Amnesia
Chapter One
My first thought was that my head hurt. It hurt like hell. My second thought was who is this gorgeous creature standing over me? She opened her mouth and spoke.
"Mick, I was so worried you weren't going to come back!"
Again, a couple of thoughts. First, what a velvety, sexy voice! Second, who's Mick? I asked the second question out loud.
"You are, silly!" the beautiful woman said. I thought about that for a moment. Mick. Me? The name sounded familiar, but it didn't feel like it was my name. I looked around. I was in a hospital room. I had an IV hooked up to my arm. Monitors recorded my heartbeat, the oxygen level in my blood, my respiration and my blood pressure. I reached up and felt my head. I had a bandage up there, and a spot on my right temple felt especially tender.
"Who are you, and why am I in the hospital?" I asked. The sultry, dark-haired beauty frowned, then smiled broadly.
"I'm your wife, Coraline," she answered, taking my hand. Her hand felt cool in mine. "And you're Mick St. John, my husband."
I ran the name through my brain a couple of times. Coraline. Coraline. Hmmmm. I had definitely heard the name before, but for some reason it didn't feel quite right. It did, but it didn't. If that makes any sense.
"You were in a car crash and banged up your head pretty bad," Coraline continued. "You have a nasty concussion, but otherwise the doctors say you'll be fine."
"Was anyone else hurt in the crash?"
"No," Coraline said. "You drove into a telephone pole. The police said it looked like you fell asleep at the wheel."
I was relieved that I hadn't hurt anyone else, but frustrated that I couldn't remember anything. "Will I get my memory back?"
"In time," Coraline said. "The doctors think there's a good chance you'll get it all back, but it's going to be a slow process."
"How long until I can go home? If I have a home, that is."
"Of course you have a home, Mick. We have a home," Coraline said. "I think the plan is to discharge you tomorrow morning. Then I'll take you home." Coraline bent forward and kissed me. Her lips felt strangely cool, like her hand. Her kiss was intoxicating, but to be honest, it made my stomach turn at the same time. My head swam. I didn't know what to think or how to react. Then it was over, and Coraline was standing over me again, smiling.
"I'll let you get some rest," she said. "Tomorrow's going to be a big day!" Coraline squeezed my hand, then turned and walked out of the room. I figured one thing was certain – tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.
Chapter Two
I slept for a while, but I had a terrible nightmare. I couldn't remember much about it. There was a room that was on fire, and there was a woman – at least I think it was a woman – dressed in white. She was trapped in the burning room. She screamed and pleaded to me for help, but I just left her there to burn.
I sat up in the hospital bed soaked in sweat. There was a woman standing next to my bed.
"It's ok, Mick," she said. She grabbed my hands. "You were just having a bad dream."
This woman was as beautiful as Coraline, but while Coraline was tall, dark and sultry, this woman was blonde, petite and, I don't know, kinda wholesome looking. And warm. Her hands were warm. When I got my breathing under control, I asked her who she was. The question nearly brought her to tears, and I was immediately sorry I had asked it.
"It's Beth, Mick," she answered, her voice wavering. "Don't you remember me at all?"
I searched my memory as best I could. I told her the truth - that she looked sort of familiar. I'd never heard a laugh and a sob together before, but that's what came out of her mouth as she wiped away her tears.
"That's all right," she said. "The doctors said it could be a while before you get your memory back."
"I'm sorry," I offered. "I wish I remembered you. You seem very nice."
Beth squeezed my hands. "Maybe once I get you home you'll start to remember."
I was puzzled. "Home?"
"Sure. I have the keys to your place, so as soon as they discharge you, I'll take you home."
"But my wife said she was going to take me home."
It was as if I had slapped Beth across the face. "Your wife?"
I suddenly felt like I was walking through a minefield. "Uh, yeah," I had to think on her name for a moment before it came back to me. "Coraline?" I said.
Beth stared at me for a long time. I was about to ask her if she was all right when she spoke again.
"Well, I'll talk to the doctors and to Coraline and see if we can work something out."
I didn't know what to say, so I just went with the flow. "OK," I offered, trying to smile.
Beth brought one of my hands to her mouth and kissed it. "We'll get it figured out, and have you home soon," she said. She replaced my hand on the bed, smiled, turned and left the room. I looked at my hand. It was warm where she had kissed it.
Chapter Three
One thing I found out about losing your memory – the harder you try to remember something, the more difficult it is. I started to remember little things, but only when I wasn't consciously trying to remember. While I was eating lunch it suddenly occurred to me that Beth drives a Toyota Prius. Why I would know this, I have no idea. After the doctors saw me and cleared me to go home, I hopped in the shower. While I was washing my hair I remembered that I knew how to play the guitar.
Then there were the more troubling memories - if that's what they were. I was getting dressed after my shower when out of the blue I had a vision of me biting a young lady's wrist. The really weird part was that I enjoyed the taste of her blood in my mouth. Was that a memory? Or was it just a fragment of a dream bouncing around inside my head? It had to have been a dream, right?
I didn't have much time to ponder the question. I was lacing up my shoes when Beth walked into the room.
"Hey," she said, smiling.
"Hey," I replied. The exchange felt familiar. I stood up, and Beth came over and hugged me. At first my arms lay limp at my sides. Then I slowly reached around her and returned the hug. One thing was for sure, she smelled terrific.
"I spoke with the doctors, and they say you can leave any time," she said.
"I signed the discharge papers a little while ago," I said. "I just need to gather up my odds and ends and I'll be ready." I opened the drawer on my bedside table. I took out a wristwatch, a necklace and a ring. I had to think for a minute about whether I was left or right-handed. Right-handed. I put the watch on my left wrist. I began to slip the ring onto my right ring finger, but Beth stopped me.
