Chapter Text
I sat on the steps outside my coworker’s apartment in shock, my mind stuck on the horror of finding Dawn’s stiff and lifeless body sprawled across the bed. But, try as I might, I couldn’t stop myself from remembering the ugly bruises that had marked her throat or the vacant stare of her eyes.
It was made all the more difficult by my disability, which enabled me to ‘hear’ everything the detectives were thinking inside the crime scene. In my current numb state, I lacked the concentration needed to protect my mind against unwanted intrusions.
I could see Dan’s body again through the mind of the crime scene photographer, his thoughts far from professional as he took shots of the scene and her body.
I could feel Andy Bellefleur, our town’s deputy, rejoicing at having caught my brother red-handed at the crime scene, even though I had been the first to find Dawn’s body. And worst of all, I could hear the thoughts of everyone who had gathered around the house to gossip and speculate. The neighbor had taken it upon herself to start the rumors of my brother Jason’s involvement, and I knew the news would spread like wildfire. By tonight, everyone in Bon Temps will have heard the news that Dawn was dead and that my brother was the number one suspect.
...heard she was fucking vamps…that's a sure death sentence there…
…wonder if we'll get to see the body, I hope they come out soon...it's hot enough to roast a hog...wonder if the body has started smelling yet….
...got what was coming to her…vamp tramp...that’s what she gets for putting out for fangers...
…those Stackhouse’s are involved...always finding trouble...knew there was something off about the both of them….
...poor Dawn...sure gonna miss her smile...
...Shit! Fuck! What the hell am I gonna do?! I barely got out of this once...no way they gonna let me go a second time...fuck!
The last thoughts came from my brother, who was being questioned further by the sheriff, Bud Dearborne. It spooked me a little to hear thoughts like that coming from him, especially after learning he had been arguing with Dawn the night before. Maybe Jason wasn't as innocent in all this as I wanted to think he was, especially considering the guilt that permeated his thoughts. But neither could I imagine him being the killer Andy considered him to be.
From what clues I gathered from the crime scene and the minds of others, I knew there was more to Dawn’s death than a jealous lover’s spat. I had seen the bite marks on Dawn’s neck before covering her body with the sheet, and it was looking very likely that this murder was connected to the murder of Maudette Pickens, who was killed only a week earlier.
Like everyone else, I had heard every juicy detail of Maudette’s death through the gossip line at Merlotte’s. It had been said she sought out the company of vampires, taking pleasure in letting them use and bite her any way they wanted, treating her like she was a piece of meat.
It seemed that even though Bon Temps had yet to see a vampire since the Great Reveal, they were still managing to affect our lives. When I first learned the truth, I was excited at the prospect of one day meeting a vampire, curious about the history they would have lived through and the experiences they might have had. But now, after seeing Dawn with bite marks on her neck and hearing the sorts of things vampires liked to do with women, I wasn’t so keen.
However, despite the fact that both women were associated with vampires, no one seemed to suspect them as the killers, instead blaming my brother for the deed. Maybe it was because they hadn’t been drained of blood? Instead, they had both been strangled, a method that suggested a human culprit. I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of playing detective while the actual County department sat around baffled and focused their attention on the wrong suspects.
A chill then crept over me. If the police were considering human suspects, like my brother, for the murders, then it meant the killer was likely a resident of Bon Temps. Visitor numbers were small, and new faces would have attracted the immediate attention of the police when it came to the murders. So this meant the real culprit could be someone I know. Someone I saw every day…
I shuddered at the thought, not able to think of a single person that I could imagine killing two women. Perhaps if I hadn’t worked so hard to keep everyone’s thoughts out of my head, I might have picked up on something. Maybe even had enough warning to save Maudette and Dawn.
Guilt immediately clashed with the more rational part of me that said my snooping wouldn’t have helped. I would have never considered monitoring people’s thoughts for things like, "I'm going to murder someone today." Half the time, their minds would be stuck on the trivial things they needed to get done, like doing the groceries or cleaning the house. I also considered dipping into people’s heads very rude, considering people’s thoughts were private, and frankly, I never wanted to hear about the type of porn people liked to watch.
