The Vampire Convention By Gary Woodard All of the Forever Knight characters belong to James Parriott and Barney Cohen and Sony/ Tristar. I only brought them out to play for a little while. All other characters are of my own devising, and any similarity or mention of actual show or other fanfic characters is purely coincidental...........:o) Timeline, Mid year 2000, Tracy is finally brought across by Vachon. Which of course, spoils the last of the third season of Forever Knight. Neither Vachon nor Tracy died. As a result of Tracy being shot several times since the series ended, and almost losing her life twice as a result, she decides she doesn't want to die, and has Vachon bring her across, at one time, Nick would have wanted to kill Vochon for bringing her across, but Nick has become mellow over the preceding years, and had also at one time almost brought her across himself as she lay in a hospital bed. As this is happening, a group of radical vampire hunters has come to Toronto. The group is so radical, that they go about killing innocent people in an attempt to weed out the vampires. Chapter 1 As Vachon stared into her gorgeous blue eyes, he could sense his fangs starting to itch. His eyes were changing color, to a shiny golden hue, as he stroked her blond hair. He could sense the arousal in both of them. Tracy looked up at him with trust in her eyes, "Do it Javier, make me just like you, I want to live forever." As he began to kiss her and caress her, he slowly moved down to her neck, gently kissing her. She willingly exposed the flesh over her throat. His fangs gently penetrated, she gasped for only a second, as the initial pain was only momentary, she felt an exhilarating erotic pleasure she never knew existed, for just a few moments as she climaxed as never before, then she passed out. A few hours later, Tracy woke up with a very strong hunger. She was immediately wondering if she had made a mistake, but Vachon was right there with the life giving elixir, several bottles of it. After she downed about 3 and a half bottles, it eased the hunger she was feeling. She began to drift back to sleep, which is normal for one who was just brought across. Vachon knew she would be out for a few hours at a time, and let her know that if she awoke during the time he was sleeping, she could find more in the refrigerator. ***************************************** "KNIGHT!" Where the hell is Vetter? Oh yeah, she's on vacation," Reese bellowed, "damn, I don't have anyone to pair you with either, Nick," he said, "I need you on this one, can you do it alone?" "Yes, Captain," Nick replied, "what is it?" "There was a body found under the underpass of the Gardner Expressway at Avenue Rd, Natalie should be there by the time you get there." "Ok, Captain, Nick replied, this case requires your special touch Nick! I don't know where Vetter went on her vacation, or I would call her back." "That's ok Captain, I've handled things on my own before, and after the last year, she needs the time off." "Yeah I know," Reese said, "but I just don't like my detectives working alone, anyway, be careful Nick." "Ok Captain." Nick said. As he headed out of the bullpen, climbing into the Caddy, he fired it up and drove to the crime scene. Nat was already there and beginning to do the preliminary as Nick walked up. "Jason Williams, age 21" Natalie said into the miniature tape recorder, "apparent cause of death is a massive loss of blood, body is in full rigor at the crime scene and appears to have been left here... Oh, hi Nick, I was just starting to do my report. You'd better take a look at this." She pulled back the blanket. Two small wounds appeared over the jugular. She looked up at Nick and said, "I think we have a problem..." "I think you're right," he said, "What other information do you have?" "Well, I don't think the victim was killed here. He just doesn't seem to fit where the body landed. I would assume that the body was already in full rigor when it was put here," as they walked backed to the Caddie, she asked, "Is this another of your kind gone mad?" "It's very possible," Nick replied, "but any vampire with half a brain knows not to leave bodies lying around." "What are you going to do Nick?" she asked. "Well," he said, "I guess I should start at the Raven. Maybe Lacroix would know if we have any visitors. But I will say this, with the convention coming up, this is definitely a bad sign of things to come." "Nick! What is this convention?" she asked. "I really shouldn't tell you, as you are in enough danger just knowing that we exist. I might tell you some of the basics later. But for right now, I've got to get going. I will most likely see you back at the lab before dawn. Now, I had better get started." ********************************* Nick had a very bad feeling about this one, as this had happened once before. Just weeks before a major vampire convention, bodies of mortals started to pile up, bodies drained of their blood, and with what appeared to be vampire bites on the throat. Sometimes several bodies appeared each day. In the year 1600, the convention was held in London, it was to be one of the more important conventions, as, at the beginning of each new century, it always coincided with the feast of Lilith, the mother of all vampires. This gathering was only held once every one hundred years. Nick didn't really care for the tradition so much, but he knew what it meant to his kind, and to his master, Lucian Lacroix. Over the last couple of years, LaCroix had some trying times of his own. As Nick approached the Raven, he could sense dread in his stomach, as he knew he would have to tell LaCroix everything regarding this most recent murder, he walked through the door being held open for him by the bouncer, Stephen. "Good evening Mr. Knight," Stephen said... "Good evening Stephen," Nick said as he approached the bar, "Is Lacroix around?" he asked. "Yes but, he said he isn't to be disturbed," Stephen said with a stern look. "I think he would want to be disturbed over what I have to tell him," Nick said. "Ok Mr. Knight, I'll get him, but I don't think I want to be in your shoes when you talk to him." With that , Stephen went to a back room to inform Lacroix of his visitor, Stephen came back a few minutes later and told Nick he could go in, but that Lacroix was not happy with the intrusion. Stepping into the back office, Nick could sense Lucien's displeasure at this visit. "Come in, Nicholas. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked, with hands folded under his chin, and both elbows on resting on his desk. "Close the door behind you, and this had better be important, you know I have work to do before the convention, what is it?" "There was a body found tonight," Nick began. "And you came here to tell about your mortal friends?" Lacroix bellowed. "Not exactly," Nick replied, beginning to become incensed, "the body was drained of blood and had a bite mark, over the throat." With that, Lacroix sat up behind the desk with a bewildered look and said, "And you were assuming it must be one of our kind," Lacroix stated. "Do you have any leads yet?" "Not yet, I was hoping you might know of any new visitors that might have entered the city lately." "Not really Nicholas, it's just been the usual crowds in the club. I haven't noticed anyone new, if you catch my drift?" "Damn," he replied, "I was hoping that we don't have a repeat of 1600, you remember that fiasco?" "I remember it well," Lacroix said with a slightly disgusted tone. "Do you know of anyone or anything?" asked Nick. "Well, Nicholas," Lacroix said, "it could be an infant vampire, or a vampire with not much sense. It could also be a human, doing this to put things in a bad light, if again, you catch my drift. Do your best Nicholas, we can't have a repeat of 1600. You know I will be heading up the Toronto