Keen's Turn: The Vampire's Appeal

Chapter 7: Knight's Cuffs (third quarter)

✶✞ Once upon a time, a very, very long time ago two weeks ago in Jared's life, he read an article about an ambulance spiriting away vampire victims... ✶✞

Off early from work for a fake dentist appointment, and with a double duty of work hours awaiting him for it, Jared walked stiffly through the glass doors of the building the woman had departed from the night before. The lobby was fortified in humorless marble leading up to a thick black slab of counter, behind which sat an equally humorless-looking attendant. To the left, a bank of elevators was locked behind golden metal gates. Jared stood there, the hairs on his arms pricking in the aggressive air conditioning.

What the fuck am I seriously doing here? I am such an idiot.

As he wavered, a man and a woman came in behind him, professionally attired and, judging by the bags they carried, on their way back from picking up a late lunch. He did a double take—one was the woman from last night.

"And the Pryces?" the man was saying. "I thought Frank and Truman's firm turned them away for having no case."

"They have no case," the woman replied. "They have nothing. But put in some paperwork, go through the motions..."

"...bill them for it..."

"...and tell them we did everything we could."

"Too bad. Could've been a real windfall."

"As long as we look better than Frank and Truman. They didn't even try."

The pair moved out of earshot, and Jared stared after them desperately. He hadn't really followed the conversation—he'd been trying to decide whether or not he should interrupt it. Now, with the chance lost, he started toward the elevators after them, slipping sheepishly past the attendant, then stopped short and watched the floor numbers light above the one they had taken. When the lights stopped changing, he called the elevator back down and rode it to the same floor.

The elevator left him in a narrow vestibule with a single door on one side. On the door, the words "JANICE KNIGHT & ASSOCIATES, ATTORNEYS AT LAW" were painted in black on the glass. As he drew nearer, he could see the faint impression of former lettering under "JANICE KNIGHT."

Taking hold of the knob, he drew a deep breath and went in. Across a waiting area, a secretary's desk blocked access to the hall. The woman behind it looked up at him over her tortoiseshell glasses.

"Yes?"

"I, uh..."

As he faltered, a different man than the one he'd seen downstairs emerged from an office off the hall and hurried out of sight.

Jared took a shot in the dark. "I need to see Ms. Knight."

The secretary's eyes lingered pointedly on the faint bruise still visible on his cheek. "She's in meetings all day. Do you have an appointment?"

"Um, no."

"Theeeen you'll need to make one."

"Can I not just see her quickly? This is important."

"As are her meetings. I could perhaps see about getting you in sometime the week after next—"

"This can't wait."

She frowned, her eyes now lingering on his shirt. "You are aware she doesn't usually take pro bono cases?"

"What?"

She shook her head. "What is it about?"

"It's about, uh...it's about the Pryces' case."

"What? How do you know about that?"