Part Five

Weaving his way through the throng of dancers, Nick headed for the bar. 
Miklos nodded in greeting as he slid a glass of the 'house special' across the
bar.  Nick thanked him and accepted it gratefully.

"Business or pleasure, Nick?"

"A little bit of both, I hope.  Lacroix's in the back?"

Miklos nodded.  "In his office.  I think he's expecting you."

Of course he was.  "Thanks, Miklos.  I'll see you later."  Glass in hand, Nick
headed towards the office.  He'd only raised his hand to knock on the door
when Lacroix's voice called out for him to enter.

"Ah, Nicholas.  This visit is not all business, I see," Lacroix commented, noting
the drink in Nick's hand.

"Surprised to see me, Lacroix?" Nick teased as he settled himself into a chair
opposite the desk.  It wasn't that long ago that any kind of comment from
Lacroix would cause Nick to tense up and be on guard, but now he didn't feel
that way at all.  It was a good feeling -- he'd all but forgotten how well they
could get along.

Sensing his son's thoughts, Lacroix smiled knowingly.  "I always know when
one of my children needs me, Nicholas."

"Do you remember the case I was telling you about last night?  I'm hoping you
can help me with it."

Lacroix looked at his son curiously.  "The headless bodies?  I'm not sure how I
can be of help, Nicholas."

"Did Marguerite tell you that Natalie thinks the killer could be a vampire?"

Smirking to himself, the ancient vampire replied, "Marguerite and I have not
really spoken yet tonight; I saw her only briefly.  Natalie thinks the bodies are
being decapitated to cover the kills?  Interesting theory."

"I was hoping you'd be able to tell me if there's anyone new in town, Lacroix."

Immediately thinking of Branwen, Lacroix paused almost imperceptibly.

He thought of the battle he had led his legion into; the men had been terrified: 
painted faces, women fighting alongside the men, and just as fierce...heads that
were collected like trophies.  If it *was* Branwen, he would have to take care
of it himself.  He could *not* put Nicholas in danger.  She would delight in
torturing his son just to spite him.  "Anyone new?" he repeated.  "I'm not sure,
Nicholas.  There are many of us who don't stay in any one place for long, as
I'm sure you are aware."

Lacroix was stalling, but Nick wasn't sure why.  "Well, unfortunately, the girl
who was in here last night bothering Eric showed up at the precinct tonight.  I
warned her away, but I think she's going to be a problem."  He sighed in
frustration.  "Surely you know of some others that might be passing through,
Lacroix?"

"Nicholas, do you really expect me to take note of every single one of us that
passes through Toronto?  You're the police officer, not I."

Nick bristled at the comment, but only slightly.  Now he *knew* that Lacroix
was trying to hide something.  The worst part was, that even though he knew
it, he couldn't do anything about it.  He retorted, "Yes, but as you keep telling
me, Lacroix, I am too much in the mortal world to notice what is going on
with our kind.  I just thought you would know more than I would, but if you
don't..."

The Ancient vampire arched a brow at his son and sighed heavily.  "Why don't
you go talk to your niece, Nicholas?  She is far more aware of what goes on in
this club than I am."

Sighing, Nick stood up abruptly.  "Fine.  I've got to go anyway; Natalie's
expecting me soon.  I'll talk to you later."  Without giving Lacroix a chance to
respond, he turned and left the room.

He spied Marguerite sitting at a table with Alejandro.  He was so frustrated
with Lacroix that he wondered if he should even approach the pair, but the
decision was taken out of his hands when his niece waved him over.

"Uncle Nick!  It's so good to see you here!"

Her exclamation was accompanied by a hug and a kiss, which Nick returned
gratefully.  He felt a little of his tension slip away as he sat down.  Lacroix had
been right in the fact that if there was any information out there, Marguerite
would probably know about it.  More nights than not, she could be found at
the Raven for an hour or so at least, mixing in with the crowd.

After nodding a greeting to Alejandro, Nick said, "I wish I could say I'm here
to relax, but I'm wondering if you can help me with this case.  Captain Reese is
all over us to wrap it up."

Marguerite nodded in understanding.  "I can't say that I blame him.  The press
will have a field day if the story leaks.  What did you want to know?"

"Well, you know Natalie's theory.  I was wondering if there was anyone new in
town."

"You mean besides the girl that's taken an interest in your partner?"  The
question was rhetorical.  Her brow creased in thought; she knew Lucien would
not want her to mention Branwen.

Alejandro nudged her.  "What about the guy that was bothering you before I
got here?  He's new -- and he's been hanging around a lot lately.  What was his
name?"

"You mean Shane?" Marguerite asked dryly.  "He only seems to be interested
in pursuits of the pleasurable nature.  Beheading is hard work...and messy, too. 
I just can't see him exerting that much energy."

"Could be an act," Nick suggested.

"Maybe," Alejandro replied with disgust.  "But I think I have that act down
pretty well, and I'm guessing that he doesn't really strain himself too hard in
any endeavor.  It wouldn't hurt to check him out though -- if you can find him."

