The Reluctant Vampire Page 0,117

loose. She'll just try again."

There was silence for a minute, and then Anders quickly cuffed Susan and urged her across the room.

"You can lock her up, but I suspect Lucian will want her in Toronto as well."

"Teddy," Susan cried, jerking around and looking at him pleadingly.

He frowned, but sighed, and asked, "What will Lucian do?"

Anders shrugged. "Depends."

"On what?" Teddy asked at once.

"Does she have family here?"

"She and Jenny were all that was le . Grandparents were all gone by the me they were out of grade school. The mother died while they were in high school, and the father had a heart a ack a couple years back." He paused, and then added, "I think they have an aunt and a couple of cousins in London, but they weren't close as far as I know."

"Then he'll probably have her memory wiped and relocate her to the other end of Canada or somewhere down in the States," Mirabeau said quietly. "Give her a job with someone who can keep an eye on her and a new home. The works."

"Memory wiped? Like she won't know who she is?" Teddy asked with a frown.

"No." It was Drina who answered this me. "They'll wipe her memories of Harper and vampires in general, alter her memories of Jenny's death so she believes she died from the tumor alone, and probably put it in her head that Port Henry is full of bad, sad memories for her, and she doesn't want to return."

Her mouth ghtened, and she added, "They'll probably veil her sense of loss over Jenny too so she can move on."

Teddy grunted at this and shook his head. "So she tries to kill Harper, nearly kills you and Stephanie along with him, and gets into the immortal version of the Federal Witness Protection Program?"

"That's about it," Mirabeau said wryly, and shrugged. "She isn't wholly in her right mind, Teddy. Jenny was all she had. She's grieving."

Drina made an impa ent sound, and Harper squeezed her fingers gently, knowing she wasn't too pleased by this outcome. Not that Teddy looked as if he thought it was a fair deal either.

"And she calls you guys the monsters," Teddy mu ered, shaking his head. He scrubbed one hand through his gray hair, then sighed and stepped back out into the entry when they heard the crunch of snow under res. Glancing back into the room, he gestured Anders forward. "My deputy's here. He'll take her down and lock her up until Lucian can send someone for her."

"Teddy?" Susan said unhappily, as Anders walked her to the man, "please don't let them - "

"I don't want to hear it, Susan. I'm red and heartsick. You did this to yourself," Teddy said sternly. "And you're ge ng a hell of a good deal. If it were up to me, you'd be locked up for what you've done. You tried to kill the man, caused no end of pain to all three of them, damned near burnt down Elvi's house . . . and you could have killed that semi driver or someone else with that brakes stunt too. Just thank your lucky stars they aren't demanding your head on a platter."

Shaking his head, Teddy turned to the door to watch his deputy approach the house, mu ering, "I thought I lived in Goddamned Mayberry with a bunch of Aunt Beas and Andies. Who knew Port Henry had so many homicidal nutcases running around? I think it's time I retired," he added wearily as he opened the door. They were all silent as Teddy turned the woman over to his deputy. The moment she was out of his hands, Anders slipped his cell phone from his pocket and started punching numbers. Calling Lucian Argeneau, Harper supposed.

"Well, that takes care of that." Teddy closed and locked the front door, then turned back to stand in the doorway to the living room to survey his guests with a sigh. He grimaced as he noted Anders talking quietly into his phone, then glanced to the others, and said, "I'm hoping this means we're off high alert and are back to thinking that this Leonius fellow is still in the States?"

"It looks that way," Drina said, sounding a li le more cheerful than she had at the prospect of Susan's lack of punishment for what she'd done.

"Right." Teddy turned away. "Then I'm to bed. I'm too damned old for this nonsense."

"Sleep well," Harper murmured, a sen ment echoed by the others. They all smiled