Murder Mystery

I woke to the gentle rocking of the ship, untangling myself from the mess of nude limbs. I quickly showered and got dressed just as the girls began to wake up. I took a small sip from my flask. I had brought a few bottles of blood in my bags. They would keep for a few more days but I was planning on having someone bring me a box full of ice to keep the blood longer. 

The girls took turns showering and having a sip of blood before we made our way to the deck to have breakfast. We were helped first as we had been first class passengers. Jameson and Lucy joined our little group on the deck. 

"I see you weren't lying, these three are really your mates then?" 

"I have no reason to lie, these beautiful women do indeed share my bed." 

A few passengers looked to our table, a few men glared in envy. I smiled nonchalantly at them and kissed each of my girls before sitting back down. 

"Quite the display. Tell me does he have the stamina to back it up?" 

I nearly spat out my drink and looked at Lucy who was smiling innocently. Jameson was hiding a smirk. 

"Oh he's perfectly capable of pleasuring all three of us multiple times in one night." 

I looked around the room and women were now also looking over to our table. Freya continued to speak a little louder than necessary. 

"He does this thing with his tongue that makes me see stars in the back of my head," 

Suddenly Evelyn pitched in, tormenting me with embarrassment. 

"His spear is quite sizable, sometimes I feel as if I'm getting split in two." 

A table over a woman was fanning herself while a friend giggled behind her fan. Amelie grins and catches on to what Freya and Evelyn were doing. 

"Oh and when he climaxes, it is like a fountain of blissful fire." 

"Oh for fucks sake, I'll be out on the deck."

"We are on deck love." 

"Then I'll be in the boiler room, anywhere but here. Just look at the situation you three have caused." 

Around the deck flustered women and glaring men were looking at our table. A few women were even subtly rubbing their thighs together. I sighed and walked over to the railing. Once Jameson had picked himself up off the floor from laughing too hard he joined me. 

"I swear it's like they're trying to embarrass me to death."

"You asked for it, who even gets three mates. One is plenty enough for me."

"I guess you're right. It's not like I go out of my way to scoop women up into my life." 

"Such is life my friend." 

"What does that even mean?"

"It means that this is the way life will always be. It'll keep moving forward with or without you." 

"When did you get so smart, Rogers." 

"The day I met Lucy." 

We shared a laugh before coming back to the table. Things had significantly calmed. We wrapped out breakfast and went our separate ways. Jameson and Lucy went to explore the ship, the girls took their bathing suits and went to the pool. I found Jones and caught up with his life. 

"You really haven't aged a day, Williamson how have you been?"

"Oh you know, building businesses and trying to settle down." 

"Those three girls with you?"

"They're quite a handful but yeah, they're with me." 

"Got a wife up in Maine, this is my last job. Planning on retiring with the old lady in her grandparents farm." 

"Yeah? That sounds like the perfect life Jones. You've definitely earned that good vacation." 

"Where are you headed, rich guy like you can go anywhere in the world." 

"I'm going wherever the ladies take me. I have the money to burn and plenty of time to spare."

"Sounds like a lot of traveling then. Listen I have to go finish my rounds, see me one more time before the end of this trip. I have something for you." 

Jones ran off before I could ask him what it was. I shrug and walk around the ship looking at the various rooms set up for entertainment. An orchestra was playing some symphony on the deck, the card room was thick with smoke, sounds of laughter came through the glass doors. I went back to the room and changed into swimwear. Draping a towel over my shoulders I made my way over to the pool. I heard the girls laughing before I saw them. 

The trio were swimming around playing a sort of game with each other. Several men ogled them while they splashed each other. I smirked and kept my distance. I knew what was about to happen. 

"Hey baby, why don't you let me show you a good time."

"No thanks, I don't play with boys."

"Oh come on, I can have you screaming my name in two minutes." 

Amelie hops out of the water gracefully and lands in front of the man cat calling her. His friends jeer as she walks forward. 

"How about I get you to scream once I break your legs?"

"Oh baby don't be lik-"

In one smooth motion she snap kicked the man in the thigh. There was a sickening crack and the man fell to his side screaming. The other girls were on the two remaining men before they could help their fallen friend. The girls made short work of the three and after they had drained their blood their bodies were thrown overboard without anyone having noticed. Smiling, I walked over to Freya who was straightening up her hair.

