Book One, Chapters 31 to 40

The Vampire's Daughter
Book One
Chapters 31 to 40

Copyright, 2003, 2004, 2005, Reuben Gregg Brewer, all rights reserved.

0031
Sabastian carried his little girl down to NYU Medical Center, about 10 blocks south and a little east. He found his way to the emergency room and walked in.

"I found this little girl all alone and lost," he told the worker at the desk. "I do not know what to do with her."

Susan was asleep in his arms.

The worker, who was neither a nurse nor a doctor, was telling Sabastian that he had to take her somewhere else when a doctor came out.

"What's going on?" the young intern asked.

"I found this little girl and I cannot take care of her. I need to find a place for her."

"You should take her to the police."

"That's what I told him," the desk worker added.

"I cannot do that," he responded.

"OK, we'll take her, but I'll need a way to contact you."

Sabastian knew this was going to be the hard part, but decided that he would give this woman enough information to facilitate the interaction. For some reason, he felt he could trust her. His instincts in this regard had become quite strong over his many years, though he made a mental note that he hadn’t realized Susan existed when he killed her mother. "My name is Sabastian."

"Your last name?"

"I have none."

"You have none?" asked the doctor.

"No."

"OK, how about a phone number?"

"I have no phone."

"No last name and no phone. How about an address?"

He gave her the address to his brownstone and she asked, "Is this really your address?"

"Yes, but you will only find me there at night."

"O.K."

"Please, only share this information if it is needed. I am not...," the doctor interrupted him to say, "I promise, I'll try to keep you out of this if I can."

"Thank you." He believed she would be true to her words.

While the doctor knew that something wasn't right about this situation, she also knew that it would be better for the little girl to be with someone who wanted her rather than someone who wanted to give her away. "My name is Dr. Janet Long, if you ever need or want to find me," she told Sabastian as he handed the sleeping girl to her.

"I will remember that," he said as he walked out the door.


0032
"Do you want me to call the police Dr. long?" the desk clerk asked.

"No, I'll take care of it myself," Janet responded as she walked to a back room with the sleeping girl in her arms. "What are we going to do with you?" she asked out loud.

"For starters, we put you down. You're heavy for such a little thing."

While putting Susan down, Dr. Long roused her out of her sleep.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Janet Long. Who are you?"

"My name is Susan." It surprised Janet that Susan was calm about waking up in a strange place with a person she didn’t know.

"Susan, do you mind if I take a look at you?"

"O.K."

Janet did a quick physical and found that Susan appeared to be in good health.

"You're real good with kids doctor," a voice said from a corner of the room.

"Peter, how long have you been there?"

"Since you came in. Who's your friend?"

"My name is Susan."

"Where's your mom Susan?" Peter asked.

"She's dead," Susan answered without any emotion.

"How about your dad?" asked Janet, though she knew what the answer would be.

"I don't know."

"Was that your dad who brought you in?"

"Who?"

"He said his name was Sabastian," Janet clarified.

"No, he's not my father. He‘s Sabastian."

"What, did some guy just leave her here?" Peter whispered to Janet who nodded affirmatively.

"Have you called the cops?"

"No, I'm off shift so I'll just bring her by the station by my place on the way home,” she replied, though she had no intention of doing so.


0033
Janet got Susan together as quickly as she could and headed out the door. She had no intention of taking Susan to the police and wanted as few people as possible to know about her. It was not that she wanted to do something evil or wrong, she simply wanted to protect Susan from the horrors of the system.

Janet Long was put up for adoption when she was born, but there were no takers. She bounced from foster home to foster home and hated her life. She looked at all of the other kids with families and she knew she was different because she had no family. She looked at all of the toys and clothing that the other kids had and she knew she was different because she had nothing new and nice. She looked at the joy that other kids had in their eyes and she knew she was different because she had no joy in her life. She hated being different and this hate caused a schism between her and just about everyone else.

At 16 she realized that she would never be like everyone else. She came to the conclusion that no one was going to help her, so she decided to help herself. She set her sites on becoming a doctor and never looked back—until now.

Seeing Susan brought back a flood of memories and she knew she couldn't let this little girl go through what she had to endure.

She couldn't let the system take another victim. She would provide for Susan what she never had. She had resolved this even before she left the hospital.

The situation with Sabastian bothered her, though, and she decided to check his address on the way home. She didn’t want anything to linger over Susan. She wanted to sew together all of the loose ends and be done with it. She needed to do this, she thought, to best help Susan.

