Read an Excerpt
Tainted Blood
By Mary Ann Mitchell
Dorchester Publishing
Copyright © 2003
Mary Ann MitchellAll right reserved.
ISBN: 0-8439-5091-9
Chapter One
The Hugheses were dead and resided in a contemporary
four-bedroom house with hardwood floors and granite-top
kitchen counters. The yard overflowed with wisteria, which
covered the wooden gazebo and made it unusable. They had no
pets, unless one counted the large number of spiders that
decorated the ceilings and walls throughout most of the house.
Mother and Father Hughes were attractive centenaries who
looked not more than thirty-five. Father worked as a traveling
salesman, selling Relaxa Vibrators door-to-door. Mother
hungered for the eighteenth century and whenever possible wore
costumes. She did not wear them as often as she would have
liked, since Roger, their eldest child, was very modern, even
though he had been born in 1900. Eight-year-old Vanessa was
four years younger than her brother and hated having to remain
a child. Chuckie, the toddler, cooed and smiled in public but
used the harshest of language within the family.
Given his family situation, Mr. Hughes was happy to travel
frequently. He volunteered for assignments in the most obscure
parts of the world. Drifters and prostitutes frequently slaked
his thirst. His family, on the other hand, were careful where
they fed. Mostly they drank animal blood. Pets never lasted
more than a day in their house.Roger complained about this
and tried to hide his dogs in his room under his bed. But, of
course, the dogs would whimper and bark, attracting first
Chuckie, then the rest of the family.
The children were intelligent and street-smart enough to live
on their own, except there was no place for them in society.
Social workers, policemen, medical personnel, and do-gooders
believed the children needed protection. So this tightly knit
family was stuck together.
"Chris' sake, what the hell happened to the remote control?"
"Third bookshelf in the living room," answered his mother from
the kitchen.
"And how the hell am I supposed to reach up there?" complained
Chuckie.
"Use the footstool."
"I can tell you what to do with that footstool." Chuckie's
plump little legs marched across the room to retrieve the
footstool. He hadn't gotten far when he heard the loud thunk
the lid of his sister's coffin had made.
"Someone woke in a good mood," he yelled.
"I hate waking everyday to dimples and curls." Vanessa stepped
into the living room wearing her footed pajamas. "Look what I
had to wear. Mom hasn't even come close to washing my Victoria
Secret lingerie."
"The stuff hangs on you anyway." Chuckie dragged the footstool
to the bookcase.
"My dear, you know where the dirty laundry is, why don't you
walk it down to the Laundromat?"
Hearing her mother's words, Vanessa made a goofy face at
Chuckie. He giggled and stepped up on the stool.
Vanessa squatted down on the floor and pushed the power button
on the television. The screen lit up in a rainbow of colors
that flowed into a rushing train. Since the sound had been
turned down, she couldn't tell what was being advertised. All
of a sudden an engine whistle screamed out from the speakers.
Chuckie didn't turn it down until his sister jumped up and
tore out of the room. An angelic smile turned up his baby
lips.
"Oh God, no!" Mother rushed into the living room carrying a
pink, perfumed envelope and stationery. "She's coming to
visit."
"Aunt Marie?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Uncle Louis isn't coming with her, I hope."
"From the sounds of this letter, I think she's on the run from
Louis."
"Figures." Chuckie surfed the stations.
"Your father's not going to like this."
"He'll find some excuse to get out of the house."
"Not this time." Mrs. Hughes was tired of entertaining her
husband's relatives every time they came through town. She was
determined to have him by her side every day that Marie
resided in their house.
Roger lumbered into the room carrying his roller blades.
"Your Aunt Marie is coming for a visit."
"That's cool, Mom."
"What?"
"Isn't she the old bag with all the sex paraphernalia?"
"She's your father's cousin. Second or third."
"Doesn't matter. The lady knows how to get down and dirty."
"Mom already knows that. That's why Mom's so upset. The last
time Marie was here Dad ..."
"Chuckie, that's enough. She may be more reserved now."
"Yeah, like maybe she's now doing church work."
"The Church of the Spread-leg Evangelists." Chuckie completed
his brother's remark.
Mrs. Hughes listened to Chuckie's babyish giggle, and her
stomach churned. He'd never grow in size, but he certainly
gained in knowledge every day. It just didn't seem right.
Sometimes she wished she could diaper him and protect him from
all the lurid things of the world.
"Get your ass out of the way of the TV screen. You're not
invisible, Roger."
Sometimes Mrs. Hughes wished she could move and not tell her
family.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Tainted Blood
by Mary Ann Mitchell
Copyright © 2003 by Mary Ann Mitchell.
Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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