andrew texted back. He took another drink waiting for Megan’s reply. His phone buzzed.
“One week. Miss you too. What are you doing?”
“I’m in the hot tub with a beer, but no one to share with.” Andrew typed. He pressed the send key. Andrew opened the bag of chips and had just put some in his mouth when his phone buzzed again.
“LOL,” Andrew read Megan’s text. “Better be alone or you’re in big trouble.”
“No worries. Better get some sleep. Text me tomorrow.” Andrew replied. He hit the send button.
“Luv you. Later.” Megan texted him back.
Andrew closed his phone and set it down. Andrew grabbed some more chips. As he was chewing away, his phone buzzed.
“Doesn’t she ever sleep,” Andrew laughed. He flipped open his phone. It was Maggie and Sam.
“What’s up?” Andrew answered the call. He listened to his aunt. “I’m just sitting in the hot tub drinking beer and trying to relax,” Andrew replied. He paused and then said, “How’s the weather in Arizona? Is Sam bored yet?” Andrew laughed at his Aunt’s reply that Sam was indeed bored, but was enjoying the nice weather. Andrew listened some more. “No I’m not working on any case right now,” Andrew said. “I’m just trying to get some rest that’s all, nothing more.” He finished off his beer. “Yes, Megan’s in Chicago for a national newspaper conference.” Andrew told her. “The baby is doing fine.” Andrew opened another beer. “Yes, I’ll have Megan call you when she gets home,” Andrew promised his aunt. “I love you too,” Andrew answered before closing his phone. He didn’t want anymore interruptions, so Andrew powered off his cell phone. Andrew tossed his phone on one of the wicker chairs. He put the beer down and reclined back against the cushioned edge of the hot tub. Andrew inhaled and exhaled deeply as he let the soothing waters take over. Finally, there was peace and quiet.
Andrew heard the doorbell announce the arrival of a visitor and his quiet time vanished completely. Andrew grudgingly rose out of the hot tub and grabbed his robe. According to the clock on the wall it was almost eight thirty. Who would be so bold as to disturb his quiet time? The office was locked up for the night and none of his clients knew his home address. So who could it be?
Andrew left the four season room and walked through the foyer to the front door. He already felt chilled and drew his robe closed even tighter. Andrew opened the front door.
He saw a woman with wispy blond hair dressed in a nurse’s uniform carrying a briefcase. He didn’t know her, but of course he did recognize the man with her. It was Father Michael, his parish priest. The old priest wore bifocals and had much less hair than Andrew remembered.
“Andrew,” Father Michael smiled at him. They embraced briefly. Father Michael, in return, introduced the woman with him. “Andrew this is Nedra Collins.”
“Nice to meet you,” Andrew said, shaking her hand.
“Mister Knight?” Nedra blurted out, “I want to hire you to find my son.”
“We need to explain,” Father Michael apologized. “Do you have a moment?”
“Please come in,” Andrew said. “Go sit down in the family room while I go change.”
Nedra and Father Michael went to the spacious and nicely decorated room as Andrew went upstairs to change. “So much for peace and quiet,” Andrew grumbled as he went into the bedroom. He quickly took off his wet trunks and robe and threw on a pair of jeans and sweat shirt. He slipped on a pair of leather slippers and went back downstairs.
Andrew joined his guests in the family room. He sat down on the sofa. Nedra and Father Michael were already seated in the chairs in front of the fireplace.
“So tell me all about it,” Andrew settled back.
“Two weeks ago my son’s girlfriend and her family were attacked,” Nedra said.
“That was the Higgins family in the news, right?” Andrew interjected.
“Yes,” Father Michael answered.
“What does that have to do with your son?”
“My son was a member of the Ravenclaw coven,” Nedra explained. “The coven consists of five clans. There are, the Higgins, Drakes, Bristols, Hancocks, and Moores. The leader of the coven is a man called Vlad Ravenclaw. Wyatt was excommunicated because he violated the governing laws of the coven. My youngest son Chad is your average sixteen year old. His girlfriend Amber is from the Bristol’s family.”
