The Vampiric Housewife (3 page)

    
“Catch you at a bad time?” the doctor asked with a smile.

    
“No. Just in thought. Trying to think if there was anything I left out of my report.” Charlie used to be an expert liar even before he joined Dr. Venjamin’s project. But in the last few years, he found it more and more difficult. He was sure everyone saw through his deceptions these days. He was always amazed when he wasn’t caught—both by the doctor and Val.

    
“I thought I’d check in and see how you were holding up. How’s the family?”

    
“They’re . . . they’re good.”

    
“I’m looking forward to seeing them tomorrow night.”

    
“Valerie’s excited too. She’s going into full swing. But, um, John and Amelia aren’t going to be there.”

    
“No? I am disappointed.”

    
“John wanted to take Lisa Cummings out and Amelia’s going to double with them with Drew Sanders.”

    
Dr. Venjamin’s bushy eyebrows rose in surprise and excitement. “John and Lisa are a good match. They should be able to carry on the bloodline. Amelia and Drew, that’s an interesting start.”

    
Charlie shifted in his seat. He didn’t particular like the idea of Amelia dating. Especially Drew Sanders. He was a bit older than Amelia. More than a bit to be honest. He was ever so much more dangerous than a seventeen year old boy. Charlie certainly did not like the idea of Dr. Venjamin approving of the boy Amelia had a crush on or his insinuations about bloodlines. “I don’t know if Amelia’s ready to date yet. She seems uncomfortable with the idea. She likes the boy but—“

    
“But I’m sure you’ll get her to see that it’s healthy for a girl her age to go out and date. She’ll have fun. I know she feels like a misfit in school.”

     
Charlie just started at him. Sometimes it was like Dr. Venjamin knew his children better than he did. But his children were teenagers. Teenagers kept secrets from their parents. And parents didn’t have Dr. Venjamin’s resources.

    
“I’ll be sorry to miss their company. But young Harry will be there, won’t he?”

    
“Yes, yes, wherever there’s a human, there’s Harry,” Charlie said forcing a smile.

    
“I heard the rascal got himself in trouble at school.”

    
“A fight, boys being boys.”

   
 
“He couldn’t withstand the lure of a beating heart of his own kind. Went for the jugular, I believe?” There he went again, knowing all the details of his children’s lives.

    
“That’s right. Valerie’s worried.”

    
The doctor smiled. “No reason for that. I believe Harry is a very special little boy. Unique from his peers. I will be happy to chat with him.” The doctor paused for a moment. “Charlie, I’m proud of you. Your family by far is exceptional and you’ve done an exceptional job with them. I think it’s time to bring you on board to the next phase of our project. Honestly, I don’t know if we could do it without you. Tomorrow when you come in, come straight to my office. I want to brief you myself.” He turned to leave then stopped. “Please tell Valerie I look forward to her dinner—even if my stomach ailment will prevent me from partaking in the feast—I will enjoy the company immensely.”

    
Charlie nodded and smiled. “Of course. We look forward to having you in our home.”

Chapter Three

Fresh Produce

    
With a hat pinned to her head, petite white gloves on her hands, and a clutch purse, Valerie journeyed to the local Blood Market for the weekly grocery shopping. In the window display hung the tantalizing black and white hind legs of a cow still dripping fresh with blood. The opposite display housed a couple of young, healthy humans, their eyes glazed, and their bodies swaying as if they heard enchanted, imaginary music. Sedated humans always swayed like reeds in the wind. She never quite understood why. The sign in the window read “
Untainted and Fresh! Bring your human home for dinner tonight!”
The sign below it read: “
Don’t have the time to prepare your own human for the big dinner? The Blood Market will drain your human for you!”

    
Valerie shook her head at the sign before entering the store. Once, and only once, had she allowed the market to drain her human for her. It cost more than it was worth and they lost half the blood in the process. She’d rather do the job correctly herself or allow her family to feed directly from the body. She felt they got more nutrients that way even if it was a little barbaric. Harry, of course, loved it.

  
  
The blue shopping cart she selected had a squeaky wheel that was slowly giving her a grinding headache as she steered down each aisle. She stocked up on animal meat—steaks, a couple legs of lamb, and even sprung for some delicacies that she hoped would peak Charlie’s appetite while satisfying Harry’s—freshly slaughtered turkeys, some venison meat, and a couple live rabbits. She spied some blood vessel candy. When Harry was younger, blood vessels were his favorite treat. He would suck them dry. She put a package in her cart. Yet her hopes were not high. She wished Harry could be as simple to feed as his siblings.

    
She picked up a week’s worth of packaged blood, a handful of A, B, and O. She couldn’t taste the difference between the types, but Harry swore he could. With that thought, she picked up two of AB. At one time that was his favorite before the fresh human blood craze.

