Deeper than the Night

Sarah Waite answered the door, her face registering surprise and alarm when she saw Kara.



"Hello, Mrs. Waite," Kara said, combing her fingers through her hair. "Is Cherise home?"



"Yes, she is." Mrs. Waite narrowed the opening in the doorway. "Is anything wrong?"



"I need to talk to Cherise. Please, it's important."



Mrs. Waite hesitated a moment, then took a step backward. "Come in. Cherise is in the front room watching TV."



"Thank you."



Cherise Waite was a pretty girl, with a slender figure, brown eyes, and straight brown hair. She glanced up as Kara entered the room, her eyes growing wide.



"Kara!"



"Hello, Cherise. Has Gail called today?"



"Not yet. It's only three-thirty. She always calls at four."



Kara glanced at Mrs. Waite. "Is it okay if I wait here?"



"Of course. Would you like a cup of coffee?"



"Yes, please."



"Make yourself at home."



Kara sat in the easy chair next to the sofa. "Has Gail said anything to you?"



"No. She just calls twice a day and asks if I've heard from you. What's wrong?"



"It's better if you don't know."



Cherise blinked at her several time. "You're in some kind of trouble, aren't you?"



"Yes, but please don't ask me any questions, Cherise. I can't tell you anything. Believe me, you don't want to know."



"What kind of trouble?" Mrs. Waite asked. She handed Kara a cup of coffee, then sat down on the sofa. "Is there anything we can do?"



"No. I'm afraid no one can help."



Kara sipped the coffee. On the drive to the Wakes' house, she had contemplated going to the police. She'd imagined the conversation in her mind.



"I want you to arrest Dr. Dale Barrett."



"On what charge?"



"Kidnapping."



"He kidnapped you?"



"Yes. And the author, Alexander Claybourne."



"Am I to understand the doctor was holding you for ransom?"



"No. You see, Alex is an alien whoseblood has the power to heal. . ."



She knew, logically, the conversation wouldn't go like that. She wouldn't have to mention anything about Alex being an alien. But she had no proof that she had been kidnapped and held against her will, and even if the police arrested Barrett, the doctor would deny everything. And even if she could convince the police to search the lab where she'd been held, it wouldn't prove anything. Having a laboratory was no crime. Barrett was a doctor. The hospital in Grenvale knew he had been her doctor, so even if the police found samples of her blood, Barrett would have a valid alibi.



For a moment, she considered going to thegovernment, but then she remembered bits and pieces of stories she had heard about other alien landings, like the one in New Mexico that the government had supposedly kept from the American people in order to prevent a panic.



Perhaps she could call one of those groups that was always claiming to have seen flying saucers. No doubt they would believe her, but what would they want in return? Exclusive rights to tell the story? Worldwide vindication? Pictures, movie deals. And, inevitably, the government would get involved, spouting rhetoric about national security while they dragged Alex off to be examined by a team of doctors and scientists.



She practically jumped out of the chair when the phone rang.



"Yes," Cherise said, "she's here."



Cherise handed the receiver to Kara, and then she and her mother left the room.



Kara's hand was trembling when she took the phone. "Gail?"



"Kara! Oh, Kara. Are you all right?"



"I'm fine. How are you? How's Nana? Where are you?



"We're fine. Nana's much better. She's worried about you, though. Where've you been?"



"Is Mrs. Zimmermann with you?"



"Yeah. We're staying at her daughter's house. Her name is Nancy Ralston."



"Where does she live?"



"In Darnell."



Darnell? Why did that sound so familiar? "Let me talk to Nana."



Moments later, Lena was on the phone. Kara couldn't contain her tears as she heard her grandmother's voice assuring her that she was well.



"How are you, child?" Nana asked, worry evident in her tone.



"I'm fine, just fine. Nana, where's Darnell?"



"It's east of Moulton Bay, about five miles from Eagle Flats."



