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She switched the lamp on and swung her legs out of bed. Then she pulled her sweater over her pajamas and after a moment, picked up her gun. She waited. No more noises. Had the occupant gone, or were they waiting quietly inside?
She opened her bedroom door and padded out into the hallway. Dimly lit by a single dusty overhead bulb. She walked a few paces to the bathroom. The door was shut. Her turn to knock. She rapped against the wood with her knuckles.
“Hello? Anyone in there?”
No reply. Barbara twisted the handle. It opened into darkness. A grubby light cord hung down by the door. Barbara pulled it. The harsh illumination momentarily blinded her. She blinked and squinted. The small room was empty. Shower dripping slightly. Tap, tap, tap. Toilet seat down. Just as she’d left it.
Almost.
A mirror hung above the cracked sink. There was writing on it. Scrawled in red:
THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS,
AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD.
And just in case the message wasn’t clear, the visitor had left her a present, hung over one of the taps.
A rudimentary cross on a leather choker…fashioned out of two sharp vampyr incisors.
8
The alarm went off at seven. Barbara opened her eyes. It was still dark. Sunrise wouldn’t come till around 9:30 a.m. Another two and a half hours. Christ.
She hauled herself reluctantly out of bed. The wooden floor felt cold. There was a draft coming from somewhere. She stretched out a hand to touch the old iron radiator. Barely warm and it was already turned up to max. She grabbed the extra blanket from the bottom of the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. Then she picked up her clothes and traipsed to the bathroom.
She had bagged up the choker for evidence, but the writing on the mirror was still there. Permanent marker. Barbara would have to ask the staff downstairs if they could clean it off with spirits. She’d taken a photograph last night, after checking the bar for the intruder. No sign of anyone. And no sign of a break-in. At least, no obvious sign.
She turned on the shower and shed her clothes. The shower was hot, for about thirty seconds. It turned cold in an instant, sending her scuttling for the sanctuary of a rough bath sheet. She dried her body and hair as quickly as possible before wriggling into her heavy jeans, a shirt and thick sweater. Then she brushed her teeth and retreated to her room.
Hair still damp, she made a coffee and sat down with it on the small chair next to the window. The chair was uncomfortable, and the coffee was dishwater, but Barbara sipped it gratefully regardless. Something is always better than nothing, unless it’s jail time. Another Susan saying.
She skimmed her phone for messages. Mostly junk, a reminder that her renter’s insurance was due, a curt message from Decker asking for an update and…she paused. A text from Susan. Like she’d known Barbara was thinking about her. But then, Barbara often thought about Susan. Perhaps if she’d done it a bit more when they were in a relationship, it wouldn’t have ended.
“Hey. Heard you got shipped to Alaska? Hope you’re wearing your thermals! Let’s grab coffee when you’re back. Auric sends his love.”
Auric. The goldfish they had bought together because it seemed less of a commitment than a cat or a dog (only to discover that goldfish can live for up to twenty years). Auric was now eight and had been living with Susan and her wife for over three years. Susan got the fish and the new partner while Barbara, well, she got “let’s stay friends” and a single room in a run-down hotel in Deadhart, Alaska. Big win for the commitment-phobe.
She replied to the text with a thumbs-up and a frozen-face emoji, pulled aside the curtains and peered out. The street was silent and still dark, except for the persistent twinkle of Christmas lights. Across the road, the illuminated Santa above the general store continued to merrily pleasure himself. Ho-frigging-Ho. She let the curtain fall. Her cellphone buzzed. Nicholls.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Hope I didn’t wake you up, Detective.”
“No, sir. I’m up and enjoying my morning coffee.”
“That crap they put in the rooms?”
“Well, enjoying might be a stretch.”
He chuckled. “Okay. Well, I just wanted to double-check that you’re good to view the body this morning.”
“Yessir.”
“We can grab a decent coffee downstairs first. I’ll meet you there at eight thirty.”
“I didn’t think the Grill opened till ten?”
“They don’t. They’re opening up early just for us.”
