To Tell a Tale (Season One)

“So let me get this straight,” Captain Dish said, looking at Nash and Smitty. “You went undercover to catch vampires and caught a rapist instead?”

“Pretty much.” Nash nodded.”

Dish shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

“Would you rather us let him get away?” Nash asked, studying his captain.

Dish laughed. “You know me better than that.”

“We’re going back to the bar tomorrow night,” Smitty informed their captain.

Dish nodded. “Good.”

A knock had the three men turning to the door.

“Come in,” Dish said as he leaned against the edge of his desk.

An officer opened the door and looked at the two detectives. He cleared his throat and looked at the captain. “A call just came in, sir. A girl was found dead in an alley, her blood drained from her body.”

“Shit,” Nash hissed.

“Fuck,” Smitty grumbled at the same time.

Their captain stood up from his desk. “Let’s go,” he said, looking at his two detectives.

Nash and Smitty followed their captain out of his office.

Airianna stood from Nash’s desk when she saw them. “Are we in trouble?” she asked, watching them. She noticed the look on their faces and frowned.

“No.” Nash stopped in front of her.

“Of course not.” Captain Dish nodded to Airianna as he passed her.

“There’s a call.” Nash placed his hands on Airianna’s shoulders. “A girl was found dead in an alley, her blood drained….”

“Oh no,” Airianna cried, covering her mouth to hold in a whimper.

What has she done? She was supposed to save the girl…

“We’re headed there now,” Nash informed her. “You need to stay here. Call your dad to come pick you up….”

Airianna shook her head. “I’m coming with you.”

Nash shook his head. “No, you’re not.”

“Nash, please. I need to…” she stopped talking and turned from him.

Nash pulled in a deep breath and let it out. If he didn’t let her come with him, she’d find a way to go on her own.

He turned her to face him. “Fine, but you’re staying in the car until I say it’s safe for you to come out.”

Airianna nodded, and they headed to the station’s parking lot.

~🔮~

Airianna watched the cops as they put up the crime scene tape across the entrance to the alley. She’s been sitting in the car waiting for Nash to come get her for over twenty minutes now.

Why hasn’t he come for her?

She knows the captain has no problems with her joining them. He thinks if she’s around a crime scene, she may have a dream and help them solve it.

So why was she still sitting here in this stupid car?

With agitation, she opened the cruiser’s door and stepped out. She closed the door, took a deep breath, and headed toward the tape line. She lifted it and started to go under when a body blocked her way. She looked up at the officer just as he spoke.

“No civilians allowed.”

Airianna frowned. She has never seen this officer before, so he doesn’t know she’s allowed to pass the tape line. Where were her detectives when she needed them?

“Detective Jackman is waiting for me.”

The officer looked her up and down and snorted. “Sure, lady, and I’m the King of England. No civilians or reporters allowed beyond this tape.”

Airianna opened her mouth and closed it. Okay, so he’s an asshole. “I’m not a reporter.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m not allowing you past….”

“But I…”

“Look, lady, don’t make me force you onto the other side of the tape.”

Airianna backed up and ducked back under the tape. She didn’t want to go through being attacked again.

The officer smirked at her and moved back to his post. Too close for her to sneak through. She stood on tiptoes and tried to see if she could spot either of her detectives. When she saw Smitty, she grinned.

“Smitty!” she called out, waving her hand in the air.

Smitty heard her and turned to her. She waved for him to come to her. He walked over and stood in front of her with a sad look.

“Why aren’t you in the car?” he asked, watching her.

“I need to see what’s going on,” she said, watching him as he looked back down the alley and then at her again. “That officer won’t let me pass through,” she said, pointing to the officer watching her and Smitty.

Smitty looked at the officer, then back at her and sighed. “You really should go back to the car….”

“Smitty, please,” she begged. “I need to see what’s going on. How can I get another dream if I’m left out?”

Smitty studied her face, then sighed and lifted the tape for her. She thanked him as she ducked under it.

“No civilians allowed,” the officer said as he moved toward them.

Smitty turned to the officer and flashed his badge. “She’s with me.” He took Airianna’s arm and led her to where the captain and Nash were examining the body.

Airianna saw the girl on the ground and covered her mouth. “No,” she whimpered.

Nash was squatting beside the body, examining the girl. He heard Airianna whimper and looked up, then looked at Smitty.

“She shouldn’t be here,” Nash said as he stood and moved toward them.

Airianna couldn’t take her eyes off the dead girl on the ground. The scene was just like her painting. Except the icepick wasn’t beside the victim. It was the same girl; she looked just like the one in her painting.

“I told you to wait for me in the car.” Nash placed his hands on her shoulders.

Airianna forced her eyes to look at Nash as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“She should see the scene.” Smitty watched Nash and Airianna. “What if seeing this gives her another dream? That would be helpful.”

Nash didn’t look at Smitty; his attention was entirely on Airianna.

“This is my fault,” Airianna whispered. “If I hadn’t ordered that drink, we could have stopped this from happening.” She looked from Nash to the girl again and started to cry. “This is all my fault. We should have stopped this. It’s all my fault.” Airianna broke down.

