It was the middle of a hot summer day in the desert just outside of Las Vegas. If anybody had been looking at the state highway, then that person would have seen a red Harley Sportster and rider appear out of nowhere riding down the road.

The rider was wearing a heavy leather jacket, chaps, gloves, heavy boots and a full helmet that had a black, silver and white design on it. Now most people would have been uncomfortably hot riding though the summer desert at mid-day dressed like this but this rider was rather comfortable.

The rider rode his motorcycle into the city and pulled up in front of one of the largest casinos. He parked his bike right in the middle of the valet parking and dismounted.

A parking attendant started yelling at the rider,"You can't leave that hunk of junk there now move..." Just as the words came out of the attendant's mouth the bike just disappeared like a puff of dust in the wind.

The attendant turned to the rider but instead of the leather clad biker a red headed man in khaki shorts, matching shirt and sandals stood there.

The attendant stood for a moment with his mouth open and the red-headed man just said, "Motorcycle? What motorcycle?" before the attendant could say anything.

"Maybe you should get out of this hot sun and have a cool drink, I think the heat must be making you see things." The redhead commented offhandedly and helped the attendant back to the valet hut and then left to enter to casino.

The redhead walked to the slot machines until he found a poker themed machine that he knew would be there. Sitting just in front of the machine on the carpet was a quarter that the redhead picked up and placed in the slot machine. He chose one line and pulled the lever.

The slot machine started letting out an ear piercing alarm and all sorts of lights started flashing as the single chosen line showed a royal flush.

A representative of the casino tapped the redhead on the shoulder. "Congratulations sir, you have just won the $250,000 jackpot on this machine. If you come with me to the office we can give you your check for your winnings."

When they entered the office another gentleman was waiting. "Congratulations on your winnings. Let me introduce myself, I am Paul LeHernia of the IRS."

The redhead just shrugged. "I guess that I shouldn't really be surprised, death and taxes and all that. How much do I owe?"

"The usual withholding is 50%. If you just show me your identification and give me your Social Security Number we can take care of this quickly and you can be back about your vacation."

The red-headed man pulled out his wallet and removed a Colorado drivers license and handed the license to the IRS agent. The agent glanced at the license and asked, "Who would name their son Jesus R. Marimba?"

"Why my parents, Joseph and Mary Marimba of Bethlehem Pennsylvania," the red-headed man replied calmly. "And it is the English pronunciation, not the Spanish," he added.

"I suppose you were born in a manger too?" asked the IRS agent with a smirk.

"No, but according to my parents I was conceived in a manger," the redhead replied with a straight face.

"Well, just tell me your Social Security Number and you can be on your way Mr. Marimba."

"Why so formal? Mr. Marimba is my father. You can just call me Jesus." The redhead then gave his nine digit Social Security Number to the agent, took $500 cash for which he asked from the casino representative and went to check into the hotel to stay for a few days. He let the casino hold the balance of his money while he stayed there.

The redhead took the presidential suite on the top floor. The suite occupied half of the floor. The other half was occupied by a similar suite. When the redhead exited the elevator and stepped into the hallway he felt a darkness emanating from the other suite. He entered his suite and soaked in the hot tub until dinner time. After he dried himself with one of the casino towels, he dressed in the same clothes he wore earlier but they then changed into a nice shirt and a pair of brown slacks and matching shoes with socks.

After dressing, the redhead went to the hotel restaurant and ordered the 16oz prime rib dinner with a Blue Moon to drink. When he finished his dinner he went to one of the lounges to watch whatever entertainment was being shown.

The MC walked onto the stage in front of the curtain. "Tonight, it is my pleasure to introduce our regular lounge singer with her jazz trio, Ms Molly LaBouche. Everybody, give her a nice round of applause!"

As the people in the lounge applauded the curtain on the stage rose showing a jazz trio consisting of an acoustic bass, a small three piece trap kit with a hi-hat, a small splash cymbal and a large ride cymbal and a piano. The redhead was thinking this might be a pleasant night until Molly entered from the side of the stage. Then he knew it was going to be a pleasant night.

The best way to describe Molly would to say she looked like the real person on which the cartoon character Jessica Rabbit was modeled. She had long flowing red hair, she was built like a bombshell and she was wearing a long flowing red sparkling dress with long purple gloves that ended just above her elbows.

When Molly started singing a slow love song, everybody in the lounge just listened to her voice. All of the men were entranced by her voice (except for the gay couple in the front row but even they stopped the bickering to listen) and even a few of the women in the audience looked like they were about to drool over Molly. The redhead noticed all of the reactions to Molly and he just sat back in his seat, relaxed, sipped his gin and tonic with lime and enjoyed the sound of Molly's voice.

As Molly sang she looked over to the redhead and winked at him. It was as if she was singing the song for him and him alone. He smiled at her and enjoyed the music she created with her voice. He could tell her voice was as sweet as the Sirens that tried to lure Odysseus to his doom.

After singing several songs, Molly and her jazz trio took a break. Molly walked over to the table at which the redhead was seated.

"May I join you for a drink before the next set?" Her voice sounded just as sweet and seductive when she spoke as it sounded when she was singing her songs of love.

