53: A Stroke of Luck – Pt. 1

“You’re late,” Victoria scolded Mike as he wheeled himself into the front door of the Moonlight Detective Agency.

“With good reason!” Derrick walked in a few feet behind him and stood beside the door as Mike rolled to his desk. “I found a stray.”

“What did I tell you about that, Mikey? We’re not zoned for dogs.”

“Ouch. You know, a guy with an ego as big as mine is bound to take that kind of thing to heart, Victoria. And to think I even stopped by a florist to grab these,” Derrick frowned as he brandished a bountiful bouquet of red roses. “I guess I’ll just have to find some other woman worthy of my shower of affection!” He turned for the door and stopped with a smirk as Victoria’s voice sounded off behind him.

“Wait, I didn’t know you came bearing gifts,” she grinned approaching him and snatched the flowers from his hand, giving them a deep inhale. “Thank you, they’re beautiful.”

“Just like you.” Victoria stood on her tiptoes and locked her arms around Derrick’s neck before placing a sweet, gentle kiss on his lips. Instantly he twisted his hand in her hair and tugged her head back, his eyes full of lust and wanting and a wicked smile grew on his lips. Derrick covered Victoria’s lips, his tongue moving against hers and she moaned at the invasion. Her mouth was warm and inviting causing him to deepen the kiss while his hands slid down her back cupping her well-rounded ass and yanking her body firmly against his.

“Um…are you two planning on standing there making out all day or is there some form of actual work that will take place here?” Mike asked, clearing his throat to gain their attention.

They separated and Victoria walked her flowers back towards the desk while Derrick continued holding up the wall. “So I guess instead, you’re just gonna stare at her ass.” Mike grinned as he finished reorganizing his desk.  

“I wasn’t staring I was examining the intricate detail on her slacks. That’s really great stitch work; nicely curved uh…threading.”

“Right.”

“So when are you two open for business?” Derrick asked, changing the subject as Victoria turned to him with a smile.

“As of five minutes ago,” she replied, dropping behind her desk.

“Hopefully the phones will start ringing soon!” And just as he’d completed his sentence, Mike’s phone sprang to life. Eagerly, he snatched it from its base and greeted the voice on the other end.

“This place looks great, Victoria, you two really did a nice job.”

“Well it wasn’t bad to begin with. And, thanks to our very generous benefactor, we were able to find a fabulous interior designer and turned this place into ‘home’. Mike wanted to go with a film noir 1940s look, hence the Bogart-esque décor behind him. Me, I’m more modern artsy.”

“I know. I’ve seen your place.”

“Anyway,” Victoria frowned, choosing to ignore Derrick’s comment, “We had to find some middle ground. Would you like the tour?”

“I don’t know…what’s in it for me?” he asked, pulling her tightly against him as she moved from around her desk.

“Well, we kept one of the bedrooms partially intact. I figured it would be smart to have a small sleeping area in the back for those long hours I’m hoping for. I’m sure it needs to be broken in.”

“Well, when you put it like that, I’d…”

“I think we just got our first case!” Mike announced excitedly, hanging up the phone. “Either that or some crackpot is taking a shot at us.”

“Why? What’s the case?”

“A man named Aidan Byrne claims he was robbed. Someone attacked him in the park during yesterday’s rainstorm and stole a key off of him. He says the key opened up a storage unit where his family’s valuables were stored. After giving his statement to the police, he went to check up on the locker. But when he opened it up, the entire place had been cleaned out.”

“And what are the police doing about it?”

“They fingerprinted the lock found in the trash beside the place, nothing’s turned up. And I’m checking now, seems they’ve requisitioned the video feeds from the cameras at the facility. Mr. Byrne says they are dragging their feet. He needs to have his property returned before Friday or else, and get this, he can’t return to ‘The Isle of Enchantment’.” Mike lightly chuckled. “I asked him to come in. If he’s going to sell me a story, I’d rather he try it in person.”

