Vampire Blood (22 page)

“I’m going to.” Firmly.

“Okay, then, if you insist.”

Some little voice in her head told her that she was making a big mistake, but she didn’t care. Nothing seemed to really matter since her dad had disappeared, and she didn’t have the heart to kick Jeff out when he was so down and out.

Truth was she needed him right now as much as he needed her. They’d grown up together and had been best friends long before they’d fallen in love and married. She needed a friend now more than ever. And after having lost so many in her life, it felt good to have someone back. Even if it was only an ex-husband.

They went into the restaurant to find her brother. Jenny had been right, Joey was glad to see his childhood friend and ex-brother-in-law again.

Standing back, watching the two reminisce happily, Jenny thought: It’s as if he’s never been gone; as if he belongs here.
The three J’s,
as Joey had always liked to call them, like the Three Musketeers,
back together again.

* * * *

“It’s beautiful, Jenny,” Jeff perused the inside of the Rebel Theater. He ambled around, checking the work that’d been done. “You and your dad have done a good job so far. Beautiful, meticulous work. I’m impressed.”

“Thanks.”

They were in the auditorium at the top of the main aisle with the velvet-covered chairs stretching out before them like a red ocean.

They’d spent an hour reminiscing over old times at Joey’s place, until Jenny could no longer put off work. She’d already wasted half the day, yet she didn’t want to walk into that theater, where only days before she’d been working so happily with her father, so she kept putting it off. Finally Joey had chased them out when his early dinner crowd began arriving, promising to bring them over some sandwiches later for their supper.

“That screen is something, so big. I hate the way the new theaters have gone to those midget screens. Might as well stay home and watch it on the television.”

Jenny heard an echo in her mind. Her dad had said almost the same thing.

“This screen,” Jeff’s voice was full of admiration, “now that’s a
real
movie screen.”

“Isn’t it?” Jenny agreed.

“I love the smell of this place. A little musty right now, but it smells like a movie house. Ah, buttered popcorn, Jujubes and Raisinets.” He breathed deeply, making her smile in the dimness. “Remember how you used to like those little boxes of Boston Baked Beans? Crunch, crunch, crunch, is all I’d hear next to me in the dark.”

“Well, enough for sniffing out the place and reliving our favorite movie snacks. We’d better get to work, don’t you think?”

Jeff followed her to the silent lobby, admiring everything as they went.

They’d begun painting one of the lobby walls when Jeff shushed her. “Did you hear that?”

“What?” Jenny had dripped paint on her nose and was wiping it off.

“Something. It sounded like it came from below us. Something moving around. I don’t know.” He frowned. “Jenny, I have this funny feeling that we’re not alone in here.”

“Ha. Well, we are. The owners aren’t here. They work during the day. Somewhere. What you heard was probably mice or something. Let’s get back to work.”

Jeff watched Jenny thoughtfully for a minute or two and then complied.

She was trying to be all business, not wanting to talk about anything; working with a single-mindedness that scared him. He knew she was at the end of her rope, ready to go over the edge, and he was worried about her.

She’d hardly changed in that respect. When she was upset, she was unnaturally quiet, so they worked in silence until Joey came by with their supper. Like an over protective parent, he insisted they both take a break and sit down to eat.

* * * *

“Not much left to do, is there?” Joey scrutinized what they’d already accomplished from a cross-legged position on the floor at the base of the stairs.

“Nope. A couple more days with Jeff helping, and we’ll be finished,” Jenny estimated. Jeff’s expertise and speed had come as a pleasant surprise. “Underneath the dirt, the old place was pretty well preserved, considering.”

“Have you seen the owners lately?” Joey helped her pack up the remnants of the devoured supper he’d brought them.

“No,” Jenny’s mind lingered an uneasy second on her strange dream, “but I’m sure they’ll be around sooner or later.” She hadn’t gotten around yet to telling Jeff about the Michelsons and their peculiar ways.

“I’d planned on us working late tonight, on the chance that they might show up. They owe Dad and me some money for the extra supplies we picked up last week.” Her voice broke, and Joey put his arm around her to comfort her as Jeff looked on helplessly.

“It’ll be okay, Sis. You’ll see. Dad’ll show up one morning, alive, griping and kicking like always.”

Jenny let the tears glide soundlessly down her face and didn’t say a word.

After Joey scooted back to the restaurant, Jeff and Jenny returned to work.

“That was real nice of Joey to bring us supper over, wasn’t it?” Jeff tried to draw her out.

“Yes, he’s a nice person as well as my brother.”

“Nice people are rare in this life, Jenny. You don’t know how hard people become on the street, how little they care for anything or anyone else—just their own survival,” he remarked bitterly, as if he’d seen and experienced it firsthand.

“I know,” Jenny muttered, turning her back. She knew that Jeff wanted to talk, but in the black mood she was in, and the uncertainty of her feelings towards him, she was purposely avoiding it. She just wanted to be left alone. To work. Get it done, so she could go back to looking for her dad.

Sometime later, Jenny, checked her wristwatch. It was later than she’d thought. She looked outside, the sun had set and night was closing in. Thank God, the heat had lessened the last few days.

“About ready to call it a day?” she asked her ex-husband.

“I’ll say.” Wincing, he flexed his muscles. “I’m out of shape. Haven’t worked this hard in a long time. You’re a slave driver, Jenny,” he bantered.

Looking at his drawn face with the circles under his eyes, she had to remind herself that he’d been on the road a long time; most likely hadn’t eaten right, hadn’t taken care of himself. Here she was pushing him like she was, but he hadn’t complained, not once.

Nothing like the old Jeff.

