"Yes," I said. "We'd had dinner not too long before."
"Well, I suppose that lets this William guy out," Simon said. "He can hardly have kidnapped your grandmother while he was out with you."
"Simon!" Charisse said sharply. She turned back to me. "What did you do, Katie? Did you call the police?"
"No, I didn't call the police," I said.
"Katie!" Charisse said. "You have to call the police. You can't possibly believe you can find your grandmother on your own. You are going to call them, aren't you?"
"I don't think there's anything the police can do."
"Katie, that's crazy," Charisse said. "Promise me you'll call them."
She gave me a long, earnest look, and I sighed.
"I promise I'll call the police," I said.
"And what are you going to do about where you're staying?" Charisse asked.
"What do you mean?" I said.
"If your grandmother isn't found today," she said, "where are you going to stay tonight? You can't stay in your house all alone."
I was perfectly happy to stay at my house with William, but I knew that telling Charisse that would only upset her.
"I'll figure it out," I said. "I'm sure the police can advise me on that."
"Well, if the police are okay with it," Charisse said, "I think you should come stay with me."
"Uh, no offense, Charisse," Simon began.
Charisse sighed. "Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like what you're going to say?"
"It's just that—it's just you and your mom," Simon said. "Your household is two women."
"So what?" Charisse said.
Simon turned to me. "Katie, you should come to stay with me. At my house, my dad, my mom, James, and I can all look out for you."
"I'd offer to let you stay at my house, too," Branden interjected, "but I have a feeling that these two will be too busy fighting over you to allow it."
"My mom's a lawyer," Charisse said, ignoring Branden. "She knows a thing or two about standing up for other people."
"I'm sure she does," Simon said. "In a courtroom. But an actual, physical threat is a different matter entirely. There are three guys at my house. It'll be safer for Katie there."
"My house actually has the most guys," Branden said. "There's five or six of us on any given day. Sometimes there are as many as seven. I'd point that out, but I don't think it's going to matter."
Charisse bristled. "My mom knows taekwondo."
"Which is great in the movies," Simon said.
"Guys, please," I said. "I appreciate the offers, I really do. But I don't know what's going on right now. I may even have to clear things with the police."
"We just want to help," Simon said.
The warning bell rang, and Charisse stood up.
"Come on, Katie," she said briskly. "Let's go inside."
I could tell that Charisse wanted to keep an eye on me for as long as possible—and I wanted to go inside anyway—so I let her steer me into the school. I went inside with the others, and we all paused at the door to my homeroom.
As soon as Charisse released her hold on me, Branden wrapped me up in an all-enveloping hug that completely obscured my vision.
"Hang in there, Katie."
"Thanks, Branden," I said in a muffled voice.
Branden shuffled off, and it was Simon's turn to hug me.
"You can always come to my house if you need to," he said. "You know my parents would love to have you."
"Thanks, Simon."
He smiled at me and walked off.
"Don't let Simon pressure you," Charisse said. "You stay with the person you want to stay with."
"Thanks, Charisse."
She hugged me and then walked off into the crowd.
Once she was gone, I turned away from the classroom and headed down the hallway.
I was going to try the boiler room again.
I hurried to the little hall that led to the lower floors, and then I ran down the stairs to the metal door of the boiler room. But this time when I tried the door, I found that it was locked.
"David," I whispered to the door. "David, are you there? I know you can hear me even through the door. David?"
There was no answer.
"Is anyone there? Anyone at all?" I whispered. "I know someone was in here yesterday. And I know you're a vampire. I've received all your messages, and I want to hear what you have to say. Just come out and talk to me. I really need your help."
There was still no answer.
I rattled the doorknob furiously then, and when that produced no effect, I pounded on the door, ignoring the pain I felt in my hands when I did so. I pounded on and on, and I could hear the sound of it reverberating in the hall.
But there was no answer from the boiler room.
Eventually, I sat down on the floor and leaned my back against the wall. I told myself that all I needed to do was wait for a little while and someone would come.
But time passed, and the hall remained empty. No one was coming.
I was forced to give up on the boiler room, and I got to my feet.
I decided to try Bryony's grandmother's house then—a vampire had visited us there once. Perhaps one might do so again.
I hurried out to the student parking lot, mindful of Terrance's warning about the parking sticker, and I was relieved to see that GM's car was still in its spot, gleaming in the April sunshine.
I got in the car and quickly sped off.
I drove to the white farmhouse in the Old Grove where Bryony's grandmother lived, and I got out of the car. But once again, I found a locked door. I walked around the house, trying to find another way in, but the back door was locked, too. I peered into the windows and banged on the glass, but I couldn't rouse any response from the house.
Both the house and the school were dead ends.
I called William then, and to my relief he answered—I'd been half afraid that he would be too busy to do so.
"I'm coming home now," I said.
"Did you find anything?" William asked.
"No. Did you?"
"No," William replied. "I'll meet you back at the house in a few minutes."
I got back in the car and drove home with a heavy heart.
William was waiting outside when I arrived, and we went into the house together.
