16 Chapter 16

After she dressed and did her hair, Ellen rode the elevator to the third floor. The former owner, an elderly lady, had sold the townhouse to the Lamberts for a price well below market value.The lady's grandmother had installed the elevator during the 1920s so that those family members and guests could travel effortlessly from one floor to the other.The elevator still performed at an optimal level with little need for servicing over the years.

Ellen loved the Art Deco designs on the elevator doors, the inside furbished in polished walnut wainscoting, gilt fixtures, and plush, vermeil carpeting.The former owner had included a few pieces of furniture with the house, dating back to the Edwardian period and constructed of heavy mahogany with carved rococo flourishes.Keeping the overall ambiance in mind, Ellen decorated the house with Art Deco and antique accents.In fact, she and Charles had taken immense pleasure in scouring antique and second-hand shops, this area ripe with Colonial and Federal-style furniture as well as rustic folk art.

But the living room remained Ellen's pride and joy.She displayed on pedestals the many art treasures she accumulated over the course of time and represented a host of countries and cultures.The art surrounded her grand piano and lent an aesthetic quality to her bold mix of Danish Modern and French Regency furniture.Fabrics, ranging from microfiber to damask, offered gold, teal, purple, and royal blue hues.

The first floor held their basic quarters of kitchen, living and dining rooms, with three bedrooms, two baths and a study on the second.Ellen's private sanctuary took up the third floor.The cellar contained the laundry facilities and the big furnace that kept the entire house warm during the cold months.The cellar also contained a wine cooler where they kept their food supply, the blood fresh and always available in hermetically-sealed bags.

The Internet had opened up a new world for Ellen and Charles.No longer did they need to go out and hunt for their primary meals.Instead, they found a discreet supplier on line who provided the plasma for a modest fee, no questions asked.Before this, Charles and Ellen had to feast and then dispose of their victims the time-honored way, although more often messy and laborious. The incineration of bodies in the big furnace took discretion and opportunity, since they could only burn in the dead of night so as not to provoke their neighbors' curiosity by the billowing of extra thick smoke.When finished with the cremation, Charles had to bury the remains in a private, overgrown area of the old cemetery, a tedious and dirty job.

Now thanks to technology, they could eliminate the labor and enjoy a pleasurable, extended and relaxing feast. They often did so in the dining room by candlelight, their one-course meal served in Baccarat crystal goblets while orchestral, baroque and operatic music from Charles' stereo system provided an elegant background touch.

The house's third floor contained what Ellen considered her memorial to friends and lovers.Now as she rode up the elevator she wondered if soon she would have to add Charles to her collection.Earlier, before she finished her shower, he had quickly dressed and left the house.Usually he told her where he was going, for what purpose, and when he would be back.This time he said nothing, nor did he leave a note.

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