Blood Mother. A Vampire Tale

Ch. 23 Tessa: the chase

Tessa awoke to her beeper bouncing and screaming on her nightstand. It was dark and she felt weight in the bed that could only assume belong to Hoyt. Her muscles were still begging for sleep and she felt as if she may have been run over. Her head ached as she remembered the events of last night.

In seconds she heard Hoyt's pager go off as well. Adrenalin kicked in and all traces of sleep disappeared. Hoyt didn't reach for his beeper and as she grabbed hers and squinted at the small lit text she found herself shouting.

"This is it. We've got a live one. Let's go."

Hoyt jumped up and began dressing instantly. She knew he had years of practice being on instant alert.  He grabbed the car keys and stood by the door waiting as Tessa wrestled her curls into a pony tail.  She didn't want to be the one holding up the show so she grabbed a jacket and headed out into the chilly morning still wiping traces of sleep from her eyes.

Pulling into the park they went straight for the ambulance. Bundled in a blanket on a stretcher was the small girl. Her long black hair and almond eyes scanning the scene. Hoyt put his hand on the small of Tessa's back and together they climbed in beside the girl. She eyed Hoyt with a bit of unease but her eyes seemed to light up as she saw Tessa. They approached her slowly and Hoyt elbowed Tessa to start the conversation.

"Hello. My name is Tessa. I work for the police and came as soon as I heard you were here. How did you get to the park?  The man who called us says you were resting in the field. Were you lost?"

The girls large brown eyes blinked rapidly. Her hands fidgeted below the blanket and Tessa cupped them with her own. The girl looked at the hands and licked her lips before speaking.

"I'm Abbey. I was with Kia's friend. Her name is Calina. We were at my house playing with my babies. And then we were here. But we weren't. I think I'm still sleeping."

Tessa noticed the girls words were slow and filled with hesitation. She seemed to be in a state of almost shock. But not distressed. She wanted to keep her talking. This was the big break they needed. She needed just the right amount of pressure and luck.

"Can you tell me anything else Abbey. Can you pretend your telling me a story and start from the beginning?"

Abbey nodded and went over the details of her night. When she got to the part about Calina her voice seemed to calm and her words lost emotion. Tessa didn't know what to think but knew she was running out of time before the girl would be taken to the hospital for observation and staff would try to locate her parents. Tessa just hoped her parents were alive.

"Abbey, before you go with these nice guys to can you tell me what you remember about Calina?"

"She was nice. At first I was scared because she looked scary. But when she said she was Kia's friend I knew she would be nice. She took me to the park in my dream. And I sat on her lap. But I woke up here."

Tessa felt her heart speed.

"What do you mean she looked scary?" 

Her face was pretty, but not pretty. It had black stuff on it. And she her hair was really messy and some was missing. Mommy says we aren't supposed to talk about people who look different. Where's my mommy?"

And Tessa knew the talking was over. She hugged Abbey as tears rolled down her little cheeks. The paramedics gave the nod and Tessa and Hoyt exited the ambulance. Hoyt stepped away for a phone call and Tessa walked the scene. Picturing Abbey lying face up with her arms crossed. She shuddered happy this ending didn't go as planned. But why?

Hoyt walked up behind her and cleared his throat. "Don't do it. Just count it as a win. Picturing it any other way won't help you. We've got to run. Frantic 911 call three blocks away. Parents came home to find a dead babysitter and a missing daughter."

Tessa sighed "I guess it wasn't a win for everyone."

Hoyt stood beside her matching her stride as they walked toward the car. His shoulders brushed against hers and she knew it was his offer of discreet comfort.

In the car she jotted notes down. She didn't want to forget anything about this first break. But her mind nudged her. She knew she was missing something.

"Hoyt, do you think Luka got to Calina?  Stopped her before the kill?"

Hoyt rubbed his chin with his palm. He was silent for a moment. And then released a deep breath, and his thought.

"I don't think it's gonna be that easy. But God I hope so. It sure would make things a hell of a lot easier."

They rode in silence to the young girls house. As they pulled up to the curb a police car was pulling out of the driveway with lights and sirens. Tessa knew it had to be Abbey's parents going to the hospital. She imagined the scene, hugs and tears. And wondered why it didn't ease the lump sitting in her gut.

Tessa smelled blood even before her feet crossed the doorway. She was given department issued booties and gloves on her way in. Flashes from a camera bounced off the walls illuminating the hallway like a silent movie scene.

As she reached the hallway between the living room and kitchen the commotion was in full swing. Her first glimpse was a pair of Chuck Taylor's attached to skinny jeans. A shirt she could only assume had been burgundy was brown and red with crusted congealing blood. The head of the girl was crooked and lolled over to one side, almost unattached to the rest of the body. Blood spray coated the walls and all the booty covered shoes in the hall were a sickly shade of red that sloshed when they moved across the blood soaked carpet.

The medical examiner was crouched over the girl examining the inner workings of her throat while his assistant continued to snap pictures. Tessa felt a mix of nausea and rage.

This, thought Tessa, is why I have the lump. Abbey's parents may have been spared. But the young teens parents would not be as lucky tonight. Kia. That was her name. Tessa remembered Abbey saying it in the ambulance.
Kia and her family weren't lucky at all.

As Hoyt put on his full hazmat suit to kneel next to the body he cocked his head to call Tessa over. She walked to the edge of the scene and stopped. Unable or unwilling to cross that stained spot. Hoyt spoke quietly but there was no question about his words.

"Tomorrow we see Luka again. No more games. I want to see Calina's head on a stick. If you can't handle Dimitri and Luka and anything else that could be there, now is the time to back out. It's time for war."

Tessa shivered. Unsure if it was his tone, or her own thirst for revenge.