Chapter 26: Vampires-R-Us

February 1999

Tayla had left me, her form fading into another puff of smoke, leaving the room to an unknown destination. She blew me a kiss and winked at me very seductively as she was changing into a fog. Then, I was standing alone in the library. Mortis appeared in the doorway.

“Sir, I have received instructions that your requests regarding a Bible and use of the library are to be granted. You may work in here if you like. The Queen has told me to advise you that your family and friends will come to no harm if they present no threat. My advice to you, and this also comes from Queen Tayla, is that you notify them at some time, that you are well, and will rejoin them soon. Allay their anxiety and fears so as not to allow them to have needless worry. Tayla and her clan mean them no harm. It is best for all concerned that they do not get too close to your location. The less they know the better.”

While Tayla and I had talked, she had described her brothers and sisters in detail. Their clans define themselves by the lineage in which each of the four siblings had sired. Tayla being the oldest, and probably the most benevolent, if that applies here, leads the Order of the Clan of the Red Velvet. Tayla had arrived in the US by ship, carrying some of her brood with her. The Clan went to California sometime before the Gold Rush in 1837. She said it had been quite easy, preying off miners, and wanderers that came to the west coast. As a woman, she could almost talk these lonely, ignorant and arrogant fellows into giving themselves to her. The vampiress had honed her seductive powers to a fine razor’s edge by this time. The poor unfortunate souls that made up that lot also included sailors who were wrote off as missing persons. That’s today’s lingo for “Shanghaied” sailors, sailors pressed into service by unscrupulous captains and ship owners needed crews to sail their ships around the Cape. When anyone got suspicious, Tayla moved operations either north or south down the coast. She said some of her best hunting was in San Francisco. The hunting grounds here were still incredibly good. I was not quite sure where I was, but I was willing to bet that I was not too far from the San Francisco Bay area.

The Order of the Clan of the Red Velvet had evolved over the ages, and lately, as part of the 20th century and the upcoming millennium, have almost become a corporate entity. During the late 1800”s, Tayla operated some prostitution rings that drew not only victims but also funds. This establishment of a capital base led to the purchase of land. Tayla then began an extensive organization of familiars that would appear on her behalf, organizing business deals that would extend the Clan’s fortune. Remember, Tayla has had a long time for this little nest egg to grow. Tayla invaded the Napa Valley, at the turn of the century to establish a winery that is one of the largest. Currently, I was sure I was somewhere in this region. Why would she have told me this, if she would not think I would pick up that we were still in this area? She said it was a great place to dispose of bodies.

The workers, most of whom are not familiars, have no idea who their employer is. Tayla said she pays them well, with good benefits. The winery runs very efficiently, and has never failed to turn a profit, even in bad years. I wondered if the estate was in the middle of the winery property. To say the least, they are organized and well-funded.

Their operations also include a chain of clubs that are part dance clubs and quasi tourist attractions. These clubs are under the name of Halloween, Inc., and are located all over the United States. They run twenty-four/seven and seemed never to slow down. Tayla mentioned that she visits often, inspecting the club as the owner, or sometimes she said she would perform on stage as a club act. Commercially, these clubs are remarkably successful. I would not even begin to guess at their annual gross earnings. Through a very clever use of deception and camouflage, the clubs were a clandestine cover for their operations for finding and securing victims.

To me, Vampires-R-Us seemed a more appropriate name. Tayla said that the club was the operation that she paid the most attention. That was where I would find Necro hard at work. He had the dubious but distinguished title of the “Captain of the Hunt.” However, the club was not the only place to find victims. Generally, those people have someone paying attention if they just disappeared. Careful selection was the general rule. Like a pack of wolves eyeing a flock of sheep, they selected targets fitting specified criteria.

She carefully chooses her familiars as well. Tayla said she would only select one if they could significantly contribute to the service of the Clan. I could not resist asking about each one that I had met so far. She was more than eager to discuss them. It was like asking a mother to talk about her children.

She described the rest of her staff. Mortis was the “Chief of the Upper Estate.” Tayla brought Mortis into her fold because he had exactly what I saw, true devotion, no questions, and a perfect gentleman. When he first met Tayla, he told her that if he had had a daughter, she would be exactly what he would envision. Of course, Mortis had no idea of just who she really was. Tayla said that he touched her so deeply by his statement; he almost became a father figure to her. Especially since her real father had been so cruel, so distant to his illegitimate brood. He was so kind to her. Tayla had met him in a theater at night. It was his night off, seeing as he was a gentleman’s gentleman for a prominent San Franciscan family. Tayla convinced herself on that night; she needed Mortis in her Clan, to be that special confidant, that special “maker of wishes come true.” Therefore, she brought him in. I was not sure just how she did these things. I was almost afraid to ask. She would not tell me his real name. She said that they, the familiars, do not even remember their real names. They remember extraordinarily little of their past life. Tayla said this was necessary so they do not regret giving up that life. Mortis really did not have much of a past life. He had no family, few ties if any, and was in an occupation that did not allow much contact with the outside world. He was perfect for the job.

She then moved on to Dread. Dread was the “Chief of Security.” Like Mortis, he too, had no family. It appears that was one of the selection criteria. Dread was British. Tayla said she met him in a bar in the waterfront district. Some guy was hitting on her, telling her his life story. Tayla was reeling this person in like an angler on Bass Masters. Dread, who was sitting at the bar, noticed that the man was trying to lift her purse. What would a Vampire need for a purse? She said the purse was just for the illusion of legitimacy, like her clothes. Dread then came over, grabbed the would-be-thief and almost destroyed him to the point that the bartender and several others had to intervene. He told Tayla what the creep was doing, and the others took the would-be-thief and ran him out of the bar. Tayla was impressed that someone had thought that she needed help! Dread was a former British SAS soldier who was out of work and just wandering. He was considering joining the French Foreign Legion. Tayla asked him to meet with her the next night and excused herself. She then went after the creep that Dread had almost killed and then finished the job. Nobody steals from Tayla! She met with Dread the next night, and he too came under her spell. She said he was perfect to watch over her during the day as she slept. She had already noticed that he had a keen eye. He was the kind of man she could trust not to let his guard down. After Tayla brought Dread in, he built a security force (with the sanctioning of the Clan) that guards the estate and acts as bodyguards for other familiars when meeting vampires outside the clan.