"It goes here," she said, taking the ring and placing it on my right index finger. Odd. But it felt right.
"Thanks," I said. "I guess I'm ready to go. Is Coraline coming?"
The frown that crossed Beth's face was barely noticeable, then she smiled.
"She said she'd meet up with us later."
That felt like a lie, but who was I to accuse a woman I hardly knew – or at least hardly remembered - of lying to me?
"OK, then, let's go." I motioned for Beth to lead the way, and placed my hand in the small of her back as we passed through the door and out into the hallway. I had to fight a strong urge to put my arm around her waist. A married guy wouldn't put his arm around another woman, would he? Then again, I really had no idea what my relationship to Beth was. Better safe than sorry, though. I kept my arms to myself.
We approached the only Prius in the parking garage, and I walked over to the passenger door and waited for Beth to unlock the car. I stood there for a while before I looked up and saw that Beth was gaping at me in amazement.
"How did you know this was my car?" she asked.
"It's one of the small things I've been able to remember so far," I explained. Beth was grinning from ear to ear.
"There may be hope for you yet," she joked. She unlocked the car. We climbed in and drove away from the hospital and toward my home, wherever that was.
Chapter Four
I held my tongue as long as I could, but eventually I couldn't take it anymore.
"Do you always drive this slow?"
Beth gave me a hurt look and punched my shoulder. "I don't want to hear any complaining about my driving! You're the one who totaled their car."
"Speaking of my car, what kind of car is it?"
"Was it. An old Mercedes convertible," Beth answered.
"Oh, so it was a beater."
"No," Beth said, "by old I mean classic. A classic Mercedes."
My jaw dropped. "I hope it was insured."
"I hope so, too," Beth said. "It was a lovely car."
We drove in silence for a minute. Traffic whizzed past us.
"You drive like an old lady."
Beth scowled. "I don't want to be responsible if anything happens to you in your delicate condition."
What did that mean? "Delicate condition? The doctors said I'm going to be fine."
"That's not what I meant…" Beth stared, then snapped her mouth shut.
"What?"
Beth returned her attention to the road. "Nothing. I'm just worried about you."
"Humph." I decided to drop it.
Beth pulled into the parking garage of a tall building. The parking attendant gave us a nod as we pulled in.
"Good morning, Mr. St. John. Ms. Turner." He offered us a little salute.
"Morning, Hank!" Beth called out, waving to the attendant as we passed. I offered a weak half-wave and smile.
"He knows you? You must come over to see me a lot."
Beth smiled. "Once in a while, yeah."
We pulled into a parking space, got out and walked over to an elevator. We stepped inside, and Beth pressed the top button, marked "P".
"I live in the penthouse?" I asked in amazement.
"Yep," Beth answered.
"You know, just when I think I'm doing a good job of remembering stuff, something like this comes along."
The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. We stepped out into a dark hallway decorated with large paintings.
"I must be rich to be able to afford to live here," I said as we walked down the hall. Beth shrugged and reached into her purse and pulled out a set of keys. We stopped in front of a door. I read the lettering painted there.
"I'm a private investigator, and I can afford this place?" It didn't make sense.
"I guess so," Beth shrugged, unlocking two locks and pushing the door open. "I've always been curious about that myself."
"You're a lot of help," I said, following her inside.
The apartment was a combination of office and living space. Nicely decorated – looked like I had good taste. There was a huge desk in the office area, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw that sitting behind the desk was a man. He was in the swivel chair, with his back to us. Beth saw him at the same time I did, and as I put an arm in front of her, she took a startled step back. The man spun around to face us.
"Josef, you scared the crap out of me!" she said.
I hardly heard her. As soon as I saw the man's face I found myself having what must has been some kind of flashback. I was lying on my back and this man – Josef? – was stranding over to me. My vision was kind of fuzzy, and I could hear him talking to me. "C'mon, Mick. Rise and shine. Rise and shine. Rise and shine…rise and…."
"You look like you've seen a ghost." It was Josef, speaking from behind the desk, bringing me back to the present. I shook my head to clear my thoughts.
"Sorry," I said. "I kind of zoned out there for a second." Josef stood and came around the desk. He offered his hand.
"Great to have you back, Mick".
I took his hand and shook it. Like Coraline's, Josef's hand was unusually cool to the touch.
"I take it we know each other," I said with an apologetic smile.
"Josef is your best friend, Mick" Beth interjected.
"So we were…are close?" I asked.
Josef smiled. "Like brothers".
"I wish I remembered."
"Beth warned me that you were having some trouble remembering things," Josef said. "It'll come back in time."
"I hope so," I said. I noticed that Josef had been holding a drink in his left hand. He drained it – it looked like tomato juice or maybe a Bloody Mary – and walked over to the sink and rinsed out the glass.
"So what are you doing here?" Beth asked.
"I figured I should offer my assistance, what with someone trying to kill Mick and all."
Beth and I exchanged a puzzled look.
"Trying to kill me?" I asked.
"Your car wreck was no accident," Josef said. "Someone wants you dead. And we need to figure out who it is – and stop them"
Chapter Five
"I'd like to get a copy of the police report on my accident…uh…wreck," I said.
"There is no police report," Josef said.
I was dumbfounded. "How can there not be a police report? I smashed my car into a telephone pole! And Coraline told me the police said it looked like I fell asleep at the wheel."
Josef and Beth exchanged an uneasy glance.
"Coraline doesn't have her facts straight," Josef said. "The police couldn't have said that, because the police were not involved."
"Why wouldn't the police be involved in an accident investigation – especially if it wasn't an accident?"
Josef thought for a moment. "Let's just say for now that the scene was cleaned up right after it happened, and the police never knew about it. It was important not to get them involved in this."
"That's insane!" I protested. "You can't just clean everything up and pretend it never happened! Somebody's trying to kill me!"
