I gave him the name of my hotel and then, with a sigh, my beeper number.
"I will call you when I arrive."
"How long will it take you to fly this far?"
"Anita, do you think I am going to fly myself down, as a bird would?"
I didn't like the faint amusement in his voice, but I answered truthfully. "It was a thought."
He laughed, and it raised goose-bumps on my arms. "Oh, ma petite, ma petite, you are precious."
Just what I wanted to hear. "So how are you getting here?"
"My private jet."
Of course, he had a private jet. "When can you be here?"
"I will be there as soon as I can, my impatient flower."
"I prefer ma petite to flower."
"As you like, ma petite."
"I want to see the Master of Branson tonight before dawn."
"You have made that abundantly clear, and I will try."
"Do more than try."
"You are feeling guilty about this boy; why?"
"I'm not feeling guilty."
"Responsible, then," he said.
I sat there, not sure what to say. He was right. "I don't suppose you read my mind just then?"
"No, ma petite, just your voice and your impatience."
I hated that he knew me that well. Hated it. "Yeah, I feel responsible."
"Why?"
"I was in charge."
"Did you do all you could to keep him safe?"
"I had hosts put at every entrance."
"Someone let them in, then?"
"They had a doggie door that exited through the garage, into the house wall. They didn't want to cut a hole through any of the outer doors."
"Was there a child vampire among them?"
"No."
"Then how?"
I described the thin, skeletal vampire. "It was almost a form change. He changed back in seconds. Once he changed back, he could have passed for human in dim light. I've never seen anything like it."
"I've only seen the ability once," he said.
"You know who it is, don't you?"
"I will be with you as soon as I am able, ma petite."
"You sound serious all of a sudden; why?"
He gave a small laugh, but this one was bitter, like swallowing broken glass. It hurt just to hear it. "You know me too well, ma petite."
"Just answer the question."
"Did the boy who was taken look younger than his years?"
"Yeah; why?"
Silence thick enough to slice was the only answer.
"Talk to me, Jean-Claude."
"Have there been any other young boys gone missing?"
"Not to my knowledge, but I haven't asked."
"Ask," he said.
"How young?"
"Twelve, fourteen, older if they look young enough."
"Like Jeff Quinlan," I said.
"I fear so."
"Is this vampire into more than just kidnapping?"
"What do you mean, ma petite?"
"Murder, not just biting them, but murder."
"What sort of murder?"
I hesitated. I didn't discuss ongoing police investigations with the monsters.
"I know you do not trust me, ma petite, but it is important. Tell me of these deaths, please."
He didn't say please very often. I told him. Not in great detail, but enough.
"Were they violated?"
"What do you mean, violated?" I asked.
"Violated, ma petite, violated. There are other words for it, but none better for children."
"Oh," I said. "I don't know if they were sexually assaulted. They were still clothed."
"There are things that can be done without removing clothing, ma petite. But the abuse would have happened before the killings. Systematic abuse over a period of weeks or months."
"I'll find out if they were assaulted." An idea occurred to me. "Would this vamp ever do a girl?"
"By 'do,' you mean sex?"
"Yeah."
"If pressed for company, he would take a young girl, prepubescent, but only if he could find nothing else."
I swallowed hard. We were talking about children like they were things, objects. "No, this girl looked like a woman. She didn't look young."
"Then, no, he would not willingly touch her."
"What do you mean, willingly? What other choice would there be?"
"His master could order him to do it, and he might, if he feared the master enough. Though I cannot think of many people that he would fear enough to do something he found repugnant."
"You know this vampire. Who is he? Give me a name."
"When I arrive, ma petite."
"Just give me the name."
"So you can give it to the police?"
"That is their job."
"No, ma petite. If it is who I think it is, it will not be a matter for the police."
"Why not?"
"Put simply, he is too dangerous and too exotic to be revealed to the general public. If mortals found out we could have among us such things, they might turn on us all together. You must be aware of that nasty law floating around the Senate."
"I'm aware."
"Then you must understand my caution."
"Maybe, but if more people die because of your caution,