Sam arrived on the scene then, interrupting me from my thoughts, coming over to sit beside me. Instead of offering empty words of comfort, he slipped an arm around me in silent support for what I had experienced. I was a little ashamed to admit that I clung to him while fighting off tears, leaning into his embrace and breathing in his familiar scent of liquor and sweat.
Even with Sam rubbing soothing circles into my back, it took a few moments before I could relax into his embrace, not being used to much physical contact, when all it did was enhance my ability. I realized that I had been tense and shaky ever since exiting the apartment, and being held by Sam helped by giving me something physical to anchor myself to while I pulled myself together. Especially since my mental shields were non-existent, leaving me vulnerable against a crowd of thoughts that weren't my own.
“Thank you." I sighed softly as the chatter of thoughts dimmed slightly.
I could feel Sam shaking his head. "Don't thank me, Sookie. I'm the one who sent you here to collect her. I'm so sorry you had to see– that you had to find her like that.” His words were a broken whisper, and I felt his mind pushing against mine, anger, frustration, sorrow, regret, all present and underpinned by a strong sense of protectiveness he felt while holding me in his arms. I found it strange that I couldn't get a clear reading of his mind. I only had abstract emotions instead of actual thoughts, but I decided it was a mystery best left to a different day.
"It had to be someone," I responded, shrugging my shoulders awkwardly as I moved out of his one-armed embrace, pulling my mental shields into place more firmly, relieved when the insufferable chatter from the minds around me disappeared almost completely.
"I'll tell you, Sook, sometimes I don't even recognize this world we’re living in anymore. I mean, Goddammit–”
"You stop right there, Sam.” I cut him off sharply. “God didn't do this.”
“Alright, those damn vampires then!”
“How can you be sure they had anything to do with this either?” I felt myself getting frustrated like I always did when people blindly discriminated against something because it was different. It always felt like they were discriminating against me, too. And since I had the privilege of hearing all the judgments people had about each other straight from their thoughts, I was sensitive to bigotry of all kinds.
“I knew she was seeing vamps, letting them bite her. Tried to convince her to stop, told her it would get her into trouble, but she never listened. And now she’s dead!”
“But how do you know they were the ones to kill her? I saw the body, and she wasn’t drained of blood. She was strangled. Does that sound very vampire-like to you?”
“Oh, and you would know, would you?” Sam’s tone turned bitter. “Having seen all but what? Zero vampires?”
“Well, what makes you think they did then? Clearly, you’re the expert on this.” I matched his tone, crossing my arms and staring at him challengingly.
“I have met vampires before. I know what they are capable of.” His voice went dark, and I wondered, not for the first time, what kind of life Sam had lived before coming to Bon Temps.
“They’re brutal and cruel,” He continued, “and treat humans like pets. I saw the bite marks on Dawn’s neck. She let them feed off her and use her. Even if they didn’t kill her, they are responsible for what happened here. She never would have been in this situation if they hadn't had bitten her in the first place.” I gaped at his response, unbelieving at his thoughts and poor reasoning. He was blaming Dawn for being killed and judging vampires with a blind hatred I hadn’t before realized he possessed. As far as I understood, it had been human hatred that had killed Dawn, not a vampire bite.
"Dawn was a grown woman. She made an adult choice, and I don’t think it was your place to judge her for the type of things she enjoyed. What she chose to do in her private time is her business, and your disagreement over it does not mean she deserved what happened to her. Associating with vampires is not an invitation to be murdered.” My voice was hard with anger, and Sam seemed to realize how insensitive his words had actually been and how much they had upset me.
“I wasn’t– I didn’t mean… I cared for her.” Sam admitted quietly. “I didn’t like seeing her degrade herself in that way, but she didn’t deserve to be murdered for it.”
I shook my head, tears suddenly pricking my eyes. “No, she didn’t.”
“I’m sorry.” Sam apologized, “I didn’t mean to bite your head off, I’m just a little...”
“I understand,” I replied, reaching out to place my hand over his where it rested on his knee. We both fell into an awkward silence.
"I should close the bar,” Sam said after a few moments. He must have rushed straight over as soon as he heard the news.
