As Twilight Falls(55)
Author: Amanda Ashley

“Yes, of course,” Mrs. Andrews said with a sigh. “Everyone’s so worried about cholesterol these days. Kadie, why don’t you come help me in the kitchen?”

Saintcrow grinned inwardly, amused by Mrs. Andrews’s not-so-subtle way of getting Kadie out of the room. He had no doubt that Kadie’s mother was eager to get her daughter alone for a few minutes, anxious to find out more about their guest. It was obvious mother and daughter were very close.

Rising, he wandered around the room, pausing to look more closely at several of Kadie’s photographs. She really was a talented photographer, he thought, admiring a black-and-white, wide-angle shot she had taken of some of the houses in Bodie. Moving on, he noticed several of her articles were framed on the wall behind the piano.

He was about to resume his seat when the front door opened and a tall, angular man with close-cropped black hair and brown eyes entered the house. The man came up short when he saw a stranger in his living room.

“Dr. Andrews?” Saintcrow said.

“Yes. And you’d be . . . ?”

“Rylan Saintcrow. I’m a friend of Kadie’s.”

Dr. Andrews studied him through narrowed eyes. “Where’s Carolyn?”

“Right here,” Mrs. Andrews said, hurrying out to greet her husband.

“Dad!” Kadie ran to her father and threw her arms around him.

“Hey, pumpkin!” Dr. Andrews said, hugging her close. “Welcome home.”

Warmth crept through Kadie at the sound of her childhood nickname. “I see you’ve met Rylan,” she said, smiling. “Rylan, this is my dad, Ralph Andrews.”

The two men shook hands.

“Rylan came to my rescue when my car ran out of gas,” Kadie explained. She tugged on her father’s arm, leading him to the sofa. She sat down, and her parents sat on either side of her.

Saintcrow took the chair he had occupied earlier.

“So, Kadie, where have you been all this time?” Andrews was talking to his daughter, but his gaze never left Saintcrow’s face.

“Rylan is the benefactor of a small town in Wyoming. I’ve been staying there. I got some great shots. I can’t wait to print them.”

“A benefactor?” Dr. Andrews remarked.

“Yes,” Saintcrow said, his gaze meeting that of Kadie’s father. “I have a bit of money. I find if you take care of people, they’ll take care of you.”

“I see. Will you be staying long?”

Saintcrow shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

Mrs. Andrews laid her hand on her husband’s arm. “No more questions, Ralph. We were about to have some pie. Would you like a slice?”

Dr. Andrews nodded.

Motioning for Kadie to stay where she was, Mrs. Andrews went into the kitchen. She returned moments later carrying a tray bearing three slices of pie and four cups of coffee.

Saintcrow accepted one of the cups without comment.

He grinned when Kadie looked at him, one brow lifted in amusement.

“How was your day, dear?” Mrs. Andrews asked. “Did the Perkins boy respond to the new treatment?”

“Yes, he’s going home tomorrow.”

“So soon? That’s wonderful.” Mrs. Andrews beamed with pride.

“My father’s quite a famous doctor,” Kadie said. “Patients with terminal illnesses come to him from all over the world.”

“They call him the miracle worker,” Mrs. Andrews said. “He’s been written up in all the medical journals.”

“Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to cure my own daughter.”

Saintcrow nodded sympathetically. He sat back, the cup untouched in his hand, listening to the Andrews family discuss their day. After getting Kathy settled in at the hospital, Dr. Andrews had spent the morning in surgery and the afternoon making rounds. Mrs. Andrews volunteered as a teacher’s aide in a school for handicapped children three days a week. Interspersed in their conversation about the day’s activities were questions for Kadie: Had she sold the photographs she had taken in Silverton? Not yet. How long was she going to stay? She wasn’t sure. Where was she thinking of going next? England, with Rylan.

They spent the next half hour making polite conversation, and then Dr. Andrews said he felt like some fresh air and asked Saintcrow if he would join him out on the patio.

Saintcrow followed the man outside, waited patiently for him to say what was on his mind. He didn’t have to wait long.

“Does my daughter know you’re a vampire?”

“She knows. But she doesn’t know you’re a hunter, does she?”

If Andrews was surprised, he didn’t show it.

“That’s what I thought. I’m betting your wife doesn’t know, either.”

“She has her suspicions.”

Saintcrow nodded. Most hunters chose not to marry, knowing that their wives and children could be used against them. He shook his head when Andrews reached casually inside his jacket. “I wouldn’t, if I were you.”

Andrews froze, then, very carefully lowered his arm to his side. “If you hurt Kadie, I’ll hunt you down if it takes the rest of my life.”

“I’m not going to hurt her. And just so you know, the only way you can destroy me is by taking my head. And I don’t intend to let that happen.”

Curiosity flared in Andrews’s eyes. “I’ve never heard of a vampire who couldn’t be destroyed by a stake in the heart.”

Saintcrow shrugged. “I’m a very old vampire. Not much can hurt me anymore.” He leaned back against one of the patio supports, his arms folded across his chest. “Are there a lot of vampires here in Morro Bay?”

“Not anymore.”

Saintcrow raked a hand through his hair. He had a feeling Andrews would be a formidable enemy. He also had a feeling that he knew what kind of “miracle” the good doctor was using to cure his patients. “What do you do with the bodies after you take their blood?”

The color drained from Ralph Andrews’s face.

“That’s how you perform all those miracles, isn’t it? By infusing your patients with a little vampire blood.” He wondered why it didn’t work on the doctor’s daughter.

“It’s only fair, isn’t it?” Andrews retorted. “Human blood sustained their lives. It’s only right that they return the favor.”

Andrews was a smooth character, Saintcrow mused. He knew the doctor was afraid of him. He could hear the rapid beating of the man’s heart, smell the fear on his skin. He let him sweat for a few more moments before saying, “Relax, I’m not going to give your secrets away. And I’m not in the revenge business.”