When Victor raised an eyebrow in question, the man shook his head and held out his hand. “I’m forgetting my manners. Teddy Brunswick, police captain of Port Henry, at your service.”
Victor accepted the hand and shook it, his attention on the wide grin now on Captain Teddy Brunswick’s face. The expression made him look like the sheriff from an old black-and-white series he used to watch. It made him wonder if there wasn’t some goofy, geeky idiot deputy running around somewhere. Victor was a big television buff and had no problem imagining a grinning idiot Don Knotts–type following this more intelligent, mellow man around. He managed to refrain from asking.
“Captain Brunswick.” Victor gave a nod, then, since the man already knew his name, simply turned to gesture to his younger companion and said, “DJ.”
“DJ what?” the officer asked bluntly.
The question made the younger immortal smile. “DJ Benoit. Gonna run me through the system and see if anything pops up?”
“Yes,” Officer Brunswick said unapologetically.
DJ actually laughed, then glanced to Victor and announced, “I like him.”
“He just insulted you,” Victor pointed out with amusement. The lad often made him smile, which was a rarity. Little made him smile these last three centuries, but he found working with DJ similar to working with an overexuberant puppy. Victor actually enjoyed him for a partner more than the many morose men he’d worked with before, and was growing rather attached to the lad. Still, the day the boy peed on someone’s carpet, he’d be asking for a new partner.
“You shouldn’t really be insulted,” Captain Brunswick told DJ. “I’ve already checked out Argeneau and the names of the others coming here looking to date our Elvi.”
Victor decided then that Captain Brunswick was a man who needed his memory wiped. So would this Mabel by the sounds of it. And then what he’d said registered and Victor frowned. “The others coming here?” he echoed, scowling at DJ. “There are others coming?”
DJ shrugged, silently saying he knew nothing about it. It was Brunswick who answered. Smiling with amusement, he asked, “You didn’t think you were the only one to answer the ad, did you?” Before Victor could respond, he added, “There are six men coming tonight. You’re the first to arrive.”
Victor wasn’t pleased at this news, but was more concerned with the displeasure now on Brunswick’s face.
“I hope they all don’t bring friends or the house is going to be crowded,” the officer commented, and then shook his head and said, “Come, I’ve kept you standing here long enough. I’ll show you to your table.”
When Officer Brunswick turned to lead the way through the crowded restaurant, DJ started to follow, but Victor caught his arm to hold him back and asked, “What does he mean by ‘the house will be crowded’?”
“I told you Elvi invited us down for the week,” DJ reminded him.
“Yes,” he acknowledged impatiently. “But I expected we’d be staying at a hotel, not someone’s house.”
“It’s a bed-and-breakfast. Casey Cottage. Elvi owns it,” DJ murmured. “It’ll be fine.”
“Are you boys coming or has the thought of competition scared you off?”
Victor stiffened. Captain Brunswick had paused at an empty booth halfway up the right-hand side of the restaurant, one Victor was sure hadn’t been empty when they entered. No one had left the restaurant, however, so he supposed whoever had been seated there when they’d entered, had now joined the crowd milling around the bar at the front of the restaurant.
“This job is looking more and more interesting by the minute,” DJ commented under his breath as they moved forward to join Brunswick.
Victor’s only response was a grunt. To him, the situation seemed to be growing more complicated by the minute, and more troublesome.
“Here we are.” Captain Brunswick stood blocking the far side of the booth, obviously expecting them to squeeze into the nearer side together.
Victor immediately stepped aside and gestured DJ in. Claustrophobic as he found cars, there was no way he was going to be trapped on the inside of a booth.
Making a face, DJ slipped quickly along the seat, scrunching himself up in the corner. Victor settled next to him, ignoring the way the younger immortal proceeded to mutter and shift about with discomfort. The booth was really far too small for two grown men to sit side by side; especially two grown men well over six feet tall and half as wide. They were both built like warriors of old, which was handy when it came to hunting. Size intimidated and any advantage was useful.
“Mabel will join us as soon as she and Elvi arrive,” Brunswick commented as the conversations in the room began again. The mariachi band was apparently taking a break, but the patrons were at least no longer silent, though they were still staring and Victor suspected the conversations being held around the room were mostly about him and DJ.
Victor ignored the glances cast their way and nodded in response to Brunswick’s comment, but still had no idea who Mabel was and still didn’t care. His only interest in Port Henry was to meet this Elvi so he could sort out if she truly was one of them or they could get in the car and head home.
Victor used to enjoy his work. However, he’d found himself growing weary of late. He was, in effect, a hunter tired of the hunt. Rather useless he supposed. On the other hand, Victor acknowledged to himself, he had no special desire to be at home either. He didn’t seem to be satisfied or at peace anywhere anymore, but then he never really had been since his wife, Marion’s, death. He also found himself tired a lot of the time, his dissatisfaction increasing. It was something he tried not to think about too often. He may be bored and weary with life right now, but had no wish to go rogue as many other of his kind had gone at this stage.
“Mabel!” DJ said suddenly, apparently just placing the name. “She’s Elvi’s friend and the co-owner of the restaurant, and the bed-and-breakfast. Right?”
Brunswick nodded. “Her best friend. If Mabel doesn’t like you, you can forget about Elvi. Those two have been thick as thieves since they were kids. She’s—”
He paused abruptly when the room suddenly quieted again. Leaning sideways, Brunswick peered toward the front door and then got abruptly to his feet. “Another one’s arrived. Excuse me.”