During the next half hour, she answered her grandmother's questions, telling her everything except the truth about Alex.



"Stay there, Nana. I should be there late tomorrow."



"All right, Kara. Be careful."



"I will. Tell Gail I'll see her later."



Kara felt much better when she hung up the receiver. Nana and Gail were all right.



"Will you stay for dinner?" Sarah Waite stood in the doorway, a kitchen towel over her shoulder.



Kara shook her head, the thought of food making her feel nauseated. "I don't want to be a bother."



"It's no bother."



"Thank you," she said, "I'd like that."



"You look tired. Would you like to lie down for a while?"



Kara nodded.



"Cherise will show you the spare room. I'll call you for dinner. About seven?"



"Thank you again."



"Is Gail all right?" Cherise asked.



"She's fine. She's on vacation with Nana."



"Here's the guest room," Cherise said, opening a door at the end of a long hall. "I'll come for you when dinner's ready."



"Thanks, Cherise."



Closing the door, Kara stood there for a moment, then sat down on the bed and removed her shoes. Lying back, she stared up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. She was safe. Tomorrow she'd see Gail and Nana. She tried to take comfort in that fact, tried to tell herself that everything would be all right, but all she could think of was Alex, at Barrett's mercy again.



She closed her eyes, and her mind filled with images of Alex surrounded by vampires with Barrett's face_human vampires draining Alex of blood, oflife, selling little vials of Alex's blood, getting rich, while Alex was confined to a cage, his freedom forever lost while he was fed and groomed like a prize bull. She imagined Barrett collecting Alex's sperm, testing it, artificially inseminating some unsuspecting woman . . .



"Oh, Alex, no . . . no." Sitting up, she wiped the tears from her eyes, wondering if Barrett would return to the lab in Silverdale. But surely he wouldn't be that foolish, that arrogant.



And yet, maybe he would. He'd never expect her to walk into the lion's den looking for Alex. Not when she'd been lucky to escape with her life.



She worried her lower lip with her teeth. Maybe Barrett would have someone there, waiting for her, just in case.



I'm afraid you've become a liability, Miss Crawford,he'd said not long ago. But don't worry, I am a doctor, after all. Your passing will be quick and painless . . .



The calmness with which he had spoken those words still had the power to chill the blood in her veins. But she couldn't abandon Alex, couldn't leave him at Barrett's mercy, not when he had sacrificed his freedom for hers. Not when she loved him more than life itself.



Somehow, she would find him again.



He struggled through layers of darkness, groaned low in his throat as he opened his eyes and saw the skylight overhead. He blinked against the glare of the sun. Sometime during the drive back to the lab, Barrett had drugged him. It had left a bad taste in his mouth, made it hard to think coherently. He sat up, realizing, as he did so, that his hands were still shackled. A short chain had been attached to one of the cuffs, tethering him to the iron bed frame.



A noise behind him drew his attention, and he turned around to see Barrett hunched over a tray that contained a dozen glass vials filled with blood.



"How much?" Alex asked, his voice as dry as sandpaper. "How much are you selling my blood for?"



Barrett glanced up and smiled. "It varies," Barrett replied. "The president of a bank paid me thirty thousand dollars to see if I could cure his little girl of leukemia. I received a check from a prominent Hollywood director offering me fifty thousand to treat his wife. One of the country's leading attorneys wrote me a check for a hundred grand. He's suffering from heart trouble. And that was just this morning."



Alex swallowed in an effort to clear the dryness from his throat. "Have you tried it? Does it work?"



Barrett nodded. "I gave the bank president's daughter an injection of your blood this morning. She's already showing signs of improvement. The Hollywood case is being flown in next week. The attorney arrives next Friday."



"What if they couldn't pay?" Alex glanced at the tray again. "Would that little girl still have received my blood?"



"Not at this time," Barrett said. "New vaccines are always expensive. Overhead, tests, new equipment . . ." He waved his hand in the air. "Once we've perfected the vaccine, the price may come down."



