Dracul's Revenge 01: Dracul's Blood (7 page)

“It’s more than a clue, it’s the reason. Don’t ask me how I know, call it a gut instinct.”

Nik lifted his head and stared into the detectives eyes. “I think it’s more important than ever DRACUL’S BLOOD

Carol Lynne and T.A. Chase

42

to find out exactly where this cask came from and who made it, and the only way that’s going to happen is to find out what’s under that wax seal.”

“So, what are you proposing?”

“That we get it to a restoration expert. I don’t want to get you in hot water, so I figure an order from the Mayor to release the cask for expert analysis would help smooth things over with your boss.”

“Let me give it some thought. It would go over better if I warned my lieutenant before she gets the actual phone call.”

“Is there a way for you to speak to her now? I’ve no idea what’ll be involved in finding out what’s under that wax, but it’ll most likely take some time. The quicker we get answers, the quicker you solve your case.” Nik held his breath, waiting for Bobby’s decision.

After several moments, Bobby stood and pulled his cell phone out of his jacket pocket.

“I’ll give it a shot. I sure hope you’re right about this.”

Nik reached out and grabbed Bobby’s free hand, giving it a slight squeeze. “I wouldn’t put you in this position if I wasn’t sure.”

Bobby pulled his hand away and left the room in mid-dial. Nik was surprised when the door opened a few seconds later. He turned to find Peter. “Oh. Did you get them?”

Peter held out several photographs. “That’s the best I can do with what we have here.

Is it enough?”

Nik studied the blown up images of the wax seal. “These are great. Thanks, Peter.”

Peter left the room, and Nik continued to stare at the crest.
God, why did it look so
familiar?
He reached for his backpack and withdrew a notebook and pencil. He was far from an artist, so he laid a blank sheet of paper over the photo and began to trace the image.

He was so involved in what he was doing, he didn’t hear Bobby re-enter the room.

The large hand landing on his shoulder caused him to jump.

“Shit. I’m sorry,” Bobby apologised.

Nik shook his head and picked up his pencil from where it had dropped. “Did you talk to your boss?”

“Yeah. She’s not happy, but she listened to everything I said, which is a good sign.”

“So? What does that mean? Will she come down on you if I call Professor Lattimer?”

Bobby scratched at the back of his neck. “She said I’d better be right or it would be my head. That’s as close to her blessing as I’m likely to get.”

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Carol Lynne and T.A. Chase

43

The drawing forgotten, Nik reached into his backpack for his phone. He searched his contact list and came up with George Lattimer’s phone number. Now that Bobby had faced the dragon, it was Nik’s turn.

“Hello?”

“Professor Lattimer? This is Nikolay Radin.”

“Nikolay, how are you, boy?”

“I’m well, sir, and you?”

“Having the time of my life.”

“That’s good to hear, sir.” He knew he needed to get to the point. George Lattimer was a talker, and Nik knew he could easily spend the next fifteen minutes discussing the weather. “The reason I’m calling is for your expertise.”

“Really? I thought you were an expert now?” George chuckled.

“In some subjects, but I have a miniature cask from the mid-fifteenth century that I need help with.”

“Is this for a class?”

“No, sir. I’m working with the NYPD.” Nik went on to describe the cask. He didn’t tell the professor any more than was absolutely necessary, but from the sounds of George’s breathing on the other end of the phone, he didn’t need to. Nik nodded his head at Bobby before he even finished his conversation. He knew his old professor was as excited by the find as Nik had been.

“…so I’d like to find out what’s written on the label under the wax seal. Can you tell me how long you think that’ll take you?”

“It would depend on how soon I can get it to DC and the severity of the staining.”

“Do you think a call to the mayor would help speed the process?” Nik knew he was pushing, but George had never been known to back down from a challenge.

“Leave it to me. One way or another, I’ll get it couriered down here as soon as possible. Now, about this crest, any idea who it belongs to?”

“Not yet. I have a feeling I’ll be spending a few hours with my nose stuck in research books.”

“Go to the New York Public Library on Forty-second Street and ask for Edna Grant.

I’ll give her a call and let her know you’re coming.”