"You look tired," William said.
I made an effort to smile. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not," he said. "Have you eaten anything today?"
"No."
"Come on," William said. "We'll sit down, and you'll eat something."
He led me into the kitchen.
While I picked at a peanut butter sandwich, I told William first about Maksim, and then about what had happened at school—including my conversation with Simon, Charisse, and Branden.
"I agree with Simon," William said when I had finished my story.
I looked up at him, startled. "You do?"
"I think you should go and stay with someone. And I think Simon's house is the best option."
"Why would you say that?" I asked.
"It sounds like Branden's household is pretty busy," William said. "No one would be keeping an eye on you there. And Charisse's house has proved to be vulnerable before—her mother was once in the thrall of a vampire. It seems to me that at Simon's house, everyone will be paying attention to you. You'll be protected there."
I had to admit that when William set things out that way, it did seem to make sense. And he was right about Charisse—last year her mother had actually been dating a vampire who was out to get me. Simon's house really did seem to be the best option. But I didn't want to stay with anyone.
"Why can't I just stay here with you?" I asked.
"Because I have something to do—something I have to find."
"Without me," I said.
"Without you," William replied. "It has to be without you. While you're safe, your grandmother is safe. What I have to do isn't safe."
"Whatever it is, I can help," I said.
William shook his head. "You're a normal girl, Katie. You can't help in this situation."
"I'm not quite normal," I said.
"For all intents and purposes you are," William replied. "You have a power you can't use. Without that you have no protection. And even when you had it, it was never any use against vampires anyway."
"So you want me to give up looking for my grandmother?"
"I have to give up looking for her, too—at least for the moment."
"What?" I said. "We can't give up on GM. We can't just—"
"Wait," William said. "Just hear me out. You have to stay here until your grandmother is found, and I respect that. That means you can't go to your mother's house in Russia—where you would be safe. But the Hunter is still coming. At the moment, I have no idea how to stop him. If he comes, and I have no way to fight him, neither you nor your grandmother will be safe. But I have heard some news—I think I know of something that can be used against the Hunter."
"You mean, like a weapon?" I said. "Is that what you're planning to go looking for?"
William shook his head. "I don't want to say anything just yet. I haven't actually found anything. At the moment, what I'm looking for is just a rumor."
"You can still tell me what it is," I said.
"I'll tell you if I find it," William said. "I don't want to get your hopes—or mine—up too soon."
"It's frustrating not knowing," I said.
"It's for the best, Katie," William replied. "You asked if you could have two days, and one of those two days has passed. Let me have the other day just to look."
I sighed. "Charisse wants me to call the police."
"I think you should do that, too," William said. "The more eyes on you, the better."
"Fine," I said. "I'll call Simon. I'll call the police. I'll stay here."
"Thank you," William said. "It'll be easier for me if I know you're safe."
I called the police then, and an officer came out to the house. His name was George Hale, and he was the same police officer William and I had seen the night of the carnival. He talked to me in his friendly, paternal way, and then he took William outside and questioned him alone.
Eventually, the two of them came back in.
"Well, the situation seems straight-forward enough at the moment," Officer Hale said, but he shot a suspicious glance at William. "I'll be talking to the neighbors, of course, but you say you saw no sign of violence or a break-in, and I believe you. And you're sure your grandmother didn't take any prescription medication?"
"No," I said. "GM's one of the healthiest people I know. She didn't take anything at all."
"I just need to be sure," Officer Hale replied. "Folks have been known to wander off before if they've forgotten to take their medication or perhaps have taken a little too much. If you do happen to remember anything of that nature, or anything else suspicious, be sure to give me a call. Sometimes these things have a way of coming back to people after the fact."
"I will," I said.
Officer Hale gave me a serious look. "Do you have anyone you can stay with? Family? And I don't mean boyfriends."
"I don't have any family apart from my grandmother," I said. "But I can stay with the Krstics."
Officer Hale nodded. "I know the Krstics. They're nice people. I'd say that's a good idea. Give me a call when you make it over to their house. I want to be sure that you're safe."
"I'll do that," I said.
Officer Hale gave William one last significant look and then left.
William stayed with me until school ended for the day, and then I called Simon.
He picked up quickly. "Hey, Katie."
"Hey, Simon."
"What's going on?"
I glanced over at William. I was hoping he might change his mind at the last minute, but his expression remained the same.
"Simon, I was wondering—you remember how you said I could stay at your house?"
Simon was instantly hopeful. "You want to stay at my house?"
"Yes—if it's all right with your parents."
"Of course you can stay with us. My mother will be delighted. You know she loves you. Where are you right now?"
"I'm at home."
"James and I drove in together, so we can pick you up in a few minutes. Will that be okay?"
"That'll be great."
"Okay, then. We'll see you soon."
"See you soon."
I put the phone down.
I went upstairs to pack a few things and then came back down to wait with William until Simon arrived.
The two of us waited quietly.
But I was already planning what I was going to do.
Chapter 10.