Nash pulled Airianna into his arms and looked at his partner over her head. “This is why she should not have come to the scene,” he said as he held Airianna in his arms.

Smitty frowned. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, then walked over to where their captain stood, watching Airianna and Nash.

“It’s not your fault,” Nash whispered into her ear. He hoped she heard him. “None of this is your fault.”

“But if we hadn’t been setting up that asshole, we’d have found the girl and saved her.”

Nash sighed. “Airianna. Fate led you to that rapist. Fate wanted us to stop him.”

“But I dreamed about the girl,” she cried, pointing to the dead girl.

Nash looked at the girl on the ground, then back at his seer. “Maybe it was her time to go.”

“Then why did I dream about her?”

“Because it led us to the bar where the rapist was choosing his victims. Fate wants us to stop the vampire wannabes from killing again.”

“Why couldn’t I save her?” Airianna cried even harder as she held onto Nash.

Nash sighed and buried his face in her neck. “I don’t know, my sweet seer. I don’t know.”

Nash could hear his captain and partner talking behind him. The captain was asking Smitty how she knew what Nash was saying if she couldn’t read his lips. Smitty said something about fate stepping in and letting her hear his words when he was close enough. Nash knows it all sounds crazy. But who was he to argue with fate?

~🔮~

“What are you looking at?” Smitty asked as he stood behind Nash, who was sitting at a tech’s computer.

“Vampirism.”

“Vampire what?” Smitty asked, staring at the screen.

“It says here that there is a ninety-two percent chance that if a human drinks human blood or eats human flesh, they will get addicted to it and believe they can’t survive without it.”

Smitty snorted. “Says who?”

Nash scooted his chair back and motioned for Smitty to check out what he’d found on the net.

Smitty moved closer to the screen and read the information Nash had been reading. “Well, I’ll be a bat-shit crazy motherfucker.”

Nash shook his head.

“What now?” Smitty asked.

“Now we try the bar again. Only this time, we leave Airianna at home.”

“She’s not going to like that.” Smitty looked at Nash.

Nash shrugged. “Too fucking bad.”

~🔮~

And, of course, Smitty was right. Airianna didn’t like the idea of being left behind. She threatened many things to try to get Nash to let her go with them. But when she threatened to never let his lips touch hers again, he knew he was done for. There was no way he could live without her kisses. Fuck, he’s so screwed.

At least the rapist was behind bars. Now the only thing he had to worry about was vampires drinking his girlfriend’s blood.

~🔮~

“And here we are, at this stupid bar again,” Maribelle grunted as she took a sip of her drink.

“At least that bartender is gone,” Airianna grumbled.

Daemen looked across the table at Nash. “What are we to do this time? I mean, what are we looking for?”

Nash smiled at his best friend. “You aren’t to be looking for anything. Just sit there and enjoy your time with your wife and friends.”

Nash looked at his partner, who was staring across the bar. Nash followed and sat up straight when he saw them.

“Don’t turn around,” Nash whispered.

Maribelle turned her head and immediately turned back—her eyes open wide.

“I told you not to turn around,” Nash grumbled.

“Sorry. You shouldn’t tell someone not to do something because that is exactly what they’re going to do.”

Airianna read Maribelle’s lips and turned her head to where the others were looking. She watched the vampire wannabes across the bar from them. They were dressed in black and silver and laughing as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Which they probably didn’t.

Smitty tapped the table, making everyone look at him, including Airianna.

“They’re on a hunt,” Smitty whispered.

Airianna read Smitty’s lips and frowned. “How can you tell?”

Smitty looked at Airianna and smiled. “Watch how they watch the patrons as if they’re sniffing out their prey. Metaphorically, of course. Because that would look a bit suspicious if they actually sniffed them.”

Airianna stopped herself from chuckling as she looked back at the group. He was right, of course. The group was watching the people around them. More the single women or a small group of two or three. But a group like theirs, the vampire wannabes, didn’t give a second glance.

“When they find their prey, we follow.” Nash looked at Smitty.

Smitty nodded and took a sip of his beer.

Airianna frowned. “Don’t get yourself bitten,” she hissed.

Nash chuckled and pulled her against his side. She wished she was sitting on his lap like last time. But she’ll settle for leaning against him.

“Keep an eye on them,” Nash said to Smitty, over Airianna’s head.

Smitty nodded, his eyes not leaving the group of human vampires.

Nash hoped they’ll catch the fuckers this time. He was tired of dealing with the whack jobs.

“What now?” Maribelle asked, getting everyone’s attention.

“Now, I guess we wait for them to follow someone outside.” Nash shrugged.

Airianna didn’t hear Nash’s response to Maribelle’s question, but she could tell it didn’t satisfy her friend. She looked up at Nash. He smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head. He then said something so she could read his lips.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get them this time.”

Airianna nodded and went back to snuggling against his side.

She trusted Nash and Smitty to keep their word.