Author's Note:
It's been a while since I wrote this or did any editing on it. I got a bit of a shock when I read Kendra and Stephie's names. So even though this isn't done here at Literotica, or at least done often, I had to give a nod to my real life Kendra and Stephanie. If not for who they are, I might never ever have tried to write again. So to my girls...I love you.
*****
Chapter Seven
Shadow gently pulled the blanket aside, expecting to see the partially decomposed body of a little girl. What he did see surprised a laugh out of him. "It's not her," he called, holding up the wrapped up teddy bear that had to be almost as big as the girl they were here to find.
Angel went to reach for the bear.
"No," Callie said. "Don't touch it."
Angel drew back her hand as if the bear was ready to bite her. "Why not?"
"It's bloody," Callie said, swallowing hard. "I can smell that and the violence on it. She didn't leave it here. Someone else did."
Angel went to the truck and grabbed a couple of bags out of the back end. The blanket went into one and the bear in the other.
"What else, Callie?" Shadow said.
"It's all confused, but they were here after our lab techs were."
"Can you scent the girl?" Shadow asked.
Callie walked back to where the cans had been pulled out, stooping down. She sniffed the air, closing her eyes to try to make sense of the chaos of smells that she drew in. The trash which contained leftover take out from some Italian restaurant, gone bad, hot dogs, cabbage and diapers. Then there was the crime scene smells, chemicals and blood, the scent of the different techs, the humans that had been in the area.
Just under it, she caught the faintest whiff of baby powder. "Shadow," she called.
"Yeah."
"Our techs and the cops' techs, their gloves, what do they use inside, is it just talcum or is it baby powder?"
"Talc, I think. I'd have to call and find out."
"Don't bother. I think I've got it," she said, rising and moving toward the dark area of the alley. She'd given Shadow her flashlight so she hesitated a minute to let her eyes get used to the dark. Then she was off walking with a steady gait toward the other end of the alley.
"Marcus, get in the truck and follow us. Angel, stay with him, I'm going to follow Callie." Shadow gave neither of them time to argue, heading off to trail after here, though he gave her plenty of room.
Noises assaulted Callie's sensitive ears, but she ignored them, her brain figuring out what they were even as she worked to keep that faint scent of child. "How long has she been out here?"
"The body was found two weeks ago. If she's not with somebody, she could have very well starved to death."
"No, she's not dead. She's not with the vampires either." Callie stopped moving, motioning for Shadow to stay back. Crouching down, she spoke softly to someone that Shadow couldn't see. "Hi there, little one. Was it your bear we found back there?"
Shadow missed what was said as Marcus drew closer with the truck. He held up his hand for Marcus to stop, hearing the two doors opening.
"What's she doing?" Angel asked, coming up to stand beside him.
"I think she found her. Stay right here." He walked toward the shadowed side of the building and disappeared. Angel squinted, trying to find him in the brick.
"How the hell does he do that?" she muttered.
"I'll tell you the story some day when we're lying in the crypt together." Marcus put his hand on her waist, only smiling when she brushed him off, giving him a dirty look.
Callie kept her voice low, soothing, trying not to scare the dirty child. "I bet you're hungry. I think I have a candy bar if you'd like it," she offered.
"M-my momma said not to take candy from people I don't know."
"Your momma is a very smart lady. Do you know where she is?" Callie asked.
"She comes and sees me some night," the girl said, her voice taking on a sing-song quality that frightened Callie. "She holds me when I'm sleepy. It only hurts for a minute."
Callie's eyes closed tightly as she tried to control her emotions. Her mother was a vampire, she was feeding off her own daughter. "What's your momma's name, sweetie?"
"Kendra," the little girl said.
"Kendra, what a pretty name. I bet she gave you a pretty name too," Callie said, moving just a bit closer. "What's your name, sweetie?"
"Stephie."
"Stephie? It's a pretty name for a pretty girl. My name is Callie."
Stephie nodded her head, the little curly haired girl holding onto another blanket with her hand near her face. She rubbed her eye with her fist and yawned.
"Would you come with me?" Callie asked, holding out her hand. "We'll take you somewhere that you could get a bath and a place that's nice and warm to sleep with a real bed. We'll even give your teddy a bath so you can put him to bed with you. Would you like that?"
"Can my momma come too?"