Chapter 4 Phillip Kent

         At Kent’s apartment, Officer Williams told them, “You just missed the ambulance. The EMT’s said that Kent lost a lot of blood and is in serious condition.” As they entered the apartment and surveyed the shambles, he said, “It must have been one hell of a fight. Who is this guy anyway?”

         Hank answered, “He’s an eyewitness to a murder we‘re working on.”

         The forensic team was already dusting the place for fingerprints and bagging evidence.

         David found Kent’s computer in the bedroom. He thought maybe his e-mails that will explain what he, Bonner and Draper were up to.” David sat down and turned on the computer as he watched it boot up, he felt two hands rest on his shoulders and begin gently massaging. “Hello, Carole,” he said. “When did you get back?”

         “Last night. When I got home and you weren’t there, I assumed you were at Veronica’s.”

         “Why didn’t you call my cell?”

         “It was late and I knew I’d see you at work.” As she continued rubbing his shoulders, she whispered into his ear. “Did you miss me, Davy?”

         “You know I did.” David took hold of her left hand and kissed it. He swiveled the desk chair around so he was facing her. “Carol, you haven’t told anyone yet, have you?”

         “Of course not, we agree to wait until I got back and that Veronica would be the first person we told.” She touched his cheek with her hand and looked into his eyes. “David, what’s wrong?”

         He got up and closed the door and then sat on the chair and motioned for Carol to sit on the foot of the bed. He told her about the case, Santin and the Blood Feud. “Do you understand why we have to keep this a secret?”

         She nodded. “But you do realize it won’t remain a secret for long. In a short time everyone will be able to tell by looking.”

         The door opened and Hank looked at them. “Am I interrupting something?”

         David shook his head and said, “Hank Stewart, this is Carole Anderson. She’s the head of the Forensics Department.” Then he turned his attention back to the computer and tried to bring up Kent’s e-mails. After several attempts he pushed the chair back in disgust. “He’s got it password protected.”

         Carole whispered, “Why don’t you do the hocus-pocus?” She touched his right hand, and then saw the bandage through the latex glove. “What happened?”

         David grinned. “Sometimes the hocus-pocus gets a little dicey, but you‘re right, I should be able to pick up the password.”

         Hank and Carole watched David pull the glove off his right hand and slide his fingers lightly back and forth over the keyboard. After four passes he typed something into the box marked password.
Only one message appeared on the screen. It was from Bonner, dated the morning before his murder. We have to do something. Armand killed Joseph. I don’t know if Joseph told him anything, but you know he’ll come after us next. Come tonight at 9:30. I’ve arranged for Ellie to be out. Marvin will be here. Don’t wimp out. It’s him or us.
“Joseph?” Hank said. “Who’s Joseph?”

         “My guess would be our John Doe,” David said and printed the e-mail. “We got lucky with this; it looks like Kent usually deletes his e-mails after he reads them.”

         Carole said, “I’ll take the hard drive to the lab and see what Mike can find on it.”

         David turned the chair away from the desk said, “Hank, I think we should go to the hospital and check on Philip Kent and Marvin Draper.”

         On the way to the car, Hank talked on his cell phone, when he finished he told David, “Draper died a half hour ago without regaining consciousness; Kent’s still unconscious and the captain has already put a guard on his room.” Hank started the car. “I’m hungry. Let's take a dinner break.”

         David agreed. “There’s a diner on the way to the hospital.”

         In the diner Hank followed David to a corner booth. The waitress, a heavy set black woman with a large smile asked, “Hi, David, what can I get you?”

         David didn’t look at the menu. “You know, Daisy, coffee and the deluxe—”

         “—burger platter but with onion rings instead of fries,” she said as she wrote on her pad. David grinned back at her and nodded. Then she turned to Hank. “Now sweetheart, what do you want?”

         “I’ll have the same.”

         “That’s what I like an easy order. I just put on a fresh pot; I’ll bring your coffee as soon as it’s ready.” She gave the order to the cook and then turned her attention to some customers sitting at the counter.

         “So, when are you and Carole getting married?” Hank asked David.

         “What makes you think we’re getting married?”

         “I’m a detective.” Hank laughed. “I saw you two together and the ring on her finger. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”

         David smiled. “June 15th, I told her that Judge Mason owes me a favor and would be very happy to marry us right now but she wants the whole package, you know, church, dress, bridesmaids, flowers, etc.”

         “But you’re living together?”

         “Yes and no, her lease ended and they wouldn’t give her a lease for less than a year, so it was the easy solution. But after she moved her things in, she went to Miami to lecture at a seminar on Forensic Science. She ended up staying more than two months to help out on a murder case.”

         “You’re lucky, with that touchy thing you do; she can never lie or cheat on you.”

         “Carole would never do that.”

         After they got their coffee Hank took a sip then asked, “What is she, Cross or Vamp?”

         David looked across the room at the waitress. “Daisy?”

         “No, Carole.”

         “Carole’s neither, but I would never ever call her Ordinary.”

         Daisy brought their food and they began to eat. They were nearly finished when David dropped the onion ring he had just picked up, gasped and slumped against the back of his seat. His eyes were moving behind his closed lids, like one asleep and dreaming.

         Hank watched him for a few seconds and then took out his cell phone to call Veronica, but David opened his eyes and took the phone from him. Hank said, “Veronica said to call her if there was any sign that the link wasn’t broken.”

         David shook his head. “It’s not broken, but I can handle it. There’s no need to trouble her.”

         “If you say so,” Hank said and took back his phone. “But if it happens again I’ll call her.”

         Daisy saw what happened and hurried over to their table. “David, are you all right?” She looked at Hank then she whispered to David, “I can bring you some H.B. if you need it.”

         “No thank you,” David replied. “I’m all right.”

         Hank waited for Daisy to leave and then asked, “Did she just offer you Heart’s Blood?”

         “Yes,” David answered. “She’s Vampyra.

         “And she works in a diner?”

         David smiled. “She owns the diner. She and Veronica are two of the few pure blood Vampyra left in Pine Falls.”

         Hank’s cell phone rang. He answered it and then said, “Philip Kent is awake and the doctor says we can talk to him. But then you already knew that, didn‘t you?” David grinned, winked at him, and then tossed the money for their meal onto the table.


"Chapter 5 The investigation Continues"