The List, Part 1

[donnamour1969]

Title: The List, Part 1
Fandom: Moonlight
Characters: Mick/Beth/Josef
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: After last tv episode, "Sonata"
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I just like to visit them sometimes.

Author's Note: Fifth in my post-Sonata series.  Vampires are being murdered, Mick must find the list of intended victims, before others are killed.  p.s.  If this doesn't cut right, I give up.


I wasn’t expecting the call from the Cleaner, but I was quick to answer it. ”Mick,” she said in her breathy voice, “I’ve got another one. Maybe we should call the council together.”

This was the third vampire corpse she’d found this week, after anonymous tips of the bodies’ locations. At first, she was annoyed because no one could reimburse her for the time and trouble it took her team to clean up the kill site and dispose of the body. The second one, she called me about, as sort of a head’s-up. The third body of the week, and she was worried. We both were.

“Same method of death?”

“Yeah, a clean beheading. No sign of a struggle. A female this time. I recognize this one. Her name is Nicole Davis.

“I’ve seen her around too. No doubt we’ve got a serial killer now. You think it could be a Van Helsing kind of job?” Vampire hunters weren’t unknown to us. I just hadn’t heard of one in decades, and certainly not in LA. It was hard to take a vampire by surprise, so the fact that there was no evidence of a fight among any of the other victims led me to believe that the killer was either known to them, or was something not easily detectible to vampires.

“It could be. I haven’t destroyed this body yet. Thought you might want to have a look.”

“Take it over to Guillermo for me, will ya? And let me do some investigating on my own before we get the council involved. What were those three locations?” I jotted them down and then I called Josef.

“Hey, Mick. Haven’t heard from you since the pool party.” I wasn’t touching that one. Beth and I had borrowed his pool a week ago, and since then, she and I had been rather “preoccupied” with one another.

“Yeah, well. I’ve been kinda busy.”

“I’ll bet. So, what else is uh, up?”

“Meet me at the morgue.”

“Got carried away with Beth, eh?”

“Not funny, Josef.”

“You’re sounding a little on edge, pal. What’s going on?

“The Cleaner called me again. That’s three down this week. We got a name this time though. You remember Nicole Davis?”

He was quiet on his end a moment. “Yeah, I remember her.” That reaction could only mean one thing-he’d been involved with her.

“Well, her body is at the morgue. Maybe Guillermo can tell us something.”

“I’ll see you there.” Josef seldom got involved in any of my cases, and certainly had rarely gone to the morgue with me. Knowing the vamp made this personal for him-for all of us.

It was late at night, so not many people were around at the City Morgue. Guillermo always tried to pull the night shift for obvious reasons. Josef’s office was closer, so he was already there with the Cleaner when I arrived. We gathered around the body. The head and body were of course separated, but the long, flowing, black hair and shapely figure attested that she had been very beautiful. Certainly Josef’s type. I looked at my friend. I could see sadness there, but mostly, I saw anger at the waste of it all.

Everyone sniffed around but could detect nothing. No other vampire. Nothing else unidentifiable.

“Can you trace those anonymous calls you received?” I asked the Cleaner.

“I tried, and got a couple of my expert friends on it. No dice. It was a man’s voice, very confident sounding. No emotion. That’s all I can tell you.”

“Anyone want to come with me to check out the murder sites?” I asked.

“I didn’t smell anything there, either,” added the Cleaner.

“I’ll go,” said Josef quietly.

We all left, and I got in with Josef in his new black Ferrari. We went to the first place, an alley outside a busy club. It was two a.m., so the partiers were still in full swing. The Cleaner had done her job well with the first site. No evidence of anything remained. She had said it was a young Asian male, but whose scent of decay led her to believe he was at least a hundred years old. He’d had no identification or wallet on him.

The second site was in a middle-class residential area, in a neighborhood park. This site had been thoroughly cleaned, as well. The victim had also been male, middle-aged, again, with no ID. He was perhaps two hundred years old. Nothing to link the three victims. No similarities. The sites were far apart. The only thing they seemed to have in common was that they were vampires. Then, again, that might be enough of a connection to warrant their murders.

