– we found something out. I’d better tell you everything.’
Denny listened calmly. ‘Well,’ he said, at the end. ‘I guess that explains why I couldn’t contact you. It might also explain why you’d never seen a vampire until recently; I guess that’s where they’ve been living all this time.’
This was a fact, not a guess, but Denny did not explain this. ‘I mean, that’s probably where they all went around the time the legends faded away. Well, I mean …’
‘I know what you mean,’ Tamar said, impatiently. ‘The question is why?’
‘A more important question,’ said Stiles, ‘is how we got there?’
‘No,’ said Tamar. ‘It’s obvious how. The vampires took you there, and I just slipped in on their coat tails, as it were. The really interesting point is – how did we get back?’ They both looked at Denny.
‘Well, what are you looking at me for?’ he said defensively. ‘I don’t know do I?’
‘We know you don’t,’ said Tamar. ‘But you might be able to find out.’
‘Shouldn’t we be concentrating on how to summon Hecaté?’ Denny countered, adroitly changing the subject.
Stiles narrowed his eyes. ‘Another one,’he thought. Mind you, he had a point.
‘Can you do it?’ he asked.
Denny shook his head. ‘I can’t do the summoning, I have no magic power.’ (This was a direct lie now, but Denny barely flinched) ‘But Tamar does; she’s the closest thing we have to an actual witch – no offence,’ he nodded to her. ‘My job is to find out what to do. I have books on this stuff, but I think I’ll start on the ’net.’
‘Shouldn’t we be trying to find out why this Ran-Kur wants me dead?’ asked Stiles, not unreasonably.
‘Well, if we can find a way to get rid of him, it won’t matter – will it?’ said Denny.
Tamar smiled in agreement. ‘Makes sense,’ she said.
‘Yeah,’ said Denny. ‘We ice this Ran-Kur, end of problem.’
‘But …’
‘There is one other thing,’ added Denny. ‘Just in case it doesn’t work, you two had better hunt us up a witch or three. You know, in case I can’t find a summoning ritual, or Tamar does it, and it doesn’t work.’
‘Okay,’ said Tamar, ‘good idea, have you got a list?’
Denny sat down at the computer. ‘Just give me a sec.’
‘List?’ asked Stiles.
‘Possible covens,’ said Tamar
‘Yeah, we lost the last one, after Tamar terrified them,’ laughed Denny.
‘I just hope I don’t have to go campaigning for women’s rights in dungarees and an unflattering haircut.’
‘Well, I’m not doing it,’ said Denny.
‘Why not, you already have a bad haircut.’
Denny glowered but held his peace. Why did he put up with her?
‘What are you two talking about?’ asked Stiles.
‘Witches,’ said Tamar. ‘They hide out, incognito as women’s groups. All right, I’ll make a start. Hey Denny are you still having that weird dream?’
‘No, it’s stopped.’
‘I wouldn’t say that,’ she said, pointing at the window, at the inky blackness. ‘I’d say, He’s here – whoever He is.’
Denny glanced out of the window. ‘Well, I’ll be damned,’ he said.
‘It’s probably this Ran-Kur.’
‘Probably.’
‘What dream?’ asked Stiles, he was beginning to feel like a quiz show host. And for the grand prize of a trip to Tahiti …
‘I’ll tell you later,’ said Tamar. (No one ever said that to Chris Tarrant.)
‘Stiles sighed; he’d probably never find out, not now that these two were distracting him in tandem. ‘It’s supposed to be two cops and one suspect,’ he thought. ‘And I want to know why I’m wanted dead in ghoul town, I hate loose ends.’
In the end, he decided to go with Tamar. For one thing, Denny made him uncomfortable, he had been prepared to dislike him, nay, even hate him. But this was more than mere jealousy. Denny made him nervous; he did not trust him. He told himself not to be
Denny listened calmly. ‘Well,’ he said, at the end. ‘I guess that explains why I couldn’t contact you. It might also explain why you’d never seen a vampire until recently; I guess that’s where they’ve been living all this time.’
This was a fact, not a guess, but Denny did not explain this. ‘I mean, that’s probably where they all went around the time the legends faded away. Well, I mean …’
‘I know what you mean,’ Tamar said, impatiently. ‘The question is why?’
‘A more important question,’ said Stiles, ‘is how we got there?’
‘No,’ said Tamar. ‘It’s obvious how. The vampires took you there, and I just slipped in on their coat tails, as it were. The really interesting point is – how did we get back?’ They both looked at Denny.
‘Well, what are you looking at me for?’ he said defensively. ‘I don’t know do I?’
‘We know you don’t,’ said Tamar. ‘But you might be able to find out.’
‘Shouldn’t we be concentrating on how to summon Hecaté?’ Denny countered, adroitly changing the subject.
Stiles narrowed his eyes. ‘Another one,’he thought. Mind you, he had a point.
‘Can you do it?’ he asked.
Denny shook his head. ‘I can’t do the summoning, I have no magic power.’ (This was a direct lie now, but Denny barely flinched) ‘But Tamar does; she’s the closest thing we have to an actual witch – no offence,’ he nodded to her. ‘My job is to find out what to do. I have books on this stuff, but I think I’ll start on the ’net.’
‘Shouldn’t we be trying to find out why this Ran-Kur wants me dead?’ asked Stiles, not unreasonably.
‘Well, if we can find a way to get rid of him, it won’t matter – will it?’ said Denny.
Tamar smiled in agreement. ‘Makes sense,’ she said.
‘Yeah,’ said Denny. ‘We ice this Ran-Kur, end of problem.’
‘But …’
‘There is one other thing,’ added Denny. ‘Just in case it doesn’t work, you two had better hunt us up a witch or three. You know, in case I can’t find a summoning ritual, or Tamar does it, and it doesn’t work.’
‘Okay,’ said Tamar, ‘good idea, have you got a list?’
Denny sat down at the computer. ‘Just give me a sec.’
‘List?’ asked Stiles.
‘Possible covens,’ said Tamar
‘Yeah, we lost the last one, after Tamar terrified them,’ laughed Denny.
‘I just hope I don’t have to go campaigning for women’s rights in dungarees and an unflattering haircut.’
‘Well, I’m not doing it,’ said Denny.
‘Why not, you already have a bad haircut.’
Denny glowered but held his peace. Why did he put up with her?
‘What are you two talking about?’ asked Stiles.
‘Witches,’ said Tamar. ‘They hide out, incognito as women’s groups. All right, I’ll make a start. Hey Denny are you still having that weird dream?’
‘No, it’s stopped.’
‘I wouldn’t say that,’ she said, pointing at the window, at the inky blackness. ‘I’d say, He’s here – whoever He is.’
Denny glanced out of the window. ‘Well, I’ll be damned,’ he said.
‘It’s probably this Ran-Kur.’
‘Probably.’
‘What dream?’ asked Stiles, he was beginning to feel like a quiz show host. And for the grand prize of a trip to Tahiti …
‘I’ll tell you later,’ said Tamar. (No one ever said that to Chris Tarrant.)
‘Stiles sighed; he’d probably never find out, not now that these two were distracting him in tandem. ‘It’s supposed to be two cops and one suspect,’ he thought. ‘And I want to know why I’m wanted dead in ghoul town, I hate loose ends.’
In the end, he decided to go with Tamar. For one thing, Denny made him uncomfortable, he had been prepared to dislike him, nay, even hate him. But this was more than mere jealousy. Denny made him nervous; he did not trust him. He told himself not to be
Similar Books
