Down On The Bayou Detective Agency - Case Files

Chapter 11

Case #16 - Un vampir de energie - Part 10Fini

~o0o~

Previously:

There was a small mass of black ashes, smoldering. Edward poked at the pile with the toe of his shoe, and he scattered them immediately.

Michael, is it gone?

Yes, came back the silent answer.

~o0o~

They all got back into their respective vehicles and drove to the hotel to try and get some sleep before the drive back home. They discovered, almost as one, that they needed to talk desperately-especially Emmett, who was in a state of shock. Angela had to drive Emmett's vehicle back to the hotel while Lauren road with Sam since she was still not completely together. Lauren seemed the most affected by the contact outside of her husband.

"Sam, I still don't feel I'm completely back in my body. You know what I mean?" Lauren began explaining. "I got a serious overdose of information from our vampir de energie."

"Do you feel it'll still be there when we get back to the hotel, or do I need to initiate a conference call between everyone?" Sam asked.

"No, I don't think that's necessary. Maybe by the time we get to the hotel, I'll be able to make more sense of what I experienced. He...er, or it, told me a great deal," Lauren answered thoughtfully. "I do know I seriously need to eat to shut it down, get rid of this floaty feeling."

"I understand that, Cher."

~o0o~

Back at the hotel, everyone gathered in one room. Emmett laid on one of the beds and placed a cold washcloth over his eyes, and everyone presumed he was asleep. He was, however, listening and thinking. He'd been a damn good cop, but that was with humans. These creatures, or beings, Edward dealt with were a totally different ball game. He had always thought his brother was a bit looney tunes, but now-now Emmett was beginning to see that he needed to re-think everything he'd thought was true.

Sure, Emmett had married a psychic himself, but that was different, at least in the way he'd perceived that psychics as frauds, who bilked good, honest, hard-working people out of their life savings.

So Emmett laid there on the bed and listened, hoping he'd find out that he'd been justified in believing as he had all these years. True, he'd seen some weird things like tall, slender women walking out of trees, and little, pudgy, winged women who wore crowns and teased unmercifully. But, but what he'd just seen, and felt...

Emmett was shaken to his core.

Edward could hear the inner conflict Emmett was experiencing, so he walked over to the bed and sat down on its edge, speaking softly to his brother. "I'm sorry Emmett. I doknow what a shock your system is having."

Emmett removed the damp washcloth and looked at Edward, and maybe he was actually seeing his brother for the first time ever. The true Edward Cullen. "Hey, man, why didn't you tell me?"

Edward had to laugh. "Tell you? Tell you what?"

"That this shit was real." Emmett shook his head.

Edward just chuckled and said, "Haven't you been paying attention these last months? You've been with us and saw what we were doing."

"Yep, I saw, but to be honest, I guess I just didn't see."

"Can you do this, Emmett?" Edward asked kindly.

"I sure hope so, because I love you and my beautiful wife. I've gotten very fond of Bella and Sam too. They're family. You're my family, my business partner."

Edward couldn't help but feel how lost Emmett was feeling. "May I suggest you do some reading? That might help you understand better what's going on."

"Yeah. Sure. If you think it'll help," Emmett mumbled as he placed the wet washcloth back over his eyes.

Edward didn't remembered Emmett being so lost, and that's exactly the way he felt to Edward now. Emmett had always been so strong and sure of the world around him, now, he was very shaken.

Rising, Edward walked back over to where Bella was setting up for the debriefing.

Bella had broken out her digital recorder. She'd learned early on that the more distance between an event and discussing it, the fainter the impressions became. She looked up at Edward and nodded, indicating she was ready to begin.

~o0o~

Lauren began to speak first. No one asked her any questions, they waited until she'd said all she needed to.

"First, that was the only time in this life I've experienced that type of sense and feeling." She paused. "I was so in lust-yes that is the only word to describe the feeling I had. I would have gone anywhere with that, that being. I would have done anything for him, it. I can understand very clearly why those young people, victims, would have gone with him." She paused again, before continuing. "That was while we were at the club. Later, when Emmett and I met you at the substation, I was picking up anger, fear, panic. He knew he was going to die, and he couldn't stop himself because of the pull we had on him. He was starving, and we were a walking banquet for him. He knew, but he just couldn't stop himself." Lauren stopped talking and swallowed. Her mouth and throat were so dry.

Bella stood and went to get a bottle of water from the mini bar frig, bringing it back to Lauren, who took it gratefully, unscrewing the cap and greedily drinking down about half of the contents. "You know, Bella," Lauren said, "for someone who isn't psychic, you are very intuitive. That's what made you such a good homicide detective, you know." She smiled up at her sister-in-law.

Bella just nodded and went back to where she'd been sitting and waited along with everyone else. as everyone else was.

Lauren continued. "The Being, is...was not of this planet."

Neither Sam nor Edward seemed the least bit surprised by that statement.

"He was a scout-I think that would be the proper word. His people travel the star systems looking for new sources of food. That's the only word I can think of to describe what I was picking up. After tonight, he was going to report back to this fleet of ships that this planet was a good hunting ground. If we hadn't stopped him tonight, this planet would have had a full-scale invasion, and within a year, there wouldn't be a living, breathing thing-animals included-here. We were lucky we stopped him tonight. His last thoughts were of sadness for failing his people." Lauren sagged back into the chair looking totally drained.

Emmett stood and went to his wife. He sat down beside her and put his arm around her slender shoulders, hugging her to him. She broke down and began to sob.

"Emmett, why don't you take Lauren to your room. You both need some sleep," Bella said quietly.

"But I don't want to miss anything," Lauren said softly.

Emmett nodded, "Neither do I."

"No, y'all do that," Edward added. "Let Sam and I help you get her there. We're recording everything, so you won't miss anything. OK?"

~o0o~

When Edward and Sam got back to the room, Bella had ordered room service and had coffee and hot tea on its way up as well as some pastries and hamburgers. It wasn't until the food and drinks arrived that Angela began to open up.

"If I never experience that again, it'll be too soon. I can't add much to what Lauren has already told us. This being was extremely dangerous. He was definitely the harbinger of death for this planet's inhabitants. I can't feel sorry for him, them. It was most certainly a case of self-defense." Angela paused and looked at everyone. "I guess that's all I can add."

Sam spoke up next. "I know what you and Lauren felt the sexual pull that being had. I felt it very strongly also. It was very tough to fight, but I could also feel Edward, and..." He paused looking to Edward. "Was that Michael there with you?

Edward chuckled. "Yes, he was with me the whole time. It was his instructions that got us to where we were. He was the architect of that whole operation at the substation. It's also because of him I knew where we had to draw the vampir de energie in order to destroy him."

Sam continued. "I can't add a thing to what Angela and Lauren have already said. I hope we have a good, long break before the next case."

"Yeah, me too. I want to go home and play with my children," Bella said.

Edward nodded. He too missed the twins.

They all decided to call it a night. Hopefully, they wouldn't have any nightmares about the events that had just taken place.

Early the next morning they formed their convoy again and drove back across the Mississippi River, headed for home and rest.

They hoped.

~o0o~