by Hannah Jayne
My heart did a little pitter-patter and my stomach fluttered. Alex? I didn’t want to see him, didn’t want to want to see him. When Will poked his head in, I was surprised that the pitter-patter didn’t stop—and neither did the anxious flutter.
“What are you doing here?”
“Wanted to stop in and check on you. And I brought you these.”
I felt my eyes widen, and felt a tiny prick in the back of my throat. “They’re beautiful.”
“Some are almond, some are plain. Those are dark chocolate.” Will handed me the bouquet of Hershey bars, and my libido and stomach perked up. “Thank you.” I bit my bottom lip. “Hey, I really appreciate your concern, Will, but I don’t need someone looking after me.”
Will sat down, kicking both feet up on my desk. “That might indeed be the case, but some nutter is out there stabbing perfectly good birds in the heart. Who’s to say he won’t come after me next? Safety in numbers, you know? And I can run faster than you.”
“My hero.” I rolled my eyes.
“So ...” Will clapped his hands, looked around. “This is the Underworld Detection Agency.”
I nodded. “It is.”
Will fingered the Post-it notes lined up on my desk, and scanned my bookshelves filled with old college textbooks. “Not all that mystical, is it?”
I shrugged. “What we do isn’t all that mystical.”
We stared at each other for an awkward beat. “So you’re doing okay, after last night? I didn’t want to leave you, but once you started snoring ...”
I felt my cheeks redden. “Oh, thanks for the blanket, by the way.”
“Did you talk to the head vamp about the whole ...” Will made a staking motion with his left hand.
“He didn’t seem all that concerned, but I am. I need to look into this.”
“How about we do it over lunch?”
I cocked my head. “We?”
“I’m not working this week, and there’s nothing good on telly.”
“Let me just buzz Kale and have her bring over the files.”
“Files?” Vlad, in all his Count Chocula glory, poked his head in my office.
“Sophie and I are doing some crime fighting.”
Vlad’s eyebrows went up. “Crime fighting?”
“We’re just looking into some of the incidents that have happened around here. Mrs. Henderson, Bettina ...”
Vlad stiffened and stepped into my office while I buzzed Kale.
“Front desk.”
“Hey, Kale, it’s Sophie. You know how I mentioned that Mrs. Henderson and a few others missed their appointments?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Well, can you pull their files and drop them off in my office, please?”
We all stood in silence, hearing Kale pop her gum on the other end of the intercom.
“Um, now?” I asked.
I heard Kale blow out a put-upon sigh and I would have been sympathetic if a) gathering files wasn’t her job and b) she hadn’t been a witch who had the power to extract files from wherever they were hidden with a simple tug of the ear. And the fact that she had been oozing her near nakedness on my couch, forty-eight hours ago, also took away from my sympathy for the teen witch.
“You can drop them off in my office when you get them together.”
“No problemo.”
“I’d like to see those files, too,” Vlad said before I had an opportunity to turn the intercom off.
“I will bring those files down to your office right now,” Kale said, suddenly full of spunk and haste.
She was standing at the threshold to my office in record time, a stack of file folders pressed against her chest. Her eyes, the size of two glazed donuts, zeroed in on Vlad.
“Thanks, Kale,” I said, trying to pry the files from her death grip. “Will and I are just going to look these over while we have lunch.”
Vlad stiffened. “As a representative of the Vampire Empowerment and Restoration Movement, and as the new head of operations”—he puffed out his chest and smoothed his stupid damask vest—“I think I should be a part of this investigation.”
Will and I shared a look.
“This could very well begin affecting vampires—if it hasn’t already.”
I blew out a sigh. “Fine. Kale, can I have those files?”
Kale snaked her arms around the files. “Actually, Sophie, I’m personally responsible for these files. If something were to happen to them while they were out of my care ...”
I felt my left eye start to twitch. “Fine, you can come too.”
Kale grinned and batted huge eyes at Vlad. Vlad ignored the waves of love pouring off Kale, crossed his arms, and narrowed his eyes at Will. Will just looked at me, grinning, pleased as punch and probably considering nothing more than a wad of free French fries in his future.
