of that. But the times that Anthony has gone along to help out, he’s seen enough to accept the fact that the spooky stuff is real. He’s also seen Teag and me get pretty beat up fighting off supernatural nasties, and he’s helped us fend off a few surly spooks himself. I can’t blame him for worrying.
“What kind of explanation are the cops coming up with?” I asked.
Anthony’s mouth was a grim line. “Nothing to do with ghosts, I can assure you. Mostly, they think the witnesses are mistaken. Or that the victims are either playing a prank or don’t want to be found.”
The server brought out our pizza, and we fell silent as we ate. My mind kept pinging back and forth between two things that didn’t seem to have a logical connection: Tad’s ghostly stalker, and the disappearances. I’ve learned the hard way that there aren’t a lot of coincidences when you’re dealing with supernatural predators. Unfortunately, sometimes you only see the connections in hindsight, when it’s too little, too late.
“Heading home?” Teag asked Anthony when we finally finished our feeding frenzy. Teag and Anthony had moved in together a few months ago, a big step forward for them. Even so, with the crazy hours they both kept, it was still a challenge to get a lot of quality time.
Anthony shook his head. “Not for a while. I have some more files to go over before a case tomorrow. I shouldn’t be terribly late, but that’s why I figured I’d meet you for dinner rather than have you wait up.”
I could tell Teag was glad not to be the only one working late. Sorren was supposed to be headed back from Boston, and I suspected trouble was afoot. It might be a long night.
SORREN WAS WAITING for us when we got back to Trifles and Folly. I flicked on the light in the back room, and jumped to find him sitting quietly at the table in the dark.
“Geez! Can’t you turn on a light or something?” I covered my surprise with some good-natured annoyance. Then again, Sorren didn’t need light. His vampire senses were sharper than mortals’ abilities, and he was stronger and faster, too. I knew he’d used his key to get into the store, but he didn’t need one. Long ago, when he was mortal, he had been the best jewel thief in Belgium.
“I assumed you’d be expecting me,” Sorren replied, a slight smile letting me know he enjoyed the banter. Sorren looks like he’s in his twenties, the age he was when he was turned back in the 1400s. His hair is an unremarkable shade of blond, his blue-gray eyes are the color of the sea before a storm, and his features are pleasant without being memorable, something that was helpful back in his thieving days. Right now, he was wearing a t-shirt and trendy jeans with sneakers. Since his skin wasn’t unnaturally pale, I figured he had fed recently. Sorren was very good at passing for mortal. But Teag and I had seen what he could do in a fight. Anyone who took him for just another twenty-something was making a fatal mistake.
“We just went out for a bite,” I said.
“So did I.” Sorren’s voice was droll, but his eyes held a hint of mischief. Ha, ha. Vampire jokes. Did you hear the one about…
“The jewelry box I called you about is on my desk,” I said. Sorren walked over, picked up the velvet case and brought it back to the table, turning his attention to its funereal jewelry. The piece that caused me such a jolt had no effect on Sorren. He says that’s because he doesn’t have magic; the Dark Gift is magic. Handling objects with bad juju doesn’t knock him flat on his ass. “Did your trip go as planned?” I asked.
Sorren looked preoccupied. “As well as could be expected,” he replied. “There was an attack on my Boston operation. Two of my people are in the hospital. The damage to the store was contained, but it required my attention.”
He looked down at the velvet box in his hands, and I got the feeling he had said all he planned to say about Boston. “The Victorians had a lot to mourn,” Sorren said quietly as he looked at the hair necklace. “The War killed so many, and then there were the epidemics,” he added. From his tone, I wondered if he was thinking aloud rather than speaking to Teag and me.