“I was thinking about that word that the director said he heard the villagers chanting,” said Vivian, spreading butter across a piece of toast. “Anamapopa.”
“What about it?”
“I kept thinking I’d heard the word before, and that what happened to Francine seemed familiar to me,” said Vivian. “So, I checked some old notes this morning while you were sleeping and I found a Word file named Anamapopa. You’ll never guess what that word means, and no, it has nothing to do with sex.”
Throwing down his napkin, Leo grinned at her. “Well, then you’re right. I’ll never guess.”
Vivian rolled her eyes and said, “Anamapopa is a local term that means ‘bloodsucker’ … in English, it’s translated as … vampire.”
“Vampire?” Leo frowned. “The villagers were shouting vampire?”
“Gus Stewart said that after the villagers killed Francine, they made a circle around her dead body and shouted anamapopa while pointing at her,” Vivian reminded him. “I think they killed her because they thought she was a vampire.”
“This is Africa, not Transylvania,” said Leo. “You’re saying a group of tribal vampire hunters killed Francine?”
“A year, or so, ago, I wrote a story about vampirism in Mozambique,” said Vivian. “The same thing happened there. Rumors of vampirism broke out, and mobs of villagers attacked and killed those they believed to be vampires.”
Leo shook his head. “What made the villagers think the people they killed were vampires? No reflection in the mirror? Sleeping in coffins? Shapeshifting into bats?”
Ignoring Leo’s sarcasm, Vivian said, “I found some of my notes from the story. There was a professor I talked to for some background. Villagers don’t think of vampires as the undead going around sucking blood.”
Leo asked, “Who do they think of as vampires?”
“Vampires are humans who extract blood from villagers using needles or foreign medical devices,” said Vivian. “Something as innocuous as a stethoscope could rouse suspicion from a superstitious villager.”
“So, the vampire doesn’t say, I vant to suck your blood,” said Leo, adopting a cheesy Transylvanian accent. “He says, I vant to draw your blood.”
“Will you be serious?”
Raising his hands, Leo said, “This really is fascinating. Please, tell me more.”
Vivian gave him a withering glare before she said, “The villagers think these vampires use magic and technology to render their prey helpless and immobile.”
“Magic and technology,” said Leo. “Interesting mix.”
“According to the professor, the villagers believe that vampires will spray some sort of chemical mist in their faces,” said Vivian. “It’s really an aerosolized antiseptic or antibiotic.”
“Like Bactine?”
Nodding, Vivian said, “Other times, the vampires will use an electrical charge.”
“An electrical charge?” Leo shook his head. “What do you mean?”
“Rural doctors sometimes carry portable medical devices, like for example, an infusion pump,” said Vivian. “The pump requires charging, but sometimes, these devices malfunction, sending a surge of electricity through a patient. The surge of electricity, while unintentional, may cause the villager to feel weak and disoriented.”
“And the villager attributes that weakness to the doctor trying to incapacitate him so the doctor can steal his blood,” said Leo. “Okay, that’s the technological aspect. How does the magic come into play?”
“The chemical mist or electric charge is not just used to incapacitate the villager,” said Vivian. “The villagers believe it allows the doctor to vanish, or shapeshift into an animal form.”
“Like a bat,” said Leo, smirking slightly.
Vivian sighed, and then said, “Unfortunately, these superstitious beliefs have lead villagers to attack doctors and nurses.”
After a sip of coffee, Leo asked, “Why do the villagers think the doctors want their blood?”
“They believe the doctors will sell their blood,” said Vivian. “Sometimes for profit to medical research companies. Other times, the blood might be sold to people involved in ritualistic worship or ceremonies.”
“Interesting,” said Leo.
Vivian said, “But, Francine wasn’t a doctor or a nurse. Why would the men think she was a vampire?”
“Speaking of Francine, I was thinking about her, as well.”
Vivian raised an eyebrow at him. “While you were banging my brains out?”
Leo laughed and ducked to avoid the second strawberry she threw in his direction.
“I was thinking about her while I was in the shower a few minutes ago.”
“Somehow that’s even worse,” said Vivian, picking up another berry.
“Truce,” said Leo, waving his napkin. “I was thinking I’m not sure Gus Stewart told the truth about what happened to Francine.”
“You didn’t believe his story?” asked Vivian, curious to hear Leo’s theories.
Leo took a sip of coffee. “Don’t you think it was a bit …”
“Shocking? Macabre? Gruesome?” Vivian supplied.
“Ghoulish,” said Leo, rubbing his jaw. “What he described was overkill. I’ve never heard of villagers cutting out a woman’s heart and setting it on fire.”
“Why would he tell such a horrid story if it wasn’t true?” asked Vivian, taking a bite of her toast.
“As Gus was telling us his story,” said Leo, “I was thinking, how did he live to tell it? Why didn’t the villagers kill him? Think about it. They killed the driver. And Francine. Matilda ran off, so that’s how she was spared, but where was Gus when Francine was being killed? Was he somewhere hiding and watching it happen?”
“That’s a good point,” said Vivian, wishing Leo had thought to question the foundation director.
“Matilda saw the villagers kill the driver,” said Leo. “But, she doesn’t know what happened after that. Gus says the men killed Francine, but maybe he killed her.”
“And cut her heart out and burned it?”
“The local police haven’t admitted that Francine was mutilated,” said Leo. “We need to confirm that.”
“Good idea,” said Vivian. “And we also need to talk to the brother of the teacher’s aid. The cop who told Francine about the vampire rumors.”
Nodding, Leo said, “And by the way, vampires are all about sex.”
“More like rape,” Vivian countered.
Leo frowned. “Rape?”
“Penetration following forced submission through hypnosis,” said Vivian. “Sounds like a sexual encounter without consent to me.”
“Well, you’ll never have to force me into submission through hypnosis,” said Leo, standing and walking to her. “And you’ll always have my consent …”
Seconds later, she felt his mouth on her
