Chapter

4

About a half-hour later, I was back in my office, catching up on some paperwork at my desk, when there was another knock on my door.

I called out, "Come in!"

A guy entered my office. He was in his forties. He wore a rumpled, unbuttoned, light brown raincoat, and smoked a cigar. He seemed to be cross-eyed, and he walked stooped forward.

"Good evening Miss Malone." He said, "My name's Lieutenant Columbo. I'm with the Police."

I said, "Good evening Lieutenant."

"I have to ask you a few questions, about the unfortunate vampire killing, of a Miss Kelly Taylor that took place outside of here last night."

I said, "Please be seated Lieutenant."

He sat beside the desk, in a chair to my left, and put the cigar in an ashtray. Then he took out a writing pad and a pen.

I told him, "I'm sorry I can't help you Lieutenant, but I wasn't here last night. I was away for three days, and I didn't return until about an hour ago. That was the first time I heard about Kelly."

He started scribbling notes in the pad.

He said, "Now that's what I have to clear up Miss Malone. Excuse me, but where were you, and what were you doing, these past three days?"

I looked straight at him and said, "I was in Mexico Lieutenant. I was with a guy, having a fling."

He scribbled again.

"A fling in Mexico?"

"That's right. We were in Puerto Vallarta. We stayed at the Hotel Playa Los Arcos. We did not sign our real names."

He scribbled something every time I spoke.

"What was his real name?"

"He didn't say. He said I should call him Spike."

"Spike? Excuse me Miss Malone, but a vampire named Spike is suspected in the killing of Miss Taylor."

"We'll he obviously couldn't have been the one I was with, could he?"

The Lieutenant said, "The one we're interested in, was in here before, and you were seen talking to him."

"He's the one who was with me in Mexico. I had sexual relations with him; and from what I've heard, when a male vampire becomes sexually aroused, his fangs become extended along with his..."

"That's' what I've heard too."

"So if he'd been a vampire, I wouldn't have got up from that bed alive;" I chuckled, "but what a way to go."

He said, "This is all very interesting Miss Malone; but do you have any idea where I can contact this Spike, so I can verify your story?"

"Yes Lieutenant. He said he works at Wolfram and Hart Corporation Headquarters."

"Wolfram and Hart? Very well Miss Malone. Thank you for your help."

He put the writing pad and pen back in his pocket.

"Always glad to help L.A.'s finest."

Lieutenant Columbo picked up his cigar from the ashtray. He stood up, and headed to the door. Then he halted, and turned around.

"Oh by the way Miss Malone. Just one more thing, before I forget. You said that when you checked into this Hotel Playa Los Arcos, you didn't use your real names. What names did you use?"

"I said my name was Kelly Taylor. He gave his name as Dylan McKay. That was supposed to be a harmless joke. Ironic isn't it?"

"Yes." the detective nodded. "Tragically ironic."

Then he was gone.

Around midnight, the Club was as crowded as you'd expect, on a Friday night. David was in the D/J Booth, playing the usual music. He'd hardly said a word over the P.A. Donna was beside him. She was the one trying to cheer everybody up, doing most of the spiel that night herself. Steve and Brandon were at a table. Neither of them had much to say either.

I didn't know if any undercover cops were in the Club that night; but the bookies and the dealers had enough sense not show up.

David, Donna, Steve and Brandon had each asked me where I'd been the last three days. I told them the same thing I'd told the Lieutenant. "I was in Puerto Vallarta Mexico, getting laid. Just a fling. Getting my rocks off."

They didn't ask me anything further.

I was seated alone at a cocktail table, when I saw Dylan approaching me through the crowd. Brenda was with him. The two of them came up to me. I stood up.

"Oh Dylan!" I sobbed, "Brenda! This is so awful!"

I hugged Dylan, making sobbing sounds. Then I felt my fangs becoming extended. I let go of him quick, retracting my fangs, before anyone in the dimly lit Club noticed.

Now Brandon and Steve were beside us. They greeted the other two.

Brandon said, "I didn't think you'd get here this soon."

Dylan said, "What do you mean 'this soon'? We've been driving ever since Brenda told me about your e-mail."

"Driving?" Steve said, "From London?"

"No Steve." Brenda spoke with annoyance. "We weren't still in London. We were in Mexico. Puerto Vallarta."