Nick knew a lot of people were fooled by Alejandro's easy going nature
initially.  Lacroix still had a hard time believing that Marguerite's child did
anything worthwhile with his time.  

"I'll drop by for awhile tomorrow night to see if he comes back.  In the
meantime..."

"I'll call you if I see him in here," Marguerite assured him.  "You'd better get
here quickly, though, because Lucien would like to have a talk with him, too."

"I will.  Thanks.  Can you think of anyone else?"

"I haven't seen anyone else inside the Raven," she answered carefully.  And she
wasn't lying; Branwen had never set foot inside the club.

He should have known better than to think that Marguerite would give away
whatever Lacroix was hiding, but at least he had some more information than
he did before.  He rose from the table and said, "I have to go.  Nat's expecting
me home early tonight.  Thanks again." 

*****

Natalie glanced up from her magazine as Nick slammed into the loft.  "Bad
day?" she asked while patting the seat next to her on the couch.

Nick threw his coat down on a chair on his way to the couch.  He groaned in
disappointment as he sunk down next to her.  "Very.  First, that girl showed up
at the precinct to see Eric.  I warned her off; let's see if it worked."

"And what else happened?" Natalie grilled, sensing that wasn't his only
problem.  "Did it have anything to do with your visit with Lacroix?"

He nodded tiredly.  "I think he knows something, but he's not telling me. 
Marguerite wasn't much help either, besides the fact that there is another
visitor in town, but she and Alejandro don't seem to think that he's the killer." 

Nat leaned back for a moment, thinking.  "Wait a minute!" she exclaimed as
she popped up, grabbing Nick's arm in the process.  "Maggie mentioned to me
tonight that she knew of *three* new vampires in town.  And she's been
complaining about a woman named Branwen for days now.  They think she's
someone from Lacroix's past.  Maybe that's why he didn't want to talk about
it."

"Maybe...I wonder how long she's been here," he mused.

"At least three days, but Maggie told me that Lacroix has been acting strangely
for at least a week.  She thinks that he's been sensing her.  And we know that
the first victim was dead for a day or so before it was discovered..."

"So she's a possible suspect then.  I wonder if she's still in town."

"Nick," Nat trailed off, pausing to word her concerns.  "If she's as old as
Lacroix, maybe you should..."

"What, Nat?  Try talking to Lacroix?" Nick asked impatiently.  "I've already
tried that, and he doesn't want my help.  I'll have to do this on my own.  I can't
let any more innocent mortals die."

"I don't want *anyone* else to die, Nick, and that includes you.  You barely
survived Divia.  What makes you think you can take Branwen on?" she asked
hotly.  "Can't you just let Lacroix handle it?  I think he's trying to protect you."

"He probably is, Nat, but..."  Seeing the look on Natalie's face, Nick paused. 
He was silent as he considered her words.  She was probably right on both
counts, if he thought about it rationally.  Reaching out his hand, he stroked her
cheek tenderly.  "All right, you win.  I'll try talking to Lacroix one more time."

Natalie's mood brightened, but she knew what he was leaving unspoken. If
Lacroix refused to discuss Branwen with him, Nick would go after her himself.  

"I'm sure if you confront him with what you know, he'll talk to you, Nick." 
And she'd just have to speak with Lacroix before Nick did to ensure her belief.


++++++++++++++++++++


Things did not go exactly as Natalie had planned the next night.  She'd wanted
to leave work early in order to see Lacroix, but there was just too much work. 
If she were still mortal, she would have probably stayed well past dawn.  As it
was, she'd probably just make it.  

It hadn't started out busy.  It had been a normal night until she'd gotten the last
call. -- Another headless body had been found.  This one had been found in
Queen's Park.  Nat found this a little unsettling, because she went for walks
there when she wanted to get away from the morgue for awhile.

The upside of this situation was that Nick would have no time to go confront
Lacroix tonight.  Captain Reese had been at the crime scene, barking orders
and threatening Nick and Eric to wrap the case up before the media got ahold
of it.  As it was, she noticed someone she thought she recognized from one of
the more seedier rags lurking around as they were finishing up.  Nick had
headed him off before he could get too close to the scene and 'talked' him out
of investigating any further.

Eric's voice startled her into the present.  "I'm telling you, Nick, Reese is just
going to have to accept the fact that this guy could conceivably be long gone
by now."

"Or he could be out there looking for another victim," Nick argued, knowing
that if the killer was a vampire, this was probably the case.  He leaned down
and gave Natalie a kiss in greeting.

Eric groaned.  "I'm kind of hoping that he's going to opt for fewer victims
before moving on, like he did in Boston."

"There were four victims in New York," Nick reminded him gently.  "And that
was the most recent."

"But there were only three in LA," Eric countered.

"Finally got some results, I see," Natalie interrupted.  "What else did you get?"

"Oh, you know, typical psych profile: male, 25 to 35 years old, intelligent,
probably a loner...blah, blah, blah," Eric groused.  

Nick smiled in spite of the situation.  "The only helpful thing we got was the
number of victims in each place, but even that varies."

