Her Name Is Murder

five

Grant walked Murder back the block and a half to the Jaguar.

Murder had wanted him to see it after dinner. To surprise him with a beautiful ride to the next phase of their date.

She was crying again and she handed him the keys. There was no way she could drive when she couldn't see the road.

Grant clumsily started the old four-speed, classic sportscar. "I'm taking you home. They don't know I'm with you. I'll come back for you in a bit after you've had a rest."

Murder shook her head. "No, we can go in. I...I need to cooperate, just... it's such a shock. It's your job, and it's best we get the truth that we were out on a date in the open, yes?"

"Transparency is definitely favored by the department."

"Transparency is paramount."

"Good. Look, I knew there was something different about you. Your arm is already healed, and your finger cast that thorn slice off as easily as I change shirts after a hard day."

Murder looked at him, stunned, and started crying again. She'd let her guard down with him, and she was already caught. She didn't think things could be much worse. He pulled the car over and took her hand. He gave her a clean handkerchief from his inside suit pocket.

"Just tell me how, and that it doesn't require killing people. Are you a V— Vam..." he couldn't get his mouth to form the word. He placed his hand on her neck and stroked her cheek with his thumb, as he took the handkerchief from her and blotted a tear from the corner of her eye.

She had that feeling again, the one telling her she could trust him.

He recoiled slightly as Murder touched her necklace. It sparked as it powered down. She began to speak, now in a thick metropolitan French accent, as she took his hand from her face and their fingers intertwined.

"My adopted name is Marie Lavot with an o-t. I was born in the late 1530s in France or England. I'm uncertain which; we were right on the English Channel. I can only die if the wound is violent and instantaneous.

"Levi is my Protector. Modeled from clay from the shores of the North Sea, and given life. He is impervious as long as we live under this curse of the Ageless."

She sobbed through the next bit. "And there's no such thing as vampires." She buried her face in his shoulder and cried more.

He put his hand at the nape of her neck, and she looked up at him. He wiped her eyes.

He wondered why he wasn't running.

She wondered why neither of them were.

As he looked into her eyes he could see the world shimmer again in their reflection. He had to know her secrets. He held her tightly once more as she cried on his shoulder.

While she seemed far from the damsel-in-distress type to him, he felt like she needed him, and maybe vice versa.

She looked at him as she laughed softly and shook her head. "I'm a hell of a wreck. My friend just died, I'm wanted for questioning, and now I am full-on ugly crying on a first date."

"You couldn't be ugly if you tried."

She proved him wrong for the next several minutes.

***

Levi checked his app again. He realized he'd checked it a bunch of times.

Sure, this says Soho?

I'm in Soho already today.

How do you feel about Olive's?

4:30?

I love Olive's

4:3o sounds fine.

He ran to his closet. He grabbed the first shirt. His eyes would change colors at times from having green flecks to having grey flecks, and he'd base an outfit on what hue they were leaning toward that day. Sometimes this backfired as they'd changed after getting where he was heading. He was not deterred. He went with a larger necked grey sweater. Show a little clavicle.

He didn't know why he was making such a fuss. Maybe he was simply dying to ask if Colin was also made of clay, or if his attachment was as favorable. Was he also impervious? Did that mean more sexual stamina for him, too? Getting ahead of yourself again, Levi.

He walked down to Prince Street. He took in all the sights. It was nice to have some time alone. He loved his charge. She was often impetuous and could get bossy at times, but the girl had a legitimately good heart. You even need a break from fantastic people every now and again. He stopped and opened the iPhone's notepad, he wanted to remember that nugget.

As he closed the app and looked up, he saw the blood-red Aventador parking at the end of the block. He ducked into a corner and peeked to see who got out. It was Colin.

He looked at the car and then the phone and rolled his eyes. Bloody app. Getting my hopes up.

The phone rang. As he looked to see who it was he chuckled a little at his label: Det. Dreamy McDreamerson.

"Esmund speaking. Murder, you're not going to beli—" She interrupted him. "Oh, dear. Oh, love, I'm so sorry. Yes. I'm on my way to the precinct now... I'm so sorry."

He opened the dating app and sent another message.

Terribly sorry.

I wouldn't normally back out of a first meeting. Sister needs me. Let me know if you can reschedule.

"There, short, simple, and not too much info given." He hit send and watched as Colin exited Olive's and returned to the Aventador. He took a photo of Colin's face as he got in, and one of the license plate. "Gotcha. Don't know what you're up to but 'McDreamerson' should be able to use these."

***

The interview room was cold, and Grant offered Murder his jacket. They'd placed him in the room right along with her. He'd never sat on this side of the table before. It was a wholly different experience. The detective that finally showed up was a short, stocky man with a stylish mustache, Grant's former partner Rick Maxwell.

"Please, sit. Make yourselves comfortable." He reached across the table to shake Murder's hand and to fist bump Grant. "When the head of the department told me you were on a date with someone involved in one of your cases, I didn't believe her at first."

He looked at them from across the table. "It didn't seem like something you would do, Grant, but here it is... right in front of me. You two look great together, though.

"Look, I don't have anything on you, Ms. LaVoe, except bad timing. So please just walk me through your trip to Ms. Dubois' estate this afternoon." Murder was crying again.

Maxwell offered her tissues, but she held up Grant's handkerchief.

He smiled and looked at Grant. "You remember me teasing you about that thing? I guess it finally came in handy." Maxwell looked up as a face appeared at the window in the door. He got up to see what was going on. The uniformed officer whispered to him and she waved at someone in the hall. Then Levi came into the room.

"You're never going to believe the lead I just got."