Chapter 12
"Ya want to see Mr. Collins now!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, why?" ask Maeve puzzled by the clerk's reaction.
"If I were ya, I wouldn't go up there right now."
"Why not," Maeve leaned on the counter and looked the scared clerk in the eyes.
"Well, he said he had a nightmare, but if ya ask me, somethin' else was happenin' up there and he scared me to death." The clerk admitted to just being up at Barnabas' door and she felt such danger she cried all the way back down stairs.
"Thanks for telling me, but I will be ok. He is expecting me but I forgot his room number. Could you give it to me, please?" Maeve asked politely so not to frighten the girl any more.
After receiving instructions on how to get to Barnabas' room, Maeve used the stairs instead of the elevator. As she walked down the long hallway, she imagined what happened to the unexpected clerk when she approached Barnabas' room. Now she knew what that vision meant. She was in that room when Barnabas had his rage and she too felt the outburst. As Maeve stood in front of Barnabas' door, she checked her watch. It was exactly 3 p.m. Taking a deep breathe, she rapidly knocked 3 times on his door. There was no answer. He had to be there during the day so she called out to him. "Barnabas, open up. I know you are in there. If you don't open up, I will open it myself," she said knocking three more times. Hearing some movement on the other side of the door, Maeve took out her stake and placed it in her pants behind her back. She stood still so not to appear threatening. In his present state, she was not sure how he would respond to her. She watched the door knob turn and the door swung open. Looking into pitch-blackness, she knew he was waiting.
Barnabas stood in the darkness, looking through the open door at a silhouette outlined with a blue aura. He recognized the voice immediately. Still standing in the doorway, Maeve said hurriedly, "Barnabas, I must talk to you right away. Have you read the morning paper?" He did not answer, so she continued, "May I come in?"
Stunned by the unexpected behavior, Barnabas replied, "Yes, of course. Excuse my manners. I just woke up. The light switch is next to the door." Maeve felt for the light switch and turned it on. She walked into the room and closed the door. She had to demonstrate her trust to him, in order to get him to follow her. Barnabas backed up staring at her. He was dressed and she doubted he got any rest. She thought of her dream and stared back at him.
"Barnabas, have you read the morning paper today?" Maeve repeated her inquiry.
"No, I'm sorry, I didn't. What is so important that has gotten you this concerned," he wondered. Barnabas noticed she was wearing her usual black overcoat and had a backpack on. He had seen her in this outfit so many times before when hunting and killing vampire.
"The police found the body of a man, holding a knife, at the sanitation facility. I think it may be the same man that attacked that girl last night. The police moved the body to the hospital morgue and I'm going to take a look for myself. I need you to identify the man for me."
"At the sanitation facility," he repeated more for him than her. Barnabas looked at the clock, which read 3:05 p.m. and looked back at Maeve. She watched him and smiled when they had eye contact again. She must know what he was, he thought. His state of mind was in a stupor. "This is very interesting, Maeve, but I am not feeling very well at the moment."
"You can identify the man," she said with urgency. "You said you saw him."
"Why not go to the girl and ask her to assist you?"
Shaking her head briskly, "It's too dangerous to involve her. I could use YOUR assistance. Besides, I need someone . . . agile if something occurred unexpectedly." She knew she was revealing too much but she had to take a chance. She knew the truth about him, therefore, his presence would help her in more ways than one.
"What do you think would happen at a hospital morgue?" Barnabas asked inquisitively.
"I fear this man may be more than dead and I must make sure he stays dead." She had decided on her way over that if he was stubborn about going, she would be as honest as the occasion called for.
"Ha", he laughed unconvincingly, "More than dead? That's impossible," he sneered. His eyes squinted fiercely at her. However he kept his composure. "It sounds like you need a priest, not me. You go ahead. Besides, it was dark and I didn't get a good look at him," he lied, "therefore I don't think I can help you."
Clever, she thought. "Alright, I will go but it would be easier for me if you would identify the man." As she was about to turn around and leave, she stopped and revealed, "There's a tunnel system that city workers use for underground work. It leads to the basement of the hospital. The morgue is in Room 3 on the basement level. In case you change your mind, it is a fast, quiet and isolated way to get there."
"How do you know this?" he asked suspiciously thinking of the tunnels. There are those threes again, he thought.
"I have been there before," she replied not revealing whether she meant the morgue or tunnels. "Time is the utmost. I must go now. If you find it in your heart to help, my life could depend on you being there." She was appealing to his humanity and hoped he heard.
Barnabas' eyes widened and then he frowned. She did know but why go through all this trouble just to get him in a tunnel to kill him. It didn't make any sense. He walked towards her and looked into her eyes. Standing still, she allowed him to look deep into her eyes so he would know she was sincere. Maeve grabbed Barnabas and on tiptoes kissed him. "I hope I see you later, Barnabas." Then she swiftly left.
Barnabas stood in his room confounded. She actually gave him a way to travel during the day, he thought. He could flee and be far away before she knew he left. She has been dealing with vampires for longer than he knew, he thought shaking his head. Yet she asked for his help. It didn't make sense. What was she up to? She could have moved on him many times before, he pondered desperately. For one instant, he thought she might even love him.