Moonlight, Roses & Murder - Chapter 4
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Chapter 4
Selina woke up to see four women staring at her. She smiled. “What is it, girls?” She still called them her girls, although they were quite grown up.
“It happened again,” Michela said, looking sad. “Another young woman murdered, but this time with a red rose by the body.”
“And puncture marks,” Annalise added, frowning. “This is bad, isn’t it?”
“Of course, it’s bad,” Isabella replied. “Don’t be stupid, Annalise.”
“Hey, she was just asking,” Genevieve said, defensively.
What had she been thinking about them being all grown up, Selina wondered? She raised a hand. “Enough,” she said. “Yes, this is bad, but more for those young women than for ourselves.”
Michela nodded. “Selina is right. We need to get our priorities straight.”
“And just what are our priorities?” asked Genevieve. She didn’t want to move again. She had finally met someone she really liked.
Selina smiled. “You. Each and every one of you has always been my priority.” She hugged each of them. “Now, go and set the table and let me get up. I’ll start brunch in a few minutes.”
“Pancakes?” Annalise asked, hopefully.
Michela mussed her hair with one hand. “You’re such a kid,” she said, smiling.
The girls walked out of her bedroom and closed the door behind them. Selina let out a breath and laid back down for a moment. Why did this have to happen? Things had been going so well. Now, to possibly have to relocate again. They’d had plenty of time three years ago to decide where they wanted to live. This time, they might not have that luxury.
She got up and changed into a long, purple dress with a matching belt and mid-length lacy sleeves. Not very domestic, but at least her sleeves wouldn’t be in the pancake batter. She knew she should start wearing more modern clothes, but she loved her old ones. They were still in good shape and they felt familiar.
As she walked into the small kitchen, she saw some blueberries sitting on the counter. “Where did these come from?” she asked, smiling.
“Annalise saw them yesterday and thought they’d be perfect for our next brunch,” Michela said. “That girl has an amazing love for blueberries and pancakes. Combine them and she’s good for the day.”
Selina nodded. “And you feel the same way about chocolate chip cookies.”
“Everyone feels that way about chocolate chip cookies,” Michela replied, shrugging.
Selina started some bacon and made the pancakes. She didn’t cook as much as she used to, and she found herself enjoying it.
No one said anything about relocating until after they had finished eating. As Isabella picked up the plates, Selina looked around the table. “We need to decide what we should do,” she began, “and if we want to move again.”
“I vote no, unless absolutely necessary,” Genevieve said.
“I want to stay, too…if we can,” Annalise replied. “I think Brandon is pretty cute.”
“You think all boys are cute,” Michela said, pulling her curl.
“Hey, I’m not a little kid anymore,” Annalise replied, then laughed.
“Well, I vote we leave,” Isabella said as she sat back down. “The sooner, the better.”
Michela nodded. “I’m with Isabella. It’s not worth risking our safety to stay here, no matter how much we like it.”
Selina looked around the table. She’d had a pretty good idea how this would go and wasn’t surprised she had the vote that would decide their future. They’d done it this way for a long time.
“I’ve thought about this since yesterday morning,” Selina said, “and I think we should stay…for now.” As the girls started to talk, she held up her hand. “However, I think we should find a suitable location in case we do need to move.”
“These murders are horrible,” Selina continued, “but they don’t have anything to do with us. The last one was a few blocks away, which shifts suspicion away from us and back to Pioneer Square. As sorry as I am for the victims,” she added, “I am glad that we were not the target.”
The girls nodded, then got up. “So, does this mean we can have the guys over for the weekend?” asked Annalise, all smiles.
Michela rolled her eyes, although the guys were fun to have around. “You and your cute boys.”
“Actually, I was thinking…” Selina stopped as the phone rang. “I’ll be right back,” she said, walking into the living area. She had a cell phone but liked having a separate line in the townhouse.
“Um, Selina, we have a problem,” she heard Brandon say.
“Brandon, where are you?” Selina asked.
“Here in the club,” Brandon replied, “and I’m not alone.”
