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Vampire Murders Part 11

"Connie attacked and vampire murderers found."

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When Leona gasped, Slade stood up, spun towards the door as the lone dark figure ran out. Rather than chase the person, he opted to stay with the women and assist the wounded officer. Leona pushed the emergency button, nurses came running to the room and security arrived shortly behind them. As the door flew open, Slade stood up pointing at the wounded officer.

The nurses moved as if they were a swarm of bees and hovered over the officer checking him. They took his vital signs, checked his eyes and felt for any broken bones. The blood was from a wound on the side of his head, which rendered him unconscious. Two orderlies lifted the officer onto a gurney and moved him to the empty bed near Connie. As they moved him onto the bed, he woke groggily, moaning. Within seconds, all the connections to monitor his vitals started beeping and registered on the monitor over his bed.

"Is Connie alright? I am sorry he got in. I did not see him approach it was so fast. I looked around saw nothing and suddenly he was beside me and hit my head. How did I get here?" The officer asked.

"Connie is fine. She slept through it all. Did you hear anything at all? Which direction did he attack from?" Slade asked.

"He came from the stairwell, not from the nurses' station. He was just there all quiet and dressed in black." The officer answered.

"OK, we will talk later after the doctor's clear you and you are able to get up and around." Slade told him.

Leona stood quietly by listening to the officer. When he was done, she signaled Slade to join him outside the room.

"That sounds like a vampire attack. The quickness of the entrance and the knocking him out. We just happened to prevent Connie from being hurt. I think our murderous vampires are trying to remove any possible witnesses." Leona told Slade.

Slade nodded his head in agreement. He said nothing, but his thoughts were about getting a better security system in place, especially at night. If a vampire attacked here, it was possible that it would happen again and soon. Slade called the captain and requested two guards be sent to protect Connie. One guard sat outside the room, the other inside the room. He felt more confident about security now. Slade checked Connie, as the nurses worked on the officer. She slept quietly, oblivious to what went on around her. He asked one of the nurses to check her out. All the wires checked out, the monitor worked fine, and Connie was sleeping with the aid of a sleeping pill. When he was sure things checked out, he took Leona and left the hospital.

As they walked out he said, "We need to talk to Gustaf now. Something is wrong here. I do not like these attacks. Why are these vampires and their human friends still free?" He kept walking, holding onto Leona tightly. His anger rose as he walked.

Leona looked at him and said, "Yes, we need to find out what is going on. I don't like it either." She hugged him tighter and felt the heat of his anger rising. She did not like that feeling in him at all.

As Slade walked to his car with Leona, his anger grew and he held Leona so tightly any other woman would complain. Leona felt very secure in his tight grasp and wanted to get to Gustaf alone. She thought of many ways to deflect Slade from getting to Gustaf. Maybe Andrei was a good way to deflect him. She started to speak, but stopped when they got to the car. Slade noticed her attempt to speak, but ignored it. He drove a little too quickly out of the hospital and almost caused an accident. His anger impeded his driving and his thinking. Leona did not like his recklessness and felt she was in for trouble. She never saw Slade this angry or out of control, it made her scared not just for herself, but anyone in his way. As they approached the alley where The Main Artery had its entrance, he pulled his car to the curb and stopped blocking the alley. No one came to tell him to move and had they he would ignored them anyway.

Leona quickly followed behind Slade as he walked swiftly into the alley and up to the door of the vampire club. The big door attendant barred Slade's way, but moved aside when he saw Leona signal him. Slade entered the club, looked to see if Gustaf sat in his VIP section and moved to that raised platform. Everything in the club came to a halt, as if a storm fury spun into the place. Slade burst up onto the platform, brushed past Sam and sat closely beside Gustaf. Leona joined the two men out of breath from trying to keep up with Slade. She hoped that things were still civil, as Gustaf had a very severe rage seen in the warehouse earlier. So far, it looked good.

"Connie was attacked in the hospital tonight. Where are the vampire murderers? I will not be deterred from this." Slade asked sternly trying to control his anger.

"I do not know." Gustaf calmly replied.

Slade moved into Gustaf's face and stared at the vampire's eyes. The eyes stared back at him devoid of expression or emotion. There was nothing there, as if they could not see. Slade shrank back, when he saw the neutrality of Gustaf.

"We have searched for the four vampires and their three human cohorts since they were taken at the teahouse. They disappeared before we could punish them. The court found them guilty and sentenced them to vampire exile for two years." Gustaf replied matter-of-factly. "Leona, I am sorry I did not tell you earlier, but I called Andrei to find and punish them. He has failed too."

"I may know where they are, but I need help capturing them." Slade volunteered.