    
With the daily meals of her family taken care of, she began her shopping for the dinner party. She would have to remember to call the blood delivery company to make sure they delivered a few extra bottles so her guests could drink fresh blood martinis instead of packaged. Then she would serve human hearts with aortas still attached. The human would be for dessert.

    
“Hello Mrs. Murray,” the butcher greeted her. “Lovely night we’re having, isn’t it? What can I do for you?” He smiled at her, his canines extending long past his bottom lip.

    
“I’m just fine, Dick. How’s Marcia and the kids?”

    
“Everyone’s lovely, Mrs. Murray. Hope you can say the same of your lovely family?”

    
“Yes. In fact we’re having Dr. Venjamin over for dinner tomorrow night and I need some hearts to serve.”

    
“I think I can scavenge some up for you. How many do you need?”

    
Let’s see, there would be Dr. Venjamin and Dr. Henrick, Rhett and Marie Miller, and of course her and Charlie. She had to admit, she was reluctant to pick one up for the two doctors. Both had delicate stomachs and always very diplomatically refused her delicious dinners, but their refusals were beginning to wear on her nerves. Why buy something they all knew would be rejected by a feigned stomachache? Why not just be honest and kill the charade? Even though one of the children would surely eat the leftovers, it was the principal of the matter. But if Jett Wilson’s wife could handle the waste of food and effort, so could Valerie. Harry would also be at the dinner table so that came to seven hearts.

    
“Seven hearts, aortas still attached please.”

    
“Coming right up!”

    
As he wrapped her hearts in brown paper for her, she began eyeing the humans in the bin next to the meat counter. They had put the young ones in the front window. The ones in the bin were older, a little wider in girth, a little less sanguine in complexion, their blood vessels not as wide as the younger ones, the arteries a little more clogged, but she could hear their individual heartbeats, all were strong and healthy even with sedation.

     
“There you go, Mrs. Murray. Anything else I can do for you?”

 
   
“How are the humans looking today?” she asked even though she could plainly see.

    
“Just off the truck tonight so less tranquilizers and such in the blood since they haven’t been sitting as long.”

    
“Can you have the one in the back, the brown haired human with the blue sweater, brought out to my car for me?”

    
“Of course, Mrs. Murray. Sounds like quite the party you’re giving.”

    
Valerie smiled. “I hope so. See you soon.”

    
He nodded at her and went to fetch her requested human.

    
As she directed her squeaky cart towards the check out, an old friend of hers, Betsy Danover, walked by looking somewhat distracted.

    
“Betsy! Honey, how are you?” Valerie stopped her with a hand on the shoulder. She was a pretty woman; her skin had the appearance of being carved out of the finest marble, her hair was kept longer than most modern styles so it fell over her shoulders in black cascades. Her black eyes were slanted and exotic. But today, they revealed something was amiss.

    
“Valerie. How are you? Is that a new hat? It’s adorable. Did you get it at the Milliners Shop on Main Street? I love that shop.”

    
“Thank you. No, Charlie bought it for me on one of his business trips,” she said touching the hat on her head.

    
Betsy smiled, but her red lips trembled.

    
“How is Bill?”

    
“Good, good. He’s still working at the hospital. I mean, he’s not as high up as Charlie, but he’s there. Things are good.”

    
“Is something wrong, dear?” Valerie gently touched her arm. It was taboo to ask, especially in a public place, but she just could not bring herself to pretend that her friend wasn’t in some sort of distress. Why, she and Betsy had grown up together, gone to school together since they were knee high.

    
Her charming face began to lose its composure. She shook her head and clutched Valerie’s arm. “It’s . . . it’s nothing. No. I had another miscarriage two nights ago. That’s all.”

    
“Betsy, I’m so sorry.”

     
She forced a smile. “You’d think I’d be use to them by now. I’ve had one a year since Bill and I married nearly twenty years ago.”

    
“How is Bill handling it?”

    
“Bill’s a rock. He says we’ll just keep trying. God will bless us one day if we don’t lose faith. That was what he told me, then he went right back to reading the newspaper as if I just told him we were out of Type A blood.” She smiled nervously, her lips still trembling. “Sometimes I think it doesn’t faze him one bit, being childless. Losing all the children that we’ve lost.”

    
“Of course it does! Don’t think otherwise for a moment. He’s just being a man. They can shoulder these types of things easier. Have you been to Dr. Henrick?”

  
  
She nodded. “First thing tonight. He says I’m not damaged . . . down there, I mean, and that Bill and I should keep trying. He says there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have a child. Some day.”

    
“Of course there isn’t. Next week, Betsy, we’ll go to the beauty parlor and get our hair done then treat ourselves to some lunch at that fancy little eatery that only serves whole, living humans. It’ll take your mind off everything. They say that when you stop trying is when it happens.”

    
“Is that how it happened for you and Charlie?”

     
Valerie smiled, slightly embarrassed of her good luck. “We were fortunate with John and Amelia. But with Harry . . . yes, that’s how it happened. Just let me know if there is anything you need.”