Chapter 3
The day of Ryan's funeral arrives and everyone's on edge. We have no further information on who is passing clues onto Talbot. On the plus side, he had no idea what it all means or who's behind it any more than we do.
A large crowd has gathered at the church in the late, thankfully overcast afternoon. Katelynn has organized a dozen humans to stand either side of the path leading up to the doors with umbrellas for extra shade. The grieving widow has thought of everything.
To an outsider it just looked as though someone with a lot of friends had died and we were prepared in case it rained. Nobody would realise that just about everyone attending had issues with the sun.
Talbot arrives and takes in his surroundings until his gaze settled on me. Luckily Beth is already inside with Katelynn. I'm not certain if he knows about Beth and I or just suspects. He might not be as willing to share information with Beth if he thinks she might pass it on or that she might be protecting me.
"How is the grieving Granddaughter?" Talbot skips the usual pleasantries. At least he's not making out that we're friends.
"Grieving." How was she supposed to be? "She was his caregiver towards the end. Just because Ryan was old, doesn't mean it isn't still a loss."
"I understand that. What I don't understand is why your name keeps cropping up on my radar." That makes two of us.
"Wish I could help you but I don't know any more than you do. Katelynn is the Granddaughter of a friend. If you have to be here please respect that she has just lost the family member that meant the most to her." I understood Talbot's curiosity but this was not the time or the place for it.
"I'll stay in the back and leave before the end of the service." That's the best we can hope for.
"Thank you. I'll let you know if I find out anything but at the moment I don't think the list and the photos are from the same person." I remember something about the time when those photos had been taken. Apart from it had been the first night I had asked Beth to stay at my apartment. "Beth asked you to look into the car that almost hit her."
"That was when those photos were taken? Beth didn't mention the car actually hit you." Probably because she thought he wouldn't help.
"I wasn't seriously hurt and Beth was a little shaken up after I pushed her out of the car's path." Best not tell him that Beth slept on my couch that night. Or that I had checked on her a few times during the night when she thought I was asleep in my freezer.
"Beth could only give me a partial plate number." So he hadn't been able to track down the driver.
"Whoever it was might have been working with Dean Foster." I wouldn't put it past Foster to cause drama to photograph. He was already spinning the story that I was Tierney Taylor's boyfriend at the time. "He wasn't beyond creating his own headlines."
"Yeah Foster was a person of interest at the time before he disappeared. He didn't strike me as someone who would be keen on a partner." Talbot has a point.
"It can't hurt to look into it." The timing was too good to just be a case of Foster being in the right place at the right time.
The service is about to start and we've got a full house. Talbot stays at the back of the church as he promised. It's a simple service but then Ryan never did like a fuss. The few of us that actually knew Ryan got up to speak. Throughout it all Katelynn held herself together. If anyone looked closely, they would see her hands shaking ever so slightly.
Talbot left half way through the service and every vampire in the church sighed in relief. The rest of the service passed smoothly and everyone moved on to the wake. Talbot made no attempt to attend.
I realise that I haven't seen Beth or Katelynn for a while. Josef is holding court in the living room so nobody would miss me for a few minutes.
It took a little while to find them. This had to feel so invasive to Katelynn. So many strangers at the funeral and then in her house. I know that Katelynn knows I'm in the room but Beth hasn't realised it yet. This gives me a chance to listen and learn.
"I thought once he had been arrested for Tierney's murder that maybe he had been driving the car that hit Mick." Beth still thinks I was the one the driver was aiming for. "It would have been easy enough for him to get the photo since he was tipping Foster off to where Tierney would be. But the list doesn't make any sense in connection to either of these guys."
"So you went home and picked up the trail the next morning." Katelynn looks over the city from her balcony.
"No, I uh stayed the night on his couch. The paparazzi thought Mick was Tierney's new boyfriend so they were following him everywhere. He didn't think it would be safe for me to go home alone. Also he thought I was the target for the hit and run." Wow, Beth and Katelynn are really doing the bonding thing.
"How many times did you try to take a peek in his freezer?" Katelynn's finding a moment of amusement on a bleak day. Even if it is at my expense.
"I may have thought about it once or twice." Beth's blushing. "But he kept checking on me during the night. I might have tried harder if I had known that pyjamas weren't a necessity in a freezer."
