"Oh, David," I said, continuing to undress. "I've almost caught my death repeatedly. In fact, I've spent my whole brief mortal life nearly dying. The care of this body is a revolting nuisance; how do living people endure this endless cycle of eating, pissing, sniveling, defecating, and then eating again! When you mix in fever, headache, attacks of coughing, and a runny nose, it becomes a penitential sentence. And prophylactics, good Lord. Removing the ugly little things is worse than having to put them on! Whatever made me think I wanted to do this! The other crimes-when did they take place! When is more important than where."
He had fallen into staring at me again, too purely shocked to answer. Mojo was giving him the eye now, sizing him up more or less, and offering a friendly lick of his pink tongue to David's hand. David petted him lovingly, but continued to stare blankly at me.
"David," I said, as I took off the wet socks. "Speak to me. The other crimes! You said that James had left a trail."
"It's so wildly uncanny," he said in a stunned voice. "I have a dozen pictures of this face. But to see you inside it. Oh, I simply couldn't imagine it. Not at all."
"When did this fiend strike last?"
"Ah . . . The last report was from the Dominican Republic. That was, let me see, two nights ago."
"Dominican Republic! Why in the world would he go there?"
"Exactly what I would like to know. Before that he struck near Bal Harbour in Florida. Both times it was a high-rise condominium, and entry was the same as in New York- through the glass wall. Furniture smashed to pieces at all three crime scenes; wall safes ripped from their moorings; bonds, gold, jewelry taken. One man dead in New York, a bloodless corpse, of course. Two women left drained in Florida, and a family killed in Santo Domingo, with only the father drained in classic vampire style."
"He can't control his strength. He's blundering about like a robot!"
"Exactly what I thought. It was the combination of destruc-tiveness and sheer force which first alerted me. The creature's unbelievably inept! And the whole operation is so stupid. But what I can't figure is why he's chosen these locations for his various thefts." Suddenly he broke off and turned away, almost shyly.
I realized I had stripped off all the garments and was standing there naked, and this had produced in him a strange reticence, and a near blush to his face.
"Here, dry socks," he said. "Don't you know better than to go about in soaking wet garments?" He tossed the socks to me without looking up.
"I don't know much of anything," I said. "That's what I've discovered. I see what you mean about the locations. Why in the world would he journey to the Caribbean when he might steal to his heart's content in the suburbs of Boston or New York?"
"Yes. Unless the cold is giving him considerable discomfort, but does that make sense?"
"No. He doesn't feel it that keenly. It's just not the same."
It felt good to pull on the dry shirt and pants. And these garments did fit, though they were loose in a rather old-fashioned way-not the slim tailored clothes more popular with the young. The shirt was heavy broadcloth, and the tweed pants were pleated, but the waistcoat felt snug and warm.
"Here, I can't tie this tie with mortal fingers," I declared. "But why am I dressing up like this, David? Don't you ever go around in anything casual, as the expression goes? Good Lord, we look like we're going to a funeral. Why must I wear this noose around my neck?"
"Because you'll look foolish in a tweed suit without it," he answered in a slightly distracted voice. "Here, let me help you." Once again, he had that shy look about him as he drew close to me. I realized that he was powerfully drawn to this body. In the old one, I had amazed him; but this body truly ignited his passion. And as I studied him closely, as I felt the busy work of his fingers on the knot of the tie-that keen little pressure-I realized that I was powerfully attracted to him.
I thought of all the times I'd wanted to take him, enfold him in my arms, and sink my teeth slowly and tenderly into his neck, and drink his blood. Ah, now I might have him in a sense without having him-in the mere human tangling with his limbs, in whatever combination of intimate gestures and delectable little embraces he might like. And I might like.
The idea paralyzed me. It sent a soft chill over the surface of my human skin. I felt connected to him, connected as I had been to the sad unfortunate young woman whom I'd raped, to the wandering tourists of the snow-covered capital city, my brothers and sisters- connected as I had been to my beloved Gretchen.
Indeed so strong was this awareness-of being human and being with a human-that I feared it suddenly in all its beauty. And I saw that the fear was part of the beauty.
Ah, yes, I was mortal now as he was. I flexed my fingers, and slowly straightened my back, letting the chill become a deep erotic sensation.
He broke away from me abruptly, alarmed and vaguely determined, picked up the jacket from the chair, and helped me to put it on.
"You have to tell me all that's happened to you," he said. "And within an hour or so we may have news from London, that is, if the bastard has struck again."
I reached out and clamped my weak, mortal hand on his shoulder, drew him to me, and kissed him softly on the side of his face. Once again, he backed away.
"Stop all this nonsense," he said, as if reproving a child. "I want to know everything. Now, have you had breakfast? You need a handkerchief. Here."
"How will we get this news from London?"
"Fax from the Motherhouse to the hotel. Now come, let's have something to eat together. We have a day of work ahead to figure this all out."
"If he isn't already dead," I said with a sigh. "Two nights ago in Santo Domingo." I was again filled with a crashing and black despair. The delicious and frustrating erotic impulse was threatened.
David removed a long wool scarf from the suitcase. He placed this around my neck. "Can't you call London again now by phone?" I asked.
"It's a bit early, but I'll give it a try."
He found the phone beside the couch, and was in fast conversation with someone across the sea for about five minutes. No news yet.
Police in New York, Florida, and Santo Domingo were not in communication with each other, apparently, as no connections regarding these crimes had yet been made.
At last he hung up. "They'll fax information to the hotel as soon as they receive it. Let's go there, shall we? I myself am famished. I've been here all night long, waiting. Oh, and that dog. What will you do with that splendid dog?"
"He's had breakfast. He'll be happy in the roof garden. You're very anxious to be out of these rooms, aren't you? Why don't we simply get into bed together? I don't understand."
"You're serious?"
I shrugged. "Of course." Serious! I was beginning to be obsessed with this simple little possibility. Making love before anything else happened. Seemed like a perfectly marvelous idea!
Again, he fell to staring at me in maddening trancelike silence.
"You do realize," he said, "that this is an absolutely magnificent body, don't you? I mean, you aren't insensible to the fact that you've been deposited in a ... a most impressive piece of young male flesh."
"I looked it over well before the switch, remember? Why is it you don't want to . . ." "You've been with a woman, haven't you?"
"I wish you wouldn't read my mind. It's rude. Besides, what does that matter to you?"
"A woman you loved."
"I have always loved both men and women."
"That's a slightly different use of the word 'love.' Listen, we simply can't do it now. So behave yourself. I must hear everything about this creature James. It's going to take us time to make a plan."
"A plan. You really think we can stop him?"
"Of course I do!" He beckoned for me to come.