"No doubt you'll be a very rich man by then," Alex remarked sarcastically.



"I'm not doing this for the money!" Barrett shouted, his face livid. His gaze slid away from Alex's and he took several deep, calming breaths.



Alex closed his eyes. His blood had saved a child's life. He tried to take satisfaction in the thought, but it was hard to get past the bitterness that threatened to choke him as he imagined spending the rest of his life in a cage while Barrett sold his blood to the highest bidder.



"Well," Barrett said, "I thinkthat's all you can spare for a while. Hamblin will be in with your dinner shortly." Barrett left the room, and Alex stared after him, the thought of food making him sick to his stomach.



A short time later, the door opened again and Mitch Hamblin entered the room. He was a good-looking kid, with slicked-back dark brown hair, and eyes older than his years.



Hamblin placed a covered tray on the bedside table, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. "You gonna keep your word, Claybourne?"



A wry grin tugged at the corner of Alexander's mouth. It was the first time anyone here had called him by name. He was the creature, the alien, the monster. "You got a pen?"



Hamblin tossed a ballpoint pen Onto the tray, then stood watching, eyes wide, as Alex filled out the check and signed it.



Alex picked up the check and waved it slowly back and forth. "How much do you want to let me go?"



The kid's pale green eyes lit up with interest. And greed. "You've got more?"



Alex nodded.



Hamblin rubbed his jaw, his expression thoughtful. "How much are you offerin'?"



"Another hundred thousand."



Mitch whistled under his breath, his gaze fixed on the piece of paper waving before his eyes. Another hundred thousand dollars. He'd be a rich man, able to buy silk suits, go to Vegas, rub elbows with the high rollers . . .



"Hamblin?"



Mitch settled his back against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. "I've been drivin' your Porsche. Nice car."



"It's yours, too. If you'll let me go."



"It's mine now."



"Yeah, I guess it is. How much?" Alex asked, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice. "How much to let me go?"



"I'll think about it," Mitch said. He plucked the check from Alex's hand and slipped it into his pocket. "First I wanna see if this one clears."



"How about bringing me a glass of water?"



"I'll ask the doc."



Alex stared at the door after Hamblin had left the room, sickened by the thought of Barrett getting rich off his blood, and yet he couldn't help feeling a sense of satisfaction that his blood was saving lives. He couldn't help wondering if the same link that existed between himself and Kara now existed between himself and the little girl. It seemed unlikely. He had given Kara a considerable amount of blood, far more than was contained in the vials Barrett was selling.



Rising, he stretched his back and legs, then tugged against the chain. Damn! He had to get out of here. The sun beat down on his head and shoulders, draining him of strength, of energy.



He licked his lips, wishing the kid would bring him something to drink.



With a sigh, he sank down on the cot and closed his eyes.



He woke with a start as the door burst open and Barrett entered the room, his face flushed with anger.



"Damn fools," Barrett muttered.



Alex lifted one brow. "Something wrong, doc?"



"The last batch of blood we took was contaminated. We'll have to draw more."



Alex swore under his breath. "So soon?" he sat up, his back to the wall.



"You know what they say, time is money."



Alex grunted,his stomach clenching as Barrett pulled a handful of vials from his coat pocket and spread them out on the table.



Muttering under his breath, Barrett pulled a tourniquet from his other pocket. "Make a fist."



"No."



"Do as I say, dammit, or I'll strap you to a table again."



Alex glanced past Barrett. A new man, Kent Jarvis, stood in the hallway, idly paring his fingernails with a knife.



Knowing it was useless to resist, Alex watched as Barrett tied the strip of rubber around his arm, then located a vein. He was about to draw blood when Hamblin entered the room.



"They need ya in the lab, Doc. One of the machines is malfunctioning."



Barrett swore under his breath. Turning on his heel, he left the room. Jarvis trailed after him. Hamblin followed. He paused in the doorway, gave Alex an enigmatic look, then closed and locked the door.



