Page 18 of The Psychic and the Vampire: A Bad Case of Vampire Curiosity

What the hell are you doing? Viktor was arguing with himself.

Two hours into their little sojourn through the seedier parts of town, he was seriously questioning his life choices.

As a vampire, Viktor had never lacked confidence.

He’d walked through the world, doing as he pleased, for the eight hundred plus years of his existence.

But escorting his mate, his very sweet and innocent by most standards mate, around the rundown bars that edged the port and that occupied spaces in some of the more questionable alleyways in town - even though it was the middle of the day - Viktor seriously wondered if he needed his head examined.

It didn’t help that Ant screamed “I don’t belong here” from every inch of his trim body, and that had nothing to do with Able, who remained alert and watchful by his side. Ant kept quiet for the most part, leaving Viktor no clue as to how he felt as they went from one bar to the next.

Viktor knew his mate was detail-orientated, but what value could he gain from noting the dingy decor and the surly glances thrown their way? But it was as though the grime and despair of the bars seemed to wash over Ant without touching him.

There were other times when Viktor fully expected him to pull out a notebook and start taking notes, as if Ant were on a field trip for the Mage Academy.

All the while, Viktor questioned every face he vaguely recognized, trying to find somebody who was old enough to have been around when Carol had died.

Unfortunately, as was the case in life among the criminal elements, longevity wasn’t something that was guaranteed.

“We’ll go to this one last place,” Viktor said, “and then we’re going to have to call it a day. I can possibly pop back later this evening…”

“You would go without me?” Ant interrupted. “Am I doing something wrong? Do I look strange or out of place?” He glanced down at his T-shirt and his jeans. He was wearing his two-rip pair along with his boots.

“You look fine,” Viktor said. The problem was that no matter how casual the clothing was, it was the way Ant walked and carried himself that gave him away as a person of importance – or worse, an innocent. In that respect, it made him a target.

“I wouldn’t want to go anywhere without you,” Viktor added. “I simply feel that at night these places are not somewhere… I wouldn’t take you on a date at any of these places,” he finished lamely.

“That’s good then, because we’re not on a date,” Ant said. “This is work. We’re looking for Carol’s killers.”

“One step at a time. We’re looking for information about Carol’s killers,” Viktor said. “At the moment, I’m trying to find a man called Duncan.”

“Duncan? Wasn’t he the man who confessed to the Fallow’s murder on Tony’s behalf?”

“No, a different Duncan.” Viktor chuckled.

Ant would remember details like that. “This Duncan is a lot older, and he’s the only person I can think of that hovered on the edge of Carmine’s crew and apparently has done for years.

He also used to be on the fringe of the Manzano family as well.

He’s old enough to know a lot, including how to stay out of trouble. If I can find him…”

“Doesn’t he have a phone number? We could call him and set up an appointment.”

Viktor chuckled. “He’s not the type to have a phone number, babe, and he never takes appointments.”

He pushed open the doors of the Salty Belle, wrinkling his nose as the stench washed over him.

Viktor had never liked the place. During the day, a person could be rendered unconscious from the smell.

At night, fights were dished out more regularly than food.

The walls had never been cleaned. The floors were sticky under Viktor’s boots.

The whole place stunk of cigarette smoke and spilled booze.

Most of the tables were wobbly, and they were covered in gouges from the knife fights and goodness knows what else that went on in an evening’s trade.

Viktor used his keen eyesight to scan the room.

While it wasn’t that big, there were still places to hide.

But, just as he was about to give up, he spotted the man he was looking for - Duncan.

The man’s shock of gray hair still stood out, his face weathered, and the battered coat he was wearing had definitely seen better days.

Crossing the room, Viktor made sure Ant was tucked into his side, Able guarding Ant’s other side.

“Look what the cat dragged in.” Duncan scowled as soon as he spotted Viktor’s approach. “The vampire. I’m not sure I want to be seen with the likes of you. Word on the street is that you’ve got a price on your head.”

“I had one,” Viktor said, taking the seat opposite Duncan so he wasn’t looming. “But Tony’s not handling being in a cell that well, and the bounty has since been rescinded. There’s nobody left to pay it.”

Duncan shrugged. “Are you buying me a beer?”

“Haven’t you already got one?” Ant asked. “That is your glass there, isn’t it?”

That’s not the right thing to say! Especially when Viktor wanted Duncan’s focus on him. “Would you go and get Duncan a beer from the bar, please?” he asked Ant. “I’ll only be a moment.”

“Ah,” Ant said. “Drink must be code for payment for information.” He nodded and went back to the counter, Able close beside him.

“That’s a strange one,” Duncan said. “Not the usual flavor of favors you enjoy.”

“He’s my mate. Not someone for you to worry about or be concerned with.” Viktor pulled out a hundred-dollar bill from the inside of his jacket, keeping it tucked between his fingers. “What can you tell me about Carol Doukas’s murder?”

Duncan tilted his head to one side. “Now there’s a name you don’t hear in these parts very often,” he said. “Old Carmine managed to squash most of the rumors concerning his sister not long after she died.”

“My mate’s a mage,” Viktor explained. “Carmine made the mistake of asking Ant to look into Carol’s murder, and Ant is very thorough.”

Duncan chuckled. “Why are you falling for his shit? You know damn well that Carmine can’t lie straight in bed. He’ll be wanting your mate for more than just an inquiry into a murder he already knows he was responsible for.”

Viktor studied the old man. He didn’t appear to be lying. “What do you mean that Carmine was responsible for his sister’s death? We’ve had evidence” – Viktor picked his words carefully – “that Carol Doukas was set up by two men in a park, and she was killed by them.”

“Bah! Those men would have been on Carmine’s payroll.

