board. Jane gathered office supplies like pens and paper. Cal and Nik arranged chairs in a semi-circle around the board. Gigi set up a rather intimidating laptop on the bar and logged into an Internet search program that I wasn’t sure was entirely legal.
“Once every six months, huh?” I asked Gabriel.
“Well, we had a gap there, about two years long, where we enjoyed a brief period of ‘no one trying to kill us.’” Gabriel frowned. “It was weirdly off-putting. Jane does some of her most impressive thinking—and cursing—in these meetings.”
“Are you sure we shouldn’t call everybody else in?” Andrea asked. “If someone is targeting vampire-owned businesses here in the Hollow, that involves most of our family. Iris has Beeline. Alex has the music school. Jane has the bookshop. Libby has her accounting business. Meadow owns the tea shop. Collin, Cal, Nik, Luke—they all own mysterious consulting firms we’re not supposed to ask about. Erik owns a consulting firm, but if you ask questions about it, he’ll answer them and then you’re stuck there for hours listening to theories about organizational psychology…”
Several people in the room paused to shudder, so I assumed that was bad.
“We don’t know if they’re targeting vampire business owners,” Nik protested.
“Well, what else do Cal, Nik, Alex and Ophelia have in common?” Andrea asked.
“They’re super old.” Gigi said. When Cal shot her a look that screamed betrayal! she added. “What? You are!”
“Yes, but the graffiti was more anti-vampire than anti-business. Andrea, can you expand on the theory you were putting forward before my own flesh and blood insulted me to my face?” Cal asked politely.
“Beeline is one of the biggest vampire-owned businesses here in town,” Andrea said. Across the room, Iris grinned proudly. “And Alex owns the music school, which has gotten a lot of attention lately because it’s so fancy. It’s just what jumped out at me when I heard Alex got hit.”
“But it’s not like they’ve done business with each other or have that much in common, other than they’re vampires and they’re both connected to Cal. And I would think the spray-painted messages would be directed at Cal, if he was the target,” Gigi said, tapping on her keypad. “If they were going to target prominent vampires here in town, why not Jane or Dick?”
“Because they have more direct support from the Council? If anything happens to the Council representatives, the Undead Emergency Response Team shows up within a few minutes,” Cal offered.
During all of this out-loud speculation, Jane was scribbling furiously on the whiteboard. She wrote out names, circled them, connected the circles with lines.
“I still think my family should be shoved in the suspect pool. My parents were not thrilled to see Jolene in that photo in the paper with you. Between that, and Alex’s link to the kids, I think that puts them in the running. Also, my aunt Lurlene made some comments about knowing ‘something’ about my behavior that she didn’t like, and honestly, that could lead anywhere.”
Jane chewed her lip before writing, “McCLAINES” on the board. “Okay, I will put them on the ‘not likely, but still considered suspects’ list.”
“Thank you for humoring me,” I snorted.
“Forensic countermeasures,” Jane argued. “I respect your intelligence and adore your bookishness. But I have spent time around your family…speaking of which.”
Through the window, I followed Jane’s eyeline to the sight of my cousin walking towards the shop.
“You called her!” I squeaked.
“I told you, we keep things in the open here!” Jane exclaimed.
“Well, don’t tell her what I said about the newspaper thing. It would stir up a lot of trouble for me at home,” I hissed back.
“Are you okay?” Jolene hollered as she came through the door.
“I’m fine. We weren’t even there when it happened,” I said, giving Jane a significant look as Jolene strangle-hugged me.
“I’m so sorry about the school, Alex. Zeb’s at home with the kids. I didn’t have the heart to tell them.”
“It’s nothing. I’ll be open in a few days,” he assured her, receiving his own strangle-hug. He awkwardly patted her back.
“Aw, did I miss the murder board... Why did you write ‘McClaines” on there?” Jolene demanded.
“Because Ty thinks there’s a possibility your family could be involved in the vandalism at Iris’s house and the music school,” Gabriel told her.
Jolene opened her mouth as if to protest and then paused. “Which family members?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “I just think it’s a possibility that should be considered.”
“I would protest, but considerin’ what they put poor Zeb through, yeah, you