Damian took the turn too fast even for the Maserati. He had wasted the last three hours driving down to Olympia to interview Andy at his parents’ house. The kid looked like a possible suspect in the first murder, but it turned out he’d been behind the club getting sick. And he had been in Olympia last night, which meant he hadn’t been responsible for the second murder.
Damian took another curve and told himself to slow down. There wasn’t a lot of traffic on I-5, but he didn’t need a speeding ticket. He still had other suspects to interview when he got back to Seattle. He also had some questions about the first murder and thought another visit to Selina’s club might be a good place to start.
Selina hung up the phone and turned around. “I want you to stay here,” she said. When they started to say something, she added, “I mean it.”
She walked thorough her office and into the bar, where she saw Brandon standing with some men she did not recognize. She smiled and asked, “May I help you?”
“Let the boy go,” a woman’s voice instructed. As she stepped into view, Selina couldn’t help a small gasp. “Hello, Selina,” said the blonde woman. “It’s been a long time.”
“Brandon, go wait in the back,” Selina said, knowing he’d go through the office and into the townhouse. As he hesitated, she said, “Stay there until I come to get you.”
He nodded and walked into the office. Selina turned and looked at Diana Dupre, who she hadn’t seen in some time. “Diana, what brings you to Seattle?”
“So, we’re going to be friends?” Diana asked. “You seem to have gotten yourself into a little situation, Cherie.”
“This has nothing to do with me,” Selina said. “Why are you here, Diana?”
“Two deaths that look like a vampire attack?” Diana replied. “They had to send someone.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you,” Selina said, walking towards the stairs. “Perhaps you and your friends should leave.”
“Not very nice, Selina.” Diana smiled adding, “And after all I’ve done for you in the past.”
“All you’ve done for me?” Selina exclaimed. “You’re right, you’ve done more than enough…so I’ll ask you again to please leave.”
“I was invited in,” replied Diana.
“Not by me.” Selina pointed to the stairs. “Leave. Now.”
Diana looked around at the others, five good-looking men and a striking brunette all dressed in gray or black suits. “We’ve been uninvited. Time to go.” She looked back at Selina and smiled. “But I’ll be back, should the trail lead here again.”
Selina watched the group walk up the stairs, then followed them up and locked the door.
Damian had just parked his car and was walking up to the club when he saw the others leaving. All of them dressed in gray or black suits, Italian and expensive if he had to guess…and wearing sunglasses on a cloudy day in Seattle. Looks like I finally found the vampires, Damian thought to himself. He smiled as he turned and walked back to his car. He pulled out and followed the others when they got into their black limousine.
Damian watched the limo park in front of the hotel and seven people get out. Five men, a hot brunette and a gorgeous blonde. Like I said, he thought to himself, female vampires are always beautiful.
He parked across the street, then walked back over to the lobby. “My friends just came in and I’m supposed to meet them for a drink, but I’d like to send up some champagne first,” he said to the front desk clerk. “Can I do that here?”
“Of course,” the clerk replied. “Who is the party?”
“The five guys with the gorgeous brunette and blonde,” Damian said smiling.
“Oh, Miss Dupre’s party,” the clerk replied. “I expect that would be a bottle of Dom Perignon you wish to send up?”
“Nothing, but the best for Miss Dupre,” Damian agreed. “I’ll wait for them in the bar.”
The clerk nodded and picked up the phone. Damian walked over to the lounge, waiting for a room service waiter to ask for the champagne. He doubted any hotel would trust kitchen employees to be responsible for Dom Perignon, so it would most likely be kept with the bartender.
And there he is, thought Damian as the young man took the champagne over to the elevator. “Just a moment,” he said, grabbing the elevator door as it started to close.
The kid nodded and Damian rode up to the seventh floor with him, then got out and headed down the hall in the opposite direction from the waiter. He glanced over and saw him knock on the door at the end of the hall. Damian turned and went down a side hall, then came back about five minutes later and walked over to the door.