"I can get you all the assistance you need." Gustaf heartily replied. "The Vampire Justice System has its own police force. Considering there are vampires involved, their help is available."

"Great, I need to make a phone call and I will get the location." Slade said. He took out his phone, dialed the head of the gang squad and got the location. "The location is not far from the warehouse you provided for them. It is about eight blocks away. We need to meet and get there fast."

Gustaf used his cell phone to call the Vampire Police Force (VPF.) "They will meet you two blocks away in one of our warehouses. Is that acceptable, Detective Slade? You will be in charge. Sam and Leona will be there too. I will stay here in case Andrei comes here."

"That is perfect. We will meet them there. Do they know who the murderers are? We do not want any mistakes. I want everyone captured unharmed. The vampires will face your system of justice. I will arrange transport for the humans." Slade replied with a smirk while winking at Leona.

"They know who the bad guys are. They are ready for whatever transpires." Leona seriously added with a grim expression.

Slade felt the anger melting away slowly as if it were ice on a flat roof in the blazing sun. In its place was a rising fear of what happened next. He knew deep in his heart that he was not in control of this raid. He felt Gustaf postulated and acceded to Slade just to placate the detective's need to be in charge. He also felt if anything went wrong, the ultimate blame went to him being in charge. He knew that Sam and Leona were there to hold him back, protect him from harm and prevent him from interfering in the Vampire Justice System. As much as he wanted control, he did not have it. The fear rose, as they approached the gathering spot. In the warehouse were ten very large dull black SUVs with blackened windows and one very large Step Van truck, the mobile command center. Slade showed surprise on his face at the equipment, but dread built up and buried the fear. He sensed that lethal force was what this entire group comprehended and used. To a person there was no excitement, no emotion, no anticipation of a battle to the death. The feeling welled up inside him that it was just a job, which needed doing, nothing more.

They drove out of the warehouse with Slade in the lead in the large Step Van. The SUVs dispersed outside to approach the gang hideout from all accessible directions cutting off escape. When in place, all units signaled Slade. Each of the SUVs blocked the street preventing any vehicle from leaving or entering. The persons in the SUVs moved stealthily from each vehicle guns at the ready. One SUV drove to the entrance to the warehouse and honked to open the door. The large overhead door opened slowly, but no one stood there waiting to greet them. The lights bathed the area in simulated sunlight. There were five rooms along the back wall. To one side was a large kitchen area, well stocked with food and equipment. The other side held gym equipment, TVs, video game consoles, DVD players, couches and recliners. The red pickup and a limousine parked just inside the door. This was the gang's new residence. Were they here?

The SUV slowly backed into the doorway blocking it. Slowly, troops entered the warehouse searching for any sign of movement. The TVs played on and there was food on the counters of the kitchen, but no one appeared. The troops searched the rooms one at a time and found no one anywhere. Evidence existed that the gang was there, but where did they go? They muted the sound of the TVs and suddenly the clang of a door closing echoed through the warehouse. What the troops failed to see was the stairs leading to the roof. The gang ran up the stairs under the cover of the noise, opened a large metal door and escaped onto the roof. The troops filed quickly up the stairs, got on the roof and searched for the fugitives. They somehow escaped detection and used a zip line to an adjoining warehouse. From there the gang crossed over to another warehouse, putting them outside the perimeter set up by the forces. They walked down another set of stairs, uncovered a hidden van and drove off into the night.

In the command center, Slade watched, as the raid unfolded and collapsed, when the gang escaped. He sat reviewing the video and wondered how they missed this potential escape route. For the gang to escape this easily, they had prior knowledge of the raid. It was the only way. Someone warned them of the raid, but who did it? All communication ceased, when they left the staging area and resumed when everyone was in place. Slade sat deep in thought, when Leona turned to him.

"What is wrong?" She asked innocently.

"They knew we planned to attack them and when." Slade blurted.

"How could they know? This whole operation began just an hour ago." Leona questioned. "No one knew what we planned or how we set it up."

"Somehow, they knew, we planned the attack and we knew where they were." Slade spoke through closed teeth suppressing his anger yet again.

Leona soothingly spoke to him, "We will have other chances to capture them. I have no doubt that we will get them soon."

Slade spun around in his chair, turned off the monitors and removed the DVDs that recorded the whole operation. He would review them later. Right now, he needed to get away from there and be alone with Leona to think and relax. The weight of the day and night suddenly pushed him down and he felt defeated. Walking away, Slade took one of the SUVs with Leona and drove to the staging area.

