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Besides, I dont think youre going to get anywhere. You need to find somebody who can back up Shanes story. That means one of his dads biker buddies. There may be one or two running around loose, but I dont think talking sweet to thems going to get you much.
What about his dad?
Trust me, youre not going to find Frank Collins. Not before the powers that be do, anyway. Every vampire in town is out tonight, combing the streets, looking for him. Theyll find him eventually. Not a lot of places he can hide when its an all-out effort.
Butif they catch him, thats kind of a good thing. He could tell them Shane didnt do it!
He could, Hess agreed. But hes just crazy enough to think burning in a cage alongside his kid is going out in a blaze of glory. Some kind of victory. He might say Shane was part of it just to punish him. We cant know.
She couldnt deny that. Claire swallowed hard. Soare you going to give me a ride or not?
Youre determined to go out, Hess said. In the dark.
Yes. And Ill walk if I have to. I just hope I donthave to.
His sigh rattled the phone speaker. All right. Ten minutes. Stay inside until I honk the horn.
Claire hung up the phone and turned, and nearly bumped into Michael. She yelped, and he reached out and steadied her. He kept hold of her arms even after she didnt need the steadying support anymore. He felt warm and real, and she thoughtnot for the first timehow weird it was that he could seem so alive when he really wasnt. Not exactly. Not all the time.
He looked like he had something he wanted to say, but he didnt know how to say it. And finally, he looked away. Hess is coming?
Yeah. Ten minutes, he said.
Michael nodded. Youre going to see Amelie?
Maybe. Ive got exactly one shot. If that doesnt work, then She spread her hands. Then I guess I talk to Oliver instead.
Ifyou do see Amelie, tell her I need to talk to her, he said. Will you do that for me?
Claire blinked. Sure. But why?
Chapter Eighteen
Something she said to me before. Look, obviously I cant go to her. She has to come here. Michael shrugged and gave her a tiny curve of a smile. Not important why.
That raised a little red flag in the back of her mind. Michael, youre not going to do anything, well, crazy, right?
Says the sixteen-year-old about to walk out the door in the dark to go see a vampire? No, Claire. Im not going to do anything crazy. Michaels eyes glittered suddenly with some fierce emotion. It looked like rage, or pain, or some toxic mix of both. I hate this. I hate letting you go. I hate Shane for getting himself caught. I hate this
What Michael was really saying, Claire understood, was I hate me. She totally got that. She hated herself on a regular basis.
Dont punch anything, okay? Because he had that look again. Take care of Eve. Dont let her go crazy, okay? Promise? If you love her, you need to take care of her. She needs you now.
Some of the fierceness faded out of his eyes, and the way he looked at her made her go all soft and warm inside. I promise, he said, and rubbed his hands gently up and down her arms, then let go. You tell Hess that if anything happens to youanythingIm killing him hard.
She smiled faintly. Ooooh, tough guy.
Sometimes. Look, I didnt ask beforeis Shane okay?
Okay? You mean, did they hurt him? She shook her head. No, he looked pretty much in one piece. But hes in a cage, Michael. And theyre going to kill him. So no, hes not okay.
The look in his eyes turned a little wild. Thats the only reason Im letting you go. If I had any choice
You do, she said. We can all sit here and let him die. Or you can let Eve go on her wild-ass rescue mission and get herself killed. Or you can let sweet, calm, reasonable Claire go do some talking.
He shook his head. His long, elegant hands, which looked so at home wrapped around a guitar, closed into fists. Guess that means theres no choice.
Not really, Claire agreed. I was kind of lying about that choice thing.
Detective Hess was surprised when she gave him the address. Thats old-lady Days house, he said. She lives there with her daughter. What do you want with them? Far as I know, theyre not involved in any of this.
Its where I need to go, Claire said stubbornly. She had no idea where Amelies house was, but she knew of one door into it. Shed been thinking about ways to explain how you could open a bathroom door and be in a house that might be halfway across town, but all she could think of was folded space, and even the most wild-haired physicists said that was nearly impossible.
But she liked folded space better as an explanation than crazy booga-booga vampire magic.
You going prepared for trouble? he asked. When she didnt answer, he reached into the glove compartment of the car and pulled out a small jewelry-type box. Here. I always carry spares.
She opened it and found a delicate silver cross on a long chain. She silently put it around her neck and dropped it down the neck of her shirt. She already had a backup, one of Eves handmade wooden ones, but this one feltreal, somehow. Ill give it back to you, she said.
No need. Like I said, Ive got more.
I dont take jewelry from older men.
Hess laughed. You know, I thought you were a mousy little thing when I first saw you, Claire, but youre not, are you? Not underneath.
Oh, I am mousy, she said. All this scares the hell out of me. But I dont know what else to do, sir, except try. Even a mouse bites.
Hess nodded, the laughter fading out of his face. Then Ill try to give you the chance to show some teeth.
He drove the half mile or so, navigating dark streets with ease. She saw glimpses of people moving in the dark, pale and quick. The vampires were out in force, hed said, and he was right. She caught a burning reflection of eyes as the car turned a corner. Vampire eyes reflected light like a cats. Disturbing.
Hess pulled to a halt in front of the old Victorian-style house. You want me to come up with you? he asked.
Youd just scare them, Claire said. They know me. Besides, Im not exactly threatening.
Not until they get to know you, Hess said. Stay out of the alley.
She paused, her hand on the door. Why?
Vampire lives at the end of it. Crazy old bastard. He doesnt come out of there, and neither does anybody who wanders in. So just stay out.
She nodded and ducked out into the dark. Outside, the Morganville shadows had a character all their own. A neighborhood that had been a little shabby in the daytime was transformed into a freak-show park at night, gilded by cold silver moonlight. The shadows looked like holes in the world; they were so black. Claire looked at the house, and felt its presence. It was like the Glass House, all right. It had some kind of living soul, only where the Glass House seemed mildly interested in the creatures scuttling around inside of it, this placeshe wasnt sure it even liked what was going on.
