RED NIGHT ~ VAMPIRE FILES TRILOGY (Book 1)

15

My day starts with a plan. First, I'm going to talk to Gabe. Either he hasn't been at home for two days, or he's avoiding me. That won't work with me. I need answers, and I know how to get them. This morning I'm driving to the ASU campus to track him down. I'll sit in on a lecture if I have to, but we are going to have that conversation.

***

Once on campus, I'm pointed toward The Center for Archaeology and Society building. The Roman columns at the entrance of the massive stone building bring to mind a Greek or Roman tabernacle, while the many windows make me think of an old southern mansion. I briefly skim the directory to find the department I'm looking for. Various sub-departments and professors are listed, and I know I'm heading in the right direction when I find Dr. Gabriel Devereux's name on the list.

Class must be in session because the campus is usually much livelier. Taking the stairs to the third floor and following the signs, I find a young woman behind a counter working on a computer. She looks up and smiles when I walk into the office.

"Can I help you?" she asks.

"I hope so. I'm looking for Gabe Devereux. Can you tell me where to find him?"

"Oh, Professor Devereux isn't in at the moment. May I give him a message for you?" She looks at me expectantly.

"No, that's all right. When do you expect him back? Maybe I could wait?" I ask.

It might be interesting to see how he handles a class or to snoop in his office.

"I'm sorry. Professor Devereux is away on a family matter, and we don't know when he will return. Would you like to speak with one of his graduate students?" she offers, trying to be helpful.

Interesting.

"When did he leave?" I ask.

"I believe he left Saturday evening." She answers instinctually, but I can see by the change in her body language that she's reconsidering giving out so much personal information.

I thank her and leave. Strange. He didn't mention anything to me about leaving. I call his cell number again. I'm starting to feel like a stalker. Again, I get his voice mail. This time I leave him a message.

"Hello, Gabe. It's Sam. I've been trying to reach you for the last couple of days. I hope everything is okay with you. Can you give me a call when you get this?" I ask, then hang up. I'm not even across the campus when my phone buzzes. I dig it out, and look at the number, it's Gabe.

"Hello, Gabe?"

"Samantha! Are you all right? What's wrong?" he asks, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine. Is everything right with you? Where did you go? I stopped by a couple times, but you've been MIA since our date." I don't tell him that I'm at the university hunting him down. No reason to make him think I really am a stalker or worse—clingy.

"I'm sorry. I...I was called away for personal reasons. I'm in London at the moment, family business. When I saw that you left a message, and that I missed a couple calls from you, I was concerned. I don't always have a signal where I'm at. And you don't keep the best company, after all," he says.

"London? Your family is in London? Is everything okay? You left so suddenly." And I have a million questions for you...

"Yes, I have family all over, but my father and uncles live in England. Everything is fine. My family can be...rather demanding. I'll explain more when I return. Unfortunately, I don't know yet when that will be. Could be a few days or a few weeks," he says.

I don't have weeks.

"Oh, I was hoping to talk to you about the other night. Can you call me when you get back?" I ask, sounding disappointed.