The Case of the Parisian Vendetta: A Mark Julian Vampire PI Mystery #10 (Mark Julian Vampire PI Mysteries) Read online

  The Case of the Parisian Vendetta

  A Mark Julian Vampire PI Mystery #10

  By L. G. Fabbo-Gonnella

  Cover Design by Dustin Kime

  Paris photograph courtesy of Nikki Snelson-Cavanaugh

  Model photography courtesy of Christian Campbell

  Model: Jacopo Rampini

  DEDICATION:

  I’d like to dedicate this one once more to my family and all my friends.

  Once more to Eve Arden who was the best wise cracking “sidekick” the films ever cast in them. To Charles B. and Andy H. for showing us how a “real dame” showed attitude. The character of Jaime owes a lot to these three.

  To Jordan, Jane, Mike, America, Patrick, Joey, Jeff, Jacques, Tim, Darren, Joe, Billy, Will, Seth, Jesse, Andy, Andrew, Travis, Jordan, Steve, David SF, Ben, Richard, Justen, Dan, Brian, Dustin, Andrew and Doug for reasons they all must know. Each one gave a little something of themselves to help in creating a character’s makeup though none of them are totally those characters…well the bad or twisted ones at any rate. A shout out to G Lounge and its amazing staff too! It is always about the ambiance and the company, right.

  To Christian Campbell for his photography and Jacopo for permission to use him as the face of Mark Julian. To Chris for his amazing editing. To my family, Dustin Kime for his cover designs.

  Lastly but most importantly I again dedicate this Julian book to my sister, my nieces & my indomitable grandmothers: Mary Ann and Barbara.

  I dedicate this entire series to my mom who shared with me her love of murder mysteries and who guided our family with strength, wisdom and, in particular, with unconditional love. To the ladies who have passed onward: you are all constantly missed and constantly loved. Amivi.

  The Inhabitants in the World of Mark Julian

  Mark Julian: He was born Marcus Claudius Marcellus in what was later designated as 45 B.C.. The nephew of Augustus Caesar, he was married to the latter’s daughter, Julia. One night in 23 B.C., vampires attacked Marcus and Augustus. Marcus awoke from his assault to find himself now one of the vampire clan. When he relocated to the new world he took a variation of Julia for his last new name. He is currently New York’s premier “go-to” private eye for the city’s supernatural community. He fell hopelessly in love with the human detective Vincenzo Pasquale from the first time they worked on a case together.

  Vincent (Vincenzo) Pasquale: A hard driving detective for New York City, he first met Mark during a hunt for a serial killer. To his surprise the formerly engaged law officer found he was attracted to the P.I. After coming to grips with his unrealized sexuality and adjusting to the fact his lover was a vampire with a shape-shifting sex demon secretary was easier than he thought possible. Now married to Mark Julian, the New York City detective is also currently serving as chief of staff for Jean-Claude Roué.

  Jaime Tremaine-Roué: Mark’s wisecracking, shape-shifting sex demon secretary. She has three main passions: clothes from the nineteen forties, her werewolf husband, Jean-Claude Roué, and, their newborn son Andre Paul Roué. Like all sex demons she also feeds on sexual energy. Sex demons posses a power called “allure” which can manipulate sexual desires in humans. Its misuse can be catastrophic.

  Jean-Claude Roué: He is currently serves as chief executive of New York City’s supernatural council and is also the crown prince of the Roué werewolf clan. He presides uneasily over the seething conflicts of the various memberships on the council. The handsome werewolf is devoted to his child and his wife, Jaime, despite her shape-shifting abilities and sex demon status. Their “mixed” marriage is the cause of some scandal in certain supernatural quarters. Many werewolves are not pleased with this situation, especially now that Jaime has given birth to the Roué crown prince’s own heir.

  Andre Paul Roué: He is the newest member of the Roué clan. He is the son of Jaime and Jean-Claude.