delegation, as the oldest vampire in the city. You know how important this is, and coinciding with the Feast of Lilith. I will help as much as I can, but I may not be available at every turn. I believe you need another vampire to help you with this. I don't believe Miss Vetter can be of much help, especially since she doesn't know about you." "That's OK," Nick said, "she's on vacation. I'm working this one alone. I guess I could use Vachon. He knows his way around and seems to be able to sense these younger vampires better than I can. That is, if we are looking for a vampire. I guess I had better get started looking somewhere else." As Nick was heading out the door, Lacroix said, "Oh Nicholas." Nick turned to face Lacroix, "Yes," he replied. "Do keep me informed." "OK," Nick replied as he headed out. Out on the street, he decided that he could cover more ground by flying, and took off. ********************************** Chapter 2 Once in the air, he decided that it would be easier to stop at the morgue first, since by now Natalie might have a little more information for him. Then he would see Vachon. Upon entering the morgue, he startled Natalie, "Oh Nick, why do you do that?" she asked with an annoyed look. "I didn't mean to Nat," he said with a sheepish grin, "anyway, do you have anything yet?" "Well, it's not like you give me a whole lot of time, but I do have a couple of things that might interest you. First off, if this was a vampire, it's a mighty small one. The size of the bite wound is just over 1.0 centimeters, and I have noticed that some of the trace amounts of blood around the wound look more like rust than blood. Nick, this would mean that this vampire would have to have been at least five years old and not much older when brought across." "It is forbidden by the our code to bring such a young child across," he said. "The offending vampire would be killed as well as the fledgling. A young child just couldn't survive in our community. Many fledglings don't survive as it is, let alone a small child." "Well, I certainly understand the concern your leaders must have had when they made that a part of the code," she stated. "No one under the age of 18, that is how the code was established over a thousand years ago," he said. "Now wait a minute Nick, wasn't Divia just 12 years old when she was brought across?" "Yes, but that was nearly nine hundred before the code was established." "I wonder," he said, "if the two wounds are too close to be a normal vampire, could this man have been murdered by a mortal, drained and then made to look like a careless vampire kill? That was how it turned out in 1600, when the bodies started piling up. Of course in 17th century London, the belief in the existence of vampires was widely accepted. And since vampires were considered to be the very embodiment of evil, we were to be put to death immediately." "Anyway, it turned out that we got lucky one night. One of the members of a cult dedicated to the destruction of vampires was in a local house of ill repute. He was drunk and bragging. One of our enforcers followed this man back to their hideout. It turned out that they would kill innocent people to bring out a single vampire. They called them sacrifices. This group sacrificed over 30 innocent people. Needless to say, the convention and feast were both canceled. We couldn't hold a convention without food. You know what kind of food I'm talking about." "So what finally happened?" she asked. "We decided to let the London authorities handle the situation. The killers were caught, and it worked to our advantage, furthering our cause to remain a secret. We were able to continue and not get caught all that often. It sure helps when you can make the vampire hunters look like fools. Of course not all groups of vampire hunters are killers, most would not take an innocent life. But some of the more radical groups have been known to go way overboard." "So Nick, what is the convention you were talking about?" she asked. "Well, I really shouldn't tell you this, but I guess you know more than you should anyway," he said with a smile. The vampire convention takes place every ten years. There the high council and elders meet to discuss the code, make changes, repeal outdated laws, and update the rest. This takes place at the beginning of each decade, and at the beginning of each new century. It also coincides with the feast of Lilith. Lilith is a mythical figure who is regarded as the mother of all vampires, as well as carouche, and many other creatures of the night. I don't really believe it myself, but there are many "old world" vampires who do. Also this year, with the change of the millennium, is the millennium festival, which of course, happens only once every 1000 years. That's about all there is to it. I haven't been to a convention in about 50 years myself. But with all that's going on, and Lacroix being the leader of the Toronto delegation, I imagine I will be going to this one." "Wow," she said, "that sounds like you could have a problem with the food supply again this time around as well." "Not really, we use donated blood now, so the general population isn't going to be affected." "Well Nick, I can see by the time, you'd best be going home," she said, "Yes, I see that. Damn, I was going to see Vachon. I guess it's going to wait until later this evening. I will bid you farewell for the day Nat," he gave her a hug. "OK, Nick. I might have some more information by tonight, so be sure to get back to me. And Nick, be careful, if there is a group of vampire hunters like you describe, I don't want you to be one of their sacrifices." With that, he was out the door, and looking around to make sure it was clear, he took to the sky. The sun was just showing some light over the horizon. He got back to where he had left his car parked and drove the rest of the way to the loft. ****************************** Chapter 3 Reverend Cathy Norton sat at her desk in the warehouse that was rented by the Church of the Bright and Morning Star when there was a knock on the office door, "Come in Donovan," she said as she was reading over the plans for that night. "Yes Donovan, what can I do for you?" She asked. "Well Reverend, everything is going as planned, but I think we're getting in over our heads. Last night we only made one delivery, but tonight, you want six. Not that I'm questioning your wisdom, Reverend, but many people don't accept the existence of vampires anymore." "You just leave that to me," she said in a quiet voice, "It is our job to make sure the people believe. Yes, I think six bodies would be a sufficient number to really get things going nicely." "But Cathy, we were almost caught in San Francisco, and then Portland, then Vancouver, and now we're in Toronto. I don't think the local authorities will buy it here either," he said. "Donovan, is everything ready?" she asked, giving him a get real look. Standing there for a long moment before answering, "Yes, all is ready," he said. "We have a family of four, plus two single victims to plant at variously designated sites in the city." "Good," she said, "Now as you're going out, would you send Sheila in here?" "Very well," he said, as he exited the office. Moments later, Sheila walked in.. "You wanted to see me Cathy?" she asked. "Yes, Sheila, I'm afraid that the time has come. It seems that Donovan is getting too nervous, I think it's time for him to become the most unfortunate victim of a vampire. Do you think you could be sure he gets a little something extra in his lunch today?" "I think that could be done," Sheila replied, with a haughty look. "Will he be going out with tonight's deliveries?" "That would work," Cathy replied. "Consider it done then," Sheila said, with a smile as she left the office and went to make the preparations. ************************************ Tracy woke up early with a hunger that was almost as bad as the first hunger, and went to the fridge. She pulled out a bottle of the Raven's finest, as Vachon always tried to keep the best around. She quickly drained the bottle, enjoying the taste of the contents. Now that she was a vampire, herself, the blood would take a little getting used to, but she was beginning to acquire a taste for it. Her first few bottles were downed in haste, to stave off the first hunger. But now that she was past that, she could see that the blood had a taste that could only be found in the finest things in life. It wasn't long before she was beginning to drift back to sleep. The sun was still up, and it wasn't time to get up yet. She crawled back into bed next to Vachon and went into a deep sleep. It would be sundown before she awoke again. ********************************************* The phone rang its customary 4 rings before the answering machine picked up. "Hi, you have reached Nick Knight. I'm not available right now. Just leave a message at the tone, and I'll get back to you." As the tone sounded, the voice on the other end of the line began, "Nick, Nick, are you there? This is Captain Reese. Please pick up Nick, there have been 4 more bodies found, this time it's a whole family." At this, Nick bolted upright and picked up the phone, "Yes Captain, I must have overslept. What's this about it being a whole family!?" "Yes Nick," Reese replied, "a family of four, the Driefus family, including two children, same M.O. as the one found last night, but they are in their home." Nick quickly jotted down the address and assured Reese he would be there as soon as possible. As soon as he hung up the phone, he got out of bed and went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Soon he was out and getting dressed. He then went downstairs. On his way out of the loft, he grabbed a bottle of the best bovine supreme out of the icebox for breakfast. He downed the bottle of his chosen nectar on the way down to the garage. He then fired up the Caddy, hit the door remote, and was soon on his way to the crime scene. Driving as fast as he could, he arrived at the scene. Upon entering the home, he noticed Natalie already examining the bodies. He walked over to Natalie and asked, "What do you have?" "Oh, hi Nick, it looks like we have four more to add to the scrapbooks," she said with a quivering voice. "Nick, two are children. They were Paul Driefus, his wife, Joanne, their son, Paul Jr., and their daughter, Stacey. These perps are sick, do you have anything yet?" "We don't have much to go on yet, Nat. I guess all we can do is let forensics do their thing." Just then, Nick's cell phone started to ring. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket and answered, "Knight." "Yes, Nick, it's Reese, you're not going to believe this." "What is it Cap?" "There's another one in the alley behind Bagleys. Do you know where that is?" "Yeah, I do," Nick replied, "Does it look like the same person?" "Only forensics will be able to tell for sure. But yeah, it looks like it." "As soon as I'm finished here, Captain, I'll head for Bagleys. Looks like we're in for one hell of a busy night." "Nick looked at Nat and said, "It appears we have another body, in the alley behind Bagleys." She shot back a look of worry. She said, "I think we have a very sick group here, there just isn't any way that just one person can do this, especially since none of the victims were killed here. They're being dumped as they go along." "How do you know that?" he asked. "Well," she said, "first off, we know that it isn't a real vampire. The neck wounds are just too close together. You know as well as I do, that a vampire isn't going to drain a victim and then leave the body where it could be found." He nodded in agreement as she continued, "While the amount of blood left in the bodies would definitely indicate a vampire, as I said before, the fang marks are just too close. And Nick, I did find trace amounts of rust on the wound of last night's victim. So unless our vampire has steel fangs, I would assume that the perpetrator is human. And, I might add, has been doing this for a while." Nick gave her a stunned look, "You mean this might have been going on in other places," he stated with one eyebrow raised. "Yes. I do. It's just too well executed. Everything, including the victims' clothes are just too clean." "OK, Nat, I'm going to go over to Bagleys and check things out over there. But while I'm at it, I'll give Reese a call, and tell him what to look for." On his way back to the car, Nick dialed Reese' office phone. "Captain Reese, how can I help you?" Reese said as he picked up the phone. "Cap," Nick said. "What is it Nick?" asked Reese. "Natalie had an idea. She seems to think that the killers have been doing this before. She says that the crime scenes are just too clean. That the killers, and she does seem to think there is more than one, haven't really left much at the crime scenes." "I'll get on it," Reese exclaimed, "I want to get these nutcases off the streets as soon as possible. Oh, and Nick, as soon as you're done at Bagleys, there were two more found. I already have detectives on those other scenes at the moment. They will bring their notes in for comparison later. We need to mobilize and get these people that are doing the killing." "It seems to just get more interesting with every passing minute, Captain. I'll get over there and let you know what I find," with that, he closed his cell phone and left the Driefus' home. Upon arrival at Bagleys Department store, it was much the same stuff as was already evident at the other crime scenes. Nick decided to let the forensics team do their job and go over to see Vachon. He knew he needed the help of another vampire on this one. With seven bodies found in just one night, it was just a little overwhelming." ************************************ Reverend Cathy, Sheila and David were just getting back to the warehouse, and were getting ready to start looking for news stories when the phone rang. "Reverend Cathy here, can I help you." "I see you have your plan in full swing," said the voice on the other end of the line. "Why Johnson, it's nice to hear from you," she said. "We're beginning to run a little short of both supplies and funds." "We will get you taken care of in short order, Cathy," Johnson replied, "In the mean time, it looks like the police are stumped. By the way, I thought you were only doing six victims tonight," he said. "Yes," she replied, "but I think Donovan was getting a little too nervous." "That's fine," Johnson said, "but you should have used his delivery for tomorrow night." "Well, she exclaimed, "I was just a little concerned. He just seemed to be having a sudden attack of morality, and I felt I needed to fix the situation. "That's OK," Johnson replied, "but go ahead and take tomorrow night off. Resume the activities on Monday night." "OK," she said as she hung up the phone. "In the local headlines tonight, there have been a series of murders in the Toronto metropolitan area," the news anchor began. "According to Captain Joseph Reese of the Metropolitan Police, in the last two nights, eight victims have been found, all with bite wounds to the neck and drained of their blood. Reese said that the police are doing what they can to catch the perpetrator, but at the moment, they are in need of assistance from the public. If you have any information, please contact the Toronto Metropolitan Police at 555-1331." With that, Cathy and the others were elated, their plan was working. Reese hadn't mentioned the forensics at all. They assumed that he must be one captain that believed in vampires "Yes," Cathy thought to herself, "this is going to be easy. How could Donovan be such a fool? Just a few more sacrifices, and we will be