Chapter 34
Tom Duncan arrived at the castle at two o'clock the following afternoon. He followed Vicki into the front parlor, sat down at her invitation.
"This is quite a place," he remarked, settling back on the sofa.
"Yes. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Soda?"
"Not right now. So, tell me everything that's happened since you got here." Taking a seat at the other end of the sofa, she started at the beginning and quickly brought him up to date.
He grinned when she told him about the four young men who had come to her aid.
"You're damn lucky they turned out to be decent guys, or I might have been reading your obit in the paper."
"I know, but at the time it never crossed my mind to be afraid. I was too worried about Antonio to think about anything else."
"You've really got it bad for that bloodsucker, don't you?"
"Don't call him that."
"He's fed off you, hasn't he?"
"What if he has?"
"Hey, it's your life. I just hope you know what you're getting into. So, you ready to go hunting?"
"Me?"
"Why not?"
Why not indeed? It was as much to her benefit as anyone else's to find Falco. Maybe more.
Vicki grabbed her coat and they left the house. "Looks like rain," she remarked as she got into the Camaro.
"Yeah, I think it's following me."
She settled back in her seat and fastened her seat belt. "Do you have any idea where to look?"
"No. I just want to drive around, get the lay of the land. A friend of mine is coming in sometime tonight to give us a hand."
"Another vampire hunter?"
"He used to be."
"What is he now?"
"A vampire." Duncan slid the key into the ignition.
Vicki stared at him in disbelief. "You're kidding, right? Don't we have enough vampires already?"
"Ramsey was the best hunter in the business before he was turned. I don't know where else to go for help." Duncan shook his head. "I've never had this much trouble finding one of the Undead before. I don't know, maybe I've lost my touch. Maybe Falco's more than a vampire. Maybe he's a ghost, too."
"I know a ghost," Vicki remarked, smiling. "Maybe you'll get to meet her."
"Yeah, right" Putting the car in gear, he drove toward the front gate.
"Seriously. Her name is Lady Kathryn. She haunts the castle, although I'm not sure haunt is the right word. She's not very scary."
"Just what we need."
"Well, she helped me find Antonio."
Duncan pulled over and put the car in Park. "Maybe we should go take a look at that shed where you found Battista before we do anything else."
"We'll have to go on foot from here," she said. "There's no road from the castle grounds."
"Okay by me." After killing the engine, Duncan grabbed a jacket from the backseat and got out of the car.
With a shrug, she unfastened her seat belt and headed toward the woods. "It's this way," she said, glancing over her shoulder to make sure he was behind her.
The clouds grew thicker and darker as they made their way through the trees.
"I can't see the sun," she said, glancing at the sky.
"So?"
"The sun is supposed to kill vampires, right? But the sun isn't shining today. So, could he be up and moving around?"
"Old ones can probably rise early on days like this," Duncan replied, frowning. "I really don't know if they can go outside. I sure as hell hope not."
Vicki shivered. Falco was an old vampire. What if he was at the shed, waiting for them?
"Did you bring your vampire-killing kit?" she asked.
Duncan patted his jacket pocket. "Holy water in here." He paused to pick up a narrow branch, then pulled a knife from one of his other pockets and began whittling the end of the branch to a sharp point.
That was it? A bottle of holy water and a makeshift stake? It didn't do much to ease her nerves or increase her confidence.
It was drizzling when they reached the shed.
"I'm not sure I can go in there again," Vicki said.
"That's all right. You stay here, I'll check it out."
"Do you think you should go alone?"
"I doubt if Falco would hang around now that he's been discovered here once."
Vicki nodded. She crossed her arms over her chest, shivering a little, while she watched Tom go into the lambing shed. She wondered if the bodies of the zombies were still inside. What if Tom was wrong? What if Falco was inside, waiting?
She took a step forward, ears straining for some sound that would tell her what was happening inside. Her mouth went dry as she imagined Duncan stepping into the shed and coming face-to-face with a vampire who was wide awake and ready to strike. A bottle of holy water and a wooden stake seemed like puny weapons against a vampire who was hundreds of years old.
She had worked herself into a fine state by the time Duncan returned.
"There's no sign of him," he said. She glanced past Tom. "What about the zombies?"
"No sign of them, either. Some blood on the floor, but that's all." He shrugged. "Looks like he got away again."
They spent the rest of the day driving through the town, stopping whenever they saw what looked like an abandoned building. They saw a few vagrants, a couple of teenagers hitchhiking on the main road, but no sign of the Undead.
At dusk, they turned and headed for home.
And found Edward Ramsey waiting for them on the castle's front steps.
Vicki studied the vampire while Duncan made the introductions. Ramsey was tall and lean, with short blond hair and ice blue eyes. It was hard to judge his age but she guessed he had been somewhere between thirty-five and forty-five when he was turned. A thin scar ran along his right cheek. He wore a light blue turtleneck sweater and a pair of dark blue slacks. When he shook hands with Duncan, she noticed there was a cross tattooed on his right palm.
Vickie stood there while Duncan quickly brought Ramsey up to speed, wondering what she should do. She wasn't exactly sure just what vampire protocol dictated she do in a situation like this. Should she invite Ramsey inside? How would Antonio feel about having another vampire in the house?
She was still debating what to do when Antonio materialized at her side, attired in his ubiquitous black.
The conversation between Duncan and Ramsey stopped abruptly. Ramsey stepped away from Duncan, his gaze focused on Antonio. The two vampires regarded each other for several long moments, almost as if they were sizing each other up, Vicki thought, and perhaps they were. She looked from one to the other. Antonio was a little taller and a little broader through the shoulders. He had been younger than Ramsey when he was brought across, but Antonio had been a vampire hundreds of years longer than the former hunter.