  Jesus De Fargo dela Tortego: Former member of the dreaded Spanish Inquisition and, until his alleged demise and later miraculous “resurrection,” the supreme head of New York City’s supernatural council. Cunning, devious, and ruthless, he sees dangers everywhere. He would love nothing more than to publicly oust Jean-Claude and reclaim his old post but he fears Jaime’s wrath. Still he quietly plots a return to power regardless of the cost to others.

  Dexter: A young eighteen-year-old vampire computer geek whose computer expertise may just be critical in this matter. Recently “transformed” when he was abandoned by his abusive father to die from a brain tumor in the charity ward of the city’s hospital. Currently serves as part of the Vampire Security Detail’s computer division. Currently engaged to Billy, a human server at The Letter Lounge located in Manhattan’s Chelsea district.

  Dale Carter: The tall, good-looking international model and sex demon that heads up the incubus/succubus delegation on New York City’s supernatural council. He is no fan of Jaime and Jean-Claude’s “mixed” marriage or the birth of their child. He once used his allure powers on Vinnie and a TV reporter with unforeseen results.

  Dustin Andrews aka Andelan Clarke: A shape-shifter once known as Andelan Clarke, he transformed to hide out from his enemies. Currently he has become the newest hot international supermodel. The leanly muscular, boyish-looking blonde appears to be about 25 years old. Like all his kind, his true age is unknown due to his expert abilities as a shape-shifter. He once more hangs out with Dale Carter, who is unaware of who Dustin once was or why he is currently transformed. He sits on the supernatural council as the shape-shifter delegate.

  Viola Lupa: The werewolf clan’s supernatural delegate to New York City’s supernatural governing body. She had hoped to mate with Jean-Claude. She previously made no secret of the fact that she hated Jaime in particular and “mixed marriages” in general. After working on a case with Jaime she might be changing her mind. Currently she is carrying on simultaneous affairs with Dale and Dustin. Naturally neither knows about the other.

  Julio: The vampire head of New York City’s supernatural government’s security forces. Though originally put into his position by Tortego, he is loyal to Jean-Claude Roué, who serves as his civilian boss. A man whose past remains a mystery.

  The Guys at New York’s “Letter Lounge”: Billy, Sean, Paulo, Shaw and Tyler. The good-looking employees of New York’s City’s best gay bar who serve, manage, or tend bar. The Letter Lounge is a good place to go to get a drink and to engage in a conversation with others when you don’t want to be overheard.

  Silas Petronius: The absolute leader of the Petronius werewolves. They are currently the second most powerful wolf tribe in the city. There is no love lost between the powerful Roué wolf family and this other clan but, for now, Silas respects Jean-Claude’s position as the top werewolf in New York City.

  Brian Petronius: the only son of Silas Petronius. The handsome werewolf is engaged to Nancy, a vampire who serves with him in the security forces of New York City’s supernatural council.

  Louie Gee: A wizard of the first rank. He is the owner of Eleanor’s, which is the supernatural community’s brunch eatery of choice. If you want to see and be seen, then Eleanor’s is the place to visit. Louie knows a lot more than he ever reveals.

  Quan: The two thousand year old head of the world’s vampires. He was once no fan of Tortego or his reign in New York. It is well known he once wanted to oust Tortego from the city’s council. Things have changed and now he is using Tortego to achieve his nefarious power grab. It is also assumed that he
knows more than he admits about certain things. At present, he is rarely seen, but he is always looming in the background.

  Raphael: A powerful angel who says he is the representative of the Heavenly Host. His exact plans are currently unknown. Currently he is engaged in a behind-the-scene-game to achieve his goals at the expense of Quan’s.

  Henri Roué: The uncle of Jean-Claude and the head of the French branch of the Roué werewolf clan. He is married to Hélène and is the father of Sebastian and Laurent.

  Tortego’s aide: A nameless cipher that no one knows or cares to know. Still he had his own hidden agenda and it is not a pretty one.

  Thierry Duc du le Englete: A Parisian spy of noble birth. He knows he is employed in a tawdry field but to him that is life n’est pas il.

  WAR!

