Chapter Twelve

Using the keys Maedbh had provided, Oengus let himself back into her apartment. He set out a bowl of milk for Venus, put some Muesli on the windowsill for Puca Beag and went and put on the kettle.

Nina observed in silence and sat on the couch and waited until Oengus came out of the kitchen area with two steaming cups of black coffee in one hand, milk in a jug in the other and a packet of biscuits under his arm.

“We need a charger for the iPad,” she said indicating to the machine on her knee. Oengus put the refreshments on the table and looked at Venus.

Venus meowed a response and Oengus said “O.K.” He went to a bureau and opened a drawer. And said “Thanks Venus,” as he took out a charger.

Without speaking Nina took the charger and plugged in the iPad to a wall socket.

“Sugar?” she asked, returning to the coffee and helping herself to milk.

Venus shook her head.

“Sorry, we have no sugar,” Oengus said.

The conversation was interrupted by a persistent tapping on the window. Oengus went and let Puca Beag in.

“You live here alone?” Nina asked.

“No, there’s myself, Puca Beag, Venus the cat and a red-haired girl called Maedbh.”

Nina frowned, she knew there had to be a catch.

“Maedbh, is that Irish?” she asked.

“Yes Nina. She’s a student at New York University.”

“Pretty?”

“I suppose so, but beautiful would be more accurate.”

“Right,” Nina said doubtfully.

Puca Beag came and perched on the coffee table near the biscuits.

With a sigh Oengus gave him one.

“They followed you to this place,” Puca cooed as he pecked the biscuit.

“Who?” Oengus asked.

“Who?” Venus meowed.

“What’s going on here?” Nina asked, confused by the exchange.

“The pigeon thinks someone followed us here,” Oengus stated. Nina stared but held her silence.

“I have no enemies,” Oengus advised Venus.

“That you know of,” Venus responded with a cynical cat laugh.

“They were in a car,” Puca Beag said confidently. “They stopped after you went in. Then they saw you open the window of the apartment and they pulled away. It’s parked outside, just a bit up the street.”

“Finish your biscuit and go outside and keep watch and advise of developments,” Venus instructed.

Beag did not like the look in her eye so he took the biscuit in his beak and flew back out of the room and up on to the roof where he could eat in peace and observe the proceedings.

“Don’t get too friendly with that girl,” Venus advised, referring to Nina.

“What?” Nina asked, confused that the meow might somehow be directed at her.

“Keep your enemies close,” Venus added. “But Oengus I don’t trust this casual acquaintance.”

Leanan and the Greyman sat in the car on the street where they could see Maedbh’s apartment. It was getting dark and there was no action.

“Phone it in,” Leanan instructed.

“Wait,” the Greyman said.

A beautiful redhead was approaching and taking out keys. They watched as she went into the basement.

“Another for the nest?” Leanan commented.

Oengus had begun by probing Nina’s background. Apparently her mother was a nurse.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Oengus asked.

Venus gave a disgusted meow and shook her head.

“His name is Hugo,” Nina said, surprised at herself for saying the truth. “But it’s not serious,” she added with a smile, still wondering what impulse had made her be so open. Perhaps it was the fact that Oengus had taken her hand and was listening to every word with great interest and respect.

“How not serious?”

“You’ve met him. His name is Hugo. I am a member of his gang. He plays around because he is gang leader,” she explained, her brown eyes serious as she held his gaze, mesmerized by the ever-changing shades of green in Oengus’s eyes. They seemed to reflect his emotions but strangely she felt comfortable and at ease, notwithstanding his propensity to talk to cats and pigeons.

“Are we friends?” Oengus asked.

Nina smiled. “If you want to be my boyfriend you can kiss me,” she offered.

“What about Hugo?’ Oengus asked.

Nina shrugged and gave a wry smile. Hugo might expect her to press him further. As far as she was concerned she had gone far enough and it was up to Oengus to make the next move.

Oengus didn’t know what was expected of him. Did she really ask him if he wanted to be her boyfriend? Wasn’t she also Hugo’s girl? Nervously Oengus pressed the button on the iPad and the screen lit up. He looked at it in surprise for a moment.

“Venus do we have Wi-Fi in this apartment?” he asked.

“The access code is in type on the bottom of the modem which is on the top of the bureau,” Venus replied.

Nina stared. “Did you and the cat just talk to each other?” she demanded, unnerved by the long meow.

“She said the access code is on the bottom of the modem,” Oengus explained.

“You’re weird,” Nina exclaimed.

She reached over, unplugged the iPad, took it from Oengus and with a frown at Venus she went to the bureau and signed in using the Wi-Fi access code.

“Here,” she said, sitting again, plugging back the iPhone and pushing it back into Oengus’s hands.

Venus came and put her head on Nina’s lap. Nina toyed with the idea of breaking Venus’s neck with a quick sharp twist but when Venus gave a friendly purr she contented herself with tweaking Venus’s ears.

There was a red number one on the email icon and Oengus touched the screen.

“From Uncle John,” he said as the Email screen opened. He held the screen so Nina and incidentally Venus could see the message.

It read ‘go to Grand Central Station. Go to the food hall. I’ll find you. Be there from nine a.m.’

“Nine a.m?” Nina groaned.

“You may have to wait all day. I suggest you have breakfast there,” Venus meowed as Nina pulled her ears.

They were interrupted by the sound of the door locks being opened from outside.

“Ooops,” Venus meowed and jumped off the couch and back to her basket. She knew Maedbh would not approve if she found her stretched out on the couch.

Maedbh smiled as she entered, a smile that wavered for a moment as she saw Nina sitting next to Oengus on the couch.

“Hi,” she said.

“This is Nina,” Oengus introduced.

“Hi,” Maedbh said warily but with a further quizzical look.