Josef was getting angry. "Mick, we need to drop this for now!" For a minute his eyes looked kind of weird - almost like they were glowing. "We'll be able to explain everything, but this is not the time." I blinked, and Josef's eyes looked fine.
Beth grabbed my hand and squeezed. The look on her face begged me to trust Josef.
"OK, OK," I said. "But I'm really looking forward to hearing the explanation for this."
"We know it's confusing, Mick," Beth said, "but we need you to trust us. Can you do that?"
I wasn't really sure I could.
"I think so. I could use some time alone to think things over."
Josef made his way toward the door.
"We'll get to work on figuring out this puzzle first thing tomorrow night," he said.
"Tomorrow night?" I asked.
"I do my best work at night," Josef said. For some reason I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I broke out in goose bumps. "I've got some of my best people keeping an eye on your place," he said, "so you're in good hands."
I didn't even know what Josef did for a living. Was he a cop? Before I could ask any more questions Josef was gone.
"I'll help you get re-acquainted with your apartment before I go," Beth said, startling me. I had almost forgotten she was there.
"Thanks," I said, wearing a sheepish grin.
"Where do you want to start?"
"How about the kitchen?" I suggested. "I'm starving."
Chapter Six
Beth approached the refrigerator and slowly pulled open the door, peering in through the crack when the light came on inside. She let out a sigh of relief, and opened the door the rest of the way.
"What were you expecting," I asked, "a severed head?"
Beth laughed a nervous laugh.
"Not exactly," she said. She brought out a package of olive loaf and a jar of mayonnaise.
"How about an olive loaf sandwich?"
"That would be fine," I answered, although I was hungry enough to eat a dozen sandwiches.
Beth found a bag of chips and a couple loaves of bread. "Wheat or white?"
"Wheat," I answered. "Is that all I've got in there?"
"It's all you've got that's quick and easy to prepare," Beth said.
"So not only do you drive like an old lady, you can't cook."
Beth spun around so fast the mayonnaise flew off the knife in her hand and splattered on the kitchen wall.
"I can so cook!" she protested. "I've cooked you dinner dozens of times!" She ripped off a paper towel and knelt down to clean up the mayo dripping down the wall. I knelt down beside her.
"Let me do that," I said. I put my hand on hers. She looked at me. Our faces were just inches apart.
"I'm sorry I insulted you," I said. "It was supposed to be a joke. I guess I don't have much of a…"
Beth leaned forward and kissed me, stopping me in mid sentence. My mind suddenly conjured up an image of the two of us in the shower, fully clothed. I was standing behind Beth with my arms around her. "Turn me, Mick," she was moaning. "Turn me!"
I stumbled backward and fell on my butt with a thud. Kissing Beth had felt so good, so right. But I was a married man! How could kissing a woman who isn't my wife be right?
"I'm so sorry, Mick!' Beth apologized. "I was out of line, and it won't happen again."
I stood up just as the phone started to ring. I answered it.
"Mr. St. John?" the voice on the other end inquired.
"Yes," I answered.
"This is Mercy Hospital calling. We thought you would want to know that your wife was here."
"Coraline?"
"Yes, sir. She wasn't happy when she found out you had been sent home. In fact she was quite upset."
That didn't make any sense. Hadn't Beth told her that she was bringing me home? "Why was she upset? I thought she knew what my plans were."
"Evidently she was under the impression that she would be taking you home," the voice from the hospital explained. "When we told her you had already been discharged, she wanted to know to whom."
"And you told her Beth Turner?"
"Yes, sir. That's when she got really upset. She ripped the receptionist's phone off the wall and threw it across the lobby, then nearly stormed right through a sliding glass door on her way out."
I felt anger overtaking me like a dark cloud. The look I was giving Beth must have made it clear how upset I was. Beth had backed into a corner of the kitchen, and she looked terrified.
"Obviously there was some sort of mix-up," I told the hospital, "and I hope you'll accept my apology for my wife's behavior."
"Of course, Mr. St. John. We just thought you'd want to know what had happened."
"Thank you very much," I said, and hung up the phone. I started walking toward Beth.
"I can explain, Mick," she said. She was starting to cry. I was too upset to care.
"I don't want to hear it. I think you'd better leave."
Beth cringed past me, steering well clear of me on her way by. She stopped outside the front door.
"Mick, I know you don't believe me now, but I swear this will all make sense to you." Tears were streaming down her cheeks now.
"Goodbye, Beth." I closed the door and locked it. I went back into the kitchen and saw the unfinished sandwich on the counter. I picked up the knife and spread what was left of the mayo on the bread and put some olive loaf between the two slices. I took a bite. Why had Beth lied to me? Why did Beth bringing me home set Coraline off like that? Who were my friends? Who were my enemies? Who wanted me dead? Who could I trust? I felt like my head was going to explode, and I was sick to my stomach. I walked over to the garbage can and spat out the bite I had taken. I threw the rest of the sandwich in with it. I lay down on the couch, not really expecting to be able to sleep. But sleep did come, and with it more dreams.
Chapter Seven
I was in that burning room again, and the woman in white was there, too. I only saw her face from the side, but she seemed familiar to me. And this time there was a little girl in the dream. She was hiding in the corner of the burning room. I had a wooden stake of some sort in my hand…
Then the scene changed. I was speeding down the road in my Mercedes – I could tell by the emblem on the steering wheel. The speedometer said I was going 90 miles per hour. I was sweating profusely, and my heart was beating a mile a minute. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw a car following close behind me. There were two people in the front seat. The car swerved to the right and began to pull up next to me on my passenger side. I knew that I couldn't let the car get next to me, or I was going to die. Still, the car edged up on me. I could almost make out the faces of the people in the car. One was a man, the other a woman. The man was driving. He appeared to be very pale, and he had peculiar eyes. It was almost as if one of them was entirely black. Maybe he was wearing a patch? The woman was someone I thought I knew, but I couldn't quite place her…
The scene changed again, and I was pounding on a door. The number five was on the door, and when I turned the knob the door opened. Beth was inside, facing away from me. When she turned around I could see she had been crying. I wanted nothing more than to sweep her into my arms and kiss her tears away…
The doorbell woke me up. I got up of the couch, stretched and walked over to the door.
