continuously about anything at all even while in the middle of preparing dinner. Maryann managed to shift the conversation to the band.
“Oh, I'm so excited to come see you play!” Steph said.
Maryann started to reach into her pockets.
“Oh, no, you don't need to give me any tickets. I've already bought my own. Oh, and you can meet my new boyfriend! He's coming to dinner tonight.”
“Steph! You got a boyfriend? I thought you worked like 60 hours a week.”
“I've really been trying to re-establish a proper work-life balance. I've started telecommuting a few days a week. And I started dating again. You guys will love Nicholas. He's sensitive and sweet and seriously hot.” Then she continued on that topic for quite a while. Nicholas was a struggling artist who had to work two part time jobs at two different gas stations.
“Steph, Steph,” Maryann managed to interrupt. “When are we going to meet Nicholas?”
“Oh, he said he's stop by tonight after his shift and he's definitely coming to the show tomorrow night. Oh, and he'll come over Sunday if he can switch around shifts. You will really love him. I know we've only been dating for six months, but I feel he could really be the one. Oh, and I'm sorry if dinner isn't up to my usual standards. Poor Nicholas has acid reflux and he can't eat onions or tomatoes or garlic or citrus and I feel like I have to learn how to cook all over again.” And she continued along those lines. She was interrupted by the doorbell and abruptly jumped up from the couch. “It's Nicholas!” she squealed and ran off.
“Maryann, I'm sorry I ever made fun of you for being you,” Nora said.
“Oh, that's okay. I know you didn't mean it. I wonder what this guy is like.”
“Is Steph usually like this about guys?” Isabella asked.
“I'm going to guess yes,” Leah said wryly.
“Yeah, she is. But it's just her personality. She's very excited about everything. She has to be enthusiastic to a computer systems analyst. I mean, I can't imagine a more boring job. But, well, she's not her usual peppy self.”
“Are you kidding us?” Leah replied. “If she was any more bubbly, she'd be a club soda. If she was any peppier, she'd be rallying a football team.”
“I'm telling you she seems a little less energetic than usual.”
“If she was any more energetic, she'd be a circuit breaker.”
“Hush,” Isabella said.
Stephanie returned in a few minutes with a very handsome man. He was tall, well-built, pale, and disheveled, yet stylishly so. “Everyone, this is Nicholas Roberts. Nicholas, that's my cousin Maryann and her friends Isabella, Leah, and Nora. They're in the band we're going to see tomorrow night.”
He smiled a dazzling smile. “I've never met a band before. I'm looking forward to hearing you play tomorrow.”
Maryann, Leah, and Nora were trying not to stare. Only Isabella didn't seem enthralled by his looks. In contrast, she suddenly looked pale and a bit ill.
“Isabella? Like the Twilight girl?” Nicholas asked.
“No. Nothing like her,” she retorted somewhat rudely.
“Sorry I asked.”
“Dinner's ready,” Stephanie said. “This is going to be great. Nicholas, tell them all about yourself.”
“Well, I think my life will be pretty boring compared to the life of a real rock band. Why don't you tell me about your band instead?” he said with an easy smile.
Maryann, who was seated next to Nicholas, did start to talk about the band. Isabella was almost completely silent, which was worrisome to the others.
Finally Isabella spoke up. “Nicholas, what kind of artist are you?”
“I'm a painter, and a sculptor, but mostly I'm unemployed,” he answered with a laugh.
Stephanie laughed with him. “You're so funny.”
“Where do you live?” Maryann asked. She had noticed Isabella pointedly try to turn the conversation back to Nicholas, so she stayed on that topic.
“I have a small place in the University District. You ladies do not want to go there. My place is a mess, and the neighborhood has got kind of a reputation for too many student parties and occasionally violence. I think it's a pretty justified reputation, but my place is cheap and there's a lot of inspiration.”
“He always looks out for me,” Stephanie said.
“Where did you go to school?” Leah asked.
“Never went to college. Self-taught and living off a trust fund. But I believe in my art and that one day I'm going to make it.”
“I'm sure you will, sweetie,” Stephanie said. “You're so talented. I've got a few of his paintings in the house. I should have pointed them out earlier. Don't let me forget to do that, Maryann.”
