As Twilight Falls

Later, sitting out on the patio doing her nails, she wondered how Donna, Shirley, and Rosemary were getting along. Had they stayed in Morgan Creek, or had Brittany’s death soured them on the idea? She wondered how Marti was doing, and if Chelsea had found it hard to settle back into life at home, and if Jeremy had stayed with Chelsea, and if Frankie and Claude were having a good time in Hawaii. And then she wondered about the vampires. Had they stayed together? Where were they now? Were they enjoying their freedom, or wishing they had stayed in Morgan Creek, where it was safe?

She looked up, smiling, when her mother pulled a chair up beside her and sat down.

“You seem lost in thought,” Mrs. Andrews remarked. “Anything you want to share?”

“No, I was just thinking about some of the strange stories I heard while I was traveling,” Kadie said, choosing her words carefully.

“What kinds of strange stories?”

“Oh, you know. Tales of ghosts and things that go bump in the night. I guess it’s really not all that unusual, considering where my work takes me. But then I heard someone say vampires were real, and . . .”

“Vampires?” Mrs. Andrews laughed. “Kadie, really.”

“And they said there were vampire hunters.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Kadie nodded. “I remember reading something about vampires in the paper years ago, but I didn’t pay much attention. I mean, who believes in vampires?”

“Well, there are always stories,” Mrs. Andrews said, her brow furrowing. “But no one’s ever proved they exist. Why, just day before yesterday there was a story on the news about a body being found drained of blood in the alley behind Kitner Road. But your father saw the body and told me the report had been exaggerated.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

“Yes, indeed. So, tell me about your young man.”

Kadie grinned inwardly, thinking that her “young” man hadn’t been young in centuries. “He’s just a guy I met. We sort of hit it off and when he asked me to go to England with him, I said I would. I’m due for a vacation.”

“He seems very nice, and I know you’ve been making your own decisions for years, but, Kadie, do you think it’s wise to go off with a man you’ve known such a short time?”

“I’ll be fine, Mom,” Kadie said, reaching over to give her mom’s hand a squeeze. “I’ve been with Rylan for several weeks.” And she knew him in ways her mother would surely frown on.

After lunch, Kadie and her mother drove to the hospital to see Kathy. It broke Kadie’s heart to see her little sister looking so thin and pale.

She pasted a smile on her face as she hurried to her sister’s bedside and gave her a hug. “How’s my angel?”

“Kadie! I’m so glad to see you.”

“I missed you, too.” Reaching into her bag, Kadie pulled out a beribboned package. “Here you go,” she said. “A souvenir from Wyoming, as promised.”

“You didn’t forget!” Kathy quickly tore off the wrappings, opened the box, and pulled out a porcelain doll dressed in the garb of a Cheyenne bride. “I love her!” she exclaimed. “Thank you!”

While Kathy admired her new doll, Kadie looked up and met her mother’s tear-filled eyes and knew, in that moment, that Kathy’s days were numbered.

It was near dark when Kadie and her mother headed home from the hospital. Kadie’s father was sitting on the front porch, reading one of his medical journals, when Kadie and her mother arrived.

Dinner passed congenially. Sitting at the table, her father told them about his day at the hospital. They had just finished dessert when the doorbell rang.

“I suspect that will be your young man,” Kadie’s mother said. “You go entertain him. Dad can help me with the dishes.”

“Thanks, Mom!” Kadie jumped up, her heart beating with anticipation as she ran to open the door.

“You’re still here,” Saintcrow remarked, sounding surprised.

“Did you think I’d run off? What would be the point if you can find me?”

He smiled as he drew her into his arms and kissed her. “Am I interrupting anything?” he asked, his breath warm against her ear.

“No. We just finished dinner.” There was something different about him, Kadie thought, though she couldn’t say what it was. Shrugging the thought aside, she took him by the hand and led the way into the living room. Sitting on the sofa, she patted the cushion beside her. “So,” she asked, eyes twinkling, “did you sleep well?”

“Like the dead,” he replied, slipping his arm around her shoulders.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” His gaze rested on her lips. “How much longer do you want to stay here?”

“At least a few more days,” she said, thinking about her sister. “You’re ready to leave, aren’t you?”

“The sooner, the better.” His fingertips stroked her arm. “I want you all to myself.”

“After we go to England, will we come back here?”

“I don’t think so.”

Before Kadie could ask where else he wanted to go, her father came into the room.

Dr. Andrews settled down in his easy chair, his gaze resting speculatively on Saintcrow. “How was your day?” he asked.

Saintcrow shrugged. “Quiet.”

Dr. Andrews grinned wryly. “I thought it might be. So, Kadie, your mom tells me you were asking about vampires.”

Kadie slid a glance at Saintcrow, then said, “It was nothing. Just some idle gossip I overheard.”

“I don’t want you upsetting your mother with that kind of talk.”

Kadie nodded. Was she imagining things, or was there some silent communication going on between her father and Saintcrow? There was definitely an air of tension in the room that hadn’t been there before her father arrived. What did it mean?

“Kadie, I’d love a cup of coffee,” Dr. Andrews said. “And ask your mother if there’s any of that pie left.”

When Kadie left the room, Dr. Andrews leaned forward. “A man was killed here night before last. Drained of blood and tossed in a trash bin.”

“I wasn’t here night before last,” Saintcrow said.

“This is the third death in the last week.”

“And?”

Andrews drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. “I can’t find the killer.”