The Caretaker of Showman's Hill (Vampire Romance) (16 page)

Chapter 20

Basil burst into the back door of the Bat House, his eyes squeezed tight, the burning out of control. He slammed the door and leaned back on it. That sun was more potent than he'd been used to. Maybe he was being too careless going out so soon. His body shivered and his skin itched. He felt a burning dryness inside his mouth, and he couldn't even swallow.

With eyes still closed, he made his way to the kitchen sink. He pulled off his cap and doused his head with water. He could have sworn he heard a sizzle as the cool water covered his parched hair and face. He then opened his mouth and let the water pour in, drinking his fill.

That's when he sensed her presence. He probably would have smelled her when he’d entered if his nostrils weren't so parched from the sun. He whipped around, water flying, and opened his eyes. Cassie sat there calmly at the kitchen table. She twirled his sunglasses around and around in one hand.

"Looking for these, Killer?"

Basil felt his blood boil at the use of her words. He took a deep breath and tried to maintain his temper.

"If you still believe I killed your sister than why did you come back?"

He ripped off his over-shirt and dried his face and hair. Things were looking better. Maybe his mother was right. After all, Cassie had come back to him and he didn't think she'd brought the authorities with her. If she had, they'd be swarming him by now.

"I didn't quite come back by my own will, Basil. I guess you could say I had a little help." She raised her other hand and Basil could see it was handcuffed to the bumpy spindled leg of the table.

"What the hell?" He made his way to Cassie and reached out his hand to touch the cuff. She stiffened and looked the other way. "Who did this to you, Cassie? What's going on?"

Just then the swinging door opened and sheriff Jack Killian walked briskly over to the table.

"Why don't you ask your town sheriff?" Cassie's voice was filled with contempt.

"Jack?" asked Basil. "Why the cuffs?"

Jack looked a little embarrassed. "Well, I had to take a leak and I couldn't trust that she wouldn't take off. What was I supposed to do?"

"I come to you for help," snapped Cassie, "and instead you lock me up like I'm the murderer. There's your culprit." Cassie nodded toward Basil. "If you weren't being so brainwashed, you wouldn't be trying to protect him."

"Cassie, I told you I'm not Dee's murderer. Don't you believe me?" Basil's spirits dropped as he waited for her answer.

Cassie looked to the floor and tears welled in her eyes. She bit her lip and Basil knew she was trying not to cry. All he wanted to do was pull her in his arms and comfort her, but he knew that was never going to happen.

"I don't know what to believe anymore," she answered softly. "All I know is that Didi is dead and everyone around here seems to be hiding something. I wouldn't be surprised if you were all in on it."

Basil let out a deep breath and looked toward Jack. "Take off the cuffs."

Jack's eyebrows raised. "I don't know, Basil. If I release her, the first thing she'll do is try to escape. Next thing you know we'll be reading all about the Bat House and vampires in that damned magazine."

"Take them off of her, Jack." Basil was losing his patience.

"But . . . " Jack never got to finish. Basil took matters into his own hands. All he had to do was look at the things and they fell off Cassie's wrist and slid down the table leg to the floor.

"You're really risking it," warned Jack. “She knows way too much.”

"Well, that's my choice. I think I'll take the chance."

"Think of the others,” Jack pleaded. “Think about . . . " he stopped and looked at the floor.

"La Roux?" asked Basil. "Don't worry about her. I'm totally capable of protecting her.”

Cassie rubbed her wrist but didn't say a word, neither did she try to move. Basil knew she wouldn’t try to escape with a lawman and a vampire who was ten times faster than her standing in the same room. She'd just wait till the time was right. Then, he was sure, she'd try her escape.

"You haven't been doing a very good job taking care of her," said Jack.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"She's sick, Basil. She won't admit it, but she looks white as a ghost and is weaker than anything."

"What? I had no idea she was that bad. Why didn't I know about this?"

"Too busy with - other matters?" He looked toward Cassie as he spoke.

Basil knew what Jack said was true. He'd been so busy lately with Cassie, he'd been ignoring La Roux. It was something he'd never intended on doing. If anything ever happened to her, he'd never forgive himself. If she got sick and died - he didn't even want to think of those possibilities.

"Where is she?" he asked.

Just at that moment, La Roux burst through the door with a small bag in her hand. She made her way to the table and collapsed right next to Cassie.

"La Roux!" Basil hurried over to her. "You look terrible. You're all out of breath. Where were you?"

La Roux took a couple minutes to catch her breath before she answered. "Getting these." She held up a bottle of iron tablets.

"What is that?" asked Basil.

"Iron. Cassie told me I look anemic and should go out and get some iron."

"She did, did she?" Basil bent over and put his arm around La Roux, at the same time glaring at Cassie. "So you went out in the sunlight again? Even after I forbade you to?"

"Leave her alone,” interrupted Cassie. “The sunlight's good for her. Or at least she doesn't seem to burn up the way you expect her to." Cassie got to her feet and headed for the swinging door.

"Where are you going?" Basil jumped upright.

"I need a good, stiff drink," answered Cassie. "Don't worry, I wouldn't be foolish enough to try to escape while you vampires were awake and lurking in the shadows."

Cassie left the room and headed over to the bar. It was void of any other people. It was too early for Andre or the other vampires to be awake, and business didn't start until sundown.

She grabbed a glass from the counter and took hold of the first bottle in sight. She uncorked it and intended to pour until she heard a small knock at the front door.

She stopped and looked toward the kitchen. She expected Basil to come flying out at any minute, but instead she only heard his angry voice scolding La Roux for not listening to him.

