Chapter 28
"Ruthie," Amy announced with certainty the next evening, "I have a good feeling that we'll find our elusive Reverend Williams tonight."
Ruthie was rising from her coffin and went to the table where Amy was lighting the candles in preparation for dressing. Susie hadn't risen yet but the lid on her casket moved slightly as Ruthie sat in her chair.
"And what makes you so certain, Amy?" Ruthie pulled her Bible toward her from across the table.
"I'm just being optimistic, I suppose," she said happily as she held two dresses up for comparison, "I'm anxious to find him before he finds us."
"Perhaps tonight we should ask someone about his whereabouts," Susie suggested as she joined her companions around the table.
"What!" Amy and Ruthie exclaimed together.
"We can keep our hoods low," Susie answered, "No one would see our faces."
"That is far too dangerous," Amy said, "we mustn't bring attention to ourselves in any way."
"After we question this person, whoever it may be," Susie continued, "we will feed off his blood and that will be the end of him. He won't be alive to describe us to the authorities or anyone else."
"Good Lord," Ruthie groaned.
"You know, Susie," Amy said, "that sounds like it could possibly succeed."
"Yes," Susie said enthusiastically as she stroked her velvet skirt against her thigh, "since Reverend Williams frequents alleyways, the common alley dwellers must be acquainted with him."
"That makes sense," Amy agreed, "and we don't have to feed off horses again."
"Wait now," Ruthie cautioned, "aren't we suppose to be silent killers and not speak to anyone at all for any reason?"
"Yes," Amy answered, "but there are exceptions. Remember the salesman from the train and the pirate in jail?"
"Yes," Ruthie agreed, "I remember, but the pirate wasn't one of our victims."
"True," Amy said, "but it still proves that we can, on rare occasions speak to people. Since we plan to kill this person at once after speaking to him, there's no harm in it."
"Only the harm of using him to get information and then murdering him," Ruthie added.
"It's very simple, Ruthie," Susie explained, "there will be no problem at all. The biggest problem is inconspicuously disposing of the corpse and that is our constant problem anyway."
Ruthie sighed and opened her Bible for some solace and strength, "You two have already decided and will follow through no matter what I say. I won't drink the man's blood."
"Fine," Susie said lightly as she twirled in her velvet skirt.
"I'm sorry you feel so strongly against our plan, Ruthie," Amy said sympathetically, "but we had no luck in finding Reverend Williams last night. Maybe this plan will help us with our search."
"Maybe," Ruthie sighed again without looking up from her study.
Cold drizzle fell and covered the vampires' cloaks as they slowly passed through the city toward the lair Amy had introduced Ruthie to after losing Robert. It had been some time since Amy had been behind the house to make sure her ribbon still flew as a welcoming sign for Robert should he return and fear that she was lost to him forever. The house itself was completely changed, but the woods behind it were still intact. Amy's ribbon still hung limply on the cold tree branch where she had tied it, but was quite worn. She vowed to bring a fresh replacement soon.
"Let's find our victim now," Susie suggested strongly as they left the woods, "it should be late enough for a few drunks to be fallen into their favorite alleyways," Susie felt it a waste of time crossing town to be sure a sign still flew for a man who selfishly turned Amy, a young beautiful rich girl with opportunities to live out her life as a respected lady, into a blood-thirsty killer and then abandoned her when he grew bored. She was annoyed with Amy's stubborn and ignorant fairy tale logic that allowed her to believe that somehow Robert was taken from her against his will and that someday he would return to her and they would live happily together throughout eternity. Susie knew from real life observations that when a man left a woman it was for his own selfish reasons and that the only reason he would return would be that he had absolutely nowhere else to go. It seemed to Susie that Amy was wasting her power and beauty and relinquishing control of her life to a man who she would never see again.
"Yes," Ruthie reluctantly agreed, "I need to find some blood myself, Amy," Ruthie didn't believe Robert would ever return to Amy again either, but she practiced patience and empathy towards her friend and believed that someday Amy would realize the truth on her own and she would need a sympathetic friend to comfort her.
"I apologize for killing your husband, Susie," Amy said, assuming all marriages were based on the love and devotion she had for Robert, "you must have loved him to marry him and bear three children for him."
Susie's impatience with Amy's romantic fantasies was near its end, "You're wrong, Amy," Susie answered in annoyance, "I never loved my husband and never grieved for him after he died."
"What!" Amy exclaimed, "Why did you ever marry a man you didn't love?"
"My father was an alcoholic who spent all his wages on drink. My mother experienced years of suffering from him," Susie answered angrily, "I thought I could escape my family and have a better life if I got married. When I met my husband he promised me a good life. He was visiting our neighbors on his way to a new job at a textile mill in Rhode Island. He invited me along so I ran away with him. We never got as far as Rhode Island, though. When we entered Connecticut we met a man who is a supervisor here at the coffee mill factory and he offered my husband a job here. If he hadn't spent all his money on cards and drink we could have had a much nicer life together. He was a terrible disappointment as a husband. Never seeing or hearing from my family again was the only good thing that came out of my marriage."
