Murder in Vein (2010) Read Online Free PDF Page B

rest of us would know,
even if it was a vampire from outside our area. We're a very tight
community."
    Dodie returned with a small tray. On it was a plate of oatmeal
cookies studded with plump raisins, along with a large mug of
steaming hot chocolate. She placed the tray on the coffee table
in front of Madison and resumed her place on the sofa. "Here's a
little snack for you, Madison. I made the cookies yesterday."

    Doug came to stand near Dodie. "You will be safe here, Madison. I promise you that." As he spoke, he placed a hand on his
wife's shoulder. Dodie looked up at him, and again the couple
exchanged looks before Doug's attention returned to Madison.
    "We understand that you will miss work," Doug continued.
"And Mike told us that you might even lose your job. If you
decide to stay, you will be well compensated for your time here"
    Madison shook her head as if she hadn't heard correctly. "You
want to pay me to stay here until this is over?"
    "Yes," Doug said firmly. "It's that important to us."
    "And I will not be considered a food source?" she pressed,
determined to know all the details.
    Doug threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Do you want
to be?"
    "Hell, no!"
    "Then you won't be. In this house, no means no" He looked
down at his wife and smiled. "Both Dodie and Pauline are excellent cooks. We have a nice large place here. Think of it as a little
paid vacation."
    "That's it?"
    "Not exactly," Doug informed her. "The deal does come with
some fine print."
    Madison rolled her eyes. "I knew it. Economics 101-there
ain't no such thing as a free lunch."
    Ignoring her sarcasm, Doug fixed Madison with a burning
look. "You can never talk about us or our way of life, or about the
other vampires you might meet while here. Not to anyone. Ever.
That understood?"
    "Sure," Madison said with a cocky grin. "Whatever happens in
the coffin, stays in the coffin."

    "We're serious, Madison." Doug's tone turned thick and menacing. Dodie cleared her throat; it brought Doug's ire down a few
notches.
    "I get it," Madison assured them. "Keep my mouth shut" She
shrugged. "No problem. I'm good at that. You want me to sign
some sort of confidentiality agreement?"
    Dodie reached over and patted Madison's knee softly. "That
won't be necessary, dear. You see, if you betray our trust, we'll
have to kill you. And I'd really hate to see that."
    Doug picked up the remote to the TV and turned on the
sound. "The Amazing Race is starting." He settled on the sofa
next to his wife. "You know, Madison, Dodie and I thought about
trying out for this show. With our special powers, we'd kick ass.
Show them what a couple of old farts can really do." He glanced
at Madison, his former hard demeanor wiped clean. "Problem is,
most of it takes place during the day. Then there's the food issue."
Next to him, Dodie giggled.
    Slack jawed and shaking, Madison stared at the two of them.
When she spoke, her voice trembled, barely audible over the
opening credits of the TV show. "Notchey promised you wouldn't
hurt me"
    Doug dragged his eyes away from the TV and looked at her
with a blend of compassion and gravity. "If you betray us, Madison, and we don't kill you, you'd be tried and sentenced to death
by the local vampire council. Trust me, you'd rather be killed by
our hands than theirs."
    Dodie noticed the girl's terror and smiled reassuringly.
"Everything's going to be fine, Madison. You'll see. Now drink
your cocoa before it gets cold."

     

FIVE

    odie Dedham studied the photo in the cracked, blue wooden frame before picking it up and adding it to the bag of
clothes in her hand.
    "Rather a sad little place," said her husband.
    Dodie looked around Madison's tiny Culver City studio
apartment. It was a single small room with one window that
looked out over a parking lot. There was a kitchenette with a
two-burner stove, a microwave, and several shallow cupboards
separated from the rest of the room by a counter. To the right