the vampire murder case (part six)

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I had never been inside the abandoned factory building which the Jinx used as their headquarters. The door opened as we crossed the street, and we saw Rafe, the big, bearded Jinx we had met during the hospital case the week before.

He nodded. "Come on in," he said, holding the door open for us. "She's in her office. I'll take you there."

We followed him down a long, gloomy corridor and up two flights of stairs. All the walls and floors seemed to be poured concrete, and our footsteps sounded very loud.

Rafe knocked on a door, tapping lightly on the frosted glass, and a voice called, "Come."

Dr. Lee stood up as we entered the room, which surprised me. I'd joked on the way over that we might be required to kneel. I had never met her, but everything I'd heard about her had indicated that she was a formidable person. She was fairly small, with dark curly hair, dressed in jeans, a black T-shirt and a leather jacket. It was difficult to be sure about her age, but I thought she was at least in her thirties.

The room was plain, with a desk, a battered sofa, and two armchairs. There were no decorations.

"Please sit down," Dr. Lee said. We sat on the sofa, and she took one of the chairs. She said, "You may smoke, by the way. I appreciated that you identified Felix's murderer a few days ago." She smiled a bit. "And Neil appreciated that you made it clear that his precautions were not at fault."

"I'm glad I could help," my employer replied. "I'm assuming that you have another mystery which you would like me to investigate?"

"That is correct."

"Another murder?"

She shook her head. "Nothing so dramatic. Or, actually, I should say that it's not that serious, at least so far. It is somewhat dramatic. But I don't want to prejudice you. I want you to see for yourself." She stood up. "Please come with me."

She led us back down two flights of stairs and along another hall. We ended up in a small room that was obviously being used as a medical office. A man, wearing a white lab coat over jeans and a T-shirt, stood up from a desk as we came in. Based on what I could see of his hands, wrists and neck, he seemed quite heavily tattooed.

"She's through here," he said.

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About Anthony Lee Collins

I write.
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