"No, I don't think that's a good idea. It will just deny people a stiff drink at the time they probably need it the most.” People would undoubtedly flock to Merlotte’s to gossip and drink.
“I don’t know… We’ll be a bit short-staffed…”
“I can help cover the afternoon shift.” I offered.
“No, Sookie, it’s your day off. I think I can see where it might be for the best to keep the bar open, but I think you need to take it easy after everything you’ve been through today.”
“I really don't want to be alone with my thoughts right now." I pleaded, knowing I needed the distraction. Sam stared at me critically, probably trying to assess my mental state, but I stared back with my well-practised poker face, giving him nothing. After a moment, he caved.
"Okay, you can work the shift, Sookie. But if you–" He was cut off by Kevin Ellis, Bon Temps deputy sheriff, who had come to stand behind us.
"Excuse me, Sam Merlotte? I hear you're the landlord. You don’t happen to have a set of keys on ya’? We’ll be needing to get into the victim's storage unit.”
Sam stood up and, while fishing for a set of keys from his pocket, he leaned down, kissing me gently on the head before leading the detective away. I stared down at my lap, contemplating what to do next, when I heard the noise of the screen door opening behind me. I got up quickly and moved out of the way as two men exited carrying Dawn's body in a black zip-up bag toward the waiting ambulance.
Jason followed not long after, his hands cuffed in front of him as he was escorted by the smug detective Andy Bellefleur. My brother’s shoulders were slumped, and his face washed clean of emotion, such a contrast from his usual animated expressions. I knew that the murder of Dawn had hit him hard. Jason caught my gaze when they walked past me, his expression becoming anguished.
"Sookie! Please… tell Gran it wasn't me. I didn't kill any–" He was cut off when Andy roughly shoved him forward toward the police car parked in front.
“Shut it, Stackhouse,” Andy growled, his thoughts oozing with smug satisfaction at finally having Jason in his custody.
“I’m not lyin’! Why don’t you believe me?”
“You honestly think I would trust your word that you’re not the killer? Didn’t realize you were that stupid, Stackhouse.”
“I believe you, Jason!” I butted in, not wanting Jason to leave before knowing at least one person was on his side. No matter what thoughts I might have overheard before, I knew my brother, and he was no killer. “Gran and I know you ain’t the killer, we will fight this and get you out!” I spoke the last words directly at Andy, making sure he understood how serious I was in my declaration.
He only looked at me with disdain, not bothering to reply, before dragging Jason towards the waiting police car. Jason craned his head around to look back at me, a hopeful expression taking over his features before it shuttered back into despair.
By this time, I realized that the voices of the people crowded around the perimeter had risen in pitch, their gossiping escalating at the scene they had witnessed. The worst part was hearing the thoughts of people who were already beginning to accept Jason as the killer.
I wanted to follow after Andy and slap him silly for the way he was treating my brother. He would have deserved it for soaking up the attention he was getting while making sure Jason was thoroughly shamed and humiliated before being shoved into the backseat of the cruiser.
Only once the car had disappeared from sight did I move from my position, realizing I was now at the centre of attention for the hungry mob. I quickly scurried back to my car, desperate to leave the horrors of the morning behind as the collective thoughts of others threatened to break my mental shields.
Entering the kitchen back home, I found Gran waiting for me at the dining room table, an uncharacteristically sombre expression on her face. She had already heard the news, no doubt.
"Dawn’s dead, Gran,” I said, my voice tight with grief as tears began to sting my eyes.
“Oh, Sookie, come here, dear.” Gran got to her feet and pulled me into a tight hug. I hugged her back, and I let myself cry for the loss of my workmate.
After a few moments, I pulled away, needing to tell Gran the rest before I lost my remaining composure. “Jason’s been arrested. They think he did it, and I couldn’t do anything to stop them. You should have seen him, Gran! He was completely torn up over Dawn. I think he really wanted to make it work this time…" I recalled the hopeless expression on my brother's face, something that I had only seen once before on the day we learned of our parents’ deaths.
"You shouldn't feel guilty for something you wouldn't have been able to change.” She reached up to wipe the tears that had escaped before clasping my hands tightly in her own.
