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FOR THE BLOOD OF A GOOD WOMAN

In Mademoiselle Sadie’s there was a foul stench of death and it was surely enough to curdle the blood of any mortal. Still Mannie picked his way through the clothes strewn about on the harsh wooden floorboards. He held his nose and covered his mouth with a blue silk handkerchief he had fished out of his pocket, as he made his way across the room towards the body on the other side. She was a young woman of about twenty-five or so; that made her death even more tragic, and her face was that of an innocent angel, though he knew well enough that she had had long since sold her soul. Mannie knelt by the limp body and examined it carefully with all the forensic skill of one with a little nothing of a knowledge about science. Lifting her arm high above her pallid face, he released it from the height, watching it as it fell languidly to the floor. “Well she’s dead alright”, he said, rising from his crouching position beside her. Mademoiselle Sadie looked dubious, but nodded in agreement. It was clear from her expression that it was not the debate of whether the girl was dead or not that was the cause of her uncertainty, but rather why Mannie was dealing with the situation. “May I examine the body more closely?”, Mannie offered cautiously. “I think that would be a good idea, sir”, came Mademoiselle Sadie’s reply. Placing the body on a bed, in one of the back room boudoirs, Mannie took his wire-framed spectacles from his pocket of his coat and placed them on his short nose. He then drew a pair of white medical gloves from his portmanteau and proceeded to pull them over his shaking hands. Mademoiselle Sadie shuffled uneasily in the corner of the room, pacing back and forth a couple of times before hurriedly closing the curtains. “I’d be obliged if you kept silent about this for now, sir”, she ventured. “It’d be very bad for business.” “Yes, yes”, replied Mannie, “but you will let me call Gruffy if the need be?” “Why, do you think it could be…”, she started. “I can’t tell at the present, but I can see no other motive for killing a penniless prostitute.” Mannie drew back the collar of the dress from around the girl’s neck and inspected it with great diligence. These were no visible marks. “Well she wasn’t strangled”, said Mannie. “No bite marks either.” The girl’s skin was soft and supple, still there was no denying it had a definite blue twinge to its paleness. He checked the remainder of her torso, only to find nothing. “And her knuckles?”, interrupted Sadie. “Excuse me?”, Mannie responded. “Her knuckles. Sign of a struggle perhaps?” Mannie lifted her left hand and drew it close to his face. He recognised what he saw, though he could not explain it. “We should call Gruffy”, was all he said.

MEANWHILE...........

The wind was penetrating outside Darkmans Nightclub as Gruffy stood alone waiting for Mannie. He drew his coat closer to him and eyed the dingy alley to his right suspiciously, as he realised that he was not completely cured of his childhood fear of the dark. The beat of the music mirrored his heart as he stood outside the club, and as it approached ten o’ clock, when the agreed meeting time was nine, he decided at length to go inside. Besides, there was no use putting himself in unnecessary danger by loitering alone in the blackened streets. True, he was the slayer, chosen to protect Wales from all unknown entities. Also true that he had been highly trained by Mannie to be able to face even the most vicious of demons – even Mannie’s mother-in-law! But nevertheless, Gruffy was never one to intentionally throw himself in the path of risk. Gruffy walked coolly into the club and made straight for the bar. He had always fancied himself rather as a James Bond type character, and was amazed at the pleasure obtained from ordering a Vodka Martini – shaken not stirred, of course. Paying the bar tender, he made his way across the crowded club dance floor to the plush velvet sofas beyond. He seated himself in an inconspicuous corner and watched the band play in a reflective manner, until he suddenly recollected he was supposed to be meeting Mannie. He had to admit he was most concerned, for Mannie’s non-attendance could only mean trouble, and so sitting up immediately he looked about him with a preoccupied expression coming across his puzzled face. As he glanced around the room in search of Mannie, he could not help but catch the eye of a voluptuous young brunette resting against the pool table. She winked at him, causing him to lower his face in evident embarrassment and study the cold, neutral flagstone floor in hope that she might look elsewhere. That was a mistake, for she took the action as a provocation and began pushing her way through the heaving crowd towards the shy, worried-looking Gruffy. “Arwyna”, she said soothingly, holding out her hand to him. “Arwyna Rhys.” She smiled a full, pouting smile at him as he gingerly lifted his eyes to her. She was certainly beautiful, still, there was something not quite right about her. She looked expectantly at him until he was prompted to speak. “Oh, I’m Gruffy”, he replied. “Interesting name…”, said she in a superficial tone, as she planted herself on his unready lap. Gruffy shuffled uncomfortably under her weight and made several attempts to speak, but to no avail. She cupped her slender hands under his chin and drew his face closer to her own. “Is that a gun in your pocket”, she breathed, “or are you just pleased to see me?” “Well actually, it’s a stake!”, answered Gruffy, smiling a lop-sided smile with new found confidence. At this she hurriedly withdrew her hands and rose from his lap. She moved away from Gruffy as if he were the very personification of evil, and made off between the clamouring bodies of the club dance floor. Gruffy knew what he must do. He sprang up from the sofa, dropped the Martini glass, and crushed it under his foot. Following her through the pulsating crowds to the outside of the club once more, he cornered he in the dingy alley and turned to face her. “You’re the slayer”, Arwyna gasped. “No shit”, said Gruffy, jamming the stake through her heart and destroying her with one fatal blow..................MEANWHILE BACK AT GRUFFY'S HOUSE..............Gruffy reclined nonchalantly against his kitchen sideboard, flicking channels between “So Graham Norton” and “Later with Jools Holland”, when someone unexpectedly rang his doorbell. He drew his pistol from a kitchen draw and made slowly for the door, eyeing it suspiciously as he went. When he reached it, he slid each of the four bolts across carefully, keeping the pistol handy at all times, until he eventually opened it with an air of extreme caution about him. As the door swung wide on its hinges, Gruffy swiftly aimed the gun through the threshold, ready to eliminate any unsuspecting demon or vampire. The voice that met his vigilance was familiar. “Gruffy, what the hell…..?”, came Mannie’s voice. “Mannie? Where were you tonight? Why didn’t you show at Darkmans?” “There’s been some trouble down at Mademoiselle Sadie’s, Gruffy. A young girl dead, but no bite marks on the neck or visible signs of other vampire interference.” “Oh?”, replied Gruffy. “Mademoiselle Sadie pointed out, however, some rather strange looking puncture wounds on the girl’s knuckles. Signs, she thought, showed there had been a struggle before she was murdered….” “What are you saying, Mannie?” “I’m saying I don’t believe a word of it”, Mannie responded. “Come on Gruffy, this has got Monks written all over it. It’s a classic – completely his style.” “And do you really believe it was Monks? After all, he hasn’t operated in this area for about nine years or so now”, Gruffy looked puzzled. “Who else would use a brothel as a take-away?” Gruffy lowered his pistol and tucked it neatly into his holster, motioning Mannie to come in. He was confused as to why Monks had suddenly reappeared again, but knew only one thing, he had to be got rid of. Mannie was certainly right when he said this case had Monks written all over it, Monks was a deranged maniac, and this was a petty crime for him. However, Gruffy understood that given time he would commit more and more horrific assaults, and whilst he was still working undercover with Robert Lindsay, the head vampire, there was nothing he might not do. It was then that Mannie interrupted his thoughts. “Gruffy, what should we do if this is Monks?” “We should get down to Mademoiselle Sadie’s now, before Monks has chance to strike again. You keep Sadie occupied when we’re there, and I’ll take a look around”, said Gruffy. “Right you are!”, was Mannie’s reply.

