Chapter Twelve

Mr. Turner

Darcie rode up the hotel elevator to the fifth floor and walked down the hallway to the room. At her soft knock, Mr. Turner opened the door. As always, he was dressed as a proper English gentleman in a conservative and expensive suit of charcoal gray. A bowler hat sat on a nearby table. He was attractive in appearance and slight in frame, although he was average height for a man. Mr. Turner was neither young nor old and Darcie was hard-pressed to set an age to his features. He had short, medium brown hair and eyes that were the color of green leaves. Mr. Turner had always been a mystery to her. She'd met him when she had come to live with her grandmother after her parent's death. She remembered being a gangly girl, orphaned and almost alone, who had been intimidated by the cool and sometimes aloof Mr. Turner. However, it wasn't long before she realized that he was not exactly what he appeared to be. He was a wealth of rather nefarious knowledge, a fact that had caused her to be even more curious about him. She remembered how she would sneak away from her more ladylike lessons in order to be schooled by Mr. Turner in the fine arts of lock-picking, theft and combat. He was deceptively harmless looking and that would be an opponent's first mistake and his last, for you did not get another one with Mr. Turner. Darcie was sure that her grandmother was on to them and their clandestine classes in the garage, yet she never interfered. There had been other clues that demonstrated that Mr. Turner came by his amazing abilities by more than hard work and training. Yet, he neither admitted nor denied her assumptions. He was a rather stubborn man, at times, thought Darcie with a smile. He was now the only link to her past and she realized that she had missed the dapper Mr. Turner much more than she wanted to admit.

"Miss Stackhouse," said Mr. Turner, formally. He stayed standing until Darcie sat down, being the consummate gentleman.

"Mr. Turner, please call me Darcie, after all, I have known you since I was thirteen," said Darcie.

"As you wish, Kitten," said Mr. Turner.

Kitten was his nickname for her as a child and he had never stopped calling her that. He was the only one who did, so, Darcie figured that she could live with it.

"So, why are we here, in this cowboy haven?" asked Mr. Turner.

"We are looking for a missing vampire, Mr. Turner," said Darcie.

Darcie then went on to give him all the details that she knew. Mr. Turner digested what she had imparted to him for a few moments.

"I can do some research and check out the compound," said Mr. Turner.

"Do you want me to come?" asked Darcie.

"For what purpose? Or, did you miss me so much that you want to come and be bored to tears, as well as me," said Mr. Turner.

Darcie smiled and leaned in and kissed Mr. Turner on the cheek which momentarily surprised him.

"I did miss you, Mr. Turner," she said.

"Well, let's not get overly melodramatic," said Mr. Turner.

But, Darcie noticed that he wore a small smile that he couldn't hide.

"While you do that, I need to do some shopping," said Darcie.

Mr. Turner looked at Darcie intently and said, "So, how are things with this vampire?"

"I might have been mistaken about him not wanting my body," said Darcie. "However, I think that he only wants to use sex as another measure of control over me."

Mr. Turner frowned and said, "Really, the nerve of this vampire is just unbelievable. This problem can be solved rather easily, Kitten."

"He is old and powerful for a vampire and he wouldn't be so easy to kill," said Darcie. "I don't want any harm to come to you. And let's not forget, Mr. Turner, that we aren't killers."

"Hmm, do I detect a bit of feeling on your part?" asked Mr. Turner.

"Don't be silly," said Darcie.

"I still think you should just leave that extremely distant American cousin to her fate," he said. "That also has the advantage of nobody getting killed. Everybody winds up happy. The vampire gets his telepath and we can go home."

"Her name is Sookie, Mr. Turner," said Darcie. "And that is the one flaw to your plan. Where is her happily ever after?"

"Details, Kitten," said Mr. Turner. "And what kind of bloody name is Sookie anyway?"

"For now, we are stuck here, Mr. Turner," said Darcie. "Let's try to make the best of it."

Mr. Turner stared at her, their green eyes locked together, and said, "Just remember to never drink his blood, if you do have any sort of feeling for him. There is only one way of breaking that bond."

Eric awoke at sunset and came out of his room to find a abundance of shopping bags lying on the sectional. They bore the mark of many expensive shops.

"You've been busy," he called out.

"It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it," came Darcie's reply.

Eric turned to her voice and his eyes took in a rather startling sight. Darcie was sporting a platinum blonde wig styled into a bob. She was wearing a very short dress that was high-necked and green in color. It had side cutouts as the waist. She also wore white knee-high boots with platform heels.

At Eric's expression, Darcie said, smiling, "See anything you like, vampire?"

"This is a new look," said Eric, wondering why Darcie was dressed like a stripper or a hooker.

"I was going for tarty. How did I do?" she asked.

"Very well," said Eric. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"I'm going to a club frequented by Gabe who just happens to be the drill instructor of the Fellowship's paramilitary group, the Soldiers of the Sun," said Darcie.

"Is this some sort of strip club?" said Eric.

"Now, how did you ever guess that?" said Darcie. "But, nothing gets by you, does it?"

