Stalking the Vampire Read Free Page B

there? In my dream, I got stronger at night.”
    â€œWe'll see to it that you don't have any reason to leave,” said Mallory.
    â€œHow?”
    â€œThe Goblins are playing the Gremlins at the Garden tonight, and it's on TV,” said Mallory. “If I leave you sitting in front of the television set with a bottle of plasma and a straw, can you think of any reason why you won't stay there?”
    Rupert started salivating slightly at the mention of plasma. “No,” he said, wiping his mouth off with the sleeve of his robe, and Mallory could see that his canines were a little longer than average. “No, I can't.”
    â€œWhere will you get the plasma, John Justin?” asked Winnifred.
    â€œThe local blood bank.”
    Rupert started drooling again, and his left eyelid began twitching.
    â€œI won't be a party to theft,” said Winnifred firmly.
    â€œI'm not stealing anything,” said Mallory. “I plan to buy it with the twenty I was going to put on Flyaway.”
    â€œThey'll never sell it to a private citizen.”
    â€œYes, they will.”
    â€œWhat makes you think so.”
    â€œBecause I'll have Rupert with me,” answered Mallory, gesturing to the salivating, twitching young man. “And I'll explain that they can either sell it to me now or they can hope Rupert doesn't remember where they are an hour or two from now when it's totally dark out.” The detective smiled. “He may not be as potent as your .550 Nitro Express, but there are certain advantages to having an embryonic vampire in your arsenal.”

“I really don't get any stronger at night,” said Rupert as he and Mallory walked down Second Avenue.
    Mallory paused as a yellow elephant, with a driver and two passengers in its howdah, came down the middle of the street. “I'll never get used to what passes for cabs here,” he muttered.
    â€œHere?” repeated Rupert curiously. “Where are you from, Mr. Mallory?”
    â€œI have the strangest urge to say that I'm not in Kansas anymore,” replied Mallory. He shrugged. “Oh, well. Could be worse. Could be Checker cabs.”
    â€œGetting back to the blood bank, Mr. Mallory…”
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œLike I said, I really don't get stronger at night.”
    â€œOkay, you know it, and now I know it. Let's keep it our secret, and if they don't know it, maybe we'll get what we need.”
    â€œI feel just terrible about this.”
    â€œNot to worry,” said Mallory. “I don't remember my pulp literature and B movies all that well, but I'm pretty sure it takes more than one bite to turn you or your aunt into a vampire.” He stared at the young man. “Who the hell nailed you?”
    The boy shuddered. “Draconis.”
    â€œDraconis?”
    â€œAristotle Draconis.”
    â€œHe's a vampire?”
    â€œHe must be. I woke up just in time to see him leaving my stateroom.”
    â€œYour stateroom?” repeated Mallory. “You didn't fly here from Europe?”
    Rupert shook his head. “I'm afraid of heights, so I took the Moribund Manatee .”
    â€œSomething doesn't make sense here,” said Mallory. “But I thought vampires couldn't travel across water.”
    â€œI thought so too,” said Rupert. “I guess we were both wrong,” he added ruefully.
    â€œWhat does this Draconis look like?” asked Mallory.
    â€œTall,” said Rupert. “Very tall, almost seven feet. And thin, like a skeleton. And he dressed all in black.”
    â€œClean shaven?”
    The young man nodded. “Yes. With dark burning eyes.”
    â€œYou want to expand on that?” said Mallory. “In my Manhattan I'd know what it means, but here it could literally mean that his eyes were on fire or shooting off sparks.”
    â€œThey looked like they could,” said Rupert with a shudder. “And there's something