The interesting thing, and Janet did not fully comprehend it at the time, was that by helping Susan, she was curing the pain of her own childhood. Susan was the conduit through which Janet Long would become like all of the other people in the world. Together they could be one and nothing would stand in Janet’s way. She wouldn’t let anything harm the two of them.

Janet and Susan talked as they walked and it became clear that Susan had not been taken care of. Physically she was well and it was obvious that she was smart, but she was distant and didn't talk like most children her age. She spoke about adult things. Janet suspected the little girl had been abused.

When they arrived at Sabastian's home, Susan said, "This is where Sabastian lives."

Janet looked into the front courtyard for a moment when Susan said, "We can go in, he won't mind."

The two walked through the front court, into the second, and up to the front door. Janet rang the doorbell and after a few moments used the knocker. She noticed that Susan was watching her with her head tilted. "What is it?"

"He's asleep you know. He won't wake up for anything until it's dark."

Janet remembered that Sabastian had mentioned something like that and decided she would just take Susan home so they could both get some rest. She would try again another day.


0034
At about eight the next morning, John was roused out of a deep sleep by his Chief.

"How long you been here John?" the Chief asked.

"That depends on what time it is now."

"About eight."

"All night," John answered while rubbing his eyes.

"That dead girl's got you all worked up, doesn't she?"

"Not the girl, the killer."

"You mean the 'vampire'," the Chief said making a monster face.

"Yeah, the vampire."

"Well, son, you aren't going to track him down if you don't get some rest. Go home, and that's an order."

"Yes sir," John said as he collected his things.

"By the way, Williams died in a shootout last night."

"What?" John said in shock. "He's the one who found the girl."

"I know. It seems like you're the only one left who knows anything about the case."

"First the body, then the photos and photographer, and now the responding officer. Something is going on here."

"We don't know much about Williams yet, but I tend to agree with you. That's why I'm sending a couple of guys home with you—just in case."

"Normally I'd refuse, but I guess that’s an order, too."

"Yes, even John Wayne needs someone to watch his back once in a while."

With two officers in tow, John headed home for some much-needed sleep—in a real bed. When they arrived, John tried to wave his chaperones on but they were under orders to go up to his apartment with him.

"What, are you going to tuck me in, too?" John asked jokingly.

"Yeah, and read you a bedtime story," one of the officers shot back. The three of them got a kick out of the joke.

When they got to the door, John unlocked it and pushed it open to reveal a ransacked apartment. "What the...," he said as he was pushed aside by his bodyguards who headed in with guns drawn. John followed with his.

"Whoever did this isn't here anymore," said one of the officers. "Chief said to call him if anything unusual turned up. If this doesn't qualify, then I think these tiger striped briefs will." He had used the tip of his gun to pick up a pair of John's underwear.

"Hey, the chicks love them," John retorted. He started to look around to see if anything was stolen. "It doesn't look like they took anything."

When the officer got off the phone with the chief, he said they were to hightail it back to the station. John protested, explaining that he wanted to look around some more, but was informed that the chief had given orders to cuff him if he resisted.

"What!"

"Orders are orders, John. He seems pretty worried, we had better get going."


0035
Back at the station, John headed directly for the Chief's office. "What's going on?" he demanded as he stormed in.

"Are these all the files you have on this case?" asked the Chief.

"Yeah, but what's going on?"

"After you left, we got a report of a body in the alley where the girl was found. It was a bum. Her head was shot off."

"Beth," John said softly. He felt bad for her. She hadn't done anything to deserve being killed.

"I assumed it was the bum you spoke with, too. But since she no longer has a face, I don't know that you’ll be able to give a positive identification.

"John, everyone involved with this case is dead except you. That means one of two things. Either you’re the killer or you're next. I've known you long enough to know that you aren’t the killer. That means I have to protect you from getting killed."

"I'll be fine, I can't drop this case because of this," John protested, sensing what was next. "This guy is going to kill again."

"I'll rot in hell before I let you die on this one.

"What did that nut job tell you—there are people who want to cover the murder up. He said your life is in danger and I’m inclined to believe him. And, for once in your life, you're going to listen to a warning.

"You are on paid leave. Give me your gun and badge."

"What! You can't do this. More people are going to die."

"Well, it's not your case anymore. In fact, here are two plane tickets. You’re spending your paid leave in Florida. Here are the keys to my condo. Enjoy the break and I'll see you in six months."