killing vampires in no time at all." **************************************** Vachon and Tracy were awake and in the mood, so to speak. After downing a couple of bottles of breakfast, both were in the buff and were enjoying each other's company. Tracy sank her fangs into Vachon's neck, and he returned the gesture, doing the vampire kiss. They were both getting pretty worked up, when, they both jumped, after noticing the presence in their love nest. They both turned to face Nick, who was standing there just stunned. With their fangs fully extended and eyes ablaze with gold and red, they both blinked in unison and were back to their normal appearance. "Javier, you have to give Nick the whammy," Tracy exclaimed, as she was trying to find something to wear in a haphazard way, and somewhat embarrassed, as a mortal. "He should not be aware of my new nature." Nick and Vachon looked at each other, shrugged and laughed. At that, Tracy began to get a little upset. "Just what's so funny guys? Go on Vachon, give him the whammy. I certainly don't want to kill Nick," she said. At that, they both broke into a hysterical laughter, and Tracy was beginning to fume. Then Nick flashed his eyes and extended his fangs for a moment, letting Tracy know that he, too, was one of them. Tracy just sat on the bed, and started to cry, asking, "Why didn't you trust me before? I was able to keep Vachon's secret over the last several years," with blood tears streaming down her face. Nick sat down beside her and began to explain. "Trace, as a mortal, you were not supposed to know about us at all. Just the knowledge of our existence was enough to have the code enforced. And the fact that you're a resistor, or were a resistor, was enough to have both you and Vachon killed. Now, of course, that's not a problem anymore. I see you had that cured." "So Knight, what brings you to my humble abode?" Vachon asked. "Well, we have had a series of murders this week. They started last night, when the first victim was found, with what appeared to be a bite wound on the neck and a massive loss of blood. Tonight," he continued, "we have had seven more victims, including an entire family of four." "An entire family?" Tracy gasped. "Yes." "Do you think this is the work of a vampire?" Vachon asked. "No," Nick replied, "Nat thinks it's the work of a group of humans, and I agree. She says the bite marks are too close together. And she found trace amounts of rust around the bite wound of the first victim." "Is Natalie one of us too," asked Tracy.. "No," Nick replied, " but we know she has found favor with the high council, having hidden certain evidence and helping the community in general." "Oh," she said. At that, Vachon spoke up and said, "You might check with the San Francisco police. They had a big case where the victims were killed in the same way, and were dumped in various places. Several families were killed in their own homes, or were put back in their homes. I will help as much as I can on this case, Knight." "Thanks Javier. And Trace, I assume you will be coming back to work on Monday night, right?" "I could come back tomorrow night Nick. If that's OK?" "It would probably please Reese very much, but I don't want you to lose any of your vacation." "It's no problem, Nick, really," she said. "OK then, just be sure you feed well before coming in. I'll be glad to show you some things about your new life, but I had better get back to the precinct." "I'll see you tomorrow night then," she said as he was headed out, "See you both later," and Nick was gone. ********************************** Chapter 4 Pulling into the parking space at the precinct, he noticed Reese out front of the building, obviously agitated. "What's up Captain?" Nick asked as he was walking up. Reese looked up and said, "You were right Nick. These perps have been all up and down the west coast. There were 4 bodies found in Vancouver, another 8 found in Portland, Oregon, and over 60 found in the San Francisco Bay area. Since it all started in San Francisco, the group has been named the 'vampire killers,' what can you make of that Nick?" Reese asked. "Yeah, one of my informants told me that, when he was in San Francisco, these killings were taking place," he also suggested we get in touch with the San Francisco authorities. They at least might be able to help with information. "I will do that then," Reese said, as they were both heading into the precinct house. Reese went on into his office to make the call, while Nick went to his desk to make a call of his own. "Coroner's Office, Lambert speaking." "Nat," "Yes, Nick," "Do you have anything for me yet on those other killings?" "Yes I do, Nick. It is the same perps, and the same instrument of death, and all but one had the rust around the wounds. Also Nick, one had business cards in his wallet. They were for a group out of San Francisco, California. It's called the Church of the Bright and Morning Star, whatever that means. It could be nothing, but you might check it out." "Ok, thanks Nat, I will get back to you later." At about that time, Reese was coming out of his office, "Here, Nick. San Francisco is going to help us. In fact they are sending two of their detectives up here to help out in the investigation. They will be arriving tomorrow night on American 8814, at 8:05 at gate 7, can you be there to pick them up?" "Sure Cap," he said, "No problem. Was there anything else before I book off for the night?" "Yes, they said they almost had this group. They are a group, called the Church of the Bright and Morning Star." "Nat found some business cards from that group in one of the victim's wallets," Nick said. "Great, we're getting somewhere then," Reese said, and went on to say, "SFPD also said that it is imperative that we make this group believe that we believe in vampires. They said that's how they almost caught them the last time. If anyone makes statements to the news media, we need to tell them we're searching for a vampire. At least that's what we want the news media to say we are doing." "OK Captain, will do. Oh, I also heard from Tracy. She will be in tomorrow night." "Great," Reese said, "I will look forward to seeing her." "See you tomorrow then." "See you then, Nick." ********************************** As Nick headed out of the precinct house, he decided to go see Lacroix. This will certainly interest him, he thought. As he was driving the city streets, he noticed a black van pull out of an alley. Not that it was anything unusual, there are a lot of black vans in the city, but this van, for some reason or another, just seemed to jump out at him. It was something of a gut feeling. Nick was figuring that this group must be transporting the bodies in a vehicle like that. They certainly wouldn't be using a church bus. Back in 1600, the group doing the killings had been using an old freight cart. Nick figured that was the 17th century equivalent of the modern day panel truck. At about this time he was pulling up in front of the Raven. Getting out of his car, he headed into the Raven, there was a line half way around the block on this night. But Nick just went to the front of the line and was ushered in by Stephen, the bouncer. "Good evening Mr. Knight," Stephen said as Nick entered the club. "Hi Stephen, is Lacroix in tonight?" "Yes he is," Stephen replied, "he was over at the bar the last I saw him." "Thanks," Nick said. "Well, it's so nice to see you again so soon," Lacroix said as Nick approached the bar. "So, is there any news that you could please me with?" "Well, maybe," Nick said, with a slight smile. "Well, what is it?" Lacroix asked. "To start, we don't think there are any of our kind behind the murders, so the convention can probably go on without any interference. It appears that it is a group of humans, calling themselves the Church of the Bright and Morning