Читать книгу Desire After Dark - Amanda Ashley - Страница 10

Tom Duncan picked up the three-day-old newspaper, his eyes narrowing as he perused the headlines:

BODIES OF TWO YOUNG WOMEN FOUND

POLICE FEAR SERIAL KILLER ON THE LOOSE

IN PEAR BLOSSOM CREEK

He quickly read the account, noting that there had been no sign of rape or physical abuse, no signs of a struggle. One of the women had been a resident of Pear Blossom Creek, the other a transient. Both had been single, both had been redheads, both in their early twenties. According to the newspaper account, the police suspected a serial killer, but Duncan knew better. It wasn’t the work of a serial killer, but a vampire. And he had a sneaking suspicion he knew just which of the Undead was responsible.

After checking the time, he picked up the phone next to his bed and put in a call to Edward Ramsey.

Ramsey answered on the second ring. “Yeah?”

“Hey, Edward, it’s me.”

“Duncan! It’s good to hear from you. How is everything?”

“Same as always. Listen, have you heard anything about Falco lately?”

“You mean Dimitri Falco, slayer of innocent women and children?”

“Yeah.”

“He was one of Kristov’s, as I recall? Hunted only redheads, right? Always took a lock of their hair for a souvenir.”

“That’s him.”

“I haven’t heard a word about him since he gave us the slip four years ago.”

Duncan grunted softly. He and Ramsey had spent six months hunting for Dimitri Falco. They had scoured Russia, but the wily vampire had managed to stay one jump ahead of them the whole time, and then it seemed like he had vanished from the face of the earth.

“Wait a minute,” Ramsey said. “Didn’t Adams claim he destroyed Falco in South America last year?”

“Well, if he did, there’s another vampire out there following the same M.O., and he’s turned up in a little nowhere town in the Midwest called Pear Blossom Creek.”

“Are you there now?”

“No, but I’m headed in that direction.” Duncan paused. “So, how’s life, or death, treating you these days?”

“It gets easier every night.”

Duncan remembered talking to Ramsey after they had destroyed Khira. He had asked Edward what he missed most now that he was a vampire. Ramsey had replied that he missed his humanity, the warmth of the sun on his face, the ability to have a son to carry on the Ramsey name. He had said the worst of it was the aloneness he felt sometimes, the sense of being separated from the rest of the world. And then he had smiled. It wasn’t all bad, Ramsey had said. His senses were sharper, he didn’t have to worry about catching the flu or growing old, he could read minds and control thoughts, move from one place to another almost before he knew he wanted to.

Duncan thought of that now as he asked, “Do you ever miss the hunt?”

“All the time.”

“How’s Randolph working out?”

“He’s doing all right. You would have done better. Oh, Kelly says hi.”

Duncan grinned. “Hi to Kelly. What do you hear from Marisa and Grigori?”

“Not much. Last I heard, they were in New York. Listen, Tom, call me if you need me.”

“I will. So long.”

Hanging up the phone, Duncan packed his gear and checked out of the hotel.

Twenty minutes later, he was on the highway headed for Pear Blossom Creek.