"This is going too fast, Chief. What is going on?"

"If I knew, I'd tell you. But I have a bad feeling about this case and I'm not going to see you killed over it.

"Look John," he said in a less heated tone, "we've worked together for years. I brought you here because you’re good. I care for you like you were my own son. Your dad and I were close, and you and I are close. I have a bad feeling. If you stay, I think you're as good as dead. I can't let that happen.

"Maybe I'm being too emotional, but so be it. You’re out of this one. I'll give the case to someone else or maybe I'll just let it die before it kills more of my men. I don't know yet. But you are out and you are going to sit for six months on the beach in Florida if I have to send you down in hand cuffs."

"I think you're wrong on this, Chief."

"I knew you would feel that way before you walked through the door."

"I don't have any choice in this?"

"No. I'll have two guys go back to your place and search it over. Because it's a crime scene you'll have to buy new cloths when you get down to my condo. Besides, I don’t want you going back where someone might find you. You can borrow some of my stuff if you need to." At that, he called in the two cops who took John home and told them to see him on to the plane to Florida. They were literally ordered to stay with him until he got on the plane and then watch it take off.

John didn't like what was going on, he had a feeling that the Chief knew more than he was saying. Still, John knew that the Chief had his best interests in mind. If the Chief was concerned enough to fly him to Florida, John figured he should listen. He had never done anything like this before, so the precedent held meaning. Besides, it was go peacefully or go in handcuffs—John didn’t feel there was much of a choice.


0036
Realizing that Susan was correct about Sabastian not being available during the day, Janet took Susan to her apartment.

Although her one-bedroom apartment was quite nice, it was meant for one person, or perhaps a couple, not an erstwhile mother and child duo. At the moment, though, there was no other option. Janet set Susan up on the couch with a blanket and the remote control.

"You can watch TV or take a nap. I've been up all night, so I'm going to sleep for a little while," Janet explained to Susan.

"O.K."

"If you get hungry, you can wake me. I'll fix something for us to eat."

"I can just make it myself."

"I'd prefer if you woke me."

"O.K."

By this point Susan was engrossed in the TV. She was flipping through the channels with abandon as Janet headed to bed.

Shortly after one in the afternoon, Susan woke Janet with a gentle shake. "I'm hungry."

"O.K., sweetie. Let's see what we have to eat," replied Janet groggily.

Although several more exciting choices were given, Susan wanted peanut butter and jelly.

"So," Janet started, "can you tell me a little about the man who brought you to the hospital?"

"You mean Sabastian?"

"Yes."

"I think he has a funny name."

"Do you?"

"Yes, he said that it had taken him a long time to pick it. I think it's funny."

"Where did you meet Sabastian?"

"In an alley."

"An alley. Where?"

"I don't know. I was with my mom, but she died so Sabastian took me.

"He's really nice. I like him."

Janet wasn't sure what to do with this information. It could be a child's fantasy world, or it could be true. The problem for Janet was the lack of emotion in Susan’s answers.

"When did your mother pass?"

"Pass what?"

"When did she die?"

"Oh, why didn't you ask that? Two or three days ago I think."

"Do you know how she died?"

"No."

"How did Sabastian find you?"

"He was with my mom when she died."

This scared Janet. It didn't seem to her that Sabastian was a killer, but that didn't mean anything. She thanked God that he wasn't home when she had stopped by.

"Was that the first time you had ever met Sabastian?"

"Sorta."

Unsure of how to ask the next question, Janet just said it straight. "Did Sabastian kill your mother?"

Susan looked up from her sandwich, tilted her head and said, "No, my mother killed herself. She wanted to die. She told me so."

"Was Sabastian there when your mother died?"

"Yes, he was there to take care of me."

"You didn’t know him before that?"

"Not really."

"But he took care of you?"

"Yes. He doesn't like to admit it, but he loves me. I love him, too," she said smugly.

"How do you know?"

"The same way I know you love me."

Janet noted that Susan was correct about her love and wondered if Susan had read Sabastian right, too.

"What did you do with Sabastian before he brought you to me?"

"I drew pictures and played explorer in his house. He has a cool house."

"Did he touch you?"

"What do you mean? He carried me to meet you."

"Not like that, in ways that made you feel bad?"

"No. That's a funny question. Sabastian wouldn’t do that. Other people would, but not Sabastian."

"I'm glad that it was funny. So he didn't touch you in a bad way?"

"No," Susan replied, "he didn’t."