“And don’t you worry, I’m sure we can get this mess sorted out and clear Jason’s name.” Her words and no-nonsense tone reassured me, and I couldn’t help but feel more confident that everything could be set right.
“I know, Gran. it’s just… I am worried that people already see him as the killer.” It was hard to change public opinion in a small town once people set their minds to an idea.
“Have you been hearin’ things?” Gran asked.
I nodded. Of everyone in Bon Temps, she was the one who knew the true nature of my ability.
“Andy Bellefleur walked him out in front of everyone.” We both knew that would be enough to get people’s tongues wagging.
Gran held me close again, and I could feel her worry about Jason and her determination not to sit idly by. I caught a stray thought of hers, wondering if my ability would help in clearing Jason’s name
…I don’t want to suggest it, she already has it so hard…
“I’ll do it, Gran,” I said to her unspoken request as I pulled back. I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing when I had the ability to discover the truth, even though it would be like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack.
"I'm going into Merlotte's now anyway to cover Da–" I felt my throat get tight again at her name, "–to cover the evening shift.” I amended.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?” I could see the concern in her gaze.
"I need to be busy. I need to be working."
It was the only thing I could think of doing to stop my mind from dwelling on the memories of Dawn's lifeless body, twisted in the sheets, and her open, empty eyes. Maybe it would be good to fill my head with other people's thoughts.
"Just don’t push yourself too hard." She ordered softly, giving my hands one more squeeze before letting me go.
I made my way to my room to get changed into my work shorts and white top. Pulling my hair up into a quick ponytail, I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror and saw a pale, tear-stained face stare back, my eyes red and puffy from crying. Splashing my face with water, I half-heartedly reapplied my makeup to try to hide the redness before leaving the house. I just wanted to get today over with.
I drove to work on autopilot, mentally preparing myself for what I had to do, knowing that by the end of my shift, I would have a headache from opening my mind to so many thoughts.
After stowing my bag in Sam's office, I hesitated before going out into the bar, gingerly lowering my mental shields. The effect was instantaneous, like turning on a radio. Thoughts bombarded my head, and I staggered under the sudden influx, steadying myself on the corner of Sam’s desk until I could mute them enough to allow room for my own thoughts. With a weary sigh, I headed out to start what would be a very long shift.
Hours later, I tiredly drove myself home, sifting through what I had learned on my shift and at the crime scene earlier that day. A huge amount of gossip I had overheard, both out loud and inside people’s heads, centered around the fact that Maudette and Dawn had slept with vampires. Both frequently visiting the same vampire bar, Fangtasia, in Shreveport.
And by now, everyone had heard that my brother had been with both women in the hours before their deaths. And despite their false words of comfort or quickly silenced conversations when in my company, I could hear loud and clear that everyone had already begun to accept my brother as guilty. In some cases, I only barely managed to restrain myself from lashing out at people for what they were thinking. People who had known Jason for most of his life were now turning on him with hate and fear in their hearts.
As I got ready for bed that night, I considered my options. Taking my information to the police seemed pointless, as they would likely already know those facts, and with Jason in custody, it was unlikely they would action on it.
My next thought was to visit the vampire bar myself. Perhaps snooping around there would help me glean some more information about the whole situation. It was a stretch, but I was desperate enough to help my brother I latched onto it and decided to plan a visit for the following evening after my shift at Merlottes.
With a slightly more solid plan in my head, I resolved to think no more about the subject. But even so, it took me a long time to fall asleep.
I woke up the next day feeling tired and rundown. Any sleep I had managed to get had been plagued with memories of finding Dawn’s body and my worries about Jason’s incarceration.
When I finally managed to pull myself out of bed, I revised my plan of visiting Fangtasia and still determined it to be my best next step. It worked that I had the following day off, so I could stay out late.
However, I hit a snag in my plan when a quick look in my wardrobe revealed nothing I deemed suitable to wear to any sort of vampire bar. All I seemed to have were floral-patterned sundresses, which I had a feeling would make me stick out like a sore thumb in a vampire bar, and the last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to myself as I snooped around.
