"Come on, Abby! That doesn"t even work in the movies."
I backed away, my gaze darting around for something else to use as a weapon. All I saw was my floral knife at the far end of the worktable-too far for me to get to it before Kyle did. I"d have to stall, and hope one of my a.s.sistants arrived early. "Why do you want to hurt me? What did I do?"
"What did you do?" He shook his head as though he couldn"t believe I was asking. "Besides telling the cops to investigate me? Besides telling the whole friggin" world that I got kicked out of nursing school? What did you do?"
"I didn"t name anyone. No one knows who . . ." I drew in my breath as Kyle swept his hand across the worktable, sending a gla.s.s vase crashing to the floor.
"Those questions you asked me at the bar the other night, they were intended to belittle me. Don"t deny it! I know you, Abby Knight. You"re just like Lori. You"re two of a kind."
I edged closer to my desk, where I had a heavy ceramic pencil cup in the shape of a cat. "Why would I want to belittle you? I barely know you."
"You know me well enough to stick it to me about being kicked out of the nursing program. It was a bad time in my life, and you took great pleasure in making me relive it."
"Kyle, I only asked you-"
He kicked over a basket I"d set beside the table. "What did I ever do to you to make you treat me like that? Wasn"t I always polite? Wasn"t I a nice guy to everyone? Good old Kyle, always ready to help a friend?"
"You"re not going to get away with killing me, and you certainly won"t get away with Lori"s murder. Marco"s got all the evidence he needs to-"
"Stop it!" he cried, spittle flying as he hit his head with his free hand. "Stop. Lying. To. Me!"
My heart was racing so fast, I was light-headed. "Okay, Kyle, calm down and think about what you"re doing."
"Liar!" he shouted. "You"re a terrible liar. We both know there"s not one shred of evidence that points to me. It all points to that idiot . . . that buffoon who likes to parade around as a friggin" vampire! He wants people to think he kills for blood, so why shouldn"t he pay the price?"
"Because he"s not the killer," I managed to say.
"Of course he"s the killer! Ask anyone in town. Do you understand how easy it is to convince people that there"s a murderous vampire on the loose? A few rumors, a Web site with some phony photos, some vampire sightings, and then the piece de resistance-a body drained of blood. The absolute stupidity of the people in this town! I mean, really, a police-led vampire hunt? The Garlic Party? I couldn"t have asked for a better setup. It was just too good to pa.s.s up."
I tried to calculate how much time had pa.s.sed, but it was impossible. It felt as though we"d been there for hours and yet I knew it was minutes. "You must have been planning to kill Lori for some time."
"I"ve thought about it for years. Dreamed of it, in fact. But I didn"t seriously consider it until she put the moves on me at the bar. And then, just like a prayer answered, Vlad moves to town." He wiped his damp face with his sleeve. "Can you believe an old hag like Lori going after a stud like me? And the irony of it? She didn"t have a clue as to who I was. I was just another hot guy."
And I thought Jillian was delusional.
"That woman ruined my life," he said with a sneer, "and she didn"t even remember me."
"Maybe Lori did remember you, Kyle. Maybe she was attracted to you and figured what happened was in the past. Let bygones be bygones."
"No," he said, as though explaining to a slow child, "she did not remember me. Not until I reminded her. But by then it was too late. I had the syringe in her throat."
I was almost within reach of the pencil cup. "Why did you put her in a coma? Why didn"t you kill her right away?"
"Correction. Vlad killed her. But to get people to buy that, I had to build up the vampire myth first. Then, to keep the myth growing, I drove her car to the parking lot behind Vlad"s building, held Lori for a few days to up the drama, then bled her in a way that looked like bites." He curled his fingers to look like fangs, then touched them to the side of his throat. "Weren"t those marks on her neck convincing?"
"Where did you hide her?"
"Abby, really. You"re not going to need this knowledge. Why do you care?"
"Come on, Kyle. Indulge me. It was an ingenious plot."
"It was ingenious, wasn"t it?" He pulled a stool out and sat down in front of me, as though preparing to be interviewed. "And you don"t know the half of it."
"I know you told J.C. you had to stop at the casino to make a payment so you could be sure Lori was there. And I know you returned later and hid in the backseat of her car."
"Wrong! How stupid would that be? I followed her home and she welcomed me in. I didn"t want to risk any nosy neighbors seeing me carry her out, so I invited her to come back to my place. She was so hot for me, she went willingly."
"You killed her at your apartment?"
"You know the saying "Nosy people don"t live long"? You"re trying to prove it, aren"t you?"
He was acting c.o.c.ky now, clearly sure of himself. If I could keep him talking, there was a good chance Lottie or Grace would arrive. "At least tell me how you disposed of the blood."
"I bagged it up and stowed it somewhere safe. Soon it"ll be in the hospital"s blood bank, helping those in need of a few pints. Lori was type O positive, a universal donor. I figured it was a way for her to give back to the community. Generous of her, wasn"t it?"
I doubted he"d be able to simply slip it into the blood bank, but I congratulated him again on his ingenuity. "You took quite a gamble, Kyle. A lot of things had to fall into place for your plan to work."