A quick peck on the lips later I was pulled into the pool by the two other girls. I dragged Freya along and she cursed and sputtered. They all jumped on me and I laughed as we wrestled in the water churning up waves. Our playing turned sensual as a moment later we were all kissing and caressing each other's bodies in the pool. We fired off quickly and we're back in the room, closing the door behind us. We enjoyed each other's company late into the night.

<• >

Jones asked me about the three missing men several days later, apparently they had been part of the first class guests that were accused of assaulting women before though no evidence had been found. 

"No I'm sorry Jones, I was with my girls all night last night." 

"Bummer, we may have a problem on our hands then." 

"What do you mean?"

"Several days ago two workers in the boiler rooms were found carved up and drained of blood. With this that makes five people disappear or to fall victim to an unseen threat." 

"Where did you say the bodies were found?"

"I didn't, but if you want to help, come with me." 

Jones led me down to the engine room, there in an offshoot was a sealed hatch. Opening the door I immediately smelled the blood splattered on the walls. Taking a flashlight from Jones I observed the patterns. I was no forensic specialist but I knew the splash patterns made by a blade any day. 

"The victims, were their wounds cleanly made?" 

"Yes, a couple of my boys were pointing out that it could have been made with a knife of some sort." 

"Not big enough, whatever this guy used it was big and heavy. Still sharp enough to make those clean cuts. I should know, the wounds I left on those Germans were similar." 

"You're saying someone in this ship is going around murdering people with a sword?" 

"Or something similar. Possibly a blade disguised as a cane or something." 

"That would narrow it down plenty, anything else?" 

"Two, there had to be two. One culprit attacked the men, while the other scared off the rest." 

"If you're right, then that'll be fine detective work."

"Let's just hope." 

Jones led me back to the deck and went off to find his men. I frowned and made my way over to the bar, I knew that scent I had caught in the boiler room. It was one I had smelled recently. That sweet smell of vanilla and peaches, there was only one person who had that scent on this ship and I didn't like what it was pointing to. I downed my drink and made my way back to my room, the girls were napping in the bed. Freya woke up and walked over to me giving me a warm hug. 

"What's bothering you?" 

"Someone's murdering people on this ship." 

"Do you know who it is?"

Freya stepped back and looked at me, the other girls were starting to wake up. 

"I can handle it on my own, you three just relax and lay low for now." 

Freya nodded and sat down in the corner of the bed. 

"You know you don't have to do everything yourself." 

"I know, but the less people we have involved in this the better. The murders hint pretty heavily that the killer is a vampire. I don't need you three getting caught up in the blame." 

"Is it Jameson and Lucy? They're the only two others we know of here."

"Quite possibly, Jameson did claim that he has stopped drinking human blood. Though now I'm starting to doubt him." 

"Well, catch the culprit and come back to bed. It feels empty without you." 

I gave her a quick kiss. "You've got it."

I left the room and started walking around the ship focusing my senses. I could not find Jameson and Lucy, then I heard a muffled scream from the third class cabins. In a burst of speed I ran to the room and froze at the door. 

Jameson dropped the body of a young woman on the floor. He looked at me and grinned, blood staining his face. 

Lucy came from around the corner holding a small boy. 

"Ah! Seth, come join us. There's plenty of blood for us all." 

"Are you two crazy? You're drawing too much attention. Lucy put the boy down." 

"What are they going to do? They're humans, we're their betters. They should be thankful that we feed on their blood." 

"You're still drawing too much attention, you'll expose all of us." 

"Disappointing, I was hoping you'd join us. Now we'll have to kill you. Can't have you ruin our fun too soon. Maybe I'll take your women for my own, how does that sound Lucy? Three more playmates for you." 

I sighed. "I'm not going to let you do that Jameson." 

"Like hell you aren't, there's two of us and only one of you." 

"I'm older than the two of you combined, think about this." 

"Bullshit, no one is older than the Original Family. I never believed you drivel about being older than them. Let's get him Luc."

They both blurred towards me, Lucy drew a hidden dagger from her umbrella and slashed me across my face. She smiled in triumph. 

"It's coated with vervain, soon you'll-"

"Soon I'll what?" Her smile faltered as she watched the wound heal without issue. 

"It doesn't matter Lucy, stake his heart and his done for." 

