Page 114 of The Neighborhood Vampire

Carol turned to Alice. She couldn’t tell if Carol was still in shock or furious at her for what happened to Hugo. The moment could have been a second or a century. Time stopped.

“He was going to ask you a question,” Carol said through her tears. “Did he?”

Alice held up her left hand to show them the thin onyx band with a purple amethyst crystal in the shape of a heart. “It was the last thing he asked me.”

Carol stood up. “Excuse me,” she said. She went down a hall and shut the bathroom door behind her.

Oliver’s eyes followed his wife, but he turned his attention back to Alice. He hugged her. “It’ll be okay.”

“It won’t. This is all my fault,” Alice said.

“It’s not your fault,” Oliver said.

“How is it not?”

“I’ll tell you the same thing I told Hugo when Elizabeth died. You were there for him. That’s all that mattered.”

“I could have done more,” Alice replied as she buried her head into his shoulder.

“You did enough. Trust me.” Oliver patted her on the back. “You did enough.”

“What do I do now?” Alice asked.

“I don’t know, but if you need anything,anything, let us know.”

“Thank you,” Alice said as she pulled back from Oliver. “Is Carol okay?”

“I’ll talk to her. Don’t worry. She’s probably still in shock. Go home. Get some rest. It’s the best thing for you right now.”

Alice nodded.

Oliver continued, “We’ll figure this out later. Together.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you want us to keep watching Max?”

“Thanks for the offer, but I think I could use her company right now,” Alice said. She took Max’s leash and clipped it to her collar.

“We’re just a phone call away,” Oliver said.

“Thank you,” Alice said. She opened the door and headed for her SUV with Max leading the way.

Max bounced into the house,excited to be home. She ran around downstairs, searching for Hugo. She went down the hall and into the kitchen. Unable to find him, she ran upstairs. Her toenails clicked against the hardwood steps. The clickity clack of her nails were like ghostly footprints from above. Unable to find Hugo, she ran back down to the entryway.

Alice stood in the doorway. She tried as much as possible to hold back her tears, but couldn’t. They continued to flow. Guinevere entered the home and floated into the living room. She took her usual spot next to the red velvet couch.

Max followed in her pursuit of Hugo. Something caught her attention. She sniffed the hardwood flooring—the very spot where Hugo had perished. She circled, dragging her nose across the floor to smell everything.

She stopped. Max scratched the hardwood floor with her paw. She sniffed again before continuing her scratching. She laid down on the spot where Hugo disappeared from this earth. She whined and whimpered.

Alice couldn’t hold back. She buried her head into her hands and released another gush of tears. “I’m sorry, Max.” Her voice was muffled by her hands. “I’m so sorry.”

Max let out a low, drawn-out whimper.

After a long cry, Alice removed her witch’s hat and black tailcoat. She placed them on the coat rack at the base of the steps. With a snap of her fingers, her boots untied themselves. She kicked them off, one at a time, stretching out her toes in her stockings. She climbed up the stairs toward her bedroom—their bedroom.

She grabbed her purple pajamas, neatly folded on their bed. She removed her shirt and black pants. The cold morning air brushed against her bare skin, sending a slight shiver down her spine. She put on her pajamas and turned down the bed covers. Hugo’s pillow caught her eye. She picked up the pillow and held it close.

---