"Who is it?"
"It's Josef and Beth," Josef said. "You know, you have a security camera. Push the button on the wall and you'll be able to see us."
I found the button and pushed it. The video screen flashed on, showing Josef and Beth. Beth was holding a bottle of wine.
"A peace offering," she said, holding the bottle up.
"Let us in, Mick," Josef said. "We need to have a heart-to-heart."
I opened the door.
"I suppose if you were going to kill me you would've done it already," I said, standing aside. Beth handed me the wine as she walked in.
"I know this has been hard on you," she said, "but there's so much that you don't know. It's time to fill in some of the blanks."
I walked into the kitchen and put the bottle on the counter. I looked out through the windows that opened onto the patio at the rear of my apartment. It was a typically beautiful, sunny day in Los Angeles.
"Let's go outside to talk," I suggested.
"I'd rather not," Josef said.
"Why not?
Josef frowned. "I burn easily."
"We'll find you a spot in the shade then," I offered.
The three of us walked out onto the patio. Josef held a hand up to block the sun from his face. I wondered why he didn't use sunscreen. Beth and I pulled up chairs and sat in the sun. Josef sat along the wall in the shade.
"All right, I know someone wants me dead," I said. "Why?"
"You have some information that a group of very powerful people wants to keep to themselves," Josef explained. "They'd kill you or anyone else without giving it a second thought to keep this information secret."
"But I can't think of anything I know that would be worth killing over," I said. "Exactly what kind of information is it?"
"We think it's safer for you not to know all the details right now," Beth said. "If you remember it yourself, that's fine. But until then we figure it's best to keep it vague."
"You've certainly got vague down to a science," I said. I wasn't getting the answers I wanted, and I was starting to get upset again. I was also feeling a little ill. I raised my hand to keep the sun out of my eyes.
"There's one thing you should probably be aware of," Josef said.
"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?"
Josef paused for a moment, then continued. "We have reason to believe that Coraline is mixed up with the people who want you dead."
It was obvious that Josef and Beth didn't like Coraline, but this was getting ridiculous.
"My own wife wants me dead?"
"We're not absolutely sure, Mick," Beth said, "but for the time being it's best if we go on that assumption."
I stood up fast, and was surprised when I nearly fell over. I felt weak, and my head hurt. Beth grabbed my elbow and helped me back into the apartment. Josef followed. He and Beth exchanged a curious look.
"What?"
"Nothing," Josef said. "You just need to take it easy, buddy. Until you get your strength back, just leave everything to us."
I felt so helpless. Wasn't I the private investigator? I should be the one putting the pieces of this puzzle together, not Josef and Beth. But I hadn't felt this weak since leaving the hospital. Beth led me to a chair and I collapsed into it.
"This is a lot to absorb," Beth said, brushing the hair out of my face. "Let's just take it slow, and things will start to come back to you."
I closed my eyes. "Do we have time to take it slow?" I asked.
"Not really, Mick" Josef answered. "Not really."
Chapter Eight
Beth went to the kitchen sink and ran a dishtowel under the cold water. She brought the towel back and wiped my sweaty face with it.
"Thanks," I said. "I feel much better already. Too much sun, or too much excitement, I guess."
"Or both," Josef offered. I nodded in agreement.
"Let's review the facts," Josef said. "Someone wants to kill you because you have information they don't want to share. We also know, or at least we think, that Coraline may have something to do with it."
"I still don't see why you suspect Coraline," I said. "As far as I can remember she's been nice to me. Sure, she's got a bit of a temper, but so do I. She's my wife, right? Aren't I supposed to love her? What do you two have against her, anyway?"
Beth and Josef exchanged another of those odd glances.
"It's complicated," Beth said.
"Let's just say," Josef added, "that if you remembered the way Coraline behaved before you lost your memory, you'd agree with us. She's more of an estranged wife – emphasis on strange."
"So I'm just supposed to go along with that?"
"You have to trust us, Mick," Beth said. "I know it may not seem like it, but we're trying to help you."
I had a strong feeling that Beth was telling the truth. There was no deception in her lovely eyes. I only saw...what was it…love? It sure seemed that way. And I'd be lying to myself if I didn't admit that deep down inside I felt drawn to her, too. It still didn't feel right, but it was useless to deny it.
"All right," I said. "So what do I do if Coraline shows up here?"
"She won't," Josef said. "I've got a couple of guys watching your place from across the street, and another two men right outside your apartment door."
I thought about that for a moment.
"You said there are very powerful people who want me dead. Is there anyone else I should watch out for?"
"You definitely want to watch out for Lance," Josef said.
"How will I know him?"
"He's hard to miss," Beth said. "He's tall, thin, one completely black eye…Mick, what's wrong? You're white as a sheet."
I couldn't speak right away. Finally, I swallowed hard and found my voice.
"I've seen that guy."
"Where?" Josef asked.
"In my dreams," I answered.
Beth's mouth dropped open in surprise. "You dreamed about Lance?"
"I was driving my car and he was chasing me in another car," I explained. "He was trying to pull up next to me, but I knew that if he did, I'd be as good as dead. It looked like he had a woman in the car with him."
Josef and Beth said it together. "Coraline!"
"Maybe," I said. "I'm not sure. It could've been. I don't know!" Being confused was getting old.
"Have you had any other dreams," Beth asked, "or remembered anything else?"
