Page 37 of Whispers at Dusk
“Now, he tried,” Della said. “He just got aggravated when we asked about people coming and going—and suggested someone involved might be a vampire.”
“He was anxious to make us understand Vikings never had anything to do with a vampire legend from any part of the world.”
“They had their own gods, goddesses, and demons,” Della said. “As did all cultures. But he’s right about one thing—there was certainly nothing in Viking culture similar to movie vampires. I’m not sure he’s readDracula—Bram Stoker’s creature did not look like a handsome dark-haired seducer. But Stoker definitely created an immortal legend.”
“The legends have been out there. Lamia was an ancient Greek child-eating monster and a demon. Norse mythology was the religion of the Vikings. Yes, they had powerful gods. But they had all manner of creatures as well. Such as draugar!”
“And they would be?”
“Norse undead!”
“Somewhat handsome like young Lugosi, young Hamilton, or Luke Evans?”
“No! Oh, no, no, no. Super strong, maybe magical, but undead and gross and rotting.”
“Well, then, I guess he had his point.”
Della sighed softly. “He has his point in that the poor women this vampire has attacked—or these vampires have attacked—are left as if they’re in a modern movie. And there is nothing similar that I know of in Norse mythology. Though, seriously, the way the women are being left, we are talking Hollywood movies. In almost every culture, the undead were rotting, putrid, and terrifying. Yes, they existed all around the world. And all around the world, people believed they might be real. Burial sites have been discovered in which the corpses had their chests ripped open and their hearts torn out. While some had knives left on their throats to slice them or decapitate them should they try to rise. It happened all over. Of course, as Lars was saying, plagues caused so much death that corpses had to be moved sometimes, and gases accumulated, and they moved, so...” She broke off, shrugging.
Mason listened to her and shook his head. “We need to see what Wilhelm learned at autopsy. And I’d like to interview Marlene Rogers, the friend of Asta Dahl, the first victim discovered here. I want to know where they were before...well, before Asta disappeared. Friends don’t usually leave friends.”
“Maybe Marlene had jet lag. Maybe she drank too much. No, friends don’t usually leave friends. But there are logical reasons she might have done so.”
They headed for the car. As they did so, Mason saw a man sitting in a small car, leaning back, as if just resting before moving on.
But he opened his eyes, leaning up as he saw them, then nodded and leaned back again.
Mason nodded in return.
He was with the police and here to watch over Scott Harrington.
It might not have been a bad idea at all for the young man to receive protection. He could hope no one he knew had seen what had happened. Just as they could hope the people at the dig believed they were journalists.
In Mason’s experience, a lie only lasted so long.
And if someone knew Scott Harrington had spilled everything he knew, his life could well be in danger.
Too bad he hadn’t really known anything! Well, he had helped. And they now knew someone was walking around Lillehammer in a movie-Dracula cape.
Mason had seen the man who had been watching the house. Did he know they were law enforcement? He shouldn’t—unless he somehow had connections with the local police department.
“Cop or the equivalent thereof?” Della murmured, referring to the manrestingin his vehicle. Mason glanced over at her and nodded.
“Okay, here’s the thing. We need to speak with Marlene Rogers.”
“And Wilhelm, and find out if there is anything different in this autopsy,” Della said. “Then as evening falls, we can troll the streets for a vampire in a cape.”
Mason shook his head.
“He won’t wear the cape anymore.”
“You know that how?”
“He knows I saw him in a cape last night. Whether he knows who we are or not, we need to go with the possibility he does. So—”
“We still need to play it as if we have no idea who he is.”
“That’s dangerous—because you intend to flirt with him and see where he leads you.”