"Have other people touched you in bad ways?"

"Yes, but I don’t like to talk about that." Janet chose not to press the issue now, but knew it would need to be addressed at a later point.

"Susan, what was your mother's name?"

"Jane Angle."


0037
Janet knew she couldn't leave Susan alone all night while she worked her shift at the hospital so she asked a neighbor if she would watch Susan. Janet lied and said that Susan was a distant cousin in town on a visit to the "big city."

Claudia, the neighbor, was an old Hungarian woman. Although she had lived in the United States for most of her life, she spent all of her youth in the "mother country." She was a sweet woman with odd, but harmless ways. Janet actually liked her very much and they often chatted in the hallway.

With a heavy accent, Claudia agreed to baby-sit Susan, saying that it would be nice to have a "little one" around. She refused to take any money from Janet for watching Susan, but did agree to let Susan order and pay for Chinese food for them.

Janet went back to her apartment, ordered Chinese, and explained to Susan what was going on. Susan, as Janet was learning, didn't seem to care about much and simply said, "O.K."

When the food arrived, Janet brought it and Susan next door.

"Claudia, I'd like you to meet Susan."

As soon as Claudia saw Susan her expression changed and she looked deeply into Janet's eyes. Taken aback, Janet looked away.

In a sweet voice and her normal expression, Claudia knelt down in front of Susan. Touching her face she said, "Little one, you have been touched by angel of death, but he has let you live. I can see it in your aura, you are very special.

"I am happy to meet you. You can call me Aunt Claudia."

Not fazed at all, Susan said, "Hello Aunt Claudia. Can we eat now?"

"Certainly," Claudia said as she took the bag from Janet and gave it to Susan. "The kitchen is through doorway, you go set up. I'll be in as soon as I say goodnight to Janet."

As she went off to the next room, Susan let out a quick goodbye with her usual lack of care.

Claudia watched as Susan left the living room and then turned to Janet, who was still trying to understand what was going on. "You do not tell me truth about this little girl. It is no matter, she is very special. Maybe later you tell me who she really is."

Janet didn't say anything as Claudia practically pushed her out the door with a, "You must go work now."

Janet knew Susan would be safe, but didn't understand how Claudia seemed to know so much.


0038
A little "bugged out" by Claudia, Janet headed off to work. By this time it was dark out, so she made a quick pit stop by Sabastian's brownstone.

She noted that it was a beautiful house, something she did not pay attention to when she last attempted a visit. Everything in the courtyards seemed very old, but well maintained. It was simply a splendid place, though none of the windows were uncovered and it looked as if guests were unwelcome.

She rang the door and waited but no one answered. She rang again and knocked, but still no one answered. If Susan hadn't been so certain of the house that morning, Janet would have assumed that Sabastian had lied to her. Still, there didn't appear to be anyone home, so she headed to work. She wanted to make some calls about Jane Angle anyway.

Sabastian, meanwhile, had risen and run out of the house. He wanted to cruise the city to see what was going on. Specifically, he wanted to watch the Tribunal's headquarters and see what the Enforcers were up to.

After spending some time across the street on a rooftop, he started to see activity. Three pairs of Enforcers headed out in separate directions. Unable to follow all of them he simply selected the strongest pair.

In Sabastian's old age, he found that he was becoming more and more sensitive to things around him. If he concentrated on something living, or at least not fully dead, he could get a feeling, for lack of a better word, about that person or thing. He focused hard on the six Enforcers and assumed that the strongest would be sent to handle the most difficult or dangerous task.

He was correct, and followed them to an apartment building. Outside there were two police cars, which made Sabastian uneasy. The two Enforcers, though, didn't seem to mind as they walked in. Sabastian followed at a discreet distance.

The Enforcers walked up to the third floor where Sabastian heard muffled screams, a single gunshot, and pleading. As he got closer he could hear the Enforcers demanding to know where John Lewis was.

"God! I don't know. I told you I don't know."

"What do you know about the death of the girl in the alley?"

"What alley, what girl? I told you, I don't know anything.

"I was told to collect evidence, I'm just doing what I was told."

Sabastian figured that this was the apartment of the police officer to whom he had spoken. The Enforcers were obviously there to find and kill him. He didn't want to interfere, but he also wanted to get some information himself. He wanted to make sure that Susan would be safe from these killers. That would require confronting the Enforcers—something he was loath to do, but if it had to be done, the current location seemed as good as any.