I felt my face flush with color as I remembered dreaming about me and Beth in the shower.
"Uh, nothing that seems relevant," I hedged. Beth gave me a curious look.
"Well, I'm heading back to my office," Josef said. Then to Beth: "Coming?"
Beth looked at Josef, then at me, then back to Josef.
"I still haven't given Mick the tour of his apartment I promised him," she said.
"That's true," I agreed, nodding.
Josef looked amused.
"All right then. You two have fun, and let me know if anything strange happens."
I laughed. "Stranger than what's already happened? I don't see how that's possible."
"You might be surprised," Josef said as he left the apartment, closing the door behind him.
Chapter Nine
"The first thing I'm going to do is prove to you that I can cook," Beth said.
"You don't have to do that," I said.
"Aren't you hungry?"
Truth was I was famished.
"I am, but I'm not sure what I'm in the mood for. Definitely not olive loaf, though."
"Leave it to me," Beth said, and she went into the kitchen and started looking through the cabinets.
I got up and walked into my office. I found a filing cabinet and pulled on one of the drawer handles. It was locked. I walked around behind my desk and powered up my computer. I sat down to wait for the computer to cycle up. When the main screen came up, I was only mildly surprised to see that my background was a picture of Beth, a big smile on her face. When I tried to access information on the computer, I found it was password protected. And of course, I couldn't remember the password.
I laced my hands behind my head and leaned back in my chair, thinking about everything that had happened since I regained consciousness in the hospital. It was so frustrating not being able to remember things. I knew I could fill in the blanks, if only I could access the memories. I guess they were password protected, too.
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew I was in a dark alley with Coraline. She had just handed me a computer memory stick.
"Lance will kill both of us if he finds out I gave this to you," she said.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Lance has been working with The Legion to develop a way to combine The Cure with a poison that's deadly to us, but not to the rest of the population. He's also figured out a way to deliver the combination on a massive scale to wipe us all out. The plans are on that flash drive."
"And you've been helping him?"
"I had no choice, Mick," Coraline pleaded. "It was either help, or he'd kill me."
I shook my head. "Why couldn't this have happened six months ago?" I asked. "I can't possibly go up against Lance like this."
"I can help you, Mick," Coraline said. As watched, her face grew suddenly pale and dark red rings formed around her eyes, which took on that strange glowing animal-like quality. I tilted my head back, offering her my neck, and as she leaned forward I saw that her teeth ended in sharp points.
Just then a man materialized at the entrance to the alley.
"Coraline!"
"It's Lance! Run, Mick!" Coraline yelled. I took off down the alley, leaving Coraline behind.
Then I was back in my car, speeding down the road, and that other car was gaining on me. I couldn't stay ahead of it, and as it pulled up next to my car I got a better look at the driver. He was very pale, and it was obvious that this could only be the man Josef had described as Lance. His right eye was completely black. His left eye was more or less normal, but even that eye looked strange. It was similar to how Coraline's eyes had changed. It looked almost like an animal's eye. And when he looked at me and smiled, he had fangs instead of teeth. I glanced at his passenger, and sure enough, it was Coraline. I barely had time to register the look on her face – she seemed sad, almost apologetic – before Lance turned the steering wheel sharply to the left and slammed his car into mine. I fought to control my car, but it veered off the road. I threw my arms up in front of my face as the car headed straight for a utility pole.
I woke up to find Beth gently shaking my shoulder.
"I think you were having a bad dream," Beth said. "You were out for an hour and a half."
My breathing gradually slowed, and so did my heart rate
"I don't think it was a dream," I said, "more like memories coming back to me." The details were already starting to fade. "I think Coraline and Lance are involved in some kind of cure for something that's also a poison. But that doesn't make sense, does it? I mean, why would you want to cure someone and then kill them? And what were they curing in the first place?"
Beth knelt down next to my chair.
"Everything you said fits in with what's been going on," she said. "You're just remembering bits and pieces, rather than the whole picture."
"I wish someone would help me put it all together so that it makes sense,"
"It'll come," Beth assured me. I could tell it was breaking her heart not to be able to help me. "But Josef says it's best that we let you do the remembering yourself."
"There were a couple of other things I remembered," I said. "Coraline gave me a memory stick, and the information on the stick is what Lance is after."
"Josef has the flash drive," Beth said. "He's keeping it in a safe place."
"The other thing is that Coraline and Lance seemed…I don't know…" I thought about how it would sound if I told Beth that I thought Coraline and Lance were vampires. "There was something wrong with them," I said.
Beth was watching me intently.
"What was wrong with them?"
I chose my words carefully, wishing I hadn't brought it up in the first place.
"I don't know, they just seemed sort of different. I can't think of a better way to put it." The truth was that I wasn't sure anymore if I could tell the difference between what was real and what wasn't.
"All right," Beth said, "let's not dwell on it right now. We need to get some food into you!"
Beth took my hand and led me into the kitchen where she had set a candle-lit table for two. The food smelled wonderful. There were dinner rolls, a huge salad, and a couple of the biggest, juiciest hunks of prime rib I had ever seen. There was a dish of asparagus, and the wine was open. Beth had poured each of us a glass.
"You shouldn't have gone to all this trouble," I protested.
"It's no trouble, Mick," Beth said. "I wanted to prove to you that I could cook."
"I never doubted it for a minute," I said. "Now if we can just work on your driving."
Beth punched me playfully on the shoulder as we sat down to dinner.
Chapter Ten
I pretended to enjoy the meal. It wasn't that it tasted bad. The problem was that I could taste it at all. It was as if my taste buds had died. I might as well have been chewing cardboard. But I acted as though it was the best meal I had ever had, and I don't think Beth noticed anything wrong.
"Beth, that was wonderful!" I raved. "But I couldn't eat another bite."
