questions. But I know you’re not going to feel comfortable leaving the bar this evening, so I’m not sure what to do. If we don’t attend the dinner, I’m not sure I can get Jillian to keep quiet for another week.”
There was a rap on the office door.
“Hold that thought,” Marco said, and got up and opened the door. I turned to see Reilly standing in the doorway in his police uniform. He looked unusually somber.
“Hey, Sean, what’s up?” Marco said.
“I just wanted to stop by and check on a few things.”
“Come in and have a seat,” Marco said, indicating the chair he’d just vacated.
Reilly sat down, his thick leather belt and gun holster creaking. He pulled a five-by-seven glossy color photo out of a manila envelope and showed it to Marco, who was leaning one hip on the corner of his desk. “Do you recognize this woman?”
Marco studied it. “Is this the missing woman?”
“Her name is Lori Willis,” Reilly said. “Ever seen her in the bar?”
“She looks familiar,” Marco said, then passed the photo tome.
At first glance Lori Willis appeared to be in her late forties. She had long ash blond hair, bright red lips, and brown eyes rimmed with heavy black liner and glittering purple eye shadow. She wore dangling crystal earrings, a matching choker necklace, and a low-cut silver evening gown. A more careful look revealed heavy bags beneath her eyes and more than a few crow’s-feet in the corners. It also showed over-processed hair, a nose obviously shortened and pinched in just above the tip, and lips fattened by injections. I revised her age upward about ten years.
“It looks like one of those glamour photos,” I said, handing it back.
“Parkview Hospital supplied it,” Reilly said.
That was her personnel file photo?
“Have you heard from Vlad yet?” Reilly asked Marco.
“No. I don’t expect to. He doesn’t start until five o’clock.”
Reilly took off his hat, smoothed his hair, and put the hat back on, a sign that he wasn’t pleased with what he was hearing. “Vlad still isn’t answering his door or his phone, and he hasn’t responded to any of the messages we’ve left. From what we can tell, he doesn’t own a car—no registration listed at the BMV—so we can’t even use that to indicate whether he’s home.”
Marco folded his arms over his chest, which was the equivalent of Reilly’s hat signal. “Is there a reason the detectives can’t wait until five to talk to him?”
Reilly scratched his nose. Another signal. It translated to: Yes, there’s a reason, and now I’m going to lie as to why . “We want to make sure he’s safe.”
“Ha,” I said.
“We received a tip that there might be trouble,” Reilly added, giving me a frown.
“What kind of trouble?” Marco asked. No signal for me to interpret.
“Rumors of vigilantes out to catch a vampire. We’re taking that to mean Vlad.”
Marco studied his friend for a moment. “Are you working the abduction case?”
Reilly leaned back in his chair, clearly trying to play it cool. “Yeah, why?”
“Because maybe I wouldn’t have told you some of the things I did. Why didn’t you say something at the start?”
Reilly shrugged. “You know how it is, Marco. We’re friends, but I’ve still got a job to do. And besides, if the guy really is in trouble, I’m doing you a favor.”
Marco let it pass, but his body language showed that he was now on his guard. “Any validity to the rumors about the vigilante group?”
“We believe they’re just a bunch of hotheaded males who don’t like the female attention Vlad’s been getting. Might even be some of your regular customers. We’re taking the threat seriously in any case. No one wants a posse in town.”
“Why did you want to know if the Willis woman had been here?” Marco asked.
“We think Vlad made contact with her before she disappeared.”
“Do you have a reason for thinking that?” Marco asked.
Reilly studied Marco for a moment,
There was a rap on the office door.
“Hold that thought,” Marco said, and got up and opened the door. I turned to see Reilly standing in the doorway in his police uniform. He looked unusually somber.
“Hey, Sean, what’s up?” Marco said.
“I just wanted to stop by and check on a few things.”
“Come in and have a seat,” Marco said, indicating the chair he’d just vacated.
Reilly sat down, his thick leather belt and gun holster creaking. He pulled a five-by-seven glossy color photo out of a manila envelope and showed it to Marco, who was leaning one hip on the corner of his desk. “Do you recognize this woman?”
Marco studied it. “Is this the missing woman?”
“Her name is Lori Willis,” Reilly said. “Ever seen her in the bar?”
“She looks familiar,” Marco said, then passed the photo tome.
At first glance Lori Willis appeared to be in her late forties. She had long ash blond hair, bright red lips, and brown eyes rimmed with heavy black liner and glittering purple eye shadow. She wore dangling crystal earrings, a matching choker necklace, and a low-cut silver evening gown. A more careful look revealed heavy bags beneath her eyes and more than a few crow’s-feet in the corners. It also showed over-processed hair, a nose obviously shortened and pinched in just above the tip, and lips fattened by injections. I revised her age upward about ten years.
“It looks like one of those glamour photos,” I said, handing it back.
“Parkview Hospital supplied it,” Reilly said.
That was her personnel file photo?
“Have you heard from Vlad yet?” Reilly asked Marco.
“No. I don’t expect to. He doesn’t start until five o’clock.”
Reilly took off his hat, smoothed his hair, and put the hat back on, a sign that he wasn’t pleased with what he was hearing. “Vlad still isn’t answering his door or his phone, and he hasn’t responded to any of the messages we’ve left. From what we can tell, he doesn’t own a car—no registration listed at the BMV—so we can’t even use that to indicate whether he’s home.”
Marco folded his arms over his chest, which was the equivalent of Reilly’s hat signal. “Is there a reason the detectives can’t wait until five to talk to him?”
Reilly scratched his nose. Another signal. It translated to: Yes, there’s a reason, and now I’m going to lie as to why . “We want to make sure he’s safe.”
“Ha,” I said.
“We received a tip that there might be trouble,” Reilly added, giving me a frown.
“What kind of trouble?” Marco asked. No signal for me to interpret.
“Rumors of vigilantes out to catch a vampire. We’re taking that to mean Vlad.”
Marco studied his friend for a moment. “Are you working the abduction case?”
Reilly leaned back in his chair, clearly trying to play it cool. “Yeah, why?”
“Because maybe I wouldn’t have told you some of the things I did. Why didn’t you say something at the start?”
Reilly shrugged. “You know how it is, Marco. We’re friends, but I’ve still got a job to do. And besides, if the guy really is in trouble, I’m doing you a favor.”
Marco let it pass, but his body language showed that he was now on his guard. “Any validity to the rumors about the vigilante group?”
“We believe they’re just a bunch of hotheaded males who don’t like the female attention Vlad’s been getting. Might even be some of your regular customers. We’re taking the threat seriously in any case. No one wants a posse in town.”
“Why did you want to know if the Willis woman had been here?” Marco asked.
“We think Vlad made contact with her before she disappeared.”
“Do you have a reason for thinking that?” Marco asked.
Reilly studied Marco for a moment,
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