“So where is the dead guy who was in our foyer?” I asked, gratefully accepting a glass of grapefruit juice from Tina. It wasn't nearly as good for me as Sinclair's blood, but I'd had enough from my husband to keep me going for a while. “Not that I mind that he's gone.”
“The body,” Sinclair said carefully, knowing how I felt about such icky things, “is in the basement, in the walk-in freezer.”
I shuddered, and juice slopped over the rim of my glass. Among other things, when the mansion had been modernized thirty years ago, the old owners had put in a giant freezer for entertaining. Luckily, we kept it empty. Most of the time.
“We don't know if we will need access to the body again,” Tina said apologetically. “I staked it after you fell asleep, just to be sure.”
“Do we know his real name?” I wasn't expecting a good answer here, but I had to ask.
I got a pleasant surprise from Tina. “Nick was here, and printed him. He's going to run it through privately – ”
“Why privately?”
Antonia gave me a “you poor dumb bitch” look, as Tina patiently explained, “What if the dead man was born in 1910? And he looks like a man in his late thirties? That might bring up questions we would find awkward to answer.”
“Does Nick have enough juice to run prints – twice – without anybody else finding out?”
“We will see.”
I had to be happy with that. I knew dick about police procedural. But if he was getting secret assignments from the chief, he probably had some clout.
“Thank you for your assistance, Antonia,” Sinclair said over my musings. “We are grateful.”
“Why do you think I beat feet to get back here from the Cape? You guys'd sit around and talk it to death. You need a werewolf to get shit done.”
“Are all werewolves as insufferable as you are?” I asked sweetly, “or are you a genetic anomaly?”
Before she could answer, I looked around and said, “Hey, where's Laura? I'd think she'd want to be in on all this stuff now that she knows what's going on.”
“She called while you were sleeping; she's teaching her church youth group tonight,” Tina said with a barely repressed shudder.
“Okay, how about Jess? She left me a sticky note.”
“You just missed her; she went to Detective Berry's house, complaining bitterly that it had been 'ages and ages' since they'd had some alone time.”
“Why didn't she just go with him?”
“Oh, it's kind of dumb. She doesn't like to be stuck at anybody's house without a getaway car. It's one of her things. But it's great that she gets to see him tonight... he must have the night off.”
Tina was opening her laptop. “Yes, yes, the poor deprived things. Let them stay gone for a month.”
I was unwrapping a blue raspberry Blo-Pop. “Tina,” I said reproachfully, then popped it into my mouth and sucked enthusiastically.
“Sorry, Majesty, you know I'm fond of Jessica. It's him I can't stand. And if he deliberately places you in harm's way once more, I may not be responsible for my actions.”
“You shush. Just check your e-mail.”
“Actually,” she said, not looking up, “I'm checking Nick's e-mail.”
I nearly gagged on the sucker. “Boo! Unless you've got a warrant. And vampires can't get warrants, I bet.” I paused. “Can we?”
“You're so adorably naive, I may vomit,” my husband said from behind the Washington Post.
“And you're so – ” My cell phone chirped “Living Dead Girl” and I snatched at it. I was sure it was my mom, bitching about baby duty. But there was no way BabyJon was coming back here until we – “Hi, Mom?”
“It's Jessica!” I winced and held the phone away from my ear. “You've got to come, quick! All of you! Nick's gone, but the Fiends have been here!”
“Whoa, whoa, calm down.” I was trying to take my own advice and not hyperventilate. “How d'you know the Fiends took him?”
“Who else would break in and attack him? Please, please come right now! There's blood all over the place!”
“But – but – ” I was so panicked I couldn't think, much less speak. “But why did they take Nick?”
“Because,” Tina said, not looking up from her laptop, “the fingerprints came back. Forensics notified him by e-mail, but he hasn't actually gotten this message yet, so they had to move fast. And so will we.”
“What? Why?”
“The Fiend's name was Edward Hamlin.”
Hamlin? Why did I know that name? So much had been happening in a short time, I –
“Nick has been working on a little project for Police Chief Hamlin,” Tina added, helping me out.
“We're coming!” I shrieked into the cell, then snapped it shut so hard I broke it.
Chapter 39
Nick lived in a great-looking bachelor pad in Minneapolis, overlooking the Mississippi River. The view was terrific, which made up for the fact that the yard was the size of a Post-it note, and just as yellow.
I'd never been there – luckily, Tina's laptop was stuffed with all sorts of interesting tidbits, including addresses she had no business knowing. She had MapQuested it, and here we all were.
Jessica had the place wide open for us, and I could see it was full of rich-guy toys: an extra truck, skis, a snowmobile, a Jetski. And that was just the garage. The house itself was brick, with dark green trim and a short, crack-free driveway.
Inside, the place was a complete shambles – we could practically follow the progress of the fight by observing the broken furniture and shattered glassware. He clearly hadn't gotten to his gun, which was too bad for him. I couldn't blame him – he'd been relaxing at home, getting ready for a date with Jessica, with no way of knowing his boss, the chief of police, had fed him to the wolves – almost literally.
Jessica was waiting for us in the living room, which looked like a bomb had detonated from beneath the carpet. He might not have had his gun, but he'd put up a helluva fight. It made me remember why I'd liked him a couple of years ago.
“Ballsy bastard,” was Antonia's comment.
FALSE QUEEN was written on the biggest wall, the one without any windows. Sinclair leaned close, sniffed, then reported quietly, “Detective Berry's blood.”
“But not so much that he's dead, right?” Jessica begged. “Not enough to kill him, right?”
Sinclair put an arm around my trembling friend. “No, dear one. Not nearly enough.”
“She cannot go,” Tina said firmly.
“Indeed, no.”
“What are you two talking about?” I tried to keep my voice low and authoritative, when it wanted to go high and squeaky.
Tina shook her head, but Sinclair came right out with it. “This is an ancient challenge among vampires – ”
“So how do Fiends who have been out of it for six decades know anything about it?” I asked, trying not to sound hysterical.
“It's important to keep in mind they are remembering more and more every day – and in fact may have lied to us about what they do remember, at any rate.” Sinclair glanced at the bloody letters again. “Regardless of how they know, they know. Such a step is usually taken to settle a grudge or, occasionally, determine ability to rule. This message means that if you value your crown, you will rescue Nick and defeat the Fiends.”
“But how would I even know where to – ”
“He'll be where it began for them,” Garrett said quietly. I jumped; he hadn't said a word since we'd left the mansion.
“Nostro's house,” Tina added.
“Well, then, I'm outta here!”
Cue huge squabble fest. Not even Jessica was sure I should go, and, needless to say, Tina and Sinclair weren't keen on the idea at all. Antonia was practically foaming at the mouth to come with me; she'd had a taste of Fiend already and didn't mind getting wet. I had a momentary flash – thank goodness Laura had her youth group tonight; she'd just be one more person trying to stop me.