The Blind Vampire Hunter (18 page)

“So, Celeste, are you ready for the big
change?”

“Oh, yes...” She sounded like a little girl
who had been asked by her parents if she was ready to go downstairs
and see what Santa had brought her.

Isabella gently pulled Celeste to herself.
She lovingly embracing the girl in her arms, pinning her arms to
her sides. She couldn’t help getting hungry at the thought of what
was coming next. Celeste did not fight, but her adrenaline was
starting to pulsate through her system in anticipation of what was
about to come. After all, she was about to finally get what she had
been requesting for some time. She was about to get hers.

As she slowly sunk her fangs into Celeste’s
soft creamy neck, the adrenaline-spiced blood was almost orgasmic.
In Celeste’s eagerness to finally get what she had always wanted,
she provided her vampire with the best meal she had ever provided.
And Isabella drank on, and on...

As she continued to engorge herself on
Celeste, she could sense Celeste’s realization that her vampire was
overfeeding, that Isabella was killing her. As Celeste tried to
struggle free, fear of impending death let loose a fresh gush of
adrenaline into Celeste’s blood stream. This was icing on the cake
for the vampire who just kept on feeding...

Celeste soon realized that her death was
near. Her self-preservation system kicked in, despite knowing that
this was part of “the turning,” despite the knowledge that this was
just what she wanted, she tried mightily to get free. Even with her
adrenaline rushing extra strongly throughout her system, she was no
match for the vampire’s supernatural strength. Trying to wrestle
free of Isabella was like trying to wrestle free of a grizzly bear,
and just as futile. Eventually, from lack of blood getting to the
brain, Celeste died.

The meal was over. Isabella just tossed the
ragdoll remains of Celeste into the hole. Again, this set off a
startled squeal of mice and rats. Being in no hurry to leave, she
presently stood listening for a while and was rewarded with the
tiny munching sounds of lots of very hungry little teeth, all
gnawing away at the dead remains of dear Celeste.

“I am going to miss you, girl, especially
after that last meal you just gave me.”

When she left, Isabella made a point of
pulling the window back down, just in case the local constables
started searching the alleyway for a missing Celeste. Would there
even be a search if she had told her boss what to do with the job.
Tomorrow or the next night she would have to go back to IHOP just
to make an appearance so that her lack of use of the restaurant
couldn’t be tied to Celeste’s disappearance in any way.

Most likely, if a search was performed for a
missing Celeste, it would not be for days. Eventually, if the local
constables think to investigate the warehouse, the mice and rats of
DC will have consumed the evidence of Celeste’s death. I should
have busted out her teeth, just in case Celeste’s skeleton was
found ... oh, well.

Isabella, you are giving the dumb arm of the
law too much credit.

Two nights later with only a single showing
that night and plenty of time to kill before metro opened for
morning service, I tossed some paperwork into an attache case and
made an appearance at IHOP. I sat down and seemed to enjoy some
coffee while playing catch-up with the paperwork.

I made a point of sitting at my usual table
and started digging out the paperwork while waiting to be served.
While I was still getting the night’s work organized, a pretty
youthful redhead interrupted me, “So what will it be tonight?” I
noted her name plate read “Mary.”

Looking up, I faked surprise at not seeing
Celeste and asked, “Celeste has the night off?”

“You could say that. She quit two nights ago.
Told the manager she was tired of working this ‘cheap dive’ and
walked out...”

Good going, Celeste.

“No one was really surprised. She’d been
acting a bit unhappy here lately, almost like she was working
something on the side. Some think she might have found a ‘sugar
daddy.’ Although, if she found a ‘sugar daddy,’ it wasn’t someone
she met here. We just don’t get customers like that around here.
You know, very rich and all.”

“‘
Sugar daddy’, what is ‘sugar daddy’?”
I did not have to act interested, as I really had not heard this
term before.

“A ‘sugar daddy’ is usually a rich guy who is
rich enough to set up a woman on the side. He may set her up with
her own apartment or house. He may give her loads of expensive
gifts and/or money to keep her satisfied. I guess the reverse could
be true. That would be a ‘sugar momma’ would it not?” The joke was
dying faster than her last dinner.