"So, you are just planning on walking in there dressed like that?" asked Eric.

"Actually, it's amateur night this evening," said Darcie. "I'm sure that I'll be waved through with no problem."

Eric stared at her and said, "Yes, I imagine you would be."

"My, do I detect a note of jealousy? Or, do you want the address so you can come by and check out my ta-tas?" said Darcie with a smirk.

Eric noted that once again Darcie had regained her composure after last night. She was back to her usual teasing and, if he wasn't careful, manipulating self.

"I know that I probably got your hopes up, but I'm passing on the performance part," said Darcie.

"How do you know who he is or even that he goes to this place?" asked Eric, curiously.

"You can look up the Fellowship online, you know. They do like to boast. Plus, Mr. Turner interviewed a few people today. As far as the club, well, Mr. Turner found that out by somewhat illegal means. So, I'm afraid I can't discuss it," said Darcie.

"So, just what are you planning on doing?" asked Eric.

"Using my amazing powers of seduction, I'm going to pick up Gabe. And then Mr. Turner and I are going to interrogate him," said Darcie.

"I should have been consulted first," said Eric.

"First, you want me to work for you, now you don't want me to work for you," said Darcie. "You really are a fickle creature, vampire. Or, is that you just can't stand not being the one who tells me what to do all the time?"

"I don't want you do anything that might endanger Godric," said Eric.

"Of the two of us, I think that I have the cooler head, right now," said Darcie. "You're also unpredictable, if anything, last night showed that. You need to sit this one out."

"Are you telling me how to run my own investigation?" asked Eric, incredulously.

"Basically, yes," said Darcie. "Besides, Mr. Turner and I are only gathering information."

"I want to meet this Mr. Turner," said Eric.

"In due time," said Darcie. "He's not so keen on meeting you."

"Why not?" asked Eric.

"I'm afraid that he doesn't really like you very much," said Darcie.

"Am I supposed to be afraid of your butler?" asked Eric.

"There's nothing worse than the wrath of an angry butler," said Darcie. "They have rather sneaky ways of getting even. Anyone who believes that they are actually in charge of their butler is hopelessly deluding themselves."

"So, I'm just supposed to wait here for you?" said Eric.

"Now, you're finally learning how I like my men to behave," said Darcie. "Just sit tight and look pretty."

Darcie covered up her dress with a light trench coat, but nothing could cover up those naughty boots, thought Eric. She stood a moment and checked out her appearance in the mirror.

"Now, I'm finally going to find out if blondes really do have more fun," she said.

She graced him with a wink as she left the room.

Gabe

Darcie walked to the entrance, having left the trench coat in Mr. Turner's car. The bouncer stared at her as she came inside.

"Are you here for amateur night?" he asked.

He looked across the room and his eyes caught someone else's. Another man approached Darcie and the bouncer. He looked surprisingly normal, thought Darcie. She was sure that he was the owner or manager. When he arrived, he looked Darcie up and down.

"You don't need to audition, if you want a job," he said.

"Actually, I'm only here to pick up a man," said Darcie.

The man smiled and said, "I appreciate honesty. But, I know from that sweet-looking face that you are not a pro."

"Okay, you got me," said Darcie. "But, I do plan on picking up a man here and then my partner and I are going to have our way with him."

"I think just about any man here would volunteer to be picked up by two girls like you."

"My partner is actually a man," said Darcie.

"Oh, kinky," said the owner. "Anyone in particular?"

"Yes, that big guy over," said Darcie, nodding her head in Gabe's direction.

The owner saw who she was pointed to and his smile deepened.

"That jerk? He harasses my girls. You are planning on acts of depravity and cruelty, I hope," he said.

"You got it," said Darcie.

"Be my guest, and we never saw you, if you should need an alibi later," he said.

He pulled out a card and passed it to her, saying, "In case you change your mind."

As Darcie moved into the bar, she pondered what she and Mr. Turner were doing. They weren't killers and they certainly had never done anything like this together. Of course, Mr. Turner knew how to intimidate and possibly kill. And while Darcie wondered how he had come by this knowledge more than once in the time that she had known him, she wasn't aware that he had ever killed anyone. But, now, she and Mr. Turner were planning on kidnapping someone and interrogating him. This was scary business and maybe they should have left it for the vampire. Yet, there was no denying that it was a little exciting, as long as nothing went wrong and no one got hurt, that is. As she stood for a moment and looked around, she began to hear some the men's thoughts. Of course, it wasn't surprising what they were thinking.

It's not cheating if you just look, is it?

Look at the boobs on her. Those can't be real, not that I care.

My wife will kill me if she finds out that I'm here.

I forgot to take off my wedding ring, not that it matters. I'm sure these girls won't like me any more than my wife does.

That dancer must be the same age as my daughter, does this make me a pervert?

They have to love sex to work at a job like this, don't they?

And on and on, went those thoughts. Little did these men know that those girls, shaking their wares for them, were not thinking about sex. They were thinking about money and sometimes making up their grocery lists.

