SWNOVELS Chapter CHAPTER SIXTY
MICHAEL AND LAUREN WERE IN HER NEW YORK CITY LOFT, enjoying Lauren’s time off. She had the occasional nightmare from being trapped in the coffin but was recovering nicely. Michael was beside her on the sofa, flicking channels, but they were smooching more than anything. They weren’t yet used to living together, but they fit better than most. The vampires already had traits of an old married couple. They had been talking about Michael becoming a red sheriff, and he was pretty excited. He was definitely looking forward to meeting the Master, although he was nervous about it. Michael had dreams about the encounter, which were not always pleasant. In one dream, Dracula bit him on the forehead, and he remembered the blood running down his face. Fortunately, it had only been a dream.
A crack of thunder and a splash of lightning lit up the living room, and the torrential rain commenced to attack the windows. Lauren snuggled in closer, and he smelled the side of her face. She shook her head at his channel flicking as he couldn’t decide on anything; just as she got interested in something, he would change the channel, but she was so happy to be back with him she didn’t care.
“Lauren, tell me what the ceremony will be like so I know what to expect. I want every detail painted, every shadow defined.”
“Nope. All I’m going to say is that it’s quite amazing. Lots of ancient vampires will be there to watch. And the atmosphere is grand. I’ve said too much.”
“You haven’t said anything. Come on! Details make life infinitely better.”
“I’ve said just the right amount.” Lauren batted her eyes at him, and then they kissed.
“You, my fair lady. Ah?” Michael reached over and took the calculator off the coffee table from under Lauren’s swords; he pressed the buttons rapidly as he pretended to calculate. “You have said 90% too less. Wait, does that make sense? You’ve said ninety percent less than you should have. Yes, that’s it. Come on, don’t be mean. I’m a little nervous about it. I’ll feel better if I know what to expect.”
Lauren took the calculator and did her own tabulation. “No, see here 27.7 % too much. Just be prepared to be attacked by dozens of vampires all at once.” She giggled.
Michael thought it might be factual, like some sort of gang initiation. “What! That’s not true, is it?”
“I’m just teasing Michael. Relax. What are you, an old woman?”
“I’d be lucky to have the nerve of an old woman. Nothing scares those creatures except maybe an old man.”
The doorbell rang, and Lauren blurred to it and looked through the peephole. “What the heck? It’s a police officer or someone pretending to be.” Lauren went into his mind and saw immediately that he wasn’t a vampire. She opened the door to Officer John Clark of the NYPD. “Can I help you, officer?”
“I’m Officer John Clark of the NYPD. Are you the red sheriff they call Lauren?”
“I am.”
“Can I come in and talk to you for a minute?” He was tall and a little funny looking, his nose was too big for his face,
“Come in.”
The officer stepped in, and Lauren closed the door behind him. “This is my fiancé Michael.”
Lauren’s gray-blue eyes were almost mesmerizing to the officer, and he had to look away. “Nice to meet you, Michael. Lauren, I’m going to get right to the point. A rapist is running around, and he’s brutal. Not only does he torture his victims physically but mentally as well. He tells them that he will rape them a second time before letting them go. Five victims so far, and we have no substantial leads. He wears a mask so the cameras can’t identify him.”
Lauren could see the officer’s emotions that this was somehow personal; his voice was cracking. “You know one of the victims?”
The officer hesitated, and he cleared his throat before he could finally speak. “My wife. She’s now in a mental hospital. I know you’re not supposed to get involved in human matters, but is there anything you can do? As a vampire, you probably have ways of which I am unaware.”
Michael felt for the officer. “Lauren, you’d be great bait in a short skirt.”
“Officer Clark, I think you want me to kill this guy?”
“I won’t say the words.” Officer John did nod affirmatively. He took out a handkerchief and handed it to Lauren. “He stuffed this into the mouth of one of his victims. Forgive my ignorance, but I thought you might be able to get a scent off it. The attacks are always after midnight.”
She took the checkered handkerchief and sniffed it. There was a combination of two separate colognes on it, and she definitely wouldn’t forget that odor. “I can’t promise anything because he would have moved out of the area if he’s intelligent. I’ll squash him like a bug if I catch him.”
“He definitely acts human in the video. The attacks are over in less than two minutes, and then he runs off. He doesn’t speed off like you guys; he just runs away.
“I’ll see what I can do, officer.”
He nodded. “Please let me know if you do get him. Here’s my card with my personal number. I’d like to be able to tell my wife that he’s never coming back, no chance that he’s getting out of prison.”