by Sharon Green
I made a sound of amusement before giving Art the address, and then we both hung up. I sat for a minute staring at my phone, considering an idea I'd had earlier, and then I called Allison again.
"Allison, I've had a thought," I told her when she answered. "If your people are having trouble tracking down the source of those emails, I might know someone who can do a better job of tracking. We used him when we were trying to find out about the attack here in Atlanta, and he's really good. But he's also finicky about only working for people who have the legal right to any information he gets, so I decided to check with you before contacting him."
"He sounds like someone I'd enjoy dealing with," Allison answered slowly, the beginnings of a lighter attitude behind the words. "Yes, Taz, let's find out if he can do what my own people can't. You can give him my cell phone number so he can contact me directly."
"All right, I'll do that," I told her. "His name is Ritchie, so you'll know when he calls."
She agreed to wait for the call, so we disconnected and I found and chose Ritchie's number.
"Hello, Taz Bell," Ritchie said after answering on the first ring. "I hope you're not calling to say there are others out there waiting to attack the city."
"Actually, my team and I are the objects of attack this time," I said, smiling at the way he'd let me know how fast he'd identified his caller. "Some people from the state government are trying to locate the one or ones behind the attacks, but they're having trouble tracking the source of the emails being used. Do you think you'd be willing to give them a hand?"
"I like the fact that you're not asking if I can do it, only if I'm willing," Ritchie answered, a faint chuckle in his tone. "And I'd be working with people in the state government… Yes, thank you, I'd be delighted to have the chance to show what I can do. Who do I get in touch with?"
I gave him Allison's full name and cell phone number, and got Ritchie's thanks again before we both hung up.
"That was a good idea, Taz," Freemont said once I'd turned my phone off. "I'm getting the impression we'll be glad you had that idea. And now I'm going upstairs to get my clothes."
"I'm right behind you, partner," I said, taking a last sip of coffee before standing up. "I'd hate to get us kicked out of here because I ran out of clothes and had to walk around naked."
"I think it would more likely be the fights to get closer to you then than anything else getting us kicked out," Freemont countered with a wide grin. "If you think I'm joking, just take a look around."
I actually glanced at Eric and Amiol, but when I saw their grins I turned away as fast as I could. Me and my big mouth. Maybe someday I'd learn…
Once I had all the dirty clothes together and left my apartment, I saw that Freemont was already heading down the stairs with his own laundry. I followed him into the laundry room, only then discovering that he hadn't brought our detergent because it wasn't needed. There was detergent and bleach and water softener available, so it wasn't long before my clothes were in the second washing machine and ready to go.
"Our hosts are really good," Freemont commented once I'd turned on my machine, gesturing toward the dryers. "Two laundry baskets, to help with the clothes once they're dry. And these new washers are the sort to do their job faster than the old kind."
"Not to mention that table over there, where you can fold up the clean stuff before you take it back upstairs," I added with satisfaction. "I think we'll definitely enjoy living here."
Freemont made a sound of agreement, and then he and I went back to the dining room for more coffee – and to warn our teammates that their turn with the washers would come sooner than they might be expecting. Eric and Amiol waited to finish the coffee in their cups before heading upstairs to get their clothes, which gave me some time to consider – and enjoy - the current peace and quiet. It was nice being able to do clothes washing without being attacked, but the question was how long the peace and quiet would last.
"We'll have to wake Oldon soon," Freemont said after a few silent minutes of coffee-drinking. "He'll want to eat and possibly even do a wash of his own before we leave, and giving him only a couple of minutes to see to those chores won't be very fair."
"Those are good points," I granted him, then reached for my phone again. "I'll try calling him first, and if that doesn't work then I'll go up and pound on his door."
Freemont nodded with a smile as I chose Oldon's number and initiated the call, and we only had to wait two rings worth of time.
"Good morning, Taz. Is there a problem?" I'd expected Oldon to sound sleepy, but he didn't.
"No problem, just a question," I answered. "Do you still want to go to that electronics toy store the rest of us are going to today? If so, then you'd better start thinking about getting up. You'll want to eat before we leave, and you might even have enough time to do some clothes washing if you need to."
"Now that you mention it, I do need to wash some clothes," he said, a trace of interest in his voice. "And yes, I definitely want to go to the toy store, so I'll be getting up now. Since I went to bed early last night, I won't really be walking around half asleep. See you in a few minutes."
"See you soon," I acknowledged, then disconnected when he did before looking at Freemont again. "He'll be down in a few minutes."
"You know, I'm glad he isn't here right now," Freemont said, a sudden grin widening his face. "Can you picture it, Taz, a fearsome, powerful vampire - doing his laundry? I'm only half a step away from falling off this chair to the floor before rolling around in hysterics."
"I hate when you do things like this to me," I protested, fighting to keep from laughing like a maniac. "Now I have to forget about that word picture you just drew so that I don't laugh in the being's face as soon as I see him. You're cruel, Freemont, you really are."