0039
Sabastian walked up the last flight of stairs and listened at the closed door. The police officer was still groveling for his life. It was now or wait for another opportunity that might never come, so Sabastian rushed through the door, grabbed the first Enforcer, and literally ripped his head off.

Swinging around, Sabastian was hit in the stomach and shoved against a wall as the second Enforcer threw herself into his midsection. Recovering from the shock, Sabastian grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off of him. She struck at him in vain, as her blows ripped his cloths, but seemed to glance off of his body doing no damage.

"You surprised me once Enforcer. That was your only chance to kill me," he said. "I am Sabastian and you are in my city."

The enforcer stopped struggling, realizing that it was doing no good, and scoffed, "Your city? This is the Tribunal's ground. Perhaps your name elicited fear years ago, but you're nothing now."

"I will teach you to fear my name before we are through here." The officer sat against the far wall in shock watching and listening.

"Why are you here?" Sabastian asked.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because I will kill you if you do not."

"Well, then, you had better kill me."

"Very well, I will get the information from the human," he said as he sunk his teeth into the Enforcer's neck and drained her. He knew all too well that reasoning with an Enforcer was futile. The Tribunal would deal viciously with her if it found out she had spoken to him, so death was her option even if he let her go. There was no point in wasting time in trying to persuade her.

Sabastian hadn't taken one of his own in over a century. The power of it flowed through him like a storm. It was potent, intoxicating. It rekindled old desires and, mixed with his new wants, it made him feel young again.

After he was finished with the Enforcer, letting her drained body fall to the ground, he turned to the still stunned policeman. "I, too, need information," he said with a smile.

Indeed, Sabastian hadn't felt this alive in a long time. He knew that this feeling had much to do with the blood of his own flowing through his body, but it was something else that made him smile. It was something else that made him take risks that were foolish. It was something else entirely.

He was making mistakes only the young make. Leaving a body lying around in the open for anyone to find. Taking on a human child. Confronting a powerful coven. Interacting with humans, but not killing them. It was as if he hadn’t made these mistakes or seen them made before. He knew that many of his kind died because of such stupidity.

But it was different now because Sabastian felt he had a purpose after so many lonely years.


0040
As Sabastian finished speaking, the officer got his wits back and sprinted for the door. To his surprise, Sabastian seemed to appear in front of him out of nowhere.

The cop fell to his knees. "I don't know anything. Please, I don't want to die."

"We will see what you do and do not know," Sabastian said as he picked the officer up off of the floor and hurled him onto the couch some four or five yards away. This move was for effect more than anything else, as Sabastian did not want to hurt the officer—at least not yet, anyway.

"Who lives here?" he asked.

"John Lewis."

"What does he do for a living?"

"He's a detective." Although he could not be absolutely certain, as there were no photographs in the immediate vicinity, it appeared that this was the home of the officer to whom he had spoken.

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know."

"Why are you here?"

"To collect evidence... I told those two that," the officer said practically crying.

"Why?"

"I don't know. There was a break-in and I was told to look for evidence."

"Do you know when the break-in occurred?"

"I guess it was last night, but I don't know." Since Sabastian had spent the prior night taking care of Susan, this time frame seemed plausible. Night was the only time when the Enforcers could try to find John Lewis.

The question on Sabastian’s mind was, "If he is not here now and was not here last night, where is he?" It was obvious, however, that the person he was questioning could not answer that question, so he didn’t bother to ask. Perhaps the detective took his advice and left town.

"Who sent you?" Sabastian continued.

"Captain Bill Miller," he answered as if he had just ratted out his best friend.

In the distance, Sabastian could hear sirens. Based on the events, he assumed they were coming to check out the apartment. Other residents of the building must have called the police because of the commotion.

"It seems your friends are coming to rescue you," Sabastian said to the cowering officer. He knew that he should kill this man, but he was filled with pity.

To let him live would further expose him and his kind, though it seemed a bit too late to worry about this issue in light of recent events. The deciding factor was that Sabastian still had the two Enforcers to deal with. Leaving these two behind would be too risky and he couldn’t deal with two dead Enforcers, one dead human, and the remaining police officer.

"I am sorry," Sabastian said as he broke the officer's neck. "I had little choice but to kill you."

He then grabbed the Enforcers’ bodies and ran to the roof. Neither officer had been drained of blood so Sabastian left them behind. Jumping several rooftops away, Sabastian placed the bodies atop a water tower. There, he reasoned, they would not be found before the sun took care of the remains.