Star." Lacroix looked at Nick with a stunned look on his face and asked, "How could you know this so soon?" It took months back in 1600." "We have modern forensics now. Natalie was able to determine that the puncture wounds were too close together. Also, she found trace amounts of rust in the puncture wounds." "Well," Lacroix said with a look of amazement in his eyes, "It seems that our Dr. Lambert has done a superb job again, Nicholas. You really should consider bringing her across." "We'll see," Nick said. Then Nick proceeded to tell Lacroix about the case, regarding the group, the killings in other areas and that they were getting help from the San Francisco police. He also told him that they were going to have to pretend to look for a vampire. Nick asked Lacroix to let the community know that was not really the case, but to be aware of these vampire hunters. Lacroix looked at Nick thoughtfully, and then said, "Consider it done." "OK," Nick said, "I'd better get going, so I'll see you soon. Hopefully, this will be over soon." "Yes Nick, do come back soon. I would love to see things get back to normal again." "I know," Nick said, "Oh, by the way, Tracy is one of us now. Vachon brought her across the other night." "Well, I see she had the good sense to want to live a long time," Lacroix said with a smile. "Yeah, I'll see you later," Nick replied as he walked out. ****************************************** Chapter 5 "Reverend Cathy, may I help you?" Cathy answered the phone. "How is it going?" came Johnson's voice, "It's going, but we are really running short on supplies. Can you get us some funds to help us keep it going?" she asked. "I'm having trouble getting the funds out of the bank. Seems the SFPD has our money tied up, damn it!" she replied. "It's that damned inspector. I knew he was trouble. If he was only close enough to become a victim of a vampire, that is one I would take great pleasure in killing!" "Calm down, Cathy," Johnson chided. "I'll go to Chicago and draw out some funds from our banks there." "OK," Cathy said, calming down. She reported to Johnson that she thought that the local police captain who was on the news believed that vampires existed. "Wonderful," Johnson said. "But be careful," he said. "You just barely escaped San Francisco where we all thought that our local inspectors were believers." "Well, he seems to be different," she said, "so I plan on going on with our plans." "OK," he said, "but be careful." "OK, I will. Bye now." "Bye." They hung up. "Sheila, do we have enough supplies to get us through the week?" Cathy called out to her assistant. "Yes we do," she answered, "in fact, we could probably go 2 weeks." "Great, then let's get ready for tomorrow night," Cathy said. ********************************************* Nick woke up early, as the sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon. After taking a shower and getting dressed, he headed downstairs and turned on the TV. Flipping through the channels, he finally found a local news program... "More on the recent murders in the Toronto area tonight. The police feel that it is a vampire that is responsible for the killings. In a statement by Captain Joseph Reese, of the 96th precinct, 'there could be no other explanation for the blood loss and bite marks found on the victims.'" Nick couldn't help but chuckle at the statement, but figured that there must be a reason the San Francisco authorities said this was necessary. Suddenly, the phone rang, "Knight," he said answering the phone. "Nick, it's Tracy. Can you come by the church and pick me up?" Vachon hasn't taught me how to fly yet." "Sshhhh, don't talk about those things on the phone!" Nick said.. Oh, sorry," she said. "It's OK Tracy," he said, "but you have to be careful. You never know who might get wind of certain things. It's still a dangerous world out there, even for us." "I'm sorry," she replied. "It's OK, you just have to be careful. And yes, I will pick you up, then we will be going to the airport. We will be picking up a couple of detectives from San Francisco." "I'll be ready," she said. "OK, I'm on my way, see you in a bit." "OK," she said as they both hung up. *************************************** Nick pulled the Caddy up in front of Vachon's church. Tracy got in. On the way to the airport, Nick filled her in on all the information regarding the case. Then he asked, "Did you feed well tonight?" "Yes I did," she said, "and Vachon also put 2 extra bottles in my backpack. You guys must think I'm going to get hungry a lot." "You will," he said. "You're young. Just like an infant, so to speak, you will feed quite a bit more than you think. And there might be times you will find yourself falling asleep." Upon arriving at the airport, Nick parked the Caddy right out front, left his flashing bubble on the dash, and the police identification placard hanging from the rearveiw mirror. They both proceeded into the terminal, and went to gate 7. There were no delays, so the flight was expected to be on time and would arrive in about 15 minutes. They passed the time looking around in the gift shop. The flight landed on time, and was just pulling up to the gate, a few minutes later. The passengers were disembarking. Two of the passengers were clearly wearing their badges on the outside of their suits. Nick and Tracy walked up and introduced themselves. "Hi, I'm Nick Knight, and this is my partner, Tracy Vetter." "Well, Hi, I'm Captain Nash Bridges, of the San Francisco Police Department, and this is Inspector Joe Dominguez. It's nice to meet you." "Shall we get going?" Nick asked. "I know you're anxious to get settled in." As they approached the Caddy, Nash got wide eyed and said, "Nick, you're a man after my own heart! Look at this Joe, a '59 Cadillac convertible!" "Wow," Joe said, "that's nice." "I drive a '71 'Cuda convertible myself. I think I like you Nick," Nash said with a grin. "Thanks Nash, I would love to see the ' Cuda sometime." "Well Bubba, just come to San Francisco sometime, I'll be glad to show it to you." They all climbed into the Caddy, and Nick proceeded to drive in the direction of the precinct. ******************************************* Upon arrival at the precinct, they were met at the front door by Captain Reese, "Hi, Joe Reese, I'm the Captain at this precinct," Reese said. "Well hi, I'm Captain Nash Bridges, and this is my partner in crime, Joe Dominguez. You sure do have a nice looking city here, Captain." After the greetings, they all went inside, and filled Nash in on everything they had so far. "Great," Nash said, "you guys are up on this case. Now, let us show you just what it is that you're up against, Joe. You want to lead off on this?" "Sure," said Dominguez, "to start off, you have a victim in your morgue, by the name of, Clark Donovan. He was one of their leading delivery people. If he's dead, that means he must have been getting nervous. They sensed it, and made sure he would never talk, Nash?" "Yes," Nash said, "the leader of this group is a woman by the name of, Cathy Norton, also known as Reverend Cathy. She is about 300 plus pounds of pure grade A bitch. And she is the one, as far as we know, that does the killing. It doesn't matter to her if her victims are young or old, rich or poor. It's our consensus, that she is a serial killer, pretending to be a vampire hunter. She has 2 assistants left, if she hasn't killed them yet of course." "And," Dominguez continued, "she puts her victims to sleep, by feeding them a lunch laced with a very powerful drug. She puts enough percodan in to put a gorilla to sleep. She has been known to run out of drugs in the past, and has killed several victims without putting them out. That has to be a horrible way to go, and that's about what we have on this group, unless you have anything else Nash." "Yes, I do. They all answer to someone