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The TV was on, but the sound was turned down. Eliza was just finishing
her previous day's journal when she saw Patrick Jane on the tube. She
grabbed the remote and turned up the volume. The murder had been high
profile. Human trafficking, the hint of torture and illicit sex, always
got the media salivating and panting for more. As the case had unwound,
it had become even more lurid, and now, there was an arrest; and not one, but
two, psychics were involved. What more could the media ask for? Patrick Jane was adamant that he was not a psychic, but Kristina, a thin blond, reasonably attractive lady, while not making any outrageous claims, was leaving the distinct impression that she was in contact with "THE OTHER SIDE." Eliza snorted and grinned. Eliza, every bit as perceptive as Jane, grimaced as she read the body language between the two. "More there than simple professional courtesy," she thought. "Now that could be a threesome I'd like to complete." She watched and listened as they danced around the subject and could clearly interpret the underlying tension, both professional and sexual. "Interesting," she thought. "I wonder how this one will play out." The computer beeped a timeout warning as the interview ended. The security software would timeout and terminate the connection after too many minutes of inactivity. Eliza turned her attention back to the computer, not wanting to have to restart the session, but she just was not focusing. She logged off and looked at the clock on the wall. Midnight. The weather had been unseasonably cold and there had even been some snow flurries. It would be a little over a week before the full moon, so she had no real need to feed, though a light feeding would always improve her mood and suffuse her body and psyche with energy. The bars could not legally serve alcohol past 1 AM, and a bar was usually an easy meal pickup. Eliza quickly changed into her night outfit of dark silk blouse, black leather skirt and almost knee high leather boots. She had a fur lined leather cape that she loved for winter wear, and she chose to use it, tonight. "The Meat Market" was not her usual hang out. The music was out of an old sound system; the selection was not very good and was a little too loud, the crowd a little too predatory, and the prices too high. However, everyone knew why they were here and that would work in her favor. She stepped in, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light level. She flipped the light dusting of snow off of her cape and threw it back over her shoulders. Something that warm was not warranted, here. Within moments, her first selection was delivered. "Hello, there!" He sidled up, and checked her out. The cold weather had its influence on her body. The cape back and the sheer silk blouse made that influence rather obvious, an effect Eliza was totally aware of. He continued, "We have at least a half hour of decent drinking and dancing time to get to know one another before we're forced to adjourn. Tell we what your pleasure is and we can get started." Eliza shook her head, inwardly groaning. Yes, it was a meat market, but her intended buyer had no clue of what he was getting. She looked him up and down, her inspection even more obvious than his. She pursed her lips and nodded. He'd do. He appeared reasonably healthy and moderately fit. She was just out for a snack, so he wouldn't even notice the loss. "Get me some good dark rum and meet me over there," she said, indicating one of the few open booths. "We'll check each other out and go from there." Her grin was wicked! "Oh, I like! A lady who knows what she wants." He wheeled and quickly got the attention of the bar tender. oOo
Back at her digs, she frowned. She'd gotten a little blood on her
blouse. She gave it the cold water treatment, hung it up to dry, and
hoped for the best. She wore purple on a hunt for good reasons.