Brandon and Steve both looked at me.

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I said, "You were there too? So was I. What Hotel did you stay at?"

She said, "Hotel Playa Los Arcos."

I said, "I was at the Garza Blanca." That's about five miles south of the Playa Los Arcos. "I was with a guy."

Brandon told me, "You don't have to say more Val."

We spent the next hour or so catching up; engaging in small talk. David and Donna joined us. Everyone was reluctant to say anything about Kelly.

David informed Dylan and Brenda, "Our parents are taking care of the funeral arrangements."

We said no more about it that night.

Around 1:30 everyone decided that it was time to go. I was wide-awake. I told them I had to stay 'til closing.

Brandon said, "Then we'll see you at home, Val."

Then I spoke, "Before you go Dylan, there are some things about the business that I have to discuss with you. There are some people, who we'll have to meet with here, tomorrow night."

He said, "Can't you postpone it 'til after the funeral Valerie?"

"I can, but I don't know if you'll still be around."

He shrugged in his usual condescending way.

I spoke sharply. "You are my business partner Dylan! Whether you like it or not, Mr. Spoiled Rich Guy, you do have to occasionally show some interest!"

Dylan suddenly looked startled; so did Brenda, as did everyone else around the table. They were all staring at me, looking very distressed.

I said, "What's the matter?"

"Valerie." Steve told me, "You've got fangs. You're a vampire."

I said, "I'm not the one who killed Kelly! Wait for her to become undead. Then she'll tell you who really killed her, and that it wasn't me."

The others all stood up and backed away from the table.

I stood up and shouted, "I didn't kill Kelly!"

I rushed away from the table, made my way through the crowd, went into my office, and locked the door behind me.

I can't stay in here, I thought. My friends might be calling the police right now. I might be in a jail cell when the sun rises in a few hours. If the sunlight shines into my cell, I'll burn up into cinders, and go back to Hell. This time I'll be there to stay!

Or my friends might not wait for Kelly to revive. They might arrange for some Slayer to ram a stake through my heart, just to keep me from killing anybody.

I picked up my handbag, grabbed my jacket out of the closet, unlocked my office door, and stepped back out into the Club. Out on the floor, things were just as raucous as ever. My friends were still standing beside the table. They saw me, and I ran out the front door.

I heard Brandon call out, "Valerie! Come back! We have to talk!"

I rushed across the parking lot, got into my car and drove off.

"Talk"? Yeah--right. If you define the word "talk", as ramming a sharp wooden stake through my heart.

I have to get home and pack, I thought, and be on the road out of L.A. before dawn gives me the rosy finger.

Get home? I wondered. I've been living at the Walsh house. Now that I'm a vampire, is it still my home? "The one place, where they have to let you in, no matter what"?

If I can no longer just walk in, I'd have to wait for Brandon or Brenda to show up and invite me in.

I thought, I have no place to go!

On the other hand, Brandon had said, "...see you at home, Val." That was an invitation, wasn't it?

What if they show up, while I'm still packing? What if the Police show up? What if Kelly doesn't revive?

Forget the "What ifs". I'll just have to pack my bags and be gone quick. What if I'm not quick enough? No! Forget the what ifs.

As I neared the Walsh house, a police car drove past me, with its lights flashing.

Forget about packing my bags.

I made a turn at the next corner, and headed for the nearest freeway.

I have to find a place where I can be safely indoors, before the sun rises, and stay there until sunset. Any cheap motel will do. They take cash. No questions asked, but would any of them have vacancies? At 1:45 on a Saturday morning? Forget about L.A. I should leave the City now. Leave for where? Where can I be indoors, before the sun rises in five hours?

In five hours, my picture's gonna be shown on every morning news broadcast in southern California. If there's a reward, what desk clerk at any motel, wouldn't be more than glad to cooperate with the Police?

A motel clerk in Sunnydale?

Right! I am a vampire on the run, and what better place to find refuge, than Vampire Town itself; and it's only a two hour drive from L.A. My stay there won't have to be permanent. Once Kelly becomes undead, she'll identify her real killer. Then, as long as I haven't killed anyone, I can work things out with everybody back in L.A.

And I won't have any reason to kill anyone, as long as I have those...

I forgot to take the six pack of pigs' blood, out of the fridge in my office in the AfterDark.