“Chloe, you need to rest now,” Byron said in a soothing voice. “You’re very tired.”
Chloe yawned. “You know what? I am. Maybe I’ll take a nap.” She snuggled into the couch and closed her eyes. “Wake me for my scene,” she said. A moment later she was asleep.
“I didn’t think we could glamor other vampires,” Jane said.
“She’s new,” said Byron. “There’s still enough human in her to respond.”
“I must say, this doesn’t seem to be terribly traumatic for her,” Jane remarked. “I remember my turning as being much more dramatic.”
“It’s different for everyone,” said Byron. “Believe me, when she wakes up and realizes what she is, there will be drama. I can tell. In the meantime, we have to get her to my house so I can look after her. The first day or two will be the worst.”
“But she’s expected on the set,” Jane reminded him. “What will I tell Julia?”
“Tell her Chloe needs rest, and to shoot around her.”
Jane suddenly remembered something. “And what about Ted?” she asked.
“Ned,” Byron corrected her. “I plan on having a chat with him as soon as I see to this young lady. But first we need to get her out of here. If I carry her, I can make us both invisible. See if the coast is clear.”
Jane went to the door and peered outside. Nobody was out there, so she opened the door and stepped out. As she did she saw a flash of movement to her left. She turned her head just in time to see a tiny tail disappearing around the side of the trailer. It’s just a dog, she thought with relief.
Then she looked down. In the dirt around the stairs were several sets of footprints, all of them different. But there was also a set of paw prints, and there was something peculiar about them. At first Jane couldn’t make out what it was, but then it dawned on her.
There were only three of them.
Chapter 15
“This would be a lot easier if we could levitate,” Jane said as she looked up at the parlor windows of Walter’s house. The sills were just about at the height of her head, and even standing on her tiptoes she could not see into the parlor. Byron, taller than she, had a better view, but not by much. “Is she in there?” Jane asked.
“Yes,” said Byron. “She’s sitting on the sofa with the dog. She appears to be speaking to it.”
“What is she saying?”
Byron sighed. “I don’t know,” he said testily. “In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re outside.”
“I realize that,” said Jane. “But aren’t you—aren’t we—supposed to have extraordinarily acute hearing?” She paused. “You know—if we try.”
“It would be much easier if the window were open,” Byron replied.
“Or if we could levitate,” Jane repeated. “Can’t we do that?”
“Do you know how?” asked Byron.
“No,” said Jane. “That’s why I asked you.”
Byron frowned. “Then it doesn’t really matter whether we can or not, does it?”
Jane, annoyed, sighed deeply. “I wonder where Walter is,” she said. “That’s a rhetorical question,” she added as she saw Byron open his mouth to speak. “I know you don’t know.”
“Actually, I do,” said Byron. “He’s just come into the room.”
Jane turned and again tried to see through the window. She jumped as high as she could, and for just a moment she caught a glimpse of the parlor. As Byron had reported, Miriam sat on the sofa opposite the window. Lilith sat beside her. Walter stood to one side, his back to Jane.
“Stop that,” Byron ordered as Jane prepared to jump again. “You look ridiculous.”
“This is maddening,” said Jane, leaning against the side of the house. “We need to get inside.” She looked at Byron, who caught her eye and immediately began shaking his head. “No,” he said.
“I’ve gotten much better at it,” Jane said. “Last time I stayed invisible for what, fifteen minutes?”
“More like six,” said Byron.
“Fine. Six,” Jane said. “That’s long enough to get in, have a listen, and get out again.”
“And what if you lose your concentration and appear?” said Byron. “How are you going to explain that?”
“We’ll stay in the hall,” Jane said. “We won’t even go into the parlor. There’s no way they’ll see us.”
“You mean you,” said Byron. “I know they won’t see me.” He hesitated. “Fine. We’ll go in. But if I see so much as a flicker, we’re leaving.”
“Absolutely,” Jane agreed. “Now how do we get in?”
“Most people go through the front door,” Byron said. “Let’s start there.”
“The front door?” said Jane. “Shouldn’t we go through the cellar, or the back, or … I don’t know, the chimney?”
Byron turned to her. “Do you enjoy making things as difficult as possible?”
“To the contrary,” Jane replied. “But it just seems to me that if we’re going to go sneaking around and using our powers, we might as well have some fun at it.” She thought for a moment about what she’d just said. “Goodness. That’s not like me at all.”
“It’s because you turned Chloe,” said Byron, continuing around to the front of the house. “It makes you a bit giddy.”
“Really?” said Jane. “Now that you mention it, I do feel slightly tipsy. Do you think Chloe will be all right?”
They had left Chloe sleeping in Byron’s guest bedroom. Byron had assured Jane that the girl would sleep for several hours at least. What would happen after that was something they hadn’t discussed.
“She’ll be fine,” Byron said, coming to a halt behind one of the large lilac bushes that screened the side of the house from the street. “Just concentrate on disappearing.”
Jane nodded. She closed her eyes, cleared her throat, and filled her mind with the image of herself made out of glass.
“Excellent,” she heard Byron say. “That was very quick.”
“I told you I could do it,” said Jane, feeling quite proud of herself.
A second later Byron blinked out. “All right,” Jane heard him say. “Here we go.”
“How will I know where you are?” asked Jane.
Byron reached out and took her hand. His fingers gripped hers firmly but pleasantly. “Don’t let go,” he said.
Jane allowed him to lead her around the corner of the house and up the front steps. When a boy went riding by on his bike, startling her with the sound of playing cards tucked into the spokes of his wheels, whap-whap-whap, she felt her invisibility waver. A ghostly image of her hand appeared for a second before she focused her mind and regained control.
“You’re certain you can do this?” Byron whispered.
Jane nodded, forgetting that Byron couldn’t see her. “Yes,” she added quickly. “Just get inside.”
She watched as the front door opened slowly. The foyer was empty, and the faint sound of voices came from the parlor. Jane felt Byron pull her inside. Then the door shut again. Jane breathed deeply, steadying her nerves.
Again she felt Byron tug at her hand, and she crept behind him down the hallway to the parlor. They stopped outside the door. Inside, Walter and his mother were talking.
“You did the right thing,” Miriam said.
“I don’t know about that,” said Walter. He sounded weary, almost sad.
“Walter, she told you she wouldn’t marry you,” his mother said.
“No, she said she couldn’t marry me,” Walter countered.
His mother snorted. “It’s the same thing,” she said. “Anyway, she wasn’t right for you.”
“Why do you say that?” asked Walter. “Because she’s not Jewish? Mother, I think you should know that apart from the few holidays I’ve spent with you, I haven’t set foot in a synagogue in twenty years.”
“It has nothing to do with her being a shiksa,” Miriam said. “And shame on you for not going to temple. That’s not how I raised you.”
Walter groaned. “I don’t want to talk about this,” he said.