We went to the third site, which the Cleaner had left untouched. Josef had said little in the car and at the other locations. I could see him blanche at the blood stained sidewalk in front of the swank apartment building. The sidewalk was heavily enclosed by large trees and bushes. It would have been easy for a vamp to quickly decapitate her and run without being seen.

We looked around and saw little traffic, either car or pedestrian. The lobby of the apartment building was well-lit, but no guard or bellman waited outside. A code was required to enter the building, using a keypad near the door. I tried the doors. They were locked securely. I looked up and saw that most of the apartment windows were dark with the lateness of the hour.

Josef was breathing in the air around the blood stain. I joined him, but could detect nothing but the dead woman’s own blood. It was hard to pinpoint scents outside, because the air carried them away quickly. The Cleaner and her crew had smelled nothing either.

“This was a professional job,” Josef said. “In and out. The poor girl didn’t know what hit her.”

“What I don’t get,” I said, “was why they called for the cleaners if they’re targeting vampires. I mean, why would they care if one of us was found?”

“I can think of two possibilities,” said Josef thoughtfully. “One, the killer is a vampire. Or two, they are sending the rest of us a message.”

“Maybe both possibilities are true,” I said. “Tell me about her, Josef. Where did she hang out? Did she live in this building?”

“I never knew where she lived. She mainly came over to my place. I met her at a charity event about two years ago. I’m not sure if she worked. She seemed to be independently wealthy. She was newly turned-about ten years ago, I think she told me. I don’t know anything about the specifics of her turning.” He looked at me, a little of his usual sardonic humor entering his eyes and his voice.    “She actually reminded me of you, Mick. A real girl scout. A do-gooder who wanted to make a difference in the world and not just feed off others. She was mainly a blood bag baby too, although I never saw her turn down a good-looking male freshie. I admired her. She hadn’t yet become jaded by old age. I found her to be¼.refreshing,” he finished wistfully.

“I’m sorry, Josef. I wish I had known her.” He just shrugged awkwardly at my words.

“I want you to find the bastard who did this to her.” His tone was rich with suppressed rage. “Spare no expense. My experts are at your disposal.”

“I guess the only other thing I can think to do is start asking around. Other vamps might have some knowledge or insight. What concerns me also is that if she is well-known in LA, she’s going to be missed, and that could lead to some difficult questions for us.”

“She doesn’t have any family around here that I know of.”

“Well, that could be a plus,” I said. We walked back to Josef’s car.

“If you’ll drop me back at my car, I’ll head over to Logan’s. He’s got the most recent list of vampires in the area. I think he should send out an advisory.” He remotely opened the car doors.

“Good idea. Say it’s not the time for all of us to panic yet. We don’t know what this guy is after. But forewarned is forearmed, I always say.” He pulled out a long, thin box from under his seat. It contained a sharp-edged machete and several wooden stakes.

After Josef dropped me off at my car, I drove to Logan’s basement apartment.   He sent off the e-mail and a group text for those vamps in LA who used modern technology.   I also asked him if there were any surveillance cameras near any of the murder locations. He checked, but found none.

“This guy’s good,” said Logan. “Almost as if he selectively chose these locations for their lack of surveillance. These days, it’s a rare thing in LA not to find some business or stop light without cameras.”

“Yeah, there’s a lot that seems planned about this.”

“What info do you have on Nicole Davis?” He plugged her name into the computer. Lots of pictures of her at social and charity events appeared on the screen. She was a real philanthropist, and a former debutante from a wealthy family on the East Coast. I wondered who her sire had been. 
"Let me know if you dig up anything else on Nicole, will ya?"
“You bet, Mick. Oh, and how is Beth?”

I was both annoyed and amused at his blush. I’m sure he was thinking of her in just a bra, as she was at our last poker game.

“That, my friend, is none of your business.”

“I was just asking” I heard him call to me as I left.

With three hundred vamps in LA, and probably several moving in and out every year, it was hard to keep up with the entire population. It was nearing dawn and I was at a dead end for the night, so I decided to head home for some sleep. I had a feeling tomorrow night would be a long one.

I woke up at about noon, drank my breakfast, showered, and gave Beth a call at work.

“Hey, Beautiful.”

“Mick,” I heard the smile in her voice. “Are you up for the day?”