“I'll try not to, Steph. Hey, how did you two meet?”
“Oh, it was so romantic. I was leaving work late and found out some horrible person had slashed one of my tires. I called up AAA but I had to wait there for the tow truck to take the car to the dealership. Then Nicholas walks up to me as the tow truck is loading up my car and says, 'Hey, you look like you've had a pretty lousy day. Would you let me buy you a drink and maybe a bite to eat?' Well, it was late so I figured, why the heck not? We got a cab and went out to dinner. It's been so wonderful. Nicholas and I share so many interests even though he's an artist and I'm a computer systems analyst. We like the same movies, the same music, even the same food. It's just amazing how much we have in common.”
“Yeah, amazing. Did you ever find out who slashed your tire?” Isabella asked.
“Oh, no. I filed a police report, but they decided it was just random vandalism. I thought the car would be pretty safe in the parking garage, but I guess someone else in the building had a very bad day and took it out on my poor car.”
Nicholas then turned the topic of conversation to the acceptance of violence in society and the band got no more information about him.
“Oh, it's so late!” Stephanie said suddenly. “Nicholas, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to throw you out.”
“That's fine. I know you don't mean it,” he replied.
“I really don't. I'll meet you at the show tomorrow night.” She practically pulled him to his feet and escorted him to the door. “Well, isn't he wonderful?” she said breathlessly when she returned.
“Oh, he's great,” Maryann answered as enthusiastically as she could manage.
“I knew you'd like him. Well, I have to get some work done in the morning, so I'm going to bed now. I know, I'm so old! But after I finish up work, I'm going to take you to see Seattle. So make sure you get up before noon, Maryann.”
“Sure Steph.”
The women got ready for bed and after Stephanie's door remained shut for fifteen minutes, the others silently crept out of their rooms to go to Isabella's room.
“So you didn't like Nicholas?” Maryann asked. “Because he was kind of starting to give me the creeps.”
“He has an aura of death,” Isabella answered.
“What does that mean?” Nora asked.
“It could mean a lot of things. Not all of them are necessarily bad, but it's definitely worth investigating. That's why I was trying to find out more about him, but I guess he didn't want to talk with a bunch of strangers.”
“Don’t you have an aura of death?”
“A slight one, yes. So like I said, it may not be bad, but it's worth investigating. But I'm afraid there are a lot more options for bad than good.”
“Like what?” Leah asked.
“Well, he could be undead, like a vampire or a manifested ghost of considerable power,” Maryann said, “or he could be a practitioner of necromantic magic, or he could be a serial killer. Or he could just be a natural medium or have very strong spirit sight like Isabella or he could have had a near-death experience and part of his soul crossed over. Or he could have had the great misfortune in his life to be around a lot of people when they died, like some soldiers or firefight
ers do.”
“Any of those things sounds like something Stephanie really ought to know,” Leah said. “So how do we figure out what's the truth?”
“Well, an internet search may turn up something, especially for the non-occult possibilities. Otherwise, while Stephanie's working tomorrow, I'm going to put some magical wards on her house. Depending on Nicholas's reaction, that should tell us if his aura of death is magical in nature,” Isabella answered.
“And if he's just a serial killer?” Leah asked somewhat sarcastically.
“I don't know. Maybe tip off the police? If he's innocent, they'll let him go,” she answered. “And I'm sure he'll make a charming story out of it.”
“Even if he's innocent, I'm not sure I like him,” Maryann said. “Steph doesn't seem like herself and does anyone else think it's weird how they met since it doesn't sound like he works anywhere near her building and weird how he seems to like everything she does?”
“Yes,” the other three answered in unison.
“What's your cousin's dating history?” Isabella asked.
“Yeah, does she have your tendency to fall in love at first sight?” Nora added dryly.
“Well, we are a lot alike, and she's really into the idea of romance. Her favorite play is 'Romeo and Juliet.'”
“Yes, because it's so romantic when two stupid kids meet, think they've fallen in love because what do they know at age thirteen, and are both dead within the week,” Leah replied snidely.
Maryann shrugged. “Well, it's romantic for most people.”
“You included?” she asked.
Maryann blushed a bit. “Well, except for the dying