“The nails sticking out of the plank of wood were covered with blood. If you inserted them into her neck, it would look like the puncture marks of fangs.”
“Of course. Connor knew his wife was meeting someone in that cemetery. He followed her – he admitted that openly. What if he got angry, swung the plank at her head, and killed her? He panicked and tried to make it look like one of Dracula’s murders. They’ve been all over the press – he’d know the details about the bite marks.”
Jo shoved out of her chair. “I need to tell Inspector Hayes.”
I groaned.
“This is good news, gorgeous,” Morrie said. “You solved her murder.”
“I guess.” I slumped on the desk. “Only, now we’re back to square one again. There’s one more box of dirt out there, and if we go for Dracula now, we run the risk he’ll be able to regenerate. Meanwhile, he’s growing bolder. We don’t know that Fiona is the only victim he tried to make into one of his own.”
As if on cue, Fiona howled from upstairs.
“We’ll figure it out.” Morrie placed a finger beneath my chin, tilting my head back so I looked up into his face. Every facet of him – his icy blue eyes, his sharp cheekbones, the luxurious quirk of his smirk – portrayed his confidence that we were too clever for Dracula to escape.
I wish I shared his confidence.
“We can’t do anything tonight.” I yawned. “We’ve got the Spirit Seekers doing their paranormal investigation, and Quoth wants to show me his paintings before the exhibition opens tomorrow.”
Heathcliff grabbed for his jacket. I shook my head. “He asked that it just be me. You know he’s too shy to ask for anything, so it’s important to him. And we’re sort of…going through something. It won’t take long, and I’ll have Oscar with me. I’ll be back in plenty of time to protect you from Mrs. Ellis and my mother—”
“I don’t care. You can go into the gallery alone, but I’ll be right outside, making sure no bloodsuckers sink their teeth into that gorgeous neck of yours.”
Outside, I pulled my collar up to protect my neck from the chill in the air. It was a starless night, perfect for a bonfire – hopefully the weather would be just as good tomorrow. I looped my arm in Heathcliff’s and directed Oscar to lead us up to the gallery.
On the green, we passed Mrs. Ellis speaking to Morrie. As we neared them, Heathcliff’s body tensed. I knew he still hadn’t dealt with his intense feelings for Morrie, even after the other night.
I noticed the corner of a sparkly box poking from Mrs. Ellis’ carpetbag. “Hi, Mrs. Ellis. I see you’ve got your portable Vampire Vanishing Kit on hand.”
“You can’t be too careful.” Mrs. Ellis’ eyes sparkled. “It’s the time of year, you know. The veil between the worlds is thinnest. I’m just popping over to Richard’s stall to buy us a round of mulled wine, and then the Spirit Seekers will head over to the shop. I’m so excited to learn more about the spirits and monsters that might be hiding between the stacks.”
You wouldn’t be if you knew it was just Socrates dancing without any underwear on.
Morrie glanced at me, and Ifeltrather than saw the questioning in his eyes. He felt Heathcliff’s distance still, too. “I think a glass of mulled wine sounds perfect. Nice andrelaxing.” He said that with a pointed nod to Heathcliff. “I’ll help you with the cups, Mrs. Ellis.”
The art gallery was an old Georgian shopfront on the other side of the square. It was shrouded in darkness – no lights on at all.That’s odd. Quoth knows I need light to navigate spaces. I won’t be able to appreciate his work if I can’t see it.
I squeezed Heathcliff’s hand.
“Mina, I…”
I waited for him to speak. Silence stretched between us – an uncomfortably long time to go without saying anything. I was about to turn away when Heathcliff spoke, so quiet I couldn’t be sure if I’d dreamed it. “I’ve fucked things up with Morrie.”
“Well, yes. You’ve been pushing us both away. One night of mind-blowing sex doesn’t undo that.”
“Mind-blowing?” Heathcliff’s voice quirked at that.
I swatted him in the arm. “You’re focusing on the wrong thing.”
“I don’t know how to do this!” Heathcliff growled. He kicked a rubbish bin.
“Do what?”
“Be in love! I’m driven mad by the two of you. You crowd out every waking thought. And with Dracula hanging around, just waiting to sink his teeth into your neck…I can’t face the thought that I might lose either of you.”
“So your solution was to ignore us and treat us like shit?”
Heathcliff tore at his hair. “I thought…you know what I thought! And with you, I can find a way to say the things that I feel, but he…he’s not so easy to—”
