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"Well, fine. So here we are again, brought together by divine intervention or whatever, praise the Lord," Kate said, and gri
"You seem in excellent spirits, Kate," Kyle said. He was actually pretty buoyant himself.
"Well, Kyle, this is just such a nice, unexpected treat, why wouldn't I? I get to see the two of you. Plus, I amin excellent spirits. I'm getting married next year in the spring. My Thomas proposed two nights ago."
Kyle fumbled out a congratulation, and I called over our waiter and ordered a bottle of champagne to celebrate. For the next few minutes, Kate told us all about her Thomas, who owned and ran a small, nicely snooty bookstore in North Carolina. He was also a landscape painter, and Kate said he was exceptional at both his jobs.
"Of course, I'm hugely biased, but I'm also a picky little bitch, and he really is good. He's a fine person too. How are Nana and the kids? How's Louise, Kyle?" she asked. "C'mon, tell me everything. I've missed you two."
By the end of di
The three of us hugged outside the restaurant at around eleven.
"You two are coming to my wedding," Kate said, and stamped her foot. "Kyle will bring Louise, and Alex, you'll bring the new love of your life. Promise?"
We promised Kate. She left us no choice. We then watched her walk away toward her car, an old blue Volvo that she made house calls in.
"I like her a lot." I couldn't help stating the obvious.
"Yes, I like her too," said Kyle, who didn't stop watching until Kate's car was gone from sight. "She's a very special girl."
Chapter 44
We were co
Atlanta
Birmingham
Charleston
Charlotte
Charlottesville
Gainesville
Jacksonville
New Orleans
Orlando
Richmond
Sava
Washington, D.C.
The breadth of the list was a problem. Scarier and more mystifying was the fact that the murders might have been going on for over a decade.
Next I made an even longer list of cities where nonlethal attacks by supposed vampires had been reported and investigated. I stared at the list and got a little depressed. This was starting to look like an impossible conspiracy.
New York City
Boston
Philadelphia Pittsburgh
Virginia Beach
White Plains Newburgh
Trenton
Atlanta
Newark
Atlantic City
Tom's River
Baltimore
Princeton
Miami
Gainesville
Memphis
College Park
Charlottesville
Rochester
Buffalo
Albany
The violent crime unit in Quantico was working round the clock on the murders. Kyle and I were pretty sure that other cities would turn up, and that the pattern might go back longer than eleven years.
In Atlanta, Gainesville, New Orleans, and Sava
The FBI had moved agents into the twelve cities where murders had happened, and special task forces had been set up in Charlotte, Atlanta, and New Orleans.
I finished up with my investigation in Charleston. It didn't accomplish too much. At this point, the media didn't have the story about the wide net of murder cities, and we wanted to keep it that way for as long as we could.
That night, I visited Spooky Tooth, the only club in the Charleston area that was a hangout for Goths and vampire wa
I made sure I was back in Washington the next afternoon. At seven-thirty Nana, Ja
The choir sounded better than ever. Damon was one of the featured singers. He had a beautiful solo, "The Ash Grove."
"See what you've been missing?" Nana leaned in close and said.
Chapter 45
William and Michael liked being in the South. It was wild and free-spirited, just like they were. Most important, they were right on schedule.
They had arrived in Sava
William liked this beautiful city very much and was pleased that they had to take a victim in Sava
"It's beautiful and elegant," he told his brother. "I could live here. You think we should settle down one day? Would you like that?"
"I'm famished. Let's settle down soon," Michael replied with a laugh. "Let's settle down and feast on the finest that Sava
William finally parked the van on a street called West Bay, and he and his brother got out and stretched their arms and legs.
Two young girls in Sava
"Can we give blood here?" the smaller of the girls asked with a conquering smile. She looked to be around sixteen or seventeen. She had lip studs and wild cherry Jell-O-dyed hair.
"Aren't you the dainty morsel?" said Michael as he locked eyes with the girl.
"I'm a lot of things," she said, and looked over at her friend, "but dainty sure isn't one of 'em. Don't you agree, Carla?" The other girl nodded and rolled her green eyes.
William looked the girls over and thought they could do better in Sava