"Fine. You wait here, and I'll…"
I turned to enter the building and bumped headlong into Vilhelm.
"What are you doing here?" I demanded, not really caring.
The Dispatcher shook his head slightly to clear it. Being smaller, he had gotten the worse of our collision.
"I'm here with the witnesses, remember? I was supposed to bring them."
"You were supposed to send them. Oh well, where are they?"
"Right here," he said, gesturing to a sullen group of vampires standing behind him. "This is Kirby, and Paul, and Richard, and Adele, and Scott… some of the most respected citizens in town. Convince them and you're home free."
Looking at the group, I suddenly realized how Aahz had ended up on death row. If the jury had been anything like these specimens, they would have hung their own mothers for jaywalking. While I didn't relish the thought of trying to convince them of anything, I found myself being very glad I didn't have to deal with them on a regular basis.
"Okay. So we're here," the one identified as Kirby growled. "Just what is it we're supposed to be witnessing? If this is one of your cockamamie deals, Vilhelm…"
I interrupted simply by taking my sunglasses off and opening my eyes wide, displaying their whites. The bad reputation of humans in this dimension was sufficient to capture their undivided attention.
"Perhaps you recall a certain murder trial that took place not too long ago?" I said, trying to work the toothblack off with my tongue. "Well, the convicted murderer who escaped is my partner, and right now he's inside that building. He and a few of our friends are about to show you one surprisingly lively corpse… specifically the fellow that my partner is supposed to have killed. I trust that will be sufficient to convince you of his innocence?"
While the vampires were taken aback by my presence in their midst, they recovered quickly. Like I said, they were real hard cases and didn't stay impressed very long.
"So how much time is this going to take?" Kirby said impatiently. "I'm giving up my sleep for this, and I don't get much of it."
That was a good question, so, not having an answer, I stalled.
"You sleep nights? I thought…"
"I'm a day owl," the vampire waved. "It's easier to get my work done when the phone isn't ringing every five minutes… which usually means waiting until everyone else is asleep. But we're getting off the subject. The bottom line is that my time is valuable, and the same holds true for my colleagues. If you think we're going to just stand around here until…"
There was a sudden outcry from the crowd, and we all looked to find them talking excitedly and pointing up at the roof.
A figure had emerged, fighting to pick his way across the steeply sloped surface while dragging a struggling girl by one arm.
Vic!
This was the first time I had gotten a clear look at my foe, and I was moderately surprised. He was younger than I had expected, barely older than myself, and instead of a menacing cloak, he was sporting a white turtleneck and sunglasses. It suddenly occurred to me that if sunglasses enabled me to pass for a vampire, that they would also let a vampire pass undetected among humans.
The vampire suddenly stopped as his path was barred by Tananda, who appeared as if by magic over the edge of the roof. He turned to retrace his steps, only to find that the trio of Aahz, Guido, and Chumley had emerged behind him, cutting off his retreat.
"I believe, gentlemen and lady, that up there is the elusive body that started this whole thing," I heard myself saying. "If you can spare a few more moments, I think my colleagues will have him in custody so that you might interrogate him at your leisure."
"Don't be too sure of that. High Roller," Massha cautioned. "Look!"
His chosen routes of escape cut off. Vic was now scrabbling up the roof peak itself, Luanna hanging in his grip. While I had to admire his strength, I was at a loss to understand what he was trying to accomplish with the maneuver. It was obvious that he had been exposed, so why didn't he just give it up?
The answer became apparent in the next few moments. Reaching the apex of the roof, the vampire underwent a chilling metamorphosis. Before the strike force could reach him, he hunched forward and huge batwings began to grow and spread from his back. His plans gone awry, he was getting ready to escape.
In immediate response to his efforts, Tananda and Guido both produced projectile weapons and shouted something to him. Though the distance was too great to make out the words clearly, it was obvious to me that they were threatening to shoot him down if he tried to take to the air.
"We may have a murder case yet," Kirby murmured, squinting to watch the rooftop drama unfold.
"Murder?" I exclaimed, turning on him. "How can you call it murder if they're only trying to keep from escaping your justice? "
"That wasn't what I meant," the vampire said, never taking his eyes from the action. "Check it out."
I looked… and my heart stood still.
Aahz had been trying to ease up the roof peak closer to Vic and his hostage. Vic must have seen him, because he was now holding Luanna out over the drop as he pointed an angry finger at my partner. The threat was unmistakable.
"You know, eet is people like zat who give ze vampires a bad name, eh?" Pepe said, nudging me.
I ignored him, lost in my own anxiety and frustration at the stalemated situation. A noticeably harder jab from Massha broke my reverie, however.
"Hey, Hot Stuff. Do you see what I see?"
I tore my gaze away from the confrontation and shot a glance her way. She was standing motionless, her brow furrowed with concentration and her eyes closed.
It took me a few moments to realize what she was doing, then I followed suit, scarcely daring to hope.
There it was! A force line! A big, strong, beautiful, glorious force line.
I had gotten so used to not having any magical energy at my disposal in this dimension that I hadn't even bothered to check!
I opened myself to the energy, relished it for a fleet moment, then rechanneled it.
"Excuse me," I said with a smile, handing my sunglasses to Kirby. "It's about time I took a hand in this directly."
With that, I reached out with my mind, pushed off against the ground, and soared upward, setting a course for the cornered vampire on the roof.
Chapter Nineteen
"All right, pilgrim. This is between you and me!"
I had hoped to make my approach unobserved, but as I flew upward, the crowd below let out a roar that drew the attention of the combatants on the roof. Terrific! When I wanted unobtrusive, I got notoriety.
Reaching a height level with that of the vampire, I hovered at a discreet distance.
"Put away the nasties," I called to Tananda and Guido. "He's not getting away by air."
They looked a bit rebellious, but followed the order.
"What's with the Peter Pan bit, partner?" Aahz shouted. "Are you feeling your Cheerioats, or did you finally find a force line?"
"Both." I waved back, then turned my attention to Vic.
Though his eyes were obscured by his sunglasses, I could feel his hateful glare burning into me to the bone. "Why don't you just call it quits?" I said in what I hoped was a calm, soothing tone. "It's over. We've got you outflanked."
For a moment he seemed to waiver with indecision. Then, without warning, he threw Luanna at Aahz.
"Why can't you all just leave me alone!" he screamed, and dove off the roof.
Aahz somehow managed to snag the girl's hurtling form, though in the process he lost his balance and tumbled backward down the roof peak, cushioning the impact with his own body.
I hesitated, torn between the impulse to check on Luanna's welfare and the desire to pursue Vic.
"Go get him!" my partner called. "We're fine!"