Chapter 5
"Alright, so you've got me here and I've dragged Josef along. What do you want?" I said, sitting down across from Beth. The umbrella that shaded the table hid us from the sun, and the fence the table was by gave us extra protection.
"Lunch. Why else would you be here?" she responded, motioning the waitress over. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, looking over the menu just for looks.
"Normally, when I'm called to lunch you have a theory or something about some case that you want to discuss," I replied simply, and she raised her eyebrows. The waitress sauntered over to us and smiled, pulling out her pad and pen.
"Two iced teas for us ladies, and it seems the gentlemen don't want anything," Beth stated kindly, and waitress nodded. She walked back into the building, and I chuckled.
"Rude, Beth. Very rude. Maybe I didn't want to waste anything, hum?" She only smiled, her eyes bright.
"Call it what you like, Abby. We both know why you're here, so stop playing coy," Beth said sweetly, glancing up at me from the menu. I narrowed my eyes, still smiling.
"You are very lucky that I'm in such a generous mood." She laughed, her blond waves moving as she shook her head.
"Sure." I ran a hand through my hair, flipping through the menu for a second time. The waitress walked back out with our drinks, setting them down in front of us. She tucked the tray underneath her arm and pulled out her pad again, ready to write down our orders.
"Spinach salad," I stated, handing my menu to the waitress and glancing at Beth for a moment. She smiled, handing back her menu and turning to her.
"Chicken salad. Grilled, please," Beth said, and she nodded as she scribbled on the paper. She turned to Josef and smiled as he handed her his menu, opening her mouth to speak.
"Let me guess, the gentlemen don't want anything?" she asked openly as she took Mick's menu, and I nodded. She laughed quietly to herself and walked back into the building, Beth taking a small drink from her tea.
"Alright, what's going on?" Mick asked. Neither one of us spoke, staring at each other. I finally just shrugged, taking a sip of my tea. I could practically see the bells and whistles going off in the boys' heads, considering vampires don't exactly eat or drink.
"Okay, so Simone died of a heart attack and you say she was scared to death. How? None of the other victims of this type that I know of died like that," Beth stated, Josef glancing over at Simone's name. The victim type she was referring to is that of a vampire, so a vampire victim, as it were.
"Wait, no one answered my question," Mick said, and we both looked at him.
"We know," we said in unison, turning our attention back to the conversation.
"This is a really bad killer, he could have gotten her heart rate anywhere. He just happened he decided that he didn't want one at all," I replied, and she nodded.
"They aren't going to answer my question, are they?" Mick asked Josef, and he only smiled.
"Apparently not." Mick sat back and crossed his arms, beginning to get slightly frustrated with the situation. Mick really wanted to find a cure for vampirism, and the fact that I could eat and drink was definitely something he would want to know about.
"We've gotten all we can get, and we still have nothing." I shook my head, drinking again.
"Not necessarily, we just need to ask the right questions," I said, Beth nodding in agreement. Mick sat up, and we both looked at him.
"Ladies, may I be given the information that you both seem to solely know?" Mick questioned, and Beth and I smirked.
"We were just holding out for please," Beth responded, and I nodded. He sat back and ran a hand over his mouth, Josef laughing.
"Oops," Josef said with a smile, Mick glaring at him from across the table. Mick looked at me, waiting for an explanation
"We have the same blood," Beth stated, Mick glancing over at her.
"What?" I chuckled, his attention turning to me.
"Beth's blood type is very rare. It ends up before I was converted I had the same type as she does," I answered, Mick leaning forward some.
"How would you know that?" he questioned. The waitress came back, plates in hand. She sat them in front of us as we thanked her, waiting until she left to continue our conversation.
"Long story, and we only have lunch to discuss it," I replied, studying the contents of the greens on the plate. I never really liked spinach, it always tasted so bitter to me. I frowned slightly and looked up from my plate, Mick waiting to see if I would eat or not.
"So, she can do pretty much everything human," Beth stated and Mick raised his eyebrows, moving his eyes between the two of us.
"That's not possible," Josef said, everyone looking at him now. Mick nodded, and I smiled.
"It would throw her entire system off, it wouldn't work," Mick responded, and I stared at Beth.
"See? Told you." She stared right back, only moving to take a bite from her plate.
"Things could be worse." I rolled my eyes and picked up my fork, retrieving some leaves from the dish and placing them in my mouth. I chewed slowly, my thoughts more on Simone's case rather than the looks I was getting from Mick. I swallowed, taking a drink and setting the cup back down before I spoke again.