  The supernatural war between New York City and Paris had finally come at last. It was a conflagration that no one in the American city wanted but everyone expected. For a long time all the warning signs had been given. The French branch of the Roué werewolf family had sworn a vengeance oath and such things were never taken back until blood was shed and honor avenged. They and their allies had pledged to punish New York City’s Supernatural Council and Jean-Claude Roué in particular for sentencing to death the werewolf, Sebastian Roué. The young man was not only Jean-Claude’s cousin but also the first-born son of the leader of Paris’s powerful Roué werewolf clan. When the first supernatural salvos from Paris hit New York City during that mid-summer it was, like all inter-family hatreds, merciless and shockingly violent.

  For the human population of New York it arrived in the form of an unusual series of unexpected and intense thunderstorms during what the population always called their dog days of summer. Weather stations were at a loss to explain how such violent tempests had suddenly sprung up out of nowhere. For ten days they duly reported about the bizarre air-to-ground lightning strikes on buildings. People were nervous but officials quickly assured them that, though unsettling, the lighting had only caused a fire losses or damages to a few abandoned structures in outlying areas of the city. “No loss of life or critical services. The destruction from the fires was unfortunate but the buildings were not in use so we have that to be grateful for,” the mayor said. By the eleventh day the weather related incidents ended. Though the sky was often a dreary gray, the destructive storms had abated. The local television talk shows were soon filled with scientists discussing how the prior events signaled climate change issue. The usual crowd of Midtown sidewalk preachers hawked their end of the world messages to snickering tourists. Most New Yorkers simply shrugged and got on with life. No lives lost and few worried about the uninhabited structures that were destroyed. In baseball the New York Yankees began a winning streak and to many, after a brief scare, life seemed to have returned back to normal.

  The denizens of the five borough’s supernatural world however, knew better. The so-called abandoned buildings had been the well-disguised outposts of various otherworldly constituencies that made up the city’s supernatural mosaic. There had been a few deaths and many injuries among both the Fae and the shape-shifter governments who lived or worked in those outwardly run-down edifices. The supernatural hospital that the council ran was soon filled with casualties. Unlike their human counterparts, they did not find their lives returning back to normal.

  A week after the storms came another successful Parisian paranormal attack upon New York City. Two spectacular building fires, which the city officials quickly blamed upon gas main explosions, rocked the outer boroughs. While no human loss of life was reported that was not the situation for the city’s supernatural community. Those assaults were quickly followed by New York City’s counter attacks. Yet, the supernatural Parisian community was able, without any resultant loss of life or much property damage, to easily thwart almost every one of those strikes. It was as if Paris supernatural defense forces instinctively knew when and where a New York magical attack was about to be launched so they could take the needed measures to either counter it or limit its effects. Worse, they seemed to know which New York City agents were in their city so they could discreetly take them into custody. As the New York City lost battle after battle, critics loudly proclaimed the council’s head and his security chief were just not up to the job of carrying on a successful war. A few even whispered that a spy was tipping off the other side. Those of less charitable bent went farther in their allegations. They alleged that someone among the American Roué werewolves was feeding information to their French family. All eyes focused on Jean-Claude Roué who headed the council. As injuries and devastation mounted the cries for a more effective leadership grew shriller! “He can’t run a war and he can’t stop his family clan leaking information,” a growing chorus shouted in anger. Council meetings became a free for all as charges and insults were openly launched against Jean-Claude and his security chief Julio.

  ****

  “My people have lost ten percent of their property and suffered loss of life from these magical attacks,” the male delegate from the Fae government shouted at the Jean-Claude. He gazed over at the empty seat next to him that was once assigned to a fellow Fae delegate. A black wreath had been affixed to the back of its chair as a memorial to her death during the last attack. “It seems to me that you cannot handle this crisis,” he solemnly told the rest of the council. “Resign and let us have a new leader,” he glared at Julio who impassively sat behind Jean-Claude. “And while we are at it we should clean house in other areas especially in our security ranks.”

