Youre telling me you actually slept through all that? Dude, you need to see a doctor or something. Maybe you have a disease.
Hey, I need the sleep. Lisa, you know. Michael grinned. They were good at this, Claire realizedgood at playing normal, even if there wasnt a normal thing in the world about their situation. So what happened?
You werent aware of intruders in your home? asked Gretchen, whod been watching the exchangeand the correspondingly shrinking chance of bloodshedwith disappointment. The others described it as quite loud.
He can sleep through World War Three, Shane said. I told you, its some kind of sickness or something.
I thought you said you didnt know where he was, Hans said. Wasnt he in his room?
Shane shrugged. Im not his keeper.
Ah, Gretchen said, and smiled. That is where you are wrong, little knight. You are all your brothers keepers here in Morganville, and you can all suffer for their crimes. Which you should know and remember.
Hans looked bored now. Sergeant, he said, and the most senior uniformed cop stepped out of the ranks. I leave this in your hands. If you find anything out of the ordinary, let us know.
Just like that, the vamps were gone. They moved fast, and silently; they didnt seem to want to blend in much, Claire thought, and tried not to tremble. She sank down on the couch beside Shane, nearly crawling into his lap. Eve crowded in between the two boys.
Right. The sergeant didnt look happy with having the whole thing dumped in his lap again, but he also looked resigned. Couldnt be the easiest thing, Claire thought, having vamps for bosses. They didnt seem to have a long attention span. Glass, right? Occupation?
Musician, sir, Michael said.
Play around town, do you?
Im rehearsing for some upcoming gigs.
The cop nodded and flipped pages in a black leather book. He ran a thick finger down a list, frowned, and said, Youre behind on your donations, Glass. About a month.
Michael threw a lightning-fast glance at Shane. Sorry, sir. Ill get out there tomorrow.