Adduné - the Vampire's Game (70 page)

She wasn’t aware of anything dire happening within their immediate family so whatever it was, fell outside that boundary. She suspected it was Miranda – especially when coupled with the evidence of the past few of weeks. Mysterious phone calls and communications that went on long after he retired to his study. It meant he’d brought his work home with him and that was unusual. Within the last few days, the activity had swelled to a fever pitch. It even included loud moments that allowed her to hear bits and pieces of his conversation throughout the house. It was so atypical for her husband to raise his voice. He was so circumspect and in control. Only someone he loved being in peril brought that side out of her husband. She couldn’t help but wonder what Miranda had gotten herself into.

She had hoped this night would be different, but it hadn’t turned out that way. Reginald had been pulled away from his nightly grooming ritual by a very late phone call – a call he went downstairs to take. There were very few people that he would have even accepted a call from at this hour, and excluding family, Miranda topped that list.

She heard his footsteps on the staircase. She sat up when he came in the door. He was dressed in his pajamas, a silk robe tied around him. The leather fleece-lined slippers she’d bought him last Christmas were on his feet. She smiled from the fact that he always took the time to be so fastidious in his dress – even in times like this when something was clearly wrong.

“
Oh, sorry, dear. I didn’t mean to wake you,” he apologized as she rose and gave him a soft peck on his cheek. He sat down heavily in the corner chair he used for reading. She went behind him – to massage his upper back and shoulders. It was where he held most of his tension – always had. For his birthday, she’d bought him a chair that performed Shiatsu by using a series of rollers. She thought it would aid him getting the kinks out, but he preferred the artistry of his wife’s long, delicate hands. The chair went unused and collected dust.

“
That feels wonderful,” he murmured relaxing under her soft kneading.

She leaned down whispering in his ear.

“
That’s what you always say.”

She punctuated her remark by kissing him again on his smooth, baby soft cheek. There was a soft fragrance coming from his skin. It came from a delicious rosemary and lavender soap that she’d purchased recently. The smell was refreshingly clean – and subdued enough to be manly.

“
Reginald, do tell me what is going on?”

“
Whatever do you mean, dear?”

“
You know perfectly well what I mean, darling. You look so peeked. And you usually sleep like a bear, but not lately. A feather falling would disturb you. I’m worried, Reginald. Do you think an appointment with Dr. Martin would be prudent?”

“
What on earth could he do except charge me an exorbitant fee to say I need to relax.” He turned his head slightly and patted one of her hands now resting on his shoulder. “That’s all it is – stress.”

She’d been right – there was something bothering him. He was confessing to it with half-hearted feeble excuses. She knowingly nodded her head. It was as she thought.

“
And that phone call you just took. Was it part of this … stressful situation?”

“
Yes, Miranda has gotten herself into a bit of trouble.”

Bonnie’s hands halted their delightful course of his pressure points. As soon as his comment sunk in, they continued on their mission of undoing all the damage the past few days had wrought.

“
I thought so. At least from what I heard.”

“
What did you hear?”

“
Nothing. Isn’t that why you left the room? So I wouldn’t hear?”

“
Exactly. No use dragging you into this mess.”

“
What mess is it, Reginald?”

He leaned into her fingers that were unknotting a tender spot. He sighed indicating to his wife to linger.

“
I suppose you’ll find out soon enough. Miranda had taken up with a character in New York that thought it appropriate to put a video on the internet.”

“
What?”

Reginald could hear the concern in her voice. Her hands were immediately lifted off his back. She rushed around and sat on the settee directly across from him, leaning her elbows on her knees towards him.

“
Are we talking about what I suppose we’re talking about?”

“
If you’re this upset, I would tend to think we are on the same page and that you’ve got it right.”

“
Then it’s a sex-u-al tape? Of Mir-an-da …” she queried stuttering and not quite wanting to say the descriptive words necessary to paint the full picture, “… and this person was … doing …
things
of a lascivious nature?”

“
Yes, that would be accurate if you mean she was naked as a jay bird and hoisted about like a little piece of baggage being man-handled at the airport.”

“
Oh, my!” she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. “No wonder you’ve been so upset. Does Connie know? She didn’t mention anything when I spoke to her today.”

“
I don’t know. I certainly haven’t said anything. I’ve only been working to get the blasted thing taken off. This all only just happened.”

“
You mean today?”

“
Yes. She was with this scoundrel last night. The tape was stolen and placed on the internet early today – NY time. I don’t know what time you talked to Constance, but it might not have been up by then.”

“
I see. It was this morning. It’s lucky she didn’t know. It only would have added to what went on with poor Arthur.”

“
What do you mean? What went on with Arthur?”

“
His crypt was vandalized.”

Reginald felt a dagger shoot through his stomach and out the top of his head. He lurched forward and stared into his wife’s eyes, no longer fatigued. His heart was racing.

“
A break-in? When?”

“
They don’t seem to know. They don’t check the vaults every day, but they do perform regular maintenance. As you know the Larchmont Cemetery is very well attended. Because they have an established routine they’ve narrowed down the time period of when it could have occurred. They’re certain it happened within the last two weeks.”

