thinning out, resembling cigarette smoke instead of blacksmith's steam. Morgan took a step toward the body. Crouching down beside it, he craned his neck this way and that. Finally, he shook his head. "You is still a fool in my book, but maybe you got your head screwed on right about this here case."
"See?" Cora said, arching an eyebrow at Victoria. "The men here ain't nothing but a big old herd of sweet-talkers."
The sheriff stood and brushed his hands on his trousers. "How'd they get this way in the first place?"
"Another vampire had himself a drink," Cora said. "Given that they're all nice and tidy, I'd put good money on it being the same one we've been chasing lately."
"You know who did this?"
"Got a strong notion, though we can't be sure about it with things as they are here. Could be there's another vampire feller out there somewhere causing his own bit of ruckus, and it's just a coincidence that he turned up right when we was chasing the other one."
Brow furrowed, Morgan studied the two corpses. "So we might have two on our hands? What's the best way of handling these things?"
Cora patted the butt of her rifle. "Holy weapons, mostly. Silver bullets and blessed swords and the like. I got me some leftovers from when I was in this business, but it ain't going to be enough if you got a full infestation brewing on your hands. Best advice is to make friends with them monks out at the old Spanish mission. They ain't equipped for fighting, but they might have enough holy water and crosses as can offer the townsfolk some protection."
"Can't you go after the one that started this?"
"That's our plan," Cora said, "but you'd best have something else up your sleeve in case we can't find and whip the son of a bitch in time."
"I'll lend you one of my deputies if you like," Morgan said. "Got me a good tracker in the bunch, knows this here country powerful well."
Cora shook her head. "Keep him. Don't need me two greenhorns on the trail, or they're like to trip me up." Victoria blushed and looked down at her boots, but Cora didn't miss a beat. "Better your boys stay here and do what they can to protect folk.
"As for hunting down the bastard as did this, I got an idea." She stepped over to the other corpse and took a good look at its face. "I don't reckon those two will hide out on that ranch after what happened," she said to Victoria. "Was I them, I'd have lit out for another place to lay low for awhile."
"This isn't what I would call laying low," Victoria said.
"Me, either, but I did catch that feller in the leg with my rifle," Cora said. "I reckon he got himself a powerful hunger after that. Fresh blood keeps him strong and helps that wound of his to heal. Held off for a day or two, either out of fear or because that squaw wouldn't let him feed, but his need finally got the better of him.
"Second thing is, we done shot up his troops out at the farm. I reckon he's feeling a mite naked without critters at his heels, so he's looking to make him some new ones." She poked a grey cheek. "This feller's one of his new recruits. When he wakes up, I'd put good money on him running straight back to that blue-eyed bastard. Might not even feed before he goes if we're lucky."
"So we follow it back, just like that?" Victoria asked. "Won't he know what we're about and lead us back out into the desert, or ambush us?"
"Could be," Cora said, "but ain't like we got any other trails to follow. For all we know, this sucker will get right up and start feeding on folk as soon as the sun goes down. Then again, he might not. It might just be a pair of sixes, but it's the hand we was dealt, and we got to play it or fold."
"I'd rather not gamble our lives on it."
"You don't got to tag along. I reckon old Bob would be pleased as all get out if you decided to keep him company at the Print Shop tonight instead of riding out with me. Might even make it so he don't come grumping at me in the morning."
Hot blood coursed through Victoria's cheeks. She could feel the sheriff's eyes on her. "I'll ride," she said