“I,” he announced, “happen to be a Nihilist.” Although his facial expression didn't change, he sneered with his voice. “That's N-I-H-I-L-I-S-T, Deputy,” he said, watching me write. “It means that I believe that there's no purpose in existence.”
“I know,” I said, not looking up. “We used to say it was a predictable result of an egocentric confronting reality.” I looked up, with the most pleasant expression I could muster. “Sittin' round the doughnut shop, we talk about that sorta thing a lot.”
Before he could answer, I said, “Look, you guys are the ones we have to talk to, because you're the ones who might have some information. There really isn't anybody else. We can keep this on a fairly friendly basis, if we work at it. But you do have information we need. You may not know what you have,” I said, “but there could well be things you've noticed and don't realize they're significant.” That was pretty standard, and I wasn't so sure that they didn't know what they had, but it did serve the purpose of giving them an out, if they suddenly wanted to “remember” something. Or, in the particular case of Kevin, gracefully retract a lie.
“Edie,” said Kevin, “is the one who knew, if anybody did. Too bad she's not available.”
He said it straight, but he meant it sarcastically.
“Edie's been talking quite a bit to the pathologist,” I said.
Just as I said it, Toby came through the dining room door, his jaw dropped, and he said, “What?”
“Hi, Toby,” said Hester. “Have a seat.”
“Oh, yeah. Right, right.”
He looked really fresh, and it looked like they'd been telling the truth about his being in the shower when we'd arrived.
“We're just discussing what we all know about Mr. Peel,” said Hester.
“Oh,” said Toby. “Not much,” and he looked meaningfully around the room, “do we?” It was hard to tell if it was a question, or a really broad hint.
“Well,” I said, “we know what he looks like. We know his name.” I figured it was time to jump in with both feet. “You told us he was a vampire… So, where does that leave you?”
For a few seconds it got so quiet you not only could have heard a pin drop, I swear you could have heard it whistle as it fell.
Melissa broke the silence by speaking for the first time. “He is,” she said. Straight up, matter-of-fact, with no inflection. “We all know that, too.”
She'd said, “He is,” without hesitation. Nobody else qualified it by saying “He thinks he is.” Just the silence of agreement and acceptance.
“Why do you think,” she said, still with no emotion, “we call this Renfield House?” “Wasn't that the vampire's slave in Dracula?” asked Hester. “Renffeld?”
Melissa nodded. “Of course.”
I still didn't quite realize what I was dealing with. “You're saying that he is a vampire. You don't really believe that, do you? Don't you mean that he believes that he's a vampire?”
“No,” said Melissa. “He is a vampire. That's all there is to it.” I glanced around the room. There sure didn't seem to be any visible dissent.
“Now, really,” I said. “Come on. This isn't Transylvania. Hell, it's not even Los Angeles. There's no such thing as vampires.”
She shrugged. “You're entitled to your beliefs. So are we.” She gave me a secretive little smile. “We know. That's enough for us.”
I don't know that I was exactly surprised that somebody other than Toby would be capable of being conned into seriously believing in vampires, so much as I was just beginning to appreciate the ramifications for our case.
“Okay,” I said, slowly. I pretended to write some notes, then looked up. “Okay, so, then, if he is, why stick around?”
I half expected Toby to be the first to speak up, but it turned out to be Melissa.
“We aren't afraid of him,” she said. “We learn from him. You have to try to imagine the knowledge of a man who has been here so long.” As she spoke, she became flushed. “The strength. The power. The confidence.”
“And the wealth,” added Toby again. “Do you have any idea what compounded interest can amount to in three hundred years? But, like Melissa says, it's the power. Nobody fucks with him, believe me.”
“But he possibly killed Edie,” I said. “Remember that.”
“There's a downside to everything,” said Kevin, cynically. “Of course we don't agree with you, but if you say he killed her, then we have no choice but to believe you.”
“Mind sharing how you think she died?” I asked.
“I have no opinion.”
“Do any of you happen to know one”-I pronounced it slowly, as though this might be the first time I'd heard the name-“Alicia Meyer?”
“I do,” said Huck. “She works on the boat.”
“Yeah, so do I,” said Melissa.
“And, how long has this Peel been interested in her?” I was out on a limb, but it was just a short one.
“What?” I'd evidently caught at least Melissa by surprise.
“You know,” I said conversationally, “interested enough to show up outside her second-floor window, all duded up with the teeth and all, and asking if he could come in?”
“I have no idea,” said Melissa, making a damned fine recovery. “That's his business. Like they say, 'All I know is what I read in the papers.' So, you want to hang that Peeping Tom incident on Dan, too?”
“I believe it was him that night, behind her apartment. But, if you know how serious he is about her, I'd really like to know.”
“Why?” asked Huck. Perfect.
“Because Alicia's boyfriend is dead,” I said. “One Randy Baumhagen. I assume you read about him in the papers, too.”
“That was in Wisconsin, wasn't it?” asked Melissa.
“But, yes. In the Conception County Sentinel, in fact. Why does that have anything to do with us? He just drowned.”
“Well, let's say that's up for grabs. Did any of you know him?”
“I did,” said Huck. “I talked to him in a bar once or twice.”
“Was he with Alicia when you talked to him?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“And did Peel ever meet Alicia or Randy?”
“I asked her up here last month. He met her then,” she said.
“Why,” asked Hester, “did you bring her up here?”
“To see the place,” said Huck. There was something about her voice. Confusion?
“Not specifically to meet him, then?”
“Not specifically to meet anybody. To see the house.”
“But you knew he was here at the time?” Hester didn't sound at all like she was pressing Huck, but she was. By now she'd elicited the fact that Peel had been here “last month,” and at the same time as Alicia.
“Oh, well… sure. I guess.”
Hester has a sense of just where to find the jugular, so to speak. “Now, be kind of careful, here,” she said, “because you aren't the only person we've talked with.” She let that sink in for about a beat. “Now, are you sure you didn't bring her here because of him? Maybe even because he”-and she paused, again-“requested it?”
Huck shot a glance at Melissa. It was quite a tell, for a professional dealer.
The honor of capping the screwup belonged to Melissa. “I never said anything,” she said, her voice up about an octave. “Not even before you came home. Just ask Toby!”
Good old Toby, the only one who had been in a real position to spill his guts, let her dangle. “Hey, I wasn't with you and Deputy Houseman when you two were out in the yard. Who knows what you told him then?” He was a little smarter than I'd given him credit for.
“Well, you little prick,” said Melissa, with commendable accuracy.
“I really hate to change the subject,” said Huck, “but we all do have to be at Edie's wake, and if we don't get going now… ”
We'd gotten our wedge driven into the group. Not exactly where, nor in the manner, we'd expected, but it was in place. Good enough for government work, as they say. Hester and I excused ourselves after making an appointment to talk with Huck after the wake. We weren't really expecting to get much from her, but we wanted to deprive the group of who we considered its strength right after the wake. Emotions would be high, and without the moderating efforts of Huck, the cracks could become much wider. We had high hopes, even though they would have a chance to regroup on the way to the wake. I thought they were rattled enough to stay that way.