“Yeah. I’ve got a case I need to work on, but I’d like to take you to lunch if you haven’t eaten yet.”

“No, I was about to just grab something from the deli. Your offer is much more tempting though. You must really love to watch me eat.”

“You know I do,” I said. “I’ll drop by in about twenty minutes?”

“Great. See you in a bit.”

I walked in to the DA’s office, and walked past Ben Talbot’s office. He glanced up and saw me through the glass windows. We gave each other a brief nod. About that time, Beth came out of her cubicle and headed my way. She hadn’t seen me yet, so I stopped and watched her until she looked up and caught my eye. I was rewarded with one of her brilliant smiles. As soon as she got to me, I pulled her into my arms and kissed her passionately, right in the middle of the busy office, right in front of Ben Talbot. Now, normally, I wasn’t one for public displays of affection, but this time, I thought I’d make an exception and analyze my reasons for it later.

We were lost in each other a minute or so, then Beth seemed to remember where we were and pulled breathlessly away. She looked around, nervous and embarrassed. Coworkers looked hastily away, some grinning knowingly. She spied Talbot, his eyes focused on us as he might a train wreck. Beth’s eyes narrowed. Oops.

“Was that for Ben’s benefit, or for mine,” she hissed angrily.

“What do you mean?” I asked innocently, knowing full well I’d been caught.

“Don’t you want to lift your leg on me too?”

“Beth-“Just then, I heard the muffled sound of Talbot’s phone. Something made me zero in on him, while Beth continued to admonish me. I could also hear Talbot’s heart accelerate at the sound of the voice on the phone.

“You can mark three more names off the list now: John Wu, Luke Mineo,             and Nicole Davis.”

“But what does this mean,” Talbot asked in exasperation. “Who are these people? Who are you?”

“One holds the key to all. We’ll be in touch.”

Whoever it was hung up. Talbot was looking at me again, his expression unreadable, but I could still hear his unsteady pulse.

“Mick, are you listening to me?” Beth was saying, grabbing my arm and shaking it for my attention. I reached for her hand and pulled her, protesting to the door. Once outside, I turned to look at her.

“I’m sorry, Beth. Let’s go get lunch.”

In my car, she sat, fuming at me in silence, while my own mind was racing with what I’d heard. This was no coincidence. I didn’t recognize the voice on the phone any more than Talbot seemed to. But what kept reverberating in my head was mention of a list. A list of vampires? A list of marks? There was no doubt in my mind that Talbot had just spoken to the killer. I had no choice now. I had to get Beth involved if I was going to get my hands on that list. I stopped my car in front of a little Italian bistro. I heard it was good and fast. I turned off the car and turned to Beth.

“I know you’re mad at me. I know I deserve it. Yeah, I was marking my territory. Would you mind tabling this argument though-I’ve got something important to talk to you about.” I saw her struggling to tamp down her anger.

“Fine,” she said finally. “We can put this discussion off for now. But I’m just saying this has got to stop.”

“Okay. I still want to buy you lunch though.” I smiled my most charming and apologetic smile, then leaned over and kissed her lips gently. I was pleased to see her smile back. I guess I was off the hook-for now.

I got out and opened the car door for her, taking her hand as we walked in to the restaurant. Luckily, we were immediately seated. The place was dimly lit and romantic, and we were led to a cozy booth. She ordered water and a Caesar salad, and I ordered wine. I reached across the table for her hand.

“What’s going on, Mick?” I took a deep breath and leaned in so she could hear my low whisper.

“The vampire community has a serial killer on its hands. Three have been killed this last week alone, and I’m beginning to think there might have been others that we haven’t connected to them yet.”

I told her about last night’s investigations. She was suitably shocked.

“Why would someone do this? Don’t most vampires live in peace?”

“Yeah, although new ones need a firm hold, the Cleaner takes care of any accidents, so nothing ever gets traced back to us. Most of us are very responsible for the protection of the whole. Someone has a vendetta against us, and I need to figure out who before anyone else dies. That’s where you come in.”

“Me? What can I do?”

“Just now, at your office, I heard Talbot on the phone with someone he seemed very wary of.”

“That’s why you weren’t paying attention to me.”

