Working together, it took them only minutes to seat the vampire on the toilet and for Kathy to crawl out under the locked door. As Kathy dressed, Rose used paper towels to blot excess soap and water from her uniform. Tanya used the towels to wipe blood from the floor. Then they washed their hands and faces and tidied up their clothes.
“I’m going to take the flash drive to Bunny,” Kathy told them. “You two go in and get your medals. Like Tanya said, nothing happened here.”
Rose paused in blotting moisture from her uniform. “But the janitor will find the body when he comes to lock up the building. Our DNA is probably all over her.”
Kathy nodded. “Yeah, but DHS wants to keep any mention of vampires from the public. If they bother you, demand a lawyer and tell all you know about vampires. Maybe you’ll have to sign an agreement not to talk about it, but I think this will all be hushed up. Now get out of here and get your medals. I’ll leave a few minutes after you do.”
“Wait!” Rose’s exclamation seemed to echo off the tile walls. She quickly looked around and lowered her voice. “I have an idea about what to do with the data. I think my father gave me another copy.”
Kathy started. “You what? You’re telling me that now?”
“It was like for insurance.”
A second copy? thought Kathy. What else hasn’t she told me? “Okay, I’ll give this copy to Bunny. She’ll figure out a way to protect you from Dr. Baneful. I doubt giving him the second copy would keep him from punishing you.”
“That’s what I thought,” said Rose. “So meet me after the banquet in the library. It’s open ’til eleven. I think if we — ”
The sound of the door opening froze them in place.
“Rose! Tanya! Are you in here?” Ms. Wurzinger came around the corner, stopped, and eyed them suspiciously. “What on earth have you been doing in here?” She sniffed the air.
“Cleaning up.” Rose extended a handful of used paper towels as evidence. “I spilled juice on my uniform.”
She’s quick, thought Kathy. And it hasn’t come from living with vampires.
“Well throw away those towels and come on,” said Wurzinger. “The medal presentations are about to start. I asked Dean Switley to delay things until I found you girls, but she can’t hold things up forever.”
“Let’s go.” Tanya headed for the door.
Rose tossed the paper towels into a receptacle, then cast a worried glance toward Kathy. “Talk to you later?”
“Definitely. Good luck.”
“You, too,” said Rose.
“Aren’t you coming?” asked Wurzinger.
Kathy offered a polite smile. “In a minute. We were so busy talking, I never got a chance to pee.”
“Be quick about it if you want to see Rose get the medal.”
When the door shut behind them, Kathy leaned over the counter, pressing her fists against it to hold herself up. Eyes closed, she rocked back and forth. Dear God, give me the strength to keep going. And help me find Hector.
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She made sure Bunny’s phone and Vendetta’s knife were both in the evening bag. No, better to keep the flash drive separate. She tucked it into her bra. Okay, Bunny, here I come.
A lanky DHS agent stood inside the Exit door. “You’re leaving early,” he said. “Something wrong?”
“I don’t feel very well.” Kathy rubbed her stomach. “I called my mom. She’s picking me up.”
“It’s gotten dark,” he said. “You sure you don’t want to go out the main exit?”
“Yes, I know the campus. This path is shorter. I’ll be okay.”
The agent hesitated, then opened the door for her. “Hope you feel better.”
“Thanks.”
She glanced back before the door closed. The agent had turned aside, but his lips were moving. Oh, crap. Are they monitoring everyone’s movements? Meeting Bunny may be harder than I thought.
The lights along the walkway to the parking lot were out. She crossed the grass to one stanchion. Glass crunched under her feet. Who knocked out the lights? Bunny and Vendetta? Dr. Baneful? Hunching her shoulders against a sudden chill, she took out the phone and pressed V. After two rings, violin music. Damn! Leave a message? Better that I keep going. Bunny will find me.
The odor of lilacs became sickingly intense as she approached the archway. She stopped short. There’d not been any lilac bushes there before.
An arm grabbed her around the neck and jerked her backward against a thick body. She opened her mouth but a cold hand clamped down over it. Her eyes bulged, her body stiffened. She dropped Bunny’s clutch and tried to pull the arm away.
