Red (26 page)
Chapter 31
I slept for only a few hours. Nightmarish images of Seth and Vlad and Caliban and Dave Hamelin and Sebille Fenwick and the various victims of the creature plaguing our kind stubbornly haunted my sleep and finally became so intrusive I cast my blankets aside and gave up trying.
After showering for twice as long as usual, I made my way downstairs and heard Gran and Eddie chatting happily as they bustled around the kitchen together. I stood in the kitchen doorway for a few minutes, just watching them. They seemed so comfortable, so at ease in each others’ company already, I couldn’t help smiling. There was a new radiance to Gran, I realized. Something even brighter and more enchanting than usual—which was saying a lot. As much as I hated to admit it, she was falling in love with the enigmatic bodyguard. And, if the tender expression in Eddie’s eyes was any indication, it seemed mutual.
“Good morning,” I said, finally announcing my presence.
They both offered me words of greeting as I took a seat at the bar.
“You’re up early, dearest,” Gran said, her tone chipper and unconcerned even though I could see the question in her eyes.
“Couldn’t sleep,” I told her. “I figured I might as well get up and get moving.”
“I’ve got coffee, if you’re interested,” Eddie announced. It was odd to see him there, but he seemed to fit in somehow.
I bobbed my head once. “Load me up.”
Eddie set a steaming cup in front of me a moment later. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Gran was occupied with breakfast, then leaned toward me over the bar. “Nicky called this morning,” he said in a low voice. “He said to tell you he’s got the information you were after.”
I gave him a quick nod, then lifted the cup to my lips, taking a generous sip. It wasn’t as good as the cup Nate had made for me a few days before, but it was just as warm and soothing as it traveled the path to my stomach. “Thanks, Eddie.”
“You got it, doll.”
Now it was my turn to glance over at Gran. Seeing her still busily engaged with folding crepes, I said, “And thanks for taking care of Gran.”
This made his lips curve into a smile, crinkling the skin around his eyes in a very pleasing way. “Tilly’s some dame,” he said, shaking his head slowly, as if baffled by the depth of his admiration. “That gal’s got me but good.”
I took another sip of my coffee, my eyes never leaving his. “As long as she’s happy, I’m happy. You feel me?”
He gave me a wink. “That makes two of us.”
I was just taking another sip of my coffee when my phone started ringing. I checked my watch with a frown. Seven a.m. Aside from Gran—and, apparently, Eddie—only one other person I knew was crazy enough to get up that early voluntarily on a Saturday morning.
“Good morning, sunshine,” I answered with a grin.
“Good morning, indeed.”
My heart seized at the unexpected sound of Vlad’s voice. “Why the hell are you calling me?” I hissed, hurriedly hopping down from the bar stool and taking my coffee into the other room.
“I wanted to repeat my offer,” Vlad replied lazily. “I thought perhaps a good night’s rest would bring you to your senses.”
“Well, I didn’t get a good night’s rest,” I spat. “And even if I had, I’d still tell you to piss off.”
“Take care, little one,” Vlad warned, his voice taking on a razor-sharp edge. “Consider your decision carefully.”
I retreated into the living room, further out of Gran and Eddie’s collective earshot. “I don’t need to consider anything, you smug son of a bitch.”
“Is that so?” Vlad drawled. “Perhaps you should consider the dangers of ending our association.”
“Thanks, but I’ll take my chances.”
“A pity about your little lapdog. So horrible what happened to his lovely friend.”
I couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath he’d startled out of me. “How do you know about that?”
“That is unimportant.”
“Like hell it is!” I snapped. “So help me, Vlad, if you were in any way involved—”
“Do not threaten me, my lovely,” he interrupted, his tone mocking. “I think you know of old how well I respond to your threats.”
I ground my teeth together, hating that he was right. I could put up a good fight, but when it came down to it, my strength was nothing to his. He’d
let
me catch him before, plain and simple. And we both knew it.
let
me catch him before, plain and simple. And we both knew it.
“Did you kill Molly O’Grady?” I demanded.
“Of course not,” he replied so innocently I got the impression he was batting his eyes on the other end of the line. “You know such carnage is not my style. I like to play with my food, Red, not torture it. I simply was making a point that one never knows what horrible creatures might be lurking in the shadows, creatures from which I could protect you.”
I swallowed the rage burning my throat but I couldn’t quite keep the apprehension out of my voice when I asked, “Why would I need protecting?”
“You were attacked once already,” he reminded me. “Do you think that Reaper can protect you from another such attack? He is not with you every moment. He does not know the heat of your blood like I do. He does not sense your every heartbeat.”