After a moment of deliberation, I called Tara with the hope that she could have something I could borrow. She had a more active social life, preferring to go out partying with Lafayette than staying home with her drunken mother. Her style also veered toward tough-chic, more suitable for a nightclub than my sundresses. I just hoped she would promise to help me without asking too many questions.
"Hey, Sook,” Tara answered the phone, her voice tinged with concern. “How are you holding up?”
She must have heard the news, and I sighed.
“I am doing as well as I can in the situation,” I answered more truthfully than I would with anyone else.
“And Jason?” She followed up.
“He’s not the killer,” I defended immediately.
“Don’t have to defend him against me, Sook. Remember who ya talkin’ to,” She scolded lightly. “That boy might be stupid, but he ain’t evil.”
“Sorry. It’s been difficult the past few days.” I admitted. “People seem to have already made their minds up.”
Tara made a wordless noise of concern. “Let me know if there’s anything you need, yeah?”
"Well, that was sort of why I called,” I admitted. “I was hoping to borrow a dress or something from you.”
“Why do you need a dress, Sook? Don’t you have a wardrobe full of dresses?” She asked, clearly baffled. “Wait– is this a date?” There was an edge of accusation creeping into her voice.
“No! I just have somewhere I need to visit, and my wardrobe isn’t exactly appropriate for the location.”
"And where are you going that requires you to dress not like you?"
I twisted the phone cord around my fingers, considering whether it was worth sharing my plans or telling her to forget the whole thing. Not that Tara would be deterred that easily.
In the end, I decided the truth was easier to come up with a flimsy cover story.
“I am planning to visit Fangtasia, that vampire bar in Shreveport,” I admitted, bracing for her reaction. Tara was not a fan of vampires, even when they were only tacky horror movie villains. Something about the exchange and drinking of blood freaked her out, and the revelation that they were real and living among us all this time hadn’t improved her feelings about them - only morphing them into a fear of a very real threat lurking in the dark.
"What?” I pulled the phone away from my ear slightly at the sudden increase in volume. “Why the hell would you want to go to a vamp bar?"
"I wanted to ask around and see if anyone remembers Dawn or Maudette being there and who they were with. I might be able to find a connection to the murders since both were bitten by vampires." I explained, hoping she would understand my reasoning for doing it.
"Uh, yeah, that's a stupid plan. Going to a bar like that is dangerous, and if you are right and that was how the murderer picked their victims, it could make you a potential target. Not to mention all the actual vampires who will be there.” She retaliated.
“Look, I know this isn’t the best plan.” I conceded, having considered all of Tara’s points earlier. “But it’s the only thing I can think to do to help Jason. The police think they have the killer, and Andy is happy to close the case, despite the real killer still being out there. I need to find something that will make them reconsider. Something they can’t ignore.” I explained, needing Tara to understand that I wasn't doing this lightly.
There was a long sigh over the line. “Fine. As long as you know this is stupid. And I am not letting you go alone, I’m coming with you.”
“What? Tara, you don’t have–”
“I damn well do have to.” She cut in. “Someone needs to keep an eye on you to make sure you don’t do something stupid.”
"Hey!" I protested but, felt relief at the thought of having company.
“And you are definitely buying me a drink. So when are we going?”
“I was thinking tonight after work.”
“Sure. I’ll be over in an hour.” She said and hung up.
While waiting for Tara to come over with the clothes, I jumped in the shower, taking the time to wash my hair and shave my legs. Even though the outing was for investigating and not an actual excuse to party, I still had standards. And since I didn't get a chance to get out much, I wanted to make this night count. After applying my usual work makeup, I threw it in my bag along with a brighter shade of lipstick into my purse to apply after work. I then curled my hair softly, enjoying the simple task as it distracted me from the many problems I had bouncing away in my head. Finishing the last curl, I heard the door open downstairs, and Tara called out for me.
"Tara, it's so lovely to see you again, my dear.” Gran greeted Tara, having beaten me to the door as Tara came in, laden down with two huge bags of clothes.
“Hey, Gran,” Tara responded with a smile, having been trained years ago into calling Adele ‘Gran’, since she had spent more time here than at her actual home growing up.