Josh, as his name turned out to be, had not been all that bad. He was at
The Meat Market for one reason, but who was she to judge? She was there
for a similar reason. It was a minor thing, this brief encounter, but
they'd feel better in the morning for it. He'd have memories, some of
the real, but mostly fantasy induced. She'd had a pleasant interlude and
a tasty snack. She smiled. Not bad return for drinking some free
rum.She wondered how normal people did it. As a vampire, she had few real concerns, except for encountering hunters or "puppies" as she called werewolves. If she’d been totally mortal, she’d probably be pregnant, infected with an STD or been raped and murdered several times over. The fact was that she’d been raped several times, and only her constitution allowed her to survive. Life was really tough, even for a vampire, and it was good to be at the top of the food chain. Good, but occasionally painful. Lower was often fatal. She was out of the funk that she'd been in earlier, but was still unsatisfied. The interaction with Jane and been fun. Like Duk, he was nice to be around, but he was a totally different person than Duk. Things had actually gotten boring since CBI had been in the state. The Deacon had been very low key since then. The confrontation with CBI and the biker gang had really opened his eyes. Influence could not stop a bullet. Duk had been taking care of his business interests, and she'd been working long hours at the library. "All work and no play makes Eliza a dull bat," she muttered. "I'm going to California, damn it! But first," she settled down in front of her computer. "I'm going to learn about this Kristina Frye!" oOo The CBI office was
cool and quiet. Lisbon, as usual, was working late, while Jane Jane-
napped on the couch. His eyes were open and Elvis was providing no real
inspiration. Kristina, pulling the death of the false Carmen out of thin
air was rather puzzling. Of all her stunts, that was the only one he
could not figure. There was no way he was going to admit to her that he
really didn’t know how she did it. "What I need is some research
time," he mused. "She did say call." He glanced at Lisbon and felt a twinge of guilt. "Don’t be silly," he told himself. "You’ve not even had a date!" He smiled thinking of Kristina. He carefully avoided thinking, "And you’re not married anymore." As he lay, contemplating Elvis, Eliza’s image formed in his mind. "Ah," he thought, "now her I did date." He grinned. "If that’s what you call it." He groaned and sat up. "That woman is going to drive me to a cold shower, if I can’t get her out of my mind. I have to say that she’s one of a kind. I wonder what she’s doing now." oOo Eliza had her back back in hand, and
was looking for her ride. The temperature at Sacramento International
Airport was just above 40 degrees, and after Maine, that seemed almost warm.
She smiled at the sound of two chopped hogs approaching the pickup
area. "Some things in life you can count on," she thought. "One of
those is the hospitality of your neighborhood psycho biker gang." She
shifted her grip on her back pack. "Come to think of it, that might be
the only one!" The driver of the lead bike instantly recognized Eliza. He popped a small wheelie, just to show he could, and came to a screeching halt next to her. Eliza waved and smiled. "Always arrive in style, don’t you Monk?" He smiled back. "I do try, Ma’am. I do try." The second bike pulled to the curb in a more sedate manner and the rider flipped down the kick stand and got off. "Your ride, Miss Eliza," said the hulking Brute. "Why, thank you, Brute," Eliza replied, standing on tip toe to kiss his cheek. "You do know how to treat a lady." "Ah, Brute, I think she likes you," Monk snickered. "Now, you be careful messin’ round with Duk’s lady." "Now, you hold on, Big Fellow. It’s is a fact that I’m a lady, but I am no man&# 8217;s lady. When I pick a man, I do the picking and he knows he’s lucky, but no one puts a brand on me." Eliza grinned to take the sting out of her words, but while it was all in fun, both knew she was telling the truth. "Oh, my!" Monk said, waving his fingers as if he was cooling them off from having touched something too hot. "I do be put into my place. No offense meant." Eliza smiled and gave him a kiss. "None taken. Just a good excuse to do a little public display with two handsome men." They both laughed and Brute took the passenger seat, behind Monk. "You need a place to crash or are you all fixed up," Monk asked. "I’m good," Eliza replied, mounting the second idling hog. Monk waved and gunned his big bike, peeling rubber and making the front wheel skip in little wheelies as he tore off. Eliza dropped her bike into gear and left at a far more sedate pace. This was not her turf and she really didn’t need any unwelcome legal attention. oOo Patrick stepped
out of the shower. He shivered as he toweled his body dry. The
cold shower really hadn’t helped that much. "Damn you, Eliza," the
muttered. He froze, realizing, somehow, that he was not alone in the
apartment. Unknown to any of the CBI agents, he had obtained a gun, but
that gun was in the bed stand in the bed room, not in the bathroom with him.