"Don't like the dressing, too sweet. Now, what do you want to ask me?" I said, turning to Mick. He was quiet for a moment, sitting back and thinking.
"Abigail." I looked up to see Will, his face bright. The teenager shifted a little, his langy form wobbling.
"What?" He handed me a manilla folder and bounced on his toes, eager for praise that he was sure to get.
"Got what you wanted," he replied quickly, keeping his attention on me. I narrowed my eyes as I flipped through it, setting it down on the table.
"Couldn't you have called me?" I asked, his smile growing bigger as he shrugged.
"Dunno, probably. But, I saw you and thought you'd like to have it now," he stated, his hands behind his back as he bounced on his toes.
"What about the rest of it?" His eyes turned mischievous as he continued to smile, knowing he'd get good things from me if he got the job done.
"Girl scouts and grandmas are walking door to door as we speak," he answered, chuckling to himself. I smiled slightly, motioning with my hand.
"Alright, I'll get it to you later." He made a fist and walked away, apparently very pleased with his work. I took another bite and studied what he had given me, considering the material.
"What is it?" Beth asked after a moment, pulling me from my thoughts. I closed it and handed it to Josef, taking a drink to clear my throat.
"Some information on a...possible suspect," I replied, Josef staring at the papers thoughtfully as Mick shifted in anticipation.
"You think he did it?" Josef asked quietly, and I shrugged.
"He's fully capable, and he wouldn't have to do it himself," I answered, Mick tapping his fingers on the table absentmindedly.
"You'll get your turn," Josef responded, looking over the last page carefully before handing it to Mick. Mick opened it and looked up at me in surprise, Beth glancing over his shoulder.
"Who's Lance?" Lance, brother of Coraline and leader of his other siblings. He was old, and very powerful from what I understood. Mick sighed and shook his head, setting the folder down with the cover closed. I raised my eyebrows and waited for him to speak, wondering what was on his mind.
"Why would he do it? Lance is all about the furthering of our kind, why would he give the names to Talbot?" Mick asked, and I sat back. I honestly had no idea, but from what I'd heard this sounded like his kind of work.
"I don't know. But, this seems to be his signature for taking care of problems," I replied, Beth holding her hand out for the folder. Mick reluctantly handed it to her, watching her as she looked through it. Her eyes got big and she looked up at me, pointing at the folder with her fork.
"This guy is Coraline's brother?" she questioned, glancing over at Mick. We both nodded, not happy with the situation. This was bad, if Lance had hired someone to do it then we were going to have trouble finding a way to prove he was involved. I glanced at my watch and sighed, pushing my plate away. I had to meet Terrance for my shift in fifteen minutes, and I was not looking forward to following Talbot around for a solid four hours.
"I've got to go," I stated, and Beth nodded. She waved the waitress down and asked for the check, which she gave to us after she took our plates. We split it and left a tip, walking across the street to where our cars were. I got into Josef's Ferrari, smiling at Beth as she rolled her eyes in envy.
"Have fun!" Beth called as she sat down in Mick's Mercedes, and I shook my head. Both cars had the tops down, it was such a gorgeous day it would be a shame to waste it, even for a vampire.
"Cheapskate!" I yelled back, and she turned around and scowled at me. I smiled back and gave her a small wave as we pulled around them, Mick smiling at our playful banter.
"What's up, Terrance?" I asked after I had parked the car. I sat down beside him on the bench outside the DA's office as I watched Mick drop Beth off.
"Nothing. He's been in there all day, didn't even come out for lunch," he replied, standing up. I rolled my eyes, making him laugh.
"Enjoy it, this is about all you're going to see for a while," he responded, and I groaned.
"Great, I've been looking forward to coming over here and sitting," I said, and he chuckled as he waved at Mick. Mick parked his car and walked over to us, making sure to stay in the shade underneath the trees.
"Anything?" Terrance shook his head, and Mick sighed. Terrance said good bye and walked to his car, driving away towards the morgue. Mick sat down beside me, laying his arms on the bench.
"And why would you want to sit here and stare at a building with me?" I asked calmly, crossing my legs. He shrugged, not looking over at me as he spoke.
"Nothing in particular, I just have some questions," he replied simply, studying some men in suits across the street.
"Alright, so I get some company but at the same time I get interrogated," I said, and he laughed.
"Nothing that serious." I chuckled, watching people enter and leave the building in a rush.
"No worries, then. Ask away," I responded, Mick turning his head to look at me.
"How long have you been friends with Beth?" That one surprised me. I expected him to ask about my "human" traits, and wether or not it could lead to a cure, not about Beth and I. I narrowed my eyes, smiling coyly.