called Johnson. We don't have anything else on this person, but we believe he is the leader of their group. Now, if it's OK with you guys, we would like to get to the hotel, and get some rest. I have a very important call to make to Chicago in the morning. We froze the church's assets in San Francisco this morning. If my guess is correct, they are probably running short on funds. And they are going to need a quick infusion of money to keep their operation going." "OK," Nick said, "Tracy and I will drop you off at your hotel. That's the Toronto Hilton, right?" "Yes it is, Nick. By the way, my dad's name is Nick, so I think we will definitely get along." Nick and Nash just smiled as they walked out of the precinct and got into the car.They then headed for the hotel." ************************************* On the way to the hotel, Nicks cell phone started ringing, he answered, "Knight." "Hey Knight, what's up?" Vachon asked. "Not much, have you found out anything?" Nick asked. "Not much," Javier replied, "but I think I found out where the hideout is." Tracy could hear everything now with her enhanced vampiric hearing. She quickly jotted down the address that Vachon was giving Nick over the phone. "OK, Vachon, just don't go in there without help. We already know how dangerous this group is." "Come on Knight! I remember this group from San Francisco. I'm not going anywhere near them. They did manage to kill 2 of our kind there, and believe me, it wasn't pretty. "Ouch," Nick said, "listen, we have something to do first. We will meet you at your church in an hour." "OK," Vachon said, and with that, they hung up.. At the hotel, Nash and Joe had gotten checked in, and Nash invited Nick and Tracy up to the room, to give them some special information. Upon entering the suite, Nash began, "Nick, Tracy, I didn't say anything in front of your captain, as I know he is mortal, but I know that you two are vampires." "What?!" Nick exclaimed, you couldn't possibly believe in vampires, do you? "Not only do I believe in them, Bubba, but I'm in good standing with the San Francisco community. One of my best inspectors was a vampire, until Reverend Cathy got him. So you could say that my interest here is personal, as well as professional." "Well," Nick said, "then if, you are in good standing with the community in San Francisco, then you must be in good standing with the high council as well." "That is true Nick, and I know that you have your channels to check that out easily enough. But what I have to say is this, Reverend Cathy is a vampire hunter. That gibberish about her being a serial killer was for Reese's benefit. Not that she isn't a serial killer, but the point I'm trying to get across here is, she has killed vampires. And that is her soul reason for living. So when we go up against her, we are going to have to have a plan. And it will have to be one that will work out to all our benefits." "If you know about us, and are in good standing," Nick said, "then you must know that we have a major convention coming up. "Do you think that Reverend Cathy is here to cause trouble for the convention?" "Yes, I'm very well aware of the convention. But I don't think that Reverend Cathy knows it, she just isn't privy to that kind of information." "Well," Tracy said, "that call that Nick got on the way over here was from one our own. He said that he may have found the hideout. What do you think we should do?" "Nothing at the moment, we can get in and look it over. But don't try to do it alone. As I said, we need a plan. And even with a plan, it could get very dangerous, especially for your group." Nick looked at his watch, "Wow," he said, "where did the time go? Tracy, call Vachon. Tell him we will all meet together tomorrow night. I'll drop you off at the church, since you don't know how to fly yet." "She must be young." Nash said, "Listen Bubba, we're going to get this group. They can't keep getting away with murder forever. Anyway, Joe and I will see you at sundown." "Yes. Thank you very much," Nick said as he and Tracy were walking down the hall, "We'll see you tonight." ********************************** Chapter 6 That evening, Nick, Tracy and Vachon met at the Raven, Nick had already called Nash to have him and Joe meet them there. Nick was relaying some of the information to Vachon when Vachon broke in and said, "You mean they sent Nash Bridges up here? he asked? "That's right," Nick said.. "Wow, he's the best they've got. And he is in good with some really powerful members of the community there. He's tough," Vachon said," but he's fair, he can be trusted." At that, Nash and Joe walked in. It was early, so the club wasn't full yet, and they could start working on the plan. That is, if they aren't interrupted. "Hey there Nick, Tracy. And I know I haven't seen you in a long time, Vachon, how are you doing?" "I'm fine, Nash, just staying out of trouble." "If that were only possible," Nash said with a chuckle. Well, let's get down to business." They worked out a plan that they all felt was workable. But, as with all things, there was a certain amount of risk. If Vachon had truly found the hideout, then they would stake it out. When Cathy and her group started moving again, they will do a routine traffic stop, and try to get enough evidence to get a search warrant. Vachon told them that he had noticed a black van with blacked out windows parked just outside the warehouse. Then Nick related how he had a cold chill down his back the other night when he noticed a black van coming out of an alley. Then Nash told them that the group always used a black van with the windows blacked out. This gave them a head start on the case as it stood now. ************************************** Nick's cell phone started ringing, "Knight," he answered. "Nick, it's Reese, there have been 2 more found. One's a small child, in the Brooklyn Arms Apartments. The coroner and forensics are already on the scene." "We're on the way, Cap." With that, he closed his cell phone and turned to the others. "There are 2 more victims. Natalie is already there. Reese said one is a small child." It was a somber mood on the way over to the crime scene, not knowing what they would find. Two more people had lost their lives so that some vampire hunter might find a vampire. Nick thought, these people might claim to be vampire hunters, but they're just plain murderers. This Reverend Cathy doesn't go after just vampires, she will kill anybody, vampire or not. Arriving at the crime scene, Nick, Tracy, Nash and Joe went past the crime scene tape, and straight for Natalie, who was bent over, examining the dead child. "What have you got Nat?" Nick asked. "I have a 4 year old here, Nick," she said, "and her 30 year old mother over there by the rear gate. Both are drained of their blood, have the puncture wounds on the neck. This case is really beginning to get to me Nick! I don't think I can take anymore, Nick," she said, starting to sob hysterically. "How can this person who calls herself Reverend, do all this killing? How can this so-called Christian call herself a worker of God? There is nothing here that would indicate anything less than the work of the Devil." "I agree Nat," Nick said. Just then Nash came up and said, "There are going to be a lot more, if we don't get this group." "And who are these people?" Natalie asked. "Oh," Nick said, "This is Nash Bridges of the San Francisco Police Department and this is his partner, Joe Dominguez, they are here to give assistance on this case." "Oh," she said, "no offense, but I sure wish you would have gotten this group in San Francisco." "So do I, sister," Nash replied, "so do I, and there is no offense taken." "I'm sorry," she said, "I just wish these murders would stop, this is the third child since all of this started. I'm getting tired of seeing these little