"A zombie as a murder weapon?"
I nodded. "Something like that, yes."
"Who could do something like that?"
"I'm not sure that's what happened here," I said.
"I know. But who could do it?"
"Well, hell, I could, but I wouldn't. And nobody I know that could do it would do it."
"Let us decide that," he said. He had gotten his little notebook out.
"You really want me to give you names of friends so you can ask them if they happened to have raised a zombie and sent it to kill these people?"
"Please."
I sighed. "I don't believe this. All right, me, Manny Rodriguez, Peter Burke, and. . ." I stopped words already forming a third name.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. I just remembered that I've got Burke's funeral to go to this week. He's dead so I don't think he's a suspect."
Dolph was looking at me hard, suspicion plain on his face. "You sure this is all the names you want to give me?"
"If I think of anyone else, I'll let you know," I said. I was at my wide-eyed most sincere. See, nothing up my sleeve.
"You do that, Anita."
"Sure thing."
He smiled and shook his head. "Who are you protecting?"
"Me," I said. He looked puzzled. "Let's just say I don't want to get someone mad at me."
"Who?"
I looked up into the clear August sky. "You think we'll get rain?"
"Dammit, Anita, I need your help."
"I've given you my help," I said.
"The name."
"Not yet. I'll check it out, and if it looks suspicious, I promise to share it with you."
"Well, isn't that just generous of you?" A flush was creeping up his neck. I had never seen Dolph angry before. I feared I was about to.
"The first death was a homeless man. We thought he'd passed out from liquor and ghouls got him. We found him right next to a cemetery. Open and shut, right?" His voice was rising just a bit with each word.
"Next we find this couple, teenagers caught necking in the boy's car. Dead, still not too far from the cemetery. We called in an exterminator and a priest. Case closed." He lowered his voice, but it was like he had swallowed the yelling. His voice was strained and almost touchable with its anger.
"Now this. It's the same beastie, whatever the hell it is. But we are miles from the nearest frigging cemetery. It isn't a ghoul, and maybe if I had called you in with the first or even the second case, this wouldn't have happened. But I figure I'm getting good at this supernatural crap. I've had some experience now, but it isn't enough. It isn't nearly enough." His big hands were crushing his notebook.
"That's the longest speech I've ever heard you make," I said.
He half laughed. "I need the name, Anita."