From across the room, Darcie saw the Fellowship's drill sergeant sitting at a table by himself. Steading her nerves, she made her way over to Gabe.

Lots of men stared, but only one was foolish enough to get in her way.

"Whoa, Darlin', I've never seen your pretty face in here before," he said.

He had put out his arm and blocked her path. Darcie turned her eyes to him and knew that he had a wife and two kids. He had told his wife that he was working late tonight.

"And you never will again," said Darcie, staring into his eyes.

Instantly, the man saw a vision of his wife in front of him, dressed in Darcie's clothes and with a baby on her hip.

His wife looked at him and said, "So, this is working late, is it?"

Darcie watched the man close his eyes and shake his head in confusion. He opened his eyes to see his wife dancing around a pole in front of him as the baby crawled down the platform.

His wife slid down the pole and said, "I trusted you and gave you everything."

The man backed away from Darcie in fright. He almost tripped over a chair and then turned and ran out of the bar. Darcie watched him run away in fear and then continued on to her target.

She arrived at Gabe's table and stood before him with a smile.

"Hello, are you alone, tonight?" she asked him.

Gabe looked up and his eyes took her in, pausing at her long legs.

"Yes," he said, surprised at either her boldness or the fact that she was too pretty to be hitting on him.

"Do you mind if I join you?" asked Darcie. "Or, we could just skip all the small talk and go back to my place."

Gabe raised his eyebrows and said, "You get right down to business, don't you?"

Darcie smiled and said, "You have no idea, but you're going to find out just how down to business I am. I promise you."

Gabe stared into Darcie's eyes and it seemed that the distance between them began to shrink. By the time he realized that something was wrong, it was too late. He was lost in those green depths.

"Come, we have lots of things to talk about, you and I," said Darcie.

She held out her hand and Gabe stood and took it. She led him to the waiting car being driven by Mr. Turner.

Mr. Turner drove to a deserted area out of town. They walked Gabe into the woods and stopped in a little clearing. They deposited Gabe in the middle of this clearing on his knees and stared down on him.

"He has the look of a bully to me," said Mr. Turner, staring at Gabe.

"He is and, like most bullies, he preys on those weaker than himself," said Darcie, for she had already had a look around inside his head.

Darcie lifted Gabe's chin and said, "Gabe, we need your help in finding out some things. Will you help us?"

Darcie had lifted some of her control over Gabe. He was immobilized and helpless, but his mind was not under total control.

"What the hell are you? How are you doing this to me?" he said.

"I want to know if the Fellowship is holding a vampire prisoner," said Darcie.

She could look into his mind, but that brief glance in there had been enough for her. Gabe was not a nice guy.

"Go to hell, I'm not telling you anything," said Gabe.

"I see that you want to be difficult. Mr. Turner, I believe that you are up," said Darcie.

Gabe looked to see the very dapper looking Mr. Turner step up to him. Normally, the tall and robust Gabe would not have been intimidated by a rather pretty man wearing a fancy suit. But, as he looked at Mr. Turner, he felt a wave of fear grip him.

Mr. Turner pulled out a switchblade and with a wicked snick, the blade appeared. Darcie doubted if there was anything more sinister than that sound, that soft hiss of menace and dark promise. As Gabe watched, Mr. Turner began moving the blade expertly in his hands, doing tricks at a speed that was almost impossible to follow. Mr. Turner glanced over to her for a moment and winked, letting her know to follow his lead.

Mr. Turner stopped and said, "I don't think that I can do too much damage to his looks, no offense, old chap. What do you think about removing some fingers, Kitten?"

"I jolly well think that's spot on, Mr. Turner," said Darcie. "Except, you really don't have the right tool for that. A bit messy and all, with just a switchblade. You might get blood on your nice suit."

"Hmm, I hadn't thought about that," said Mr. Turner. "We could remove an eye, pop it right out of the socket."

Gabe, at this time, began a low keening noise.

"A bit gross, that," said Darcie. "What about removing an ear?"

"Leave it to you to find the perfect compromise," said Mr. Turner with a smile.

"Oh, it's nothing, really," said Darcie, blushing.

When Mr. Turner grabbed Gabe's ear and put the blade to it, he began to cry.

"Please, stop," he sobbed.

"Are you going to talk or not?" said Darcie. "Because, Mr. Turner is itching to see how many appendages he can remove before you pass out."

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know," said Gabe.

And he did, telling Darcie and Mr. Turner everything about the vampire being held by the Fellowship.

When they were done interrogating him, Darcie raised his eyes to hers and, with a feeling of distaste, she entered his mind.

"Gabe, we are going to let you go. But, you will not remember me or Mr. Turner or anything that happened after entering the strip club tonight. You understand this, don't you?"

"Yes," said Gabe, staring blindly.

But, Darcie was not done with Gabe. That brief look in his head earlier had shown her that he had hurt those who had not been able to defend themselves against him. He had gotten off while Darcie was sure they were still suffering. So, she left a fitting punishment with him.