Chapter 6
They walked out of the alley together, first Barnabas, next the frightened girl, and last Maeve. "Would you like me to escort you home?" Barnabas asked politely, turning to face the emotional girl.
"Oh yes that would be very kind of you," she said, as she looked into his soft brown eyes and smiled girlishly. She wanted to pay him back in some way.
"Let us all go," Maeve said, smiling as she stepped between them.
The girl looked at the man who maintained a reserved attitude. He's so handsome, she thought, and then looked at Maeve. Displeased by the intrusion, the girl was still appreciative for the woman's help.
"That would be a good idea," Barnabas said smiling at both women and slightly bowing out of respect. They walked in silence back to the girl's apartment building several blocks away. Each one deeply engrossed in their own thoughts.
The sulky victim thought about her luck. How delighted she felt now that her ordeal was over. Still unnerved from the experience, she started to feel grateful the other woman walked with her. She felt "dirty" and was not sure she could trust any man at this point, not even this one. All she wanted now was to get home, get undressed and take a long hot bath. Maybe that would wash away all this madness she felt crawling all over her skin. Feeling very tired all of a sudden, she just wanted to forget and never think of it again.
Walking between the man and girl, Maeve reconstructed the two stories. Trying to ignore her attraction for this man, she wondered if he could be a vampire. Vampires never stood around and carried on a conversation. They were always animalistic and unapproachable. This man had cultural upbringing, dressed sophisticatedly and did not fit the profile at all. Still, she considered her dream from last night. For her, dreams were warnings about vampires. Thinking about his story, it was plausible. The girl collaborated with part of his explanation. He was not the attacker and the attacker did threaten him. Of course, the victim didn't witness what happened after she was unconscious. Anything could have happened. She would have to go back to the alley, soon to examine the scene. For some unknown reason, the "Inner Guides" or what she also referred to as "the Powers-to-be", were not helping her. She was on her own to use her intuition and figure this out. She suspected she might actually know him from somewhere. Could it possibly be, she asked herself, thinking of the child? If so, there could be a kinship between them. She would have to try and remember.
Barnabas walked on the left of the slayer, contemplating. He was relieved that she seemed willing to accept his story, for now. The victimized girl verified his story, the parts she remembered. From her reactions, he could tell the slayer questioned the last part about the attacker running away. He would have to keep her busy tonight so she would not be able to investigate further. If she found the body, she would know the signs of a vampire attack. She would also know he lied. With any luck, in the morning, the sanitation truck would arrive to haul away the garbage. Then it would be impossible to pinpoint where the body died or what was responsible for the man's death. For the slayer, it would mean just another vampire attack, without connecting him to it.
They finally arrived in front of the young woman's apartment building. "This is my building," she smiled timidly. "Thank you both for all your help and kindness." As she turned to go up the stairs, Maeve stepped forward and touched her shoulder.
"You may want to call the police and report your attack," she suggested to the girl. "They would do an extensive investigation. They might possibly find the man who did this to you and bring him to justice." The girl looked at Maeve, smiled and nodded but quietly went into the building.
Turning back toward the street, Maeve frowned, "She won't be reporting the incident," she commented to the man, observing him closely.
"Why do you think that?" asked Barnabas, puzzled.
For a moment, they took a good look at each other. He had brown eyes that penetrated directly into her, strong facial muscles, and dark brown hair thinning in the front. She felt like running her fingers through it, to rearrange his preferred style. She noted his accent, one she recognized from long ago. He looked about 30 but guessed he had seen endless years of tragedy. He looked into her face and saw a familiarity but couldn't place his finger on it. She relaxed as she studied his features. They both shared a smile.
Answering his question, she said, "It's not uncommon for victims of this sort of crime to not report it." Maeve still had her stake in her hand. Barnabas frowned at her statement but decided not to pursue it. He could not take his eyes off her. They had never met yet he felt like he knew her.