Visions of Red Jane flashed through his mind as he reached into the
medicine cabinet and removed a straightedge razor that he used for trimming
his side burns and the nape of his neck. Forgetting the towel, he
positioned himself at a favorable angle to the bathroom door. Whoever
walked through was in for a rather messy trim!"If you haven’t done your back yet, I could do that for you," a soft feminine voice said. Patrick froze. "Eliza! How did she get in here?" He ripped open the door, razor still in hand, and it was, in fact, Eliza. He stared, dumbfounded. "How the hell....." Eliza looked him up and down. "Now this is what I call special delivery," she said. "Very special." Patrick hesitated, then looked down, realizing that he was totally nude. He flushed, took one step back and slammed the door. He closed the razor and put it back on the shelf and wrapped the towel around his waist. Before he could think of anything to say, he heard, "Now, is that any way to treat a lady? I come all this way to tell you how sexy you looked on TV and you slam the door in my face." Patrick realized that he had no idea what he should do or say next. "You can’t stay in there all night, you know," Eliza said. Patrick sheepishly opened the door, realizing the was just making himself seem foolish. "Hi, handsome," Eliza said, looking him up and down. He uncomfortably realized that a previous condition and reasserted itself. It was obvious that Eliza realized it too. "Well, Sir, I&# 8217;d say you need a girl friend. Do you see any around here?" oOo Side by side, they
lay one his double bed, their breathing slowing to a normal rhythm.
Eliza sighed and propped herself up on one elbow and trailed a finger down his
chest. "You really did look good on that TV interview." Eliza
smiled. "But I sense something going on there."Patrick put his hand on hers but did not stop it’s movement downward. "Yes, I can’t figure out how she called one of the deaths, so I guess that’s going on, but I’m sure that’s not why you&# 8217;re here." "No, that’s not why I’m here. Would you buy that I was just in town and stopped in for a visit?" "I’d buy that as quick as I’d buy Kristina talking to the dead." "Hmm," Eliza said. "I thought you might say something like that." "So, give," Patrick insisted. "Ok, I realize that you and she have something going and I just wanted to make sure that she’s not going to hurt my favorite psychic. Every now and then I need him." Patrick sat up and stared at her. "You’re telling the truth, aren’t you? He felt a strange mixture of emotions. He really couldn’t remember the last time anyone had seemed to so unselfishly care him or for his welfare. He was in bed with a beautiful woman and they were discussing his possible relation with another woman. "What have I gotten myself into," he wondered. Eliza smiled a rather tentative smile. "I hope you don’t mind. I am sort of fond of you." oOo Lisbon came out of her office. "Listen up,
team. I’ve just had two phone calls that we need to pay attention
to. One was from the FBI with a heads up call on a possible hit.
The second was a call from Kristina Frye saying that someone was trying to
kill her. The FBI warning was relating to The World Anti-Trafficking
Coalition and Miss Frye. I don’t believe in psychic powers, as you
all know, but we’re two for two, here, so we’d better watch it.
"Just because she plays the psychic game, and she may even believe it," Jane said, "does not mean that she isn’t noticing things that are very real, but subliminal. All of us do it. We call it intuition, luck or whatever, but a lot of time, when you get one of those feelings, it may be a good idea to go with it." "As long as we can keep her safe, I don’t care where the information comes from. Our job, as of now, is to keep her alive and to investigate the origin of the threats the FBI is passing on to us and that she is &# 8216;feeling’," Lisbon said. "Jane, call her and have lunch or something. Find out what’s going on in her little psychic head. Where are her disturbing premonitions coming from and I’m not going to buy from the phone booth on the corner of Great and Beyond." "I hear you, Boss. The great beyond will not cut it!" Jane laughed as he dialed her number to make an almost official dinner date. oOo
The sidewalk cafe, while being in the open, is a reasonably private
place to have a conversation. The dishes, pushed to one side, showed
evidence of shrimp tails, and the sweating glasses of Chablis were a pleasant
end to the meal. "I'm really not here to argue you psychic abilities,
Kristina. I'm willing to accept, for the moment, that you believe.
