Chapter 6--The Challenge

Chapter 6 -- The Challenge

         The Olympic Towers was a disreputable hotel known for renting its rooms by the hour, and was a place people went when they didn’t want to be noticed. The two squad cars were already there and four uniformed officers were waiting for David to give them instructions. David gestured to them to join him and Hank. As the six men approached the entrance the doorman stepped out. This mountain of muscle blocked their way. “Can I help ya?” he snarled.

         “Step aside, Mickey,” David said. “We’re here for Santin.”

         The big man shook his head. “Yer too late, Detective. Santin booked out o’here an hour ago. He looked to be in one big hurry.” He grinned. “Pity too, I’d loved to see ya take him down.”

         “Do you have any idea where he was going?” David asked.

         “Heard him tell the cabbie to take him to the airport, but he only said that ‘cause he knew I was listening. He ain’t going to no airport.” Mickey winked and tapped the side of his nose with his finger.

{indent|"Ok Mickey, Where’s he going?”

         “He’s rushin’ off to that pretty red-headed psychic lady in the big house just outside o’ town. That’s where all his kind go when they’s in trouble.” The big man looked down at David. “You know what I’m talkin’ bout, you been there yourself a time or two. Ain’t ya?” He laughed and walked away.

         “Where are we going, Detective; the airport or to the Vale house?” Sergeant Officer Tim Malone asked.

         David said, “I’ve never known Mickey to lie but just in case, Malone, I want your partner and the other two officers to go to the airport. You’ll go with us to the Vale house.”

         When they arrived at the house the front door was open. The men drew their guns and entered cautiously. They found Maria, the maid, just inside lying on the floor. Malone knelt by her and pressed his fingers to the side of her neck. “She dead, shot in the head, probably as she opened the door.” His eyes turned red and he slowly turned and tilted his head listening. Then he said, “There’s only one other in the house, but the heart beats are slow and weak.”

         “Where?” David asked.

         Malone pointed to the living room.

         They found Veronica on the floor. The front of her blouse was wet with blood. David knelt beside her “Call for the paramedics and tell them to get here fast!”

         Hank was already on his cell phone. “…That’s right two gunshot victims one dead and one wounded. We need an ambulance, coroner and a forensic team.”

         David shook his head. “It’s going to take the ambulance fifteen to twenty minutes to get here. She’s not going to make it, not on her own.” He took the bandage off his hand, picked up her right hand and pressed her palm against his. He cried out in pain and collapsed across her body.

         Hank reached out to touch him but Malone stopped him. “Don’t interfere. He’s trying keeping her alive by sharing his own life force, but only a really powerful Vampyra could do such a thing.”

         David slowly sat up still holding Veronica‘s hand firmly in his. His eyes were bright red. The elastic holding his hair back broke and his long, black hair bushed out like a wild mane. His face became leonine. Hank stepped closer to him and David warned him off with a growl. Hank said, “David?”

         The man/beast looked at him and nodded, then looked down at Veronica. Tears fell from his eyes.

         “He looks like a lion,” Hank said to Malone.

         “He’s a warrior.” Malone said as he moved slowly around David viewing him from all sides. “I’ve never seen a warrior before. I was told that Gregory Vale was the last of the warriors.” He turned to Hank and said, “Of course, when the ambulance gets here we’ll have to get him out of the room before the paramedics come inside. Where does that door lead?” He pointed to the door next to Veronica’s weapons cabinet.

         “It’s the dining room.”

         “Are there windows; could he be seen from outside?”

         Hank opened the door looked in. “The drapes are closed. Will it take him long to change back?”

         “Not long, but he’s going to be feeling weak.”

         Hank nodded. “I know where Veronica keeps the Heart’s Blood.” He went into the dining room, took the crystal decanter from its hiding place and placed it and a glass on the table.” When Hank came back into the living room he noticed that the weapons cabinet doors were ajar and the lock was broken. “It looks like Santin broke into this.” He looked inside.

         Malone asked, “Is anything missing?”

         “I don’t know, but David will.”

         Malone looked out the front window and said, “The ambulance is here.”

         Hank took hold of David’s arm. “She’ll be all right now; come with me.”

         David reluctantly let go of Veronica’s hand and with Hank’s help struggled to his feet. Malone grabbed David’s other arm and they took him into the dining room. Once they had him seated in a chair by the table, Malone went back to the living room and Hank poured some of the Heart’s Blood into the glass. As David sipped it his face returned to its original visage. Hank told him, “You have to get a comb through your hair. You look like you’ve been through a wind tunnel.” He held up a silver tray so David could see his reflection.