"I did my homework. I knew that once Lori started playing the slots, she"d be there until one, two o"clock in the morning. All I had to do was find a patsy to blame the murder on. And then along comes Marco"s fanged friend."
Kyle snickered. "What a fool. I figured I"d have to break into his place, but then your cousin got sick and gave me the perfect excuse for being there. You"ll have to thank her for me. Oh, wait. I guess I"ll have to do that. You won"t be around."
I heard my cell phone ringing in the other room. Was it Marco? Reilly? My parents? When I didn"t answer, would they know I was in trouble? "So you took Lori"s jewelry and planted it in Vlad"s apartment when you picked up Jillian? Then tipped off the cops?"
"Clever, wasn"t I? Vlad was so perfect. Dressing like Count Dracula. Drawing in all the women. You know, that really bugged me. When Vlad was around, none of us guys had a chance. But with him out of the way, the playing field will be level again. And now that he"s on the run, it"ll be easy for people to believe he killed you, too."
I grabbed the ceramic cup and hurled it at his head, hitting him squarely in the center of his forehead. Then I turned the wheelchair and raced toward the other end of the table. I had to get to my knife.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX.
Kyle bellowed in pain as he ran after me. He grabbed the handles of my wheelchair and jerked back with enough force to send me tumbling to the floor. I scampered under the worktable, my ankle throbbing from the pressure I was putting on my foot. I forced myself to ignore it as I tried to stay out of his reach. I had to stop him long enough to make a run for the front door.
I shook with fear, watching for my opportunity, as Kyle circled the table. Then I noticed a stack of five-pound bags of potting soil on the floor near the far end. Quickly, I crawled over to the stack, and when he came around the end, I pushed with all my might, sending them tumbling against his legs. As his knees buckled and he lost his balance, I scrambled out from under the other end of the table and dashed through the curtain.
When I was just yards from the front door, Kyle grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me off my feet. Tears of pain blurred my vision as he dragged me toward the back of the shop, threw me down, and straddled me, pinning my hands to my sides as he squeezed with his knees.
"See how things just seem to fall into place for me?" Kyle said, as I struggled to free myself. "Marco is called away, you show up here early, and Vlad gets cold feet."
He readied the syringe, pushing up with his thumb until a bead of insulin appeared on the tip. "I wish I could be here to see the look on that wimpy vampire"s face when he finds out he killed again. My only regret is that I didn"t have a chance to waste that coward myself."
There was a rustle of fabric behind me. Kyle glanced toward the curtain, his eyes widening and his mouth dropping open. He nearly fell backward onto my legs as he struggled to get to his feet. Quickly, I twisted around and saw the outline of a tall man dressed in black, his shape backlit by the glow of the red security light. The curtains on either side of him formed a wine-colored cape that seemed to flow off his broad shoulders, making him look like a vampire.
Kyle was trembling so hard, he couldn"t speak. A dark stain spread down the front of his navy pants. He took another step back, shaking his head in disbelief.
The curtain closed behind Vlad as he moved silently into the room, a larger-than-life presence. He smiled at Kyle, his long eyeteeth looking sharp and deadly. "Who"s a coward?"
Kyle screamed shrilly as Vlad lunged and took him down. Within seconds, Kyle was on his stomach on the floor pleading for mercy, with Vlad"s knee in his back.
"Did Lori beg for her life before you stuck her in the neck, Kyle?" Vlad sneered, pulling Kyle"s arm up farther behind his back, making him sob in agony.
"Please don"t hurt me," Kyle cried. "Lori was an evil woman. She needed to die. I did everyone a favor. I"m begging you! Let me go!"
"Do you have any rope?" Vlad asked me, ignoring Kyle"s pleas.
"I"ll get some twine." Biting my lip against the pain, I pulled myself into the wheelchair, then rolled into the workroom and cut a long length of twine. Vlad wrapped it around Kyle"s wrists and tied it tightly. Then he bound Kyle"s ankles and used another piece to fasten his ankles to his wrists. It was done quickly and efficiently.
After pulling Kyle to the back of the shop, Vlad motioned me aside and crouched in front of me to look at my bandaged leg. "How badly is it hurt?"
"I don"t know, but it"s swelling up fast."
"I"m sorry you had to go through that, Abby. I had to let Kyle keep talking to get his full confession. I wouldn"t have let him hurt you." He held out a small cell phone. "Take this. I recorded his confession on it."
I put the phone on the chair beside me. "How did you get in?"
He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a bra.s.s key. "Here you go. I took Jillian"s key from her purse when she was in the hospital. She gave me the alarm code, too, although she probably won"t remember. By the way, that was nice of you to leave a cot in your bas.e.m.e.nt. I needed a safe place to hang out last night."
"You stayed here last night? Did you know Kyle would show up here?"
"I wasn"t sure Kyle was the murderer, but after that press conference yesterday, I figured there was a good chance the killer would come after you." He smiled. "I had your back, Abby. Never fear."
Now I understood why Marco had said there was no one else he"d want guarding his back. "You saved my life."