Personally, I'll admit that you are very perceptive, have great intuition, to
a degree that many would consider psychic. ""Patrick, I'm flattered. I truly am! I'm also going to guess that is about as far as you're willing to compromise. If I tell you that Hector Brave, on the other side, has warned me of danger, realize that is how it seems to me and a simple way for me to communicate with you what I'm feeling." Kristina leaned back and took a sip of the chilled wine. "I really don't want to join the other side," she said, concern evident in her voice and on her face. Patrick leaned forward and put his hand over Kristina's. "My job, our job, actually," he said, "is to make sure that doesn't happen. Their eyes met and neither the widening of her pupils, nor its significance, escaped notice. "I wonder if she's reading me as easily as I'm reading her." She smiled and nodded. "Oh, my....." he thought. "I'm all for you succeeding in your task," she said. "It's one close to my heart." Patrick briefly struggled with the apparent answer to his unspoken question, followed by her perfectly rational rejoinder. He started to speak when he heard: "Patrick? Patrick Jane, is that you?" He turned, and not as surprised as he might have been, saw Eliza standing behind him. He looked at the neatly dressed librarian, and marveled that she could accomplish such a transformation. He stood. "Miss Radu," he said, "how pleasant to meet you, again." "I see you two know each other," Kristina said. "Why don't you join us, Miss Radu. I'm always willing to meet Patrick's friends." "Please, call me Eliza. Miss Radu is far to formal. That's what the kids at the library call me, not my friends." "And Eliza, my friends call me Kristina," Kristina replied smiling. "Do you enjoy Chablis? There's still plenty left." "Yes, Kristina," Eliza said sitting. "I do enjoy Chablis." Kristina indicated to the waiter that they wanted another glass. So far, Patrick had been following one, then the other with his eyes, with a sightly glazed expression on his face. Somehow, the situation had slipped from his control and he felt like he was on a run away train. "So, Patrick, how did you and Eliza meet? Was she a client?" Patrick smiled, ignoring the implied barb. "We collaborated on a case. Miss Radu..." "Eliza!" Eliza interrupted. "I told you then, and I'm telling you now, Eliza!" "Sorry," Jane mumbled. "Eliza really was a valuable asset," He continued as if he'd not been interrupted. "Oh," Kristina said. "I thought you said you are a librarian. How can a librarian help the police. How interesting. Patrick does know the most fascinating people." Eliza smiled. "I don't think I can discuss details of that case. Parts of it are still in litigation. When it's all over, get Patrick to tell you about it. It is a good story." They chatted for some time, but as the wine in the bottle reached the bottom of the bottle, Eliza made it known that she had to be moving on. "Things to do, places to go, you know," she quipped. Jane took an almost obvious sigh of relief and said, "It was nice seeing you again, Eliza." As Eliza stood, Kristina stood and held out her hand to shake. "Yes it was pleasant to talk to you. You make the library sound like a fascinating place." "It is a fascinating place to me." Eliza returned her smile and grasped her hand. As their hands met, Kristina's face froze and Eliza could see some undefinable emotion reflected in her eyes. For a brief uncontrolled moment, Eliza felt her fangs start to display and knew her eyes had shifted color. She instantly controlled the fangs and slightly closed her eyelids to mask the change. They seemed to be suspended in a timeless moment, then, with an accelerating rush, the sounds of the street returned to normal and Kristina smiled at Eliza's statement. "It's been a pleasure meeting you. I hope we can meet again." Kristina said, her voice slightly strained. oOo
Patrick stared at his cards and carefully avoided any expression.
Kristina's countenance was as void of emotion as his. "She's
good," he thought but then noticed a tic at the corner of her right eye.
"But not that good!" Out loud he said, "See you and raise you 50."