"About three years, why?" He shrugged, turning his attention back to the people filing in and out of the office.
"I just didn't know she had any friends like you, that's all. She'd never mentioned you before," he replied, and I cocked my head.
"Fair enough. What else?" He sat for a moment, considering his next question.
"How long have you been in Los Angles?" Another surprise, wonderful. This whole conversation is going to leave me ragged, I thought.
"Ten, fifteen years?" I said, more of a question than anything else. He nodded, turning to look at me again.
"Why didn't you contact Josef when you got here?" Okay, now things were getting personal.
"I'm not sure. Nerves, probably. I guess I couldn't find it in me to enter his life again, not until after I had met Beth, anyway," I stated, his eyebrows furrowing.
"Why? What did she do to change your mind?" he questioned. What did she do? Nothing really, we actually didn't talk about the subject until a few months ago. When Beth had met Josh, we had a falling out. She got absorbed with her work and relationship, and I busied myself with other things. The night she had found out that Mick was a vampire, she called me in complete hysterics begging me to come over and stay with her. Of course, I complied and when I had found out why she was so scared I told her about my own blood lust. Surprisingly, she didn't shy away from me. Instead, it was an endless parade of questions.
"I'm not sure. Just her in herself made me realize that I had to stop running from my past," I replied, lying my hands on my lap. He looked back at the building for a moment, and I sighed in anticipation for his next question.
"What happened? Between you and Josef, I mean." Nice, now he was digging deep and agitating old wounds that probably shouldn't be messed with.
"Lots of things." He glanced over at me as if to say stop avoiding the question, and I rolled my eyes. "We met in seventeen-fifteen, I was twenty-five at the time. For that period, I was pretty old not to have a husband but my father insisted on making sure I had the best of everything. When I met Josef, my father instantly suggested we get married. That was too quick for the both of us, so instead Josef hid. We saw each other on a daily basis, but only in the dead of night. One night, I found out about his secret. The next night, he didn't come. And the night after that, and the night after that. I didn't know what to do, my entire world fell apart. I heard rumors about him, where he had gone, what he had done, who he was with. I never believed them, I tried not to." I shifted, trying to keep my focus on the entrance to the large enclosure where Talbot was located.
"So, you where converted. By who?" I shrugged, ready to stand up and walk away.
"Don't know. It happened in an alleyway, and it was dark. I never saw him again, whoever he was," I answered, Mick frowning a little. I waited, assuming he was going to ask me something else about my past. I saw Talbot walk out of the building, holding a suitcase and flagging down a taxi.
"That's my cue," I said, standing up and heading for my car. I got in, buckling my seatbelt and turning the car on. I banged my head on the steering wheel gently, watching the yellow cab pull away. I sighed, moving from my parking space out on to the road.
After Beth saw Talbot leave, she waited a few minutes to make sure the coast was clear. She had taken him up on the job offer, but only for a little while. She wasn't so sure she'd enjoy working at the DA's office full time. Beth stood up and walked casually to his office, opening the door and sliding inside before she caught anyone's attention. She started looking through the things on his desk, hoping he might have left the list behind. She sighed, realizing that he had taken it with him, probably for safe keeping.
She walked out of his office quickly and quietly, sitting back down on at her desk and pretending to stay busy. So, she had nothing. No list, no leads worth looking at, and a very unlikely suspect in Simone's murder. This was turning out to be a wonderful day. She wished she could go follow Talbot with Abigail when he went to lunch, maybe he was meeting up with someone interesting.
She sat for a solid fifteen minutes typing some things for what seemed to be pointless cases, trying to let her mind work out the problems that where only getting larger in the vampire world. When her phone buzzed on the wooden surface of her desk she jumped, the small motions of the phone catching her off guard. It was Abigail, probably calling to update on Talbot.
"You love me, right?" she asked before Beth could greet her, a smile forming on her face.
"Of course." Abigail laughed, Beth getting more curious by the second.
"Talbot has met with a very interesting character, and the conversation that they're having is not a pleasant one," she stated, humor her in voice. Beth sat up, plugging her unused ear to make sure she didn't miss anything.
"Who is it?" Beth asked excitedly, turning away from all the people around her.
"Don't know," she said slowly, a clicking in the background, "But, he's definitely a vampire. I'll show you my work when we see each other." Beth's smile grew, faith blossoming in her with the thought that Mick or Josef would know this vamp that Talbot was speaking with.
"Do you have pictures, then?" Beth questioned, Abby snorting.