I could feel the tendrils of his voice beginning to work their way under my skin and shook my head to clear the growing haze before it could take hold. “I’d trust Nate with my life,” I insisted. “And that’s a hell of a lot more than I could say about you.”
Vlad hissed something dark in his native tongue, raising the hair on my arms even though the words were foreign to me, then snarled in English, “You have no idea what you are doing!”
“I know exactly what I’m doing,” I assured him. “Don’t call me again.”
Without waiting for his response, I hung up and stared down at my phone for a moment, half expecting it to ring again. When it didn’t, I sighed, a little sad at the way things were finally ending.
I’d always known our relationship couldn’t go anywhere—at least not anywhere healthy. But I’d always hoped it would end on good terms, that someday we’d run into each other at a party and reminisce about old times, laugh about how crazy we’d been about each other once upon a time.
So it goes.
I took another sip of my coffee and closed my eyes for a few seconds, wondering when exactly my life had gone from being an action-adventure to a two-bit melodrama. Hell, I would have even settled for a romantic comedy. But seeing as how there were no happy endings immediately in sight, I’d at least do whatever I could to rewrite the story in which I’d unwittingly been cast. That meant clearing Seth and bringing in the real killer. And the clock was ticking.
Taking a chance that my impression of Nate’s morning routine was dead on, I dialed his number and grinned when I heard his raspy voice drawl, “I’m surprised to hear from you so early.”
“What are you talking about?” I returned. “I’ve been up for hours.”
He chuckled. “Liar.”
“Okay,
an
hour,” I admitted. “But still. I think it might be an all-time record.”
an
hour,” I admitted. “But still. I think it might be an all-time record.”
There was a slight pause before he asked, “Couldn’t sleep?”
I sat down on the sofa in the living room and frowned at the carpet. “Got a lot on my mind.”
I heard him inhale and let out his breath in a slow, measured exhale. “Anything I can do?”
God, was there ever!
A barrage of mouthwatering images of him shirtless hit me so hard I had to close my eyes for a second to steady my pulse. I would have liked nothing better than to press my lips to the flames that seared his skin and feel their heat for myself. But there was work to do, so I gave my libido a good smack upside the head.
Down, girl.
“You can come with me to chat with Alice,” I suggested, sticking to business. “I want to find out what she knows about Dave’s apprentice.”
“What apprentice?”
“Precisely.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“I’ll fill you in on the way.”
“I can be there in twenty.”
“Make it ten.”
“On my way.”
“Hey, Nate?”
“Yeah?”
I wanted to tell him about Vlad’s call, his offer of protection, and get his take on it. But seeing as how he was already nervous enough about my number being drawn, I didn’t want to add to his concern. Vlad didn’t like being told no, but he’d get over it. Not like there weren’t scads of other women clamoring to be one of his bed bunnies.
“Never mind,” I said, shrugging off my uneasiness. “I’ll just see you soon.”
Chapter 32
Calling where Alice lived an apartment was a gross overstatement. It was little more than a minuscule box with just enough room for a twin bed, a small chest of drawers, and a plant stand that held an ancient black and white thirteen-inch TV with one broken antenna. There was a tiny sink tucked along one wall between a stove and refrigerator small enough to fit into a child’s playhouse. A lone window covered by venetian blinds yellowed by age (and who knows what else) let in just enough light to hide the worst of the dinginess ground into the carpet. The walls were bare but for a single framed photo of verdant rolling hills and a little red farmhouse nestled peacefully among them. There was no toilet or bathtub to be seen, so I could only guess that they were located somewhere down the hall to be shared with the other residents.
Nonetheless, Alice invited us in with such delighted pride she might as well have been a princess welcoming us to her palace. “I’m sorry for the mess!” she called over her shoulder as she kicked a pair of shoes under the bed and straightened the well-worn coverlet. “I’ve never had visitors before!”
It broke my heart to see the kid living in such a hovel. If she’d been a Tale, I would have immediately called the Relocation Bureau and demanded they get off their collective asses and find the poor girl someplace livable. As it was, all I could do was smile graciously when she offered me a drink of water in a chipped teacup.
“Thank you again, Ms. Little,” she gushed. “Your grandma was so sweet! And her boyfriend was
totally
hot for an old guy.”
totally
hot for an old guy.”
Nate shot an amused grin my way in time to catch the cringe I couldn’t quite prevent at the word
boyfriend
. “Yes, Mr. Fox is very charming,” I agreed. “I’m glad you liked them.”
boyfriend
. “Yes, Mr. Fox is very charming,” I agreed. “I’m glad you liked them.”
“Sorry I don’t have much furniture,” Alice lamented, waving her arm toward the bed with a nervous, jerky motion. “But you can sit down there if you want.”