"Where are you from, Susie," Ruthie asked.
"New Hampshire," Susie answered.
"Why did you have three children with a husband who couldn't properly care for them?" Amy asked.
"Life is not the fairy tale you seem to think it is," Susie answered, "there are certain duties and obligations a wife is expected to perform as a married woman whether she wants to or not. Bearing children is one of them. There is really no way to prevent having children when a woman is married."
"Oh, Lord,' Ruthie said, "this conversation has gone on long enough. Amy, your innocence is incredible."
"Fine," Amy pouted, "maybe I do have fairy tale fantasies regarding romance and marriage. I'm sorry you had such a hard life, Susie, but I'm relieved that you don't miss your husband and his death was not hard on you."
"Oh, it was hard on me all right," Susie said, "without him I needed to work to pay the rent and feed my family. You saw how difficult that was for me and what my little girls could fall victim to without me to protect them. My husband may have been a bad one, but he was better than none at all."
"Yes," Amy said, "I understand. I truly thought I was helping you when I killed him. I also believed I was helping you when I transformed you into one of us. I suppose I was a little thoughtless."
"Well," Susie sighed, "it's all over and done with now. Perhaps I can use these new powers of mine to better my life at least."
"How is that?" Ruthie asked.
"We will see, won't we?" Susie replied.
"I know I'm better off, " said Ruthie, "except for all the murdering and sinning, but I got away from my life of being a victim."
"Oh, yes," Amy smiled, "it's much better to make someone else the victim instead of yourself."
"That's not what I meant, Amy," Ruthie scowled, "I hate victimizing others and you know it. But I am glad I'm no longer a victim."
"I've taken a genuine liking to victimizing others," Susie announced sternly, "it's sweet revenge to be the one in power after living my life fearing the unpredictable and cruel actions of others like my father and my husband and my employers."
"Is that how you think your new power will improve your life?" Ruthie asked
.
"Yes," Susie answered, "that's one way."
"Pardon me," Amy interrupted, "but we need to watch for the Reverend. We're close to the waterfront."
"I hope we find a victim soon," Susie announced, "I'm starving."
"Yes," agreed Ruthie, "I'll keep my senses open for rats or other blood that doesn't flow through a man."
"Suit yourself, Ruthie," Amy slowed her pace to match Ruthie's.
"I think I saw a skunk a moment ago, Ruthie," Susie smirked in contempt.
"Susie!" Amy exclaimed, "That was a very rude thing to say! Ruthie wouldn't be so unthinking to try and feed on a skunk and risk becoming covered in that horrible stench. Why would you say such a thing to sweet Ruthie?"
"I thought it was humorous," Susie defended herself, "obviously, you two don't see the humor."
"I'd rather feed on a skunk or any other animal than kill another man," Ruthie said, "but you're right, Susie, I don't see the humor of your comment."
The hungry vampires moved methodically and deliberately street by street through the city spying slyly from inside their low hoods for any man resembling either a man of God or a fallen drunk. Ruthie found blood among the endless supply of vermin within the city's dark corners while Amy and Susie held out for human blood. Chilly drizzle kept many people inside for the evening and the numbers who were out moved quickly to their destinations to lessen their exposure to the elements.
"This weather is working against us," Susie remarked after searching another abandoned alley.
"Yes," Amy agreed, "if we don't find anyone soon here in the streets we may have some luck finding blood when the train arrives. We won't be finding the information we're hoping for though."
"Let's keep searching the streets in the meantime," Susie suggested as they moved along Main Street.
"There!" Ruthie exclaimed as they approached an ice company, "behind that tree!"
"Yes!" Amy exclaimed as she saw the gray lump of a prone man on the ground between a large elm and a low stonewall.
Slowly, so as not to attract attention on the normally busy street, Amy and Susie gracefully moved toward and surrounded the form on the ground while Ruthie kept watch on the sidewalk.
Susie nudged the sleeping man with her toe and he moved in an attempt to push her away but only managed to weakly raise his arm an inch before it dropped back to the ground. Repulsed by the familiar odor of stale alcohol and tobacco emanating from the man Susie kicked a little harder. This brought the man angrily to a slouched seated position against the wall, "Go away!" he slurred.
"Why," Susie replied sarcastically, "are you comfortable here?"
"I was," replied the man trying to see who he was speaking to but only saw black figures leaning over him.
"We're looking for a Reverend Horace Williams," Amy said, "do you know of him?"
"Leave me alone," the man whined, "stop asking questions."
"No," Amy replied, "we won't leave you alone until you answer our questions."
"I don't know anyone," the man slumped over some more, "leave me alone."
Susie reached down and grabbed the man by the throat lifting him to his knees. His eyes opened more but he still couldn't see her face within the hood, "Do you know Reverend Williams or don't you?" she demanded.
Whining and gasping in fear the inebriated man's bladder let loose and he whimpered, "Yes, I know him."
"Where can we find him?" Susie asked still gripping the man's throat.
