As we entered the kitchen, I could smell fresh coffee. A dark-haired girl and a blond girl were sipping from steaming mugs at the table in the middle of the massive kitchen. Granite countertops gleamed surrounding the flat top grill, triple stainless steel sink, and set of ten stove burners. Double ovens with brushed stainless-steel fronts. The cabinet fronts and the sides of the kitchen island were made of creamy white marble. The granite top of the island had a variety of bagels and croissants, lox, and cream cheese on the eight-foot by four-foot surface.

When the blonde waved, Rachel spoke up again, “The one being sociable is Giselle. The brooding one is Nannette.” When she named the blonde, she did a delicate wave at me while the other raised a middle finger on each hand at her.

Giselle turned to look at me and spoke in a flowing French accent, “So you are the detective? I hear Sally is ‘thrilled’ to work with you.”

Nannette spoke in a whiskey-tinged contralto straight out of West Virginia, “You better be slicker than deer guts on a doorknob to keep that brat on task and off of your neck!” At that, both girls gracefully stood. They looked to be in their mid-twenties. Giselle left with a friendly wave as Nannette began whistling Taps as they walked out into the hall. It struck me that I could not hear them as they left.

“Ignore the drama. Ladies love drama, and ones that are a hundred years old love it more…”

“They’re that old?”

“Oh, yes. Giselle was turned in Paris in 1920. Nannette was turned in 1918.

“Giselle killed many Nazis during World War II. The way she tells it, she was drinking at least one a night for the duration of the war.

“Nannette has some fun stories about how many Pinkertons and mine managers she ‘removed’ from ‘God’s green earth’ as she likes to put it.”

“I see, so dyed-in-the-wool killers? Nice to be flipped off and told to be careful by a centenarian with that much blood on her hands…”

“They are just a bit jaded… Iris freed them from masters who used them badly. Both of them were turned young. So she might as well be their mother. The older kids of the family are worrying about what Mom's getting older will mean for them. They, and the others, are dismissive of the ‘baby sister’ of their little analog of a family. The other three will be returning from a hunt in a few days, but you will probably be off working with Sally before then.

“Speak of the devil and she appears!” Sally shouted as she entered just then.

She was changed out to biker leathers. The kneepads had plates of steel riveted onto them. Her black boots had polished metal toes and heels. The heavy jacket had built-in pads as well. She looked ready to take out a biker gang single-handedly. She did a spin in front of us. “Not a bad outfit! You look like a badass, Sally!” Rachel responded.

“That is because I am a badass! But thanks for noticing! Those old hags have no appreciation for style. Even the old man here can see how cool I am!” This last statement was delivered with a nod to me.

“Sure, wait long enough and everything comes back in style…” I teased.

“Hey! Old man, I’ll have you know this is the best 1980s style!” Sally protested with a teasing sneer.

“How can you act so young and be older than I am?” I asked.

“Just because I was born in the 1960s does not mean you can make remarks about a girl’s age!” she shouted in rage.

At this point, Rachel could not hold back her laughter. She managed to wheeze out, “Stop! You’re killing me!” between giggles.

From the doorway, I heard a voice I was not expecting. “I see you have some bonding going on with your partner…” came Iris’s voice.

We all turned to her with guilty looks. “We just had a moment about the odd differences in our ages. I still feel older than Sally, but I just realized she actually may be much older than I am…”

Sally loses the smile she was originally sporting. A subtle frown creased her face. Her eyebrows mildly knitted. Rachel had her reply ready right off the bat. “Like most men, he put his foot firmly in his mouth when age came up.” Her smile was still bright. I could tell that she was enjoying teasing both of us in front of Iris.

“Well, as much as I hate to interrupt a bonding moment, Rachel, I need you to work on something for me. Sally, James, I have made an appointment for James to meet ‘The Eldest’ at ‘The Shack’ two nights from now. Sally, you will escort him to the meeting and wait at a separate table.” Iris declared. It was clear that this was an order that was set in stone.

“Why should I be at another table?”

“He requested it. He also stated that your partner will be safe from the other patrons.”

I was a little curious. “What sort of place is ‘The Shack’? I’ve never heard of it. Is it a special club?”

“Something like that. It’s a kind of watering hole that is neutral territory for the leaders of vampire society. We don’t have many gatherings, and The Shack is what we use between gatherings. The Eldest runs it and sits there most nights watching TV and keeping the peace. Nobody dares to cross him. Anyone who has died terribly.” Irish shared with a serious look in her eyes.

“Just don’t piss off his cat!” added Sally.

I looked at her. I was baffled by this last statement. “What, does he keep a tiger?” I asked.

“Worse. It looks like a regular housecat, but it has wiped out hundreds of vampires. It’s old too. It has been around for at least a century. I’ve never heard of a vampire surviving even its bite or scratch,” Sally added.

“That is very true. That little beast has scared generations of our people. He also comes and goes without a trace. He has some secret way of getting wherever he wants to, no matter what you do. He has even shown up here on occasion. I think he may be The Eldest’s way of gathering information about us and the others.” I could tell that Iris found this detail disturbing.

“Should I be worried? What if this thing dislikes me?” I asked. If something scared creatures that hunted and killed people just for survival, what kind of danger would it pose to a mere human?

Iris smiled an enigmatic smile before responding. “He does not attack humans. Nor is he dangerous to you in the same way, even if he becomes angry. His claws and teeth have a high concentration of silver. Once that gets into our blood, it burns us up from the inside. A bite or scratch to the hand will kill one of us unless they cut off their own hand before it can spread. Its saliva also seems to carry the same kind of effect. I have even seen vampires badly burned just by touching their fur.”

“So, I am supposed to avoid pissing off the murder-fluff that destroys undead killers at will with a hairball, but not be worried? This is getting too strange.” I said, shaking my head in confusion.

Sally slowly cracks a smile, Rachel is about to fall over from her laughter, and Iris smirks at me. “I would not put it quite that way, but, yes. The ‘murder-fluff’, as you put it, would only attack a vampire. If you anger it, Sally might pay the price for your transgressions.”

“Don’t worry, If I see that happening, I am out of there in a blink!” Sally said with a chuckle.