"Norman. My neighbor." She pointed toward the house Etienne had disappeared into. "He has a poor young woman chained up in there. I think it's that girl from the news, that hospital worker who went missing a couple of weeks ago. She's pale and doesn't look well at all. He's obviously been starving her. He tried to make her eat my dog."
"Your dog?" the darker officer asked with disgust.
"My Muffin." She lifted her arms slightly, then petted the trembling ball of fur she held.
"Was that before or after he tried to eat your Muffin himself?" the blonde asked with a trace of amusement that made Bastien frown. It was obvious that at least one of the men thought the woman was batty. Apparently, he wasn't alone in gathering that. The woman narrowed her eyes on the officer like a first-grade teacher spotting a troublemaker in her class.
"Don't mess with me, young man. I'm not some dotty old fool. There are two people in that house right now in jeopardy."
"Two?" the second man asked.
"Yes. That pretty redhead from the news and a handsome young man who came in and set me and Muffin free and told me to call you."
The officers glanced toward the Renberger house, then back.
"Why didn't they come out with you?" the blonde asked.
"I was just tied up. He was able to untie me, but the girl was chained to a coffin."
"Coffin?"
"I told you, he thinks he's a vampire," she explained with exasperation. "He's insane! Now stop dawdling out here. Go help that young man rescue the girl. That's your job."
When the two officers still hesitated, obviously unsure what to make of her wild claims, she made a sound of disgust and turned toward the house. "Very well. I'll go get the young man and have him come out... if he hasn't already been noticed and killed by that nasty Norman."
She was out of her yard and across Norman's before the officers kicked out of their frozen state and hurried after her. The little woman could really move when she wanted to. She mounted the porch and entered the house before they could reach her.
"Turn me."
Rachel shifted a little to the side to look around Etienne's shoulder at Pudge. After the tense silence that had passed since his reappearance with the crossbow, those weren't the words she'd expected to hear.
"Come on," Pudge whined when both Etienne and Rachel stared at him blankly. "Why should you have all the fun? Turn me. Please?"
Etienne glanced toward Rachel, seeming to ask her whether Pudge's request was for real.
"Turn me and I'll give you rest," Pudge promised.
"Rest?" Etienne echoed with amazement.
"Vampires always want rest," Norman announced solemnly, then frowned. "Well, mostly they do. Once they're staked they look at peace in the movies. Sometimes they even thank their staker. Except for Dracula. I don't think he wants peace, but he's been alive forever." He peered at Etienne curiously. "Have you met Drac?"
"Pudge, do you understand the difference between fiction and reality?" Etienne asked.
"Of course I do," he said with a scowl. Then he added impatiently, "Just turn me already, and I'll put you to rest."
Etienne released a short laugh. "Are you even thinking about what you're suggesting? You're asking me to give you an eternal life... and in exchange you'll end mine? Hellooooo. You want eternal life. What makes you think I don't?"
"Oh, come on. You must be tired by now. How old are you? Five, six hundred years old?" he guessed. "You have to be way old. I looked up the Argeneau name and it goes back a long way. There's a reference to a Lucern Argeneau back in medieval days, and that's your brother, right? There was a Lady Marguerite married to some Claude guy too. And I know that's your mom and dad."
Rachel noted Etienne's startled expression. Apparently, he hadn't considered that Pudge might do research. It was obvious he didn't care for the fact, or the possibility that his family might now be targeted as well. She shook her head with disgust. Woe and betide the idiot for bringing Etienne's family into it.
The man was as easygoing as could be most of the time, but he also had a protective nature and that was coming to the fore. His usually smiling face had become a cold, hard mask.
Etienne moved so quickly that he was across the room and grabbing Pudge by the throat in the blink of an eye--far too quickly for Pudge to stop with his crossbow. It did go off as he dropped it, but the stake harmlessly hit the wall. Rachel saw Pudge reach into the front pocket of his black jeans but didn't understand the significance of it. She didn't realize trouble was coming until he pulled out a remote control and pushed several buttons. Light immediately exploded in the room even as a whirring sound filled the air.
Rachel gaped at the sunlamps pouring warm illumination down on her, then her head twisted to the side as the whirring was explained by a huge cross sliding out of a recess in the wall and swinging across the room like a pendulum. Her gaze shot to Etienne to see that he had been startled enough by the sudden explosion of light and sound that he was gaping as well. But he hadn't seen the six-foot cross crashing toward him.
Rachel cried out in warning, but it was too late, merely making him turn toward the large object in time to take a full frontal blow. She cried out again as he was slammed backward and crashed into the far wail. She started to run toward him, but changed direction and ran at Pudge instead when she saw what he was up to now. The moment Etienne had been knocked down, Pudge had bent to retrieve his crossbow. He tugged a fresh stake from his pocket.