“Did you say coven?” Andrew interrupted. “Were they witches?”
“No, vampires,” Nedra answered.
“Did you say vampires?” Andrew was taken aback.
“They perform blood rituals,” Father Michael explained. “They drink human blood from donors. The church has never condoned this type of behavior. Since the murders, the rest of the Ravenclaw coven has gone into hiding. Vlad Ravenclaw believes that the clan is the target of a secret society of vampire slayers.”
“I’m sorry but would you like something to drink?” Andrew suddenly remembered his manners.
“Some coffee would be nice,” they answered.
“I’ll be right back,” Andrew excused himself and went to the kitchen.
“You said he would help,” Nedra looked worriedly in the direction Andrew had gone.
“Andrew is a good man,” Father Michael answered. “He’s also the best private investigator I know. He will find your son, trust me.”
Andrew returned a short time later with a serving tray with a coffee carafe, cups and cream and sugar. He set it down on the coffee table and quickly served up some for his guests. He then served himself and sat back down.
“While I was in the kitchen, I came to several conclusions,” Andrew took a sip from his cup. “First of all, I don’t believe you’ve told me everything. Second, from the tone of urgency in your voice I get the sense that you feel your son is in danger. And lastly, you believe that your son, Wyatt, is involved somehow with the attack on the Higgin’s family.”
“My son suffers from Renfield’s syndrome,” Nedra finally confessed. “He was receiving psychiatric treatment for the condition.”
“I’m not familiar with Renfield’s syndrome,” Andrew said. “Who was his psychiatrist?”
“Okay,” Nedra drew a deep breath. She explained, “Renfield’s syndrome, also called simply Renfield syndrome and traditionally known as clinical vampirism. It is a mental disorder used to describe an obsession to drink blood.”
“When did you first notice it in your son?”
“When my son was young, he fell off his bike and scraped his knees,” Nedra further explained. “He put his hand on the injuries to stop the bleeding. When I got there I saw Wyatt licking the blood off his hands. As soon as Wyatt saw me, he immediately stopped.” Nedra stopped to finally take a drink from her cup. Andrew picked up on the sadness in her voice as she continued, “When Wyatt reached puberty it became worse, almost a sexual arousal with him whenever he saw blood. He also was cutting himself.”
“Is that when he met the Higgins girl?”
“Yes,” Nedra replied. “That’s when he met Storm.”
“So they brought him into the clan then, right?”
“Yes,” Nedra said. “Jonathan, Natasha, Peter and Storm inducted Wyatt into their clan. There were others that also joined. Wyatt told me that they had agreed upon to follow the laws set forth by the coven. The members of the coven would carefully screen those who were willing to be blood donors for the coven.”
“So what happened next?”
“He couldn’t control his urges and sought out blood from those outside the coven,” Father Michael answered this time.
“So he was excommunicated,” Andrew surmised. “There’s more, right?”
“Let me explain,” Nedra said. She first asked for a refill, which Andrew obliged. She took a long, slow drink of her coffee before continuing, “After Wyatt was excommunicated from the coven he hooked up with a supposed vampire slayer by the name of Night Blade.”
“What I heard from other parents whose kids are involved in this vampirism,” Father Michael replied, “Night Blade is trained in the martial arts, and various forms of weapons. He or she has been rumored to be responsible for several deaths.”
“Can they identify this Night Blade?”
“According to the kids, Night Blade wears a full head mask,” Father Michael answered. He also asked for a refill of coffee, took a quick drink and went on to say, “After Wyatt hooked up with Night Blade, he was trained to be a vampire slayer. It’s also rumored that Night Blade arranged a permanent blood doll for him.”
Andrew sat there and mulled over all that he had learned. His head was reeling with all kinds of questions and weird thoughts. Andrew couldn’t fathom that people were actually like this. He knew about the Goth culture and that several sub cultures branched off from it, but vampires?
“Who’s in charge of the investigation?”
“Sheriff Delsmann,” Nedra replied. “She and one of her deputies were also attacked the same night as the Higgins.”