“Nina lives in the same block as Uncle John. She helped me access the apartment,” Oengus explained.

“Oh?” Maedbh said, putting her books on the bureau. Then she went and fussed over Venus, stroking her fur.

“I suspect Nina is the enemy,” Venus meowed.

Oengus heard this and opened his mouth and closed it.

“Nice pussy,” Maedbh said, stroking Venus.

“Tell Oengus to get her to stay. He needs to see his uncle from early tomorrow. He should keep enemies close.”

“What?” Oengus asked, confused.

“I’m cooking spaghetti for dinner. It won’t take long. Nina do stay for dinner?” Maedbh asked.

“My mother will be wondering what I’m doing,” Nina said.

“Phone her,” Maedbh replied and disappeared into the kitchen.

“That cat meows a lot,” Nina remarked.

“Nina would you be able to take Oengus to Grand Central Station tomorrow?” Maedbh asked, sticking her head back around the door.

“At six in the morning?” Nina said, sounding like she was saying no.

“Nina why not ask your mother if you can stay the night. That way you and I can make an early start and go find my Uncle John at Grand central Station,” Oengus suggested.

Nina gave him a long look. “Where would I sleep?” she asked.

“I sleep on the couch but if we put the cushions on the floor you can have the couch,” Oengus offered.

“I’ll ring my mother,” Nina said, taking out her cell phone.

With a shrug Venus went to the kitchen to update Maedbh.

But Maedbh wasn’t in the kitchen so she tried the bedroom. She was surprised to find Maedbh spoon-feeding Puca Beag with muesli.

When Venus arrived she emptied the bowl onto the outside of the windowsill. Puca Beag sighed, knowing it was pigeon time.

“Puca Beag reports that some parties following Oengus home,” Maedbh explained.

“Outside Beag and keep watch,” Venus instructed.

Puca Beag was conflicted as he pecked away at the Muesli. He felt unhappy, it was so much warmer inside at night. But he had his duty to do. With a flap of wings he headed to a corner of the roof that gave a good view of the street whilst not being too draughty.

Maedbh changed into her house clothes while Venus filled her in on Oengus’s day

“And she’ll stay the night?” Maedbh checked.

“Getting clearance from her mother.”

“Right.”

“Hi Mom,” Nina said in a cheerful voice.

“What?” Hugo replied.

“I’m staying the night with a friend. We have to be at Grand Central Station tomorrow from nine a.m.”

“I hate early mornings,” Hugo said.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow Mom,” Nina replied.

“Hmmp,” Hugo said and hung up. Then he dialed Morag at Live Corp.

“Fine, you be there early,” Morag instructed.

“We can pull out,” Leanan said as she hung up from Morag’s call.

The Greyman raised an eyebrow, seeking further information.

“Dearg Due has arrived somewhere near and will take over, we can get back to our day jobs. You’ll be just in time for the night shift at MacDonald’s,” Leanan said with a smile.

“Never a dull moment,” the Greyman said with a grin.

Puca Beag watched as the black limousine pulled away. He did a quick fly by and surmised that there was no immediate danger. Then he had a cheerful idea. If he reported back they might let him indoors for the night. The top of the wardrobe was better than the top of the roof.

Dearg Due watched as a pigeon swooped down and tapped at the apartment window and then be admitted. Then the window was closed.

She was content that darkness was closing in. She wasn’t particularly hungry. She hardly needed more than one good meal a month and the large fireman had been a filler-upper. Daylight didn’t hurt her skin. That only happened to fictional vampire, but she preferred to operate in the dark. It gave her a sense of warmth and security lacking in bright daylight.

She settled in for the night. Being able to transform to a bat was useful as she could hang about with ease.

It was past midnight and into early morning when Nina awoke to the sound of a tip-tap on the window. She sat up and remembered that she was on a couch in the same room as Oengus.

Oengus was fast asleep on the floor beside the couch. She heard the tip tap again. She wondered had Hugo climbed up to the window. She checked out the room.

The pigeon was asleep on top of the wardrobe and the cat was in her basket.

Tip tap again at the window. Nina slipped off the couch being careful not to awaken Oengus.

When Nina got to the window she swallowed a gasp of surprise. There was a beautiful red-haired woman on the fire escape, framing the window and smiling at her.

The red haired woman, Dearg Due, mimed a signal to Nina to open the window all the while smiling a warm smile.

“You have to invite me in,” Dearg Due said making gestures to convey her meaning. She made eye contact with Nina and smiled.

Nina understood and began to lift the window catch. Then she stopped. She remembered the blood-drained fireman in her block. And she remembered the vampire movies.

She had to invite her in. But as she looked into the red-haired woman’s eyes she began to unfasten the window catch.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Venus said, hopping onto the windowsill.

Nina stared in shock. The cat seemed to have spoken, albeit in a very strange accent.

Dearg Due made a face at the cat. She had being hoping for a sneaky snack. But somehow the cat had broken the spell.

In a swift fluid movement she changed into a bat and flew away. Of course nice fresh young blood was best but she wasn’t really hungry, just in the mood for a snack after the cold night air on the roof.

Nina screamed in terror at the sight of the bat. Puca woke with a start and fell off the wardrobe, turning into a naked ugly little man as he hit the floor.

Oengus sat up in alarm.

At the sight of Puca Beag Nina screamed again and ran into Maedbh’s room.

Startled to be awakened Maedbh threw a ‘freeze’ spell but missed and hit the door. Nina froze on the spot anyway, startled at the flash of something thrown from Maedbh’s hands.

“Sorry,” Maedbh said, “I’m still an apprentice. That spells is straightforward, easy even, but sometimes I’m a bit directionally challenged.”

Oengus came behind Nina and took her in his arms.

“There, there,” he said as Nina sobbed her distress into his chest.