“Alright. And in the meantime, I’ll see about getting a copy of the video from the storage unit. What’s the name of the place?”

“The Cube, it’s on 5^th and Stein.”

“Uh, Victoria,” Derrick tugged her by the arm as she started for the door and pulled her off to the side. “Do you think it’s a good idea to leave Mike here alone to meet this guy?”

“I don’t see why not. Mike was law enforcement for 12 years. He can handle himself,” she replied and again started moving.

“Yeah, that’s not what I meant,” he whispered, noticing Mike staring in their direction. “This is one of those things that um…it’s not exactly something Mike should handle by himself.”

“Derrick, do you know what we’re dealing with?”

“I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you.”

“Come on. Wolves, witches, vampires, trickster demons and dragons, I think my mind is pretty open! Try me!”

“Leprechauns,” Derrick blurted. Victoria’s straight face broke into laughter and she fell against the wall.

But, noticing Derrick’s expression remain unchanged, she choked back her amusement and leaned into him. “Wait, you’re serious?”

“Told ya you wouldn’t believe me.”

“Well yeah but, Derrick, I mean, leprechauns? What makes you think that’s what we’re dealing with?”

“Because, well…”

“Oh my god! You know him! This Byrne guy.”

“Yeah.”

“And he’s really a leprechaun?” Derrick nodded and Victoria patted his chest and smiled in her partner’s direction. “Mikey, Derrick’s gonna stick around and do the meet and greet with you.”

“Vic…”

“What? It should be fun!” she winked, interrupting Derrick before he could protest and rushed out the door.

“Cole Downing, please,” Victoria directed to the receptionist behind the desk. She’d made a stop at the storage facility before heading over to the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis office in Avondale. The place appeared busy as several men and women dressed in black suits or shirts that labeled them as feds hurried about. Papers shuffled loudly in every small cubicle, the ringing of phones seemed almost incessant, and the sound of multiple conversations at once droned on in her ears.

“One moment.” The woman picked up her phone and informed Cole he had a visitor. And about a minute later, he came around the corner, smiling as he saw her standing in the lobby.

“Vik!”

“Hey!” They hugged and he backed away quickly to look at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“What? Nothing. Why would you automatically assume something is wrong?”

“Because as long as I’ve been working here, you’ve only come to see me three times. And every time, something was wrong.”

“I just never wanted to bother you at work that’s all,” Victoria sighed and tried to force a smile as the federal agent stood with his arms crossed and a serious look on his face in front of her. “Alright, you got me. I need your help tracking down some information.”

“On?”

“A possible serial killer who goes by the name ‘Monster of Manchester’.”

“Manchester? Is this an international thing? Because the FBI has no jurisdiction. No, wait, ohh…” Cole nodded as if coming to some conclusion. “This is about the new boyfriend isn’t it?”

“Cole…”

“No, I get it. When you first told me about him helping you on a case, I did a little background check of my own.” Victoria’s gaze narrowed at Cole and he shrugged it off, dropping his arms to his side. “What? Some dubious character walks in off the street offering to help with a cold case; a murder of all things? You’re damn right I checked into him.”

“And what did you find?” Cole walked Victoria towards his office, shutting the door behind her. Bending over towards his desk, he retrieved a file from the bottom drawer and sat it in front of her as she took a seat.

“There wasn’t much. I now assume because of his long history a lot of it was lost over the centuries.” He paused and Victoria looked up at him.

“He’ll be 418 in April,” she answered, understanding where Cole was going.

“Damn,” he whistled before returning to the file. “The only things I could find was the mention of some boat crash in 1822 and an old photograph of him at the 1878 World’s Fair in Paris. He took a picture in front of the Statue of Liberty…but it’s pretty blurry.”

“That’s because vampires can’t take pictures.”

“Really?”

“Yeah it’s something to do with reflections or something. The camera distorts their faces.”

“So that whole myth is true? Derrick can’t see himself in a mirror?”