LATER AT MADEMOISELLE SADIE’S…………..

When Gruffy and Mannie arrived at Mademoiselle Sadie’s later that night, they were met by scenes of distress. There had clearly been another attack during the evening, and there was increasing concern on the part of the women who worked there, as they considered their lives were in danger. How right they were. A tearful Mademoiselle Sadie received Gruffy when he approached the house. “Oh Gruffy”, she said. “I knew you’d come. I don’t know what to do, my girls are dropping dead like flies!” “I believe we know who is responsible for this Madam. If you will just speak to Mr Mann for a minute or two, I’m sure we can sort something out.” With this Gruffy ushered Mademoiselle Sadie towards Mannie, and hurriedly made off in the direction of the upstairs boudoirs. ………………………………MEANWHILE IN A BOUDOIR…………………….Monks crossed the room towards Ceri in one of Mademoiselle Sadie’s master boudoirs, bearing his teeth and licking his crusty, dry lips. “Come here my precious”, he called to her in his grating little voice. “No, leave me alone you evil man”, she replied. “I know what you do to women like me!” Monks was coming at her fast and she had nowhere to escape to. He really was the most hideous of creatures, so much so that he repulsed even a prostitute. Monks knelt by the side of the bed she lay sprawled on, and took her hand as if to kiss it. She attempted with all her might to withdraw it from his wicked grasp, but all was to no avail, as although weak looking from the exterior, he was truly as strong as the evil within him…….(Gruffy was all this while frantically searching the bedrooms of the house in desperate hope of finding the nauseating creature, Monks)…….Ceri screamed as Monks teeth sunk deep into her knuckles and kicked at his head in attempt to free herself from his clutches. The fire burned brightly behind like a fragment of hell that Monks had produced in her room, and she felt truly contaminated by having her hand even touched by him, let alone bitten. She was beginning to become weak now, as her blood was slowly extracted from her body by the beast Monks. “There, there”, soothed the voice of the horrific being. “All will be well in the morning.” He released her hand, leaving its knuckles grossly scarred, and was about to pick up the other when the door crashed in upon him. It was Gruffy. With a sharp kick in the centre of the boudoir entrance, Gruffy flew into the room at full speed to face Monks. “The slayer, I trust?”, Monks retorted. “None other”, came Gruffy’s reply. “I’ll see you take your place in Hell Monks, before this night has come to an end.” “Nonsense”, Monks responded. “For I am the doctor attending this sick young woman, nothing more.” “This room stinks of evil Monks, and you. Did you really think you could commit these crimes unnoticed? Did you really believe I wouldn’t come for you? For if you did, you are a worse kind of a fool than I ever imagined!” “And what kind of a fool did you imagine me to be then, Gruffy?”, wheased Monks between coughs. “A damn one.” “Quite so perhaps, but then I always could depend on you to do me justice, even when the others couldn’t.” Gruffy started stepping backwards towards the log fire and drew a poker from a bucket beside it. Monks looked shifty and shuffled uncomfortably as he rose from the side of Ceri’s bed. It was then that he met his end. “Ah, that I will do”, said Gruffy, pulling the poker from the bucket and plunging it straight through the heart of Monks. He slumped limply backwards and crumbled to dust before Gruffy’s very eyes. It was then that Ceri began to moan and struggle in her weakness. Gruffy crossed to the bed and lifted her up in his arms. “Oh thank you, sir! Thank you! You’ve saved me at the peril of your own life.” “It’s OK”, replied Gruffy. “Slaying vampires has never been so damn sexy!”

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