Kindra stood staring at the door. She raised her hand to knock and abruptly lowered it. She realized that she needed to make a decision soon. She had been pacing between the elevator and the door for five minutes and still wasn't sure she wanted to talk to the occupant of this room.

The decision was taken from her as the door swung open.

"Would you stop your bloody pacing. I've got the mother of all headaches."

This was not what she expected. Spike stood before her shirtless and pressing a plastic bag full of ice against his head. Kindra blushed furiously. Her dreams during the night had been very erotic, very explicit and full of the vampire in front of her.

Spike turned and stalked back to the couch and threw himself down. Kindra entered tentatively and stood just inside the suite. "Bloody Mary." said Spike, waving his arm vaguely in her direction.

Kindra spun around in alarm. She was sure she couldn't have missed a dead body. Instead, she saw a small room refrigerator, and on top, a frosty pitcher filled with red liquid. Beside it were two small dishes filled with olives and celery stalks, a few spice containers, and a couple of glasses.

"Could you be a luv and pour me one? Every time I stand, my head feels like it's going to fall off my shoulders. Just knew that beer last night was skunky. You're welcome to some yourself."

Kindra, having gone through much the same experience earlier in the day, decided to be a "luv" and pour him a Bloody Mary. "Why don't you take aspirin like everyone else?"

Spike peered out from under his ice cap. "Because this is more fun."

She walked the drink over and stood waiting for him to accept the glass. He had buried himself back under the ice and appeared, to her eyes, lifeless. Losing patience, she thumped the glass on the table near at his hand and walked around to sit in the chair across from him.

Spike smiled to himself. He had noticed that Kindra was very like another lady of his acquaintance, more willing to talk when she was off balance and a little angry. If she felt she was in control, she might be less willing to reveal some important information.

"So," said Spike sitting up slowly, "are you going to tell me what's been happening, or are you going to sit there staring at me?"

Kindra knew when she was being manipulated. She took a deep breath and tried to decide what information was important. Willamina had told her to tell him everything, but she was not so sure that was the best course of action. Some of the incidents could have been just a coincidence, or bad timing.

Spike saw that he had lost the advantage. "Look, just tell me all of it. All of you ladies were walking on egg shells around me last night and I still don't know why. I've told you that I have essentially been to the vet, and now play well with others. So..."

"I guess that I'm not really sure when it started except that it was after we got custody of Willamina." Kindra explained.

"How did you get custody? I wouldn't think the judges would think your house would be an ideal place..."

"Oh, that. We knew her previous foster parents. They were good people but they just didn't know how to deal with Wil's..." Kindra frowned and thought. She started again. "Wil has this strange thing about her. She seems to attract demons. Not the vampire kind but apparently every other kind ever made. We don't really know why they are attracted to her. And we don't know what they would do to her if they got her, probably just tear her to pieces. Anyway, the foster parents couldn't handle all these weird things coming around and were going to return her to the foster system. We had met her, and them, during one of the strange attacks. We, Magda and I, went to court to try to get custody." Kindra smiled. "The judge was going to deny our petition, right up to the moment his court started filling up with chaos demons. You should have been there, all these really confused demons wandering about, looking all confused and sliming up the place. As demons go they aren't the worse sort. The bailiff must have fallen at least fifteen times trying to clear the courtroom. The place ended up all ooey-gooey and we ended up with custody."

"That explains the outer barrier." said Spike.

"Yeah, we want to see what we are dealing with before it arrives on our doorstep. We own the lot across the street so the spell mostly just dumps all the demons there. We get our look-see and decide if we are going to deal with them or not. You, we didn't know why you were there. We don't get too many vampires, and when we do, they mostly have, you know, their faces on."

"Yeah," said Spike, "that's me, man of mystery."

"Anyway, that seemed to work pretty well up until a couple of weeks ago. Then we started finding strange things outside our doors. Sometimes it was diagrams, sometimes spell components, you know, a crystal here, a dried ear there. Three days ago we found a dead cat's body outside our back door."

"Well, they do die, ya' know." said Spike.