When Nate immediately took her up on her offer, Alice curled up on the floor with her legs folded in front of her and grinned up at us. “So, what brings you by? Did you get the invoice information from Dave’s computer?”
I sat down next to Nate, carefully balancing my teacup of tap water as the bed dipped a little in his direction and wedged me up against him, my thigh and hip pressed into his.
“No, not yet,” I told her, scooting away a couple of inches so that I could actually focus on the conversation. “But soon. We did have a couple more questions for you, though, if that’s okay.”
Alice’s face brightened to the point of beaming. “Are you kidding? If it weren’t for you, I’d be on the streets again! Now I have a job at the library, which is really cool, and Mrs. Stuart even mentioned helping me get my GED so I can maybe go to college. Can you believe that?”
Actually, I could. Dear Gran.
I offered the kid a genuine smile, touched by her excitement and actually glad that I had played a part in it, however small. “I’m really happy for you, kiddo,” I told her. “I hope everything works out for you.”
“So, what did you want to ask me?” she prompted.
“We were wondering if you knew anything about a woman named Julie Spangle,” Nate said.
Alice nodded enthusiastically. “Sure! I knew Julie. She was
super
nice. I wish she would have stayed with the company, but she didn’t really like it much.”
super
nice. I wish she would have stayed with the company, but she didn’t really like it much.”
“Exterminating pests or working for Dave?” I asked.
“Definitely the exterminating,” Alice replied. “It’s not for everyone. I mean, she did okay on the first job—that was at the restaurants—but when the rats started popping up a lot of places, she
totally
freaked out.”
totally
freaked out.”
“Freaked out how?” Nate asked, leaning forward as we traded a glance.
Alice twisted her mouth as she thought about the question. “I don’t know what set her off, but she was yelling at Dave and stomping around the office. They got into a big screaming match right there in front of me. She was all like, ‘There’s no way in hell I’m going to be a rat catcher for some snooty witch!’”
I frowned. “Did she actually say ‘witch’?”
Alice rolled her eyes, then laughed. “I know! I’m nineteen—it’s not like I haven’t heard somebody called a bitch before.”
“Do you know who Julie was talking about?” Nate asked.
Alice shrugged. “Dunno. One of the clients, I guess. We had a bunch of snooty bitches on the client list after the rat infestation started, you know? Anyway, she stormed out.”
“What happened after that?” Nate questioned.
Alice pulled her knees up to her chest, her expression turning a little sad. “Dave went after her and they were yelling at each other in the parking lot for a few minutes. He was really pissed when he came back in. He tried calling her a bunch of times but he finally gave up and left early that day.”
“Is that it?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yep. I haven’t heard from Julie since then. Not even to get her paycheck for the few days she worked for Dave.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her Julie wouldn’t be collecting anytime soon. I tossed back the last of my water and got to my feet. “Thanks for all your help, Alice,” I said, holding out my cup while she scrambled to her feet.
She shrugged and offered me a disconcertingly adoring smile. “Oh, sure! Anytime you guys want to stop by, feel free!”
“Uh, thanks,” I said. “If you think of anything else we should know, give us a call, okay?”
She nodded enthusiastically, then threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. “You are so awesome!”
I patted her back a couple of times. “Okay. Okay, thanks.”
When she finally released me, I quickly strode to the door and pulled it open before I could get ensnared in another embrace.
Nate was grinning as he waved a final good-bye to Alice and followed me into the hall. “I think you have another member in your fan club.”
“Shut up,” I grumbled.
“No, seriously,” Nate taunted as we made our way downstairs. “I think she could be president.”
I sent an acerbic glance his way. “She’ll get over her adoration, trust me.”
“Oh, why’s that?”
I pushed open the door to the outside and lifted my face briefly to the warmth of the spring sunshine. “Because everyone does.”
“I don’t know about that,” Nate mused. “Seems like a few of us still love you.”
My head snapped toward him. “What?”
He blinked at me innocently. “What?”
I huffed, exasperated by his feigned ignorance. “What you said. What did you mean by that?”
The corner of Nate’s mouth lifted just a little, but before he could continue with whatever smart-ass reply he had planned, his expression suddenly morphed into a deep frown. “What the hell?”
I quickly turned to follow his line of vision and was jolted by the sight before me. The roof of my Range Rover had been ripped to shreds as if by massive claws. Huge dents the size of softballs—or an enormous fist—covered the side. And the tires were flat down to the rims, ragged gashes in the rubber visible even from a distance.
Speechless, I walked slowly toward the ruined vehicle, hoping my eyes betrayed me, but the damage actually was worse on closer inspection. The dents I’d seen continued on the hood and around the other side. All the lights had been shattered, the amber, white, and red shards of plastic littering the ground. And the windshield was completely demolished but for bits of jagged glass that hung tenaciously to the edges of the frame.
