Free Vampire's Companion by Jory Strong

bar tending, being able to identify the alcoholics, and worse, to spot the ones relapsing.
    “I’m fine,” Cia said.
    He echoed it.
    The three of them sat. Donna perched at the edge of a chair. He and Cia side-by-side on the couch.
    Donna had prepared for their arrival. A picture of Kadence was on the coffee table. Next to it was a notepad sheet with sunshine and rainbows along the border. A name and address had been printed neatly near the top edge. Below it was written KADENCE with a cell number.
    Donna picked up the third item on the table, a page ripped out of a notebook. “She left this on her bed for me to find.”
    Cia took it, both of them reading it. I’M NOT GIVING YOU A CHANCE TO SEND ME AWAY!!! JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN’T HANDLE A DRINK OR TWO DOESN’T MEAN I CAN’T. I’M LEAVING!!!!!
    Fidgeting drew his eyes to Donna.
    “I’m a recovering alcoholic. Two years, five months, two days.”
    “You’re doing great. I’ve known hundreds of people who haven’t made it beyond the first year.”
    Some of the brittleness left her. She offered a tentative smile.
    It disappeared when Cia asked, “What caused the note?”
    Donna folded her arms across her stomach. “Kadence was at a friend’s house. Chloe’s house.”
    The name on the sunshine and rainbow piece of stationary.
    “I…I had this idea to take them out to dinner. It just occurred to me on the way home from work. I stopped by without calling first. I could smell liquor on their breaths.”
    “Were you worried she might be drinking?” Cia asked, and he gave her credit for lobbing a softball question rather than directly accusing Donna of checking up on her daughter.
    “No.” Donna dropped her gaze, directing it at her knees. “No. I just wanted to spend some time with her. It’s always been just the two of us, but… Every week it just seems she’s getting further and further away.”
    “No father in the picture?” he asked.
    “No. He was never in it. For all I know he’s dead or in jail. He was an alcoholic and a drug user, sometimes a violent one. I never told him I was pregnant.”
    Cia placed the note back on the coffee table. “What happened after you discovered Kadence had been drinking?”
    “I waited until we got home. I knew she’d never forgive me if I embarrassed her in front of Chloe. We fought. I threatened to send her to rehab.” Donna drew a shaky breath. “She stormed out but came back an hour later.”
    “Acting normal?” he asked.
    She rubbed her knees. “She gave me the silent treatment. She was still in bed when I left for work. I couldn’t take Saturday off. When I came home, she was gone.”
    “Can I check her room?” Cia asked.
    We. But Israel didn’t call her on it.
    “The police didn’t find anything. I called them after finding the note.”
    “The detective left you a card?” Cia asked.
    “Yes. I’ll get it for you.” She led them to Kadence’s room first.
    He followed Cia in. Clothes were thrown on the bed and on the floor. “Kadence went through her things and chose her favorites,” he said.
    Cia nodded and opened several dresser drawers. They were crammed with Victoria’s Secret lingerie.
    Glancing over her shoulder, he gave a soft whistle. “Unless she works there, that’s a lot of money.” He couldn’t resist asking, “You happen to shop there?”
    She averted her face, but not soon enough to hide the tinges of pink.
    So did that mean she did?
    He narrowed his eyes like an artist considering a blank canvas. With her coloring she’d look good in pale blue or light green. A smile formed at imagining her in something feminine with flowers, something in total defiance of button-down shirts and khakis that were practically an invitation to be ignored. Or maybe it was camouflage because she was a cop who never let herself go off duty.
    His smile widened into a grin. Yeah, the prickly ones could definitely be more interesting, and she was getting more so by the minute.
    What would it be