Page 46 of Grave Humor

The director’s expression soured. “I had thought there was something untoward with your family life, but I had not believed it to be that serious. Should things go to plan, you will find your fortunes changed. I had thought you might be doing some sort of vice because of your parents’ addiction, not that they had bankrupted you with their vices.”

“I smoked a cigarette every now and then,” I confessed. “But I didn’t drink or anything like that.”

“A forgivable enough vice for all I made harsh rules, especially considering those circumstances. I have learned my lesson. Next time, I will ask. I would not have been quite so strict with you about any smoking had I been aware of your familial situation.”

Listening to him, had I not known better—had I not witnessed death at his hands—I might have been tricked by his compassion. His words were worse than any of the lies the devil may have told me.

If the devil had lied to me at all, which I doubted.

The world was a weird place.

“It wasn’t work appropriate,” I said when the director waited in expectant silent.

“You are quite professional for your age,” he conceded. “It is still a pity that they ruined you.”

I fought my urge to sigh. “I’ve done my best.”

“That you have. What do you think this Eoghan values most over all?”

The question puzzled me, and I frowned. “I don’t know him well enough to answer that. His reputation is important to him, and he seems to take his debts seriously. He was very concerned about his caretaker’s death.”

“Do you think he will seek revenge?”

“I don’t know,” I lied. “He didn’t seem in a hurry to seek vengeance at least. He was busy trying to learn more about modern times. He seemed irritated at first, but then he turned his attention to other matters.”

“Would you say he’s distracted?”

“I’d sure say so.”

“Was he the one who healed your arm? You don’t have even a scar, and I’m aware the vampire tore you up to the point of death.”

I regarded my arm, which showed no sign of Gordon’s fangs having torn through my skin and gouged deep into the muscle. “The hospital did the work, and I guess the CDC helped cover the cost.”

“There would be no way your insurance would cover anything beyond the basics.”

Cheap bastard. As there wasn’t much I could say without getting on his bad side, I nodded.

“How old is this Eoghan?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea. He didn’t say, and he didn’t like talking about much in front of me. I’m just there to answer questions about how the world works. He talks to the CDC about stuff like that. I’m a secretary now, basically.”

“Which is good work for you. The CDC tends to take care of the displaced, so even when I’ve finished my work, you’ll be transferred into a suitable position. You might even be hired by them permanently. That would work well for you. You’d be able to leave Sunset.”

I stilled at that, as he knew I’d dreamed of leaving the small town along with everyone else in my high school class. “I had wanted to go to New York,” I confessed.

“The city suits you, although I found the truck you were driving interesting. Who owns it?”

“Technically, I do, but Eoghan bought it so I can drive him around. Learning to drive is on his list, and he has a lot of demands. I just used the card the CDC gave me after they approved the purchase. I guess they wanted him to have the feeling of independence. He really likes that truck, so I hope you didn’t do anything to it.”

“The truck was untouched.”

Well, that was something.

I tried to relax, but my head hurt and my unease grew. “I don’t know if I’ve told you anything of use.”

“I can work with what you’ve given me. In a few hours, I will bring you out of here long enough to attend to your business. There’s a trailer cemetery staff use for the evening rounds, and we’ll only need to cut through one section of graves to get there. Don’t bother trying to escape. This place was built to keep the dead from leaving their graves. The living have no chance, not without the magic you lack. Just keep doing as you’re told, and you’ll see this through to the end.”

Director Hammel took the lamp with him and locked me in the dark.