Ok, now I'm blushing. I didn't know I could still do that. Time to interrupt the girl talk. "Hey, I was wondering where the two of you had disappeared to." Katelynn knows that's only partially true. "I can ask everyone to leave if this is too much." I can't be sure, but I think this has been the first time in at least a couple of centuries her Royal Highness has been around a large group of people.
"Give them another half an hour." Katelynn shows no sign of leaving her spot on the balcony. "Besides Josef sounds as though he's stopped sulking over not being the centre of attention at dinner the other night."
"Josef bounces back quickly." Most of the time. Sarah Whitley had been the exception. He had kept that secret close to his chest.
"What will you do now?" Beth has enjoyed having a friend she can talk through the vampire craziness with.
"Stay put for the time being. I haven't worked out what I want to do next." With Ryan being buried here I don't think Katelynn wants to be far from him. She probably will stay in LA until she can't hide that she isn't aging and then move on long enough for her to come back as her own daughter or granddaughter.
"You know where we are if you need anything." I know Ryan wouldn't want Katelynn to be alone.
"I do. Thank you both for your help this past week." This can't have been easy and I can't help wondering if this is a snapshot Katelynn is giving Beth and I into our future.
"We were happy to help." Beth barely knows Katelynn but she means every word. "I'll do what I can to keep the ADA off your doorstep."
Katelynn shook her head. "Much s I hate to admit it, he's just doing his job. We need to find out who's feeding him all of this information."
"If we can find out who's behind this, maybe we can turn the tables and move the subject of the investigation to the person who is setting us up." That still means we have to figure out whose leaking information to the ADA.
"Why do I think that's easier said than done?" Beth's not wrong. "Although I've been wondering if it's someone on the inside."
"You think a vampire's behind this?" I'll admit I was thinking Jackson had at least sent the list but now it doesn't seem to add up.
"No. Human." Katelynn is picking up on Beth's train of thought. "No vampire would risk exposing themselves while exposing everyone else."
"So how many vampires have humans working for them who know they're vampires?" Beth isn't looking at this from a jilted lover's prospective which may be a good thing.
"There's plenty who work for vampires, but few if any who know that they do." It was safer for all concerned if they didn't know.
"That narrows down the suspect list." Beth's hopeful that we can find out who it is and then we can just focus on our lives. I doubt it's that easy but we can check it out. At the moment we don't have a lot else to go on.
"I guess we should go and join the others." It looks as though joining a crowd of strangers and Josef in her living room is the last thing Katelynn wants to do.
"Why don't we get Josef to clear the house for you?" This has to have been the longest day for her.
"No, I should at least thank them for attending the funeral." Royal prodigals are difficult to shake I guess. Although this is an impressive house, it's not a castle.
"You don't have to do that. I'm sure everyone will understand." Beth is right. Everyone here knows she's a grieving widow.
"I don't know many of these people and I do have an image to maintain especially if Josef has informed anyone of my history." Katelynn probably knew Josef better than she knew me, since he was older but also because he was constantly trying to impress her.
She leaves no further room for discussion as she walks out of the room, head held high. Ryan told me a few years ago that Katelynn wasn't comfortable with crowds, probably due to a past experience. Now that I knew who she had been it was possibly the crowds who had gathered at the guillotine. That had to have been traumatic. While some people saw her as snobby or aloof, looking above people was actually how she handled being in a crowd. It was one of the few times Ryan had mentioned anything personal regarding Katelynn.
Beth and I stood aside and watched Katelynn work the room. Each person felt appreciated and didn't realise they were being ushered out the door. It took at least twenty minutes to clear the room but nobody felt slighted or rushed out of the house.
Finally it was down to Josef, Beth and I. Katelynn let the gracious facade fade and collapse on the couch. Easing the high heels off, she stretched before curling her legs under her. "I forgot what this felt like."
"What?" Achy feet. Empty house. Her Royal Highness could mean anything.
"The crowds. Being by myself. She smiles sadly. "Between being changed, watching over my son until he died and meeting Ryan, I got used to being alone and fending for myself. I suppose I need to dig out those skills again." She looks me straight in the eye. "Don't over analysis your relationship. Enjoy the time together. Don't sweat the small things."