The whole load of us tumbled into the hallway and I bumped square into Nina, who had her shoulder bag crossed over her chest.
“Hey, what’s going on here?”
“We’re going to lunch,” Will said.
“Of course you are,” Nina replied. “Vlad?”
“Official Vampire Empowerment—”
Nina held up her hand and rolled her eyes. “Got it.” “There’s been some activity in the area.”
“What a surprise,” Nina said, fishing in her shoulder bag and retrieving an O-positive pouch.
“Will and I are going to work on it.”
Vlad cut his eyes to me. “Okay, Vlad, Kale, Will, and I are going to work on it.”
“I’m just in it for the chips,” Will said, shrugging.
“Want to come with us?”
“Can’t.” Nina tossed a lock of hair over her shoulder. “I’m working through lunch today. This book is practically writing itself.” She waggled a finger a quarter-inch from my nose. “Mark my words, Soph. My new vampire romance? It’s going to be huge. Don’t worry, I’ll totally give you a nod in the acknowledgments.”
Chapter Seven
We must have looked like a motley crew walking out of the police station and down the street toward the diner: me, flaming red hair, white puffy ski jacket, and my business-on-a-budget suit; Will, looking like a cross between an Abercrombie model and David Beckam’s long-lost brother; Kale, her mod teen-hates-world black-and-deep-purple ensemble thrown off by her puppy-in-love grin; and Vlad, stern-faced, slicked hair, and dressed like a Dracula reject—sans cape, though, thank God. But this being San Francisco, and veil or not, no one batted an eye as we angled our way through the secretaries in business suits and sneakers, through the kids in baggy jeans and backpacks loping around, and all the way to the Fog City Diner—aptly named as we all huddled against the frigid city summer.
I breathed deeply in the warm restaurant. My stomach rumbled as a plate of meat loaf and mashed potatoes whizzed by.
“Okay,” Will said, once we were seated, “where do we start? Do we know what we’re dealing with?”
I put my menu down. “Wow! You must really be into this case. Usually, Alex can’t open a file without a three-course meal.”
Something flashed in Will’s hazel eyes and he studied the menu hard until the waitress showed up. I could see the hint of amusement playing on her matte red lips. She welcomed us, refilled our water glasses, and told us her name was Shirley. “What can I get you all?”
I quickly scanned the menu and ordered a chef’s salad, with dressing on the side, and no bread; Will went for a double bacon cheeseburger, with whiskey barbecue sauce, and fries.
I smacked my menu shut. “Actually, I’ll have that, instead.”
Will eyed me with a wide grin. “I love a woman who can eat.”
“And for the lovebirds?” Shirley grinned at Vlad—stiff, and as close to the end of the booth as possible—and Kale, snuggling up to her un-snuggable undead beau.
“Nothing for me,” Vlad said, his eyes settling on Shirley. “But thank you.”
Shirley’s eyes slowly widened, her mouth hanging slack
. “Anything,” she murmured.
“Vlad,” I hissed. “No glamours!”
Vlad looked at me and rolled his eyes. Shirley sucked in a deep breath, looking as though she had just awakened with a start. “Nothing for the gentleman, and you?” Her eyebrows rose expectantly.
Kale looked from Shirley to Vlad, then back again. “Clam chowder in a bread bowl.”
Shirley scurried away and Kale turned to Vlad; her cheeks were flushed, fire raging in her eyes. She looked a bit like Drew Barrymore in that old movie Firestarter—right at the point where whole buildings went up in flames. I nudged a glass of water across the table toward Kale, and I reveled in the fact that off duty or not, Will played a San Francisco fireman in real life.
“You were totally flirting with her,” Kale said, eyes narrowed at Vlad.
Vlad shrugged. “She looked delicious.” He licked his lips. “You can’t blame me, baby, I’m a vampire.”
I wondered quickly whether it was too late to change my order to Pepto-Bismol and soda water.
“Guys! We’re here to work on Mrs. Henderson’s and Bettina’s cases.”