“Interesting,” Andrew mused while sipping his coffee. “Well then, you’ve got yourself a private investigator.”
Nedra jumped up and rushed over to Andrew. She bent down and threw her arms around him in a tight hug which almost made him drop his cup. Andrew’s face flushed.
“Okay, okay,” Andrew said patting Nedra on the back. “You can let go now.”
“I’m sorry,” Nedra apologized and sat back down.
“Stop by the office tomorrow and I’ll have you sign the papers,” Andrew said standing up. Nedra and Father Michael followed suit. Andrew walked them to the front door. They said their good byes. Andrew closed the door.
He immediately went to his office and turned on the computer. As soon as it was up, Andrew typed in vampirism. The search engine came up with more than three million hits. He was shocked to say the least. Andrew clicked on the first one.
“Sanguine (or Sang) — a vampire feeds specifically off of the blood of others, and cannot achieve satisfaction through any other feeding methods,” Andrew read aloud. He quivered at the thought that people actually drank human blood.
Andrew continued, “Psychic Vampire (psi vamp) is a vampire that feeds directly upon the vital energy of a being, and cannot achieve satisfaction through the intake of blood. Psi feeding methods can be long ranged or up close. Hybrid vampires are vampires that require both blood and vital energy to satisfy their needs.” Andrew turned on the printer and sent the information to it. He next typed in Renfield’s syndrome. Once up, Andrew clicked on the link and started reading it. “Renfield’s syndrome is traditionally known as clinical vampirism, though not currently categorized as a mental disorder used to describe an obsession to drink blood. The term was first coined by Richard Noll, and is named after Dracula’s insect-eating assistant, Renfield, in the novel by Bram Stoker,” Andrew shook his head. Things were really getting near the edge of bizarre here. For him things were black and white, good or bad, right or wrong, there were no gray areas. Of course it was possible that he would have to open up his mind when it came to this vampirism subculture. Andrew continued reading; “People who suffer from this condition are primarily male. The craving for blood arises from the idea that it conveys life-enhancing powers. According to Noll, the condition starts with a key event in childhood that causes the experience of blood injury or the ingestion of blood to be exciting. After puberty, the excitement is experienced as sexual arousal. Throughout adolescence and adulthood, blood, its presence, and its consumption can also stimulate a sense of power and control. Noll explains that Renfield’s syndrome begins with autovampirism and then progresses to the consumption of the blood of other creatures.” Finally Andrew searched for a description of ‘blood doll’ to have a better understanding. Within minutes he found a multitude of hits. Andrew selected one and read, “A blood doll is a mortal who freely lets vampires drink from them. Frequently found as members of subcultures such as the Goths, blood dolls seek a perverse thrill from the ‘kiss’, but their tendency to actively seek out vampires to give it to them means that they unwittingly walk a very thin and dangerous line with their lives.” Andrew shuddered at the thought that people were actually willing to do this. He had read all he needed to. Andrew sent the information to the printer, shut down the computer, and headed off to bed. The first order of business tomorrow would be to touch base with a courtesy call to Sheriff Delsmann. Hopefully she would be able to help him by providing answers from the investigation. Andrew flipped back the covers and climbed into bed. He recovered himself and after finding that ‘comfort spot’, drifted off to sleep. Soon Andrew was snoring away some where off in a deep sleep.
Sheriff Delsmann walked into her office with the morning paper and a cup of coffee in hand. She sat down at her desk and put the coffee cup down. Sheriff Delsmann grimaced a little when she opened the paper. The reason was, splashed across the front page were the words ‘The Vampire Murders’.
“Great,” Sheriff Delsmann lamented. “Just great!”
She folded the paper up and tossed it into the recycling bin. Sheriff Delsmann spun around to the credenza where her computer was and turned it on. While waiting, she stood up and glanced out the window down at the street in front of the building. A red AC Cobra came to a stop in one of the parking spaces. She saw a well dressed dark haired man get out with a briefcase. He quickly jogged across the street and into the building.