“Dr. Baneful wants to see you,” the attacker whispered. “Make a peep and I’ll crush your throat.”
She stopped struggling. There was no way she could match the vampire’s strength. Where’s Vendetta? Where’s Bunny?
“You’re going to walk with me to the parking lot without any fuss or die right here.” He choked her to demonstrate, then eased the pressure. “Understand?”
Kathy did the best she could to nod. She took in a hoarse breath.
“Let her go,” a male voice commanded as powerful flashlights clicked on.
Blinded by the bright lights, Kathy shut her eyes. Not Vendetta’s voice! Who?
The vampire pressed her firmly against him. “That would be stupid,” he rasped.
“Not as stupid as holding her in front of you when our marksmen are behind you,” said the voice.
Holding Kathy in front of him, the vampire spun around. The lights came from every direction.
“Not fair,” said the vampire. “You guys are using cologne. I thought it was lilacs.”
“Think about this. We’ll terminate you here and now unless you let that girl go. I’m Major Harry Winkish of Homeland Security. I am placing you under arrest for attempted kidnapping. If you’re a vampire, you’ll face other charges.”
“And you’ll terminate me,” said the vampire.
“Not until after you’ve had a fair trial.”
“Even if you shoot, I’ll kill the girl.”
“So what? She’s not Rose Blood. Collateral damage is sometimes unavoidable.”
“You bastard,” Kathy croaked.
“Just doing my job,” said Winkish. “I’ll count to three. One…”
Guns fired — she wasn’t sure how many, but the vampire jerked, stiffened and carried her down as he fell. She hit the grass hard and felt crushed by his weight. She struggled to take in a breath. Anger overrode her pain. They didn’t wait to ‘three’. Didn’t care if they shot me.
Guns drawn, agents in black tactical suits swarmed around the vampire in whose grasp she still lay. One checked his breathing. “Terminated,” he called.
“You okay, Miss?” asked another, as he and a helper dragged the vampire off of her.
Fury overwhelmed her. “You guys could’ve killed me!”
A tall man in black tactical gear leaned down and offered her a hand up. “Not likely. The wooden bullets we use don’t have enough velocity to go clear through a target that big. We just needed to get one slug through his back to his heart.”
This Major guy was the one who called me “collateral damage.” She ignored his hand and struggled to her feet. “Well, then, I suppose I should thank you for saving me.” Her tone was sarcastic. She arched her back and winced.
“Why was he after you?” asked the Major.
“I don’t know. Maybe he thought I was that other girl, Rose Blood.”
“You don’t look like her. My men inside said you were in the corridor with her tonight. Did she give you anything?”
“No. Why would she?”
“Maybe you can help figure that out. I’d like you to come with us. Bring her purse,” he ordered. “And make this body disappear.”
Kathy swallowed hard. “Are you arresting me?”
“Who said anything about an arrest? I just want you to explain who you are, why you’re here,
and maybe a hundred other things. Come this way, please.”
43
The Barn
The chestnut horse stepped toward him.
With his back against the plank wall, Hector eased himself up from the wood shavings that cushioned the cement floor. After hours of sitting and worrying and dozing in a corner of the stall, he felt stiff and needed to stretch, but he dared not make any big movements. “Stay on your side of the stall, tonto,” he whispered. “You ignored me ‘til now. Let’s keep it that way.”
The horse snorted and took another step forward. Hector raised his hand. “Okay, you’re not stupid. I’m sorry.”
The horse bobbed his head.
Does it want to be petted? Hector reached out to stroke the sleek forehead. The horse turned around and lifted his tail.
“Cabrón!” Hector danced away as the horse expelled a load. He wrinkled his nose at the odor. “You telling me to move out?”
