Always the Vampire

I watched the clock so I’d have plenty of time to change, drive to town, park, and meet my tour on time. Meanwhile, I scrolled through scores of entries until I found one that referenced St. Augustine. Sent from magicman1463 three days before the full moon, the message read: Single St. Aug dolphin seeking female.

This lame line had sent Lynn in search of Triton? I guess women fell for worse. The “magicman” moniker could be Starrack’s, but it seemed hit or miss that Lynn would have seen the post, much less acted on it.

I continued scrolling and searching, but never saw a message quite so pointed. I also never saw another message from magicman1463, though there were other magicman users with different numbers. Could Saber pull strings to get 1463’s identity? If so, could he do it in a remotely helpful time frame?

That was the rub.





I decided to break out my female pirate outfit for the ghost tour. It wasn’t precisely period perfect, but it wasn’t a sexy Halloween getup, either.

Since I was dressed for it, I told my ghost tour group tales of St. Augustine’s pirate raids. I told them that English corsair Sir Francis Drake attacked and burned the town in 1586. Then I spoke of the pirate Captain John Davis. In 1668, he and his men had plundered the town, killing sixty inhabitants, including a young girl whose ghost haunted Davis until he fled from St. Augustine half mad.

“You really didn’t like this Davis dude, did you?”

The question came from one of the teen tourists. I acknowledged him with a smile.

“I wasn’t around then, but you’re right. Just thinking about him makes me angry. Davis strikes me as having been a particularly vicious bully.”

“Well, if you’re so antipirate, why the costume?” a teen girl with the same family asked.

This time I grinned. “Three words. Captain Jack Sparrow.”

She laughed, and the group moved on.

We’d seen the haunts, I’d given my closing spiel, and the tourists had dispersed when two young transients approached me.

“Excuse me,” the girl of about twenty said. “Aren’t you the local vampire?”

Uh-oh. Good things didn’t usually follow a question like that.

“Yes,” I answered cautiously, an eye peeled for one or both of them to whip out a weapon.

The girl fidgeted. “I don’t know how to put this.”

“Let me,” the young man said, bumping the girl aside. “We’ll let you bite us for money.”

My jaw dropped.

“Say what?”

“We’ll donate blood if you pay us.”

I gathered my wits. “You need to know two things. First, I don’t bite people. Second, I don’t have any cash on me.”

Which was true. I’d left my emergency five dollars in the truck, but I did have my Visa in my pirate pants pocket.

The girl spoke up. “Wouldn’t you make an exception? We’re awfully hungry.”

Something about her face tugged at my heart. And wallet.

“I won’t bite you, but I will buy you a pizza.”

“I thought you didn’t have any cash,” the young man said.

“I don’t, but I know a guy who’ll help you out.” As soon as he swiped my credit card.

“You’d do that for us?” The girl’s eyes glistened with hope.

“Sure, but we need to move it. The restaurant closes soon.”

I began walking south on St. George. I sensed them weighing whether to follow me or not, but I soon heard their footsteps.

We arrived before closing, just in time to order one sixteen-inch pizza with the works, two bottled waters, two bottled colas, and two jumbo plastic cups of tea. The girl took hers sweet. Maybe that’s why I hadn’t been able to turn her away. She was a sweet tea soul sister.

Surprisingly, the young man thanked me with as much sincere warmth as the girl did. They went off toward the bay front, juggling their dinner and drinks. I hotfooted it to my truck, calling Saber to leave the message I was running behind.

Time to pick up Lia’s things at Saber’s. Time to burn rubber to Cosmil’s shanty.

Time to see if Lynn was the innocent our research indicated she just might be.





SIXTEEN




Saber waited on the porch as I climbed from my truck, my change of clothes slung over one arm, Lia’s things in a plastic Publix bag.

“Hey, you okay?”

“You didn’t get my message, did you?”

“Cosmil’s protective wards here must be interfering with our service. That or reception is iffy out here. What happened to hold you up?”

“I bought a pizza and drinks for a homeless girl and her boyfriend.”

He shook his head and hugged me. “Word will get around that you’re a soft touch.”

“Maybe,” I said, holding him tightly, “but the girl got to me. She looked like I was her last hope for a meal. Speaking of girls, how is Lynn?”

“Sleeping. I called Mrs. Tidwell with an update. I told her Lynn had a severe reaction to something she ate, but that she’ll be fine in a few days.”

“Is Triton hovering over her?”

“He’s in there watching her breathe.” Saber gave me a kiss and a pat on the butt. “Better get a move on. Cosmil is getting testy.”

I entered the shanty to see Cosmil and Lia on the sofa quietly talking. Triton stood at the bedroom door.