‘What do you want?’ a voice snarled. The inner hallway was so dark, Olivia couldn’t even see who was speaking. Then he stepped up to peer out of the doorway, and she sucked in a breath of pure shock.
The man facing her was tall and deathly pale, wearing a jogging outfit stained with muck, dust and paint-splatters.
I can’t believe it, Olivia thought. Am I actually standing face-to-face with a vampire handyman?
‘Well?’ he demanded, scowling. ‘The museum is closed.’
Olivia gathered herself together and smiled winningly. ‘Is my father here?’
The man narrowed his eyes at her, obviously taking in her pale pink twin-set and sparkle-encrusted blue jeans. ‘I really doubt that your father is here. You must have the wrong building.’
‘No, I don’t!’ Olivia grabbed the edge of the door as he started to swing it closed. ‘I’m looking for Charles Vega.’
The man blinked. ‘Really?’
Olivia nodded, trying to look as honest as possible . . . because there was no way she could pretend to be a vampire in this outfit.
Her ‘honest face’ must have worked, because the man sighed and turned around. ‘Hey, Chas!’ he yelled. ‘Your daughter’s here. And she’s pink!’
Olivia had to bite her lip to hold back her giggles. It was hilarious that anyone could get away with calling her formal bio-dad ‘Chas’!
‘Olivia!’ Charles appeared at the door a moment later, beaming and elegant in a tailored black suit. ‘Forgive the mess of me,’ he said, reaching out to draw her in. ‘I’ve been hard at work on this weekend’s exhibition and my designs for what I’ll do with the South Wing as soon as it’s turned over to me.’
What mess? Olivia wondered. She looked again at her dad’s perfect outfit, free of any paint stains or plaster.
Aha. He’d pulled his tie loose from his throat. Yeah, talk about getting really messy!
Grinning, she tucked her hand into his arm and walked beside him through the long, echoing rooms of the museum. Most of the lights were turned off, and without Charles by her side, she would have stumbled more than once. Dust-sheets covered the artefacts they passed, turning them into creepy, shapeless shadows in the darkness. The ceiling rose high above them, like the vault of a dark cathedral, while their footsteps sent hollow echoes thudding through the night.
I’m walking through a dark, creepy building in the company of a vampire, Olivia thought, and I’m not scared at all. How cool is that?
She had to do a quick two-step to keep herself from walking into a dark figure covered in a dust cloth – maybe a suit of armour? Either that or a mannequin . . .
‘Hey, where are those vintage fashions you mentioned before?’ she asked.
Charles’s smile could be heard in his voice. ‘I’ll show you later, I promise – once things have calmed down here.’
‘Yeah, there does seem to be a lot of work going on right now.’ Thinking of the handyman she’d met, Olivia’s lips twitched. ‘I can’t believe anyone ever calls you “Chas”!’
‘Well . . .’ Charles coughed. ‘You have to understand, I’ve known Albert for a very long time. We were rather wild together back in New York at the turn of the twentieth century, before we both matured and settled down.’
‘Really?’ Olivia shook her head in wonder. I can’t imagine my bio-dad ever being wild!
He nodded stiffly. ‘The point is, there are certain things that certain friends can get away with, even if . . . well, ah . . . in this instance it’s an affectionate nickname. Even though it does drive me crazy!’
‘I’m not surprised.’ Olivia gave her dad’s arm an affectionate squeeze. Charles was so proper and upright, yet he still cared so much for his friends. It was part of why she loved him . . . and why she had to be brave now, no matter how uncomfortable it felt.
‘There is something I wanted to talk to you about,’ she said, as he led her under a low archway. ‘I feel kind of weird bringing it up, I know you think I’m probably too young for this stuff, but –’
‘And here we are!’ Sweeping out his arm, Charles flicked a switch on the wall. Suddenly, light illuminated the vast room spread out before them, with electric candles set all along the wall and a massive chandelier in the centre of the high, vaulted ceiling. ‘The main display room of the museum – and as you can see, none of these artefacts are hidden behind dust-sheets!’
‘Oh, wow.’ Olivia blinked as she looked around, her eyes adjusting to the sudden light . . . and the massive, sparkling collection of glass cases, paintings and sculptures that filled the room.
Charles smiled in obvious satisfaction. ‘I’ve shared a room with these artefacts since yesterday morning, but they still take my breath away every time.’
Shaking her head in wonder, Olivia leaned closer to the nearest case. ‘Is that really thirteenth-century?’
‘A fragment from a lost citadel.’ Charles beamed. ‘And did you see that Byzantine Triptych?’