Chapter 29: Partners
When Danielle came down the stairs Seth was pacing back and forth on the living room floor. She cleared her throat as she made her way to him, "Seth I—"
"No save it," his tone was hard. "I'm not going to let you sit here and bad talk my girl. You were all for us being happy, you liked her remember now she's a vampire and suddenly she's not good enough. That's bullshit sis and you know it. Your friends are vampires, does that bother you? No you don't care but my girlfriends a vampire and now it's different."
Seth paced towards the door, "I love you Danielle, you're the only family I have; you and Lucas but I won't let you try to interfere. I've called Coop and let him know I couldn't stay, I'll talk to you another time." He opened the door, "Tell Lucas I love him."
With that he walked out the door leaving Danielle staring after him with her mouth open. Tears brimmed her eyes as she made her way to the couch, he baby brother had just walked out on her. Unable to think of anything else to do she reached for her phone and dialed Jean.
"Hello," Jean answered her phone.
"Jean, it's Danielle…" Jean could hear her sniffling, "…I need to talk. Are you busy?"
Jean looked at her watch, she should stay longer she had planned on starting to see and talk with the women today. Her decision was made in a nanosecond, her friend needed her, "I'm free Danielle what's wrong? Are you and Lucas okay?"
"Lucas is fine, I'm…can you come over?"
"I'm on my way from the clinic."
Danielle hung up the phone and straightened herself up not wanting to look like a wreck when Jean showed up. She went to the kitchen and made herself some tea to help calm her nerves as she thought over what had happened and how she was going to fix it.
Mick came in the house closing his eyes and listening, trying to tell if Kayla was already down for her nap. Hearing Beth's voice reading to her and Kayla's steady heartbeat he knew she had. With vampire speed and grace Mick made his way up the stairs leaning in the door frame of Kayla's room where Beth was sitting on the steps reading and stroking the little head on the pillow beside her.
Beth looked up at him and winked her voice trailing off in the story as she leaned down and kissed Kayla's forehead before slipping down the steps silently. Mick met her at the beds edge and reached in to touch her cheek before taking Beth in his arms and walking with her out shutting the door softly behind them.
"She was out pretty fast," Beth leaned her head on his shoulder. "I didn't tell her you were on your way home though she never would have went to bed."
Mick grinned, "How are things going?"
"Good I have all the information I could get on that murdered girl from Carl."
Turning her to face him Mick cupped her face in his hands, "I mean with Kayla. Are you still worried she won't accept you?"
Tears brimmed Beth's eyes as she shook her head no, "I was wrong Mick. I think it's just taking time."
Mick kissed her eyes softly, "She tried to say it today, she tried to say mommy. It wasn't until I left the room and she thought I couldn't hear but she tried it."
"See baby you worried about it and she loves you."
Beth nodded as she leaned forward and kissed his lips deciding to keep quiet about Kayla also testing out daddy wanting him to have that moment of amazement that she felt. "Now let's get to work on the case while she's asleep."
"Tell me what Carl gave you," Mick sat down on the couch in front of the coffee table where Beth's laptop had been.
Beth sat down and opened up her laptop, "Her name was Alice Crawford, she was 24, blonde hair, green eyes, 5'11, beautiful but you saw her so know that."
"Yes I saw the body."
"Let's see what else, she was stabbed in the chest five times with a circular object with a blunt tip, no sexual assault, she wasn't robbed still had everything on her. The police don't have much."
"Where was she found?"
Beth hit a few keys bringing up the information Carl had forwarded her, "In front of her apartment by a neighbor."
"No witness saw the body dump?"
Beth shrugged, "Nope." She turned to him, "What did you find? You said more questions than answers so what does that mean?"
Mick grinned over at his little investigator, "This isn't the only body. There are a bunch of bodies with the club stamp on their hands. Nothing matches, different style of killing, different physical types, only thing linking them is the stamp."
"But you think there may be something too it?"
"I don't believe in coincidence like this."
Beth reached for her phone and started to text Carl, "Maybe I can get Carl to send me the information he has on the other murders."
Mick kissed her temple, "So no updates to her MyFace?"
Beth started to giggle, "Mick I love how old fashioned you are sometimes but these are things you're going to have to keep up with doing what we do. It's MySpace, and Facebook."
"That's what I have you for now," he grinned.
Beth sent the text to Carl and looked back to Mick, "Okay I'll bring you into the new world but no there has been no status updates. That in itself is odd, before she was updating her status all the time at least four times a day. I'll keep monitoring her accounts but if you think something is going on at this club maybe we should check it out. A couple out for a good time and I'll get to use my perpetual vampire cool."
Mick grinned ear to ear, "Sounds good baby but we can't."
"Why…" the reason dawned on her, "I'm horrible I completely forgot."
Mick pulled her close, "You're not horrible Beth. This is an adjustment you're used to jumping right in. Don't worry you will be again. I'm sure Josef and Jean would love to have her come visit if—"
"No Mick I don't want to keep moving her back and forth like this so often. I don't want it to seem like we are shipping her off when we are tired of her."
"I wasn't suggesting that baby." Mick thought for a moment, "Maybe someone could come over and babysit. Normal couples have a babysitter so they can go out right?"
Beth grinned, "Because we're the perfect example for normal." Mick leaned forward and kissed her nose. "I'll make some calls."
To Be Continued…
Evilous
