Turning the key in the garage door, there was a satisfying click as it locked. His left hand held a claw hammer which was swung at it. It took three swipes to break the key. He nodded in satisfaction. “There, now we’re locked in,” he said, dropping the tool, then turning and walking across to a full-length Hanoi mirror, leaning against a drawer chest. In its reflection he could see the object of his disgust, Kenneth May,...

“This isn’t how it has to be,” John told the big man holding the bolt cutters. “I’m tryin’ my best t’ hold everythin’ together, but…” He looked toward his wife. “Just look!!” Sobbing, he slowly lifted his free, undamaged hand and pointed. “Look what I come home to.” Blood was dripping from his hand and running in streams down his forearm. When he focused on the blood drizzling from his elbow, he felt waves of dizziness fl...

Eran sat staring dumbfounded at her laptop screen, as the cell phone blips disappeared. She poked Kevin in the ribs and he grunted. Her mouth hung open, as she kept refreshing the screen. The blips disappeared and never returned. She looked at Kevin and yelled, "What just happened? We lost the gang members cell phones. Where did they go? We need to find them." Kevin assured her, "If they are in that house we will find the...

Slade turned to Eran and Connie, as Leona and he walked to his car. "We are going to talk with Gustaf and Andrei to open a dialog with the vampire community. Why don't you go question Maria? That way we can do more in less time," Slade said as he helped Leona into the car. Connie looked up and smiled at Eran. "We can interview Maria easily. If Slade were there, he would intimidate her. Let's go to her place." They looked...

After Kevin left, Eran took a long hot shower to clean up and to awaken her senses. She got some sleep, but all the events of the past two days ran continuously through her mind. She had not taken time to review the security videos, which Kevin delivered. As she dried, she thought she would start the review on today's shift. She had six days of video to scan and that would take a long time. She dreaded the task, but it wa...

Andrei emerged from the shadows, as the convoy of vehicles drove up to the estate. He walked to the lead truck and talked to Gustaf about the estate. No guards patrolled outside and the house was dark. After Andrei talked with Gustaf, he walked to the box on the pole by the gate and pushed the call button. A mechanical voice sounded, "May I help you?" "Police, we have a warrant to search the premises. Can you let us in pl...

The moon was a sliver of white in the eastern sky as Leona and Eran left the police station. They did not notice that a truck followed them through the city. They went directly to the hospital to see Connie and find out when the hospital would release her. The truck followed them into the parking lot and stopped a few rows behind them. The two men inside got out of the truck and followed them into the hospital. They knew...

It was too early for Slade and Eran to report to the squad room, but not enough time to return home. They decided to watch the news and relax after eating the meal Eran prepared. They sat at opposite ends of the giant leather couch placed in front of the very large screen TV. Slade looked over at Eran who watched the news intently. He thought, She is quite the detective. Her instincts are well honed and she has the head t...

The fire suppression system kicked on quickly and the fire died in a matter of a few minutes. Rather than evacuate with Leona, Slade stood and watched as the flames licked the room and then they were gone. Of course, the furnishings in the room sustained damage and replacement was necessary. Leona's coffin fell apart from the flames that swallowed it, but she had a spare in the back of the warehouse. While Leona got her c...

Slade and Leona walked into Gustaf's office and found Gustaf and Andrei still embroiled in conflict. It was as if they never changed places from the night before. The storm of words raged on in Romani and Slade felt so out of place. Leona entered and slammed the office door hard creating an interruption that stopped the men. They turned to look at her and glared at her strong enough to freeze her movement. "Will you two s...

Leona and Slade left the Main Artery and drove to Cafe Rendezvous. Leona sat next to Slade, but touched him less and never looked directly at him. She tried to hide that she cried, about the night's earlier events with Connie. The argument between Gustaf and Andrei at the club was about what happened earlier. Something went radically wrong with the healing process and the least desirable side effect happened. The three va...

There was a thin layer of frost covering the city as the bright red sun rose slowly. Slade woke early, looked outside and put the coffee on before showering. While he was in the shower, Eran called and left a message about the estate in the suburbs. The owner of the transport company indeed owned the estate and had for over 150 years. She also had more photos of the estate from various angles showing guards patrolling and...

The sun disappeared below the western horizon and another beautiful day ended in the city. Late October in the city was a beautiful time. The oak and maple trees dropped their red, yellow, orange and brown leaves. They swirled around when cars passed, creating small funnel clouds of crushed leaves and debris. When it rained or frosted, the streets became slick almost like ice. It was so warm during the day that people wal...

The Step Van with the sleeping vampires cruised through the city to another area away from the warehouse district. It left the city behind and entered the suburbs, where very large estates dotted the landscape. The truck entered an estate surrounded by a high wall made of stone along the front and natural barriers around the rest. Built into the natural barriers was a very high chain link steel fence. Cameras scanned the...

Eran awoke sandwiched between two male vampires in the front seat of the red pickup truck. They left the club parking lot in a slow deliberate manner, so as not to attract undue attention. The mist, which blanketed the city, turned to a soft gentle rain coating everything it touched and soaking into everything. She sat up straight, looked at her captors and watched the surroundings as they passed through the city. They le...