Jane Vows Vengeance

“How so?” Jane asked.

“Think about it,” said Lucy. “Ever since we got here, one thing after another has gotten in the way of your wedding. First your husband shows up.”

“Technically he’s my husband,” Jane reminded her.

“Then Ryan McGuinness is killed and all fingers point at you,” Lucy continued.

“I’d forgotten that bit,” said Jane.

“And we’re fairly certain a vampire is behind that,” Lucy continued.

“Oh, and there’s Walter’s glamoring,” said Jane. “But honestly, apart from Joshua showing up and Ryan getting thrown off the keep, nothing else has happened.”

“What else could happen?” Lucy said. “And it’s only been five days since Ryan was killed.”

“Is that all?” said Jane, surprised. “It seems like ages ago.”

“My guess is that there’s something big coming,” Lucy said.

“But why would Our Gloomy Friend care if Walter and I get married?” Jane asked. “It doesn’t affect her one bit.”

“Why does she have to have a reason?” said Lucy. “Maybe she just wants to see you be as miserable as she is.”

Jane sniffed. “That would be just like her,” she said. “That whole family was obsessed with being unhappy. No wonder it rains so much in their books.”

“Who else would want to put a stop to your wedding?” Lucy asked.

“Miriam,” Jane said instantly. “But she wouldn’t do anything as extreme as killing someone. At least I don’t think she would. It seems a bit much, even for her.”

“I agree,” said Lucy. “Which brings us back to Our Gloomy Friend.”

“I still don’t know about that,” Jane said. “Whoever it is, he or she has been hanging around during the entire trip. Frankly, I don’t believe Charlotte is clever enough to keep herself hidden for that long.”

“Even if Bergen was doing all the dirty work?” Lucy asked.

“She’s too vain,” Jane said. “I just can’t see her being content to hide in the shadows.”

Lucy sighed. “You vampires and your need to be the center of attention,” she said. “For creatures of the night, you certainly do like the spotlight.”

Jane looked at her watch. “It’s almost midnight,” she said. “We should be getting back. Maybe Miriam has gotten some more information out of Bergen.”

She waited until there was a break in the conversation the others were having, then suggested to Walter that they return to the hotel. He was only too happy to oblige, and half an hour later they were back in their room. Jane had removed her evening wear and slipped into a decidedly unglamorous pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Walter was in bed, reading.

“I’m just going to pop in and check on your mother,” Jane said. “See if she needs anything.”

Walter raised one eyebrow. “Really?” he said.

“You sound skeptical,” Jane said.

Walter laughed. “I am skeptical,” he replied.

“For heaven’s sake,” said Jane. “You make it sound as if I slipped her that oyster myself.”

Walter grunted and returned to his book.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jane asked.

“Absolutely nothing,” said Walter, still reading. “Tell Mother I said I hope she sleeps well.”

“I will,” Jane said, opening the door and going out into the hall. As she walked to Miriam’s room she congratulated herself on having played things just so. I really do make a convincing concerned daughter-in-law, she thought. Well, a semi-convincing one, at any rate.

When she reached Miriam’s room she rapped three times on the door. When there was no answer she knocked again. And when there was still no answer, she tried the handle. She experienced a moment of deja vu as, for the second time that night, the door opened easily. Only this time there was no one on the bed. The room was empty.

She went inside.

“Miriam?” she called softly.

When there was no answer she looked in all of the usual places—the closet, the bathroom, under the bed— that a body, dead or alive, might be concealed. She found nothing. Nor was there any sign of a struggle. In fact, the room was as neat as if it had just received maid service.

That’s when Jane realized that not only was Miriam gone, so was her luggage. There were no suitcases, no toiletry bags, no clothes thrown over the back of the chair or tossed carelessly on the floor. No Lilith or her carrying case. It was as if Miriam had never been there at all.

Where on earth could she have gone? Jane wondered. And why?

Clearly, something had happened. The most obvious answer was that Bergen had overpowered Miriam and done her a mischief. Really, it was the only answer. Miriam would never have just allowed Bergen to go free. And Jane doubted very much that she would have taken off without so much as a note for Walter.

But what was Jane to do? She could hardly tell Walter that his mother had been kidnapped by a vampire’s familiar. Nor did she have any idea where to start looking for Miriam and her captor. For all she knew, Miriam was dead. She was surprised, and a little relieved, to find that this idea saddened her.

She picked up the phone and dialed Lucy and Ben’s room. When Lucy answered Jane said, “We have a problem. Miriam is gone. Can you come down here?”

“Of course I have that book you wanted,” Lucy said. “I’ll bring it right down.”

“Good girl,” said Jane, knowing Lucy had just given herself an alibi that Ben would not question.

She hung up. Not two minutes later Lucy knocked on the door. Jane opened it.

“Wow,” Lucy said when she’d looked around the room. “She’s not just gone, she’s gone.”

“We have to figure out what we’re going to tell Walter,” Jane said.

“Well, obviously we can’t tell him the truth,” said Lucy. “So we’ll have to stall. Tell him she’s still not feeling well and wants to be left alone.”

“But we’re leaving for Switzerland in”—Jane looked at her watch—“less than fourteen hours.”

“At least it gives us some time to think,” said Lucy. “He won’t expect to see her until breakfast, and with a little luck we can put him off even longer while we look for Miriam.”

“I should never have left her alone with Bergen,” Jane said. “But she insisted.”

“She’s a vampire hunter,” Lucy reminded her. “She’s dealt with things a lot worse than Bergen.”

“Good point,” said Jane. “I really shouldn’t blame myself. None of this is my fault.”

“Well, that’s not exactly true,” Lucy said. “It’s a little bit your fault.”

“Some friend you are,” Jane said.

“You know it’s true,” said Lucy.

Jane sighed. “Yes, I suppose I do,” she said. “Still, you needn’t remind me.”

“You’d better get back to Walter. He’s going to wonder why you’ve been gone so long. Make sure you tell him Miriam is feeling worse. But don’t overdo it. We don’t want him coming down here to check on her. Do you think you can do that?”

Jane nodded.

“Good,” Lucy said. “Oh, should we check Bergen’s room?”

Jane shook her head. “That would be too obvious,” she said. “Wherever they are, I’d bet anything they aren’t in the hotel.”

“Then I guess there’s nothing else we can do tonight,” said Lucy. “At least not without causing more trouble. So try to get some rest. Maybe we’ll think of something during the night.”

“And if we don’t?” Jane asked.

Lucy looked at her. “If we don’t, you’ll be explaining to Walter how his vampire hunter mother disappeared