Beth surveyed the table. "But we've still got lots of food left," she said.
"I guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach."
"I hate to see all this go to waste," Beth said.
I had an idea. "Let's take a couple of plates out for the guys Josef left in the hall to guard us."
"Oh, they won't want any," Beth said.
I was curious. "How do you know that? I'll bet they're starving. And like you said, it'd be a shame to see this wonderful meal go to waste."
Beth shrugged and helped me prepare a couple of plates. Beth carried the plates and I opened the door and led the way out into the hall.
"Mr. St. John," one of the guards said, alarmed. "Is something wrong?"
"Not at all," I said. "I just thought you guys might enjoy a little supper." I motioned to the plates Beth had brought out.
"Thank you very much," the second guard said, "but we couldn't."
"I insist," I said.
"Really, sir," the first guard said, "we're fine. We…uh…grabbed a bite to eat earlier."
I could tell there was no changing their minds. "All right," I said. "but you don't know what you're missing."
Beth carried the plates back inside and I closed and locked the door. Beth took the plates into the kitchen and set them on the counter.
"How about that tour?" I asked. "We'll clean up later."
"Where would you like to start?"
"I haven't even been upstairs yet," I said. "Let's go up there."
Beth led the way up the stairs, and I found myself admiring the view. I thought that maybe I shouldn't be checking out Beth's butt, but I kept looking anyway. That is until Beth looked behind her to make sure I was following. I quickly looked away and started to whistle softly. Beth smiled and continued up the stairs.
At the top of the stairs there was a door on the left. Beth walked right past it.
"What's in here?' I asked, turning the knob. It was locked.
"It's just a storage room," Beth said. I thought I sensed that she was hiding something, but what on earth could she be hiding from me in my own apartment? I decided to let it go.
The next door on the left opened to a bathroom. The shower had a large, glass door.
I staggered back as a couple of quick memories flashed through my mind. First, I was in the shower with Beth, and she was asking me to turn her again. Then I looked again and it was Coraline in the shower with me. I was trying to see something on her shoulder.
"Mick, are you all right?"
It was Beth, bringing me back to the present.
"I'm fine," I said. "I just had another flashback."
"A good one or a bad one?"
"It kind of felt like a little of both," I said.
Beth pondered that for a moment. "Shall we continue the tour?" she asked.
"After you," I said.
Beth led me back into the hallway, and to the last door. It opened to what looked mostly like a bedroom. It had a dresser, an entertainment center, a love seat and other furnishings you'd expect to find in a bedroom. But there was no bed.
"Is this my bedroom?" I asked, confused.
"It is," Beth said.
"Then why is there no bed?"
Beth thought for a moment. It was one of those moments when you could see the wheels turning in a person's head. "You prefer to sleep downstairs on the couch," she explained.
Weird, but plausible. I opened the top drawer of the dresser and found rolled up socks and white t-shirts. The next drawer held print t-shirts and jeans, and the bottom drawer was full of pajama bottoms.
"Where's my underwear?" I asked.
Beth shrugged.
I quickly re-examined each drawer, looking for jockey shorts or briefs, and finding neither. "I don't wear underwear?" I looked back at Beth, who had turned beet red. I was suddenly embarrassed myself. "Too much information, huh?"
"Uh, yeah," she said.
I cleared my throat and walked over to the closet. I pulled the doors open, and found hangars full of dress shirts, henleys and trousers. Shoes were arranged on the floor in a line. A rack held several belts with large silver buckles. At least the rest of my wardrobe was nice. I closed the closet doors.
"That's about it for the upstairs," Beth said, leading me back into the hallway. "Did we shake any more memories loose?"
"I'm afraid not," I said, but no sooner were the words out of my mouth than I found myself on another trip down memory lane.
I was carrying Beth out of the bathroom. We were both dripping wet, and she was unconscious. I had a fluffy bath towel draped over my shoulder. I took Beth into the bedroom and gently laid her down on the love seat. I went to my closet and grabbed one of my dress shirts. I brought it back to where Beth lay and began to undress her. When her clothes were off, I used the towel to dry her off as best I could. I should've been aroused, but I knew I couldn't take advantage of the situation. Someday, yes, but not like this. When Beth was dry I put my dress shirt on her. I picked her back up and carried her downstairs. I passed the door at the top of the stairs on my way by. It stood ajar. Was that a freezer in there? I kept walking, taking Beth downstairs and laying her on the couch. I sat down in my recliner and watched her sleep.
The sounds of a violent scuffle brought me back into the present with a jolt. Beth had heard it, too. It sounded as if some kind of wild animals were fighting out in the hallway.
"Stay up here," I told her. "I'll go check it out."
Before Beth could protest I was flying down the stairs two or three steps at a time.
Chapter Eleven
When I say I flew down the stairs I mean that quite literally. It really felt like I was flying. I used to have dreams where I'd run a few steps and then leap up into the air. I could soar for great distances, then gently glide back down to earth, running again as I landed. This was like that.
I also began to notice a strange sensation in my chest. It felt as though someone had wrapped my heart in a bag of ice. I could feel the coldness slowly spreading out from the center of my chest. I would've expected this sensation to cause me some alarm, but it didn't. In fact, it brought me comfort. It felt almost natural.
I reached the bottom of the stairs in what, two leaps? As I ran past a big mirror hanging on the wall I caught a glimpse of my face, and that brought me to a jarring halt. The red gash and the stitches where I banged my head in the car wreck were gone. I ran my hand over the smooth spot where they used to be. It was as if the wound had never existed. I had a sudden memory of watching Josef put his shirt on while a nasty-looking hole in his chest somehow sealed itself. I looked at my eyes in the mirror. There was something different about them, but…
The sounds of the scuffle in the hallway ended just as abruptly as they had begun. I made my way to the front door and pushed the button to activate the video screen. In the hallway, I could see one of Josef's guards lying in a pool of blood. His head lay several feet away from the rest of his body. The other guard was lying motionless nearby, his eyes open, what appeared to be a wooden stake lodged in his chest.
