"He was a criminal."
I raised my eyebrows. "In what way?"
"He was arrested for drug abuse."
"He smoked some pot," Jeff said.
I was beginning to wish I could just go off and talk with Jeff. He seemed to know what was going on and wasn't trying to hide it. Trick was how to manage it.
"He was a corrupting influence on my daughter, and I put a stop to it."
"And he's missing?" I asked.
"Yes," Jeff said.
"I will answer Miss Blake's questions, Jeff. I am the man of the house."
Jesus, man of the house. Hadn't heard that in a while. "I'd like to see the rest of the house in case the vampire entered somewhere other than her room. If Jeff could show me the doors, I'd appreciate it."
"I can show you around, Miss Blake," Quinlan said.
"I'm sure your wife needs you right now, Mr. Quinlan. Jeff can show me around, but only you can comfort your wife."
Mrs. Quinlan looked up at him, then at me, as if she wasn't sure she wanted to be comforted, but I knew the image would appeal to him.
He nodded. "Perhaps you're right." He touched his wife's shoulder. "Sally needs me right now."
Sally cooperated with fresh crying, using the poodle as a sort of impromptu handkerchief. The poodle squirmed and whined. Quinlan sat down and took his wife in his arms. The dog squirmed free and trotted over to Jeff.
I stood. Larry stood. I moved toward the door and looked back at the boy. Jeff stood and the poodle trotted at his side. I opened the doors and ushered us all outside. Raven the poodle eyed me suspiciously, but she came along.
I caught a last glimpse of Beth St. John gazing at the door as if she wanted to go with us, but she sat down beside the unwanted sandwiches and the cooling coffee. She sat like a good soldier. She would not abandon her post.
I closed the door, feeling cowardly. I was glad it wasn't my job to hold the Quinlans' hands. Facing the vampire even in the dark didn't seem so bad by comparison. Of course, I was still safe inside the house. Out there in the dark with the vampire, I might feel different.
Chapter 13
We stood out in the entryway. The air felt cooler out here, easier to breathe. Had to be my imagination. The poodle was sniffing at my foot. She gave a low growl and Jeff picked her up, tucking her under one arm, in a familiar gesture like he'd done it a hundred times before.
"You don't really want to see the doors, do you?" he asked.
"No," I said.
"Dad's all right. He's just..." He shrugged. "He's just right, and everyone else is wrong. He doesn't mean anything by it."
"I know. He's scared right now, too. That makes everyone bitchy."
Jeff grinned. I wasn't sure if it was the "scared" comment or the word "bitchy." Probably didn't hear many people saying either about his dad.
"How serious were Andy and your sister?"
He glanced at the closed doors and lowered his voice just a little. "Dad'll say not very, but they were serious. Real serious." He glanced at the door again.
"We can go somewhere else to talk," I said. "Your choice of rooms."
He looked at me. "You're really a vampire hunter?" If the circumstances had been different, he would have been enjoying himself. It's hard not to think it's cool to put stakes through people's chests.
"Yeah, and we raise zombies, too."