"Well, if there's anything or anyone to be found, I'm sure you guys will be the
ones to uncover it," Natalie said, wishing she felt as confident as she sounded.


**********


The Raven was packed.  Shane wasn't sure coming back here was necessarily a
good idea, but Branwen had 'suggested' it.  It wasn't wise to refuse her when
she was like this.  Not that he wasn't looking forward to seeing Marguerite
again; he was.  But, he wasn't stupid -- the bartender had 'escorted' him out the
last time.  The trick would be charming Marguerite into talking to him before
he got kicked out again.

Knowing that a place like the Raven was a good source for information,
Branwen wanted him to find out if anything was being said -- especially since
the two detectives assigned to investigating Branwen's presence frequented the
bar.  If he managed to stir up trouble between Marguerite and her old man, so
much the better.

Seeing his 'friend' the bartender, Shane shied away from the bar and ordered a
drink from the waitress that happened to be walking past him.  As he waited
for his drink, he leaned against a post and checked out the crowd.  It took a
few minutes, but he spotted Marguerite in the back sitting at a table.  Her head
was bowed, and she appeared to be deeply involved in something.


Lacroix emerged from the back rooms and stood in the doorway for a few
moments, just watching.  He smiled to himself as he noticed Shane standing off
to one side, his eyes glued on Marguerite, who was, of course, oblivious to
everything going on around her.  Her attention was focused on the letter she'd
been writing to Janette for quite awhile now, which was fortunate, because she
was sure not to approve of the conversation he intended to have just now.

He strolled over to stand by Shane, as if by chance.  Shane barely glanced at
the older vampire before returning his attention to Marguerite.  Lacroix slowly
followed Shane's gaze and commented, "She's quite beautiful, isn't she?"

Without turning towards Lacroix, he replied, "You got that right.  She's really
something."

Watching for a reaction out of the corner of his eye, Lacroix remarked
casually, "I hear that she's involved with someone."

"So I've heard, but I'm not too impressed."

"And why is that?"

If Shane noticed the tightness in Lacroix's voice, he gave no indication of it. 
He finally glanced over before saying, "Oh, come on.  Monogamy just isn't in
our nature.  For us, 'forever' is a little too long."

"Perhaps," Lacroix said softly so that only Shane could hear.  His hand swiftly
snaked out and grabbed the younger vampire's shoulder.  One of the good
things about the Raven being so crowded was that not many people paid
attention to things not involving them directly, and anyone who did happen to
look at the two of them would think it was a casual exchange.  But it wasn't. 
Lacroix's grip was viselike.

Eyes wide with pain and the beginnings of fear, Shane turned to him.  Lacroix's
eyes were as icy as his tone as he continued, "But whatever the case may be,
the lady has told you in no uncertain terms that she is not interested.  I strongly
suggest you concede to her wishes and leave her in peace.  It would be
most...unfortunate if you did not."

His first coherent thought was that Lacroix was everything Branwen said he
would be.  The next one was how to get out of here alive.  He'd consider
himself lucky to leave with a few broken bones -- at least they'd heal.

Lacroix's smiled widened at Shane's expression of pain mixed with fear. 
Unfortunately, it would have to be enough...for now.  He'd promised
Marguerite no violence unless necessary.  "And now, you are going to leave,
and...never...come...back," he growled, emphasizing the last words.

Shane began to back away the instant Lacroix's grip loosened on his shoulder. 
Afraid to turn his back on the Ancient vampire, but not wanting to bring any
more attention to himself than talking to Lacroix probably had already brought
him, he quickly sped from the club, glancing back often as he did so.


**********


Branwen stuck the sword in the coffin next to the three heads.  The main
advantage about this seemingly deserted crypt was that no one would think of
looking here.  Soon, she would confront and kill Lucius.  She'd finally avenge
her mother's murder.  And what better way to kill him than with her beloved
Marcus' old sword?  She had kept it close ever since she had first been brought
across and had to leave Seline's villa.  It hadn't been hard for her to obtain it, as
Marcus often visited for various reasons.

As she put some other supplies in the coffin, she thought of exactly what she
would say and do after she'd lured the General here.  She had hated him for
such a long time.  It had never really gone away, not even when she thought
he'd died in Pompeii.  It had been comforting to think he was dead while she
had not only survived, but was free, even though it had rankled that she had
not paid him back for all the pain she had caused her.  Now, she had a chance
to change that, and she was not going to let it get away.

As she closed the lid, she felt pain and a jolt of fear.  Shane had gotten himself
into trouble at the Raven.  She stood there for a moment, the coffin lid
suspended in mid air, trying to decide what to do.  Should she go there and
rescue her fledgling, or let him fend for himself?  She had warned him what
would happen if he got on the wrong side of Lucius, after all.

Then it was gone.

He was still afraid, but Lucius must have let him go for whatever reason. 
Angrier than ever, Branwen slammed the lid down, cracking the stone in the
process.  She had made a decision: she would toy with Lucius no longer.  By
this time tomorrow night, he'd be dead.


End Part Five