By the time Simon and James arrived, I had decided that it was better for me to take GM's car, so I simply followed their car back to their house and parked in the street. And I took William's weapons with me—the light bomb, which I took out of its case, and the crossbow. I'd wondered if William would object to the weapons—and wonder what I was up to—but he was, instead, relieved and approved wholeheartedly of my taking them. And though it was a tight fit, I managed to get both weapons into the glove compartment.
I had dinner with the Krstics, and then Simon and I settled into the living room to watch a movie. But it was hard for me to pay attention—I was too busy worrying about GM and William, and wondering when everyone else was going to go to bed so that I could sneak out of the house.
As the movie continued to play, Simon kept glancing over at me, and I tried at first to pretend that I didn't notice. But he continued to look over at me, and eventually, I had to look back at him, too.
Simon smiled. "I'm really glad you're here."
"Thanks for having me," I said. "I really appreciate it."
"Everything's going to be fine, Katie," Simon said. "The police will find your grandmother. You'll be a family again soon."
"Thanks," I said. "I appreciate your words of encouragement."
"I really mean it, Katie. I believe she's okay."
"I hope you're right."
Simon's mother joined us then, and she sat down in a chair next to next us. Mrs. Krstic was very blond, just like her sons.
She regarded me with sympathetic eyes. "You can stay with us as long as you like, Katie. We're always happy to have you in this house. I remember when you and Simon were little and you used to run around under the sprinkler in the backyard. Do you remember that old sprinkler, Simon?"
Simon shifted uneasily. "Yes, mom. I remember it."
"It was always at this time of the year that you two wanted me to get it out—even though it wasn't summer yet. You would say, 'Mom, it's warm enough. Can't we get the sprinkler out?' And I would say 'yes,' and then, Simon, you would run upstairs and put on your swim trunks with the little frogs on them. Do you remember those swim trunks, Katie?"
"I'm sure Katie doesn't remember those, Mom," Simon said.
I couldn't help smiling. "I remember those swim trunks."
"See that, Simon? Katie remembers. Katie, what kind of bathing suit did you wear?"
"I had a couple different ones," I said. "I remember I had a pink one with hearts—I really liked that one. I had a blue one, too, with a butterfly design."
"That's just the thing with Simon," Mrs. Krstic said, looking fondly at her son. "Once Simon decides he likes something, he never lets it go. He hung onto those swim trunks for as long as he could fit into them. Eventually, they fell apart, so I had to get rid of them. But I do believe Simon would have held onto those scraps if I had let him."
"Mom," Simon said, "is there any chance we could drop the topic of my old swim trunks?"
"Of course, honey," Mrs. Krstic said. "But there's no reason to be embarrassed. Katie's an old friend—she saw you in those swim trunks hundreds of times. It's not like I pulled out old pictures of you wearing them to show to a new girlfriend."
"Mom, please," Simon said.
&n
bsp; "All right. I'm done," Mrs. Krstic said. "I just thought it would be nice for Katie to talk about some happy memories rather than have her worrying about what's happening now."
She sighed. "I just don't know what's happening in this town. First, there was last year—the disappearances. When James was taken from this very house—"
Mrs. Krstic stopped suddenly. Last year, Gleb Mstislav had kidnapped James and a number of other people and had taken them to Russia. Miraculously, James had escaped the encounter unharmed.
Mrs. Krstic blinked, as if willing away tears, and she gave me a watery smile. "But we shouldn't dwell on the past. James is all right now, and that's all that matters. But now that the disappearances have started up again, it's hard not to think—"
"Again?" I said sharply. "The disappearances have started up again?"
Mrs. Krstic looked at me wide-eyed. "Why, yes, dear. You of all people must know about them."
"I know about my grandmother, of course," I said. "And I know Bryony Carson's grandmother is missing, too. Are you saying there are others?"
"Yes—to start with, there's Ambrose Fehr from your school," Mrs. Krstic said.
"Mr. Fehr, the Social Studies teacher?" I said.
"I don't know what subject he teaches," Mrs. Krstic replied. "I don't think that was in the paper. But he's definitely missing. And so is that nice young woman who works at the ice cream parlor. I can't remember what her first name is. I know it's something that's strangely appropriate for her work."
"Her name is Candy," Simon said.
"That's right. Candy Mitchell," Mrs. Krstic said. "And then there's the man who runs the retirement community—I think his last name is Stubbs."
She frowned. "There was someone else from your school, too, but I don't remember the name. I think it was a woman who worked in the cafeteria."
"That's a lot of people," I said, as a sense of unease settled over me. I'd known that Mr. Fehr hadn't been in class for a few days, but I hadn't realized that he was actually missing.
"I'm surprised that we didn't hear anything at school," I said. "Not officially, of course. But there are always rumors going around."
"Well, I'm not surprised now that I think about it," Mrs. Krstic said. "All the missing people are a bit older than you. And their disappearances haven't been that sensational. Not like last time. There's been no violence so far—so there are no exciting details to go around."
Dangerous Creatures (Book 3, Pure Series) Page 11