“Excuse me, Mary, just coffee, black.”

“Yes, of course,” and she left.

Celeste quit. How sweet that is. It might be
days before anyone notices her disappearance. Having no family, is
it possible that Celeste may never become a police matter?
Meanwhile, just two blocks away the mice and the rats of D.C. eat
away at the evidence. How nice is that?

I wonder if I should play Mary and see if
she might be a candidate to replace Celeste for quick, small meals.
I should give Celeste’s disappearance some time before even trying
something like that.

Well, Celeste, if no one else misses you, I
will miss you ... as a quick snack that is. I should get some
paperwork done, so later I will have some time to find someone to
dine on tonight.

Chapter
Fifteen

Bad Night at the Theatre

Busy yet again with the endless theatre
paperwork, just wishing for some distraction...

Ted, one of the ushers stormed in. When
Isabella saw his expression, she thought,
Girl, be careful what
you wish for.
Ted announced with youthful excitement, “Sorry,
boss. We got trouble in the theatre.”

“What trouble?” she deliberately asked in a
composed tone in hopes of calming down all that youthful
exuberance.

“FIGHT.”

“Calm down. Are you telling me that you and
Jeff can’t handle it...”

“Boss, it’s a mob scene, and a little girl
has been knocked out cold.”

I rose from my seat, and asked, “Has any one
called 911 for constables and ambulance?”

“Constables?” the usher asked.

“Police. Have the police and ambulance been
called for?”

“Yes, Ben is using the phone in the ticket
room as we speak.”

As he answered, I was already rushing out
from behind my desk preparing to get into the action.
What is a
little girl doing in that theatre watching what is basically an
“X-rated” movie?

Ted led the way out into the theatre lobby,
but I passed him and left him and the snack counter behind me. The
theatre door was open, so I could see that there was a true mob
scene in the theatre. The projectionist had already stopped the
movie and turned on the ceiling lights.
Good going,
Mark.

When I rushed in, it appeared that five men
were facing off against the rest of the audience; the fists were
already flying. The two ushers, totally outnumbered, were staying
out of it. Both looked guilty upon Isabella’s entrance.
I’ll
have to commend those two on their wisdom in not getting involved
in this one.

On the other side of this mayhem of
anger-crazed men, was a crying woman, hugging and rocking a child
who looked dead. With effort, Isabella was able to sort out the
noise and hear the little heart beat of the child. Apparently the
little rag doll was just knocked out cold. She wished she could
inform the grieving mother of the facts. The grieving mother looked
like she really believed her daughter to be dead. Right now though,
she had a bigger problem to solve.

Facing the crowd, Isabella threw out her best
enthrall voice and announced, “Cease and desist!” On the ceasing of
hostile blows, Isabella ordered, “Separate!” The five moved to the
left, and the rest of the mob moved to the right. The whole mob
looked confused, possibly wondering why they were obeying this
strange woman with such controlling authority. Isabella was about
to ask about the child when the local police stormed in. One of the
men in blue demanded, “What’s going on here?”

His question set off a mayhem of angry cries
trying to talk over each other, and no one was successful.

“Quiet!” Isabella ordered and the room died
in silence. As Isabella started to talk to Jeff, the main usher,
sirens could be heard getting close.
The ambulance, I hope.
“Jeff what happened here?”

“These gentlemen and that woman sitting over
there...” He pointed to the five fighters that had formed a group
and a woman sitting nearby. Apparently they succeeded in sneaking
in a large purse full of pony bottles. As they got drunk on the
pony bottles, they began tossing the bottles at the movie screen.
“These gentlemen and that mother and child” pointing to the larger
group and the bereaved mother, “had that little girl with them.
Before we could stop the bottle throwing, one of the bottles
bounced off the screen and hit that little girl. Then all hell
broke out.”

