Denise Rattray

"Denise was in fine form tonight, I noticed, wearing a halter top and short shorts, her mess of brown hair floofing around her head in fashionable tangles. Denise wasn't truly pretty, but she was so flashy and confident that it took awhile to figure that out."

- Sookie Stackhouse

Denise Rattray is a character featured on the HBO television series True Blood. She was based on a character introduced in the novel Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. Played by actress Karina Logue in the series, she was introduced in the pilot episode and was partially responsible for bringing together the two lead characters of the series.

Biography
Denise Rattray and her husband Mack were what many would consider "trailer trash" and were collectively referred to as "The Rat Couple", or just "The Rats". They lived in a trailer at Four Tracks Corner in the town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, and made their living selling drugs. Their most profitable drug of choice was "V", which was blood taken from a vampire and sold on the open market as a narcotic. Both Denise and Mack had served jail time for illegal distribution of v-juice.

In 2008, Denise and Mack stopped at Merlotte's Bar and Grill. Denise never cared for their server, a waitress named Sookie Stackhouse, whom Denise believed was "retarded". Unbeknownst to the Rats, Sookie could hear her thoughts via telepathy. During their visit, Denise and Mack met a vampire named Bill Compton. They immediately tried to warm up to him, even though Bill showed little interest in becoming friendly with them. Denise pretended to empathize with Bill, stating that like him, she was persecuted and didn't meet the standards of modern society. What exactly Denise meant by this is unclear, but it did little to endear Compton to either of them.

Denise and Mack Rattray lured Bill Compton outside where Denise incapacitated Bill with a silver chain and prepared to drain his blood. Sookie Stackhouse, having telepathically heard Denise's violent intent against Bill, came out to help him. After subduing Mack, Sookie scooped up his switchblade and forced Denise to back off. The Rattrays recoiled and went to their car. Moments later, they tried to run Sookie and Bill down, but Sookie managed to pull the weakened vampire out of harm's way.

Late the following evening, the Rats returned to Merlotte's to get their revenge against Sookie. They waited for her to get off of work and ambushed her in the parking lot. Denise and Mack kicked Sookie repeatedly on the ground, nearly killing her. Bill Compton appeared and used his vampire strength to send both of them crashing into the trees. The impact killed Denise instantly, and Mack was likewise killed. Bill later took their bodies back to their home and destroyed their trailer, making it appear as if the Rats were killed in a freak tornado. Compton later admitted to feeding on the Rattrays to replenish the blood they had taken from him.

Notes & Trivia

 * Denise Rattray was clearly the dominant member of the family, despite Mack's gruff exterior.


 * Two years prior to her death, Denise had a child and abandoned it. It is believed that the father was someone other than her husband.

Appearances

 * Dead Until Dark
 * True Blood: Strange Love
 * True Blood: The First Taste