Too agitated to sit still, Alex stood up and paced back and forth beside the bed, though the chain prevented him from taking more than a few steps in any direction.



He tugged against the chain that shackled him to the bed; then, taking a deep, calming breath, he sat down and tried to focus his energy on the lock. But the sun was still his enemy, draining his strength, his power to concentrate. Sweat dripped down his back, beaded across his brow, as he tried to focus his thoughts on the lock. Come on,he thought desperately. Come on!



Kara checked the address her grandmother had given her, then pulled up to the curb and turned off the ignition. Stepping from the car, she hurried up the flower-lined path to the front door.



Minutes later, she was being hugged by Nana and Gail while Mrs. Zimmermann and her daughter stood by, smiling. Later, Mrs. Zimmermann introduced Kara to her daughter. Nancy Ralston was an attractive, middle-aged woman with curly brown hair and gray eyes. Kara learned that Nancy was married to an accountant and that she had three children, all of whom were away at summer camp.



Nancy produced a pot of coffee and some donuts, and Kara spent the next half hour answering what questions she could and avoiding the others.



Gail looked at her strangely a few times, and Kara knew that her sister suspected she was hiding more than she was telling.



Late that night, after everyone else had gone to bed, Gail and Kara sat in the kitchen, drinking hot chocolate.



"How long will we have to stay here?" Gail asked.



"I'm not sure." Kara shook her head. Maybe they'd never be able to go home again.



"Where's Alexander Claybourne?"



"I don't know."



"Did you ever find out what was wrong with your blood?"



"Not exactly, but I'm fine now."



"Is Barrett still looking for you?"



"I don't know."



"You don't know much of anything, do you?" Gail remarked candidly.



Kara let out a sigh. "At this point, I'm afraid I don't. Listen, Gail, I'm leaving in the morning."



"I'm going with you."



"No."



"Why not? You're going to look for Mr. Claybourne, aren't you?"



"Yes."



"Maybe I can help."



"It's too dangerous."



"Kara, why won't you tell me what's going on?"



"Because you're better off not knowing."



"It's because he's a vampire, isn't it?"



Kara hesitated. "Don't be silly."



"Am I? There's something different about him. I know there is."



"What do you mean?"



"I don't know how to explain it, I just know. I knew it that first night when I went to his house."



"You never said anything."



"I didn't think you'd believe me. I didn't want you to say I was being silly."



"I never said you were silly."



"Not in words, maybe, but I know you think it's dumb for me to believe in vampires and aliens and stuff like that. And maybe it is. But I believe it anyway."



"Gail, if I tell you something, will you promise never to tell anyone else?"



"I promise."



"You can't tell Cherise or Stephanie. Not even Nana."



"I promise."



"Alex isn't a vampire."



Gail made a face.



"He's an alien."



Gail blinked at Kara several times. "An alien? You mean, like from outer space?"



Kara nodded.



"I was right!" Gail exclaimed. "I knew it!"



"Gail, listen, Alex is in danger, and I've got to find him."



"I'll help you."



"No."



"Please?" Gail leaned across the table, her expression earnest. "If it wasn't for me, you might be dead now. You owe me a favor."



"Blackmail?" Kara exclaimed. "You're trying to blackmail me? Your own sister?"



"Yes. Is it working?"



"Oh, Gail, what am I going to do with you?"



"Take me with you."



"I'll think about it."



"Promise?"



"I promise." Kara picked up the cups, carried them to the sink, and rinsed them out. "It's late. Let's go to bed."



"Okay."



Later, lying in the twin bed next to Gail's, Kara stared into the darkness, wondering where Alex was, if he was well. She closed her eyes, concentrating on Alex, trying to send her thoughts to him, to read his in return, but to no avail. She refused to think of what the silence might mean, telling herself that distance alone accounted for the fact that she couldn't reach him; she refused to consider any other possibility.