The leader of the mob facing off against the
five announced, “They hurt my little girl. Look, she’s out cold. I
want those men arrested, RIGHT NOW.”

That triggered another shouting match which
Isabella ended with a sharp, commanding, “Quiet!”

One of the policemen looked at Isabella as if
he wished he had her talent to handle mobs. Just then the EMS
rushed in with stretcher between them. They saw the woman holding
the limp child and rushed over to work on her.

The police started cuffing the five, with the
help of additional police who had arrived right behind the EMS. The
EMS finished preparing the little girl for transport to the local
hospital. Isabella announced in a voice loud enough to be heard
within the projection booth overhead, “Those not assisting the
police or the EMS please find a seat. Once the emergency personnel
are gone, we will continue the movie.”

As the little girl was being carried out on
the stretcher, the lead EMS stopped to tell Isabella, “The child
has a sizable bump on her head. She is already showing signs of
coming around, so I believe she will be alright.” Following the EMS
was the tear-stained mother, with the father taking up the rear.
Isabella stopped him for a moment. “Please feel free to return for
a movie on us. Perhaps I might suggest you leave your daughter at
home or bring her to an appropriate family movie during the day.”
If looks could kill, Isabella would be dead. With a quick glance in
the direction of the police, she could see him fighting the
temptation to respond verbally. Instead, he continued out without
any verbal retort.

With the ambulance sirens disappearing in the
distance, the theater lights went out and the movie continued. Back
in the office, Isabella continued the tedious paperwork.
Until...

Again she was interrupted with, “Boss, we
have a blade runner.” (Blade runner meaning a crazy with a
knife.)

Rushing past Ben, into the theatre for the
second time this night, Isabella found the movie stopped and the
lights on, again. A man was standing off the rest of the moviegoers
off with a good-sized folded knife, blade out and bloody.
Just
great, whose blood is that?
Looking around, she took note of
another movie viewer in his undershirt with an outer shirt wrapped
around his hand. She looked back at Jeff, and asked, “Has 911 been
called?”

“Yes, boss.”

The crazy with the knife started yelling,
“That knife expert doesn’t know a knife from a toothpick.”

In her best calming voice, Isabella asked,
“What knife expert do you refer to?”

“Why that joker of a so-called knife expert
in the movie, that’s who. I’m far better than that joker on his
best day.”

Walking closer to the blade runner, she
stated, “Sir, I’d be willing to bet you’re right. I personally have
not seen this movie, so I could not truly say. You do realize this
is only a movie...”

“A movie I paid $4 to see ... this
farce.”

“Sir, if you put that knife away and walk out
with me, I will gladly give you back your money and give you a free
ticket to another movie of your choice.”

He replied with a challenge as if he had not
heard her words, “I’d like to see you remove this little knife from
me.”

She could easily make a move on the blade
runner except that Jeff was standing in the way.
What is he
doing, playing hero to a crazy with a knife? I’m going to have to
have a word with him, later.
For now, Isabella ordered, “Jeff,
back off.”

Obeying, Jeff started moving backward, not
taking his eyes off the crazy, just in case the blade runner
decided to strike ... and the crazy man with the blade did.

With Jeff still in Isabella’s way, the blade
runner charged forward with his knife arm fully extended, heading
right for Jeff’s chest. Just as the knife blade pierced Jeff’s
shirt, it came to a deadly and complete stop.

Isabella put such a vise grip on the blade
runner’s wrist, that the crushing of bones might have been heard if
it wasn’t for the blade runner screaming in pain, a scream that
preceded the snapping of his bones.

When the blade runner’s knife fell to the
floor, Isabella ordered, “Jeff, get the knife.”

Jeff did as he was ordered and sirens could
be heard rushing to the theatre for the second time this night.

While one of the EMS cleaned up and bandaged
the movie viewer with the slight cut to the hand, another saw to
splinting the crushed remains of the blade runner’s wrist. The
police then escorted the blade runner to the local hospital by
ambulance. Before leaving, one of the officers made it clear that
they were not happy with the bone-crushing injury to their
prisoner.