The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes Page A

room.”
    I braced for Krystal to tell him to shut up and just let us out of the damn meeting already. She wasn’t known for her patience and an argument about keeping non-essential people here had to be taxing her limits. I was sure at any moment she would be lighting into this smug, suit-wearing jerk.
    “You are correct, Morgan. I thank you for hearing my humble request. The matter has been satisfactorily concluded,” she said. I don’t think I kept much of the shock off my face. Krystal being subservient at all, let alone to this degree, was mind blowing.
    “Good,” Morgan said. “Now we move onto the matter of Mr. Emerson’s debt. As of today he owes us four hundred ninety-two thousand, eight hundred and sixty-two dollars. We have stopped counting the cents and begun rounding to the nearest dollar for convenience’s sake.”
    “Four . . . hundred . . . thousand ?” Krystal asked. Though her words were direct to Morgan, her eyes were digging straight into Bubba. I had seen those eyes before, and clearly Bubba had as well since he was avoiding her gaze and looking very thoroughly ashamed. The man had every physical advantage over her, but it was evident he had a healthy amount of fear from this thin blonde woman, which only showed that he was much smarter than his name would indicate.
    “Four hundred ninety-two thousand, eight hundred and sixty-two dollars, actually,” Morgan corrected her. “As you know this is well above the level where we are allowed to place him into our custody until he has worked off the debt. Additionally, he has passed the point where there is any legal recourse to adjust his debt or payment.”
    “I am aware of this now,” Krystal said slowly. “Though, when Mr. Emerson requested my presence, it was with the indication that I would be acting as advocate. In matters of over two hundred thousand, it is well known that no outside entity holds any authority to alter the decisions of the dracoling who holds that debt. I am a touch confused as to why, then, Mr. Emerson asked me to come all the way out here.”
    “I cannot speak to that,” Morgan said. “I do not claim to understand what goes on in Mr. Emerson’s mind. However, I took your meeting because we strive to be in compliance with all clauses of our treaty with your government, and to try and foster good relations between we two.”
    “I thank you for accepting my meeting, and your good will is noted and will be reported. In the spirit of such good will, I have another boon to ask of you, Morgan, since it seems our meeting will be coming to a swift end. I would like to request that Mr. Emerson be permitted to tell both you and I why he felt it necessary to draw us both into a meeting with no possibility of resolution,” Krystal said in a strained voice. Her eyes were dead set on Bubba, who for his part seemed more resigned than nervous about his problematic situation.
    “I daresay that would play directly into what he was hoping for,” Morgan said. “I am not in the habit of aiding those who seek to waste my valuable time and resources.”
    “I would consider it a high token of friendship between your people and the Agency,” Krystal said slowly, pronouncing every syllable with care and consideration. Given what she had told us, speaking on behalf of her office must have been something exceedingly dangerous.
    “Well, then, I would be a fool not to offer such a token,” Morgan said, his grin deepening noticeably. “Mr. Emerson, you may speak with Krystal on the topic of why you called in an advocate on this case.”
    “I didn’t call in an advocate,” Bubba said, a snarky tone and southern twang reverberating in the strong bass of his voice. “I called in my friend.”
    Bubba turned his body and met Krystal’s gaze. “I knew as soon as I lost my last bet that it was over. I just wanted to tell you goodbye in person. You were a lot of help to me after I lost Mom and Dad, and you helped keep me on the right track