So Dead, My Love Read online

  There was something thick all over her face. She wiped at it with her other sleeve. Blood. She had been too reckless. Too messy.

  “We must leave, Samantha.” Lara pulled at her, away from the kitchen and towards the front door. It was then Samantha saw Gillian. Her robe was open, revealing her nude body. But Lara had been neat. There was nothing on her.

  “Wait, Lara. Are they going to be okay?” She was fumbling with the words. She felt intoxicated. She looked back at Kendall. There was blood everywhere. Samantha moved toward him. Lara yanked hard at her, pulling.

  “They will be fine. When they wake up, they will merely think they had one very wild evening. Now we must go, Samantha.” They rushed out, making sure they left nothing behind. But Samantha took something with her. Stephen’s blood had been exhilarating, and the picture of the big wet spot on the front of his trousers as he lay unconscious on the floor would remain a priceless memory.

  Chapter 15

  When Samantha awoke, she felt sluggish. It took extra effort just to move an arm. Lara wasn’t next to her. She heard harsh, retching sounds coming from beyond the hallway. Alarmed, she made her way to the bathroom, where she found Lara. She had just finished flushing the toilet.

  “Lara, what’s wrong. Are you okay?” Lara looked blue. Samantha was scared. Lara waved her off with one look.

  “That blood. It was tainted. It has made me sick, Samantha. That woman, her blood has poison in it.”

  Samantha didn’t understand at first what Lara could be talking about, then something clicked.

  “Poison? You mean like drugs?”

  Lara brushed past her, on her way back to the bedroom.

  “I do not know. What does this mean, drugs?”

  Of course, there was no way Lara could even know what the word meant. Maybe in her time drugs were nothing more than herbal remedies concocted by village medicine women. The ugliness of the twentieth century real word was far more deadly.

  Samantha followed close behind, still concerned about Lara.

  “Drugs are something that people take now to get ‘high.’ She stopped, realizing Lara wouldn’t understand that either. “Well, maybe I should explain better. They’re chemicals that people put into their bodies to feel like they’re somewhere else.”

  She realized how difficult it actually was to describe why people took drugs. Lara waved a hand at her as she crawled back into bed.

  “Whatever it was, Samantha, we must not touch her anymore.” She smiled weakly at Samantha. “Do not worry. I will be fine, but I am not so sure she will be.”

  Samantha shuddered, pictures of Kendall and Gillian like snapshots going off in her brain.

  ***

  Carmen broke down. The trip to the bookstore was an absolute necessity. The sky looked angry and the clouds threatened to dump rain. She would just run in, do the research and exit without lifting her eyes off the floor. She didn’t want to see Gillian.

  Mildred Stoner, a middle aged woman with thin, pursed lips, was behind the counter. She was busily arranging a row of bookmarks that ran the length of the checkout counter. Gillian wasn’t there.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Carmen slowed her pace and let out the breath she’d been holding in. Finding her way to the local interest section, she found the one remaining copy of Edmund Furrows’s book and pulled it off the shelf. Choosing a compact leather chair nearby, she sat down and opened the book to the contents page.

  Flipping the pages, she came to the Karnov chapter. She turned one more page and was confronted with the portrait of Lara Karnov. The resemblance was uncanny. A change of clothes, a haircut and Lara Karnov could be Sara Martine’s sister! And then Carmen’s heart skipped. What if Sara Martine was Lara Karnov? The thought was not only ugly, but silly. Preposterous, she told herself. Anne Rice wrote fiction for a living. She wasn’t a biographer. Vampires, werewolves and goblins were the stuff of fantasy. Yet still….

  She put the book back after reading a little further on Lara and the Karnovs. The book said she was long dead. But weren’t vampires the dead who rise again to feed on the living by night? There were the murdered children found drained of blood. But Tommy Mills had committed those murders and had paid the price. And besides, Sara Martine had been up and alive at the height of the afternoon.

  Trying to shake those ludicrous thoughts, she headed back to the shop, already planning ahead for the fundraiser tonight, glad to be finally getting it out of the way. Maybe she was getting too tired of all this. It just wasn’t the same. What she was really looking forward to was that dinner with Samantha.