"Of course you may. It would be my pleasure." The redhead introduced himself but not as Jesus Marimba (which by now you must have realized was a joke). "My name is Robert but my friends call me Bob."

Molly and Bob talked for the rest of the break. They flirted with each other until Molly had to sing her next set.

When Molly sang her second set she kept looking at Bob, winking and smiling to let him know that each song was for definitely for him.

After completing her second and final set Molly sat with Bob at his table where they continued to talk and flirt. She sat close to him on his left side. He jumped a bit when he felt her right hand stroke his left thigh under the table. He smiled at her and he took her left hand in his right and he put his left arm around her to pull her closer to him so they could kiss.

The kissing continued for a few minutes when Molly invited Bob to her suite in the hotel.

"Where are you staying, Molly?" Bob managed to ask between kisses.

"I live in one of the presidential suites on the top floor," she responded.

They walked arm-in-arm to the elevators. Bob pushed the call button and they waited. Upon entering the elevator the started kissing again. This time the kisses were very deep and demanding. Their hands started roaming each other, rubbing and caressing. Soon the elevator reached its destination. And the doors slide open on the top floor.

Bob felt that strange darkness again but this time Molly was leading him towards it.

"You feel so warm and your heart beat feels so strange Bob." Molly said this as she unlocked the door to her suite.

"There are a few strange things about like I know you lured me here and I am about to be attacked." As Bob said this he pushed Molly away from himself and whirled to defend himself from the man that was standing behind the door.

The man had tried to grab Bob's neck from behind but Bob had reacted fast enough so Bob was facing the man and holding the man's wrists. They were frozen in place like this for several minutes. The man's appearance started changing as Bob held him at bay. He started looking more corpse like and his eyes took on a white milky sheen like that of the dead.

"Here is another strange thing, Molly," Bob said as he struggled with the man and just then a long tail appeared on Bob and proceeded to poke the man in both eyes from over Bob's shoulders. The man let out a half-hearted moan and pushed Bob away from himself. Bob then made a quick flick of his right hand and suddenly a rapier appeared in his hand. With a fast lunge, Bob put the rapier through the man's chest and the man fell and stayed un-moving.

Bob then quickly whirled and grabbed Molly with his tail. His tail was about six feet long and prehensile. He wrapped his tail around Molly's neck and held her so she was standing on her very tip toes.

"Do you mind taking me to your vampire master now that I destroyed the ghoul servant?" Bob could see the look of fear in Molly's eyes but the strange thing that he felt was that the fear wasn't really directed at him and there was more sadness than fear.

"Please, I did it for my daughter, you can't hurt her, she is all I have left," Molly pleaded.

Bob lowered Molly so she could stand comfortably but kept his tail around her neck. "Explain!" was all he said.

"Several years ago a strange man came to me. He said he wanted me to be his consort. He scared me and when I refused he turned my husband into that thing that attacked you. He told me he was a vampire and then he drained my baby daughter so she became a vampire too. He said I would have to lure people for her to drain otherwise she would be in horrible agony. If she was destroyed he would return and make me suffer in unimaginable ways."

"Take me to your daughter."

Molly lead Bob to a small bedroom. In the room there was a crib. Heavy curtains covered the windows. When Bob looked in the crib there was a small baby. The baby opened its eyes and hissed like a wild animal.

Bob's heart fell when he saw the baby. "She is too far gone, there wasn't enough of her to be able to fight when the vampire drained her. I am sorry Molly but she died when she was drained. You can't continue to let her exist like this. I can offer you protection from the vampire. Please, Molly, to end her suffering, you need to let her go."

"What is the best way to do this Bob?" Molly was crying.

"In the morning, we will have opened the curtains and let the sunlight take her. Let the sunlight cleanse her of the evil that was forced upon her."

While they waited for sunrise Bob took what looked like a blank playing card and started drawing on it. Molly saw that he was drawing a picture of himself. When he was done with the card he sat and concentrated for a few minutes. A silver oval locket on a silver chain appeared in his right hand. There was a ruby on one side of the locket and an empty spot for another stone on the other side.

Bob and Molly went into the room with the baby. Bob pulled the curtains open and they waited for sunrise. When the sunlight touched the baby, the baby just stopped moving and, for the first time Molly could remember, the baby smiled. The entire time Bob held Molly as she cried. Soon there were nothing but ashes in the crib. Molly watched as Bob made some hand gestures over the ashes and the ashes seemed to roll into one point and start to glow. Bob's face was straining for the time it took but soon the ashes had been subjected to enough heat and pressure that they had became a diamond. He took the diamond and set it in the empty spot in the locket.

"Keep this locket and card with you at all times. The diamond on the locket will keep the vampire and any of his servants from being anywhere near you. The ruby will start flashing if you are in danger from the vampire. If you are in danger look at this card and concentrate on me. You will be able to talk to me with it. It is called a Tarot and don't lose it."

"Are you leaving me?"

"Yes Molly. I have caught the vampire's scent from your daughter. I have to destroy that damned creature. He is evil. I will never be more than a thought away from you, Molly."

Bob left the hotel and walked to the spot where he left his motorcycle in a pocket reality. When his motorcycle re-appeared he mounted it and his clothing turned back into the motorcycle leathers with full helmet, gloves and boots and he set out for north eastern Ohio where he felt the presence of the vampire.