“Yeah,” I said sheepishly. “Sorry. Anyway, I could hear the man on the other end tell him to mark three names off the list. One of them was last night’s victim, Nicole Davis.”

She sucked in her breath in shock. “You think Talbot has something to do with this?”

As much as I wanted an excuse to dislike Talbot further, I couldn’t pin this on him.

“No, not directly. I don’t think he knows what’s really going on. But, Beth, he has a list, and I’m pretty sure it has the names of more victims to come.”

“And you want me to steal that list for you,” she guessed.

The waitress returned with our drinks and Beth’s salad. She looked expectantly as Beth perused the menu. “What’s your favorite Italian dish?” Beth asked me. I smiled as memories flooded back from over fifty years ago.

“Eggplant parmigiana,” I told her.

“That’s what I’ll have,” Beth told the waitress.

“Nothing for me,” I said reluctantly. I was smelling the garlic bread in the basket in front of us, and while it no longer smelled inviting, it still reminded me of what I was missing.

When our waitress left, we resumed our hushed conversation.

“No, I’m not going to ask you to steal the list. I just need you to make sure I can get in and out undetected. Do you have a key to the building?”

“No, I’m not trusted with that much responsibility yet, I suppose. But there are guards twenty-four-seven, and I think someone is always working, even at night.”

“But the offices close down on weekends, right? Government building and all?”

“Yeah,” she said, “but people still come in to catch up. I think the best time would be a Saturday night. Security is pretty tight, though, Mick. Keypads, guards, cameras, checkpoints¼”

“You forget who I am,” I reminded her, flashing a fang.

“How can I forget that?” she said, looking hastily around. “Well, tomorrow is Saturday. I can try to find out what Ben has up for the weekend.”

“You’re not thinking of asking him out?”

She chuckled. “Now that would serve you right, wouldn’t it? It’s not a bad idea, though, Mick. I’d keep him occupied while you get the list.”

I didn’t like this at all, but she had a point. “Would he go for that? I mean, I’ve made it pretty clear that you and I-“

“I’m not sure he would date a coworker; he’s pretty by the book on some things. But if there was a case we were working on, or some kind of excuse to spend time together, yeah, I think he’d take me up on it. I’m sure I could think of something. Is that what you want me to do?” She took a bite of her salad.

No, I didn’t want her to spend any more time with him than she needed to for her job. But I had to put my personal feelings aside. Lives were at stake now.

“Alright, see what you can do.” We chatted about lighter things awhile, and I enjoyed the pleasure she took in the eggplant.

“It’s not fair,” she said as we walked out of the restaurant. “I smell like garlic, but you don’t” She put her palm to her mouth and sniffed, then made a face. We sat in the car and she dug around in her purse for a mint.

“I don’t mind,” I said, stopping her searching hand. Before she could fasten her seatbelt, I pulled her across the seat and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “A little garlic isn’t going to scare me way.”

She laughed. “I’m glad it’s not true what they say about garlic and vampires, or you’d be passed out about now.”

“Do your worst,” I said, my mouth close to hers, “I can take it.” And I feasted on her lips.

After Mick dropped me off, I went by Ben’s office. Judging by the wrappers from the local deli, he had eaten at his desk. He was in his usual position-phone at his ear, hands on the computer keyboard. He waved me in and I sat down in one of the chairs across from his desk.

Trying to be sly, my eyes scanned the papers on his desk. I could see various folders and copies of warrants, but not anything resembling a list. He finished the call and looked up at me.

“Did you have a nice lunch,” he asked, not unkindly. “St. John looked anxious to take you away.”

I felt myself blushing, remembering the show we’d put on for him. “Yes, it was fine, thanks. Look, I was wondering if you could help me with something, I mean, if you aren’t busy Saturday night.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, but so quickly was the expression gone, I might have imagined it. It must be his lawyer training, I mused.

“What can I do for you, Beth?”

“I’m having trouble understanding some of the legalese of the documents you’ve been giving me, especially where writs and warrants are concerned. Do you think you could tutor me? I feel so stupid sometimes, working here without a law degree.   I know you’re off Saturday, but I’d throw in dinner to repay you.” I put on what I hoped was an earnest expression. He tapped his pen absently on the desk, considering me a moment.

“No plans with St. John on a Saturday night?” He asked.

