Dead as a doornail - By Charlaine Harris Page 0,83

in the chair, trying to ease it.

“And now someone else has shot at you and I wasn’t there to take the bullet,” Eric said. “You must be living wrong. Do you think the Pelt family is trying to get revenge?”

“No,” I said. I was pleased that Eric was taking all this so calmly. I don’t know what I’d expected, but it wasn’t this. He seemed, if anything, subdued. “They hired private detectives, and as far as I know, the private detectives didn’t find any reason to suspect me any more than anyone else. The only reason I was a suspect anyway was because when Alcide and I found that body in Shreveport at Verena Rose’s, we told the police we were engaged. We had to explain why we went together to a bridal shop. Since he had such an on-and-off relationship with Debbie, him saying we were getting married naturally raised a red flag when the detectives checked it out. He had a good alibi for the time she died, as it turned out. But if they ever seriously suspect me, I’ll be in trouble. I can’t give you as an alibi, because of course you weren’t even here, as far as anyone knows. You can’t give me an alibi because you don’t remember that night; and of course, I’m just plain old guilty. I killed her. I had to do it.” I’m sure Cain had said that when he’d killed Abel.

“You’re talking too much,” Eric said.

I pressed my lips together. One minute he wanted me to tell him everything; the next minute he wanted me to stop talking.

For maybe five minutes, Eric just looked at me. I wasn’t always sure he was seeing me. He was lost in some deep thoughts.

“I told you I would leave everything for you?” he said at the end of all this rumination.

I snorted. Trust Eric to select that as the pertinent idea.

“And how did you respond?”

Okay, that astonished me. “You couldn’t just stay with me, not remembering. That wouldn’t be right.”

He narrowed his eyes. I got tired of being regarded through slits of blue. “So,” I said, curiously deflated. Maybe I’d expected a more emotional scene than this. Maybe I’d expected Eric to grab me and kiss me silly and tell me he still felt the same. Maybe I was too fond of daydreams. “I did your favor. Now you do mine.”

Not taking his eyes off me, Eric whipped a cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number from memory. “Rose-Anne,” he said. “Are you well? Yes, please, if she’s free. Tell her I have information that will interest her.” I couldn’t hear the response on the other end, but Eric nodded, as he would if the speaker had been present. “Of course I’ll hold. Briefly.” In a minute, he said, “And hello to you, too, most beautiful princess. Yes, it keeps me busy. How’s business at the casino? Right, right. There’s one born every minute. I called to tell you something about your minion, that one named Mickey. He has some business connection with Franklin Mott?”

Then Eric’s eyebrows rose, and he smiled slightly. “Is that right? I don’t blame you. Mott is trying to stick to the old ways, and this is America.” He listened again. “Yes, I’m giving you this information for free. If you choose not to grant me a small favor in return, of course that’s of no consequence. You know in what esteem I hold you.” Eric smiled charmingly at the telephone. “I did think you should know about Mott’s passing on a human woman to Mickey. Mickey’s keeping her under his thumb by threatening her life and property. She’s quite unwilling.”

After another silence, during which his smile widened, Eric said, “The small favor is removing Mickey. Yes, that’s all. Just make sure he knows he should never again approach this woman, Tara Thornton. He should have nothing more to do with her, or her belongings and friends. The connection should be completely severed. Or I’ll have to see about severing some part of Mickey. He’s done this in my area, without the courtesy of coming to visit me. I really expected better manners of any child of yours. Have I covered all the bases?”

That Americanism sounded strange, coming from Eric Northman. I wondered if he’d ever played baseball.

“No, you don’t need to thank me, Salome. I’m glad to be of service. And if you could let me know when the thing is accomplished? Thanks. Well, back