******************************************

   "There, that's him, his name's Jamie."  Janette nodded in the
direction of the dance floor where a slender blond man swayed to the
music.  "Ambria often left with him.  Do you think he is behind this
unpleasantness?"

      "I don't know."  Natalie strained to smell him amongst the
crowd of humanity, but the other smells drowned it out.   If he was
the one, he needed to pay.  "Janette, care to dance?"

      "Mm, no, I think I'll sit out for this one, but I'm certain
our young guest would enjoy your special attention."  She dropped her
voice to a whisper.  "Has LaCroix taught you how to control their
minds yet?"

      "No."

      "That makes things more difficult, but we're women, non?  We
have our own ways of getting information.  Go, charm the man until he
is willing to tell you his deepest darkest secrets in exchange for
the continued pleasure of your company.  Whatever it takes, the man
who killed those women deserves to die.  No mercy."

      "And if he didn't kill them?"

      "Then he remembers nothing but a pleasant evening, with a
beautiful woman,  no harm done."

      Natalie silently agreed, resolved to do this.  She glided
onto the dance floor before she had the chance to talk herself out of
it.  The beating tempo of the music worked perfectly for her plan.
She swayed against the blond man, and noted with satisfaction his
immediate interest.  Not bad for a thirty six year old woman wearing
glorified jeans.

      "Not often we get real men in here."  Inviting herself to the
dance, she placed his hand firmly on her hip.

      "You're young to be looking for real men.  Shouldn't you be
trying for the defenseless boys?"  His eyes were cold, colder even
than LaCroix's, with a blankness that proved he wasn't dealing with a
full deck.  She knew then, he was their man.  Smiling evily, she
stretched up to whisper in his ear.

      "I like a little danger, a little torture.  Ambria told me
you enjoy that kind of thing.  Since she's not here, I thought it was
my turn."  The memory of that poor woman, cut up on her table,
steeled her to finishing this.

      He stiffened, his movements slipping out of time with the
music.  "You and Ambria were...friends?  What else did she tell you
about me?" The blankness was gone, replaced with a malevolent
suspicion.

      She'd have to play this carefully.  "Oh, the usual.  She
mentioned a few strange things, but they just,"  She lifted her
eyebrows meaningfully, "turned me on."  Thank god for acting classes.

      "What strange things?"

      "Blood, immortality."  She had him, she felt the acceptance
as the suspicion disappeared.

      "Blood.  Perhaps, you are not as young as I first thought.
Ambria had me fooled as well, but she was punished."  The words
tripped out now, making little or no sense as he rambled.  "I deserve
this.  You must see that."

      Natalie hid her disgust well, as the monster dug his own
grave.  "Oh, yes.  Definately deserve it,  I agree."  Tongue in
cheek, Natalie led him off the dance floor.

      Janette moved over to make room for their
new `friend'.  "Cherie, so this is the man you wanted to meet?"  The
veiled question wasn't lost on Natalie.

      "Yes, this is him.  Jamie, this is my, sister.  Hey, sis,
mind calling into work and telling them I'll be a little late. Let
them know,  I found someone willing to fix my car."  She hoped
Janette had the intuition to realize what she needed.

        "Of course, I'll call your dear Mon. Schanke.  Don't have too
much...fun."  She trotted off behind the bar, leaving the two alone.

      "Your CAR?  Why you little liar!  You promised me something
else."  He crushed her arm in a grip that only the truly insane could
master.  Or, a vampire.

      She pried his fingers away, one by one,  trying not to
shudder in the process.  This guy was whacked.  "Shh! I needed some
excuse to get out of work.  Don't worry, it's not the car you'll be
lubing tonight."  Gag, choke.  She knew that had to be the corniest,
ickiest line ever uttered in her entire life.

      A part of her wondered if he wouldn't be better served in a
mental institution instead of jail.  Hell, with the story he'd be
giving them, they'd throw him out on a plea of insanity.  A few
months of treatment he'd be back out on the streets to kill again.
Or...she could take care of this problem permanently.  LaCroix would
approve, and the streets would be better off without him.

      Her instincts kicked in, squelching the uncertainty of
disposing of this mortal.  He killed at least five women so far in
this town alone.  Why waste the court's time and money?

      "Speaking of cars, I have a big green caddy.  Want to go for
a spin?"

      Had she heard him right?  A green caddy?   How many of those
hideous cars could there be?  He must be talking about Nick's.  Did
he have the guts to steal Nick's car?  Well...what was grand theft
auto when you've already taken care of murder one?  Sad, that the
thought of him stealing Nick's car was harder to believe, than that
he murdered women with his bare hands.

      "I'd love to.  Maybe we could go someplace private.  Do you
have any suggestions?"

      "I know the perfect place, an auboritum on top of a sky
scraper down by the docks.  My brother used to take me there before
he died."

      "Your brother?"  A lump formed in the pit of her stomach.  She
searched those features, seeing the similarities in shape if not
coloring. It explained so much, but not his knowledge of
vampires.  "I'm sorry to hear about your loss, how did he die?"

      "A vampire police detective killed him."
 

 End Chapter 9b