Chapter 4:

Ivy's jaw dropped as she stepped further into the apartment. While the building itself was old, the interior of Jack's place was anything but. Ivy walked across the parquet floor towards the built in bookshelves, admiring the man's taste in furniture and love of clean lines. The windows went from floor to ceiling, and the day's last light gave a warm glow to the room. Careful not touch anything, Ivy looked over the pictures that were scattered among the books. 'Exactly what did this guy do again?' Ivy thought as she looked upon the smiling faces. There were quite a few pictures of a beautiful blonde in various locales, some posed with Jack and some alone in silly candids. 'Girlfriend or sister?' Ivy wondered as she slowly continued her tour of the living room. Bending over to look at a photo on the coffee table, Ivy grinned back at the smiling faces. In the frame was Jack with arms over the shoulders of an older woman, obviously his mother based on their similar features, and on the other side of her was the mysterious blonde. Chances were good that she was his sister Danielle. It was hard not to smile at the picture, everyone in it appeared so happy and having such a good time. Straightening up Ivy's smile faded. "What has happened to you, Jack Baptiste?" Ivy whispered to the room.

As if her phone heard her question, Ivy felt a vibration against her hip from within her jacket pocket. Pulse quickening with surprise, Ivy checked the incoming call.

"What's up Kist?" Ivy's voice was low, barely above a whisper.

"Speak up Ivy, I can barely hear you." Behind Kisten came the familiar noise of the kitchen in Pizza Piscary's. The staff was gearing up for yet another busy night, and Kisten was there to run it.

"You caught me at a bad time Kist. I'm in the middle of something. Let me call you back later, OK?" Ivy asked, voice still low as she made her way down a hallway. Eyebrows raised, she admired the stainless steel appliances and granite countertops in the galley kitchen.

"Piscary wants an update," Kisten continued unabated. "I hate to bother you and all, Ivy," the sarcasm dripping from his voice in her ear, "but if I don't have some information for him by the time he comes up to the restaurant, he may be a tad upset."

Rolling her eyes at his dramatics, Ivy couldn't help but press his buttons. "That's the difference between you and me, Kisten. You give Piscary what he wants as soon as he asks for it. He likes it when you make him work for it a little." A wicked grin played across Ivy's lips as she heard Kisten shout his frustration at someone in the kitchen.

His voice was a little strained as he returned to their conversation. "He may like it when you make him work for it, but when it comes to the rest of us, he wants answers." Kisten sighed, and then in a softer tone he continued. "I'm sorry, it's just that we are missing about half of our produce order and another delivery guy quit. Can you call me back before sunset so I don't look completely inept?"

Everything in the apartment appeared as though Jack fully expected to return to it. There were a few dishes rinsed out but left in the sink to wash, a newspaper was open on the table, and names and times written on some dates on the calendar next to the phone. "What exactly does Piscary want to know?" Ivy asked as she jotted down the information from Jack's calendar into her notebook.

"Oh good, you must have taken pity on me. You're actually going to help me out." Kisten said dryly.

"Only because you're such a charmer."

"What happened at work today?" Kisten asked.

Closing her notebook and sliding it back into her purse, Ivy headed down the narrow hallway toward the back of the apartment, and presumably to the bedroom. "Look Kisten, just tell him that Pendleton made this case priority one for me, leaving Artie an unhappy vamp. I'm checking out Jack Baptiste's place and then I'll be contacting his sister. Beyond that, I have nothing to report."

Kisten sighed again. "I don't know why he's got his panties in such a bunch over this, and now he's got me in the middle. Like I don't have enough to do here."

Pushing a piece of hair back behind her ear, Ivy frowned. "How do you think I feel? This case is a month old, and I have next to nothing to go on."

"Yeah, but he wouldn't pull all those strings if he wasn't sure you would be able to do it. You are good at what you do, Ivy." Kisten's voice softened, knowing and understanding her pressure to produce for the master vampire. "Will I see you later tonight?"

"I'm counting on it," Ivy said with a tired smile, "have the wine ready."

Clicking off her phone, Ivy stood in the doorway of Jack's bedroom. Seeing that the blinds were closed, Ivy used her elbow to click the light switch, and the lamps on the two nightstands on either side of the bed turned on. As with the rest of the apartment, the bedroom was modernly furnished. The dark wood of the furniture contrasted nicely with the stark white of the bedspread. Ivy used her pen to hook the handle of the nightstand drawer and pulled it open. "Nothing but a couple of paperbacks and an IPod." Ivy mumbled as she used her knee to close the drawer. "Let's see about you," she whispered walking around the bed to the other nightstand. This drawer was even less helpful than the other. At first glance, the drawer was empty, but as Ivy closed it, she heard something move inside. Pulling the drawer open all the way, she spotted a pen. "Hmm, a pen and nothing to write on. There wasn't any journal or notebook listed in the file either. Interesting." Ivy closed the drawer again and bent over to look at the photo on the stand. This one was of Jack with his arms around yet another beautiful woman with short, dark hair. Squinting at the faces, Ivy blew out a little puff of breath she was holding. "A vampire this time." Looking closer at the background, it appeared as though they were in a club. Taking out her cell phone, Ivy snapped a picture of Jack and the woman. "I know I've seen you somewhere," she said to the smiling vamp's face, "and when I remember where, you and I will be having a little talk."

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

Not finding anything else of use in the apartment, Ivy returned to her car. Grabbing the file from the passenger seat, Ivy dialed the cell number listed for Danielle Baptiste. After a couple of rings, a soft voice answered. "Hello?"

"Hello, this is Detective Tamwood from the I.S. Is this Danielle Baptiste?"

"This is. Did you say you were from the I.S.?" There was a hint of confusion in her voice now.

"We took over the case from the FIB. There was some question about the jurisdiction. I got your number from the case file, and I was wondering if I could speak with you regarding your brother's case."

"Sure, sure, that would be fine," Danielle paused for a moment. "You just caught me by surprise. I haven't heard from anybody in so long. I'm glad someone is still trying to find Jack."

"I was just assigned to the case, so anything you can tell me would really help me catch up." Ivy said.

"Did you want me to come to your office tomorrow or something?" Danielle asked.

"I was hoping to meet with you tonight," Ivy said, looking at her watch, "if it's not too short notice."

"No, I'm sure we can work something out. I just got out of work and I was on my way home to change." Danielle said. "I have class tonight, but I get out at nine. Can you meet me after that? There's a coffee shop close to the college if that's OK?"

"Give me the address and I'll meet you at nine," Ivy said, jotting down the information.

"Um, how will I know who you are?" Danielle asked hesitantly. "What are you wearing?"

Ivy paused for a moment. "I've seen your pictures in the case file, so I'll know you when I see you. As for me, I'm wearing a leather jacket and dark jeans. Don't worry, I'll be waiting for you."

"OK, see you at nine." satisfied, Danielle hung up.

Ivy leaned back in her seat and pressed the END key. Typing the address into her GPS, Ivy decided to get an early start to the coffee shop.