“Nope!” she replied, emphasizing the ‘p’.

“So how does he comb his hair?”

“That’s…actually a great question. I don’t know, I’ve never asked. Wait a second, if the image is blurred, then how do you know it was Derrick?” Cole eyed Victoria before flipping to the next page and showing her the image. “Oh.” Underneath, it read ‘Johan Christensen, Derrick Constantine, & Victor Hugo circa May 1878’. “Wow. Derrick knew Victor Hugo.”

“Who’s Victor Hugo?”

“Really?” she asked gazing at him again. “Les Misérables, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame?” Cole shrugged and Victoria moved on. “Well anyway, I see why your search didn’t find much. You were looking for Derrick Constantine; that was the mistake. Derrick didn’t exist back then. The time I’m curious about, he was known as Edmund Preston Constantine.”

“He changed his name?”

“Yeah.”

“You know people tend to do that for one of two reasons; either they’re hiding from someone or they’re some eccentric celebrity.”

“Either way, do you think you can expand your search to England and beyond? I’d really appreciate it.”

“Sure.” Victoria stood and Cole stopped her before she opened the door. “Vik, if you really think you may be dating a serial killer, don’t you think it would be wise to get a little distance from him?”

“No. I don’t want him to suspect I’m looking into him or that I’m even suspicious at all; that’s why I came to you.”

“And I guess I don’t have to tell you how worried I am?”

“I know, Cole. I’ll be careful.” She thanked him again and exited the building. She felt buzzing in her pocket and quickly reached for her cell phone. “Hello?”

“Vik?”

“Yeah?”

“So your beau has graciously offered to take us to dinner to celebrate our opening. Meet us at the Sabre Sushi.”

“Sushi?”

“Yeah. You weren’t here so I chose. Also, I met with our first client and you’re not gonna believe what I have to tell you. See ya soon.”

“Vik!” Mike waved as she entered the restaurant. Pointing towards the table, she bypassed the hostess and joined Derrick and Mike at the table in the back.

“Sushi?” she again asked, taking a seat across from Derrick. “Is there really no better choice for a celebratory dinner? What about a nice, juicy steak? It’s bad enough this place is right next door. I’ll be smelling it every day thanks to my partner.”

“Mike said he tried getting a hold of you but your phone kept going to voicemail so he decided on something he enjoyed. Where were you?” Derrick asked, his brow raising ever so slightly. It was like he knew and the connotation made her shift in her seat but she did her best to maintain a poker face.

“Uh…the storage place. I figured it would be a quick stop to ask the manager if he had a copy of the surveillance footage so I left my cell in the car. But had I known this would be the restaurant of choice, I’d have kept it on me.”

“Don’t worry about it, Vik, it’s not so bad. Besides, you can always order something not on the menu. I’m sure they’d be more than willing to oblige.”

“Right, something that’ll be cooked in the same grease, no thank you.”

“Sushi, my dear Victoria, is served raw,” Mike grinned and placed his menu on the table.

“Hello and welcome to Sabre Sushi. My name is Calvin and I’ll be your chef tonight. Can I start you off with drinks?”

“Lemonade please.”

“Lemonade?” Mike asked stealing a quick glance at his partner. “Ok. I’ll have a Guinness, black lager.”

“I’ll have the same,” Derrick added.  

“And do you know what you want or do you need more time with the menu?”

“I’ll have the Makizushi,” Mike replied, smiling at Victoria. “Also could you bring some California rolls and Sashimi for the table?”

“Absolutely. And for you, Ma’am?”

“What would you suggest for a beginner?” she asked, still staring at the names, most of which were hard to pronounce, on the menu.

“She’ll have the Salmon rolls,” Mike ordered for her.

“Do I want that?” she asked, frowning at him.

“Yes, you do.”

“What’s in it?”