Kale picked at her fingernail. “Bettina didn’t look like anything was wrong with her this morning. And what’s up with Mrs. Henderson?”
I opened and closed my mouth dumbly. “Didn’t you hear?”
A sudden spark of interest crossed over Vlad’s porcelain features. “Hear what?”
I leaned in and lowered my voice to a hoarse whisper. “Mrs. Henderson is dead. Didn’t Dixon say anything?”
Kale’s eyes were wide. Her hand subconsciously went for Vlad’s sleeve. She pinched his shirt fabric between thumb and finger, rubbing like a child rubs a blanket for comfort. “What happened?”
I swallowed hard and looked at Will. He gave me a tiny, nearly imperceptible nod. “She was murdered.”
“How do you know that?”
I pulled a lock of hair and wound it tightly against my index finger. “I went over there yesterday. No one answered the door. I went in, saw what looked like a disaster, and called Alex.”
“Oh my God!” Kale’s eyes were wide. “She’s dead?”
I felt a lump forming in my throat and I coughed. “There was blood everywhere. It was awful. I told Dixon, and he said he would take care of it.”
Vlad stiffened. “Then he must be taking care of it.”
“But no one knows about it. And the centaur and now Bettina? No one knows that they should be on the alert.”
Kale leaned in, brows raised, the pale blond hair on her arms standing on end. “For what? For whom?”
I bit my lip. “We don’t know, exactly. Vlad, you’re one of Dixon’s right-hand men now. Have you heard anything? Did he call a meeting? Was he writing anything up or checking with the police?”
Vlad shrugged. “Not that I saw. But if Dixon said he was going to handle it, I’m sure he will.”
I’m sure he would if the victim was a vampire, a tiny voice at the back of my skull nagged. “Let’s just take a look at the files, please. Kale?”
Kale handled over her precious stack and nudged against Vlad.
“That’s kind of scary,” I heard her whisper to Vlad. “I don’t know anyone—like us—who has ever died.”
Vlad just shrugged, his brooding countenance unchanged. “Things die,” he finally muttered, before huddling over his paper place mat with a black pen and doodling dark and broody things on it.
Kale alternately looked frightened and lovestruck, one hand kneading the palm of the other.
“Okay, Mrs. Henderson.” Will read from the manila folder he was holding. “Filed under ‘other.’”
“Yeah,” I clarified, “we don’t have a lot of dragon clients.”
Will raised his eyebrows. “A dragon? You don’t say.” He studied the stack of pages that flopped out of her folder. “According to this, the bird was punctual. Never missed an appointment.”
“Until last week.” I nodded solemnly. “And now we know why.”
Kale inched closer to Vlad. Her hands circled his bicep in a move that was part predatory, part fearful.
“Kale, you hadn’t heard anything from her?” I asked. “Before this? Or maybe from the kids or husband?”
Kale’s oblivious expression remained unchanged at my question.
“Do you ever get the feeling you’re being watched?” Vlad asked, looking up from the doodle on his place mat.
Will snorted and turned over his coffee mug as the waitress flitted by. “You are being watched, gov.”
Crimson washed over Kale’s cheeks and she lowered her eyes, focusing intently on peeling a stripe of silver nail polish from her thumb.
“I don’t mean from in here,” Vlad said. “From out there.” He inclined his dark head toward the big picture window as the fog thickened outside. “I’ve felt it since we went outside. Don’t you feel it?”
“Don’t you have super vampire sense or something?” Will asked.
“Don’t you have a fire to put out?”
“Touché.”
Vlad looked out the window again, and my eyes went to where he was looking. I watched cars speed through the intersection and the same group of businesspeople on their lunch break that I usually did, but gooseflesh now pricked out over my arms. I glanced over my shoulder. Though it was noon, the sky was streaked an ominous gray; the sun was choked out by ribbons of fog. People bustled by outside, looking straightforward, avoiding each other’s gazes; the stores went about their business, with neon signs flashing, doors opening and closing.
Vlad gestured with his chin at my bare arms. “You feel it, too, huh?”