  ***

  Carmen had just hung up with Samantha when her phone rang again. All day she had been fielding phone calls congratulating her on the success of the fundraiser. More than enough was raised for the two new sheriff’s cars they had wanted. Gillian had been conspicuously absent.

  Chief Murphy was the person she least expected to be on the other end.

  “Chief Murphy, didn’t I just see you the other day?”

  “Afraid this isn’t a social call, Carmen.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  He sighed softly. “We got two more dead bodies.”

  His pause was too long. Carmen felt her hands go clammy. “Thought I’d call you personally on this one,” he continued. “Gillian Haskell and Stephen Kendall were found dead in his apartment at The Carlton Inn. Evidently, they were a hot couple. I know you and Gillian were friends.”

  Carmen heard the words but a buzz had crept into her head.

  “How...why?” Her heart pounded as she tightened her grip on the phone. She suddenly couldn’t find words.

  There was another pause on the other end.

  “From what we’ve got so far, it appears they’d been dead for several days, but we don’t have all the tests in.” His voice was soft, tired. “We don’t have the results of the autopsies back, but the FBI are considering their deaths suspicious. They were drained of a lot of blood and had strange marks on their bodies. FBI doesn’t think it’s any kind of animal.”

  Carmen shivered.

  “Thanks for calling, Chief. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. Has her family been notified?” Carmen was concerned about the details. She needed to keep her mind off the very final thought that Gillian was dead. And Carmen had no reason to be there after death. That would be reserved for husbands or ex-husbands and family. Carmen had been an affair. And a closeted lesbian one at that. She couldn’t suppress the bitter feeling.

  “Arrangements have been taken care of,” Chief Murphy said. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?” He didn’t wait for Carmen to agree. “Do you know if Gillian did drugs? Coke? I’m not being nosy, Carmen. The FBI found some coke all over the bedroom. They haven’t ruled out a cocaine overdose. We don’t know if she was attacked before or after she died of an overdoes or even if the marks on the bodies were part of some sort of ritual. We’re still putting the pieces of the puzzle together.”

  Should she tell him Gillian’s sordid past?

  “Gillian and I were friends for awhile. I don’t know about any drugs.”

  “Do you know if she’d met anyone new other than Stephen Kendall? Did she talk to you about new friends, enemies?”

  Gillian had kept her affair with Kendall from her. If she’d met new friends, she hadn’t told her either. Carmen didn’t know why, but Sara Martine crawled into her thoughts. She was a stranger in town. And her alarms were going off all over the place when she thought of Martine.

  “No, Chief, I can’t think of anyone.”

  “Well, if there’s anything else you might think of that could be helpful, you call me personally.” He paused. “Carmen, you know the FBI might be questioning you. You had a close relationship with Gillian. You call me so I can be there, okay? And I’m sorry about Gillian.”

  “Thank you for calling, Chief.” Carmen couldn’t stay on the phone any longer. Before she even put down the receiver, she had made her decision. She wasn’t going to the funeral.
Gillian was gone, perhaps more at rest than ever before.

  She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, fighting the uncomfortable feeling of dread seeping into her soul. Something was out of whack. Samantha was cold, aloof. Gillian was dead. Murder had tainted Bayton Isle. The island was drowning and gasping for air.

  And then there was Sara Martine’s arrival and extended visit. Carmen couldn’t shake the sound of Samantha’s voice. She had hesitantly agreed to dinner. Sara Martine was still here. Her stay would be indefinite, Samantha had said. Something was wrong. Her insides were clenching as if some invisible hand were squeezing hard. She didn’t want to listen to the ugly thoughts creeping into her head.

  Shaking herself free of the numbness, she decided now was the time to play her hunch. She’d been called overbearing often enough, but in this case, it just didn’t matter how upset Samantha might get at her. Samantha said Sara Martine was from Barnum Books. Finding the number from information should be easy. She’d start with New York first. Weren’t all the major publishers in New York?