I stood staring at the wreckage for a long moment, a million questions racing through my brain. “Why didn’t we hear anything?” I managed to whisper.
Nate’s hand rested heavily on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Red,” he said gently. “Want me to call it in to headquarters? See if they’ll send someone to take a look? Maybe Trish could lift some prints.”
I squatted down to get a closer look at the dents and tentatively ran my fingertips along the edges of one, mentally calculating the diameter. “They won’t find any.” I walked a slow perimeter around the vehicle, noting that all the dents were exactly the same size. Exactly as I’d suspected. “No one was here.”
Nate’s face betrayed his disbelief. “In case I missed one hell of a hailstorm, I’d say someone had to have done this intentionally.”
I nodded. “Oh, it was intentional all right. But look,” I said, pointing to the dents. “They’re perfectly symmetrical. If someone had hit this with a weapon or his fist, it would vary, at least a little bit depending on the force and angle of each blow, right?”
Nate frowned. “Okay, sure, but—”
“And the glass from the windshield and the lights are all on the outside of the car,” I continued. “There’s not even any debris inside the headlights. It’s like they exploded outward.”
Nate squatted down in front of the car and peered into the shell of the headlight. “I’ll be damned.” He squinted up at me. “Are you sure you’re not an Investigator?”
“I’m beginning to think I’m a better one than you,” I shot back.
He let out a short laugh and rose to his feet. “Yeah, well, I’m used to dealing with dead bodies,” he reminded me, “not vandalism.”
“Touché.”
“So, what are you thinking? This was done using magic?”
I nodded. “I’m guessing it was the same Tale who’s been using the rats as familiars. Looks like someone’s trying to send me a message.”
“I’d say it came through loud and clear,” Nate quipped. “But you know what bothers me most about the whole thing?”
I gave him a wry look. “That we have to go back to driving
your
piece of shit now?”
your
piece of shit now?”
“No,” Nate said, drawing out the word patiently. “That no one knew we were here. No one knows we’ve been talking to Alice. I sure as hell didn’t tell the Chief that we’ve involved an Ordinary in this mess.”
“Neither did I,” I said, wracking my brain to figure out who might have known. “Gran and Eddie are the only ones who even know about Alice.”
“Wrong.”
“Excuse me?”
“Did you forget about Snow?” he reminded me. “She’s the one who mentioned Hamelin’s assistant to us in the first place.”
I groaned. “So much for my future in investigations.”
“Wanna pay Snow a visit, see if she’s had any pest control problems lately?”
“How exactly do you plan to get us there?” I gestured toward the Rover. “In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re sans transportation at the moment.”
He sent a wink my way, then walked slowly down the sidewalk, letting his hand glide over each car he passed. Finally, he stopped next to a Dodge Charger that was probably one of the first ever made, if the rust spots were any indication, and opened the passenger door.
“Hop in, sweetheart.”
I lifted my brows, not sure if I was more surprised by his new nickname for me or the fact that he was proposing we steal a car. “Come again?”
He made a sweeping motion with his arm. “Let’s go.”
I glanced around quickly, checking to see if anyone was nearby. Fortunately, it was early enough in the morning that most people were still inside finishing up breakfast and whatever else normal people did on Saturday mornings.
“That’s stealing,” I hissed.
He nodded matter-of-factly. “Yes, it is. So get in the car before someone reports us and we end up spending the day at the local police department trying to explain who we are and who we work for.”
“We could just call a cab,” I reasoned, nevertheless taking angry strides toward the waiting car. “Or call headquarters and have them bring us another one.”
“That would take a ridiculous amount of time and red tape,” he pointed out. “Now get in.”
“Nate—”
“When did you suddenly become the cautious one?” he demanded, the shadows beneath the brim of his fedora growing denser as his patience began to wane. “What happened to act first, think later and who gives a damn about the consequences?”
I shoved my face close to his. “This is different and you know it.”
The sound of approaching sirens cut our argument short.
“Someone’s probably called in about the damage,” Nate speculated, glancing up and down the street again. “Get moving.”
I huffed and flopped down onto the seat, glaring straight ahead as he got in and fished around under the dashboard. A moment later, the car roared to life and we were on the road. Just as we turned, I saw the first police car pull up to the curb behind my Range Rover.
“It’s just a car,” Nate said after several minutes of the silent treatment.
“Yes, but it’s
someone’s
car,” I snapped. “And that someone is going to be some kind of pissed off when he finds out his car’s gone. It’s not like the people in this neighborhood have a lot of money.”
someone’s
car,” I snapped. “And that someone is going to be some kind of pissed off when he finds out his car’s gone. It’s not like the people in this neighborhood have a lot of money.”
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