“How many outfits did you bring?” I asked her, only having expected her to bring a couple of outfits for me to pick from. But by the looks of it, Tara had brought her entire wardrobe. She shrugged.
“I didn’t know what to choose, so I brought everything.”
“Goodness, why do you need so many clothes?” Gran looked between Tara and me.
“I'm helping Sookie with a wardrobe situation.”
"Is that so?"
“We both needed a distraction,” I said quickly, not wanting to let Gran in on the plan, knowing she would only worry.
Gran raised her eyebrows, and I knew she suspected there was more than we were saying, but she didn’t press further.
“Well, I will leave you girls to it. I will be out in the garden if you need me.”
I helped Tara haul the clothes up to my room, and we started going through the selection of outfits she had brought over. It took the good part of an hour of me trying on different combinations of clothes before we settled on something both of us agreed on.
It was a bright red dress with cute cap sleeves. Low cut in the front and short, but not so short that I would feel uncomfortable about wearing it out. It was also made out of a stretchy material that hugged every curve I had. Feeling a little self-conscious, I matched it with a black cardigan from my own wardrobe. I also pulled out the pair of black pumps that had been living at the back of my closet. I had bought them on sale a few years ago, reserved for special outings and had since been worn only a handful of times.
With my outfit decided, I changed back into my casual shorts and singlet, folding the dress away in my bag to take with me to work. Turning back, I found Tara modelling a pair of tight black jeans and a deep purple sleeveless top that showed off her toned arms. The outfit was badass and sexy rolled into one, something I could never hope to pull off with my blonde hair and curves. I gave her the thumbs up in response.
After packing away all the clothes scattered around the room, we settled downstairs in the kitchen for some lunch before we were due at Merlottes for the start of our shifts.
It had been a surprise to learn that Tara had been hired to work at Merlottes, but she launched into the story of how she had gotten fired from her previous job, before bullying Sam into hiring her for the bar. I knew Sam had been struggling with tending the bar and managing his paperwork out back.
Tara also took no shit from anyone and would be able to keep any drunks in line. Dealing with her mother had unfortunately made Tara an expert in handling drunken people. I was personally glad to know I would have a friend at work, especially after the past few days.
We drove to Merlotte’s in Tara’s car, having decided to carpool so we could drive to Fangtasia afterward without having to split up. I also knew it was because she considered my little yellow car to be a piece of junk that would likely break down halfway to Shreveport. I happened to agree but would never give her the satisfaction of telling her that.
Sam was in his office when we arrived, working on what seemed like an endless supply of paperwork. He took our arrival as an excuse to take a break and stood, cracking his back with a sigh of relief.
“Hey, Sook, Tara. How are you today?” We both shrugged noncommittally. He took a few steps closer and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“You know, you don’t have to come in so soon after what happened. I would understand if you needed some time off.” He eyed me with concern, and I straightened a little under his scrutiny.
“Sam, I really do appreciate the offer, but my answer is the same as yesterday. You need the help, and I need to stay busy.” The extra money also wouldn’t hurt.
“Well… if you’re sure?”
“I am.”
“Then… well– could I get you to cover half of Dawn’s shift tomorrow?” He sounded a bit sheepish at asking.
“Sure.” I agreed, sighing internally. I would be dead on my feet tomorrow after spending the night out, but I was unable to say no to his earnest plea.
“Thank you.” Sam squeezed my shoulder before letting go. “I know it is your day off, but Arlene was only able to cover the morning. I promise I will hire a new waitress soon.”
“I understand, Sam,” I reassured before moving to stash my bag and grab my apron.
Sam turned to Tara. "You know, there’s supposed to be a uniform?" He remarked, looking over her outfit.
"Yeah, but you know that this is gonna attract way more customers." Tara turned to him, raising an eyebrow challengingly.
“Fine, I’ll allow it because you are serving behind the bar, but don’t think that means you can wear whatever you feel like. Keep it professional.”
Tara waved her hand at him as she strode out of the room. Sam watched her leave, and I smiled a little at the obvious way he watched her leave. I didn’t need to be a mind reader to know what he was thinking.
