ERIC: “I would like you to do this.”
BILL: “Of course. I’ll be there after Fangtasia closes.”
ERIC: “Should I send Pam to get you?”
BILL: “Pam? Not Felicia?”
ERIC: “Not Felicia, not for this.”
BILL: “I see.” Pause. “No. I can drive.”
ERIC: “It might be a good idea for you to drive around a bit, make certain you’re not followed.”
BILL: “Do you believe we are all being watched?”
ERIC: “I’m certain Victor knows you’ve been . . . ill and staying close to home. If you suddenly drive to Shreveport, he may hear of it. I don’t feel like coming up with an explanation.”
BILL: “You really are concerned, aren’t you?”
ERIC: “Yes. For us all. Victor has already sent Sandy back to Vegas and is running the entire state himself from New Orleans. I would not be surprised if he has bigger plans. Area Five’s dealings must be aboveboard and strictly accounted. There can be no reason for Felipe to doubt us, no way for Victor to cast aspersions upon us.”
BILL: “I’ll take steps to ensure I am not followed.”
Phone: Eric calling Bill.
ERIC: “Bill, have you seen either Bruno or Corinna lately?”
BILL: “No. Why?”
ERIC: “I’ve heard rumors that they are missing from New Orleans.” BILL: “And . . . ?”
ERIC: “And I was wondering if by chance you’d seen them, if they’d stopped by.”
BILL: “No, they did not. Have you seen them?”
ERIC: “No, I can honestly say that I have not.”
BILL: “I see.”
ERIC: “In fact, I cannot imagine why Victor’s second would be in my area without my knowledge.”
BILL: “Of course not. It would be a violation of protocol.”
ERIC: “Indeed it would. And any of my people would be well within their rights to defend themselves if they were accosted by Victor’s second.”
BILL: “Absolutely.”
ERIC: “Yes, so it’s a good thing that no one has seen them in the area. However, it’s probably best that you don’t speak of this to anyone.”
BILL: “Speak of what?” ERIC: “Exactly.”
Phone: Bill calling Eric.
BILL: “I’m calling to inform you that I have a visitor. She arrived Saturday night and will be staying with me for a week or so.”
ERIC: “She?”
BILL: “Yes. Judith Vardamon, my . . . Lorena’s other child.”
ERIC: “Well. This is a good thing for you, is it not? You already sound stronger.”
BILL: “Yes. I’m feeling much better. Please thank Felicia for me. She was here just before Judith arrived and has been a great help, but I will no longer need her.”
ERIC: “I’ll let her know.”
BILL: “Forgive me, Eric, but you don’t sound yourself. I know I have been out of sorts these past weeks, but is there something I should know? Have there been more problems with Victor?”
ERIC: “I only wish it were Victor. You are not the only one with family visitors, Bill. My maker has arrived with his child. Things are not going well.”
BILL: “I see.”
ERIC: “He is my maker. It is not for me to advise him; he must reach his own conclusions. He’s trying, but the child is . . . I see this ending badly. But he’s . . . He’s my maker.”
BILL: “I remember the feeling all too well, Eric.”
ERIC: “I imagine you do. She would have been of help to you now, though.”
BILL: “I would rather die than have asked her. If Sookie had not contacted Judith, I would never have bothered her after what Lorena did to her, did to us both.”
ERIC: “Sookie contacted her?”
BILL: “Yes. She got Judith’s e-mail from my database and told her I was ill and needed her. She and Judith then spoke when Judith arrived. Judith was much relieved to know that Lorena had met her final death, and surprised it was at Sookie’s hands. She was most impressed.”
ERIC: “Sookie is most impressive. Bobby has just arrived with some paperwork for me. Felicia is with him, so I will pass along your thanks. Good night, Bill.”
BILL: “Good night, Eric.”
Phone: Bill calling Eric.
BILL: “Eric, we’ve just arrived home. What happened at Sookie’s tonight? All was quiet when we went out, but now there are strange scents through the woods.”
ERIC: “My maker has met his final death, Bill. His child as well.”
BILL: “This is not what you wanted?”
ERIC: “I don’t know. I feel strangely free.” Pause. “What is it like to live without your maker, Bill? How did you feel when Lorena died?”
BILL: “She had been torturing me, Eric. When she died, I felt relief. Afterward, I felt somewhat adrift. I imagine it is much like any child when a parent dies, even if the parent was a poor one.”
ERIC: “I cannot remember a time when I did not feel Ocella’s presence, but I did not hate him.”
BILL: “I believe I hated Lorena, as much as a vampire can hate their maker. Twice she took me from a woman I loved.” (Silence.)
BILL: “I take it Sookie is all right?”
ERIC: “Yes. I left her with her fairy cousin and uncle.”
BILL: “Her uncle? I thought he was dangerous.”
ERIC: “He was bespelled, and he was freed tonight as well. He killed a fairy who meant Sookie harm, a fairy who killed Ocella instead.” Pause. “Bobby and Felicia are also dead. Bobby died trying to protect me.”
BILL: “I’m sorry, Eric.”
ERIC: “So am I. Pam was injured but is recovering.”
BILL: “Eric, is there anything I can do?”
ERIC: “Perhaps you could look through Bobby’s computer, help Pam with what needs to be taken care of until I find another daytime employee.”
BILL: “Of course. Shall we come to Fangtasia tonight?”
ERIC: “Please. I need to rely on you and Pam while I am attending to Ocella’s final arrangements, Bill. I cannot afford to let anything slide. We cannot afford it. Victor remains a threat to us all.”
BILL: “I’ll see you tonight.”
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2006. Sookie decides to take advantage of the fact that Dermot and Claude are still staying at her house and enlists the pair to help her clean out the attic. Setting aside the family photos, documents, and other items Sookie thinks might be worth selling in the living room, they eventually pile the most obviously dilapidated and worthless in the driveway to be burned. At work at Merlotte’s that evening, Sookie tells Sam of their activity, and much to her surprise, he is able to recommend a shop in Shreveport that appraises and purchases antiques. Sam tells her that he needs to stop in to look for a birthday gift for Jannalynn, so they make plans to visit the shop the next day.
Business is sparse that night. Not only has Sam come out as two-natured, but there is also a new bar nearby that is drawing a crowd. Kennedy Keyes and Danny Prideaux come in for a drink just as it is getting dark, and Sookie is closing the front curtains when she sees suspicious activity in the parking lot. A Molotov cocktail is thrown through the window, setting a table on fire and scattering flaming napkins through the bar. Sam grabs the fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames. As customers race out of the bar through the back door, Sookie grabs pitchers of tea and water to put out the small fires created by the burning napkins. Sam sees Sookie’s hair catch on fire and sprays her with the fire extinguisher before she even realizes what has happened. Together, they are able to douse the blaze before the fire department arrives. Eric storms in a few minutes later, having felt Sookie’s distress through their bond, and insists on taking Sookie home; however, she convinces him to allow Sheriff Bud Dearborn and the fire chief to question her for their investigation into the arson.
Eric contacts Pam to bring a hairdresser to Sookie’s house, and the female vampire is waiting with Immanuel Earnest, a stylist from Shreveport, when Eric and Sookie arrive. Immanuel sets up in the kitchen and gets to work, cutting off several inches of Sookie’s hair while Eric glowers.