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“When the other boy was killed, I knew.”
“That’s why you told Detective Atkins about the Bone House.” He shook his head. “Why not just tell her who he was?”
“Because I don’t owe her anything. But I owe him. I wanted to believe I was wrong. I even sent Michael to hang out at that shithole lodge. To get information.”
That explained why Michael had been fraternizing with Nathan at the Lame Horse. Except…Tucker frowned. “Nathan Bell is a grown man.”
Athelinda rolled her eyes. “You still don’t fucking get it?”
“Get what?”
“That’s not Nathan Bell.” She leaned forward. “Child vampyrs who aren’t part of a colony will often find a human companion to travel with. They’ll pass them off as a relative—aunt, uncle, parent.”
It suddenly hit. Like a sucker punch.
Athelinda smiled. “Now you get it.”
“Jacob.”
He wasn’t Nathan Bell’s son. Jacob was Nathan Bell. And Isaac. And who knew how many names and lives in between.
Which meant…
“Shit!” Tucker stood.
“What?”
“I need to get back. I have to warn Barbara. He’s not dead.”
59
Barbara entered the kitchen cautiously, Mayflower behind her, flashlight held out in front.
Thud, thud.
Her uneasiness intensified. The noise was coming from the freezer.
“Shit. Is someone locked in there?” Mayflower asked.
Yeah, Barbara thought. But they were all supposed to be dead.
“I want you to go home, get your parents to call Rita,” she said to Mayflower. “Tell her there is a situation at the Grill. I might need her help.”
“But—”
“Go!”
Mayflower looked like she wanted to argue but then thought better of it and hurried out of the kitchen.
Barbara turned back toward the freezer. She could hear the hum of the generator. No more thuds, except from her pounding heart. She drew her UV gun out of the holster, walked up to the door and pushed down on the sturdy handle.
The door swung open.
Marcus’s body lay on the steel table, Mowlam lay next to it on the floor and, beside him, Jacob, wrapped in the silver foil blanket. One, two, three. So, who was knock, knock, knocking on the door?
Barbara walked into the freezer. She stared around and then walked up to Jacob’s body. Her breath plumed out in front of her. She crouched down, knees creaking. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Damn. She put the flashlight down and drew it out with tingling fingers. Tucker.
“Hey—where are you?”