“Salmon, salmon roe, avocado, nori and bean sprouts topped with a pat of mascarpone,” Calvin answered, his pen hovering over the pad in his hand. “Is that alright?”

“I don’t know, what’s nori?”

“Seaweed.”

“And you said salmon roe as in fish eggs?” Calvin nodded as Victoria again frowned and Mike hid a smile behind his hand. “That’ll be ok, I guess.”

“And for you, Sir?” Calvin turned to Derrick.

“I’ll have the Uramaki, please.”

“Excellent choice. Your server, Danny, will be out shortly with your drinks.” Calvin closed up his pen pad and disappeared behind a partition.

“What’s Uramaki?” Victoria asked, placing her menu to the table.

“It’s salmon like what you have. They use Nova Lox and shrimp. It’s rolled inside out with the sushi rice and topped with sesame seeds but has avocado and nori as well.”

“And Makisushi?”

“Makizushi,” Mike corrected. “Salmon, rice, avocado, nori, tobiko and pickled ginger.”

“Tobiko?”

“Flying Fish roe.”

“And you like this why?”

“Because it’s delicious?”

“Ok. Well if nothing else, the restaurant looks nice. I am wondering how fresh the fish is though,” she grinned, motioning towards the Koi pond outside the door beside her. “So tell me about our first client.”

“Aidan Byrne stands three feet tall, wears a green top hat with a buckle and smokes a meerschaum pipe.”

“Really?”

“No, not really…well he really is three feet tall but…um, is he really a leprechaun?” Mike asked, leaning over to whisper.

“I don’t know, Mike, I never met the man.” Mike glanced over to Derrick who nodded in affirmation. “What did you get out of him about the missing items?”

“He gave me a list of the stuff he said was taken, among them, a chest of gold coins. One of which he has offered to give us for our help in recovering the stolen loot.”

“Only one?” she asked, just as Danny came around with their meals.

“One is all you’ll need,” Derrick replied. “One coin is said to hold enough power of the Éire to last the average human his or her entire life; good luck, great fortune and health. Leprechauns are said to be mischievous little scamps who enjoy making shoes but they are neither good nor evil.”

“Great, just what we needed. Another trickster.”

“Another?”

“Right,” Victoria nodded, picking up a slice of something from the plate in front of her. “You don’t know. Um, remember Brad Devereux?”

“The asshole we questioned about the museum theft? The jerk who hid behind his fancy lawyer.”

“Yes, him. He’s a trickster demon, too.”

“Of course he is. I can imagine there were a lot of weirdo creatures working in the department too. I just got that feeling from some of them.”

Victoria cleared her throat but ignored Mike’s assertion. “Um, what is this?”

“Sashimi, thinly sliced tuna.” Mike replied, dipping a piece into his soy sauce before slipping it into his mouth. “Try it, you might like it.”

Mimicking Mike, she placed the raw fish into the sauce before slowly bringing it to her lips. Her face puckered as the meat melted on her tongue and her expression dissolved into a smile. “Wow! That’s not so bad. Usually I like my tuna from a can.”

“Well hopefully you’ll start to appreciate the finer qualities of good sushi. Anyway, this Byrne guy is anxious to have his stuff returned by Friday.”

“Any leads on the suspect?”

“Ha! If you can call it that,” Mike laughed, and swallowed a mouthful of his beer. “He’s tall and furry.”

“Furry?”

“Furry. And that was the only description I got. Although, it sorta felt like he wasn’t saying something. I don’t know if he just knew I was looking at this entire thing skeptically or not but, he wasn’t fully cooperating.”

“Is there anything else we need to know about their kind, Derrick?” Victoria asked, trying one of the salmon rolls on her plate.

“The only other thing I really know is that they live on an island that is off limits to most people who are not empathetic to their kind.”

“Yeah, that’s what the guy said,” Mike added, chomping down on another of his rolls. “He called it the Isle of Enchantment. He said that one of the items on the list is keeping him from returning home.”

“Which one?”

