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His tone makes me laugh. Something I haven t done much of in the last couple of days. He asks me
where we re going and I give him Ryan s address. He lapses into silence, both external and internal. I
haven t met too many vampires and wonder fleetingly if I should ask him about how he came to be. But
instead, I sink back on the seat and close my eyes. I need to clear my mind. I have a feeling that meeting
Ryan s parents and telling them what we ve kept from them is not going to be pleasant.
When we pull up in front of Ryan s house, he s waiting at the door. Behind him, a couple stands watch
with the worried look of concerned parents. I tell Ortiz to wait for us in the car and walk up alone, feeling
curiously like I m walking into a lion s den.
Ryan is frowning with anxious impatience. He introduces me to his folks in a perfunctory manner, clearly
eager to be on our way.
Unfortunately, his parents have questions, and when they invite me inside, I follow them in.
Mr. and Mrs. North are in their late 40s, both tall and tan and dressed in his and her versions of the
power suit. The living room they lead me into is furnished with Pottery Barn essentials-canvas covered
couch and chairs, whitewashed occasional tables with wicker basket storage, ladder display units tucked
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beside windows with an impressive view of the city beyond the bay. The shelves are full of white-framed
photographs of the family at play, artfully commingled with an impressive collection of seashells.
I barely have time to take it all in before Mr. North starts in. We are not pleased with Ryan, Ms.
Strong, he says. Nor are we pleased with you. You have put a child in danger. He has information that
should have been given to the police immediately. Instead, you told him to keep it to himself. Now that
girl s mother is dead and she is missing.
At least they are not blaming Trish for her mother s death. Maybe they missed the press conference.
Did you know Trish well? I ask.
Mrs. North waves a hand as if understanding the real meaning behind my question. If you re asking if
we believe she had anything to do with her mother s death, the answer is no. Trish s mother was not a
nice woman. We were sorry when she took Trish out of school here and moved toEastCounty . I think
Trish felt safe with us. We were sorry to see her go.
Ryan is shifting from one foot to the other, his eyes on me and his fingers clutching the book bag with
white-knuckled intensity.
I m not the only one who notices. Clearly, my son is anxious to get this over with, Detective Strong,
Mr. North says. But I want your assurance he is not putting himself in any danger.
I let the Detective Strong go. Police Chief Williams has taken a personal interest in the case, I say.
He is meeting with us himself this morning. He is very impressed with Ryan. I can assure you, Ryan will
be safe.
I offer my hand to his parents. Mrs. North takes it first.
Find Trish, Detective Strong, she says. She deserves better than she s been given.
Mr. North shakes my hand in turn, and then he gives his son a brief hug. Take care of him, Detective
Strong, he says to me.
Ryan squirms away self-consciously, embarrassed at the display of parental concern. I think it sweet,
though telling Ryan that would no doubt add to his humiliation.
I feel their gaze on our backs as we make our way to the sidewalk and the waiting squad car. That
wasn t so bad, though I hook an eyebrow at Ryan. DetectiveStrong?
His mouth curves into a grim, tight-lipped smile. When you said you would be picking me up in a police
car, I kind of let them think you were a detective. It just seemed easier.
If that gets back to Williams, I ll never hear the end of it.
Ortiz takes us to the Mission Café and drops us in front. Williams s orders were for him to wait with us
until he showed up, but I see no reason to keep him. Williams will be here in ten minutes, so I thank Ortiz
and tell him I ll explain to the chief that I let him go.
At first, he balks. But I remind him that I m a vamp and can take care of myself, and that he probably
has more pressing matters to attend to-like keeping the streets safe for those who aren t and can t.
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We have this conversation internally, Ryan standing outside the car waiting for me to join him. Ortiz
finally agrees and I climb out, spying the coat and wig I d rolled up and thrown into the back seat. I took
them to prevent Bradley and Donovan from seeing them in Williams s office. But I certainly don t need to
be hauling them around with me now. Take those with you, will you? I ask, motioning toward the
bundle. Leave them with Sergeant Harvey and I ll pick them up later. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] - zanotowane.pl
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