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What a way to start your week. While most of Greater Detroit was sound asleep, you were stalking an enraged vampire in a strange house. So how did Mr. William Fannon go from General Motors executive to crazed vampire in the space of one weekend? Answers are lurking in this second installment of our case.

Date: December 17, 1973
Place: The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency, Detroit Office

General Motors Headquarters

The first flakes of snow begin drifting down from the sky as you join the Monday morning rush of commuters heading into the city. The backed-up traffic gives you a chance to construct a rough timeline for William Fannon's last days on earth. You conclude that if Fannon turned sometime around 2:00 a.m. this morning, then he had to have been bitten late Saturday evening.

Mr. Fannon's spacious office on the top floor of the massive General Motors building reminds you that no matter how high you fly in life, you're always only one untimely encounter away from oblivion. In order to maintain your cover, you introduce yourself to Fannon's secretary as a Detroit police officer. You tell her that Mr. Fannon has died in an accident. The shocked secretary tells you she last saw Mr. Fannon Saturday night at a downtown bar where all the management types had gathered for a coworker's retirement party.

As word of Fannon's death works its way down the chain from executives to middle managers, you notice something strange. Although Fannon's coworkers outwardly express disbelief and shock, beneath it you sense a surprising level of ambivalence. The fact is, no one seems too saddened over Mr. Fannon's untimely exit. Intrigued by this, you stick around and talk to some of Fannon's underlings. You learn that Mr. Fannon was not well-liked and was considered a bully and a skirt-chaser. You also learn that on Saturday night, Fannon showed up for the party after 8:00 p.m., without his wife. He proceeded to get drunk and make a few sloppy passes at some female executives before leaving alone after 10:00 p.m.

As you drive over to the coroner's office, one fact is clear. Fannon was bitten sometime between leaving the party and returning to his home in Grosse Pointe.

Drops of vampire blood were found in Fannon's Cadillac

You stop by the coroner's office just as the voluble Dr. Adrian Zicko is finishing up the Fannon autopsy. As a veteran agent, you long ago became hardened to the sights and smells of the coroner's office. In fact, the only thing that draws your attention is the size of the man laid out on the slab in front of you. At 6'6'', 250 pounds, William Fannon was a giant. Even with his head blown off.

This is it, you think, as you drive toward FVZA headquarters. This is why I do this. That tingle you feel up your spine, knowing that vampires are out there in your city, and knowing that you're on their trail. You realize it's the excitement of the chase that keeps you coming back to work, year after year, long after other agents have taken early retirement or asked for transfer into the FBI.

It's already noon when you arrive at the Fisher Building and park your 'Cuda in the underground garage. The FVZA offices in Detroit occupy a suite of offices on the twentieth floor of the historic building ("historic" being a catchword for bad plumbing, broken elevators and inadequate heating). As a senior agent, you have your own office, while younger agents must make do with a cubicle and a desk. As you get off the elevator, you spot the crime scene guys going through some items they just brought back from the Fannon house. They tell you that Fannon's brand new Cadillac El Dorado yielded some compelling clues. The car was banged up, with scrapes and dents to both bumpers, and a close inspection of the car's interior revealed drops of blood that were most likely of vampiric origin. The blood drops have been sent to the lab for analysis.

A vampire stalked the drunken Mr. Fannon as he left the retirement party and walked to his car. Fannon, being a large and powerful man, was able to fight the vampire off, and never noticed the small puncture wound on his arm.

After leaving the party, the amorous Mr. Fannon took a detour down one of Detroit's mean streets in search of some instant love. He unwittingly invited a vampiric hooker into his car. The hooker attacked and Mr, Fannon was able to fight her off. He either didn't notice the wound or was too embarrassed or guilt-ridden to tell anyone about it.

A vampire hid in the bushes outside Mr. Fannon's house and laid in wait for him. When he emerged from the car, the vampire pounced, but Mr. Fannon fought it off.