“Thank you, Professor Lattimer.”

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Carol Lynne and T.A. Chase

44

“No, thank you, my boy. You may have dropped the find of the century into my lap.”

Nik hung up and turned to Bobby. “He said to let him take care of it. I don’t know who he’ll call, but Professor Lattimer has some powerful connections in both Washington and New York.”

Bobby nodded. “Okay, now what do we do?”

Nik held up the half-finished drawing. “I need to do some research. Would you mind dropping me by the library on Forty-second Street?”

“Not at all. Do you want some help?”

Nik knew his concentration would suffer with the gorgeous detective around, so he reluctantly shook his head. “I can do this part, but you’ll be the first to know when I find something.”

Bobby leant against the wall with his hands in his pockets while Nik gathered his things. It appeared as though the detective wanted to say something but was holding back.

Nik assumed he was still worried about the cask, so he didn’t push.

Nik held up the photographs. “Would it be okay if I take one of these?”

“Sure. I’ll take the others and put them with the rest of the case files.”

After zipping his backpack, he stood in front of Bobby. “I’m ready.”

Bobby nodded and opened the door. Nik began to wonder if the detective was angry with him. He knew Bobby took a chance calling him in on the case in the first place. Maybe the detective regretted his decision.

He followed Bobby to the car and got in. The interior of the vehicle smelled of meatloaf and green beans. “Sorry,” he apologised when Bobby climbed behind the wheel.

Chuckling, Bobby rolled down the window. “I’m not sure if that’s going to be any good by the time you eat it.”

Nik opened the container and looked at the leftovers. “I think it’ll be fine.”

Bobby steered the car in the direction of Forty-second Street. “So, how long will you be at the library?”

“It closes at six. Unfortunately, the books I’ll be looking at are reference books and can’t be checked out. They’re closed on Sundays, so I’ll have to try again Monday if I don’t find what I need tonight.”

The conversation ended and Bobby went back to looking uneasy. After several moments, Nik couldn’t take it any longer. “I’m sorry I haven’t been much help.”

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45

Bobby turned to look at Nik. “Why would you be sorry? You’ve got things in the works it would’ve taken me weeks to get going. And that’s assuming I even knew what I was doing in the first place.”

Nik shrugged. “I just got the feeling you were disappointed in me.”

Bobby turned a corner. “No. I was just wondering if you’d like to go to the track with me tomorrow.”

Is he asking me out on a date?
“The horse track?”

“Yeah. I like to go at least once on the weekend when the horses are running. It’s my way to relax.”

“Oh, well, um, sure. I mean, I’ve never been, but it sounds fun.” Nik knew he wouldn’t actually bet on the horses. Gambling away money he’d worked hard to earn, never really made sense to him. But spending the day with the handsome detective sounded very appealing.

Bobby’s mood seemed to lighten. “Good. How about if I pick you up around eleven?”

“That sounds good. It’ll give me time to get my weekend chores finished.” Of course it wouldn’t leave time for grading. He thought of the large stack of papers on his kitchen table and gave an inward sigh. Maybe if he stayed up late he could get them done before class on Monday.

Bobby double parked in front of the library steps. “Sure you don’t want me to stay and give you a ride home?”

Nik gathered his things. “Thanks, but I’m used to public transportation. It doesn’t bother me.”

“If it’s dark, promise me you’ll take a cab?”

Nik smiled at the detective’s protective instincts. “Only if it’s really dark.”

Nik started to get out of the car, but Bobby reached out and grabbed his hand, holding him in place. “Seriously, Nik. Use the money you would’ve spent on lunch and take a cab.”

Knowing he wouldn’t win, Nik eventually nodded. “I promise.”

Bobby released his hand and Nik climbed out onto the street. Taxis were honking as they tried to get around the detective’s car. “You’re going to get a ticket if you don’t get moving.”

Bobby winked. “I know people.”

Nik shut the door and waved as Bobby drove away. He turned and made his way up DRACUL’S BLOOD

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the library steps. Trying to take his mind off the sexy detective and back to the task at hand, he thought of the crest.