victims, this one is 4 years old." "Hardly enough to do a vampire any good," Nick said. "Nick, you do have some mortals standing around here, you know. Your friends from California," Natalie said. "They're alright," Nick said, "they have good connections with the San Francisco community." "Oh," she said, "well, what do you think you can do to stop this madness?" "All we can do at this point is put our heads together, and hope for the best," Joe said. "What are the particulars Nat?" Tracy asked. "Oh, yeah, Heather Meeks, 30 years of age, single mother of one; Jody Meeks, age 4; they lived in this apartment building, in apartment 3B, up there on the second floor. She was on welfare, didn't have anything, and now, this group has taken what they did have left, their very lives. Nick, Tracy, get these killers." "We will, Nat. Don't worry. We will." **************************************** "Cathy," Sheila said, "we have one more delivery for tonight. Do you think we should put it off until tomorrow night?" "No," Cathy said, "we have to stay on schedule. We already deviated once, because of Donovan. We need to stick to our guns, so go and load our next victim into the van, and we will be on our way." Little did Cathy and the others know that they were being watched from the roof of the adjacent warehouse. Vachon watched as they loaded what appeared to be a body into the van. It was wrapped in a large white cloth. Just as Vachon was getting ready to reach for his cell phone, he sensed a presence coming up from behind. He turned around quickly only to be faced with a gold cross. He cringed, and was splattered with Holy Water. A net was thrown over him, and he was quickly subdued. He then heard the voice of the one who had captured him. "Cathy, David, Sheila, get up here now! I've got one!" Together they carried Vachon into their warehouse. They pulled away the net. All were holding crosses to keep the vampire at bay. "Well, Johnson, I see that you arrived just in time. What do you think we should do with this one?" Cathy said. "Put him in the cage until sunrise," Johnson said. "Good." Sheila said, "Just the way to do things." As she opened the cage, she said, "Now vampire, notice that this cage is made of titanium, and little crosses have been welded every few inches. That way you can't bend the bars to get out either. Oh, and you will be dying in the morning, when we march you out and into the bright rays of the bright and morning star. So I would suggest that you make peace with God tonight." Shutting the door and locking it with a titanium lock, with a cross attached, she said, "We have to go out for a little while, but we will be back in time to kill you." With that, Sheila and Cathy checked the cage one more time. "Well," Cathy said, "I see that you are not ready. We will only be gone for a few hours, be sure to get right with God, and we will be back to kill you in a few hours." "How can you?" Vachon said, "How can you claim to do work for this God of yours? What kind of God kills innocent victims?" Cathy turned to face him with a very angry look, "Don't you dare to judge me, you vampire! You son of a bitch! How dare you judge me! Open the cage, Sheila. I'm going to kill him now. Get me the stake." "No, Cathy," Johnson said. "Let's follow procedure. Don't worry about him. He will be here when we get back," and with that, they left. When Vachon heard the van drive off, he pulled out his cell phone, hoping that it would work in the building, let alone this cage. ********************************* Nick's cell phone started ringing, "Knight," he answered. "Knight, it's Vachon." "Where are you Vachon?" "I'm in the warehouse. It's the right one, alright. They have me locked in a cage of crosses. They are on the road right now. I think they have a body to drop off. It's a black Chevy Astro, with California plates." "We'll get an APB on the van now." Tracy took the information to dispatch, and in minutes, the APB was over the wire. Every patrol car in the city was looking for the black Chevy Astro van. Within a few minutes, the van was found, and a chase had ensued. "What is going on here?" Cathy said with an angry look, "Why are the police after us all of a sudden?" "I don't know," Johnson said "They shouldn't know anything. I thought you said you had it covered." "I do," Cathy said. "So what the hell is going on here?" "Either way, we can't let them stop us, not with this body in here. We can't very well just throw the body out either," Sheila said. "Oh shit!" David said. "I didn't bargain for this when I got involved with you guys." "SHUT UP," Cathy snapped. "You're just as bad as Donovan was! When we get out of this, we're going to make sure you suffer the same fate. In fact, we might just feed you to that vampire we caught tonight." As they were running, more and more patrol cars were joining in the chase. Before long, they were cornered, and Sheila had no choice but to put the van into a wall. Then they tried to escape on foot. They planned to meet back at the warehouse. After the impact, however, the van didn't penetrate the wall. And all inside were too shaken up to try to escape, and were taken into custody... *********************************** Nick, Tracy, Nash and Joe rushed to the warehouse. After breaking the lock, and gaining entry, they found Vachon locked in a titanium cage with crosses attached every few inches. A vampire couldn't escape by bending the bars. Noticing that crosses were also attached to the lock, Nick and Tracy were at a loss as to how to get Vachon out, then Vachon said, "I saw the young one throw the key on that desk over there in the corner." Joe promptly went to the desk and found the key. In minutes, they had Vachon out of the cage. "While we're here," Nash said, "why don't we just have a look around." "I was thinking the same thing," Nick replied. As they were looking through the warehouse, they stumbled on a room in the back. There they found steel examining tables, similar to what would be used in the morgue. In back of the room, they found 55 gallon drums, almost full of blood.. "I think we found the killing room Nash," Nick said. "I believe you got that right." Joe said. Tracy said, "I'll call it in guys, but I'm beginning to get a little woozy here." "So am I Trace," Nick said, "it must be all the spoiled blood in these containers. We need to get forensics in here. Go ahead and let the Captain know, but I think there are some of us that need to get out of this room." "I think you're right," Vachon said, "Let's get out of here before we all pass out." ****************************************** Captain Reese arrived at the scene where the van had hit the wall. Walking up to the van, he was met by Natalie, "Hello Dr. Lambert. Do you have anything for us on this one yet?" he asked. "Yes, I do, Captain. I believe you have caught the group responsible for these murders. They still had a body in the van, same MO as the others. I'm sure of it," she said. "Great!" Reese said with a smile. "We have all four in custody at the precinct. This is how things should work out all the time. I sure do wish my detectives would work together like they did on this case all the time." "Well, Captain, at least it all worked out this time," Natalie said. "I'm just glad this case is over. Maybe some of the children in this city will get the chance to grow up." "I know that's right," Reese said with a sound of certainty. "I have 2 daughters at home now. And the fact this group was killing children....well," he said with a glint of fear in his eyes, "the fact that they are sitting in jail at this moment, gives me a tremendous relief. Oh, Doctor, Tracy called just before I got here, she said they were at the warehouse that this group was using. They need a forensic team over there as soon as possible." "I'll get right on it, Captain," she