Read First Sight (The Ivory Series, Book 1) Page 19

  19

  Monday morning I trudged from the car park and into work. Anita was reading the newspaper “Oh my God, Nicola! Did you hear about the dead woman in Belles Cove on the weekend?” and she held up the front page of the paper for me to see. Below the headline ‘Innocent Life Wasted’ was a picture of a blonde woman in a blue university graduation gown. I scanned through the article, reading over Anita’s shoulder.

  ‘26 year old Biochemistry graduate, Erin O’Keefe, was viciously glassed and abandoned on a Belles Cove street over the weekend. The Peak Hill beauty later died in hospital from massive blood loss due to the injuries she sustained from her attack. Police are looking for witnesses who were in the vicinity of Ivory nightclub on Main Street between the hours for 10:30pm and 11:30pm on Saturday night. It is not known why Erin was attacked. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers or Belles Cove Police Station’

  “Ivory. That’s the nightclub Vaughan works at right?”

  It took me a few moments to realise that Anita was even speaking. “Ah, yes. He told me about it. I didn’t know she died though.”

  “So what happened?”

  “I only know as much as what’s in the paper, someone dumped her in front of Ivory. She was already bleeding when they found her.”

  “And they have no idea who did it?”

  I shook my head. My stomach churned, this woman died, Erin O’Keefe. Daughter. Friend. Sister. Died for what reason? My eyes traced over her picture, her perfect smile, bright blue eyes, she had her whole life ahead of her. She was the first, how many others would follow? My finger traced the scar on my arm and an acid sensation burned in my throat, threatening to expel my breakfast. I ran to the bathroom and made it just in time to be sick. This was all too much. The one I loved more than anything was risking his life for my safety, but what if he didn’t win? Would I be their next victim? This thought made me throw up again. Anita knocked on the bathroom door “Nicola, are you ok?” then she whispered “Are you pregnant?”

  “Go away!” I shouted back. After a few minutes I washed my face and cleaned myself up, then opened the door. Of course Anita was waiting on the other side.

  “Nic, are you sure you’re not…you know?” she asked as she patted her stomach.

  “Positive. It’s just something I ate, that’s all. I feel fine now.”

  “You don’t look well, you should go home.”

  As much as I didn’t want to be here, I didn’t want to be at home either, mum was at work, so I would be alone. I had no choice but to stay and keep myself distracted. “I’ll be fine Anita.”

  I tossed the keys to my car at Vaughan and he drove me home. “Have you read the paper?” I asked.

  “Yes” his voice was sombre. “The police questioned Ivan again last night, and took all his CCTV footage from the weekend.”

  “They won’t find anything will they?”

  Vaughan sighed “No, we move too fast for the cameras.”

  “Are you sure it was someone from Ulrich’s coven, not just a random thing?”

  “Positive. Everyone is going out tonight, see what they can find.”

  “Are you going too?” my voice was a little more desperate than I hoped it to be.

  “No, I’m going to stay with you.”

  “Thank you.”

  Vaughan reached over and held my hand, his fingers entangling mine as we drove.

  Mum arrived home soon after us, she seemed delighted to see Vaughan, her ‘relaxing the house rules’ was working in her favour. We all sat at the table and Mum and Vaughan chatted. Mum giggling like a school girl. I imagined Vaughan had this type of effect on all women, so thought nothing of it. “So Vaughan. Did you grow up around here?”

  “No, I grew up in Abermain, north of here” this made me think of what Vaughan told me a few nights earlier, about how he became a vampire and the bitterness he has felt since.

  “What made you move to Belles Cove?”

  Vaughan glanced quickly at me and smiled “A friend of mine was opening a nightclub here and asked me if I wanted a change of scenery.”

  “Is your family still in Abermain?”

  “My brother is, my parents have passed away.”

  Mum put her hand consolingly on Vaughan’s arm “I’m sorry to hear that, you are so young to have lost both of your parents.”

  “Thank you.”

  We all sat at the table in an awkward silence, not knowing where to look. Mum excused herself from the kitchen, kissing me on the top of the head as she went “It was nice to see you again Vaughan.”

  “You too Julia.”

  Anita watched me carefully for the rest of the week. Her eyes constantly strayed to my stomach. By Friday I’d had enough and sat her down. “Anita, I am not pregnant. How many times do I need to say it?”

  “Accidents happen Nicola. But it’s ok. Vaughan seems like a decent guy. I’m sure he’ll stand by you.”

  I threw my arms up in defeat and walked away. That night I told Vaughan of my plans to go to out with Bec. He looked at me disapprovingly, then changed his mind on what he was about to say. “Do you want me to come with you?”

  “You’ll be working.”

  “I want to make sure you’re safe.”

  “It’s only the uni bar, I’m sure I’ll be fine.” I assured him, although he didn’t seem too convinced.

  Vaughan took a small keychain out of his pocket, which had two silver keys on it and gave them to me.

  “What’s this?”

  “Spare keys to my apartment.”

  “Why?”

  “So you can come here after your night out and don’t have to wait around for me.”

  I studied the keys in the palm of my hand and turned them over.

  “Nicola, things are a little uncertain at the moment. I don’t want you to be in any danger. If you’re here, I know you’re safe.”

  My mind recalled the picture of Erin O’Keefe. My fingers curled around the keys in my hand and I nodded in agreement.