He put in his chips and smiled a wise smile.Kristina looked at him and shook her head. "I can't believe you fell for that!" She pushed in her chips. "See you and beat you!" She smiled and turned over a full house. Patrick, uncharacteristically, lifted both eyebrows at the same time and gave a low whistle. He shook his head smiled. "I give up he said. I hate to admit it, but you have won all of my money. That was my last fifty cents." "Aw, Patrick, I'd offer you a loan, but I'm not sure you could afford the interest." The look she gave him made him wonder exactly what she meant. She lowered her head and looked up at him, giving her lips a brief flick of the tongue, making them glisten. He could have sworn that her smile was almost feral. He coughed and stood up. All in all, she was an attractive package: intelligent, witty, sex, and seeming move available as each moment passed. "I do have to be going. If you are in any immediate danger, me leaving will make you look vulnerable. Cho is on guard, outside, and you couldn't ask for a more efficient body guard." Her smile was a little shaky, but she nodded. "I understand" She stood and they were only inches apart. He took her hands in his. "You take care, now." Her leaned forward to give her a peck on the cheek, but she shifted and their lips met. After the shock of first contact, Patrick had reason to wonder who was kissing who, but then it no longer seemed to matter. Eliza had spotted Cho in the first few seconds she'd arrived at Kristina's apartment. She positioned herself on the opposite side of Kristina's apartment from Cho, so she could move with relative freedom. Opening a third floor window, she slipped into the hallway of the building and stopped to listen. With her sensitive hearing, she could make out what Patrick and Kristina were saying from behind the closed door of her apartment. She nodded in satisfaction. It sounded like Kristina was more than holding her own in a game of five card draw. She had some time to plan. That could go on for a long time. Walking the length of the hallway revealed a janitor's closet, and with little effort, she could conceal herself in there. Once Patrick left, she was planning on entering Kristina's apartment and keeping watch from inside. Cho may be good, but she was totally unaccounted for, and if anyone got by Cho, they'd have her to contend with. Slipping into the closet, she could tell, from the conversation, that Patrick was getting ready to leave. She grinned when the sudden silence ensued. "I bet I know what they are doing," she thought, smiling. As Patrick left Kristina's apartment, Eliza closed the door to her hiding place and suppressed the urge to giggle as Jane walked by, oblivious to her presence. A few minutes later, she slipped out of the mildly unpleasant closet and went to Kristina's door. She could hear movement, then silence, followed by running water. When she heard the bathroom door close, she easily picked the lock and entered the apartment. She scanned the area for a hiding place. The apartment was not large, a surprise to Eliza considering what she thought Kristina's income would be. A small apartment offered little opportunity for concealment. There was a book case, and there was a space next to it, alongside of the wall. She could fit her body in there. Using her ability to influence the minds of others, she could probably pass unnoticed. The sounds of Kristina finishing her shower were evident and Eliza was out of time. She squeezed between the bookcase and the wall, and focused on being unseen. "Well," Kristina said. "That was certainly interesting." Eliza froze, wondering how to handle this. "It seems that Patrick isn't as good a reading people and he thinks." Eliza realized that Kristina was the type of person that talked to themselves when alone. Eliza had caught herself doing that, so she wasn't all that surprised. Not surprised, but definitely relieved. Kristina went into the small kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. A Chablis, Eliza realized, as the bouquet reached her sensitive nostrils. "Ah, that's nice," Kristina said, sniffing the aroma. She walked back into the living area and stopped, frowning. "Something's not right" she whispered, fear evident in her voice. Eliza agreed. Something was not right. She could hear a scratching at the door, as if someone was trying to silently pick the lock. From Eliza's viewpoint, she could see the door as it opened. It was a single man that was armed with a handgun. He stepped in and aimed at Kristina, who realized her peril instantly and dropped. Eliza rushed towards the assailant, and was unable to stop the shot he aimed in her direction. The bullet struck her in the ribs, slightly deflecting her course, but not preventing her from grabbing the gun and tearing it from his grasp. She's be shot so many times that is almost less than an inconvenience. It hurt like hell, but she knew she'd heal, and this minor would would not impair her movement or cause her to lose consciousness. Kristina managed to stand and ran towards the kitchen, where Eliza lost sight of her. The man had stepped back and drawn a rather long knife and had assumed a knife fighters stance. Eliza