He peered between the metal bars above the five-foot wall. Daylight had been replaced by a glow from caged bulbs over the aisle separating two rows of stalls. The aisle led to double doors on opposite ends of the barn. He’d entered a regular door in the middle of the building and had hurried along the cross aisle, looking for a place to hide. Finding the doors to the tack and supply rooms locked, he’d cursed his luck and run up and down the main aisle in search of an empty stall. Every one of the sixteen stalls was occupied, so he’d moved in with a horse that had seemed totally disinterested. Until now.
Stepping carefully, he eased by the big animal. He slid the door open just enough to squeeze out, then clicked it shut behind him. What’s keeping Kathy? Did Rose give her the message?
The barn door he’d entered squeaked open. Hector ducked down outside a stall. A horse whinnied. The door closed.
“Hector?” Rose’s voice.
He popped out of his crouch. “Where’s Kathy?”
Rose came toward him. “She went to give Bunny a flash drive that has my father’s data.” She glanced over her shoulder. “The Honors banquet is over. Most of the people have left. She should’ve been here a while ago.”
“Oh, Jesus,” he muttered.
“Shouldn’t I have given her the drive?”
“Yes. But once Bunny has it, she has no use for Kathy, except as a blood source.”
“Oh.” Rose shook her head. “This whole vampire thing freaks me out.”
“Join the club. If I knew where she went, I’d go after her.”
“She knows you’re here. Give her more time. If she doesn’t show here, she’s supposed to meet me in the library.”
He looked around. “We can’t stand out in the open like this. How good are you at calming horses?”
“So-so. I didn’t ride this term, but I think Placidus will remember me. He’s two stalls up.” She led the way.
“Strange name for a horse,” said Hector.
“Ms. Pelliger teaches Latin as well as riding.” Rose slid open the door and walked in. “Hi there, boy, remember me?”
Hector followed, sliding the door shut behind him. The shoulders of the black horse nuzzling Rose were slightly higher than his.
“Is it safe to sit in the corner?”
“Not when the horse is here.”
“But if somebody looks through the bars, they can see us. Maybe we should wait outside.”
“Not now. Even wearing my uniform, I was stopped by a DHS agent. I told him I had to go check on my sick horse.” She stroked the horse’s neck. “Let’s wait until the campus settles down before we sneak out. Maybe Kathy will come by then. But we can’t stay here all night. A security guy comes to check the barn at some point.”
“Can we hide out in your dorm?”
Rose shook her head. “No, agents are guarding the entrances. But we should be a lot safer by morning. Kathy will have given a flash drive to Bunny. And we’re going to use the second one my father gave me.”
“You had two?” His tone mixed surprise with accusation. “Identical? And you didn’t give Kathy one when she asked?”
“I’m not sure they’re the same. I think so. And I gave one to Kathy tonight. The second one was buried under the insole of the sneakers I had on when they searched my room.”
Hector looked at the black flats she was wearing. “Where are your sneakers, now?”
“In my closet. Once it got searched, I figured it was safe to leave them there. People would’ve noticed if I’d worn them to the Honors banquet.”
“So you have to go back to your room?”
“No. I didn’t want to be caught there. I asked Tanya – ”
The squeak of the barn door prompted him to put a finger to his lips. The sound of footsteps was followed by a jangle of keys and a door opening.
Hector ducked. Placidus turned his large head and gave a switch with his tail.
Signaling Hector to follow her, Rose moved around the horse’s head, so the large black body stood between her and the metal bars.
Something scraped against the cement outside. The intruder sighed. A few plunks of an instrument being tuned was followed by a chord and then a guitar intro. Hector tapped Rose on the arm.
“Pelliger,” she whispered. “She sings to the horses.”
A reedy soprano voice began a mournful ballad. Hector screwed up his face.
“It’s Latin,” Rose whispered.
The barn door squeaked. Ms. Pelliger stopped singing.
Placidus’s nostrils flared. His eyes widened. Whinnies and stomping came from other stalls.
“Excuse me, Madam,” a man said. “I seem to have lost a boy in here.”
Finkelstein! Hector’s body went tight. How did he find me?
“What are you doing here?” asked Pelliger. “This is a girls’ school. There are no boys here.”
