Savannah Returns (PG-13) Chapter 2

[MickLifeCrisis]

Disclaimer: I do not own Moonlight or any of its characters.
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Mick, Beth, Josef and my OCs Kylie Jenkins and Savannah.


Chapter 2

Mick tried to keep busy at his desk waiting for Beth to arrive. He couldn’t imagine what had happened. He heard the elevator ding and walked towards the door, smiling as he picked up Beth’s scent, Kylie’s scent and – someone else. He closed his eyes and inhaled. Savannah? Here in LA? With Beth and Kylie? Mick held open the door.

“Surprise,” Beth said matter-of-factly as she led the way into the loft with Savannah and Kylie behind her. Savannah smiled meekly at Mick as she walked past him. He shut the door and turned to look at the three women with his hands on his hips.

“Would someone like to tell me what’s going on?” He addressed all of them, but looked at Beth.

“Let’s sit down first,” Beth said as she made her way into the living room. The others followed and they all sat down. “Savannah’s keeper, Jason…?” she looked at Savannah.

“Benton.”

“Benton,” Beth went on, “has disappeared. She thinks he was kidnapped and that vampires were involved.” Mick raised one eyebrow and looked at Savannah, then returned his attention to Beth. “There was evidence of a struggle and all the blood hidden in the kitchen was gone.”

“Tell him about the money,” Kylie urged.

“They stole money, too?” Mick asked.

Savannah shook her head. “No, that’s not it. A few weeks ago Jason showed me where some money and an alternate ID where hidden and told me that if anything ever happened to him to use them and fly to Los Angeles immediately.”

Mick stood and got a notebook and a pen. He sat back down and faced Savannah. “You need to tell me everything that happened. Every detail you can remember, even if it seems insignificant.” Savannah nodded. “Let’s start back when Jason told you about the hidden money. Did anything odd happen just before then that would make him think he was in danger?”

Savannah looked off in the distance, lost in thought. Then she shook her head. “I don’t think so. He did get a large envelope in the mail that seemed to upset him. But he didn’t share with me what was in it. And after a day or so he seemed fine.”

“And how soon after he got that envelope did he show you the hidden money?” Mick asked.

“Hmm, about a week later.”

“And what did he say when he showed it to you?”

“He said if anything ever happened to him I was to use what was in the box to get back to LA. I was worried when he first brought it up. But he reassured me he was just being cautious and that vampires as old as him always have to be careful. I’d heard that Mr. Kostan is the same way, so I believed him. Oh! That was the other thing he told me.”

“What?”

“He said if something happened to him under suspicious circumstances, I was to go to Josef for help when I got to LA.” She looked around the room. “But since he banished me from ever stepping foot inside LA again, I certainly wasn’t going to go running to him. So I went to find Kylie and Beth.” She smiled at them. “Beth was so nice to me when…I mean… before. I hoped she would help me this time.”

Beth smiled back at her. “Of course we’ll help you. Right, Mick?”

“I’ll certainly do my best. But we may have to inform Josef at some point, you know.”

Savannah hung her head. “I understand.” After a moment she looked up at him. “Do you think whatever was in that envelope caused Jason to be kidnapped?”

“I don’t know, but it seems likely,” Mick answered. “How big was it? Was it very thick?”

“No, it was just a plain manila envelope, the kind that would hold regular paper. It wasn’t thick at all. But it was stiff, like it had cardboard in it. That’s all I noticed about it.”

“What about the return address?” Beth asked. “Or a postmark?”

“I don’t remember a return address, but I’m not really sure. And I have no idea where the postmark was from. I didn’t have any reason to suspect anything. I just sorted the mail and took it to him. Sorry.”

“That’s okay, Savannah,” Mick said. “So did anything else out of the ordinary happen after Jason showed you the hidden money and before the kidnapping? Another envelope? Strange phone calls? Odd behavior from Jason?”

Savannah shook her head. “No, nothing odd at all. I always take in all the mail; there weren’t any other manila envelopes. I answer the phone and if someone asks to be put through to Jason, I ask what it’s about. It’s our slow season, so there weren’t many calls. I don’t remember anyone I didn’t know asking to speak to Jason.”

“What about people you did know?” asked Beth.

“Only the local blood distributor. Oh, and the neighbor. Both of them I know and cannot believe would be behind this.”

Mick nodded. “Now tell me what happened when you discovered Jason was missing. Every step.”

Savannah sighed. “I had been out shopping. I came home, parked in back of the inn where I always park, went in the back door like I always do. I expected Jason to be in his office and I headed straight for it, calling out his name so I could show him my purchases. When I entered his office…” Savannah’s voice caught in her throat. Kylie reached over and held her hand, giving it a slight squeeze. Savannah looked at her gratefully and took a breath to continue. “When I entered, I saw the entire office was a wreck, like there had been a big fight. Everything was broken, even his big oak desk. He loved that desk.”

“Go on. Then what did you do?”

“I screamed his name a few times. I ran through the main rooms on the lower floor. In the kitchen I found all of the cupboard doors open like it had been ransacked. The hidden fridge was still standing open and all the blood we keep in there was gone.”

Mick was scribbling in his notebook. “And then?”

Savannah shrugged. “Then I checked the guest rooms; they hadn’t been touched. I decided Jason was gone and I was alone. So I got out the hidden lock box, took some money and a credit card, packed my bags – and here I am.”

“Did you touch anything or clean anything up?”

Savannah shook her head. “I dropped my packages in the office and didn’t touch anything except in my own room. Oh, and the door of the hidden fridge. I shut it.”

Mick nodded and closed his book. “Okay, that’s enough until we get up there and check it out ourselves.”