“Didn’t say. My guess is this thing is either very valuable and he is trying to keep it as hushed as possible or it’s extremely illegal.” He sighed and scratched his chin. “By the way, how do you suppose a guy like that found his way to us in the first place? I mean, we just opened and there are several other private detectives in the city.”

“I don’t know. Maybe it was luck,” Victoria giggled and shrugged.

“It just seems like coincidence. You know something about this…other world and now our first client is um…a creature from a children’s book.” Victoria thought a moment and looked over at Derrick who seemed content with avoiding her gaze.

“You’ve raised an interesting point, Mikey,” she responded, keeping her eyes on Derrick.

“Maybe Aidan tried the other agencies and they all turned him away. Maybe he called around and someone, a completely neutral someone, told him about this new place and he decided to try his luck,” Derrick defended himself.

“Maybe,” Victoria repeated and teased a serving of some unknown substance on the middle tray with her chopstick. “What’s this pink stuff?”

“Pickled ginger.”

“And this green stuff?”

“Wasabi.”

“Are they edible or just garnish?”

“Edible,” Mike grinned, doing his best to keep a calm voice. “You like spicy foods. Try a little of the wasabi.”

Mike and Derrick watched as Victoria took a much larger than recommended portion of the Wasabi and slathered it on her salmon roll. Derrick started to say something and Mike waved him off with a grin. Picking up the roll, she sniffed it before shoving it into her mouth. And after chewing it three times, Victoria quickly spat it out onto her plate. “Holy shit, what was that!” she exclaimed, choking a little before chugging large gulps of her lemonade but finding the acidic drink working against her. Reaching across the table, she snatched Derrick’s lager from his hand and quickly inhaled the dark brew, finally calming her inflamed membranes. “You son of a bitch!”

“Watch it! My mother is a saint,” Mike laughed.

“Yeah well she raised a devil! And you!” Victoria snapped, turning her attention to the man sitting across from her. “Some protector you turned out to be. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Well…”

“I asked him not to.”

“Great. At least I know whose side you’re own.” Victoria glowered. “I will never trust either of you again.” They finished their meals and headed back to the office to work a little more on Byrne’s case. At around 10 p.m., they closed up for the night and Derrick drove Victoria to his place.

“Not tonight,” Derrick sighed and stopped Victoria’s roving hands as she teasingly slid them down his belly.

“What? Don’t tell me you have a headache! It’s medically impossible for you to have a headache, you heal too quickly!”

“It’s not my head, Victoria, I just…am not…in the mood.”

“Right! Nice try, Derrick, but I know you better than that and apparently your body disagrees too. What’s really going on?”

“Alright, honestly I just uh…since we started seeing each other we’ve been going at it almost nonstop.”

“I know. I call that ‘making up for lost time.’”

“And that’s great and all. But I’m just afraid of breaking my nice, shiny new toy.”

“Derrick, do I look broken to you? I can handle it, trust me.” Victoria purred and rolled over on top of her vampire lover. Instantly she felt his lie inch up her thigh and smiled as she possessed his lips in a tender kiss. “And when I’ve had enough I’ll let you know…just don’t expect that to happen any time soon.” Her fingers traced down his happy trail and she tugged at the waistband of his boxer briefs, eagerly working to slide her fingers beneath the cotton material.

Derrick gripped her arms tighter in his palms, squeezing enough to make Victoria whimper. “I said not tonight!” he nearly growled and roughly pushed her to the bed. Anger briefly flashed in his eyes before melting into an apologetic look. She quickly crawled away from him and was on her feet before he could reach out and touch her again. “I’m sorry. Victoria, I didn’t mean…”

“You know what, Derrick? I don’t know what the hell’s gotten into you lately, but I sure as hell am not about to let you take it out on me,” she snarled and gathered up her clothes.

“You’re leaving?”

“Yes. I think it would be better if I gave you some time to yourself. We’re obviously not on the same page.”