Andrew stopped at the service window in the lobby of the sheriffs’ department building. The deputy on duty recognized Andrew.
“Good morning Mister Knight,” she said.
“Good morning,” Andrew answered. “I have an appointment with Sheriff Delsmann.”
“Here’s your visitors pass.” She smiled and handed him the clip-on ID badge.
“Thanks,” Andrew said, as he clipped it to his lapel. She buzzed him in.
Andrew took the elevator to the fourth floor and when the doors opened, he exited into the large detectives’ room. Usually the guys in the division greeted him with smiles and handshakes. They were always glad to see him, but today it was different. There were no smiles or handshakes. All of the guys looked grumpy, and grudgingly as they were doing their work.
At the far end of the room was the office of the sheriff. Andrew had worked with the previous sheriff, Sheriff Ackerman, for several years. He didn’t know what the current sheriff was like. Andrew had done some checking on her before he came here today. Sheriff Delsmann, Talia, had been a detective with the Chicago police department for twenty years. She was a highly decorated, police officer.
Andrew knocked, and immediately opened the door. The woman seated at the desk looked to be close to his age or a bit younger. The slender African American woman with straight black hair motioned for him to come in. Andrew did just that and strode up to her confidently and they briefly shook hands.
“Please be seated Mister Knight,” Talia gestured to one of the chairs in front of her desk. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Yes, that would be nice.”
“Could you bring Mister Knight some coffee,” Talia buzzed the intercom.
“So tell me what I can do for you,” Talia settled back and unbuttoned her dark blue blazer. “Or is this just a courtesy call?”
“Direct and to the point,” Andrew smiled.
When the receptionist entered with his coffee, she smiled and said, “Good morning Mister Knight.”
“Good morning Jenny.” Andrew smiled back. She was the only one smiling.
“Please leave us alone, Jenny,” Talia seemed to chastise her.
“I’ve been hired by Nedra Collins to find her son, Wyatt,” Andrew announced.
“Well as you know I cannot share any details of our investigation,” Talia replied harshly. Andrew detected a note of disgust in her voice as well. She went on, “All I can say is that Wyatt Collins is a person of interest.”
“I can get a look at the crime scene?”
“No,” Talia shot back. “Besides I don’t see how it will help you locate the boy.”
“Is there evidence linking him to the crime?” Andrew asked. He continued, “What about professional courtesy?”
“I cannot comment on the DNA evidence. And you are here to tell me about professional courtesy?” Talia retorted. This time there was no mistaking her disdain for him. Talia opened her top desk drawer and plopped a manila folder on top of the desk pad. She put on her reading glasses and began, “Andrew Phillip Knight. Born in Bayport, attended the Bayport, school system. Graduated from Washington High School and went on to attend Mount Richmond Community College.” Talia paused to take a drink and draw a quick breath. She continued reading, “Graduated with honors and law degree. Instead of going into law practice, joined the Preston Detective agency instead as an investigator. You graduated with a degree in private investigation, an expert in all types of weapons, multilingual, and efficient at several forms of martial arts. Your success rate in solving the cases you work on are well, quite phenomenal.” Talia closed the folder and put her glasses down. The look on her face concerned Andrew greatly. He was not ready for her next barrage.
“So tell me Mister Knight, where were you when the Higgins family was attacked?” Talia began her unexpected interrogation.
“What!?” Andrew was taken aback.
“You’re trained in martial arts; you’re efficient with all types of weapons. One of the types used was throwing stars. And according to my information throwing stars is sometimes your weapon of choice,” Talia started ticking off each item she listed on her fingers. “Did someone hire you to eliminate the Higgins family?”
“I’m not going to dignify that with an answer,” Andrew growled back.
“I’ll be honest with you Mister Knight,” Talia said leaning forward, placing her folded arms on the desk. “I have never liked private investigators. I feel you and your fellow colleagues tarnish the work we law enforcement professionals do.” She unfolded her arms and pointed a warning finger at Andrew, “If you go anywhere near the crime scene I will have you arrested for obstruction, tainting an ongoing crime scene, and any other charge I can come up with! Do I make myself clear?”
