Page 41 of Shadow Seeking

He nodded. “I can make it. I’ll be there.” Without a word, he picked up the paper, slid out of the booth, and vanished out the door.

“Why did you pick that place?” Dante asked.

“It seems appropriate. Nobody will be there. And…it’s been too long since I said hello,” I said.

The rain was downto a drizzle. The steady downpour had let up as we drove across the I-90 Floating Bridge. Now, the clouds were whipping past the waxing crescent. Waves rolled on Lake Washington, occasionally splashing up and over the edge. Orik and Dante were quiet, wrapped up in their thoughts, as I was in mine.

An hour later, we pulled into the Fairlane Cemetery in Redmond. Officially established as Redmond in 1887, (it had gone by several other names before that), the city was part of the Greater Eastside. It was the home of Microsoft, a rural community turned urban, and the downtown area was growing leaps-and-bounds, with apartments going up everywhere. It was also the home to Marymoor Park, with over six hundred acres of fields, trails, a dog park, and the Clise Mansion which could be rented out for events. Each year, the park provided a venue for Cirque du Soleil, numerous bands, and the ‘movies in the park’ events.

Fairlane Cemetery was on 192ndDrive Northeast, off of the Redmond-Fall City Road Northeast. The gates had long been broken.

When I buried my mother, it was already on the skids, and it had cost me next to nothing to lay her remains to rest. The owner of the cemetery warned me that the upkeep was minimal. The graveyard was barely maintained by a trust his great-grandfather had set up. Which meant the lawn got mowed, at best, once every few months and only in the accessible places. The headstones were eroding, some already fallen over, with their names weathered away.

I pulled into the parking lot. The asphalt was broken, most of the lights were broken out, and there wasn’t another car in sight. As I turned off the ignition, the silence was only interrupted by the drizzle spattering on the windshield.

“I buried my mother here twenty-six years ago,” I said, staring at the dark gloom of the cemetery. The gravestones were grim reminders of how quickly the past could be forgotten.

“Do you ever come here to visit?” Orik asked.

I shook my head. “Her spirit’s no longer tied to the earth. I chose this place because it’s out of the way and seldom occupied, but it is a harsh reminder of her death. And sometimes, I need to remind myself of how quickly life can be swept away. At least I avenged her murder. And then Penn saved me from turning into what my mother’s killer had been. I’ll be right back.”

I got out of the car and walked over to the newest row of tombstones. My mother had slept her for twenty-six years. I knelt by the small stone that marked her body. It was overgrown, and I reached out and pulled a few of the weeds.

“Hey, I just wanted you to know, I never forget you,” I whispered. I knew she wasn’t here, but it seemed the right thing to do. I hadn’t sensed her spirit in all the time she’d been gone, and that was what cut the most. “I hope you’re doing okay,” I added, before returning to the car.

As I settled back in the driver’s seat, neither Dante and Orik said a word.

“When do you think Lazenti will be here, and are you sure he’s going to show?” Orik asked.

“I’m sure,” I said. “I think…I get a read on the guy, and even though he’s a vampire, I feel an odd affinity with him. He’ll be here. And when he does, I’ve developed a theory that I want to run by him.” I was about to turn on the music when the bushesahead rustled, and out stepped Lazenti. I unlocked the doors and opened the window. “Come on in, have a seat in the front.”

“Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked.

“I know what I’m doing. After we’re done, I’ll rescind the invitation.” I knew all the tricks on keeping vampires out. I’d never invited one in before, at least not into my car.

“All right.” Lazenti climbed in the passenger seat. “You sure you trust me?”

I laughed. “I don’t trust you. But I have the feeling that we may be able to help each other. I’ll lay out my guesses and you can tell me if I’m right, if you choose.”

“Well, let’s hear it,” he said.

“You’re working with the Vampire Federation to infiltrate Brim Fire. I don’t know why, but they’re on your target list. You spotted Letty as standing out from the others in the forums because you’re doing the same thing. I imagine the actual fanatics in the group have a certain ‘feel’ to their posts.”

“What else?”

“Letty was working for someone else, like you are. We don’t know who, but my guess is that you and Letty may have had a couple talks about this. I’d like to know what she said. I won’t say a word about you—or the Federation. I have some investment in this, but not like you’d think. I’m half-demon, so I’m interested in what these people are trying to do—not because I think they’re right, but because I know my own nature, as much as I can given my past. And I don’t think a lot of demons running around the world is a good idea.”

Lazenti blinked, giving me a long look down his nose. “I knew you weren’t fully human but I wasn’t sure what you were. So, you’re half demon? What kind?”

“I don’t know, to be honest. My mother never told me what kind, or who my father was, other than he was a demon.” Ishrugged. “Someday I’ll find out. Now, are you going to tell us about Letty, or have you changed your mind?”

He let out a sigh. Vampires didn’t need to breathe, but they could sigh or whistle as they chose…if they chose.

“All right, I’ll tell you what I know. But on one more condition.”

“And what’s that?” I asked.

He grinned then, looking all too seductive and delicious. I was startled to find myself responding to his looks, because he wasn’t putting on any glamour.

---