JК
Guilty Pleasures :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 2 из 205His tie tack caught the overhead lights. Real gold. Willie had never had anything like that before. He was doing all right for a dead man. “I raise the dead for a living, no pun intended. Why would a vampire need a zombie raised?”
He shook his head, two quick jerks to either side. “No, no voodoo stuff. I wanna hire you to investigate some murderers.”
“I am not a private investigator.”
“But you got one of 'em on retainer to your outfit.”
I nodded. “You could just hire Ms. Sims directly. You don't have to go through me for that.”
Again that jerky head shake. “But she don't know about vampires the way you do.”
I sighed. “Can we cut to the chase here, Willie? I have to leave”-I glanced at the wall clock-“in fifteen minutes. I don't like to leave a client waiting alone in a cemetery. They tend to get jumpy.”
He laughed. I found the snickery laugh comforting, even with the fangs. Surely vampires should have rich, melodious laughs. “I'll bet they do. I'll just bet they do.” His face sobered suddenly, as if a hand had wiped his laughter away.
I felt fear like a jerk in the pit of my stomach. Vampires could change movements like clicking a switch. If he could do that, what else could he do?
“You know about the vampires that are getting wasted over in the District?”
He made it a question, so I answered. “I'm familiar with them.” Four vampires had been slaughtered in the new vampire club district. Their hearts had been torn out, their heads cut off.
“You still working with the cops?”
“I am still on retainer with the new task force.”
He laughed again. “Yeah, the spook squad. Underbudgeted and undermanned, right.”
“You've described most of the police work in this town.”
“Maybe, but the cops feel like you do, Anita. What's one more dead vampire? New laws don't change that.”
It had only been two years since Addison v. Clark. The court case gave us a revised version of what life was, and what death wasn't. Vampirism was legal in the good of U. S. of A. We were one of the few countries to acknowledge them. The immigration people were having fits trying to keep foreign vampires from immigrating in, well, flocks.
All sorts of questions were being fought out in court. Did heirs have to give back their inheritance? Were you widowed if your spouse became undead? Was it murder to slay a vampire? There was even a movement to give them the vote. Times were a-changing.
I stared at the vampire in front of me and shrugged.
He shook his head, two quick jerks to either side. “No, no voodoo stuff. I wanna hire you to investigate some murderers.”
“I am not a private investigator.”
“But you got one of 'em on retainer to your outfit.”
I nodded. “You could just hire Ms. Sims directly. You don't have to go through me for that.”
Again that jerky head shake. “But she don't know about vampires the way you do.”
I sighed. “Can we cut to the chase here, Willie? I have to leave”-I glanced at the wall clock-“in fifteen minutes. I don't like to leave a client waiting alone in a cemetery. They tend to get jumpy.”
He laughed. I found the snickery laugh comforting, even with the fangs. Surely vampires should have rich, melodious laughs. “I'll bet they do. I'll just bet they do.” His face sobered suddenly, as if a hand had wiped his laughter away.
I felt fear like a jerk in the pit of my stomach. Vampires could change movements like clicking a switch. If he could do that, what else could he do?
“You know about the vampires that are getting wasted over in the District?”
He made it a question, so I answered. “I'm familiar with them.” Four vampires had been slaughtered in the new vampire club district. Their hearts had been torn out, their heads cut off.
“You still working with the cops?”
“I am still on retainer with the new task force.”
He laughed again. “Yeah, the spook squad. Underbudgeted and undermanned, right.”
“You've described most of the police work in this town.”
“Maybe, but the cops feel like you do, Anita. What's one more dead vampire? New laws don't change that.”
It had only been two years since Addison v. Clark. The court case gave us a revised version of what life was, and what death wasn't. Vampirism was legal in the good of U. S. of A. We were one of the few countries to acknowledge them. The immigration people were having fits trying to keep foreign vampires from immigrating in, well, flocks.
All sorts of questions were being fought out in court. Did heirs have to give back their inheritance? Were you widowed if your spouse became undead? Was it murder to slay a vampire? There was even a movement to give them the vote. Times were a-changing.
I stared at the vampire in front of me and shrugged.