“I do now,” I said, with a shudder.
Will picked up the next file and caught my eye. “Shall we?”
Vlad cleared his throat and sat bolt upright; his fingers were laced and sitting in front of him. He looked startlingly Dixonesque.
“So,” Vlad said, “the Vampire Empowerment and Restoration Movement is concerned that whatever is happening to these demons could soon be happening to our brethren. If it hasn’t already happened.”
“Me too,” Kale piped in. “Except about witches, too.”
“Ten minutes ago you didn’t believe anything was wrong with anyone.”
Kale swallowed hard. “That’s before we knew that anyone was dead.”
Kale’s plain statement struck ice at the base of my spine. “We don’t even know what we’re dealing with.”
Vlad looked hard at me. “If we’re dealing with anything at all.” He shrugged while I gaped. “If Dixon had the Investigations team out, and didn’t say anything to the staff, then maybe they didn’t find anything.”
I opened my mouth to interject, but Vlad held up a silencing hand. “We live in a big city, in a weak economic climate. Mrs. Henderson could have walked in on a burglary.”
Will looked impressed. “She’s a dragon, right? That’s one ballsy burglar.”
“Weren’t you just very concerned about how this might affect your ascot-wearing buddies?”
Vlad shrugged, picked up the next file and flipped through the pages casually. “From her description, it looks like Bettina was mugged.”
“Would a mugger say he was out to eradicate her kind?” I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
“People do all sorts of crazy things for all sorts of crazy reasons, Sophie.” Vlad grinned, fangs glowing white. “This is San Francisco. Last week Santa Claus was being walked by a dominatrix through the Mission. It wasn’t even Christmas.”
Will blanched and I knocked on the table. “Can we focus, please? We have a series of strange happenings that may or may not be combined. Demons who never miss appointments are missing appointments. Mrs. Henderson”—I shuddered—“murdered, and Bettina reporting an attack.”
Will looked at me.
“I think all of these things seem a little too coincidental to be, you know, coincidence, don’t you think?”
Kale nodded. Her large eyes let me know that
she agreed with me.
“I’m not saying you’re wrong. I’m just saying we shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
“I didn’t jump. I answered the phone. I got out of my car at the Henderson house. Lo and behold, there conclusions were. There is a full-blown Underworld attacker loose in San Francisco,” I said definitively.
“As long as you’re not going overboard.” Vlad sighed.
“Four events. Four!” I held up my hand, wiggling four fingers. “All within a few days of each other? This is bad.”
Shirley came back with our food and we stopped talking, suddenly trying to look casual in that completely suspicious way. She angled an eyebrow at us. “Can I get y’all anything else?”
I pressed my lips together and forced a smile, though my stomach quivered nervously. “No, no, I think we’re okay.”
The second she left, Vlad swung toward me and Will. “So there is no evidence that any vampires are in danger?”
I shook my head. “Nothing that we’ve seen so far, especially if these are all the files.”
Will’s eyes flashed and I sucked in a hard breath. “Well,” I started, “someone did try to stake me.”
“Stake you?” Vald’s eyebrows went up.
I made the universal stabbing/staking motion and Vlad grinned. “Then it’s official,” he said, “this guy has no idea what a vampire looks like.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Well,” Vlad said, puffing out his damask vest,
“please keep me abreast of the situation, particularly should something change.”
He gave each of us small, curt nods and slipped out of the booth.
“You know, I should probably get back to work, too,” Kale said, trying to scurry out behind him.
“Aren’t these files your responsibility?” I asked.
Kale waved me off with a flick of her hand. “I trust you to get them back.” She popped up onto her tiptoes to look over my head and I craned my neck to follow her gaze. Through the plate glass window I could see Vlad was already on the sidewalk, pulling up the collar of his trench coat against the light drizzle that had started. I looked at Kale’s flimsy, short-sleeved T-shirt.
“You’re going to get soaked to the bone. Take this.” I handed her my white puffy jacket and she slipped it on, the collar swallowing her mass of dark hair.