“No, he’s working on a case right now, so I thought this would be a good time, that is, if you don’t have any plans.” I thought about batting my eyelashes at him, but knew that would be a bit much. I began to feel uncomfortable under his unflinching gaze. I had the distinct impression that he didn’t quite believe me. I admit my reason was lame. Maybe he’d interpret it as an excuse to be alone with him.

“Sure, Beth. How about eight o’clock? You have a suggestion of where?”

We agreed on a hamburger joint midway between our homes, something very public, and non-date-like. I thanked him and went back to my desk. Before getting back to work on an investigation into recent serial bank robberies, I grabbed my phone and gave Mick a call.

“Ben and I are on for Saturday night at eight.”

There was a brief silence, then: “That’s good, I guess.”

“Now, Mick, think of the greater good,” I teased. Jealous Mick could be cute sometimes, but we still had to discuss this territorial thing he had concerning Ben.

“We’re just going to grab a burger and talk about the law. That’ll give you plenty of time to get in and out of his office. There are no big cases pending for next week, so I doubt many-if any-employees will be here.”

“Good. And could you go up to the top floor and unlock the top right window on the west side? That would make it a lot easier for me, and there won’t be any signs of forced entry.”

“I’ll try, Mick. I don’t know exactly what is in that room or if I can get in there.”

“I’ve got every faith in you-and your lock-picking abilities.”

I laughed. We were both quiet a moment, then I said: “What are you up to tonight?” I knew he couldn’t miss my suggestive tone.

“Probably more investigating, though, unless there’s another death or until I get that list, there’s not much more I can do. Why?”

“You could come over to my place, if you want to.” I could picture his grin.

“I could, huh? Okay, I’ll be there if I can.”

“I look forward to it. And Mick?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.” It felt so good to say that to him. But still not as good as it was to hear him say it back.
“And I love you, Beth. See ya later.”

Saturday evening came without word of another murder. Beth and I had spent a quiet--but I don’t mean boring-Friday night at her place. That woman still made my head spin every time I was with her. With the help of some bagged blood, I was able to spend most of the night showing her how in love with her I was.

When eight o’clock rolled around, I was making my way to the top of the DA’s office building. I’d parked a couple blocks away. It was very quiet in this part of the city on a Saturday night, which was mainly composed of government buildings, all closed for the weekend. Only one car was parked in the lot.   I went to the alley side of the building, using fire escapes when I could, just jumping when I couldn’t. On the top floor, west side, I was pleased that Beth had managed to leave the window unlocked, so I kneeled on the ledge and slid it open. There was no screen, so my job was easy.

Once inside, I was in a storage room of some kind. Old desks and chairs were stacked around unused filing cabinets. With my natural night vision, I appreciated for once how being a vampire sometimes came in handy. The entire floor was dark, save for the glowing EXIT signs on each end of the hall. I jumped down the stairwell, not bothering with the stairs, and landed with what I hoped was a soft thud on the first floor.

I listened intently at the door a minute, but could hear nothing. I opened it and peaked out a crack but could see nothing but a few security lights and a dim desk light here and there. Talbot’s office was diagonal from the stairwell door, but it was empty. I risked a text to Beth.

Are you occupied?

A minute later she wrote: Yes. You’re clear.

As I walked out, she sent me one more message: BE CAREFUL. All caps.

I smiled at the thought of her worrying about me, then went quickly to Talbot’s office. It was locked, of course, so I picked it and went inside, then closed the door softly behind me. Maybe five minutes had passed since I’d climbed up the building. I glanced at my watch and started my search on top of his desk. His desk was neat and orderly, much like its owner, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Neat stacks of documents and forms, a computer, a picture of what looked to be his Mommy. I smirked. I opened the desk drawers but just found office supplies and more forms. One drawer was locked. I jimmied it and it opened easily.

It was a file drawer. I recognized some of the names on the files-recent cases that had been in the news. Then I saw one on Beth. I pulled it out, but saw nothing that wasn’t already public knowledge. Her kidnapping as a child. Her resume. A nice picture of her from college I’d never seen before. I flipped a few more files, and saw my name. I pulled out the file, opened it, and there it was. The list. I heard a noise and looked up. A guard was making his rounds through the floor. I ducked down under the desk. I hadn’t had to turn on any lights, so I figured I was safe. Then the guard turned the doorknob.

