I gave him up to Dolph. "Can you keep the part about him being fairie out of it for a while?"
"Why?"
"Because if he didn't do it, then his life is ruined."
"A lot of people have fey blood in them, Anita."
"Tell that to the college student last year whose fiance beat her to death when he found out he was about to marry a fairie. He protested in court that he hadn't meant to kill her. The fey were supposed to be hard to kill, weren't they?"
"Not everyone is like that, Anita."
"Not everyone, but enough."
"I'll try, Anita, but I can't promise."
"Fair enough," I said. "Where's the new victim?"
"Monkey's Eyebrow," he said.
"What?"
"That's the name of the town."
"Jesus. Monkey's Eyebrow, Missouri. Let me guess. It's a small town."
"Big enough to have a sheriff and a murder."
"Sorry. Do you have directions?" I fished my small, spiral-bound notebook out of the pocket of the black jacket.
He gave me directions. "Sheriff St. John is holding the body for you. He called us first. Since Freemont wants to go it alone, we'll let her."
"You're not going to tell her?"
"No."
"I don't suppose Monkey's Eyebrow has a crime scene unit, Dolph. If we don't have Freemont come in with her people, we're going to need somebody. Can you guys come down yet?"
"We're still working our own murder. But since Sheriff St. John called us in for his murder, we'll be in the area as soon as we can get there. Not tonight, but tomorrow."
"Freemont's supposed to send over crime-scene photos from the first couple that was killed. I bet if I asked she might send over photos from the second scene, too. Show-and-tell tomorrow when you get here."
"Freemont may be suspicious about you asking for more pictures," Dolph said.
"I'll tell her I want them for comparison. She may be trying to hog the case for herself, but she wants it solved. She just wants to solve it herself."
"She's a glory hound," Dolph said.
"Looks that way."
"I don't know if I'll be able to keep Freemont out of the second case or not, but I'll try to give you some lead time, so you can look around without her breathing down your neck."
"Much appreciated."
"She said you had your assistant with you at the crime scene. Had to be Larry Kirkland, right?"
"Right."
"What are you doing bringing him to crime scenes?"
"He'll have a degree in preternatural biology this spring. He's an animator and a vampire slayer. I can't be everywhere, Dolph. If I think he can handle it, I thought it might be nice to have two monster experts."
"It might. Freemont said Larry lost his lunch all over the crime scene."
"He didn't throw up on the crime scene, just near it."
There was a moment of silence. "Better than throwing up on the body."
"I'm never going to live that down, am I?"
"No," Dolph said, "you aren't."
"Great. Larry and I will get out there as soon as we can. It's about a thirty-minute drive, maybe more."
"I'll tell Sheriff St. John you're on your way." He hung up.
I hung up. Dolph was training me never to say good-bye over the phone.
11
Larry slumped in the seat as far as the seat belt would let him. His hands were clenched tight in his lap. He stared out into the dark like he was seeing something besides the passing scenery. Images of butchered teenagers dancing in his head, I bet. They weren't dancing in mine. Not yet. I might see them in my dreams, but not awake, not yet.
"How bad will this one be?" he asked. His voice sounded quiet, strained.
"I don't know. It's a vampire victim. Could be neat, just a couple of puncture wounds; could be carnage."
"Carnage like the three boys?"
"Dolph said no, said it's classic, just bite marks."
"So it won't be messy?" His voice was squeezed down to a near whisper.
"Won't know until we get there," I said.
"You couldn't just comfort me?" His voice sounded so small, so uncertain that I almost offered to turn the Jeep around. He didn't have to see another murder scene. It was my job, but it wasn't his job, not yet.
"You don't ever have to see another murder scene, Larry."
He turned his head and looked at me. "What do you mean?"
"You've had your quota of blood and guts for one day. I can turn around and drop you back at the hotel."
"If I don't come tonight, what happens next time?"
"If you aren't cut out for this kind of work, you aren't cut out for it. No shame in that."
"What about next time?" he asked.