"And now you"re going to save mine. Make that call to the cops. I"m going out the alley exit."
"Vlad, don"t run. Once the cops know that Kyle murdered Lori, you"ll be cleared."
"You know they"ll lock me up until the warrant is pulled, and who knows how long that will take? Don"t worry. I"ll arrange for Dave Hammond to turn me in. There"s something I need to do first."
"What do I tell the police?"
"That I changed into a bat and flew out the door."
"Wait, Vlad. Have you heard from Marco? He promised to call me, but he hasn"t, and I"m worried."
"You"ll hear from him as soon as he"s able to contact you."
"What do you mean?"
Vlad gave a small shrug. "It"s Special Ops, Abby. Make that call now."
Reilly was first on the scene. He had called my cell phone to check up on me, and when I didn"t answer, he"d started for Bloomers when the emergency call came in. After that, more cops arrived, followed by an emergency response team, Lottie and Grace, and crime scene investigators. The media camped outside to photograph and interview everyone they could, and the curious public gathered in groups across the street to watch the spectacle.
The rest of the morning was one long blur. Lottie and Grace parked me in the parlor and kept me supplied with cups of Grace"s special blend of tea, guaranteed to be both bracing and calming, while I answered endless questions. When there was no more I could tell anyone, the detectives left, and my a.s.sistants went to begin the cleanup process. Only Reilly stayed behind. He sat down across from me at the table. "I"m glad you"re okay."
"Thanks. I"m glad you responded to my message."
"I wish I"d caught it sooner." Reilly leaned closer and said quietly, "Listen, if you have any idea at all where Vlad is, you should let me know. He"s better off turning himself in."
"I understand that, Reilly, but I honestly don"t know where Vlad is. Besides, he didn"t kill anyone. Don"t scowl. He promised he would give himself up soon."
"I hope you"re right." Reilly glanced down, turning his hat in his hands. "I heard about Marco being called up early. I just want you to know you can contact me anytime you need me."
"Thank you. I really appreciate it, Reilly. I hope when Marco returns, the two of you can be friends again."
"Me, too." He stood up, put on his hat, adjusted his thick leather belt, and strode out.
The news of Kyle"s capture and arrest spread quickly. By that afternoon, we had more customers than we could handle. Reporters tried to get in, but my self-appointed guardians kept them out. First it was Rafe at the door, and later it was Tara and her friends, who had stopped by to take my photo for their Facebook pages. My parents came by to make sure I was okay, and Jillian also made it to the shop to collect the belongings she"d left behind.
"Are you fully recovered?" I asked her, when she came up from the bas.e.m.e.nt with her Neiman Marcus bags. "No more red meat cravings?"
"I"m not turning into a vampire, Abby. I realize it was an infection and that you, Claymore, and the doctor weren"t trying to poison me. But I still wonder about Vlad being a you-know-what. There has to be a reason I couldn"t get his photograph."
"That reminds me." I wheeled to my desk and picked up her key, dangling it in front of her. "Vlad wanted me to return this to you, but since it"s mine, I"m keeping it."
"How did he get it?"
"He took it from your purse when you were in the hospital. You gave him the code to my alarm, too."
"I did not! I would never give that out."
"It"s okay, Jill. I know you didn"t do it on purpose. You thought you were sharing secrets with your guardian vampire."
"Whatever," she said, waving it off. "Where is Vlad? Shouldn"t we be giving him a medal for catching the murderer?"
"He said he had something to do, but he promised to come back."
Jillian sighed dreamily. "That is such a heroic thing to say." She patted her shopping bag. "Thanks for taking care of my accoutrements de nuit. I"ll see you at the country club tomorrow night. And that reminds me." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "With Marco gone, you"re not going to announce your engagement, are you?"
I touched the ring hiding beneath my sweater, checking to make sure it was still there. "Yes, I"m going to announce it."
Jillian gave me a sorrowful shake of her head. "Don"t do it, Abs. It"s not right to do it alone. Hold off until Marco gets back."
"I don"t know how long that will be. Besides, you"re the one who insisted I make the announcement tomorrow."
"That was then. This is now." She patted my shoulder. "But whatever you decide, I"m good with it."
I was not in the best of moods on Friday. My ankle was suffering the aftereffects of the punishment it had taken the day before, and I was suffering from an aching loneliness. I hadn"t heard from Marco, and I feared it was because he"d been shipped overseas immediately. I felt his absence keenly, but I followed Lottie"s advice and plodded forward. Luckily, I had Bloomers, my oasis in the desert.
I dreaded attending the family dinner, but there just wasn"t a good way out. Rafe offered me a ride, so I accepted, feeling a little more cheerful, being with bubbly Chelsea. She kept us entertained on the way there with stories from her student-teaching experience. I was so pleased that she and Rafe had hit it off. I had a hunch she"d be a stabilizing force in his life.
Rafe dropped us in front of the country club, then went to park the car. Seeing him drive off in the Prius, looking so much like his older brother, brought on a sharp pang of sadness. I turned away, leading Chelsea into the sprawling one-story brick building.