“You’re right, let’s pack it up for the day.” Jenny bestowed a small smile on him, her heart softening at his tenacity.

“Did you hear
that?”
Jeff’s body had grown stiff. He grabbed her arm.

Jenny had a handful of rags and had been heading towards the door.

“Not again?” She smirked.

“No, I mean it.
Listen.”

Jenny cocked her head, trying hard to hear what he heard. “I don’t hear anything, Jeff.”

“It sounded like someone ... crying ... this time. I don’t know.” He shrugged, a foolish look spreading across his face, then dismissed it with a shrug when Jenny’s irritation level continued to rise.

“Could be it’s only my imagination, but this place is spooky. I don’t remember it as being this creepy,” he said, peering into the dark corners.

She decided to let him off the hook. “You know, last week, with Dad, I was the one who was hearing things. Sounded like someone crying to me, too.” She shook her head, openly perplexed. “Now we’re both hearing things.”

A look of relief washed over Jeff’s face.

“Dad thought it was old timbers settling, pipes contracting or expanding or something.”

“Maude thought this place was haunted, too, you know,” Jeff mused aloud, studying the murkiness at the top of the staircase.

Come to think of it, Jenny had noticed his manner subtly changing throughout the day. He acted jumpy every time there was a noise.

“You always were superstitious, weren’t you? You haven’t changed much, either.”

“No, and I’ve seen some even stranger things on the road in the last few years which has made me more so. Perhaps because of the company I kept.” He fell quiet, his face closing.

Jenny cast him a patient look, waiting for more, but nothing else came. He was being too serious to make fun of, so she responded carefully, “Not me. I don’t believe in anything I can’t see, anything I can’t touch.” She didn’t sound as sure about it as she might once have, and Jeff caught that.

“Ah, not quite the cynic you used to be?”

She refused to answer.

“You know, though, it never made sense to me that you were like that, when it was you who wrote all those ghost books.”

“Two ghost books, and one vampire,” she corrected.

He hesitated and asked, “Has it got something to do with what’s happened around here lately?”

“It might.” She was purposely being evasive. At the last moment, before she moved away, she tacked on, “But you’re right, people do change, Jeff. I’m not sure what I believe anymore.”

Then they cleaned everything up in a comfortable silence.

* * * *

Jenny was washing up in the restroom, and Jeff was the only one in the lobby when he felt someone’s eyes on him.

“Jenny?” he called out softly, thinking she’d come back.

No answer.

“Is there someone here?”

Still no answer.

The lobby was brightly lit, and he could see he was alone, but the uneasy feeling persisted as he went back to what he’d been doing.

A moment later, with a series of tiny pops, all the light bulbs simultaneously burnt out, leaving him in total darkness.

“What the hell!” he swore beneath his breath, his fingers groping towards something solid.

Someone or something brushed up against him, caressed his face. He jumped, falling backwards against the wall.

Again cold fingers slid down his cheek, and he felt icy lips touching his ... and he bolted away like someone had branded him with a hot iron. Too frightened to even cry out.

Just when he thought he was free, it pressed up against him, pinning him to the wall, something with clammy frigid skin and foul breath. Arms slowly encircled him, and he screamed out loud, shoving it frantically away.

He couldn’t get away,
it was
so strong.
Grunting, he struggled against it in vain. His stomach rebelled at the stench of the thing.

It cut his neck! He howled, and with a burst of energy born of pure terror, he managed to wrestle free of his attacker long enough to fumble into his jean’s front left pocket and drag out his lighter.

The flame flared up, bringing his immediate area into a circle of soft light and there was
nothing, no one
there at all.

Panting, he swallowed hard, his heart racing; his face drained as he touched his hand to his neck and brought away blood on the tips of his trembling fingers.

“Oh, my God,” he whispered. The cut wasn’t deep, he could tell that, no more than a scratch, and yet ...

He retreated a few steps in shock, holding the lit lighter, and knowing the stairs were behind him; he collapsed upon one of them. His whole body was quivering.

Where had it gone?
How could it have escaped so quickly without him
seeing
it?
What had it been?

A flashlight was heading his way. Its powerful beam chased the shadows off. He shut the lighter and shoved it into his pocket, pulling himself to his feet.

“Are you all right, sir?” By the deep voice, Jeff could tell it was a man. “I saw the light bulbs go out, and I thought we’d need this.”

Jeff had calmed himself, and gratefully took the offered flashlight. “Yes, I guess we do. Thanks. I’ll replace some of the bulbs and that should fix it.”

“I’ll go turn the power off,” the voice in the dark said. “Give me a minute.”

Jeff carefully made his way over to the glass case at the other side of the lobby, where Jenny had laid the package of light bulbs. His hands were still shaking as he pulled out two, and after the man who’d given him the flashlight yelled out that it was all clear, he took the shattered rims out of the sockets and replaced them with new bulbs. He yelled out that it was done and suddenly light flooded the place.

By the time Jeff had turned and walked back the man was there again. Right where Jeff had left him, at the bottom of the stairs, and an older woman with long silverish hair stood behind him.

Jeff wondered how the man had gotten back so quickly after turning the electricity on and then off again. He wondered how long they’d been there. Had they heard him scream?

“Did you see anyone else here?” Jeff demanded, his eyes searching the lobby and gazing upwards towards the empty staircase.

“No. Just us. I’m sorry if we scared you.”

“You didn’t.” Jeff examined them then. Dressed kind of funny, he thought. A tad eccentric. The man had an earring, for god’s sake.

“We were walking in when we heard your distress call,” the man said, smiling. “I imagine being thrown suddenly into complete blackness can give anyone a fright, huh?”