“Pete is dead.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
Isat so still, staring out onto the hood where I’d last seen Pete’s image that I could’ve been a corpse.
Like Pete was now. Lying somewhere, inanimate. Nothing left to lift his hand, brush it across those two proud hairs on his head. No spark to light his eyes when he talked about his wife and kid.
Who’s going to bitch at me when I throw a dent into the fender now? I’ll be totally out of control!
I’ll be like a one-woman Demolition Derby!
Vayl said, “Jasmine. Are you listening?”
“Um.”
“He was murdered in his office. Slashed across the throat with something duller than a knife. Theories abound, but Martha believes it was a claw. His computer was stolen. His files ransacked. Whoever did it now has access to every field agent’s identity and current location. Everyone is being called in. Officially, the department will be shut down until a full investigation can be completed.” His voice went arid.
“Which, according to Oversight Committee estimates, will take at least six months.”
“I just reorganized all those files. Remember? While my collarbone was healing. God, was Pete pissed.”
“Jasmine?”
The concern in Vayl’s voice woke me up just enough to show me what to do. “Everyone I care about dies. You see that, right? Matt and Jessie, my crew. Granny May and Gramps Lew. I don’t know if my mom counts, but Pete does. You have to go.”
“What?”
I shot out my door, ran around to his side, and yanked his open, ignoring Jack’s attempt to poke his head outside. “If you stay with me, you’re going to go poof. Like a big cloud of steam coming out of a locomotive, and all that’ll be left is your cane, and bits of really expensive cloth, and some ash, which I’ll have to scoop up and put in some kind of container that I’ll be able to carry around with me the rest of my life. Not an urn, because the lids pop off at the worst possible moments. Maybe a Rubbermaid container. Tell me you don’t want that! Tell me you don’t want to ride around in a plastic box like a piece of leftover turkey!”
I said the last part into the lapel of Vayl’s jacket, because he’d come out of the Wheezer sometime during my rant and toward the end had pulled me into a bone-squeaking hug. “And I was afraid you would not react at all,” he said softly. “But perhaps you could agree this is somewhat extreme?”
“How?”
“I am Vampere. People have been trying to murder me for centuries. And you see how successful they have been?”
“Even an idiot can get lucky,” I muttered.
“Which is why I have you. Now, do you truly want to abandon the subject of our conversation?” I said, “I can’t talk about h-him right now. After?”
He inclined his head. “Then let this be of some consolation. Before Martha disconnected she gave me a code phrase.”
“Yeah?”
“She said, Owls are not the only night-hunters .”
“But… that means…”
He shrugged. “Martha must never have been a secretary, because now she is the acting head of our department. Also in code, she directed me to complete our mission and to report back only to her.” I shook my head. “It’s too much.”
“So let us save Ruvin’s life and, in so doing, rescue NASA from these zealots, as Pete requested in the first place.”
Is this what Cassandra meant? Have we failed already and Pete is the first of many to die as a result?
Pete! You dumb son of a bitch! Why did you let them do it?
He assumed he was safe, Granny May said sadly.
I hunched my shoulders. Why don’t they ever know better?
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
The Wheezer was damn near choking by the time we caught up to Ruvin’s Jeep. Since the party line’s reach maxed out at around two miles, we hadn’t heard the conversation when the tire went flat. But there the vehicle stood, parked by the side of the road just as we’d planned.
“Where’s the jack?” While my dog panted in my ear to let me know he hadn’t gone far I added, “And the spare? Ruvin should’ve been faking some repairs while he waited for us.”
“In fact, where is Ruvin?” Vayl asked as we pulled in behind the Jeep. The tinted back windows revealed nothing of what might be going on inside. “Do you feel anything?” he asked.
We could both pick up on extreme human emotions, but when I shook my head I could tell he agreed.
Either everybody inside was grooving to some great new jazz tune, or it was empty.
I drew Grief anyway. “Jack, stay. And don’t scare the robokitty. Astral, you stay too. We may need you later. With your head attached.”
“Okey dokey, pokey!” she said. Vayl raised his eyebrows at me as I shrugged. Personality change was one thing, but this cheerful bullshit was wearing thin quick. Deciding it would be okay if Jack gave Astral another nasty surprise, I approached the Jeep’s driver side, keeping step with Vayl, who’d taken the opposite.
“Ready?” he asked softly.
I reached forward. Wrapped my hand around the back door handle. Raised my gun and nodded once.
“Now.”
We jerked the doors open, Vayl’s sweep of frigid powers preceding my shout of, “Don’t move!” I jumped back as a body flopped out the door, torso first, its hips and legs remaining inside. It was dade’s mistress. Or what was left of her. “Shit!”
I moved back into position, training Grief on every possible point of attack. All I saw was a second body, slumped over the feet of the first, still bleeding onto Ruvin’s upholstery. They were both full of bullet wounds and missing their heads, so we couldn’t tell who the second body belonged to until Vayl slipped off its wedding ring. Lyssa & Max forever had been engraved on the inside.
“I believe that is the marketing executive,” he said.
“Which means Ruvin and the software engineers are missing.” We did a quick perimeter check. No more bodies. No sign of a struggle.
“Why?” I murmured. “You just change the tire and keep moving. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Do you suppose Ruvin told them about us?”
“Possibly.” It didn’t feel right though. “Maybe… I don’t know, maybe Brude had something to do with this. He’s got resources other than me. And the shaman might be able to reach into the beyond. Maybe they connected somehow. Maybe he let the information slip before I got a handle on him.” Vayl sent me a piercing look. “Are you saying you have control now?” I hesitated. Aw, what the hell. I hadn’t heard a peep from him, and my whole crew of mental misfits had returned. “Yeah. As much as I can with him stuck in my brain. I know my thoughts are my own. He can’t move me. And he can’t snoop into my conversations anymore.” Vayl stepped toward me. For a second I thought he looked taller. Then I realized the relief had been so immense that I’d actually seen it release him. He grasped my shoulders, stared deep into my eyes, like he needed more assurance.
“Yes,” he murmured. “Finally. I knew you could do it.”
“We did it. Together.”
Realization widened his eyes. “Ahh. I only wish…” He rubbed his thumb across my bottom lip, leaving a trail of tingles that multiplied so rapidly I had to grab his elbows to hold myself steady. He went on. “But we have just begun this night’s work.”
Dammit! We need another vacation! To Mars!
“True,” I said, sighing. Vayl’s phone rang again and we stared at it with dread. But this time the source was expected. Vayl spoke into it for a total of ten seconds and then hung up.