I discovered I could smell the blood that had been spilled in the hallway. The door was closed, but I could smell the blood. There was another smell, too. Something infinitely worse. Something terrible and un-dead.
As I leaned closer to the video screen thinking I might be able to get a better look, a face suddenly swept into view. It filled the entire screen, and there was no mistaking that single, strange black-as-night eye. I stumbled back half a step.
"We need to talk, Mick," Lance said through the intercom. He smiled, revealing teeth that ended in sharp points. No, they weren't teeth. They were fangs. His tongue slithered out of his mouth, caressing the tips.
I stood frozen in place, at once terrified by the vampire on the other side of my door, and amazed at the changes I could feel taking place inside me. The cold feeling that had begun in my chest was inching its way through my body. It felt like it was using my veins as a conduit. It spread through my upper arms and thighs, then my forearms and calves, and into my hands, feet, fingers and toes. As the cold overtook me, my terror was replaced with an incredible feeling of strength. I flexed my fists. It felt as if I could punch a hole right through the wall if I wanted to. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back as the cold inched its way up into my neck. I could hear Josef speaking in my head. "C'mon, Mick. Rise and shine." It may have been a memory, but the feeling was the same now as it had been when I had heard him speak those words. I opened my mouth in a snarl, and I thought I could feel my canine teeth growing longer, pointier. I opened my eyes, and my vision was much sharper now. I was able to make out details in the dark parts of my apartment that I couldn't see into before.
I felt a hand fall on my shoulder and spun around, hissing, ready to strike. It was Beth. I knew I shouldn't have been surprised. She was never very good at staying put. I turned back around, hiding my face from her, suddenly embarrassed.
"Don't look at me!" I growled.
"We're not going to go through this again, are we?" Beth asked. She placed both hands on my shoulders and turned me around to face her. A series of memories flashed through my mind. First I was lying in a bathtub full of ice cubes. I was near death. Beth's arm was in my mouth, and her blood was flowing down my throat. She was making me whole again. Then I was on a rooftop, with Beth saying, "Being a vampire isn't all you are." And then at Beth's apartment, with her asking me, "You really hate being a vampire, don't you?"
"No, I don't."
"You don't what?" Beth asked. I hadn't realized I had spoken out loud.
"I don't hate being a vampire." All the pieces were falling into place. I looked into Beth's eyes, feeling the love that I think I had known all along was there between us. "It's part of who I am," I said, and I knew this to be true. "Part of who we are."
Beth smiled. "Yes, it is." She took my head in her hands and pulled me toward her, lips pursed, eyes closed.
The front door exploded inward, barely missing us as it flew halfway across the apartment. Lance stood in the doorway.
"I hate to break up this lovely moment, but we have some business to attend to," he said.
I maneuvered myself between Lance and Beth. I remembered that Lance didn't usually travel alone.
"Where's your little buddy?" I asked, shielding Beth behind me.
"I'm afraid he got a little careless downstairs," Lance said, "and lost his head. So I'm in the market for a new henchman. Would you like the job, Mick?"
"Never!" I bellowed. "I don't want to have anything to do with you!"
"That's too bad," Lance said, "because I certainly haven't been able to count on my sister for much help." As if on cue, Coraline sulked through the doorway, her shoulders hunched, eyes on the floor. When she glanced up and our eyes met briefly, I searched inside me for some hint of the love that had once bound us as man and wife. I felt resentment, and pity, but it was clear that my love for her had been snuffed out the night she had tried to destroy my Beth. The night I had left her to burn.
"She's really been more trouble than she's worth," Lance said, glaring at Coraline, "but you know what they say, 'blood is thicker than water'. Much tastier, too." Lance raised an arm as if to strike Coraline, and she fell to her knees, arms held over her head to block the blow.
Not sure if I would get another chance, I swept Beth into my arms and ran toward the big glass doors that opened onto the patio. At the last moment I wrapped myself around Beth as best I could and smashed through the doors, shielding her from shards of flying glass. We tumbled to the ground, falling through the wooden patio table and a chair, and rolled to a stop. No sooner had I scrambled back to my feet than Lance was upon me. Beth lay motionless.
"I want the memory stick, Mick," he said. He was no longer smiling.
"I don't have it," I said. Beth stirred, shook her head and got up on her hands and knees. She saw Lance advancing toward us and scrambled backed to the short wall at the edge of the patio until her back was against it. Lance and I began to circle each other.
I was furious. "How could you betray us like that?"
Lance grinned. "Have you forgotten your vampire history, Mick? It happens every three or four hundred years. The Legion grows concerned that the vampire population is growing too fast and will become too large for them to control. They're absolutely terrified of finding themselves outnumbered. So they call for a purge." His smile broadened. "And I happen to be the one who's figured out the perfect way to carry it out."
"You can't possibly believe that The Legion will let you wipe us all out, then let you live."
"That's the beauty of it, Mick," Lance said. "The Legion has given me free reign to choose who I want to join me in the small group that will form the nucleus of the next generation of vampires. I feel a little like Adam in the Garden of Eden." Lance pondered that for a moment. "No," he corrected, "I believe this is what being God must feel like."
"You're not God," I spat, "you're a monster!"
"Now, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black," Lance said, frowning. "I had hoped I could count on you to join me. We could be very powerful allies, Mick."
His suggestion made me sick. "I still have enough of my humanity left to be able to choose between what's right and what's wrong."
"And that will be your downfall," Lance said. He lunged toward me, grabbing my neck in his hands, shoving me backward to the floor. I wedged my feet in between us and pushed hard with my legs, sending Lance flying backward. He struck the wall and slid to the floor. But before I could advance on him, he had gotten back up.