I was trying to feign interest in what Ben was telling me, but worry about Mick made me distracted. I took a bite of my burger to try to mask my nervousness.

“So a writ of certiorari is very different from a writ of habeas corpus,” Ben was saying.

“Hmmm…” I replied, my mouth full. Ben regarded me suspiciously again.

“What’s this really about, Beth?”

I took my time chewing that last bite. “What do you mean?”
”You didn’t really come here for a law class. And these burgers weren’t really worth giving up a Saturday night.”

“You don’t like your burger?” I asked, stalling.

My mind was racing. I was busted, but this still might be salvageable. I’d just have to be a better actress. I could come on to him, but I didn’t think he’d believe that. I took a breath.

“I guess I was trying to butter you up,” I said in a rush.

“For what?”

“To ask you….to ask you for a raise. I know I just started working for you, and maybe I should have negotiated for more up front. But I’ve had some uh, personal expenses, and I did take a pay cut when I stopped working for BuzzWire.”  I held my breath and prayed my outward show of nerves would be interpreted as nervousness about the raise, not as the fear he wouldn’t believe me.

“A raise.” He repeated. He looked disappointed for some reason. “Beth, I’d love to give you more, but the budget is pretty tight right now. It took a lot of needling of the DA to get you on in the first place, especially in your civilian investigator status. I’m sorry that I can’t help you.”

I didn’t really need the money. Josh’s bequest to me was padding enough for now, even though I did in fact take a pay cut to work for Ben.    I had hoped to invest that money in my retirement, but until I was steady in this job, with hopes of a raise in the future, I kept it in the bank. I pretended disappointment in his words, but in fact I was pleased he’d believed my second lie.

“You didn’t have to lie to me, Beth,” he said, looking a little hurt.

“I’m sorry, Ben. I know I shouldn’t have lied,” I lied. “I’m just not very good at talking money with the boss.”

“I hope you think of me not just as a boss.” Uh-oh. “I hope we are friends, too.” His hand reached out and covered mine on the table. I didn’t want to encourage him romantically, but I also didn’t want to ruin the good feelings we had going.

“We are friends, Ben. We’ve been through some crazy times, and you took a chance hiring someone like me, with no legal experience.”

I suddenly felt the brief vibration of my phone in my pocket, letting me know I’d received a text message.

“I think this is working out fine, Beth. Your input has been invaluable. And like I said, I’d pay you more if I could.”

“Thanks, Ben. Excuse me, won’t you? I need to go to the ladies’ room.”

In the restroom, I looked at my phone. Mick: Help. I’m trapped.

What do I do? I typed back. A minute passed.

Come to the office and get the guard’s attention at the front door. ASAP!

I’m coming!  Was my hasty reply.

I went back into the restaurant and gave Ben a look of what I hoped passed for being upset.

“Ben, I’m sorry, but I just got a call from a friend who needs me right away. Can I have a raincheck?” I pulled out some cash to pay the bill-I’d invited him, after all. He waved it aside. “It’s on me. Anything I can do to help your-friend?” There was that skeptical lawyer’s expression again.

“I’ll see you Monday, Ben,” I said, grabbing my purse and heading for the door. I know I was being rude, but it couldn’t be helped. I promised myself I’d make it up to him, both the shortened meal and the lies.

When the guard had found Talbot’s door locked, as I had automatically done upon entering, he moved along on his tour through the outer office, then, to my amazement, he came back to the desk right outside Talbot’s office. He sat at the desk facing my way, and turned on the computer there. In a few minutes, he was surfing the net. Some security guard. He was no doubt there for the entire night shift, and I certainly didn’t want to be caught there in the morning.   Even with my ability to move quickly, there was no way I could get past him undetected. That’s when I had sent the text to Beth. If she could just distract him at the front door, I could slip out and go back up to the window. The other thing I couldn’t do now is leave the file here, and just take pictures of it with my phone as I had originally intended. I’d have to take the whole file and figure out a way to get it back somehow. I hoped Talbot wouldn’t miss it for a few days. I stayed silent and still, waiting for Beth to save me.

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