“Victoria, I wasn’t trying to hurt you, that…that was unintentional.”

“All the more reason to give you space. Your head is somewhere else! It has been for a while now and you refuse to tell me what is going on like I can’t see that something’s up. The late nights, this weird need to sleep, the secrecy about where you’ve been and what you’re doing and now this short fuse. Hell, if I didn’t know any better I’d think you were cheating on me! Not to mention this whole thing with Rowan.”

“What’s he got to do with it?” he snarled, tossing her another look.

“Derrick, you don’t see it? You haven’t touched me since…since finding me with him. And I know you said it was that compulsion thing and that I had no control, but…it doesn’t feel like you actually believe that.”

He turned away from her gaze and gently rubbed at his forehead as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Victoria, it’s not you, ok? Believe me. I just…I have a lot on my mind right now. Don’t go. Please. I need you to stay the night.” He delicately caressed her hand in his and finally looked up into her eyes. “Please?”

She sighed and her bottom lip slipped between her teeth as she stared down into his puppy dog eyes. The man was good. He knew all the right things to say; conveniently glossing over her mention of Rowan. “Alright, Derrick. I’ll stay.” She slid down to the bed beside him and draped her arm around his neck. Derrick’s arm wrapped behind her back and he smiled as he pulled her closer towards him. “But under one condition.”

“Name it.”

“You’ll talk to me about what’s bothering you. Why the sudden change in behavior?”

“It’s…complicated.”

“I can do complicated, Derrick.”

“It’s a long story.”

“And we have all night.”

“VICTORIA!” he barked again. “I don’t want to talk about it. Now will you please just drop it?” Again his eyes flashed the faintest hint of rage and combined with the glimpse of fangs she saw, it was enough to frighten Victoria and she pulled away from him.

“Fine,” she snapped and snatched her keys from the bedside table. “Call me when you’re ready to talk.”

“Victoria! Victoria, wait!” She stormed out of the room and down the stairs as Derrick sat quietly trying to weather the impending storm. “Shit!” he sighed loudly.

Pulling up from the bed, he paced for a moment, trying to cage the demon inside him that continued fighting its way to the surface. Victoria was gone. His appetite was uncontrolled. The anger and hatred he’d thought was no longer influencing his actions had taken over and was persuading him to be the monster he had long fought to suppress.

Tossing on a pair of pants, Derrick started down the stairs towards his basement. Unlatching a panel from the wall beneath the staircase, he set it to the side and cautiously slipped into the tiny space. The hallway led a little ways deeper into the house before opening to an attached wall with a small viewing window on one side. He opened the door and watched the dust laden air swirl before stepping inside and locking the latch.

The mere sight of the room produced a deep, unperturbed sense of pleasure. A strange mixture of smells settled within the confines of his nose—an invigorating metallic scent. The dark gray tile floors were gritty with grime and smeared in indistinguishable stains. The basement was dank. Not much air circulated the space and what little that did had an acrid stench of rot. The brick walls held a thin sheen of dust and, much like the floor, was tarnished with dark smudges. 

Cautiously, Derrick paced forward, stopping just in front of a woman secured to the wall by a set of steel shackles. “Please let me go,” the redhead whimpered as she heard him approach. “I promise I won’t tell anyone about this. I just wanna go home.” Her wrists were red and bruised from struggling. The makeup she wore ran down her cheeks in splotchy, black streaks.

Moving closer, Derrick’s fingers found their way through her long, disheveled hair, combing through the sticky, crimson stains. He pulled her eyes up until the two locked gazes and grinned. “I have no doubts about that. You’ll not utter another word to anyone ever again.” He dropped her head and brought his fingers to his mouth. An immense feeling of joy arose from the taste of the thick, red liquid. His lips broke into a smile, as fresh tears fell from her eyes. Derrick laughed and lunged forward, snatching the girl from her chains. Insatiably, his fangs tore at her throat and he gorged himself on her blood. 

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