Blood Red

A little while later, they stepped out into bright afternoon sunlight and headed back to their B and B.

But despite the blazing sunlight, Lauren couldn’t shake the feeling that they were surrounded by darkness and shadows.

“Vampires. Plural,” Sean Canady said, looking steadily at Mark.

Mark was surprised that he hadn’t called in the men in the white coats, though he had excused himself for several minutes, then returned.

Maybe the men in the white coats were already on the way.

All right, time to try another tack. “Look, I love New Orleans. It’s like no other place, but there are plenty of cultists and crazies here.”

“True enough,” the cop agreed sagely.

I don’t mean me, Mark added silently, then kept going. “Stephan is a…cult leader. He’s also psychotic, a man who never feels any regret for the pain he causes, and he can mesmerize others and turn them into killers.”

“Well, thank you for your information. I appreciate your coming in.”

“You haven’t filled out any forms.”

“I will.”

“Usually cops take notes while someone is talking.”

“You’re familiar with police procedure?” Canady asked.

Mark hesitated just slightly, then said, “Hey, I watch television. Law and Order.”

“Right,” Canady agreed politely. “And CSI. We always get our guy in just one episode, too,” he said dryly.

“I assure you, you need to find this man, and stop him.” He stood. There was so much more he wanted to say, but if he did, he really would risk being committed.

He frowned, noticing the chain around the lieutenant’s neck. “Cross?” he asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“No reason. Just curious,” Mark said.

He decided to depart quickly, before things became complicated. He’d tried, but he was still on his own against Stephan.

“Thanks for your time. Before I go, I should tell you that I’m certain he has some kind of…lair around here. Probably somewhere in the French Quarter, maybe the Garden District, or even uptown. I’ll be looking for him. If you go looking for him, too, do it carefully.”

The cop blinked but still betrayed no emotion.

“Good luck, Lieutenant,” Mark said, shaking his head. Well, what the hell had he expected? for the lieutenant to form a posse armed with stakes and holy water?

“Back at you,” the cop said as Mark turned and left

Mark knew without looking that the steel-eyed lieutenant followed and watched him all the way out to the street.

The sun was still hot when they made it out to the pool, even though it was four o’clock. They had the place to themselves, the rest of guests apparently having gone off to other pursuits.

Jumping into the water felt delicious, and crawling out wasn’t bad, either.

Many of the lounge chairs around the pool were shaded by umbrella tops and they pulled three together. They chatted about the wedding, the city and their plans for their winnings, but not about the headless corpse that had been dragged from the Mississippi or the tall, dark strangers they had encountered in the course of the weekend.

Heidi stood at last, yawning and stretching. “I’m going to shower, okay? If I stay out here much longer I’ll burn to a crisp.”

“Poor, pale darling,” Deanna teased her.

“Hey, you can burn, too, my copper beauty,” Heidi warned.

“I know,” Deanna assured her. “But you’re by far the most delicate of us.”

“I’m pale and I come in a small package, but I’m fierce,” Heidi told her.

“Of course you are,” Deanna assured her, waving a hand dismissively. “Go on. Take your shower.”

After Heidi went inside, a gentle breeze suddenly arose, not chilly but balmy and, since they were still damp from the water, quite nice. Lauren felt as if she had returned to the world of the normal. She felt relaxed.

Deanna turned to her suddenly.

“Did you feel it?” she demanded tensely.

“What?”

“I could feel it.”

“Feel what?”