Chapter Three
Paris, France – 1811
The carriage stopped as the door opened and Giacomo led Andre out while closing the door behind them. He placed his hand on Andre's shoulder as they walked the manor house and headed up the stairs. Walking by the butler after he had opened the door, Giacomo led Andre toward the marble stairs that curved to the left and the right as they walked up the stairs and Andre held the doll against his chest. He had said not a word the whole ride from where his mother had been executed and Giacomo sighed, leading Andre up the staircase to the left.
"Giacomo?" a voice asked as he turned and saw his father walking up the stairs. Roberto Vincenzi was not only a shrewd businessman, but a stern master and there were times that Giacomo regretted having him for a father. Roberto stopped on the stair below them when he looked from Giacomo to Andre and Giacomo saw the question in his father's eyes. Due to the secretive nature of his nightly business, Giacomo could not explain that he went out searching and killing things of nightmares and there were rumors that Giacomo might fancy men over women. To be seen in the company of a young boy was making things worse as Giacomo sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Father, this is Andre De'Chardan, my GODSON," he said as Roberto looked at Andre then nodded his head.
"What is he doing here?" Roberto asked.
"Don't you remember Shadean asking us to take care of him if something were to happen?" Giacomo asked and Roberto blinked his eyes a few times.
"Yes, I remember. Damn these business meetings. I wanted to be there for her execution. Did she finally confess to where her husband is?" he asked and Giacomo sighed, shaking his head side to side. "Well, take him to the nursery."
"Yes Father," Giacomo said as they headed up the stairs then headed down the hallway. Opening the double doors, Giacomo led Andre into the nursery while Andre looked around and walked to the brass bed with four posts and dark blue canopy, sitting down. "Shall I send someone up with something to eat?"
Andre shook his head as Giacomo left the nursery and closed the double doors behind him. The nursery walls were a stark white color with painting of fairy tale characters on the walls and a white marble fireplace faced the bed. Three, crystal chandeliers hung on gold chains connected to the ceiling and a red carpet with white swirls covered the hard wood floor. Four, large windows let light into the room with thick, blue curtains tied with gold cords in front of the windows and a window seat had several pillows propped up against the windows. The rest of the furniture was done in a dark wood and the bedding was a dark blue.
Andre looked at the wooden and clockwork toys scattered about the room and the bookcases filled with children's books as he placed the doll against the pillow and flopped on his stomach, burying his face in the pillow. His soft sobbing made the doll turn its head as the doll slowly crawled on the bed and sat next to his head. Gently, the doll stroked his hair as a soft hushing sound filled the room and the fire popped in the fireplace.
New Orleans, Louisiana
"Doctor Miller!" Nurse Thomas shouted as she ran down the hallway and looked over her shoulder, praying that the doll wasn't following her.
"What's going on?" Doctor Miller asked as he and Misty ran to her and Nurse Thomas stopped near the nurses' station, breathing hard and fast through her nose. They waited for her to calm down when she looked down the hallway and was relieved to see the doll hadn't followed her.
"I was checking on the patient in Room Fourteen and…" she said as Misty looked down the hallway and her eyes widened. Room Fourteen was Katie's room as she walked by her and Nurse Thomas gently grabbed hold of her arm. "No, don't go down there!"
"Let go!" Misty shouted as she pulled her arm away and headed down the hallway. Nurse Thomas and Doctor Miller followed her when Nurse Thomas stood in front of the door and locked eyes with Misty.
"No, don't go in there!"
"Move!" she said as she pushed Nurse Thomas out of the way and opened the door. Doctor Miller followed her in the room while Nurse Thomas stood in the doorway and Misty stood by the bed then turned, looking at her. "Well?"
"Her doll, it…it…."
"What about it?" Misty asked as she picked up the doll and looked into the sapphire blue glass eyes.
"It moved," Nurse Thomas said as Misty looked at the doll and a small smile appeared on the doll's face. Misty looked at Nurse Thomas then at Doctor Miller and he sighed, looking at his feet.
"The doll moved?!" Misty asked with a sarcastic tone to her voice and Nurse Thomas nodded her head. "How the hell can it move?"
"I don't know! All I know is it moved!"
"Did you bump the bed or something?"
"No! It titled its head then stood up and…"
"Are you on drugs?! It's just a fucking doll!" Misty said then looked at the doll and the doll looked at her with a blank look on its face with the eyebrows were slightly raised.
"It stood up!"
"That will be enough!" Doctor Miller said as he pointed to the door and Nurse Thomas sighed, heading for the door. She opened the door as they left the room and Misty looked down at the doll.
"Cheeky shit," she whispered as a soft laugh filled the air and she slid the doll back on the bed, walked to the door and left the room. Watching the door close, the doll moved up the bed then snuggled next to Katie, closed its eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Tamara and the rest of the young woman stood near the reception desk as Cassandra and Peter walked closer and the birdcage she was carrying swung lightly back and forth. Peter was wearing the wig, sideburns, moustache, goatee, makeup and fake eyebrow ring and the light shimmered off his leather coat, leather boots and leather trousers. Cross softly chirped as they stopped and Tamara looked at Peter, folding her arms under her breasts.
"So where is this surprise you told us about?" Tamara asked and flipped some of her violet hair back. Her hair used to be black until recently and Peter did admit he liked her hair that color.
