Page 29 of Death is Familiar

I sighed. It was going to be a long day.

Fortunately, the agents didn’t make a big deal when I reunited our rooms. They continued the conversation welcoming me as they spoke about the plans Fawzy and the team had for their day, which involved speaking with the local police department, tracking down leads, and doing their own on-the-ground assessment of the cemetery.

Since Todd and I already made first contact with the vamps, secured an invite to the event tonight, and comms were up and running, there wasn’t much for me to do other than to prepare for the gathering. Which didn’t start until 11pm.

There was plenty of time. Which meant plenty more waiting.

It was easy passing time with the agents. Even if Jack was busy keeping the bureaucrats at bay. Sometime after lunch, Jack’s phone became a buzz of activity. Rochan’s office checked in about a report. Someone else needed to clarify a bit of evidence. Zhou called with an update and a question about vampires. Something about someone came from a judge’s office.

Blah blah blah.

Listening to all the phone talk was tiring. I needed to get out, partly to clear my head.

Todd was re-reading the consent form for the hundred-and-seventeenth time when I approached. “I’m going for a walk. Want to come?”

He looked at Jack who was busy talking on his phone. “Absolutely.”

Jack waved, phone to his ear, acknowledging us as we left.

†

We walked in silence for some time, clearing our heads from all the chatter Jack had subjected us to. I was not envious of Jack’s position. And from what I could tell, neither was Todd. We were meant to be out in the field. Doing something. Like we were now, even if Todd didn’t yet know the real reason for our stroll.

“How much did you hear?”

Todd looked down at me, tension pulled between his brows. When I pulled the note I’d found on the floor of my motel room from my pocket, recognition flashed over his features.

“Enough… I heard enough.” He kept his brows knit together. “I also noticed the bruised knuckles. Care to explain?”

I tucked the note away, and slipped the offending hand in my pocket. “Not particularly. Just a bad night.”

“Mmm.” Todd made the noise deep in his throat. “Do you often find yourself with bruises after a bad night?”

“That was… an anomaly.”

“Mmm,” he said again.

“Mmm,” I mimicked as we parted around a group of slack-jawed toddlers and their equally stunned daycare workers.

Sometimes I forgot how imposing Todd was, but being in public made for an easy reminder.

Passing more onlookers, we wound our way to the river front, walking along the water’s edge in comfortable silence. But I had another question on my mind. Not one that made for an easy segue. I had to be careful about the wording to avoid bringing attention to the fact that Jack and I had slept together.

“I have a question,” I started, glancing away from the lazy river. “One that might be… sensitive.”

Todd gave me all of his attention.

“I went to Jack’s place.”

“I’m aware.” He turned straight ahead, looking off toward the bridge in the distance.

“You know about his art? That he draws?” When Todd nodded, his focus unbroken, I continued, “You were in a few.”

That seemed to get his attention. He faced me again, curiosity flickering in his dark eyes.

“There was a hospital, and you were at his bedside.” I was wading into sensitive territory. “What happened?”

Todd pondered the weight of what I was asking. “Why not ask Jack?”