Pixie Dust (Karli Lane #1) (21 page)

“Um, yeah I can do that.” I replied.

“Great, I’ll see you soon.” He kissed me on the forehead and walked down the hall. I heard the front door open and then close seconds later.

Throwing myself back on the bed in frustration, I let out a big sigh. Imagine that. I’m sitting here all hot and bothered with no man in sight.
This is starting to be a very disturbing trend.

Chapter 18

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

I threw on Vance’s robe and headed towards the kitchen for some pizza. I watched TV while I ate and had a couple of beers. A picture on the sofa table caught my eye so I decided to check it out. It was an old sepia toned photo of a family. Upon closer inspection, I could make out a teenaged Vance with what I assumed were his parents.

The man in the photo, appearing to be in his twenties was very handsome, with Vance’s light hair and eyes wearing a finely tailored pin striped suit with a dark, wide brimmed hat. The dark haired woman was dressed in a mid-calf length dress, covered with a fur shawl. She had a bob haircut and a long strand of pearls. When I looked closer, I could see the tip of her pointed ear poking out from behind her hair.
Yep, definitely a fairy.
Vance was wearing a pair of knickers with a button up sweater vest and a long sleeve shirt. You could clearly see the resemblance. Physically, he seemed to represent both parents equally. Based on the clothing, I would guess this photo was taken sometime in the 1920’s. Oh my God, that would make Vance
over one hundred years old
!

I browsed through the other photos and saw him throughout different periods of his life. There was a picture of him getting a commendation of some sort, in what looked like the 1940’s or 50’s. Another one had him wearing a tux, sitting in a red 1960’s convertible with his arms stretched across the bench seat. God, he looked
so happy
. He was laughing with his entire body. It makes me wonder who was at the other end of that camera. Maybe I felt a little jealous that it wasn’t me. Moving on…..

Next in line was a photo of him standing with a couple. All three of them were wearing big smiles. They were in a boat over what looks like Lake Mead. The couple looked familiar but I couldn’t place them because they were wearing hats and large sunglasses. What am I saying? This picture was obviously taken before I was even born.
But why are the hairs on the back of my neck standing up right now
? Shaking it off, I looked at the most recent picture on the table. Vance was standing with an elderly couple in someplace tropical. They were clearly human based on their age, but there was nothing to indicate his relationship with them. It seems that he had a very full and happy life at some point. I wonder when that changed. He’s certainly not the carefree guy that appears in most of these pictures. He carries too much pain from his past. That’s for certain.

I decided I had enough of my stroll down Vance’s memory lane. I have so many questions right now that only he can answer and I would drive myself crazy if I continued to think about it when he wasn’t here to fill me in. I went into the kitchen and rinsed my dish, placing it in the dishwasher. I then walked back into his bedroom and really took a look around, since I didn’t get a chance to do so earlier. The room was elegant, yet very masculine. The vaulted ceilings carried into here, making the room appear even larger. Wide arches with recessed lighting spanned the mocha colored walls. His king sized bed was placed in the middle of the back wall. It had a tall dark brown padded headboard with cream colored bedding. There were cherry wood nightstands on each end sitting next to tall rectangular windows. The far right corner had an oversized apothecary chest with beautifully ornate carvings. A small sitting area was off to the side of that, consisting of two arm chairs and a bookshelf.

The master bath was towards my left through a set of double doors. There was a large walk in closet immediately on my left with a double sink vanity to the right. The cream colored granite countertops matched the tiles below. Wow, the glass enclosed shower looked like it could fit ten people! I started getting visions of being pressed up against that wall in a delightfully compromising position. The shower stood next to a Jacuzzi tub which promised equally enticing fun. 
Oh my!
  

Vance probably wouldn’t be home for a while so I figured I should get some sleep while I could. I quickly washed my face before grabbing one of his t-shirts and crawling into bed. I closed my eyes smiling as I pictured the possibilities upon his return.

I woke sometime later at the sound of a door closing. I listened for a bit and could hear someone walking towards the bedroom. “Vance, is that you?” I called.

“Yeah,” he said as he was stepping into the room. I felt him sit down on the bed as he reached to turn on a lamp. “Sorry, I was trying not to wake you.”

“What time is it?” I asked sleepily, still snuggling under the covers.

“About twenty minutes before five.” He replied.

“Wow, you were gone for a long time.”

“Yeah, it’s been a long night.”

“What happened?” I asked.

He reached out and started petting my hair. “Shh honey, don’t think about that right now. Don’t worry; it wasn’t anyone from the bar. Look, I’ve been awake for over twenty-four hours and I really need to get some sleep. I’m just going to hop in the shower real quick. Go back to sleep. I’ll be in bed shortly.” He turned off the lamp and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door. I heard the shower turn on and closed my eyes thinking about how I liked the way he called me “honey”. I fell back asleep listening to the spray, only waking for a moment when Vance nestled in behind me under the covers.