There was nothing his sister did that he didn’t know about.

” Duncan spat on the floor. “Carol was caught up in a Romeo and Juliet situation, I suppose you could call it. She was interested in some bloke, I don’t know who.

Someone from one of the Asian gangs up on the north side, the ones that keep to themselves.

There was a guy there she was really keen on, and things were getting hot and heavy between them - apparently .

“But word on the streets was that Carmine was considering using his sister as leverage for some form of business merger or other nonsense, with a different gang. Might’ve even been the Manzanos – not that I know that for fact.

But you know yourself, Carmine will use anybody, even his sister, to get what he wants. ”

Viktor nodded. That was the main reason he didn’t want Carmine around his mate. Well, that and Carmine was a sleazeball.

“There were a lot of fights between Carol and Carmine – public ones. Then all of a sudden, Carol was murdered…and Carmine barely said a word about it. The Asian gangs went underground, and the gossips around town assumed they had something to do with her death. There were nights I’d sit in here and listen to people talking about how the biggest turf war in the world was about to happen in our backyard.

But Carmine didn’t retaliate against anyone. Tell me how that’s not weird.”

Viktor remembered what he’d seen from the murder scene when he was tapping into Ant’s brain. The men who had killed her definitely weren’t Asian. “You never thought it was any of the Asian gangs? You thought the men who killed Carol were in Carmine’s employ?”

“Who else could it be?” Duncan shrugged. “As I say, there wasn’t anything that Carol did that Carmine didn’t know about. He had tabs on that girl so tight she couldn’t shit in private.”

That fit in with what Viktor knew about Carmine’s controlling nature. “Who was the bloke who got killed in the prison?” he asked. “The one who was supposed to have killed Carol and was in prison for her murder.”

“That was another setup, too,” Duncan said. “Gods, I thought you’d been around long enough to know about that sort of shit.” He glowered at Viktor. “The police needed to close the case, so they did. Some poor sod off the streets confessed. My friend Frankie.

“Now, Frankie was the type of person who’d say the sky was green if it scored him a hot meal.

I didn’t blame him at the time. Fuck, who wouldn’t want three squares a day and a bed to sleep on?

Most nights Frankie used to sleep in shop doorways.

So yeah, he confessed, was sentenced and jailed, and then what?

Bam! He dies too. Mysterious circumstances, my ass. ”

“I heard he died in his cell.”

“There was no way that was natural causes.” Duncan shook his head. “That was definitely an arranged exit. It sucks, you know. Old Frankie just thought he could have a bit of peace and quiet and some decent meals for a change. But yeah, he didn’t deserve his death any more than Carol did.”

He looked over Viktor’s shoulder, and Viktor realized Ant must be coming back.

“If Carmine’s got your boy in his sights,” Duncan warned, leaning over the table and keeping his voice low, “then you need to take care of Carmine, the same way as I hear that little mate of yours took care of Tony Manzano.

“Carmine wants something. Couldn’t tell you what.

Really haven’t got a lot of interest anymore.

All I want to do nowadays is keep myself out of trouble.

This young lot that thinks they’re running the show, they’re not worth dealing with.

Far too quick to kill somebody and ask questions later.

I’m not interested in that sort of shit.

There was a time when the gangs in this town had honor.

Now, bah! They’ve got nothing.” He leaned back as Ant got closer.

“I wasn’t sure what sort of beer you wanted, Mr. Duncan.” Ant stood at the side of the table, carrying a tray. “So, I bought you four different types and then, in case you feel the chill, I’ve added a whiskey. I hope that’s an acceptable payment for information.” He slid the tray onto the table.

“You did great, Ant, thanks.” Viktor added his hundred-dollar note to the tray. “You’ve been helpful, Duncan, but don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody about it.”

“I ain’t gonna tell anybody I’ve talked to you, either – not that it’ll make a lot of difference. Can’t you feel the eyes on the back of your neck, vampire? Carmine’s watching you, and he’s not the only one. Now piss off and thanks for the drinks.”

Taking Ant’s arm, Viktor hurried him outside, eager for a breath of fresh air. It was so different, such a switch in realities from the dimness of the bar and the bright sunshine outside.

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Viktor said, taking Ant over to his car. “Anywhere but here. I’ll take you somewhere nice for a late lunch.”

“Did you get the information we needed?” Ant asked as he slid into the passenger seat. Viktor opened the back door of the car for Able.

Hurrying around to the driver’s side, Viktor felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. “Duncan was helpful,” he said as he got into the car, slammed the door, and shoved the key into the ignition. “We’ve got a few leads.”

“How does anyone work out how much to pay in drinks before the informant has passed over the information? I tried asking the man at the bar, but he didn’t seem to know.

That’s why I bought four beers and a whiskey.

I didn’t want Duncan to think he wasn’t appreciated.

Is there a code about that sort of thing I can use for future reference? ”

“Probably not.” Viktor chuckled. He felt better just being in traffic. “Everybody’s different,” he tried to explain. “With Duncan, if he didn’t want to speak to me, he wouldn’t have mentioned the drinks. By asking if I was buying him a drink…”

“Ah, what he was actually asking was if you were prepared to pay for information. That’s quite clever, talking in code. What would he have said if he didn’t have information for you?”

“He would tell me to piss off.” Viktor’s chuckles turned to laughter.

Ant’s curiosity was like a breath of fresh air, and after being in the Salty Belle, Viktor needed it.

“Don’t worry about trying to work that out, babe.

As I said, every gangster has different ways of doing things, and different things they will take as payment.

As I really hope we won’t be dealing with all of this crap for much longer, it’s not something you need to know,” he added.

“Where do you want to go for lunch? Pick a favorite place of yours. I’m in the mood for a steak. ”