“You’re going to go to Houghton?” Savannah asked, looking between Mick and Beth.

“Yes, we’ll need to see the scene, look for clues and see if we can figure out what happened,” Mick answered. “We’ll need you to come with us,” he added.

Savannah nodded. “Of course. And you can stay at the inn. The guest rooms weren’t touched at all.”

“If Savannah is going, then I am too!” Kylie announced matter-of-factly.

“Oh, Kylie,” Savannah turned to her friend. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. It might be dangerous and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m going.”

“But what about Josef? You’ll need to get time off; what will you tell him?”

The room fell silent. Kylie looked between Mick and Beth with pleading eyes. Then Beth turned her eyes to Mick as well. Mick sighed.

“Alright, alright. I’ll go see Josef tonight and explain it to him.” All three women smiled.

Beth stood up. “You girls come with me. You’re sleeping at my place.” They stood up and Savannah grabbed her bags.

“Oh, Mick?” He looked at Kylie. “When you get to Josef’s, would you please ask Taylor to pack some clothes for me?”

Mick smiled. “Sure, Kylie. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”


MLMLMLML


“Mick, my man!” Josef said in greeting from behind his bar as Mick was shown into his pool room. “You’re just in time to join me for a drink.” He pulled another glass out from under the bar and proceeded to pour a generous amount of scotch into each one as he continued speaking. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? It wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with my AWOL freshie, would it?” he asked good-naturedly as he used a dropper to add some blood to the glasses. “Kylie should have been back way before now.” He swirled the glasses to mix them and handed one to Mick, now seated at the bar. Josef carried his over to the pool table.

“Thanks, Josef,” Mick said as he took a sip. “I came by to tell you that Kylie is spending the night at Beth’s house.”

Josef started gathering the pool balls into the rack. “Thanks for letting me know,” Josef said. “But any one of you could have simply called to tell me that.” He lifted the rack carefully from the balls and grabbed his pool cue, looking at Mick as he chalked the tip. “So I’ll ask again, what are you here for?” He walked to the opposite end of the table and started lining up his break shot.

Mick sighed. “Kylie isn’t the only one sleeping over at Beth’s. Savannah is with them, too.”

The resounding crack of the white cue ball hitting the neat triangle of stripes and solids sent them scattering with incredible force across the entire table, with several disappearing into the pockets. One by one Josef methodically knocked the remaining balls into the pockets, punctuating his sentences. “Savannah is persona non grata.” Crack. “What the hell is Beth thinking, taking her in?” Crack. “What the hell were you thinking, allowing it?” Crack. “Why is Kylie anywhere near her?” Crack. “And what the hell is Savannah doing coming back to LA in the first place? Jason should have known better than to allow it.” Crack, crack, crack. Josef straightened up and stared at Mick, waiting for answers.

“That’s the problem; Jason has disappeared. It looks like he’s been kidnapped. And the evidence suggests vampires are involved.”

Josef looked even more displeased than before. Jabbing his pool cue he sent the last few balls into the pockets. He threw his stick on the table, grabbed his drink and downed it in one swallow. “Well that’s just great,” he said sarcastically, taking a seat next to Mick. “Now tell me everything you know.”

Mick recounted Savannah’s tale. “So tomorrow Beth and I will fly to Michigan with Savannah and investigate Jason’s disappearance.”

“Take my jet. If you have to switch to something smaller in Chicago, I’ll have it arranged. And I’ll have a car waiting for you at the Houghton County Memorial Airport.”

“Thanks. One other thing,” Mick added as he finished his drink. “Kylie is insisting on coming with us.”

“Damn. I figured as much when you said they were both sleeping over at Beth’s.” Josef stood and started gathering the pool balls into the rack again. “Do you trust Savannah? Especially around Kylie?”

“I do. She seems to have matured a lot. Beth told me Savannah apologized to Kylie first thing. And you know Kylie forgave her a long time ago.”

Josef nodded. “Yeah, I know. Okay, Kylie can go with you. Promise me you’ll keep an eye on her?”

“Of course. I won’t let anything happen to her. Or to Savannah.” Josef gave Mick a curt nod in acknowledgement. Mick stood up. “Kylie asked if Taylor could pack a bag for her.”

“Sure thing.” Josef called Taylor with the request. “She’ll meet you in the front hallway,” he said as he pocketed his phone. He lifted the rack and reached for his stick.

“Thanks,” Mick said as he stood. “We’ll keep you posted.”

“You do that,” Josef replied. Mick heard the forceful crack of the breaking shot as he left the room.


To be continued...

[nutmegger911]

Liking the mystery and looking forward to the adventure. Nice to see Savannah's grown up a bit. I'm looking forward to their continued adventure.

[librarian_7]

I do like the way this is developing. Mick's such a good interviewer.

[allegrita]

Mick is wonderful at carefully asking just the right questions to help a person recall the important facts of a case. And then he can summarize all that info into sound bites for Josef. I'm glad he's told Josef what's going on. It will be a lot better for Savannah if they keep everything on the up-and-up, at least as much as possible. Besides, if Jason has been kidnapped, Josef should know about it, so he can make inquiries if he deems that necessary. Mick and Josef are a great team, too. Almost as good as Mick and Beth.

I look forward to what they discover when they get to Michigan!

[MickLifeCrisis]

Thank you, NM, Lucky and Alle! I'm glad you like it so far. Yes, I think keeping Josef in the loop is a good idea. You never know when he might be useful.

[librarian_7]

Besides, NOT telling him could have...consequences.

[MickLifeCrisis]

Besides, NOT telling him could have...consequences.

[cassysj]

Josef definitely needed to be given a heads up. Fascinating.