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attention,” said Mallory, keeping his grip on the vampire's shirt as he tried to race to the door. “He's a friend. You will not hurt him. Do you understand?”
    â€œYes,” said Felina.
    â€œGood.”
    â€œNo,” said Felina. “Maybe. Perhaps. Possibly.”
    â€œLet me put it in terms you understand,” said Mallory. “You hurt him and there's no milk for a week.”
    Felina studied the vampire, her pupils mere slits. “Even a little one like this could last more than a week.”
    â€œAll right, then,” said Mallory. “No milk for a month.”
    â€œIt's not fair!” pouted Felina.
    â€œBelieve me, if things work out the way I think they will, there'll be plenty of things for you to hurt.”
    A huge happy smile. “You promise?”
    â€œI said I think so.”
    â€œAnd I can play with them as long as I want?”
    â€œWithin reason.”
    â€œWhat does that mean?”
    â€œIt means until I tell you to stop.”
    She sniffed unhappily. “You always ruin everything.”
    â€œWe're wasting time,” said Mallory. “Felina, this is McGuire. Bats, this is Felina. Felina, you don't hurt him; Bats, you don't suck her blood. Has everyone got the ground rules straight?”
    â€œYes,” said McGuire.
    Felina turned her back on both of them and began licking her forearm.
    â€œFelina?”
    â€œYes,” she muttered.
    â€œAll right. It's All Hallows' Eve, every spook and spirit in the city is up and around, and we've got a killer to catch. Let's go.”
    He walked to the door, followed by McGuire. Felina leaped onto Winnifred's desk and sat down, her back still turned to him.
    â€œFelina, let's go,” said Mallory.
    â€œI'm not coming,” she announced.
    â€œYou're making a big mistake,” said Mallory. “Think it through.”
    She turned and stared at him curiously.
    â€œYou're always saying that you'll desert me in the end, right?” said Mallory.
    â€œAlways,” she agreed, nodding.
    â€œWell, this is just the beginning,” said Mallory. “It's too soon to desert me.”
    â€œYou're right, John Justin!” she said happily, launching herself through the air and landing in his arms. “Let's go get the bad guys. I've got all night to desert you. I should wait until you're seconds away form a hideous death!”
    â€œHow thoughtful of you,” said Mallory, setting her down on the floor.
    The three of them walked out into the chilly October night.

The morgue was five blocks away from Mallory's office. This meant that he had to pull Felina out of three grocery stores, a fish market, a lingerie shop, and a hunting boot store along the way, but eventually they made their way to the large bleak building.
    The first hint they had that they were getting close was the pipe organ, which spewed Gregorian death chants into the night.
    â€œI don't remember anything like that,” remarked Mallory as they approached the morgue.
    â€œThey always bring the pipe organ out for All Hallows' Eve,” said McGuire knowingly.
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œIt makes the corpses feel more relaxed.”
    â€œAren't they all dead already?” asked Mallory.
    â€œAbsolutely,” answered McGuire. “But not necessarily permanently.”
    â€œYou know,” muttered Mallory, “every time I think I'm getting the hang of this place, something like this happens.”
    â€œYum!” said Felina, looking up at the roof where a flock of crows were eyeing all the new arrivals.
    â€œYou stay with me,” Mallory ordered her.
    â€œYou didn't say anything about not eating crows,” pouted Felina.
    â€œI didn't say anything about not flapping your arms and flying to the top of the Vampire State Building either,” said Mallory.
    â€œLet's make a deal,” offered Felina. “Let me eat two crows and I won't fly away.”
    â€œIf I have to put you on