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

I woke up later that day into a much brighter room with Vance lightly snoring behind me. Oh yeah, I could definitely get used to this. I couldn’t see the alarm clock without twisting out of his arms so I just lay there enjoying the feel of him. I don’t work on Tuesdays so I had nowhere to go but here. I was perfectly happy with the idea of staying in bed with him all day.  I leaned back into his body and was disappointed to find him wearing a pair of boxers. Maybe the fact that I chose to cover myself prompted him to do the same. Damn, I didn’t think about that last night. I should’ve gone with the birthday suit. We could have picked up right where we left off…..

Vance squeezed me tighter, signaling that he was awake. “Good morning sexy,” he said. “How long have you been up?”

“Not too long.” I replied. “You got in so late I didn’t want to move and risk waking you.”

“Well, it sure was a nice way to wake up, seeing you in my bed. I’ve wanted you here since the first night we met.”

Wow, that was pretty forward. And I can’t say I hated it. I pulled his arms into me and kissed his forearm. I reached back to suggestively lay my hand on his thigh, waiting for permission.

Groaning he said, “Karli, as much as I like your idea right now, I really have to get back to the station. If you move your hand any closer, that’s not going to happen.”

Feeling a little embarrassed, I removed my hand. “Sorry.”

“Don’t ever apologize for touching me like that. I just need to get back into work. I have to find this damn thing before it hurts another girl. We got a really good lead last night that I need to look into. The fact that you are lying in my bed right now is making it hard enough to leave.”

I turned around to face him and smiled. God, he even looked perfect first thing in the morning. So not fair!  “What kind of lead?” I asked.

“The victim had a fresh entry stamp from
Voyeur-Gasm
on her hand.” He replied. “She had to have been there within hours of her murder. I stopped by the bar to talk to Leo last night and he’s having them pull some security footage. They’re sending the films over to his penthouse this morning. Since he can’t leave the building until dusk, I’m going to meet him there. Speaking of Leo, he told me about the strange noise in the bar the other night. Were you there?”

“Um, yeah. It was right after closing.” Quick, change the subject. “So, if I understand you correctly…you’re going to see Leo right now? To watch a bunch of people having sex?”

“No Karli,” he chided. “I’m going to see the
owner of the club to look for possible suspects
. Most of the people who go to that place are regulars. There is a high probability that Leo will be able to name anyone she was with. I want to see who this girl made contact with during the hours prior to her death. Trust me that bastard is the last person I want to spend time with but I really think this is going to fill in some pretty big gaps. In case you hadn’t heard, the noise at Pixie Dust turned out to be nothing.” He gave me a brief kiss on the lips as he was getting out of bed. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. “I’m going to get some coffee started. You’re welcome to join me if you’d like.”

I briefly visited the bathroom after he left and walked out into the great room wearing my clothes from last night. I found him standing in the kitchen and went over to accept the cup of coffee he was offering. I took a sip and asked, “So how long have you lived here?” 

 “A little over seven years.” He replied.

“I was looking at your pictures last night. It seems like you’ve lived a pretty full life. A
very long
life. How old are you anyway?”

He chuckled and said, “Do you have a problem with old geezers?”

“Vance, I’m serious! When were you born?”

“I was born in 1906.” 
I knew it!

“Are those your parents in the old sepia toned photo?” I asked.

“Yes. That picture was taken when I was sixteen, shortly before I left for Faerie.”

“Where are they now?”

 “They were killed.” He replied. “They were murdered by a Chicago crime family, two days before I returned. They strongly encouraged my parents to prepare potions that would remove someone’s free will. When they refused, a contract was put out on their heads to set the example for the rest of the supes in the area. I found them lying in our home, in cold blood, with close range gunshot wounds to the head.”

“Oh my God Vance, I am so sorry. I can’t imagine. Did they ever catch their killers?”

“No,” he said. “The mob had too many cops on their payroll. That’s partly why I moved out here. The same family responsible for my parents’ deaths is the one who built some of the first hotels on the Strip. I came out here trying to stop the rising mafia influence in its tracks. Unfortunately, I arrived about a decade too late to make any real progress, though not for lack of trying. Thankfully, the problem eventually took care of itself.”

“Wow. I had no idea.” I paused for a moment to digest that. “Why did you stay?” 

“Because I had to get out of Chicago. There were too many bad memories there. I needed to start a new life and Vegas gave me that opportunity.”

“Did you ever marry?” I asked, thinking about the picture of him wearing a tux.

His jaw twitched a little before he replied. “Yes. Her name was Maria. She was human.”

“What happened?” Now he was definitely clenching his jaw. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. Forget I said anything.”