Selina had been surprised to see Diana. Who was she kidding, she’d been shocked. And having her in town was another reason to consider moving. As she walked back into the office, she saw Brandon sitting on the sofa.
“The girls asked me to wait here and let them know if you didn’t come back in five minutes,” he said. “Sorry for letting them in. The blonde lady said she’d like to come in, and I told her we were closed. I was just getting my cell phone, which I forgot last night, and she said she’d come with me.”
Selina nodded. “Diana has a strange sense of humor. We were friends before the girls and I moved to Seattle,” she explained. She smiled at Brandon. “It’s almost time to open. Do you need to go back home before your shift starts?”
“No, I’m good,” replied Brandon. “Selina, I really am sorry.”
“It’s all right,” she assured him. “Why don’t you start getting things ready for tonight while I talk to the girls.”
Brandon nodded and went out to the bar. Selina walked into the townhouse, not looking forward to the girls’ reaction as she gave them this latest information.
When she told them, the girls all looked at each other, then started talking at once. “Are you kidding me?” demanded Michela. “Diana is in Seattle, and we’re all just sitting here?”
“Relax,” Annalise said. “If she’d wanted to hurt us, she could have done it a long time ago.”
“Annalise is right,” Isabella replied, surprising Michela. They usually saw eye to eye on these things, being the oldest.
“So, you’re okay with Diana Freaking Dupre hanging out in our club?” Michela asked, exasperated.
“Everyone, just calm down,” Genevieve said, looking over at Selina. “What do you think?” she asked.
“I think Annalise has a point,” Selina replied, “but you were all much younger then. She didn’t see you as a threat and now she might. I honestly don’t know what she would do if she thought you could harm her.”
“We move tonight,” Michela said.
“You only have one vote,” Genevieve reminded her.
“Girls, sit down and take a breath,” Selina said. “And Michela, please go get my laptop. It’s time to find another location.”
Damian could hear people talking, mainly a woman’s voice and correctly guessed that she must be Miss Dupre. He was considering whether to walk in and confront them or wait until they left the hotel when he heard something behind him. He turned just in time to see a man swing a champagne bottle at his head.
Damian ducked but still received a glancing blow, then the three guys were on him. Damn, he thought. He hadn’t considered that they might be watching out for him. They’d probably paid the clerk to tell them if anyone asked about their party.
As he took a swing, he realized they were too fast for him. Or he was too slow. He was getting hit a lot more often than he was landing any punches. He felt himself sliding to the floor, then they started kicking him. This was definitely not one of his better days, he thought as he felt another sharp pain in his side.
Damian looked over and saw a man stepping out of the elevator. So did the others, who took off. Still not wanting to be exposed as vampires, he thought. The man looked over, then backed into the elevator, probably on his way down to tell security that someone was being attacked on the seventh floor.
He decided it was a good time to get the hell out of there. Damian managed to get up and make it to the other elevator, taking it down to the parking level. As he got out, he held his side and walked across the street to his car. He moved as quickly as he could, but he was pretty sure one of those vampires had cracked a few ribs.
Damian turned the key and tried to think where to go. Police were no good. They’d want him in the hospital, and he hadn’t met anyone else. Selina was the only one he could think of as he drove back to her club. He parked in the alley and walked up to the back door, bent over and still holding those ribs. It was locked, so he took out his cell and called the number of the club. Just as someone answered, he said, “Back door,” then passed out.
Selina was scrolling through properties for sale in Ireland when Brandon came into the townhouse. “Sorry to interrupt,” he said, “but we may have another problem.”
Selina set the laptop down and followed Brandon up the stairs. Damian Salvadori was passed out in her alley. “He called the club and when I got up here, he was like this,” Brandon explained.
“Help me get him up,” Selina said somewhat exasperated. “I’d call an ambulance, but we don’t need the police here again,” she said more to herself than Brandon.
As they lifted him, Damian groaned. “Someone really did a number on this guy,” Brandon observed.
“So, it would seem,” Selina replied. She had a pretty good idea, who that someone might be. “Let’s get him inside.”
Read another chapter next Thursday!