"Yes Ma'am." Beth and I had already had a taste of what Katelynn was referring to. Only a week ago in fact. Now that Beth and I had discussed a few things. Katelynn had been right at dinner. Communication was key. Any misunderstandings needed to be cleared up straight away and not left to linger.
"You have Mick's number and I suspect Josef's as well. Why don't I leave you mine as well?" Beth digs a pen and a piece of paper out of her purse and writes her number down. "This way if you need anything even if it's just another woman to talk to, you have all of our numbers."
"You're very sweet. Thank you." Katelynn smiles at me. "She's a keeper. Don't blow it."
I can't help but chuckle. This must be what it's like having a big Sister. "Beth's right. Call if you need anything."
"Thank you. Right now I just need to figure out my next move without arousing the ADA's suspicions." And we need to figure how who had already aroused his suspicions.
"Why don't I order in some food?" Josef pulled out his phone. I know he has some freshies on speed dial. But I don't want Beth watching him feed. I, myself have no interested on feeding off a freshie and something tells me neither does Katelynn.
"If you don't mind, I'd prefer to be by myself at the moment. I need to think about packing Ryan's things up eventually." Katelynn gets up and heads toward the door. "I'll give one of you call if I hear anything."
Josef looks disappointed but he knows better than to argue with a redhead. He also knows Katelynn needs time to grieve. He went through it with Sarah Whitley, Beth went through it with Josh and even I went through it with Coraline.
Beth and I head back to my apartment. It's been a long day, one I would have usually slept through. Beth looks exhausted but I'm curious as to what she and Katelynn had been talking about before I had found them.
"You know, Katelynn had heard about the compound that Coraline had." Guess I don't have to ask Beth. "I asked if she had tried to get hold of it but she said she had looked into it but found out it wasn't permanent and didn't like the idea of Ryan being in danger and her not being able to do anything about it. It turns out that every now and again Katelynn's true identity was uncovered and Ryan became a target to blackmail her."
"Does she know that I had some of the compound?" I was almost embarrassed that I had jumped at the chance to be human even for a limited time without considering the consequences. It had almost cost me Beth's life.
"I may have mentioned it." Beth looks uncertain that she made the best move. "I'm sorry. I didn't think that you would mind."
"It's fine. It's just Katelynn appears to have put a lot more thought into the pros and cons to being human again than I did." My main thought had been that I would no longer be a monster. Closely followed by that I could be with Beth. It wasn't until I almost lost her on two occasions that I realised that being a vampire wasn't what was stopping us from being together.
"In fairness, you had no idea that a vampire Doctor was going to hold me hostage for my blood." Beth's trying to comfort me but I still feel the guilt over that particular event. If Josef hadn't turned me again she would be here for me to hold.
"Thanks for making excuses for me." I kiss the top of her head. It doesn't make me feel any less guilty. "Are you working this weekend?" I had plans for us that would work in with both of our sleeping habits if she didn't.
"Not unless something comes up." Beth gives me that sexy smile of hers. "Why? Are you inviting me to stay over?" If I didn't think it would scare her off, I'd invite Beth to stay for forever. Or at least the human version of forever.
"Something like that." This woman makes me feel more human than any compound had. "Maybe we can find a drawer to keep a few things so you don't have to head back to your apartment to change."
"Are you sure?" Beth looks surprised that I'm even suggesting this although not opposed to it. Still I'm glad I didn't start with asking her to move in with me.
"Yeah." It was a small step but a significant one. "After today I think we've earned an early night."
"Isn't this usually the time you're waking up?" She's already unbuttoning my shirt and sleeping is the last thing I'm thinking about.
"Well, I had plans today so I guess I'm just going to have to stay up late tonight." Taking Beth's lead I start undoing a few buttons of my own.
"I appreciate the sacrifice you're making." Beth stats kissing her way up my neck. "How can I ever say thank you?"
"Oh I'm sure we can think of something." All thoughts of finding who is behind tipping off the ADA leave my mind and are postponed until Monday. Katelynn had given me a few ideas on where to look next. However Beth was my priority right now and making her make those breathy sighs that made me feel more human than Vampire.
We spend the next few hours thoroughly exhausting each other in the best way. I watch Beth sleep for hours before I have to move to the freezer. If I died today, I would die a happy man. Not even with Coraline had I felt like this. I loved Beth more than life itself. Every second I would get to spend with her was a miracle. One I wasn't going to waste.