Sinking down on the couch, Travis blew out a sigh. And then he grinned. Hell of a night, he mused. He had saved the world from one more vampire.
Just like the good old days.
Chapter 5
Carl Overstreet drove slowly up Susandale’s Main Street, which was wide and several blocks long. He grunted softly as he noticed that most of the shops didn’t open until later in the day. There were no schools, no playgrounds. He passed a red brick post office. The sign out front said mail was delivered at 10 a.m. and that the office was open 24 hours a day. Odd, he thought, unless everyone had a post office box.
A grocery store, which appeared to be the largest building in town, occupied the lot next to the post office. It’s hours of business were from noon until midnight. He noted the department store across the street didn’t open until three.
A small, glass-fronted café. was located on the corner next to the grocery store. Bamboo shades covered the windows. A hand-lettered sign proclaimed Winona’s opened at 11 a.m. Oddly, it didn’t say when it closed. A store that sold bath products was located a few doors down from the café.
Turning east on First Street, he spied a non-denominational church across the street from a one-story brick hospital. A single ambulance was parked in the lot. There were no other vehicles in sight. The Sheriff’s Department took up the end of the block next to the hospital. A single police car was parked on the street.
Carl made a U-Turn at the end of the block and drove west, crossing Main Street again. A gas station stood on the corner. A small, two-story hotel with a “Vacancy” sign out front was located across the street. Two vacant lots separated a drug store from the hotel.
A left turn at the end of First Street took him to the residential section. As expected, there was no activity outside. Every house had heavy curtains drawn against the noonday sun. No dogs barked. No kids played in the streets. There were no mailboxes. And no traffic.
After pulling over to the curb and putting his beat-up Dodge truck in Park, he picked up the small spiral-bound notebook and pencil lying on the passenger seat. Skipping past the first few pages, he wrote, “My informant’s info seems to be spot on. I’ve little doubt Susandale is home to a nest of vampires.”
He scanned the hastily scrawled notes on the first few pages. He had been in a seedy bar in New Jersey when he met Joey Cannon. The man had been middle-aged, but he’d looked old and worn out, as if someone had sucked most of the life out of him. As it turned out, that was pretty close to the truth. But he’d had a hell of a story to tell about a little town full of vampires and how he had barely escaped with his life.
Carl had retired from the news game over a year ago, but once a journalist, always a journalist, and Joey Cannon’s story begged to be told. So, he’d bought Joey a bottle of bonded bourbon and listened to a tale that seemed too far-fetched to be true, but something in the old drunk’s haunted eyes had sent Carl here, to this little town in the middle of nowhere, to uncover the truth.
Always a dangerous game, he thought, remembering the first time he had seen a vampire. It had been Ronan, though Carl hadn’t known who it was at the time. He had been in a town outside of Sacramento, sitting in a bar. He’d been more than a little drunk at the time and had slipped out the back door into the alley by mistake. He had come to an abrupt halt when he saw a tall, dark-haired man bending over a woman’s neck. At first, he’d thought he had interrupted a romantic encounter—until the man looked up, his eyes red as the fires of hell, his fangs dripping blood.
It was a sight never to be forgotten. Carl had run back into the bar and out the front door as fast as his legs would carry him and he hadn’t stopped running until he was back in his hotel room with the door locked and the windows closed.
Remembering that night, Overstreet wondered why on earth he was here, looking for another vampire. But what the hell? He wasn’t getting any younger and he didn’t have anything better to do.
Except get a late breakfast, he decided, when his stomach growled.
Turning the car around, he headed for Winona’s Café.
Chapter 6
Sara woke late after a long and restless night filled with nightmares that had seemed all too real. Her eyes felt gritty from lack of sleep when she peered at the bedside clock. Ten-thirty! She shook her head as she threw back the covers and slid her legs over the edge of the mattress. She was late for work, she thought. Good thing she was the boss.
Rising, she pulled on her robe and padded into the living room to ask Travis what he wanted for breakfast. Only he wasn’t there.
And then she remembered why she had asked him to stay the night. How could she have forgotten the horrid creature that had attacked her? Had it really happened? In the bright light of day, with sunlight streaming through the window, it seemed impossible. Vampires were supposed to be legendary monsters. They weren’t supposed to be real.
But they were. She had