         David smoothed his hair back as best he could, with his fingers. “There should be rubber bands in that drawer.” He pointed to a small chest in the corner of the room. When Hank gave him the elastic, he used it to secure his hair at the back of his neck. Then he went back into the living room just in time to see the paramedics wheeling Veronica out to the ambulance.
Hank stopped him from following them. “Santin broke into the weapons cabinet. You need to see if anything is missing.”

         David looked into the cabinet and picked up the cane. The sword had been removed and was lying on the floor of the cabinet; its blade was broken in two. Next to it was a note that read, you’re next, Vale.

         “That sounds like a serious threat.” Hank said as David picked up the note.
“Santin didn’t leave this note to be read, he left it to be touched.” David sat on the couch and traced the symbol drawn on the note with his finger. “It’s a challenge to one on one combat.”

         Malone's jaw dropped. “You’re a Vale?”

         David looked up. “Yes, Veronica and Jonathan are my birth parents.”

         “Detective,” Malone said. “You should go into protective custody until he’s caught.”

         “No,” David said as he stood up. “I’ll be the bait. If he wants me let him come and that’s how we’ll get him.”

         At that moment the forensic team arrived. David gave them specific instructions concerning things he wanted them to look for. Then he asked, “Where’s Carol? Didn’t she come with you?”

         “We just came from the Olympic Towers. She stayed there to finish up. She‘ll join us here when she‘s done,” the man answered.

         David fought to hide the panic he was feeling. “You left her alone? We’re dealing with a cold-blooded killer. How could you leave her alone?”

         “Easy detective, she’s the boss. She tells us what to do and we do it.”

         David took out his cell phone and dialed Carole’s number. He heard a phone ring behind him and turned around. Carole was standing in the doorway holding her phone. She laughed and said to him, “You called?” Then she looked at her team. “I think you all have work to do.”

         “Yes, Boss,” said the man David had been talking to and the team began working.

         David looked down at the floor and put his phone back into his pocket. Carole said, “Ok Davy, talk to me. What’s been going on here?”

         “Santin’s been here. He shot Marie and Veronica; Marie’s dead and Veronica’s—” He looked at his hands and realized he was trembling.

         Carole took hold of his hands. “Do you want to go to the hospital, to be with her? I can take you there. Hank and the others can handle things here.”

         “She’s right, partner. You should go,” Hank said. “But take Malone with you.”

         “That’s not necessary,” David said.

         “Look, Santin has made his intentions clear. It can’t hurt to have Officer Malone with you.”

         “You know he’s right, detective,” Malone said. His eyes flashed red as he winked at David.

         “What are they talking about?” Carole asked.

         David showed her the note Santin left in the cabinet. “He knows I’m Jonathan Vale’s son. He won’t stop until I face him.”

         “Vampo à Vampo,” Hank said.

         Malone frowned and walked out mumbling something derogatory about Ordinaries and puns, but David smiled. “Yeah, you could put it that way.”

         As David and Carole approached her car they saw Captain Jameson and Dr. Franks talking to Sergeant Malone. Franks looked very concerned, he turned to David. “Malone told me what happened. How are you feeling? The first change can be emotionally and physically stressful and Malone tells me you took it much farther.”

         Malone said, “He did it so smoothly, I had no idea that it was his first time.”

         “I feel very tired, but the whole day has been stressful. I don’t feel like talking about it right now.” He reached past Malone to open the driver’s door.

         Malone stopped him. “You’re in no shape to drive.”

         David sighed and replied. “I’m tired but I still have manners; I’m opening it for Carole.”

         “Tell you what,” Malone said. “I’ll drive and you two can sit together in the back.”

         Dr. Franks said, “Sergeant, take him home.”

         David said, “No, I’m going to the hospital to be with Veronica.”

         “You’re not,” said Franks. “If you set foot in the hospital, they’ll end up admitting you. The first crossover to your dark side triggers a series of drastic changes to your body. I’m surprised you’re still on your feet.”

         David started to protest insisting that he was fine, but Captain Jameson said, “That’s an order, Detective.”

         “You may feel alright now, but it’s going to hit you hard any minute,” said Malone.

         Dr. Franks placed his bag on the trunk of the car and took out a bottle of pills. He put two of the pills into a small brown envelope and gave it to Carol. “When you get him home, he’s to take these and go to bed. I’ll come first thing in the morning to check on him.”

         David opened his mouth to protest, but suddenly he felt everything begin to spin and his legs went weak. Malone caught him and helped him into the car. He whispered in David’s ear. “I told you so.” He said to Carol, “Don’t worry. This is all part of the becoming; he’ll be fine by morning. In fact, he’ll be better than he’s ever been.”

         Carol got in on the other side and coaxed David to lie down, resting his head on her lap. Then she said to Malone, “Let’s go.”


"Chapter 7 -- The Becoming"