"Let's just get our car and get out of here," I whisper in his ear.
He nods vigorously. "I am not cut out for this crap."
8
I call Dr. Seter in San Francisco but end up speaking to James,who acts happy to hear my voice. Perhaps it is not an act,but he does want to know if I am ready to show them my scripture. I tell him I have something even more important to show him.After making an appointment to see him and his father at the Hilton,after the lecture, I booka flight forSan Francisco. Asthe plane lifts off the ground,Seymour nods to them anila envelope inmy hand.
"What's that?"he asks.
"Newspaper clippings. Proof."
"I won't ask."
"You'll see soon enough."
We do not attend the lecture because I have a slight fear thatK alika will be there. We are waiting in the lounge area of the Hilton when Dr. Seterreturns to the hotel. The elderly doctor looks fatigued from his travels and lecture, but James is as bright faced as ever. I introduce Seymour as an old friend and they take seats across from us. Dr. Seter orders a scotch and James a Coke. Seymour munches on the pretzels and sips cranberry juice.
I have nothing to eat or drink, not even a few drops of blood. I fear there may soon be enough blood flying to satisfy my most perverse thirsts. I wonder if Kalika still kills her victims,how many she hunts a night.
Dr. Seter studies me with tired eyes. For the first time I listen to his heart beat in his chest. He has clogged arteries, cardiac arrhythmia.He must knowIsense he is experiencing a tightness in his chest even now. Yet he smiles warmly before he begins to speak. He is a charming man.
"James tells me you have something exciting to show us," he says.
I stare at both of them for a moment.
"I know where the Dark Mother is," I say. "I need your help to kill her."
This gets their attention. Dr. Seter takes a moment to catch his breath. James glances at him anxiously, but I don't know if his anxiety is concern for his father's health or concern for the confrontation. Finallythe doctor manages to speak.
"How do you know about the Dark Mother?"he asks. "You said your scripture did not speak of a particular danger to the child."
"It speaks of her in general terms," I say. "And I know this young woman."I open them anila envelope I have brought with me. "I have chronicled her behavior. But perhaps you have as well. She's been in the papers lately."
First I give them clips from the Los Angeles Times of the series of brutal murders that were committed last December. Crazy Eddie Fender and his gangof nasty vampires were responsible for these crimes, but the murders are of such a bizarre natureheads torn off, bodies drained of their bloodthat I feel they strengthen my case. Next I show them clippings of the major shoot-out the police had with a gang of terrorists in downtown L.A.: three helicopters downed and dozens of police killed by a tiny but invincible force. Of course, I was responsible for those deaths. The police and FBI had the bad judgment to chase after me and Joel for our vampire blood.
I show them clippings of the Nevada nuclear explosion,and finally give them articles onE ric Hawkins, who was kidnapped from the park while playing basketball with friends. He was not found until weeks later, his throat scissored open by what appeared to be sharp fingernails. Yes, the words of the city coroner have made it all the way into the article, and they are surprisingly accurate. Naturally, it is only this last death Kalika was responsible for but now is not the time to reveal that Dr. Seter and his son study the clippings for several minutes and then the doctor frowns at me.
"I don't see what this has to do with the Dark Mother," he says.
His voice is without conviction.I suspect that either he or James has been collecting similar clippings.The possibility strengthens my position and I decide to hold nothing back.I lean forward slightly as I speak and my tone is deadly serious.
"TheDark Mother is vampiric in nature,"I say." The original serial murders inL. A.all bear a vampiric stamp. This is when the Dark Mother moved into the Los Angeles area.Notice the dates of the murders, how they cease right after the terrorist shoot-out with the police. Yet these terrorists have never been found,never been identified.The media says it's because they escaped,but the real reason is that these terrorists never existed.In fact,the only one the police ever spoke about definitively was a young woman who was able to move extremely fast."
"We have read about her,"James says, glancing at his father.
"Then there is the nuclear explosion in the Nevada desert,"I continue. "Once again the media and the government drew a connection to terrorists, but here, too, they failed to identify the terrorists.Because there weren't any. For a brief time the Dark Mother was a prisoner of the military camp where the explosion occurred.But even with all their guns,all their tanks and soldiers,they couldn't contain her and she broke free and destroyed them. She went underground after that,yet she didn't leave the Los Angeles area.Note the description of Eric Hawkins's supposed kidnapper and compare it to the descriptions the police gave of the young woman who helped mess up downtown L.A. You will see they match. That's because all these events originate with one young woman who is not really a human being at all." I pause. "I know her name. I know where she lives. She may know I know this, I'm not sure. She won't remain where she is long. If you want to destroy her, you'll have to strike at her tonight. And don't look so shocked. I know you've prepared for a long time to do exactly this."
Dr. Seter is so taken aback by my words he can't speak. James takes up his role. "How do you know these things?" he asks. "You didn't read about them in an ancient scripture."
"I had a friend in the FBI who leaked parts of this information to me. He came to me originally because his agency was researching the Suzama material. This friend is now deceasedhe died in the Nevada explosion. But before he died he gave me enough clues to locate and speak to the Dark Mother."
They both almost fall off their chairs."You have seen her?" Dr. Seter exclaims.
"I have, too," Seymour says on cue. "We both spoke to her at the end of the Santa Monica Pier three months ago. She almost killed us both, but in the end decided to let us go."
"Why would she let you go if you're a danger to her?" Dr. Seter asks.