Page 76 of Whispers at Dusk
“Yes, of course, whoever needs it most must take the beds—” Edmund began politely.
“Hey, these are great chairs, we’ll be fine here,” Mason said. “We’ve traveled a lot together and we’re good at sleeping anywhere.”
Della quicky agreed with him. The others went to stretch out.
Della rested her head on his shoulder and he rested his head on hers. It shouldn’t have been comfortable. It was.
Mason closed his eyes, trying to get his mind to rest. There was nothing else they could do now until they landed in Bucharest.
He did sleep. And so did Della. The pilot’s announcement they were about to land was what woke him.
Commander Anton Alexandru was at the airport to meet them. He was a tall man in his early fifties with short-cropped dark hair and solid features. As Bisset had told them, his English was perfect, barely accented. He told them they’d been scanning all security tapes, but so far they had found nothing. All they knew was an hour before she was due to meet her friends, she had walked out of the hotel and down the street. Under normal circumstances, an adult wouldn’t be considered missing so quickly.
But European law enforcement knew there was a “vampire” at work.
“Of course,” he told them, extending his hand toward a large SUV, “this is a land where...legends abound. Bran Castle is an amazing edifice. Though in truth, it wasn’t considered a great fortress. Now the architecture is outstanding, but I think you will find our towns to be so also. Much was built in medieval days—and in my mind, our towns do have a magic to them. Due to the situation, you will see Castle Bran. But it is the forests that still surround the hill and the castle that are so amazing. By night, a fog rolls in and... Well, you will see.”
“It’s beautiful!” Della said, looking out the window.
“We are a beautiful country,” Alexandru said, nodding slightly as he drove. “High mountains, sweeping valleys, lakes, rivers, forests, and more. Of course, throughout history that has made this region—under so many different rulers—a land to be coveted. But we are Romania, part of the European Union and part of the United Nations, and we are proud to be the country we are today!”
“Of course!” Bisset agreed.
“And,” Alexandru added dryly, “we are famous for Bran Castle and Dracula. I wonder if Mr. Bram Stoker knows wherever the next life may be that he created an industry of tourism for the modern country we’ve become.”
“I imagine it would please him. Although certainly, he must be equally pleased his book has been scaring people now for well over a hundred years,” Mason said.
“And I think, from what I’ve read about the man,” Della said, “he’d be happy he helped the region get lots of tourists!”
“So, Monsieur Bisset has seen to it your accommodations are at a lovely and historic hotel, but daylight does not last long. I didn’t know if you’d want to head for the hotel or the castle or—” Alexandru began.
“Let’s not waste daylight,” Edmund Taylor said, glancing as best he could at the others in the SUV. “We believe he takes the women to forested areas—”
“I have alerted our police. They are sending all available officers out to search as well. You know, Bran Castle had been repaired and refurbished...” He paused for a minute and then said, “And areas are even rented out for private parties so... Well, you can have a vampire wedding if you wish, I assume. We—”
Mason decided he was taking charge. He believed that while everyone had heard Della’s recording of Dante, the two of them knew him best.
“The forest,” he said. “Whether the man we’re seeking—Stephan Dante, the mastermind behind this horror—took the young lady or another man took her, they have a way of working. They drug their captives. Sometimes they hold them a few hours or even a few days. Then they drain their blood. They have medical equipment to do so, but in the end... We need to get looking in the forest. At this point, we can only hope that we may be on time.”
“Stop by police headquarters, please,” Bisset said. “I’ve arranged for earbud transmitters—we can split up but be within range if there’s any trouble.”
“Brilliant, Bisset, thank you!” Mason told him. “And Commander Alexandru, we’ll get to the castle tomorrow if we find nothing tonight. We’re all human, we’d love to see it, but this killer doesn’t function anywhere with a major tour group. He finds his victims and lures them in bars and after-dinner establishments. Drugging his victims is a major part of it. They are found looking as beautiful as if they were asleep. In his mantra to others, they don’t hurt the women by killing them, they become sacred for their donations to those who will live forever.”
“I have read every brief and file,” Alexandru said solemnly. “The forest it is. But even with several score police officers out there, our numbers are small compared to the trees and the brush, the area surrounding Bran Castle, the waterfronts, hills, valleys...”
“With the earbuds, we can split up,” Della said.
She was next to Mason and she looked at him. “Earbuds,” she said. “And I am a crack shot.”
“But if he’s out there,” Taylor said worriedly, “Della, he has it in for you.”
She looked ahead, out the window at the charming town they were passing with its baroque church tower and old stone and wood buildings. She turned to Edmund. “Here’s the great thing—if he comes anywhere near me, he’s going to want to taunt me. And if he comes across me, you’ll know immediately because we’ll be transmitting to one another. He won’t know that you know—and you’ll surprise him.”
“Why do I find that to be frightening—but entirely useful logic?” Lapierre asked from the rear seat of the vehicle.
Della turned to him, smiling. “Jeanne, I promise you, I am armed, I am a crack shot—and I’m also an incredible team player. I know you will all be near me. And there’s no other choice. Having me out there might save a life.”
But it could mean you lose yours! Mason thought.