“Perfectly,” Andrew said as he rose from the chair. Andrew walked up to the door, opened it, and before leaving, said, “I thought you would be professional enough to work together on this case. But apparently I was wrong.”
“Good day, Mister Knight,” Talia’s voice was icy towards him.
“Good day, Sheriff.” Andrew answered and slammed the door shut.
As soon as Andrew left, Sheriff Delsmann got on the phone and placed a call, “This is Sheriff Delsmann. I want you to double up the security at the Higgins house.” She paused as the person on the other end must have questioned her decision. Talia continued, “Because I believe that a private investigator by the name of Andrew Knight will try and get a look at the crime scene. If the deputies see any sign him, Knight is to be arrested immediately.” Talia hung up the phone. She was very upset and slammed her fists on the desk. Talia had a feeling that Andrew Knight was going to be a problem.
Andrew walked briskly to the elevators. He was not in a very good mood. Andrew pressed the button for the elevator. With each passing second he had to wait, Andrew was becoming more pissed off. He was not use to this kind of treatment from the authorities. For some reason Sheriff Delsmann had it in for him even before he could make a good impression. The other thing that really pissed him off was that she had the guts to accuse him of murdering the Higgins family!
When the elevator finally arrived, Andrew stepped inside and waited for the doors to close. He was about to press the lobby button, but stopped and glanced down at his visitor pass. Andrew smirked and instead pressed the basement button. The reason he did, was that all the files from every case the department worked on or currently was working on, were stored down there.
The elevator doors had barely opened, when Andrew jumped out and hastily walked to the records department. When he opened the door, Andrew saw a friend of his sitting at the main desk.
Darcy looked up when the door opened. It was Andrew Knight. Darcy had always had a crush on him since the first day she met him. She straightened her uniform top and smiled as Andrew approached.
“Hey Darcy,” Andrew smiled sitting down on the edge of her desk.
“Hi Andrew,” Darcy answered. “So what can I do for you?”
“Listen Darcy,” Andrew leaned closer. Darcy thought he had the nicest looking green eyes. “I’m working on a case and I need to get a look at the information from the Higgins investigation.”
“I’m sorry Andrew,” Darcy pulled back. “We have orders from the Sheriff not to share any of that information with you.” Andrew walked around to Darcy’s side of the desk. He pulled her and the chair away from the desk and swung Darcy to face him. Andrew got down on one knee and leaned in closer. Darcy’s face flushed and her heart started beating a bit faster.
“The woman I’m working for asked me to find her son,” Andrew explained and peered directly into Darcy’s blue eyes. “I need those reports to help me understand what happened at the Higgins house and provide me with a start on this case.” Andrew drew his face and body even closer to Darcy. He knew she had a crush on him and he was going to use every tool available to him to get the job done. Even if that meant he had to flirt with Darcy to get his way.
“But,” Darcy protested.
“Please,” Andrew begged with sad eyes.
“Alright,” Darcy finally gave in. She surprised them both when she gave Andrew a sudden kiss on the lips. Darcy’s face turned red again, and she pushed her chair away and back to the desk. Andrew rose to his feet, his face was red too. Darcy logged into the file with the information from the Higgins investigation. Soon she had the files up and pressed the key to send them to the printer.
Sheriff Delsmann had just finished logging off her computer. When she stood up to leave, Sheriff Delsmann saw that Andrew’s car was still there.
“Damn it,” Talia cursed. She went to her desk and picked up the phone. “This is Sheriff Delsmann,” Talia said. “I want you to get down to the records department immediately.” She stopped to listen to the person on the other end. She continued, “Andrew Knight is still in the building and I think he is down there trying to get information on the Higgins case. Stop him at all costs. He is not to leave the building!” Talia slammed down the receiver. She knew Andrew was going to be a thorn in her side, just like all the other private investigators she had dealt with before. No regards to the law. Talia opened the right bottom desk drawer and took out her clip on holster with service weapon. She clipped it to her belt and rushed out the door. Talia wanted to be the one to see the surprised look on Andrew’s face when he was arrested for tampering with an ongoing investigation.