“
What did they want? Was anything taken?”

“
No, no, nothing was taken. And no damage to the … to the body.”

“
Thank goodness for that.”

‘
Yes, they assured Connie that Arthur was still there and his remains undefiled.”

“
Then what did they do?”

“
Connie said that an individual – or group of individuals – broke in, unsealed the coffin, replaced the lid, and left.”

“
That makes no sense at all. Why go to all that trouble to view a corpse …” Reginald’s voice trailed off. He’d been wrong. Wrong in what he told Miranda. People viewed corpses to make sure they were there and if Larchmont told Constance that Arthur’s body was there, he couldn’t have been shipped to America. Figgs had been wrong – and he had been wrong to mention it. He was passing along the worst kind of gossip. He felt wretched – as if he’d been a part of some prank played at Miranda’s expense. Bonnie’s voice floated in over his troubling thoughts.

“
Who knows why people do what they do? You of all people know that people do insane things from time-to-time. There is no rhyme or reason. Whether they wanted to snap a picture, touch his remains, or pilfer any jewelry left on his body, it’s all conjecture since they don’t have a clue as to who the perpetrator was. And you know that people are just fascinated by death. It’s always been that way.”

His wife was right. She always was, but this time she was saying so much more. She was hitting the nail on the head as to why Figgs had behaved the way he had. His actions had been the action of someone insane.

“
Has it?”

“
Yes, death occupies much of our time and attention. Not everyone is as logical and rational in their thinking as you or I.”

“
What do you think about death, Bonnie?”

Bonnie was flustered by the question. Reginald searched her soft face for an answer. He’d never discussed this subject with her. Yes, they both had Wills prepared, and both had chosen burial plots, but she’d never been asked her opinion of death.

“
I think it’s something everyone fears – at least a little bit. I’m lucky that we have our religion. Our faith tells me that death is only a beginning and not an end.” She smiled and tilted her head. Her hair shifted to the side in an appealing way that reminded Reginald of why he’d married her. She had been a charming girl and was now a charming woman. There was no one in the world that would have engaged and held his interest this long except for Bonnie.

Bonnie regarded her beloved, devoted husband.

“
I’ve spent this much time with you already and I do so look forward to continuing it in the afterlife,” she continued gazing at him with love and adoration.

“
Are you so sure there’s one?”

“
Reginald! I’m surprised at you questioning our faith after this long a time! Or is it that you don’t relish spending the next eternity with me?” she teased.

Without hesitation he avowed, “Bonnie, my darling wife, there is no one on this earth that I would rather spend it with. On that I swear.”

He spoke with a fervor and passion that was sincere. Bonnie could feel the wealth of emotion that was poured into that simple statement. She rose up and leaned in to give him a fresh kiss on his small, rosebud mouth. It was hiding under that moustache he was so proud of. When they first started dating he’d been so fond of saying, his mouth was small, but well worth finding.

He was passionate about his love for Bonnie, but tonight there was more going on. Things that Bonnie wasn’t aware of. He felt so guilty and ashamed of telling false tales. He needed to apologize to Miranda – as soon as possible. He felt as if he’d betrayed her – and Arthur. How could he have been so stupid? He supposed it was because, as Bonnie said, everyone acts illogically about death. The subject so overwhelms the mind, that sometimes people – even educated ones – are open to believing lies.

“
Then our bargain is sealed. It’s strange that we stumbled on this subject because it does give us insight into what Connie is going through. We have this concept of an afterlife and when something disturbs its sanctity – like that break-in – the shadow side of it emerges. Hence her bad dream. She was quite shaken.”

Reginald felt that dagger again. This time it was stabbing into him – making him bleed on the inside. He didn’t want to know, but had to. The madness was spreading.

“
She had a dream?”

“
Yes, about Arthur,” she answered quietly looking down at her hands.

It didn’t mean anything. Nothing at all. No matter what she said it was a lie. Someone was playing games. Putting thoughts in people’s heads. He didn’t know how, but it was being done.

Bonnie fiddled with her nightgown not wanting to look at her husband any longer. She didn’t want him to ask her any more questions about Connie’s nightmare. She didn’t want to reveal what it was about. It was personal and Connie had told her in confidence. She had the same sense of integrity that her husband did, and didn’t want to divulge a confidence to just anyone. Her husband was hardly just anyone, but it was one more person that would know. Bonnie wasn’t sure that Connie would want that, but Reginald said it for her ending her dilemma.

“
She dreamt he was a vampire. Is that what you don’t want to tell me? That Connie had a dream about Arthur being a vampire?”

Bonnie looked up quickly. She was astonished that he had guessed. She knew he was intelligent, but had no idea he was such a student of the human condition.

“
Yes, and how on God’s green earth did you ever know that? I would have been less surprised had you pulled a rabbit out of your robe pocket. Wait a minute … you said that the tape involving Miranda only happened today and you’ve been bothered about something for what? The past few weeks, so it had to be something else and ..” Bonnie fidgeted as she talked.

Reginald thought about the notes downstairs hidden in his desk drawer. There was no way he’d bring her into this. He’d prevent it with his very life if necessary – especially now that he knew it was all a lie.