Before going to the reference section, he sat at a table and tried to gather his thoughts.

No sense going on a wild goose chase. There was something so familiar about the crest. He knew it was a matter of sorting through the information in his mind. He pulled the drawing and photograph out of his pack.

Outlining the picture with his finger, he let his mind wander. He knew the seal was two crests laid over the top of each other. He tried to visualise the separate images. Damn, if only the seal was clearer. It wasn’t Peter’s fault, he could barely make out the individual seals used to stamp across the hot wax, Nik believed it had been intentional. Whoever these seals belonged to didn’t want their identity available to just anyone.
Why?

He wondered if the archives held a book on family crests. Of course it could be the crest of a society or organisation. Nik gathered his things once again and went in search of Edna.

* * * *

By the time Nik arrived home he was starving. He quickly ate his leftovers from lunch as he pulled his notebook out of the backpack. Picking up the phone, he dialled Bobby’s cell, excited to tell the detective what he’d found.

It rang several times before Bobby eventually answered. “Marks.”

“Bobby, its Nik.”

“Oh, I didn’t recognise the number on the caller ID.”

“I’m calling from home. Listen, I think I’ve got some good news. I can’t be positive, but I think I found a reference to one of the crests.”

“One of the crests?”

“Yeah. I figured out there are two crests, one pressed over the top of the other. That’s why the image seems so distorted. Anyway, I’m not one hundred percent positive, but I believe one of the crests belongs to The Knights of Paiderastia.”

“The Knights of what?”

“Paiderastia. It was a secret society that believed in religious fulfilment through the love of…boys.” Nik felt his face flush.

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“That’s sick.”

“Yeah, but the society was composed of some very powerful men at the time. One man in particular came to mind once I finally realised what I was seeing.” Nik was practically vibrating in his excitement. If what he believed held true, the cask was even more valuable than he first thought.

“Okay, I’ll bite, what man?”

The image of Bobby biting had Nik’s cock filling in no time. He really did need to get out more. “Radu cel Frumos, better known as Radu Dracul. Radu happens to be the brother of the most famous resident of Romania outside of Nadia Comaneci, Vlad Dracul III.”

Bobby didn’t say anything, so Nik continued. “Vlad Dracul III is better known as…”

“Count Dracula,” Bobby finished for him.

“Yes. That’s what the books have made him into, but he was a real person.”

Bobby went silent once again.

“Bobby? Is there something wrong?”

“I know it’s getting late, but can I come over? There’s something I need to talk to you about, and I’d rather not do it over the phone.”

Nik’s gaze went to the stack of papers he’d yet to grade. “Sure. I’ll be here.”

After hanging up with Bobby, Nik threw the remainder of his dinner in the trash, deciding Bobby had been right. He just hoped he didn’t die of food poisoning before his big date tomorrow.
Oh. Shit.
Bobby was coming over.

Nik flew out of the kitchen and ran up the steps. He turned on the shower and started to shave while he waited for the water to heat. With his face smooth, he ducked under the hot spray. He quickly shampooed his hair and washed his other body parts thoroughly before drying off.

As he walked into his bedroom, water continued to drip off the black ringlets of his hair and down his chest and back. He opened his drawer and began to dress in his usual style of too-big sweat pants and an extra large T-shirt. There was something about baggy clothes that made him feel comfortable.

He stood at the foot of his bed and thought about making it just in case Bobby came up, but pushed the thought away. He’d never been the kind of guy to put out on a first date and they hadn’t even gone on one of those yet.

As he made his way downstairs, he looked at the state of his living room and groaned.

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Carol Lynne and T.A. Chase

48

Cleaning was one of the chores he had planned for the day before Bobby had called him.

He gathered the dirty clothes from beside the sofa and ran them to the laundry room before starting on the newspapers. After those were tossed into the recycle bin came the dirty dishes that littered the coffee table.

“Well, there
is
an actual table under there,” he commented with a giggle. As long as he kept Bobby in the living room, hopefully the detective wouldn’t think he was too much of a slob.

By the time the doorbell rang, Nik was worn out. He brushed his wayward curls out of his face and opened the door. “Hi.”