"Yeah? And just how do they get rid of their heads before they lay down on your doorstep?"

"Oh, well. Anything else?"

"This morning, or really this afternoon when Jeff dropped by to talk to me. When I answered the door he was kicking this dead crow away from the door. He said it had been lying on the doormat. He said it was kinda' gross. It beak and feet had been tied together with a red ribbon. Does any of this make sense to you?"

"Just sounds like a bunch of strange things to me, luv. That Jeff, what do you know about him?"

"Jeff? You think Jeff had something to do with these things?" Kindra was incredulous.

"Was he around for any of these things, is all I'm asking. How long has he been around?"

"He started working for the store about three months ago. We see him all the time."

"Did he deliver your last meat supply?"

Kindra looked at Spike like he had lost his mind. "Of course, that's part of his job. And he's been climbing with me once or twice when I take the novices out. He's a big help. Knows his stuff. Besides, when we talked today he said he's worried about all this crazy stuff too."

"How does he know about it?" Spike asked.

"He's the one that found the cat, and the ear, and...oh, well, I see." Kindra hesitated a moment thinking about all the incidents and whether Jeff could have done them. "Ya' know, I just don't think he is the sort for this kind of thing. He's a pretty laid back guy. He can be pretty charming when he wants to be."

"Like Ted Bundy?"asked Spike. He eyed Kindra speculatively. "Do you know him enough to trust Wil with him?"

"Yes. And no. Do I trust him to take her to the movies or shopping for a new dress? Yes, I do. But do I trust him alone with her. No. But not because I think he will harm her, but because she is of an age to get pregnant. And that is something I am not ready to deal with."

"Ok, you've told me who it can't be. Now, why did you tell me if you thought I was the obvious suspect. Or at least obvious enough to put a second spell on you shop." Spike reached for his drink, and looked up to catch Kindra watching him. Spike smiled and lounged back against the couch.

Now you've done it, thought Kindra to herself. He must think I am some sort of desperate female to come to his room and just stare at him. What is wrong with me? It's not like I really want to be with him...or is it?

Kindra shook off her thoughts. She was here for Willamina, that much she was sure of. And after talking to Spike last night, she was sure he had not been in town for most of the strange happenings. In fact, it sounded like he was planning on returning where he came from in just a couple of days, that his help was needed and valued there.

"I don't know why I came here." Kindra said lamely. "I guess I thought that you might be able to help figure this out. It sounds like you do this kinda' stuff." Kindra studied the carpet at her feet. It was up to him to help or not as he chose. The demons she could kill. She knew how to use a sword. But to find a stalker? She shook her head, she couldn't even tell "who done it" when it was the butler in a mystery story.

Spike sat a few minutes and studied the woman in front of him. She was shorter than he was. Her hair, brown and blond, was cut short and curled in an undisciplined riot over her head. Her hands had short blunt fingers, the strength showing in the play of muscles and tendons under the skin as she picked at her broken nails. He knew her kind, and knew the effect he had on her, as he had on most women. She would be the competent one in any group. The answer man, the person voted least likely to panic in an emergency. And he knew it had cost her to come here, to ask for help.

"Okay, I'll help. But I'll do it my way." Kindra looked up and started to say something but he cut her off. "What I want from you is what Jeff is going to be doing for the next couple days. He may not be the one doing anything but he is the one who stumbles across things first. Maybe it's not about you at all. Maybe it's about him."

Kindra nodded her agreement. "I'll give him a call when I get back to the shop and let you know what's up." Kindra stood up and headed for the door. She hesitated and turned back to say more but stopped herself as she looked at Spike. It had only taken the few moments when she was turned for Spike to recline on the couch. He was still, more still than any normal human could ever be. No breath, no blood beating against the skin, no twitch of any muscles looking for the most comfortable, relaxed position. Kindra shuddered and continued for the door.

Spike allowed himself a small smile as he heard Kindra mumble under her breath, "We aren't in Kansas anymore."



********

TBC



Sorry it's taking so long between chapters. I am having a lot of company coming through here this week and next week. One of the hazards of living in a vacation city.