  Many members of New York City’s supernatural council mumbled their agreement. Everyone shifted about in their uncomfortable steel seats. Their regular ornately furnished council chambers had been abandoned for a more secure room located in the basement of the governing body’s headquarters. The place was a far cry from the old meeting hall with its baroque chairs and large round table where all sat as equals. That room always gave off a warm glow and was flooded with light that filtered the through dazzling stained glass windows that were inlaid with the coats of arms of New York City’s supernatural groups. Their new location was a large room with bare concrete walls, precious few lights and metallic, soulless, utilitarian furnishings. The enclosure gave off a chill that many found distracting and unwelcoming. The oppressive atmosphere of the windowless room only added to the existing tensions of the council members.

  “We are doing all we can to minimize loss,” Jean-Claude wearily replied. The tall dark haired werewolf seemed to be exhausted. Many thought his handsome face reflected the strain of the war upon him. “We know there is someone tipping off our war plans and our defenses to their attacks. Julio is hunting the Parisian’s source of information. He will find the one responsible. Louie Gee and his magical compatriots are working around the clock to reinforce our magical shields. We are seeking out their spies in the city.”

  “Look to your family then if you seek a spy,” a troll shouted as some others on the governing supernatural body nodded in agreement. “The last attack nearly killed the inhabitants of our troll’s rest home. What is happening with our defenses? Even more important, how are we responding to these attacks? I agree with my grieving friend these are critical issues.”

  “My people have concerns about this very issue,” a diminutive female delegate from the water-spirits timidly added. She brushed back her long aqua marine hued hair. Her silver eyes focused on Julio. “We all have suffered and … well we also do not seem to be effectively fighting back. They seem to know what we will do even before we do it.”

  “Because a Roué spy is working for the other side,” the troll gruffly interjected.

  “You dare accuse any Roué of treason with two members of our family sitting here,” Viola shot back in anger. The short wiry werewolf delegate from the Roué clan glanced at her family compatriot, Jean-Claude, and waited for him to join her in objecting to this accusation.

  All eyes on the council focused on their werewolf executive to see what he would
say in response to that family insult. Jean-Claude opened his mouth to speak then Tortego, the vampire delegate, lightly coughed. Jean-Claude quickly glanced over at him. Their eyes passed some message. Jean-Claude closed his mouth and eased his muscular six-foot frame back into his chair.

  Viola snorted with contempt at Jean-Claude’s passive silence. She angrily locked her dark eyes on the troll. “I swear I’ll come over there and rip your puny ass so bad you’ll regret saying those words!” She yelled at him. She looked over with disdain at Jean-Claude. I cannot believe his behavior, she told herself. Ever since this war broke out it’s like he has turned into a helpless she-wolf. Our family’s honor is insulted and he just sits there. What is this habit of his of looking at Tortego? For the love of the wolf goddess, Jean-Claude, do you need that lousy vampire’s permission now to do anything? What happened to your balls? The troll began to speak but Viola cut him off. “Say anything more and you die. Got it!?” She growled. Dale Carter, the sex demon delegate who sat next to her, gently put his hand on her arm. Viola glared at him. “If you want to keep your job as a model I suggest you remove that hand,” she heatedly whispered to him. She focused hate filled eyes at Dale. “I doubt if they would hired a model whose face is a mass of deeply clawed scars.”

  The six-foot blonde’s grayish azure eyes blinked. His classically well-formed features registered his shock. He quickly complied. They had ended their previously close relationship months ago. He knew Viola suspected both him and his friend Dustin Andrews, the shape-shifter’s delegate, of voting for a death sentence for Sebastian. Dale had tried to convince her he had not done it but she refused to believe him. Damn she gives off sexual allure even when she is angry, Dale thought as he let his sex demon’s sensitivity drink in her powerful emotional vibrations. He missed their violent SM sex sessions. Feeding off the sexual essences of others did not suffice unless he was having what he called buddy comfort sex with Dustin. Still Dale feared the day she might confirm beyond all doubt that he did indeed vote to end the life of his sexual rival for reasons of jealousy. He sat back in his chair and hoped the passage of time might bring them to reconciliation.