reversed her grip on the gun she'd take from him, aimed and fired. Other than a loud click, nothing had happened. The gun had misfired. With luck, it may only take a couple of seconds to clear a misfire. The man knew this and instantly stepped in and slashed at Eliza with the knife. Cat (or maybe bat) quick, she stepped back, causing him to miss by millimeters, and flipped her cape over his head. His condition of momentary blindness gave her sufficient time to slam the handgun into the side of his head with enough force to fracture his skull and drop him like a sack of dead meat. She turned to look for Kristina and discovered that she was standing next to her with a butcher knife raised, ready to strike. Eliza dropped, rolled and stood, holding up her hands. "Kristina, I'm not a threat to you. I just helped you." Kristina instantly recognized Eliza and lowered the knife, finally dropping it. She stared at Eliza, stepped forward and grasped her hands. She intently stared into her eyes. "You," she said, "You are in both worlds. You are dark, but you are not the darkness." She trembled and slumped to her knees. Eliza easily picked her up and carried the limp body to the bed room, where she carefully lowered her to the bed. She picked up the beside phone and dialed Jane. When he answered, she whispered in a husky voice, "Come quick, I need you." She hung up before he could respond. "I hope he has caller ID and that this number is not blocked," she thought. A few moments passed and then the sound of approaching sirens gave her some assurance that help was on the way. She was moving very quickly by the end of the hallway and went out of the third floor window at almost full speed. She hit the street on her feet and vanished into the night. oOo
Everyone who knows Patrick Jane knows that he enjoys driving his car as fast
as conditions permit. After the phone call, he did have caller ID and
the phone was not blocked, he set a new speed record for Sacramento, but it
still takes time. A mile is still a mile! When he arrived at her apartment, he used his CBI ID to get to the scene. The covered body, at the scene, caused him to almost panic until he saw Kristina sitting on her couch, sipping tea. He looked around the room and realized that Cho, or any other CBI agent was on site. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her. "I'm glad you're OK. Can you tell me about it?" Kristina stared at him, eyes wide, a hint of shock showing. In a low voice, she responded, "When we're alone. No right now." "Miss Frye, I think we're done here. You'll need to come to the station, tomorrow and finish your statement, but there's nothing more need from you, at the moment." The police detective turned to Patrick. "Nice to have met you, Mr. Jane. I sure thought CBI would be all over this one, but your team is conspicuously absent." Jane grunted and nodded. "I'm as surprised as you are, Detective. Thank you for being so considerate to Miss Frye. The door closed as the last officer left and they were alone. Kristina stared a Patrick and grabbed him and started seriously crying. Not knowing what to do other than hold her, that's what he did. She quickly recovered, wiped her eyes and blew her nose and smiled. "I didn't see any of it coming, tonight, Patrick. I just didn't see it." Patrick smiled at her. "Just take it one bit at a time. Now what happened?" She sniffed. "When you left, I went to take a shower. I like nice long, hot showers, so I took some time. I came out of the shower and poured a glass of wine and that's when I realized that something was wrong. I think it was some sort of scratching at the door." Patrick nodded. "Probably someone picking your lock," he observed. "The door flew open and some man pointed a gun at me." Kristina paused. "This is where it gets weird," she smiled, "even for me, so please just bear with me." Patrick smiled and nodded. "The man pointed a gun at me and Eliza seemed to come from nowhere and he shot her." Patrick frowned and pointed at a spot of blood, slightly removed from where the body had been lying. "Is that her blood?" Kristina looked in the direction that he was pointing. "It could be. I'm not sure, but when he shot her, she just didn't stop. She grabbed the gun from him and tried to shoot him, but the gun didn't fire. The man tried to stab her with a knife but she stepped back in time. She flipped her cape over his head and hit him with the gun." She sighed. "As we know, now, killing him." Patrick remembered some of the things he'd see Eliza do. Kristina's story may sound crazy, but he knew that it was something that Eliza may be able to do. "I'd grabbed a knife from the kitchen and was ready do defend myself when she faced me and told me she was no threat to me. That's really the last thing I remember until the police showed up." Kristina paused. "Patrick..." "Yes?" "What is Eliza? No human could do what she did. And Patrick, I seemed to sense a darkness about her that I've never encountered before." Patrick shook his head. "Honestly, Kristina, I have no idea. I have realized that she is," he hesitated, "special and different, but how, I simply can't say." oOo
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