He took Leona to his car and drove to DD's for some coffee and a Bavarian crème donut. Leona sat with him sharing his donut and drinking a mug of tea. She never visited DD's before and it impressed her that such a simple place existed. She looked around, marveling at the number of patrons buying coffee and donuts so early in the morning. It was like a total new world to her. Slade sat talking to some of his fellow detectives, after introducing Leona. She quietly listened, as the men talked shop, compared notes and garnered new ideas. It felt, as if she entered an alien new world. They welcomed her, but kept watching her, observing her movements and noticing her fascination with the environs. They accepted her as a friend, which made her feel good. No one asked much about her. The fact she was a vampire did not seem to matter to Slade's friends.

The topic of the murders came up and Slade switched it to tell the group about Connie. No one but Leona noticed the switch. Curiosity was high about her injuries and if she would return to duty soon. Slade neglected to tell them about what happened earlier that night. More small talk ensued, followed by squad room gossip. Leona liked how relaxed Slade was with these fellow detectives. There seemed to be a bond among them that was tight. She wished that she could have a bond like that. Vampires tended to be loners and never developed friendships with humans or other vampires, unless they were from the same maker.

Slade looked at his watch and noticed it was two and a half hours until dawn. He turned to Leona and said, "We have to go. It is time to get some sleep."

Leona replied, "I forgot what time it was. Yes, we better go now." She stood up turned to the group. "Thank you gentlemen, it was a pleasure meeting you."

They waved goodbye to Leona and shook Slade's hand as he left. Leona waited patiently and hugged him when he came to her. They held hands as they walked out the back door to the car. When they got to the car, Andrei leaned against it waiting for them.

"The raid tonight was a failure I heard." Andrei commented.

"Yes, they were there but escaped through the roof and over the rooftops of adjoining warehouses." Slade replied angry.

"Do you think they will be caught?" Andrei asked.

"Yes they will be caught. I am suspicious that someone warned them of our approach tonight. I don't know who, but I will find out." Slade replied.

"Can you give me a ride to Leona's warehouse sleep chamber? Gustaf will be there to meet me and give me a place to stay." Andrei asked.

Slade gestured to the back door and Andrei got in. Leona sat in front up close to Slade, while he drove to the warehouse. It was quiet in the car for the whole trip. When they arrived at the warehouse, the door opened and Gustaf and Sam waited to greet them inside. Gustaf shook Slade's hand, hugged Leona, grabbed Andrei's hand and hugged him as an old friend. They walked to a table and chairs and sat. Sam served some coffee and tea for them.

"I heard from the team leader that the fugitives escaped through the roof. That does not sound good. They seem to have a planned escape route." Gustaf stated.

"Yes, they somehow knew we were there after them." Slade said.

The atmosphere seemed relaxed, but Slade sensed that Gustaf held something back. He felt Gustaf knew what happened and was happy it was over for the night. Sam stood by seemingly ready to intervene if something happened. Andrei and Leona seemed comfortable with it all. He knew Leona knew nothing about his suspicions. He wondered if she would care if Gustaf notified the fugitives.

Suddenly and alarm sounded. Gustaf and Leona stood and bade Andrei to join them. The alarm signaled dawn was an hour away. Gustaf and Sam led Andrei to a third sleep chamber and retired to their chamber. Leona led Slade to her door, kissed him good night (or morning) and slipped inside. Slade left the warehouse and as he drove, decided to visit Connie one more time before getting some sleep. He arrived at the hospital and went to her room.

Outside her room was a new police officer vigilant and alert. He entered the room and found another police officer sitting near her bed. Connie sat up eating her breakfast and smiled, as Slade came to her side. She looked lovely sitting there all clean and refreshed. He sat in the chair beside her and watched her eat. The officer in the room asked if it was all right to leave and get some breakfast. He left and Slade moved closer to Connie.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked.

"I am a little confused, but things are fine. Did something happen last night? When I woke this morning, the officer in the room rang for the nurse." Connie asked.

"Yes someone knocked the officer outside unconscious and dragged him in here. Leona and I entered the room and the assailant fled before we could stop him. We think it was an attempt on your life by the folks that bombed The Main Artery." He told her.

She shook her head and said, "I don't remember any of it. I must have been heavily drugged."

The officer returned and assumed his position midway between the bed and the door. Slade stood, bent and kissed Connie. He bid her a good day and left to get some sleep. He drove to his apartment and climbed into bed. In a very short time, he slept soundly and did not hear his phone ring. The caller identified herself as the coroner's assistant and she had some very good news for him. Slade slept for six hours and rose to a cloudy day. His mood was not much better. He showered, ate and got ready to face another fruitless day looking for clues or so he thought.

He listened to his voice mail and his eyes brightened a little. It might be a good day after all. He thought he would stop in at the coroner's office on his way in to work. It would be a good way to start the day.

Published 
Written by frogprince
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