  Carmen shivered again and allowed herself to cry openly and freely.

  ***

  Saturday had dawned without sunshine. Grey clouds had swallowed the morning, a light wind making the drizzling rain more like a mist.

  Samantha stood like a frozen figurine. Before her, the burned out hulk of Karnov Mansion lay quiet and undisturbed. She hadn’t told Lara she was coming here. In fact, Lara was still asleep when she left. Nine o’clock was too early for Lara to do much of anything.

  Samantha wasn’t really sure why she stood here. Last respects, maybe. She shivered and shoved her hands inside her wool coat. Even with gloves, her fingers felt numb. The air was cold and wet.

  “Why didn’t you wake me, Samantha?” Samantha whirled around to see Lara standing a few feet behind her, pale, thin face a stark contrast to the black cape and hood she wore. Lara’s boots made no sound as she approached.

  “What are you doing here?” Samantha turned back to the ugly mess that had once been Karnov. “Don’t you feel sad, Lara? Some sense of loss? Look at it. This was your home.” She wanted so much to understand.

  “My home is with you.” Samantha shook her head. Lara came up behind her and put her hands on her shoulders.

  “Lara, don’t you have any attachments to your past? What about all the memories? Your family?” She leaned back against Lara and sank into her arms.

  “I’ve explained to you about my family. They betrayed me and left me behind. I do not even know if I am the last of my line. I do not know where the others are. I do not want to know. The only things I wish to keep from my past are my memories of you.” Lara whispered in Samantha’s ear.

  Samantha turned to face her, looking for the meaning in Lara’s words. But Lara had stiffened, a strained look on her face, her finger up to her mouth.

  “Quiet, Samantha. Someone approaches.”

  It seemed like a forever before Samantha saw the man on the bicycle approaching. He was peddling fast, probably racing away from the wind and rain. She and Lara were standing yards away from the gravel road, far enough where they were not easily seen.

  As the bicyclist approached, Samantha recognized Bob Holder. His colorful biking clothes somehow appeared far too gaudy on him.

  “You know this man?” Lara was in her mind. “Come,” she pulled at Samantha’s hand, “We shall have a little snack.”

  “No, wait.” Samantha had trouble keeping up with her as they began to run parallel to Bob Holder. He couldn’t see them. She and Lara were just on the outskirts of the woods.

  “Run faster, Samantha, faster.”

  Samantha ran. And ran. Was Lara crazy? There was no way they were going to catch Bob Holder. Her face glistened with the rain that pricked her skin like tiny little needles. She was keeping up with Lara, but her legs were giving out and her lungs struggled.

  Then a cold rush of adrenalin flooded through her and her feet left the ground. It was almost as if someone had lifted her. She was flying! Not only was she keeping up with Holder, but they were now just ahead of him.

  “Lara. Oh my God, Lara! I’m in the air!” Samantha looked for Lara but she was nowhere in sight.

  “Fly, my darling. Fly with me. We do not need those tin cans with wings to fly.”

  Samantha could hear her. But where was she? They were moving so fast. She was afraid to stop to look for Lara. Afraid to lose this exhilarating feeling. Bob Holder was slowing his pace. He was headed toward the edge of the cliff.

  “Lara. He’s going to go over the cliff!” Samantha still couldn’t see Lara.

  “I will stop him just before he goes over. Do not fret, my darling.”

  “No.” Frantic fear punched the air out of Samantha’s lungs. She wouldn’t let Bob Holder die. Lara was controlling him. He was oblivious to Lara’s commands in his mind. He was peddling fast toward cliff’s edge.

  “Stop it, Lara!”

  “It will be fine. Trust me.”

  Somehow, Samantha didn’t think Lara would listen. There was only one way to stop him. Stop Lara. Samantha used every bit of her strength to speed past Bob Holder. The trees had given way to the open expanse of iron sky. Below, the sound of the crashing waves hammered in her head. Breathing was painful. She couldn’t get enough air in her lungs.