"I don't know," he answered, "he finds us."
"Who do you mean?"
"Street people," the man said, "he wants to save us for Jesus. He gives us food if we listen to him preach."
"Where can we find him?" Susie repeated.
"I don't know," the man whined.
"I really don't think he knows," Amy said.
Ignoring Amy's remark Susie asked, "Where do you go to hear him preach?"
"He stays in the City Hotel," the man tried to cough but Susie's firm grip prevented it and he only made a choking sound.
"He knew," Susie said to Amy as she lustfully drew his neck to her mouth and drank his blood.
Amy fed at last after Susie finished and the three vampires disposed of his wet filthy body in the river. Although Amy felt satisfied with their newfound knowledge of Reverend Williams and with Susie's method of extracting the information from the victim, Ruthie was uneasy about Susie's aggressive behavior and lack of remorse. In fact, Susie seemed proud of her actions and more confident about herself than ever.
"We have a little time left before we need to return to the lair," Amy said as they crossed the tracks after leaving the river, "shall we go to the City Hotel and look for Reverend Williams?"
"Should we risk being seen so close to the scene of the murder?" Ruthie asked, "it's only been a few days."
"If we want to find the reverend," said Susie, "we need to be where he lives. I can keep my hood over my face and I won't be recognized. Besides, it's not that close."
"Your confidence makes me nervous," Ruthie told Susie, "it borders on recklessness."
"Ruthie," Susie sighed, "you are always nervous. Everything makes you nervous. Are you that afraid of having your head chopped off?"
"Aren't you?" Ruthie replied in amazement, "you want to go back near the scene of the murder the authorities want to question you about."
"Yes, Susie," Amy joined the discussion, "it is very risky for you to be spending time in such close vicinity of the place of Mr. Strapper's murder."
"I'll keep my hood pulled down, as I said, and the two of you can shield me from the public," Susie was getting impatient, "we are wasting precious time standing here discussing it."
"Fine," Amy agreed, "be sure to remain behind us at all times."
Amy and Ruthie led Susie up State Street and lurked behind a large tree across the street from the hotel. Because of the weather and the lateness of the hour barely any passersby were seen. The passersby decreased to a straggler here and there and finally the streets were empty, dark, cold and wet.
"He must have stayed in tonight," Ruthie remarked.
"Or we missed him while we discussed the safety of the plan by the tracks," Susie said.
"We may as well return to the lair before we are seen here," Amy suggested, "it's difficult to remain hidden and unnoticed when we are the only ones out."
"I'd like to find a newspaper on the way back," Ruthie said, "there may be more information about the murder."
"It may be hard to find a dry copy," Susie remarked.
"Oh, I've read them wet before," Ruthie replied, "or I can wait until it's dried out."
To Ruthie's delight she found a fairly dry newspaper crumpled at the bottom of an ash can on the way back to the lair. It was torn, dirty and damp but still mostly legible. Seated at their table with the candles lit she began pouring over it for any news about the murder investigation.
"Here!" Ruthie exclaimed pointing to an article. Amy and Susie looked up from laying out their dresses and hanging up their cloaks.
"What does it say?" Amy asked anxiously.
"It says:
Self-proclaimed minister, Reverend Horace Williams reported to authorities today that one of his congregants has been found dead. The Reverend has labeled the death as mysteriously violent. The deceased, whose identity has not been confirmed, was found by Reverend Williams at the edge of Shaw's Cove, decapitated and otherwise mangled. Authorities state that the death appears to have been caused by a train."
"Delightful!" Amy exclaimed clapping her hands in glee, "the authorities believed our trick!"
"Only because they couldn't be bothered investigating the death of a man with no identity," Ruthie said.
"You see, Susie?" Amy twirled around to face Susie, "what would they have thought if Reverend Williams found the man in the alley with his head torn off as you suggested?"
"He still seems to believe the death is 'mysteriously violent,'" Susie replied, "he will still be searching for the killer
, don't you think?"
"That could be why he's been spending time in alleys at night," Ruthie said, "maybe this man isn't the first of his congregation that we've killed."
"That's a very good point," Amy's smile faded, "but at least the authorities are satisfied that the death was accidental."
"Don't you think Reverend Williams is an authority?" Ruthie asked.
"No," Amy answered, "he's noted there as a 'self-proclaimed minister.' He apparently isn't affiliated with any church in the city."
"That explains why he lives in a hotel and not a parsonage," Susie said.
"Therefore," Amy said matter-of-factly, "his ideas and opinions won't hold much credence in town."
"The authorities may even consider him one to be taken lightly," Susie added with a chuckle, "would you take seriously the word of a man who claims to be a minister but has no credentials and only has nameless vagrant alcoholics as parishioners?"
"It would depend on what he's saying," Ruthie replied solemnly.
"One thing is for sure," Susie said "we certainly killed another one of his flock tonight."
"Oh, good Lord!" Ruthie exclaimed with a groan.
"Well," said Amy, "if he wasn't suspicious before, he certainly will be now."