Instead of defending himself my partner just started to laugh, naturally drawing me after him. We guffawed for a few minutes, but were able to shut it off before Amiol and Eric got back. That way we didn't have to explain what we were laughing about, thereby extending the problem to the entire team.
"We put your clothes into the dryers before putting our own clothes in the washers," Eric reported as he reclaimed his place at the table. "I hope the dryers work as fast as the washers did."
"We'll have to keep an eye on the clothes, and then we won't be waiting for something that's already happened," I answered before emptying the last of my coffee down my throat. "And I think I'll refill the carafe so we have what to drink while we're waiting."
I got up then while the others made sounds of pleased agreement and headed into the kitchen. It was only a small surprise to see Oldon at the blood warmer, and his nod was very much on the satisfied side.
"Morning again, Taz," he said, paying only half attention to what he was doing. "Jack has just given me some very good news. It seems that Shell has located a supplier for that Boast I liked so well, and we ought to have some of it here by later today. Please remind me to thank whoever is responsible for us being in this house."
"I'll add your thanks to what the rest of us mean to give," I told him, stopping near the coffee urn with the carafe. "Freemont has already said he's looking forward to dinner tonight, and I agree with him."
"If the Boast isn't here yet, I'll have Whippe to console me," Oldon replied with a sound of amusement. "We already have it here, in the refrigerator, with more of it on order."
"Shell and I are hoping to lure you people into staying a long time," Jack said with a grin where he stood near the sink. "As he and I have said before, we'll probably never have guests as good as you again."
"Which means you'll have to tell us if we stop being good guests," I told him as I filled the carafe. "We don't want to find ourselves being thrown out because we turned into slobs. And by the way, we need to refill the creamer that's on the table."
"I'll take care of it," Jack said at once, heading for the fridge. "In fact I'll take care of it right now."
Oldon had finished heating hi
s blood and I'd finished filling the carafe, so he and I headed to the dining room to do our drinking. Oldon had his day coat and hat with him, but he didn't really need it. Someone had put up filters on the windows, which made it safe for our vampire teammate to walk around without worrying.
Yes, this was definitely a place we wanted to stay in…
Chapter Thirteen
I took my old place at the table while Oldon found a seat on the other side after taking off his day coat. He also wished everyone a good morning while Jack refilled the creamer, then Jack smiled and went back into the kitchen. I used the carafe to refill my cup, then helped myself to the sugar and cream.
"You all look disgustingly comfortable," a new voice said suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. "Can you possibly be as satisfied as you seem?"
"Yes, George, we're comfortable and satisfied," Freemont said with a smile for our partner. George had appeared in an empty chair, and now sat with his leg over one of the chair arms. "Have you been visiting with your family all this time?"
"Visiting in a way," George agreed, his nod on the thoughtful side. "My wife needed to buy some things, and was busy worrying about how to afford the stuff. She decided she doesn't want to use the credit card for anything but an absolute emergency, which will keep the money available for the boys when they go to college."
"But there's still a few years before they go," I pointed out. "By that time we'll hopefully have earned even more than we have right now, so it's foolish if Aurella holds back on using the card for things that are necessary."
"Not to mention the fact that I established that account for George's family from what we've been earning right now," Freemont put in. "Since George doesn't spend any of what's in the account, the amount just keeps growing."
"I must have forgotten to tell Aurella about that, because she didn't know," George said, faint self-annoyance clear in his voice. "When I mentioned the account she said, 'What account?' which told me I'd made a boo-boo. Once I explained about the money she cried a little, then sent a kiss in my direction before going back to planning. She hadn't realized that my being dead didn't mean I couldn't earn money for her and the boys."
"Well, most people can't earn anything after they die," Freemont pointed out with a chuckle most of us joined him in. "You're the exception, George, and a pretty amazing exception. Since a good part of our income came to us because of your help, not sharing with you would have been more than just unfair."
"You people really are amazing," Oldon said as he looked at Freemont and me with an odd expression. "I can't think of anyone else I know who would have done what you have for a ghost. Or, to be more accurate, for the ghost's family. You do realize, I hope, George, that once your sons are ready for college they'll have help getting into the school of their choice? Mio will be delighted to arrange for that help, and I have one or two contacts of my own."
"After what Mio has already given us, don't you think that asking for more would be greedy at the very least?" I put to Oldon as he took another sip of his blood. "I'd love it if George's sons had that help, but – "
"No, don't be silly," Oldon interrupted to say with a short movement of one hand. "All Mio gave you was money, and that isn't the same as returning help for help given. Mio will love providing actual help, and so will I. Don't you understand what you saved us from?"
We must have all looked puzzled at the very least, which brought out a bit of amusement in Oldon.
"We couldn't have paid Lorna, not when that would have set a precedent, so she would have told the world that vampires were behind the Atlanta attack," Oldon explained, a hint of furious anger in his dark eyes replacing the amusement. "That action could well have turned us all into hunted fugitives, since people tend to blame all of a group for the doings of just a few. The fact that vampires helped to save people would have been forgotten behind the waves of accusation coming at us, and that could well have been the end of us living normal lives. That's what you saved us from, not just from a single rogue."