  She put herself directly in his path. Three feet behind her, the edge of the cliff dropped 200 feet. Bob Holder’s eyes were wide in fear, mouth open in shock, his short legs out of control. He ran right into her. The front tire skidded into her thigh, the impact flinging Samantha back. She landed just short of the edge.

  Bob Holder hit her with such an impact, that he flew off the bike, landing several feet away. The brand new Peugeot lay directly in front of Samantha, wheels spinning silently in the air.

  “Samantha. My Samantha.” Lara was crouching beside her, hands caressing her face, holding her shoulders. “Why did you do this? I was not going to let him go over the cliff.”

  Samantha lay stunned, trying to catch her breath. She didn’t feel a thing. That was good, she supposed. She expected to have some kind of pain as reward for her impulsive action. But there was nothing. Just a numbing sensation from the cold air.

  Samantha began to cry. Maybe she was dying. Maybe she should. Lara threw herself on her, kissing her face with slow, gentle whispers.

  “My darling, foolish girl. So attached to your old ways. Why can you not be with me? Do you not remember how it used to be with us?” “I don’t know what you want.” Samantha couldn’t control the tears streaming down her face. She reached out and clung to Lara. “Who am I? I don’t remember anything you tell me I should.”

  “Oh my darling. My darling.” Lara stroked her hair and rocked Samantha gently. “Your memories are not yet complete. They will come.”

  Samantha wiped her face, her tears replaced by the misty rain. “Lara, you’re talking in riddles.” Her eyes pleaded with Lara.

  “Samantha. You and I were meant to be together. Together forever. You were with me when I was entombed. You have been with me in my dreams and I in yours. I have been trying to reach you for centuries.”

  The missing piece of the puzzle suddenly fell into place. The once broken circle of her life had joined together. It was all so clear. Looking into the fiery, black eyes of Lara Karnov, Samantha understood. She stopped sobbing.

  “Samantha?”

  “So it is true? All those nightmares I had since I can remember. They weren’t dreams at all, but visions, just like the day I first visited Karnov Mansion before I knocked on the door.”

  “Of course, it is just as I explained. Why are you making it so difficult, darling?” Lara’s words were impatient. She looked back at the unconscious form of Bob Holder. “We should go. He will come around soon.”

  Samantha barely opened her mouth to object.

  “Do not worry, Samantha. He will remember nothing and he does not appear to be seriously injured.”

  “Yeah, Lara, but wha
t will he see in his dreams tonight?”

  ***

  Lying there in the faintly-lit bedroom, Lara firmly beside her, Samantha couldn’t feel more content. Or more frightened. The muted shafts of sunlight filtering through the slits on the blind played lovingly on Lara’s pale skin. The confusion in Samantha was, if anything, more complex.

  Samantha exhaled, looking at Lara next to her. Lara wasn’t asleep. She lay quiet and still, just staring up at the ceiling as she always did.

  “Lara, I want to know so much more about you. About us.” Samantha knew she had only touched the tip of the iceberg when it came to Lara. This woman beside her had been on earth for over four centuries. And so had she. But she couldn’t remember much. There had been only the dreams. This frightened her.

  “Lara, why can’t I remember like you?”

  “Because you are not like me. You are not Karnov.”

  “But my nightmares. Now I realize they weren’t dreams. I was there, but why can’t I remember more? I mean, what was my name? Was I royalty?”

  Lara put a finger over Samantha’s lips. Her touch, cold as ice, sent electricity through Samantha’s body.

  “You are as curious as a little cat, Samantha. What difference does it make who you were in the past? If you do not remember, what good are these things to you? The past is gone. I am here with you. Tomorrow, this will be our past.” She became quiet again.

  Samantha knew she would get nothing else from her. Lara leaned back and this time closed her eyes, although Samantha knew she wasn’t asleep.

  “Samantha, darling, tell me how you will explain to your friend Carmen your inability to eat what she will prepare for you?” Her voice was a smooth whisper.

  They had gone over this just hours before. Carmen’s dinner invitation was this weekend. Lara had been persistent, questioning Samantha on every detail of her friendship with Carmen. She was suspicious and she was jealous.