The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton

had a point. “This has to change the way I think about you, Manny.”
    â€œIn what way?”
    â€œI don’t know yet.” Honesty. If we were very careful, we could stillbe honest with each other. “Is there anything else you think I should know? Anything that Dominga might spill later on?”
    He shook his head. “Nothing worse.”
    â€œOkay,” I said.
    â€œOkay,” he said. “That’s it, no interrogation?”
    â€œNot now, maybe not ever.” I was tired all at once. It was 9:23 in the morning, and I needed a nap. Emotionally drained. “I don’t know how to feel about this, Manny. I don’t know how it changes our friendship, or our working relationship, or even if it does. I think it does. Oh, hell, I don’t know.”
    â€œFair enough,” he said. “Let’s move on to something we aren’t confused about.”
    â€œAnd what would that be?” I asked.
    â€œThe Señora will send something bad to your window, just like she said she would.”
    â€œI figured that.”
    â€œWhy did you threaten her?”
    â€œI didn’t like her.”
    â€œOh, great, just great,” he said. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
    â€œI am going to stop her, Manny. I figured she should know.”
    â€œNever give the bad guys a head start, Anita. I taught you that.”
    â€œYou also taught me that human sacrifice is murder.”
    â€œThat hurt,” he said.
    â€œYes,” I said, “it did.”
    â€œYou need to be prepared, Anita. She will send something after you. Just to scare you, I think, not to really harm.”
    â€œBecause you made me ’fess up to not killing her,” I said.
    â€œNo, because she doesn’t really believe you’ll kill her. She’s intrigued with your powers. I think she’d rather convert you than kill you.”
    â€œHave me as part of her zombie-making factory.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œNot in this lifetime.”
    â€œThe Señora is not used to people saying no, Anita.”
    â€œHer problem, not mine.”
    He glanced at me, then back to the traffic. “She’ll make it your problem.”
    â€œI’ll deal with it.”
    â€œYou can’t be that confident.”
    â€œI’m not, but what do you want me to do, break down and cry. I’ll deal with it when, and if, something noisome drags itself through my window.”
    â€œYou can’t deal with the Señora, Anita. She is powerful, more powerful than you can ever imagine.”
    â€œShe scared me, Manny. I am suitably impressed. If she sends something I can’t handle, I’ll run. Okay?”
    â€œNot okay. You don’t know, you just don’t know.”
    â€œI heard the thing in the hallway. I smelled it. I’m scared, but she’s just human, Manny. All the mumbo jumbo won’t keep her safe from a bullet.”
    â€œA bullet may take her out, but not down.”
    â€œWhat does that mean?”
    â€œIf she were shot, say in the head or heart, and seemed dead, I’d treat her like a vampire. Head and heart taken out. Body burned.” He glanced at me sort of sideways.
    I didn’t say anything. We were talking about killing Dominga Salvador. She was capturing souls and putting them into corpses. It was an abomination. She would probably attack me first. Some supernatural goodie come creeping into my home. She was evil and would attack me first. Would it be murder to ambush her? Yeah. Would I do it anyway? I let the thought take shape in my head. Rolled it over like a piece of candy, tasting the idea. Yeah, I could do it.
    I should have felt bad that I could plan a murder, for any reason, and not flinch. I didn’t feel bad. It was sort of comforting to know if she pushed me, I could push back. Who was I to cast stones at Manny for twenty-year-old crimes? Yeah, who indeed.

8
    I T WAS EARLY afternoon. Manny had dropped me