I guess I'd known that, but I still couldn't think of what to say in response. Most of the others seemed to share the lack, but not Freemont.
"Now I understand why all of you have been so generous," my partner said with one of his warm smiles. "But you do have to remember we would have helped out even without the extras. Letting innocent beings suffer through no fault of their own isn't something we can do."
"Which is why we've all been so generous," Oldon said, his amusement returned. "Your team – our team – jumped in without hesitation, making no effort to insist on payment beforehand. You didn't even start hinting around afterward about extra rewards, and it was perfectly clear that the idea never entered your heads. How were we supposed to ignore something like that?"
"A lot of other people would have had no trouble ignoring that something," Eric put in, his words on the dry side. "It looks like some vampires are better 'people' than some people."
"But we have a larger proportion of rogues," Oldon pointed out, now looking pleased. "And, unfortunately, our rogues are more dangerous than the human kind."
"Not all humans are less dangerous," I pointed out in turn, needing to make the … point. "The ones we're up against now are fanatics, and fanatics are always more dangerous than the norm."
"True," Oldon allowed with a smile that had no amusement in it. He looked like he was about to add something to what he'd said, but that was when we heard a double buzzing sound. We stared around for a minute, then Eric lost the confused look we all must have been showing.
"That has to be the dryers, telling us their loads are ready to be taken out," he said. "Do you want Amiol and me to lend a hand, Taz?"
"You two have already helped by putting the wet wash in the dryers," I answered with a shake of my head as I got to my feet. "I’m going to fold mine and then take the stuff upstairs, and since Freemont has also gotten up I'm guessing that he'll be taking care of his own things. Are you ready with your load, Oldon?"
"I have to go upstairs and get it," Oldon answered, then gestured with his cup. "I'll see to the chore as soon as I finish fortifying myself, which will only be a couple of minutes."
I nodded and left the dining room with Freemont, making sure not to look at my partner. I could almost feel him thinking again about Oldon doing his wash, and falling down laughing would have been … inconvenient.
I dumped all my clothes into the basket under the dryer, then moved the clothes from one of the washers into the dryer and got it started. After that I took my clothes to the folding table, got everything folded, returned the basket to the floor in front of the dryer, then carried my clothes upstairs. On the way I passed Oldon going down with his own clothes, and managed to do nothing but nod to the being. I grinned while setting my clean clothes down on the bed, then went back to the coffee waiting for me.
Freemont had taken his time with the folding after refilling his own dryer, so he'd only been half done when I left the laundry room. I didn't understand what that could mean until I suddenly heard the sound of Oldon laughing like a maniac. He was in the laundry room, and a few minutes later he and Freemont came back into the dining room.
"You're all going to love this," Oldon said, his grin so wide we could see his fangs without any trouble. "It will help if you picture all those strong and scary vampires in movies and on television – then picture them doing their laundry. Freemont presented the idea in the laundry room, and I'm surprised I'm not still in there, rolling around on the floor cackling like a maniac chicken."
Eric and Amiol laughed out their surprise at the idea while I grinned, but George laughed louder and harder than the rest of us. The idea really was funny, and Oldon kept chuckling as he took his empty mug and headed for the kitchen. He must have paused to tell Jack what we were all laughing at; Jack's laughter rang out loud and clear, and then Oldon was coming back into the dining room. But instead of having refilled his mug, he carried a bowl of Whippe and a spoon.
"When I fo
und out that this Whippe is banana flavored I couldn't resist," Oldon told us, gesturing with the bowl. "I used to love bananas, and haven't tasted them in much too long. We still have some time before we have to go, don't we?"
"Yes, we do, so take your time," Freemont reassured our newest teammate. "There's time for you to eat and us to drink more coffee, and even for Amiol and Eric to get their clothes out of the dryers. We may have to leave before your clothes are done, but maybe Jack or Shell can help out with them."
"Not necessary," Oldon said, back in his chair and having tasted the Whippe with a smile. "My clothes don't need special treatment or attention, so I can tumble them for a few minutes when we get back and then do the folding myself. You people have no idea how wonderful it is to have wash and wear stuff rather than the fancy things we used to wear years ago. In those days you did need a household staff if you had more than two outfits."
"I've often thought the good old days weren't as good as some people thought," George put in as the rest of us considered what Oldon had said. "I'd probably have hated that time, but maybe one of you others would have enjoyed it."
We all denied that idea at the same time, then Eric and Freemont added details to the denial. We talked until the first dryer buzzed to let us know its load was done, which sent Amiol and Eric into the laundry room. A few minutes later the second buzzer sounded, which meant the second load was also done. At that point I checked the time, then finished the coffee in my cup.
"I'm taking my cup and the carafe into the kitchen, then I'm getting ready to leave. If any of you lazy types want to go shopping for toys, you'd also better get ready."
"I'll wait here for you solid folks," George said from the chair he still sprawled in. "Getting ready for me is already done."