Rose was trying to soothe Placidus. She glanced at Hector and her lips pursed to whisper something. Hector put his finger on her lips.
“I beg to differ, lovely lady, and as a guidance counselor, I don’t do that lightly. My name is Isadore Finkelstein. I teach at a different school. I apologize for interrupting your song and upsetting you, but I’m sure you understand the worry this has caused my student’s family.”
The whinnies and stomping seemed contagious. One horse kicked at his stall. “What’s happening to my horses?” demanded Pelliger.
“Who knows what’s in the mind of a horse? Why don’t you calm them while I find the boy.”
“You don’t belong here, sir.” Pelliger sounded indignant. ”Neither does any boy. I’ll settle the horses and then look myself. Meanwhile, you wait outside.”
Hector put his lips against Rose’s ear. “Stay here and be quiet,” he whispered. He went to the stall door and slid it open enough to slip through.
Finkelstein offered a satisfied nod. No doubt the vampire had heard as well as scented him.
Pelliger took a few seconds to believe her eyes. Once she did, she sprang up from her chair. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” She shifted the guitar about as if unsure whether to use it as a shield or a weapon.
Hector strode toward the vampire. “Why did you follow me? You didn’t give a crap about me or my family while I was being tortured.”
Wearing his rumpled chauffeur’s outfit and his cap at a rakish angle, Finkelstein offered a tight-lipped smile.
“Tortured?” Pelliger’s tone mixed shock with concern. Her gaze shifted from Hector to Finkelstein and back to Hector. “Who are you? How did you get here?”
“This is my student, Hector Campos,” said Finkelstein. “Hector considered calculus torture. Why don’t you go calm your horses?”
“He’s the one frightening them,” said Hector. “They smell him.”
Pelliger glared at Finkelstein.
“And I them.” Finkelstein sniffed. “And a girl. Type O — not Kathy.”
“What are you talking about?” Pelliger demanded.
“Blood type,” said Hector. “Mr. Finkelstein’s a vampire.”
Pelliger’s eyebrows shot up, her jaw dropped open.
“Don’t worry,” said Finkelstein. “You’re too anemic to make a good meal, and horses are not kosher. Go calm them, darling. With or without the girl, Hector and I are leaving.”
Pelliger put down her guitar and ran to the nearest stall. Standing outside the bars, she chanted in Latin, glancing back at Finkelstein every few seconds. The first horse quieted and she moved down to the next one.
Got to do something before she crosses the aisle and finds Rose. Hector eyed the guitar. Stomp on it?
Finkelstein smiled. “Would you believe it? Latin. Who says it’s a dead language? So, Hector, who are you hiding? Is it Rose?”
“It’s her friend Tanya. She hid me here. Let her be. I want to see Kathy.”
“So do I. So does Bunny. So let’s — ” The vampire sniffed and spun around to face the door.
Kathy? thought Hector. Everything seemed to stop as he waited for the door to open.
“Don’t panic,” Finkelstein whispered. “And let me do the talking.”
Hector tensed; a breath caught in his throat.
The door flew open. A full-bearded vampire in a black uniform strode in holding an AR-15 at the ready. A red devil grinned from his shoulder patch.
Satanic Legion! A chill gripped Hector’s chest.
Pelliger screamed. Horses whinnied.
The intruder sniffed the air. “It’s okay,” he called to those outside.
A huge vampire ducked his head as he came through the doorway.
Arthur Bulch! Hector struggled to swallow.
Baneful’s enforcer had replaced the coveralls he wore as custodian of the Sawtooth Wilderness Academy with a tent-sized uniform of the Satanic Legion. Four Legionnaires carrying semi-automatic weapons filed in behind him.
“The Lost Boys,” said Finkelstein. “Where’s Captain Hook?”
Dr. Baneful sauntered in wearing a better-fitting uniform and a sardonic smile. In his hand was a pistol equipped with a silencer. “Well look who’s here to greet me,” he said. “My least favorite colleague and my favorite bloodboy.”
Hector’s hand flew to his neck.
The Cure Page 26