Darcy went to the printer and gathered all of the papers she had printed for Andrew. She returned to her desk and put them in a large manila envelope. Andrew thanked Darcy with a hug. Darcy held onto him a bit longer, drinking in his scent. She let go. Andrew opened the outer door and was just about to step into the hallway when he saw the elevator doors open. It was Sheriff Delsmann and several deputies. Fortunately, he ducked back in the records room before they saw him.
“We have company,” Andrew looked at Darcy.
“I’ll get fired,” Darcy complained.
“Don’t worry,” Andrew reassured.
“There is a fire exit,” Darcy suggested.
“You have a key, don’t you?” Andrew asked.
“Yes,” Darcy remembered. “I can unlock this door.”
Darcy used a key to unlock the door and then opened it. Andrew peered inside the unlit stairwell.
Sheriff Delsmann and the deputies with her, burst into the room. The deputies immediately secured the room while at the same time, Talia walked up to Darcy, whom was sitting at her station.
“Where is he?” Talia barked accusingly at Darcy.
“What are you talking about?” Darcy replied when she looked up calmly from her computer screen. “I’m alone.” Talia wasn’t convinced.
“If we find Andrew Knight anywhere in here,” Talia said sternly. “You will be fired.”
Talia surveyed the room. The only way out was the emergency door, but the alarm hadn’t sounded. “Did you unlock the door for him?” Talia further accused.
“Like I said Sheriff,” Darcy answered. “I am alone.”
Talia walked over and used her key to turn off the alarm and open the door. She looked over to the two deputies. “Watch her.”
Talia left the door open to provide enough light to see by as she started up the stairs. But the further she ascended, the less the light helped. Talia used the handrail as her guide in the total darkness. Eventually, Talia got to the door. With both hands, she opened it.
The bright sunshine blinded Talia when she stepped onto the roof. She was blinded for a few minutes as she had turned away from the open doorway. When Talia opened her eyes again; she drew her weapon and approached the open door. She stepped inside. Talia searched the stairwell from top to bottom. There was no sign of Andrew anywhere to be seen. Could he have been hiding in the dark? If he was, she didn’t hear his breathing.
Talia called down for the two deputies to join her to search the roof. They joined her immediately. All three started to search the roof. Talia and the two deputies checked out every possible hiding place and finally found themselves standing at the short block wall that framed the entire roof. A short distance away was an access ladder. Talia rushed over and climbed up the first few steps. She peered over the edge to see if the emergency ladder had been deployed; it had not! Talia could see the street in front of the station. Andrew’s car was still there. Talia scanned the length of the street, searching the shops and Marettti’s deli store fronts. She saw Andrew come out of the deli carrying what she assumed to be a doggie bag. It appeared that all this time, Andrew had been in the deli having a meal. Talia cursed and climbed back down on the surface of the roof. She put away her weapon, and with a look of disappointment etched on her face, entered the stairwell and closed the door behind her.
Andrew had just come out of Marettti’s deli. He looked up and saw Sheriff Delsmann peering down at him. He wondered if she was trying to figure out how he did it. Andrew turned and smiled at Rachel, who was behind the deli counter. It was nice to have friends in all kinds of places. Andrew waved at her, and she did the same in return. Andrew had scored one against Sheriff Delsmann, but he wasn’t finished with her yet. The next place he had to search was the Higgins crime scene. Andrew drove off with thoughts of which friend’s help he would need next.
Talia and her deputies returned to the records area.
She walked up to Darcy and roughly grabbed her by the arm. Talia forced Darcy into the chair by the desk.
“What did you give him?” Talia’s said through clenched teeth. “You need to tell me, now!”
“I gave him nothing,” Darcy defended.
“I know you did.” Talia pointed an accusing finger at her. “Either you tell, or spend some time in a cell.” Talia motioned for the deputies with her to place Darcy in custody. They hesitated at first, but when Talia glared at them, they did as requested. Darcy still proclaimed her innocence as she was led away.