Same noticed me watching and his face flushed a bit, embarrassment at getting caught checking Tara out clear in his expression.
“Let me know if you need any advice,” I teased, glad to see Sam focusing his interest on someone other than me. Not that I didn't find him attractive, I just knew better than to try to date my boss. Not to mention how my ability would put a damper on the whole thing.
I walked out to start my shift in higher spirits than the previous day, glad for the brief moment of normalcy after the awful past few days.
My good mood didn’t last long. After the first few hours, the work started to drag. I was also periodically scanning the bar for any stray murderous thoughts, hoping I might strike gold and discover a new clue. But all it left me with was a faint headache, so I decided to save my strength for Fangtasia. I was nervous about my and Tara’s field trip to Shreveport, feeling very underprepared for what would await us. But I also couldn’t deny a certain degree of excitement at the chance to see a real vampire for the first time.
The last hour dragged the worst, every customer taking a frustratingly long time to finish and pay for their meals, so it wasn’t until past midnight that we finally got everything cleaned up and packed away.
Taking off my apron and washing my hands, I retrieved my bag and outfit from Sam's office and locked myself in the bathroom to change. I felt a little gross from a night of serving food and cleaning tables, but I didn't have time to return home for a shower, so I shimmed into Tara's red dress, liberally reapplied my deodorant before spraying myself with some fresh perfume, hoping that would conceal the smell of grease a bit. I then touched up my makeup, darkening my eyes with a smoky finish and applying red lipstick.
Taking my hair down from its ponytail, I finger-combed the kinks out until it fell down my back in soft waves. The last things to go on were the black pumps, which gave me a couple of extra inches. Stepping back, I admired my handwork and was pleasantly surprised at my reflection. The color of the dress complemented my tanned skin, and the heels made my legs look long and slender.
I smiled my first real smile that night before stuffing my uniform into my bag and exiting the bathroom to find Tara, who was leaning by the bar talking with Sam.
They turned as I approached, and both their mouths opened in surprise as they saw the full effect of my outfit.
“What has you dressed up like that, Sook?”
I shrugged, a little flustered by the attention.
"We're going to that vamp bar, Fangtasia, so Sookie can snoop ‘round for clues about the murders.” Tara spilled immediately, and I glared at her for dropping the truth so bluntly.
"What? Are you both nuts?" He said incredulously, looking back and forth between the two of us. “That is a terrible idea!”
“I have to do this, Sam, for Jason. It's the only lead I have, and I need to be out there doing something to help him. Everyone thinks he’s guilty, and this could be my own chance to get some proof that he’s not.”
“Not everyone.” Sam offered, and I smiled at his support, but he wasn’t finished speaking. “But you have to understand. Vampires are private creatures and don’t appreciate people digging into their affairs. Snooping around in their territory is dangerous, Sookie. Please reconsider.”
“I will be careful,” I said, trying not to show just how much his words had spooked me. “I know this isn’t a game, Sam. I also know that if I don’t do this, I will drive myself crazy trying to figure out how to help my brother.”
He ran a hand through his hair the way he did when he got stressed, staring between Tara and me with wide eyes. “Please, just think about what you are doing.”
“Sorry, Sam, but I am doing this,” I told him firmly.
I saw the frustration and concern in his expression before he sighed in defeat, shoulders slumping.
“I know I can’t stop you. But please, be careful.” He stressed. “And if you need help, give me a call. I don’t care what time it is. I want you both safe, you hear me?”
Touched at his words, I stepped forward to give him a hug.
“Thank you, Sam.”
“I’ll be watching her back, Merlotte, don’t you worry,” Tara said, linking our arms together when I broke away from Sam.
Sam nodded at us both, still looking concerned but resigned.
We made our way towards the back exit, and once we were out of Sam’s earshot, Tara spoke again.
“You know, I’m still going to I'm still going to maintain that this is a stupid idea.”
“I know. But I honestly think you are both overreacting! It probably won’t be that interesting. We will just stay for a few drinks, ask a couple of questions, and be home before you know it.”
Tara raised her eyebrows, looking at me like I was straight-up crazy, and I huffed a laugh, trying to not let my own apprehension show.
What's the worst that could happen?