Bloodlust II
Chapter 1

Married life had evolved into a kind of rhythm for William and Julia. They had breakfast together every morning and dinner precisely at seven each evening, unless one or the other had to work. And more often than not bedtime was preceded by an intimacy that showed that the honeymoon was far from over. From an outside observer's viewpoint their marriage might appear boring. But from the lovers' perspective it was anything but. After years of dancing around each other, and all the tragic obstacles, the two now found a comfortable happiness in the routine and constancy. William had never had much of a home life, so now he was ecstatic to have a family, albeit a small one, in the person of the woman he had loved so long and so passionately. And Julia had found a soulmate, a man, a lover, who was willing to let her be whatever she chose, enthusiastically supporting her.

But poor William still remained a bit naive about the ways of society and how to relate to people on a daily basis. Oh, he was fine with his friends and co-workers, those folk he saw regularly. But introduce someone new, be it suspect, victim, or just a passing stranger, and William resorted to his usual awkward, stilted mannerisms. Women seemed to constantly flirt with him, but it most always eluded his notice. Not so with Julia. Sometimes it amused her to see him embarrassed or oblivious to attention. Then again, depending on who was doing the flirting, it would make her jealousy peak with a force. Of course William recognized how beautiful his wife was, but he was totally unaware that he, himself, was a very handsome man, no matter how often Julia told him this.

And so it was that a situation as foreign to him as Siam, developed. A young woman he had known several years earlier had returned to Toronto and fixated on the dapper detective. Arlene Dennet's very rich family, having bought the most expensive and best lawyers, and placing large sums of moneys in the proper hands, managed to wangle the briefest sentence for their murderous daughter, who now found herself a free woman...no longer a teenage student. Yes. Jealous over a so called "vampire's" attention she killed her classmate at their boarding school and received a sentence that amounted to a slap on the wrist...five years. Nor was this the first time Arlene had set her cap for the detective. During the murder investigation she had even dared go to his rooms, swooning about, until the detective's then mere colleague, Dr. Ogden, had arrived in the nick of time, escorting the young woman back to her school. Arlene had not only been obsessed and obsessive, but she had continued to morph into one epic, and somewhat deranged, stalker.

The Murdochs still went out to the theater and opera, much more to please Julia than William. Julia did love the performing arts, but she also adored seeing William dressed in white tie and tails, crowned with a top hat. And a new dress now and then was a bonus. This night was to be a rare evening with the Brackenreids to the Shaftsbury theater for a performance of Shaw's 'Caesar and Cleopatra'. A late supper after the play at the Brasserie Provence would cap off the evening. Margaret had been pushing for this double date since the wedding, wanting to see how this married couple was faring. Thomas was quite a drama lover, so he enjoyed the outing. Actually Thomas and Julia seemed to be having a better time than either William or Margaret, who both sat fidgeting throughout most of the play.

The maître d' showed the couples to their table. Conversation began as Julia and Thomas rehashed the night's offering. William, content to sit and only half listen was soon shaken from his reverie as Margaret jumped in, loudly changing the subject.

"Really Thomas. We just saw the play. Must you repeat the whole thing again over dinner?"

This made William smile as Brackenreid harrumphed and then shut up.

"Well..." started Julia. "Margaret, have you given any thought to joining us in our campaign for provincial office?"

Now Thomas perked up. Afraid to get into an argument in front of his detective and his wife about his thoughts of women in politics he abruptly quizzed Murdoch about his current case and the latest 'invention' he was tinkering with.

Julia laughed, Margaret grinned, and they too joined into this new conversation.
As she sipped her wine, Julia absently looked around the restaurant, checking out the crowd for anyone she might recognize.

With a bit of incredulity in her voice, she elbowed William, asking him, "William. Isn't that the girl who killed her classmate in the vampire case a few years ago?"

"Where?"

"Over Thomas's right shoulder. There."

As William directed his gaze as Julia had described, his eyes fell on the young woman just as she looked at him. She smiled, winked, and wiggled her fingers in a little wave. William swallowed hard, quickly looking away.

"Shouldn't she be in prison?" asked Margaret.

"Money talks, Margaret. Her parents had enough of it to keep her out of jail, at least for long." Thomas answered her.

"George, can you check out something for me?"

"Certainly, sir. What do you need?"

"See if you can find out when Arlene Dennet was released from prison."

"Arlene Dennet?"

"Uh...yes. She was the school girl who killed her classmate in the vampire affair a few years back?"

"Oh. That Arlene Dennet."

William looked at George with raised eyebrow as George chuckled.

"Would she be released from prison already?"

"Apparently so. I think we saw her last night."

Later George stuck his head in Murdoch's office.
"What have you, George?"

"Sir. Arlene Dennet was released from prison a month and a half ago. She's living in Toronto in a small house on Ontario Street, not far from your former boarding house. She apparently lives alone, supported by her family's wealth. Her parents are traveling in Asia."

"Alright, George. Thank you."

"Is there anything wrong, sir?"

"No. No. Not that I'm aware of. I was just curious."

Arlene Dennet rented the house on Ontario street because she thought Detective Murdoch still lived there. Not only had he moved but he was now married to that obnoxious doctor who took her away from his room so long ago. Things were more complicated than she had hoped. She had to get rid of his wife and get him alone. This was going to take some planning. But all she had was time. She could do it. He was such a handsome man. And Arlene knew he liked her. She could tell. Hadn't he hugged her that night in his room. Of course Arlene misremembered, as it was she who had hugged him.

Arlene had made a friend or two in jail. She had always been a leader and others looked up to her. Another woman had been released from jail just three weeks earlier and had come to Arlene for help. Now she had someone who would blindly follow her. This woman, Abby Smith, had idolized Arlene in prison.

William left his office at 6:30, which usually gave him ample time to get home for dinner. Upon reaching his bicycle he encountered Arlene, who had been lurking around the Station House 4 door just for this occasion.

"Hello, Detective. How unexpected to run into you. You do remember me, don't you?"

"Miss Dennet. Yes. I remember you. But there is nothing unexpected about our meeting. You've been waiting for me, haven't you?"

"Oh, Detective," she laughed. "Am I that transparent?"

"What do want, Miss Dennet?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I harbor no ill feelings for you, since you arrested me."

"That's nice to hear. But I must be off now. Good day."

"Good night, Detective. I'm sure we'll meet again."

William frowned as he mounted his bicycle and pedaled away.

Dinner had already been served to their suite when William arrived home.

Julia met him at the door. "You're a bit late. New case?"

"No. It was the strangest thing. Arlene Dennet was waiting for me when I left the station. Oh, she pretended it was an accidental meeting at first but later admitted that was not the case."

"What did she want?"

"That's just it. I have no idea."

"Well, don't worry about it. She always did seem odd. Let's eat. I have plans for after," she grinned.

William raised his brows and smiled back. "Then I shall eat quickly."