Moonlight Chasing the Sun

Chapter 2

Click. Click. Click.

Red and blue sirens lighted the night, chasing crime in the city. Carmilla's heels clicked rather loudly as she lead the men into an empty alleyway. Pipelines dripped with exhaust and puddles formed in the grooves of the uneven pavement.

"You've no way of giving us the exact location, Ms. D'ambrisio?" Detective Sleiman asked, after having followed Carmilla for 20 minutes.

The witch ignored the annoying man and continued to twist the ring around her middle finger. How much further, Cerde?

Take a left up ahead and then cross the road. On the other side shall be a tall building.

Carmilla followed those directions and soon came before an apartment building.

"This is where the perpetrator is?" Her editor asked nervously.

She didn't answer and walked inside. The security for the place was incredibly lax. Carmilla decided in that moment, that this would not be a place she'd consider.

He took the eleventh floor up.

The group followed Carmilla into the elevator  and just as her editor pushed the button for the floor, the detective began conversing out loud to his earpiece.

"We're going up to the eleventh floor. Send some men to guard the emergency stairs and the basement parking."

Carmilla sneered at how professional he sounded while not trying to annoy her.

Shall we teach him a lesson after this, My Lady?  Commented her followers, sensing her annoyance.

She waved their mischief away. "Leave it. I don't want to have anything else to do with him after this." She said just as the elevator opened up.

Left. Her follower directed.

Everyone followed closely behind as they passed several doors.

317.....319.....321.... Carmilla thought to herself in passing. 325.....327-

It's this one. Cerde said.

The witch stopped and faced the door. She was contemplating how to intrude, violently or politely, and decided upon the latter in consideration towards her awaiting steak dinner.

"Wait a moment, Ms. D'ambrisio, we don't know who could be behind that door-"

Too late. Carmilla's finger had already pushed down on the doorbell. The men went silent and she waited a couple more seconds before impatiently pressing down on the button again.

Finally, a voice answered, "Who is it?"

Your Maker, that's for sure, Carmilla thought to herself but actually said, "Room service."

"Go away!"

The witch sighed in annoyance. Give me the numbers.

7628.

She punched in the numbers her follower gave her and within a few moments, she had the door clicking open.

"Wait a moment- we don't have a warrant-"

Disregarding the detective's comment, Carmilla strode in to find a startled man clad in baggy black.

"How did you-?" The man, flabbergasted, grabbed for a nearby weapon, a lamp.

Carmilla turned around to face the officer. "There you have it, the man himself. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with the Le Monte Hotel steak-"

"Not so fast, Ms. D'ambrisio. We've yet to claim the confessions of the man, therefore you've not been excused from the case." Officer Sleiman explained. "You managed to locate the so-called criminal and break into his home, all with no plausible explanation. The only conclusion we can settle on this is that you and this man are accomplices."

The witch crossed her arms and glared at the officer before turning to the killer. "Kind sir, I would be ever so grateful if you would tell this lovely man here what relationship we have."

Up to this point, the perpetrator had been in a daze, shocked by the appearances, that it took him a moment to answer all the while holding the lamp's base. "Ah yes... Yes! This woman-This woman is my accomplice! She covered for me while I escaped! Yes, that's right!"

Hearing his preposterous claims, Carmilla's hand went for his neck with a strong grip and her face came within inches of his. In a sharp tone, she expressed, "I really wonder who taught you to slip lies. Back in lawless times, I'd have cut off your tongue and fed it to the ants."

"Please let go of the suspect, Ms. D'ambrisio. If the suspect comes to harm, or any person for that matter, you would have yet another case against you."

"Yes, yes, let him go Carmilla!" Her editor begged after the officer finished explaining.

With reluctance, she released her hold and backed away as the man began gasping for air. She brought out a handkerchief and wiped her hands as if she'd dirtied them before turning away from the man and addressing the officer. "Well, I believe my duty is done. I shall be taking my leave."

"Ms. D'ambrisio, you are still under investigation-"

She interrupted the officer. "I have evidence to believe that I have complied quite enough, more so than I would ever care to do in a single lifetime. If you insist on keeping me here, I will at all cost sue you and the department for poor work execution and make sure you're entire career ends here." Carmilla's tone had risen and she turned to her editor to give her final notice. "Take care of things here, Fox. If I have to hear from this silly man again, I will not make your life easy, or the publishing company's."

"As if you don't already do that..." She heard her acquaintance sigh in near-tears. She ignored him and walked passed the men and out the door.

"Cerde, make sure that once that man is behind bars, you release some Croatian Fire beetles on him. I want to make sure that lowlife never speaks another lie again."

Understood, My Lady.