not. Just be yourself. You’re eloquent and articulate. You don’t need to do this.’
‘You don’t get it.’ He clenches his jaw in frustration. ‘I’m a freak. I’ve got spots and I’m skinny and my friends are more interested in binary code than normal teenage things.’
I raise my eyebrows. ‘Normal? You’re kidding me, right? There’s no such thing as normal.’
‘I’m fourteen years old, Bo. It’s all about being normal. Surely you’re not so old that you can’t remember what it’s like?’
I choose not to answer that one. ‘Rogu3, I can’t go and threaten someone. Especially not kids! The vampires are trying to improve their reputations, not make them worse.’
‘You talk about the bloodguzzlers as if you’re not one of them.’
I run a hand through my hair. ‘I’ve had some, um, acceptance issues. But I am one of them and I can’t do what you’re asking. Look, why don’t I…’
‘Forget about it,’ he interrupts. ‘I should have known you wouldn’t help.’ He turns and walks out.
‘Rogu3!’ I call out, inwardly cursing. I run after him. ‘Wait!’ I’m just in time to see him push past a figure on the stairs. ‘Come back!’
‘Ms Blackman, I sincerely hope you are not drinking blood from a minor. That would not go down well at all. Particularly considering you are no longer under the protection of a Family.’
It’s sodding Inspector Foxworthy. I glare at him. ‘Get out of my way.’
‘I need to talk to you first.’ The outside door slams shut as Rogu3 makes his escape into the night air. Bloody hell.
‘Can’t it wait?’ I ask through gritted teeth.
The smile I receive reminds me of a clown with a painted grin on his mouth but with flinty eyes of stone behind the make-up. ‘No,’ he says, ‘it can’t.’ He looks me up and down. ‘Cute pyjamas though.’
*
Letting Kimchi out of the bedroom and sternly telling him to guard the room, I leave Foxworthy to cool his heels while I pull on something more appropriate. When I emerge, the dog is curled up on Foxworthy’s lap.
I give the policeman an amused look. ‘You realise he’s here because his owner thinks he might be a vampire.’ I shouldn’t have said it but I couldn’t resist.
He leaps up, knocking Kimchi to the floor where the dog immediately starts gnawing on a leg of the coffee table. ‘A bloodguzzling dog? I didn’t think that was possible.’
I’m tempted to prolong his concern but I yield to my better nature. ‘It’s not.’
Foxworthy doesn’t relax, edging as far away from the dog as possible. I’m surprised; I hadn’t thought the bullish inspector would be scared of much, let alone a daft mutt with more saliva than fight. I eye Foxworthy with as much suspicion as he’s eyeing the dog. Last time we met, he locked me up in a cell with a black witch. It didn’t go well.
‘You said I’m no longer under Family protection. I think Lord Montserrat might beg to differ on that one.’
The inspector perches on the arm of the sofa and folds his arms. ‘So the jury’s still out. We’ve never had a loose vampire to contend with. What happens if you go all psycho like that other one?’
‘The other one was an anomaly.’
‘So are you. If other bloodguzzlers follow your lead and go solo, well,’ he shrugs, ‘let’s just say I think the legislation might change. And for the better.’
I don’t actually disagree with him. I set a dangerous precedent when I walked out on the Montserrat Family, even if it was with Michael’s tacit blessing. I don’t want Foxworthy to know I’m on his side with this, however, so I mirror his body language by folding my own arms. ‘What do you want?’
‘I want you to know this isn’t my idea.’
‘But?’ I prompt.
‘But it would be appreciated if you would come to London General and talk to the victim.’
‘Corinne Matheson?’ I ask, taken aback.
If he’s surprised that I know her name, he doesn’t show it. ‘Indeed.’ The
‘You don’t get it.’ He clenches his jaw in frustration. ‘I’m a freak. I’ve got spots and I’m skinny and my friends are more interested in binary code than normal teenage things.’
I raise my eyebrows. ‘Normal? You’re kidding me, right? There’s no such thing as normal.’
‘I’m fourteen years old, Bo. It’s all about being normal. Surely you’re not so old that you can’t remember what it’s like?’
I choose not to answer that one. ‘Rogu3, I can’t go and threaten someone. Especially not kids! The vampires are trying to improve their reputations, not make them worse.’
‘You talk about the bloodguzzlers as if you’re not one of them.’
I run a hand through my hair. ‘I’ve had some, um, acceptance issues. But I am one of them and I can’t do what you’re asking. Look, why don’t I…’
‘Forget about it,’ he interrupts. ‘I should have known you wouldn’t help.’ He turns and walks out.
‘Rogu3!’ I call out, inwardly cursing. I run after him. ‘Wait!’ I’m just in time to see him push past a figure on the stairs. ‘Come back!’
‘Ms Blackman, I sincerely hope you are not drinking blood from a minor. That would not go down well at all. Particularly considering you are no longer under the protection of a Family.’
It’s sodding Inspector Foxworthy. I glare at him. ‘Get out of my way.’
‘I need to talk to you first.’ The outside door slams shut as Rogu3 makes his escape into the night air. Bloody hell.
‘Can’t it wait?’ I ask through gritted teeth.
The smile I receive reminds me of a clown with a painted grin on his mouth but with flinty eyes of stone behind the make-up. ‘No,’ he says, ‘it can’t.’ He looks me up and down. ‘Cute pyjamas though.’
*
Letting Kimchi out of the bedroom and sternly telling him to guard the room, I leave Foxworthy to cool his heels while I pull on something more appropriate. When I emerge, the dog is curled up on Foxworthy’s lap.
I give the policeman an amused look. ‘You realise he’s here because his owner thinks he might be a vampire.’ I shouldn’t have said it but I couldn’t resist.
He leaps up, knocking Kimchi to the floor where the dog immediately starts gnawing on a leg of the coffee table. ‘A bloodguzzling dog? I didn’t think that was possible.’
I’m tempted to prolong his concern but I yield to my better nature. ‘It’s not.’
Foxworthy doesn’t relax, edging as far away from the dog as possible. I’m surprised; I hadn’t thought the bullish inspector would be scared of much, let alone a daft mutt with more saliva than fight. I eye Foxworthy with as much suspicion as he’s eyeing the dog. Last time we met, he locked me up in a cell with a black witch. It didn’t go well.
‘You said I’m no longer under Family protection. I think Lord Montserrat might beg to differ on that one.’
The inspector perches on the arm of the sofa and folds his arms. ‘So the jury’s still out. We’ve never had a loose vampire to contend with. What happens if you go all psycho like that other one?’
‘The other one was an anomaly.’
‘So are you. If other bloodguzzlers follow your lead and go solo, well,’ he shrugs, ‘let’s just say I think the legislation might change. And for the better.’
I don’t actually disagree with him. I set a dangerous precedent when I walked out on the Montserrat Family, even if it was with Michael’s tacit blessing. I don’t want Foxworthy to know I’m on his side with this, however, so I mirror his body language by folding my own arms. ‘What do you want?’
‘I want you to know this isn’t my idea.’
‘But?’ I prompt.
‘But it would be appreciated if you would come to London General and talk to the victim.’
‘Corinne Matheson?’ I ask, taken aback.
If he’s surprised that I know her name, he doesn’t show it. ‘Indeed.’ The
Similar Books
