Page 31 of Whispers at Dusk
Harrington looked at them.
“Yes, you get to leave now,” Mason told him. “But someone out there is killing people, Mr. Harrington. So far, the killer targets women. But he’s dangerous. Be careful.”
“I’ll be careful, I’ll be careful!” he promised. “I mean, I’d heard about some guy who was calling himself a vampire and killing—”
“You heard about him, but you went to the woods with a man claiming to be Vlad Dracul?” Della asked him, shaking her head.
“Well, he was with the blonde! If she was with him, I figured he was just a kook—and they were playing off what was going on and...it was stupid.”
“Yes, it was stupid,” Mason said.
“And I was drunk,” Harrington admitted. “I mean... Oh, man. I won’t be stupid again. I room with a guy who is more serious than I am and doesn’t go out often, and I just might be hanging around the room arguing over the remote control with him more often. I... Wow. So...they might really have been the people who killed these women?”
“We don’t know. But I do suggest you take greater care. Maybe have a drink or two, but don’t get drunk and run off to drink blood with a so-called vampire?” Della suggested.
Harrington nodded and rose slowly. “Um... I don’t think anyone who knows me saw you two attack me—”
“We asked you to stop,” Mason reminded him.
“Okay, that you two handcuffed me, and I’d just as soon...”
“What?” Della asked.
“Well, can you pretend you don’t know me and I’ll pretend I don’t know you?”
“That will work,” Della assured him. “Unless we need you,” she added softly. “But, don’t worry. We’re going to find our vampire. We’ll have to have evidence to get him, so I believe you’ll be in the clear.”
“I am fine with it. You don’t know us, we don’t know you,” Mason said.
“We’ll see you out,” Della told him, rising as well along with Mason. They walked back through the main office area where it seemed François Bisset had been waiting for them by the door. He smiled and bid Harrington good-night and opened the door for him. Once he had stepped out, Bisset turned to Della and Mason.
“I took the liberty of asking for a police officer to keep a protective eye on the gentleman, since you brought him in for questioning, and I didn’t believe you’d be holding him,” he said.
“Perceptive and great, Monsieur Bisset,” Mason said. “He could be in trouble—or he could be approached again, and then again...”
“He wasn’t our vampire,” Bisset said.
“No, but he might be contacted again by someone who might be,” Della said. “He works at the dig—that’s not a bad place to have an officer positioned to keep an eye on things.”
Bisset nodded. “By the way, please just call me François. We will be working together for... Well, it could be a while.”
“François. Della, Mason, please,” Della told him.
Bisset nodded pleasantly. “Did you get anything helpful from the man?”
“Yes, we’re looking for Vlad Dracul from the movies—not the old creepy Vlad Dracul like Max Schreck from the old, old 1922Nosferatu. Say the vampire from the times he was played by heartthrob actors, Gerard Butler, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, or a young George Hamilton,” Mason told him.
“What?”
“A man in costume, from what we’ve gotten, but we’re getting the images from our headquarters that were done over the Internet with a Krewe artist. As soon as she sends her finished product, we’ll get it to our group and the police. OurDraculais styled after the good-looking seducers in certain films, and he is spending time with a stunning blonde woman,” Della told him.
“Well...this man you just interviewed knew something about them?” François asked.
“Yes. They drink blood they claim to be their own,” Mason said. “Anyway—”
“The others have finished their tasks and headed in for the evening,” Bisset said. “Nothing earth-shattering. Dr. Andersen informed Wilhelm he wouldn’t know more until he had performed a full autopsy, and that will be in the morning. Wilhelm plans to attend, leaving you free to pursue any leads you may have.”
“I wonder if Wilhelm should be the attending,” Della said softly.