"How the fuck should I know? All Murray said was we were supposed to go outside in a half an hour," Peter said as they placed the luggage on the trolley and Peter pushed the trolley toward the door. The doorman opened the door as they walked outside and Peter's eyes went wide, seeing what was in front of them. "No fucking way!"
Parked at the curb was a large, tan caravan with a poster advertising Fright Night on the sides of the caravan and a satellite dish was sticking out of the roof. Walking closer, Peter looked at the tall man wearing jeans, tan cowboy boots and a white t-shirt and his blonde hair was cut close to his scalp. His dark brown eyes locked with Peter's eyes as he titled his head to one side and Peter crossed his arms over his chest.
"Who are you?" the man asked as he walked closer and Peter sighed, pointing his hands toward the poster with a blank look on his face. "Oh, well, I'm Mike Crawford. You ready to go? I get paid by the mile."
"There is no fucking way I'm traveling in that!" Tamara said as she walked closer and Mike looked her up and down. His eyes stopped at her breasts peeking out of her denim shirt as she sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "Yo, Perv, my eyes are up here!"
"Bitch," Mike said as Peter balled his hands into fists then sighed and rolled his eyes. Walking away, he walked to the door when he leaned against the wall and removed the cell phone from his coat pocket. Pushing the buttons, he looked at the caravan when he sighed and crossed his arm over his stomach.
"Hello," Murray said.
"You have one second to tell me what the hell you were thinking?! We are NOT traveling across country in a fucking caravan!" Peter said as he heard Murray sighing and Peter brushed some hair out of his eyes.
"Didn't you ever want to travel like a rock star?"
"I am not a rock star!"
"No, you're…." Murray said then stopped talking after Peter growled and ended the call. Placing the cell phone in his pocket, Peter stormed to the caravan when he looked at Mike and snapped his fingers, pointing to the door. Flipped him off, Mike opened the door as Peter walked inside as his eyes widened and he whistled. Going passed the plastic curtains, he saw two steps leading up to the center room as gold carpeting with red swirls stretched to the back of the caravan and the walls were a light brown color. The lights were embedded in the ceilings and small paintings of semi-nude women were hanging on the walls. Two large, light brown leather sofas and four light brown leather chairs sat to the right as two glass coffee tables sat in front of the sofas and chairs and a wooden entertainment center with a plasma television, dvd player, dvr player, stereo, speakers for surround sound and a WII gaming system sat to the left.
Peter walked to the dining area as he looked to the left at the steel refrigerator, stove, sink and dishwasher and the two tables and restaurant booth style seats sat near the windows to the right. There were windows over the sink and the microwave oven, juicer, coffee maker and smoothie maker sat on the granite counter.
Walking toward the back of the caravan, Peter looked up at the chrome ladder leading up to the second floor then shrugged and opened the door. The gold carpeting with red swirls covered the floor and Peter opened the door to his left, looking at the large closet. Closing the door, he looked at the bunk beds with gold and red bedding and Peter walked to the end of the room and opened the door, peeking inside the large bathroom. Like the rest of the caravan, the walls were a light brown color and the flooring was a tan tile. A shower with a glass door was to his right and the toilet was to the left and a granite counter with four sinks faced him. Nodding his head, Peter turned as he walked out of the back room then looked up at the chrome ladder and sighed.
Climbing up the chrome ladder, Peter placed his arms across his chest as he smiled and titled his head to one side.
Unlike the downstairs, the carpeting was a dark red color with black walls with silver and gold leaves painted on the walls and a gold dragon statue was hung over the bed. The bedding was red, black and gold with large pillows with gold pillow cases and Peter walked to the bed, sitting down on the foot of the bed. To the left of the chrome ladder was a black dresser with a mirror and a painting of a nude woman hung next to the dresser. Two night tables sat on either side of the bed with black lamps with red shades sitting on top of the night tables and the remotes to the plasma television, vcr and dvr sat on the night table to the right of the bed, Lying on his back, he looked up at the ceiling when he smiled from not seeing a mirror on the ceiling then sat up and looked at the wooden entertainment center with the plasma television, dvd player, dvr player, stereo, speakers for surround sound and a Play Station gaming system sitting on the shelves. Getting up and walking to the door to the left of the entertainment center, Peter opened the door and looked at the large closet.
"This might not be so bad," he said when he looked around then noticed that there was one thing missing and sighed, folding his arms over his chest. "Where the hell's the bar?"
"Peter?" Cassandra called out as he walked to the hole where the chrome ladder was and looked down, leaning his hands on the wall.
"Up here," he said as she walked to the chrome ladder and looked up at him. Smiling, she climbed up the chrome ladder as he stood back and held his hand out. She took his hand as she looked around then saw the look in his eyes and walked closer, sliding her arms around his waist and stroked his bottom. "There's no bar."
"Oh, well I guess they don't want the driver drinking on the job," she said then kissed his cheek and he pouted. "Don't worry. I packed your portable bar."
"I love you," he said then kissed her lips and she smiled, smacking his bottom. Looking at the bed, Peter grinned while wiggling his eyebrows up and down and she sighed, rolling her eyes and they half ran to the bed while pulling their clothes off.