Curiously, she made her way to the door and quietly unlatched it. If Basil's senses were dulled from coming to the Bat House before dark, than maybe she had a chance to escape after all. Maybe she could get whoever was at the door to help her. This just may be the break she was looking for.

She silently swung open the door and her heart skipped a beat when she realized Jay, her co-worker was standing there with her tape recorder in his hand.

"Jay! Am I glad to see you." She spoke in whispers but knew Jay interpreted it as her trying to talk sexy.

"Me too, baby. When you didn't show up at work, I began wondering what happened to you. Then I found your tape recorder and listened to the tape."

Why wasn't she surprised? The guy was nosy. Well, what did she expect from a reporter? She grabbed the tape recorder from him, and Jay tried to walk in. She closed the door slightly to stop him.

"What's this, Cassie? No big welcome hug? Or maybe you save those for your clients?"

"The Bat House doesn't open until dark. Besides," she threw a glance over her shoulder and knew she should hurry and tell him what was going on before Basil discovered them. "Besides, I think I'm on to something. Jay, I have to tell someone. I'm hoping you can help me."

"Sure, babe. What's up?"

"I came here looking for my sister, Didi. I just found out that she was murdered last month."

Jay's face remained stone-like. "Murdered? Cassie, what are you saying?"

"They found her drained of blood, yet the whole town is covering up the incident."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing.”  Jay shook his head is disbelief. “Next you're probably going to tell me that vampires killed her."

When Cassie didn't answer, his eyes opened wide.

"It's true, Cassie, isn't it? Vampires killed her and they're keeping you captive here, aren't they?"

Just then Cassie heard Basil's booming voice from the kitchen calling her name. In an instant he was standing in the kitchen doorway looking at her. She knew she had to get Jay out of there and fast. If Basil so much as thought she'd told him anything, he'd take Jay prisoner too.

"Is that the one?" whispered Jay, stretching his neck to take a good look at Basil.

"Yes," answered Cassie loudly. "Yes, we'll be open later on tonight if you'd like to come back then. Good-bye." She shut the door quickly and was relieved to hear Jay's footsteps running down the stairs and the sound of his car skidding on the gravel as he tore out of there.

"Who was that, Cassie?" Basil's voice was surprisingly calm.

"Oh, just a customer. I told him to come back later."

Basil made his way toward her, but she sidestepped him and went back to the bar.

"He wasn't one of our regulars."

She laid down her tape recorder and poured herself a drink. "Maybe new in town."

His eyes fell to her tape recorder and then traveled back up to her face. "I don't think so. Now why don't you tell me the truth, Cassie?"

She took a swig and put the glass back down. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Her glass shattered in her hand along with several bottles on the counter. She jumped back, startled, and ended up in Basil's arms. He turned her around roughly and stared her in the face.

"I heard what he asked you, so don’t think for a minute I didn’t. He was from the magazine, wasn't he?"

"No, no. I've never seen him before in my life."

"You're forgetting I can read your mind, sweetie."

Cassie tried to push away, but Basil held on to her arm and dragged her through the kitchen. The sheriff was sitting next to La Roux and they both watched with wide eyes but didn't say a word.

"Where are you taking me?" asked Cassie.

"Somewhere I should have brought you long before now."

Basil pulled open the door and dragged Cassie outside. The sun was just setting, and without his sunglasses and long sleeved shirt, he could feel his skin already burning. Still, he was too angry to care, and pulled her even faster along behind him.

"Basil, slow down. I can't go this fast."

He dragged her along behind him up the hill, she dodging the flying debris that was stirred up by his anger. Finally, he stopped by some tall tombstones and threw her down on the ground.

"What's this?" she asked. "Plan on killing me or just burying me alive?"

"Shut up, Cassie and listen, will you? I didn't kill your sister. I met her a few months ago when she came to the Bat House looking for work."

"What kind of work?" Cassie held her breath waiting for the answer.

"She served drinks with La Roux for a week or two. I felt sorry for her. She was all alone with no place to live. In exchange for working, I gave her room and board."

Cassie remained quiet as Basil paced back and forth. She was finally getting answers. Answers she should have gotten long ago.

"She ended up falling for me, Cassie."

"You're saying Didi was in love with you?"

"I don't know," he ground out. "She said she had a boyfriend, and that he was jealous of me."

"A boyfriend? Who?"

"I don't know, Cassie. I never saw anyone and think she was just making it up to flatter me."

"Did you like her?"

"I did."

"Did you ever bring her to your cabin?"

"Not intentionally. She followed me there one night, and . . . "

"You made love to her, didn't you?"

"No,” he defended himself. “I never touched her. But the next morning I found her on the doorstep of my mausoleum. Dead and drained of her blood."

Cassie didn't say anything, just looked at the tombstones before her. The name Wensilton was engraved roughly on two of the stones. Nothing more.

"Your parents?" she asked.

Basil answered with a silent nod. He then motioned with his eyes to the next stone. It was unmarked but Cassie knew whose it was without Basil having to tell her.

"It's Didi's, isn't it?"

"It is," he answered softly.

Cassie crawled over to the stone and lay face down on the soft grass in front of it. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Didi was truly gone. She never wanted to accept the fact, but now she had to. Her sister was dead and she had no one left in this world to turn to. There was no one who cared about her, no one who loved her.

"Cassie, there's more I have to show you."

She looked up at him, not believing he was so insensitive that he couldn't allow her a few minutes to mourn. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and took the hand he offered to bring her to her feet. His face was probably the best poker face she'd ever seen. She had no idea how he was feeling.