Christmas Consort

Christmas Adam

"Mr. Boone, how good to see you looking so fine and fit this Christmas Adam. You must tell me your secret, over coffee or lunch today? I have an appointment arriving any moment, I'm sorry to say."

Kylie's rehearsed dialogue evaded memory as the real-estate agent flirted with Silas. What ever. What kind of professional acted this way? She went with those thoughts not contemplating why her sudden dislike of the woman was so vehement.

Silas said, "Miss Clay, always a pleasure. I have brought your scheduled appointment to you. May I introduce Kylie Barnes?"

Kylie watched her hand extend to the woman unbidden. The thing had a mind of its own, a foreign body taking over her life. It was her dream again, the fingers going their own way determined to squelch hope and kill pleasure.

Miss Clay said, "Oh, well I am all amazement. I thought Rose's niece would be...well much older. You must be a grand-niece?"

Cousin actually, thought Kylie. What did it matter what this woman thought anyway.

"I was a bit worried when I didn't hear from you Tuesday, but we had a good bit of rain and I figured you'd probably stopped somewhere along the way and would be in touch." To Silas, "People are always forgetting their appointments and such these days what with the Christmas rush. Have you finished your shopping? Bought anything for a special someone this year? My my, it is so good to see you. You make me despise those automatic bill payment systems. Takes all the personal touch out of managing properties, if you ask me."

The woman ushered them into chairs and was fixing coffee without asking. "I've got a wonderful eye for what people want and can tell you, Kylie, that Mr. Boone takes his coffee black. How about you?"

"Uh--" Kylie didn't want to send the woman elsewhere to look for cream. "Sugar for me, three teaspoons please."

"Have a little sweet tooth, don't ya. Okay. Well you simply must tell me how you and Silas met up. You didn't even have the number for the house did you?"

"The house?" Kylie took the coffee, surprised Miss Clay bothered to serve her before Silas.

"I'm sure I didn't give you the number direct. These things are almost always easier for the tenant and the homeowner to have a professional," she placed her wide hand on the top of her ample bosom, "like me, as the go between." She leaned forward conspiratorially. "Gives both parties someone to complain to or vent with just in case. So how did you meet Mr. Boone?"

Kylie sipped at the coffee as her thoughts filtered through the chatter. What did Silas have to do with this woman? Miss Clay was the go between for Cousin Rose and her tenant. Kylie shot a glance at Silas whose apologetic demeanor confirmed her new suspicion. Mr. Boone, Mr. Silas Boone was Cousin Rose's tenant, the white-eyes she told Kylie she knew of. Memories of the funeral and things Rose said filtered into place like different sized balls finding their way through the layers of a child's toy Kylie once played with, the balls sorted themselves out into red, blue and yellow through a liquid too thick to be water. Blood was thicker than water.

Kylie blinked to hide her reeling. I've been held captive in my own house. The tenant, so reluctant to schedule a walk-through, the one who hoped to continue arrangements as they had always been--that tenant was a vampire, one AKA Mr. Boone.

The quiet stretched uncomfortably for Miss Clay who watched the two people before her, neither of them answering. "Of course, it's none of my business. I didn't mean to stick my nose in where it's not wanted. Please accept my apologies. Have you already seen the house though? I thought we'd go through it this morning. Unless Mr. Boone has changed things much?"