The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - Grady Hendrix Page 0,126

word. She ran into Blue’s room. Empty.

She checked every room downstairs, even the dark garage room, but Blue was still out. She felt frantic. She checked that the back door was locked, she grabbed her car keys, but what if she went out looking for him, and he came home? And how could she leave Korey alone with James Harris out there?

She had to call Carter. He needed to come home. Two of them could deal with this. She jumped at the noise of the front door opening and ran to the hall. Blue was just closing it behind him.

She grabbed him and pressed him to her body. He froze for a moment, then squirmed out of her arms.

“What?” he asked.

“I’m just glad you’re safe,” she said. “Where were you?”

“I was at Jim’s,” he said. It took her a moment to process.

“Where?” she asked.

“At Jim’s,” he said, defensively. “Jim Harris’s house. Why?”

“Blue,” she said. “It is very important you tell me the truth right now. Where have you been all evening?”

“At. Jim’s. House,” Blue repeated. “With Jim. Why do you care?”

“And he was there?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“All night?”

“Yes!”

“Did he leave at any point, or was he out of your sight for even a single minute?” she asked.

“Only when a trick-or-treater rang the bell,” Blue said. “Wait, why?”

“I need you to be honest with me,” she said. “What time did you go over there?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Right after I left. I was bored. No one was giving me good candy because they said I didn’t have a real costume. And he saw me and said it didn’t look like I was having much fun so he invited me inside to mess around on his Playstation. I’d rather hang out with him anyway.”

What he was saying couldn’t possibly have happened because of what James Harris had done to Slick.

“I need you to think,” she said. “I need to know exactly what time you went into his house.”

“Like around seven-thirty,” he said. “Jesus, why do you care? We played Resident Evil all night.”

He was lying, he didn’t understand the severity of the situation, he thought it was just another spray-painted dog. Patricia tried to make her voice understanding.

“Blue,” she said, focusing on him intently. “This is extremely important. Probably the most important thing you’ve ever said in your life. Don’t lie.”

“I’m not lying!” he shouted. “Ask him! I was there. He was there. Why would I lie? Why do you always think I’m lying? Jesus!”

“I don’t think you’re lying,” she said, making herself breathe slow. “But I think you’re confused.”

“I’m! Not! Confused!” he shouted.

Patricia felt tangled in string, like every word she spoke only made things worse.

“Something very serious happened tonight,” she said. “And James Harris was involved and I do not believe for a minute that he was with you the entire time.”

Blue exhaled hard and turned to the front door. She grabbed his wrist.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to Jim’s!” he shouted, and grabbed her wrist in return. “He doesn’t scream at me all the time!”

He was stronger than she was and she could feel his fingers bearing down, pressing into her skin, against her bone, leaving a bruise on her forearm. She made herself unclench her fingers from his wrist, hoping he would do the same.

“I need you to tell me the truth,” she said.

He let go of her wrist and stared at her with utter contempt.

“You’re not going to believe anything I say anyway,” he said. “They should put you back in the hospital.”

His hatred radiated off his skin like heat. It made Patricia take a small step back. Blue stepped forward and she shrank from him. Then he turned and started up the stairs.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“To finish my homework!” he yelled over his shoulder.

She heard his bedroom door