"This would've been much easier if you hadn't turned back," he said, "but I came prepared for that possibility."
Lance reached into his coat and pulled out a long machete. The sharp edge glinted in the moonlight. He swung the weapon around in circles, moving it from one hand to the other as he approached. I could hear the whistling noise the blade made as it cut through the air. I backed up until I found myself pinned against the short retaining wall at the edge of the patio. I looked behind me and down at the traffic on the street far below.
"Last chance to get on board, Mick," Lance said. "Either give me the flash drive and join me, or rot in hell for eternity."
I stared Lance in the eyes - or at least in his one more-or-less normal eye. "I may be going to hell, but you'll get there first." I think he saw the reflection in my eyes a split second too late.
Coraline had snuck up behind Lance, one of the broken legs from the shattered patio chair in her hand. She reached back and swung the makeshift stake toward him. Lance tried to duck out of the way at the last moment, but the stake pieced his upper back at the joint where the arm meets the shoulder. He howled in anger, dropping the machete, which clanged to the floor. Lance turned and shot his good arm straight out, grabbing Coraline by the neck and lifting her off the floor. With one swift movement he swung his arm over his head, and with it Coraline. I watched as she sailed past me and over the retaining wall. Our eyes met, and I expected to see a face frozen in fear and terror. Instead, Coraline appeared calm – almost peaceful. Her eyes never left mine, and as she plummeted out of view I thought I saw a hint of a sad smile on her face.
I turned around and tried to pick up the machete, but Lance was quick. He had pulled the stake out of his shoulder and was now brandishing it over his head. Only a couple of feet separated us.
"Goodbye, Mick," Lance said, the stake beginning its downward arc toward me.
There was a muffled sound. It sounded like a fist hitting a slab of meat. At the same time Lance's body tensed and he straightened up, arching backward. The stake tumbled out of his hand and a trickle of blood curled out of the corner of his mouth and dribbled down his chin. His face was an expression of purest shock and surprise.
Josef stepped out from behind Lance, my vampire crossbow in his hand. Lance slowly turned around to face Josef, and I could see the hilt of a silver arrow protruding from his back. Without hesitation I swung the machete around, finding Lance's neck. Head and body separated. The arc of the machete sprayed Lance's blood across the patio. Some of it splattered Beth's face. She wiped it away with her sleeve, and spat out some that had gotten in her mouth. Lance's corpse took a couple of staggering steps, then collapsed in a heap at my feet.
I stared incredulously at Josef. "You sure took your time getting here!"
Josef smiled. I watched as his eyes changed back to normal, and his fangs receded.
"Ah, there's the old Mick I know and love! Welcome back, brother."
Josef dropped the crossbow and I put down the machete. My eyes and teeth had returned to normal, too. My vision was still sharp and clear, but not as highly focused as before. I could tell my fangs had retracted by running my tongue over my teeth. Josef and I met in the center of the patio in a bear hug.
"How did you know to come?" I asked.
"Beth called me," Josef said. "That's quite a girl you have there, Mick."
"It sure is."
"Hey, is there room for two more in that hug?" It was Beth.
Two more?
A final, powerful memory of me and Beth slammed home. Our bodies were moving as one, and our love for each other flowed between us like an electrical current at every point where our skin met, channeled by a desperate hope for the future. And then there was a spark of new life - tiny, yet infinitely powerful and absolutely limitless in potential.
I reached down and rested my hand on Beth's belly and felt the barely perceptible bump.
"Are you both OK?"
"You remember?" Beth asked, her eyes dancing.
"Oh, yes," I said, taking her in my arms. "I remember."
The next day, Beth and I sat in Josef's apartment. Josef and I were enjoying tall, cool glasses of O-positive. Beth had a glass of cranberry juice.
"So you got all of your memory back?" Josef asked.
"Yep, I'm good as new."
"Maybe even better," Beth added. "By the way, what happened to Coraline?" Beth asked the question I had been pondering, too.
"We don't know," Josef answered. "The cleaners didn't find any trace of her."
Beth and I exchanged a look. I shrugged and changed the subject.
"So where'd you stash the memory stick?" I asked Josef.
"I know this is going to break your heart," Josef said, "but I figured it represented way too much power for any one person to hold, and I had it destroyed."
"And why would that break my heart?"
Josef looked at me quizzically. "I thought that since the stick included details on how to produce The Cure, you'd be devastated – not being able to return to humanity any more."
"You know," I told Josef, taking Beth's hand in mine, "I've been back and forth enough now to realize that this is the way I was meant to be." Beth and I smiled at each other.
"Mick, I'm shocked!" Josef said. "I never thought I'd see the day when you learned to embrace your vampirism."
"It took some time, and a little help, but I guess I finally found my way home. Being temporarily human again can be a nice break, but it's like going on vacation. A nice place, but I wouldn't want to live there."
"But where does that leave you two?"
Beth and I looked at each other and smiled.
"We're pretty much in agreement on how to take our relationship to the next level," Beth said, "but we're not in any big hurry, especially in light of recent developments." She rubbed her belly gently.
Josef stood up quickly. "Which reminds me," he said, motioning for us to follow him out of his apartment. Parked in the driveway was a brand new Mercedes SUV. Josef dug in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He threw them to me. Beth's eyes grew wide. I caught the keys.
"Oh, no way, Josef, We can't accept this!"
"Take it, take it! Consider it a 'sorry I almost let you get killed' present."
I looked inside the vehicle. There was a baby seat installed in the back.
"You thought of everything," I said.
"It's not a classic like your other one, but I thought it was appropriate, considering your circumstances."
"It's perfect," I said, putting my arm around Beth's waist and pulling her close.