"Do I have pictures! I have a recording of their conversation, girl! I would make a very poor stalker if I didn't at least have the candids!" she exclaimed with pride, another click sounding. Beth laughed again, ready to jump out of her chair and go meet her. She made her own hours, but Talbot might get suspicious if she left while he was gone.
"Great, do you think that you can come by and show everything to Mick and I?" Beth asked quietly, some what nervous of possible eavesdroppers.
"Sure, sure. I'll be over as soon as my shift is done, alright?" she responded, a bit of shuffling going on.
"Sounds good, I'll see you then," Beth replied, and small click in her ear as Abigail hung up. Beth wanted to punch a fist in the air with this small bit of luck, faith in that fact that they might have another lead.
There was a light rap at the door and Mick disappeared to answer it, leaving Beth on the couch. Her leg bounced up and down in excitment, hoping Abigail had gotten good pictures of this guy. Abigail stepped down into the living room, stopping next to Beth and narrowing her eyes.
"Who gave you the drugs?" she asked seriously, referring to Beth's leg motion. She immediatley stopped, glaring right back.
"How I spend my money and who I get my fix from is not your business," Beth joked back, making Abby smile. Josef stepped down behind her, raising his eyebrows at the last comment. Beth rolled her eyes as Abigail sat down next to her, gently setting her laptop on the table top. She hummed to herself as she opened it and retrieved the files that held the pictures, she flipped through a few before she found one she liked. She turned the screen to face Mick and Josef on the opposite couch and smiled, waiting.
"Can you zoom in on this?" Mick asked and Abby nodded. She turned it and closed in on the strangers face, turning it to face them once more. Josef shook his head, Mick still staring intently on the small pudgy man.
"Well?" Beth asked, Mick glancing up at her. He sat back, lying a hand on the couch.
"That's one of Lance's henchman," he stated, and Abigail smirked. She finally broke out into a full blown laugh, turning the computer back towards her and opening another file.
"What?" Beth questioned, eager to understand.
"It seems we've just lost our top suspect," she replied with a chuckle, continuing to hum to herself.
"What are you talking about? This is just more evidence that Lance is behind it," Mick replied, and Abby frowned.
"Oh really?" A small click came from the computer as the speakers kicked on, Abigail picking where she left off in her song as she started to hum. There was a small moment of background noise, then a man spoke.
"What do you want?" Talbot, talking to the stranger from lunch.
"You know exactly why I called you here. I want the List, and I want it now," the man answered, and Talbot laughed.
"What makes you think that I'd give it to you?" Abigail smirked, winking at Beth.
"Wait, it gets good here," Abigail stated, waiting for the stranger to respond.
"We'll make it worth your while, and if you don't we'll just have to pay your friend a visit. What's her name? Beth Turner?" Beth gasped, Mick sitting up straight. Abigail laughed, sitting back and crossing her legs.
"Hilarious," she said with a smile, Beth's mouth hanging open.
"You wouldn't dare. Why are you so interested in this List anyway?" Talbot retorted, and the man chuckled.
"That's none of your business. Just get me the List, understood? Tomorrow, at this address. I'll be watching," he stated, the scraping of a chair heard as he stood and walked away.
"Ha! And Talbot has no idea what he's in now, I pity him," Abby responded, Beth reaching over and smacking her on the shoulder, hard. Abby hissed, narrowing her eyes playfully.
"Why the heck didn't you tell me about this?" Beth questioned angerly, and she smirked.
"Talbot headed straight back the office after this. When my shift ended is when you left, I followed you home to make sure you'd be okay. Damn, you really think I'd just let you go walking at twilight while a vampire is after you, very doubtful," she snapped, and Beth sighed.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
"You should be, jeez," Abby replied, closing the computer and putting it back in her bag. Beth groaned, sitting back and putting her head on Abigail's shoulder.
"Now we have nothing," Beth stated, and Abigail sighed.
"Pretty much, not to mention you've got two killer vampires out for your blood," she responded, Mick running his hand over his mouth in exasperation.
"I need a drink," Beth mumbled, and Abigail smiled.
"To the Bat Cave!" she exclaimed, Beth laughing quietly.
"More like to a club," Beth responded, and Abigail nodded.
"Yeah, sounds good. Who agrees. It doesn't matter, I'm going. What to come with?" Abigail stood and grabbed her bag, walking up the steps to the door.
"Yes, but I'm not going in these work cloths." Abby nodded, opening the door and letting Beth walk ahead of her.
"My place, then. You boys want to come?" Abby called, listening as they both stood up and headed for the door.
"It's a party," Beth said, watching Mick lock the door behind him. Abigal nodded in triumph, Josef gently laying a hand on the small of her back as they walked to the elevator.