said. "As a matter of fact, I'll head over there right now. We're just about done here." "OK," he said, "and would you please tell Detective Knight and Vetter, that I would appreciate a preliminary report by tonight on this." "Sure, Captain," she replied. ******************************************** Chapter 7 When Natalie and the forensics team arrived at the warehouse, she headed right over to where Nick, Nash, Tracy, Joe and Vachon were standing, getting some fresh air. "So what's up guys? she asked. "What did you find in there?" "Well," Nick began, "there is evidence all over the warehouse, but the bulk of it is in a room in the back." Nash chimed in, "And there is a bunch of literature in the office area, and the plans were all laid out on the big table in there." Then Joe said, "Yeah, they would have done a lot more killing if we had not caught up with them tonight. We owe that all to Javier, who, Nick said, even though he was locked up in a titanium cage, still had his cell phone on him." "Well guys," Natalie said, "let me get forensics in there, and let's see what we can find." "Great," Nick said, "we all need to get back to the precinct and help with the questioning anyway. Vachon, I'll bring Tracy back to the church in a few hours, is that OK?" "Sure Knight. I'm going to go over to the Raven and relax a little bit. I'll see you back at the church Trace." "OK, Vachon, be safe," she said." "Let us know what you find, Doctor," Joe added as they were getting into the Caddy. "See you all back at the precinct," Nat said, as they were leaving. ************************************************ Back at the precinct house, the questioning of the suspects had already begun. Nick, Tracy, Nash and Joe went into interrogation room 1, where 2 other detectives were getting a statement from David. David was telling them everything he knew from the time he had joined the group. "I was in need of a ride, they picked me up hitch hiking just north of San Francisco. As they were leaving in a hurry, I guess the police were on their trail then, but I didn't know that. We went to Portland, and there, Reverend Cathy filled me in on what they did. They were in need of new members for the flock, and I had a choice. I could either become a member, or a sacrifice. I became a member, and the rest is history." Then Nick and Tracy went into room 2, where they were questioning Reverend Cathy. "Oh Nick, Tracy, you're just in time! Would you like to do the work on this one?" Detective Jane Driscoll asked. "Sure," Tracy said. "We need to know a few things, like, why? Where do you get off killing innocent men, women, and children? Just who the hell do you think you are?" Tracy asked with a not so nice tone of voice. "I'm here to do the Lord's work. And I sure don't have to answer to you for anything," Cathy said, in a tone just as unpleasant. Just then, Captain Reese walked in, hearing the last part of what Cathy said. He started by saying, "I have never, in all my years as a police officer, EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. I SIMPLY CAN'T BELIEVE ANYONE COULD GO AROUND KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE, AND CLAIM TO BE DOING GOD'S WORK. THE GOD THAT I KNOW, WHICH IS THE GOD OF THE BIBLE, SENT HIS SON TO DIE IN OUR PLACE. AND WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE, REVEREND, TO GO KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE CHILDREN. WHAT VAMPIRE, ASSUMING THAT THEY EXIST, WOULD KILL A SMALL CHILD? At that, Cathy kicked in and said, "Captain, you must understand, we only made those sacrifices so that our actions would be understood. Look at your detectives sitting in here. You don't even realize that 2 of them are vampires, do you?" At that, Reese had heard enough, "Guards," he bellowed. Just then, two very large uniformed officers entered, "TAKE MISS REVEREND CATHY TO HER CELL. AND CUFF AND SHACKLE HER. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR MORE FROM HER, UNTIL THEY TAKE HER TO PRISON," Reese was fuming. "But, but captain, you don't understand," Cathy stammered. "These two officers are vampires. They are the real killers! Please, you must listen to me! You have vampires in your police station. We must eradicate all vampires. All you people must listen to what I say!" She shouted as she was led off by the uniformed officers. "Well, Captain, have you calmed down yet?" Nick asked. "Yes," Reese replied. "I'm better now that I got all of that off of my chest. I have never seen such evil in my life. Even the Jordan Manning case wasn't anything like this." "I have to agree with you there, Captain," Nick said. "Well Bubba," Nash said as he was walking up. "You guys do good police work. I would love to stick around and see some more, but Joe and I seem to have a flight to catch in the morning." He was shaking Reese's hand, "And Nick, if you ever get to San Francisco, look me up. I'm at the Special Investigations Unit. I'll be glad to show you my 'Cuda." "I'll do that sometime," Nick said. They all said their farewells, and Nash and Joe were out the door. "Well Knight, Vetter," Reese said, "why don't you two knock off early tonight? You can do the reports on this case tomorrow night." "Sure thing, Cap," Nick said, "are you ready Trace?" "Sure am," she said. It's been a tough couple of nights. See you tomorrow night, Captain." "OK, see you then detectives." *************************************** Chapter 8 Three weeks later, Jordan, leader of the High Council and Elders of the Vampire community, called the meeting to order. "Hear ye, hear ye. This, the year 2000 meeting of the High Council is hereby called to order. There will be silence in the hall as each delegation comes forward to present changes to the vampire code, and to the bylaws. Lucien Lacroix, you are the elder of the city of Toronto, where this meeting is being held this year, therefore, you may present any changes that you would like to see us make to the code." "Yes, your Honor, the change that we would most like to see in the code, is an exception added that some mortals might know of our existence. We have always had some exceptions, but it is my opinion that it should be written into the code. Then it would have to be followed by the enforcers and other governing bodies in the community." "But, Lacroix, was there not just a case in the Toronto community, where some vampire hunting group was killing innocent mortals to catch vampires?" Josephus asked. "Yes there was. I have my son, Nicholas, here. He was the homicide detective on the case, and he will tell you about it." "Very well," Jordan said. As Nick told them the story of what had happened just weeks before, he also explained that if it weren't for his friends in the mortal community, they might not ever have caught this group. He told them about Natalie, how she was invaluable on this case and others. And how it was Natalie who had found the cure for the fever a few years back. And he told them about other mortals he had met on the way. When he was finished, they voted to change the code, to allow some humans to know of their existence, and not be in any danger of the enforcers. The rest of the convention, as well as the Feast of Lilith, and the Millennium Festival, went off without a hitch. A good time was had by all in the vampire community, the time when vampires will be able to roam freely among the human race is now within sight. But for at least a couple more centuries, there will be only those few exceptions allowed. The End Nash Bridges and Joe Dominguez are the property of CBS television, and were used without permission. I only brought them to Toronto for a short vacation. I would also like to thank my Beta Readers, Rebecca Chessman and Brandie Dixon, without their help in straightening up my grammer and punctuation, this story would not have been possible.....:o)