"You know what?" I open my shirt exposing the skin on my chest. "I'll give you a free shot. You're so confident that I'll die, go ahead." 

Jameson didn't hesitate and drove a stake into my chest. I grit my teeth at the pain but I did not fall over. I froze the two on the spot and pulled the stake from my chest. Lucy watched in horror as the wound healed as blood flew back into my body. 

"You two are some of the densest vampires I have ever met. But at least you didn't call me a witch."

With a snap of my finger I turned the two into modern art pieces' splattered across the wall of the cabin. Jones came running in a moment later after I had finished staging the room. He held back vomit as he entered the cabin. 

"Good lord, what happened here?"

"I cornered the two culprits, Jameson and Lucy Rogers. I confronted them and they attacked me with this." 

I kicked at the umbrella dagger on the floor. 

"When they realized they couldn't escape they pulled out some sort of explosive device and blew themselves up. I'm just glad that the explosion didn't take the whole ship with it."

"That's insane, why would they do such a thing?" 

'Holy fuck did he actually believe me?' 

"Some people, they're not right in the head. They left a witness," I pointed at the boy passed out in the corner of the hall. "They were going to kill him before I stopped them."

"Thank fucking god you were here on time Seth, they left a trail of bodies from first class all the way down here." 

"I'm just glad I could help, how many did they-"

"12, they got to twelve passengers before they were stopped."

'Fuck I'm getting lax, I didn't even realize those people died before I got down here.' 

"I need some air, I'll see you up on the deck Jones." 

"Understandable, I'll see you up there."

I took a sip of blood from my flask as I watched passengers whisper about the 'crazed lunatic' murdering passengers on the ship having been caught and subsequently killed. I sighed and looked out at the horizon as the ship continued to move along. I would get back onto honing my sense when we got to Rome. I couldn't allow myself to get compliant. Eventually there would be someone or something that would prove to be a difficult challenge. 

"There you are, here. I was meant to give this to you years ago but you left camp before I could." 

I turned around, Jones was holding a slender box with a medal inside. I looked at the medal and my jaw dropped. 

"Jones, is that a fucking medal of honor?" 

"Well yeah, they were trying to find you to give it to you but you had left before they could. I heard even the President was there." 

'Fuck me. I got a medal of honor?'

"Isn't the president supposed to give these out?"

"Well since they couldn't find you, they assumed that you had actually died, I tried to tell them that I had just seen you walking around camp but they didn't listen. In the end they gave it to me to give to your 'surviving' family. I've been carrying it ever since hoping I'd run into you one day." 

I took the box with the medal in it carefully and I brushed a finger over the polished gold. 

"I can't thank you enough for this Jones." 

"Ah, don't sweat it. You saved our asses back in the trenches so many times. That and your damn tactic of charging in let us cover much more ground than we ever thought possible. You've earned that medal and my respect. Especially for what you did here today." 

"Oh nonsense, you'd have done the same thing." 

"Maybe, but I wouldn't have been crazy enough to fight two armed murder suspects in a tight corridor like you did." 

"Thanks for this, Jones. I'll remember it." 

"Hey just don't forget about your old buddies, I know you're rich now or whatever but we've still got your back." 

I smiled as Jones excused himself to report to the ship's captain that the issue had been dealt with. I looked at the medal again and slipped it into my coat pocket. Walking back to my room I was greeted by a flurry of hugs and kisses. The girls pulled me into the bed and I fell in with a laugh. 

Several days later the ship finally reached the Italian coast. Bidding Jones farewell I handed him a small package with nearly twenty grand in it to help him in his retirement. The girls and I got into a waiting car after loading our luggage into the rear. The drive to Rome was scenic and the women made me stop the car multiple times so they could take in the view. Freya had never come this far in her travels and often only went where Dahlia couldn't find her. 

When we reached my Villa the girls ran to the home and began exploring just as servants began to unload our belongings. We settled in and I couldn't help but to find myself easing into the unfamiliar land. I had only bought the villa two years ago, the repairs and upgrades had been recently completed. A large vineyard stretched across the land sending smells of grapes into the home. One would be crazy not to find a semblance of peace and harmony here. Laying in a deck chair I stared out into the horizon at the slowly setting sun. Life was good, and I would enjoy it for as long as it would last. 

The months would fly by before I knew it and with it a change in the world. I would be ready, and so would my small family.