"You unlocked the door, Mr. Quinlan?"
He nodded. "Yes, and she was just lying there. I couldn't bear to touch her. She's unclean now. I..." He was choking on tears, trying so hard not to cry that his face was turning purple.
Jeff came and put his arm around his dad, leaning against his mother, the poodle still gripped in his other arm. The dog whined softly, licked the makeup from Mrs. Quinlan's face. The woman looked up and gave a choked laugh, petting the curly fur.
I wanted to leave. I wanted to let them huddle together and grieve. Hell, the death was so fresh, they hadn't gotten to grieving yet. They were still in shock. But I couldn't leave. Sheriff St. John would be back with the warrant, and I needed as much information as I could get before we braved the darkness.
Larry was sitting in the corner in a pale blue chair. He was being so quiet you'd almost forget he was there. But his eyes were eager, noticing everything, filing it all away. When I first realized he damn near memorized everything I said and did, it was intimidating. Now I counted on it.
Beth St. John came into the room with a tray of sandwiches, coffee, and soft drinks. I didn't remember anybody asking for them, but I think Beth was needing something to do besides sit here and watch the Quinlans cry. Me, too.
She set the tray on the coffee table between the couch and the love seat. The Quinlans ignored it. I took a fresh mug of coffee. Grilling grieving families always goes down better with caffeine.
The group huddle broke up. The poodle was transferred to the wife's arms, and the two men sat on either side of her. Jeffrey and Jeff looked at me with identical eyes. It was almost eerie. Genetics at work.
"The vampire had to be in the room with Ellie when she let the dog in at full dark," I said.
"My daughter would not have let in her murderer."
"If she was eighteen, Mr. Quinlan, it wouldn't be murder."
"Being made a vampire against your will is still murder, Miss Blake."
I was getting tired of everyone calling me "Miss," but the grieving father could do it a few more times. "I believe your daughter knew the vampire. I believe she let him in willingly."
"You are crazy. Beth, go get the sheriff. I want this woman out of my house."
Beth stood up uncertainly. "David's gone to get some things, Jeffrey. I... Deputy Coltrain's upstairs with the body, but..."
"Then get him down here."
Beth looked at me, then back to him. She gripped her small hands together, almost wringing them. "Jeffrey, she's a licensed vampire hunter. She's done this a lot. Listen to her."
He stood up. "My daughter was raped and murdered by some soulless, bloodsucking animal, and I want this woman out of my house, now." If he hadn't been crying at the same time, I'd have been pissed.
Beth looked at me. She was willing to stand up to him if I needed her to. Mucho points for her. "Has anyone you know vanished or died recently?" I asked.
Quinlan squinted at me. He looked confused. The change of subject again was just too abrupt. I was hoping I could distract him from throwing me out long enough to learn something.
"What?"
"Has anyone you know gone missing or died recently?"
He shook his head. "No."
"Andy's missing," Jeff said.
Quinlan shook his head again. "That boy is no concern of ours."
"Who's Andy?" I asked.
"Ellie's boyfriend."
"He is not her boyfriend," Quinlan said.
I caught Jeff's gaze. The look said it all. Andy had been a boyfriend, and dear old dad hadn't liked him one little bit.
"Why didn't you like Andy, Mr. Quinlan?"
"He was a criminal."
I raised my eyebrows. "In what way?"
"He was arrested for drug abuse."
"He smoked some pot," Jeff said.
I was beginning to wish I could just go off and talk with Jeff. He seemed to know what was going on and wasn't trying to hide it. Trick was how to manage it.
"He was a corrupting influence on my daughter, and I put a stop to it."
"And he's missing?" I asked.
"Yes," Jeff said.
"I will answer Miss Blake's questions, Jeff. I am the man of the house."
Jesus, man of the house. Hadn't heard that in a while. "I'd like to see the rest of the house in case the vampire entered somewhere other than her room. If Jeff could show me the doors, I'd appreciate it."
"I can show you around, Miss Blake," Quinlan said.
"I'm sure your wife needs you right now, Mr. Quinlan. Jeff can show me around, but only you can comfort your wife."
Mrs. Quinlan looked up at him, then at me, as if she wasn't sure she wanted to be comforted, but I knew the image would appeal to him.
He nodded. "Perhaps you're right." He touched his wife's shoulder. "Sally needs me right now."
Sally cooperated with fresh crying, using the poodle as a sort of impromptu handkerchief. The poodle squirmed and whined. Quinlan sat down and took his wife in his arms. The dog squirmed free and trotted over to Jeff.
I stood. Larry stood. I moved toward the door and looked back at the boy. Jeff stood and the poodle trotted at his side. I opened the doors and ushered us all outside. Raven the poodle eyed me suspiciously, but she came along.
I caught a last glimpse of Beth St. John gazing at the door as if she wanted to go with us, but she sat down beside the unwanted sandwiches and the cooling coffee. She sat like a good soldier. She would not abandon her post.
I closed the door, feeling cowardly. I was glad it wasn't my job to hold the Quinlans' hands. Facing the vampire even in the dark didn't seem so bad by comparison. Of course, I was still safe inside the house. Out there in the dark with the vampire, I might feel different.
Chapter 13
We stood out in the entryway. The air felt cooler out here, easier to breathe. Had to be my imagination. The poodle was sniffing at my foot. She gave a low growl and Jeff picked her up, tucking her under one arm, in a familiar gesture like he'd done it a hundred times before.
"You don't really want to see the doors, do you?" he asked.
"No," I said.
"Dad's all right. He's just..." He shrugged. "He's just right, and everyone else is wrong. He doesn't mean anything by it."
"I know. He's scared right now, too. That makes everyone bitchy."
Jeff grinned. I wasn't sure if it was the "scared" comment or the word "bitchy." Probably didn't hear many people saying either about his dad.
"How serious were Andy and your sister?"
He glanced at the closed doors and lowered his voice just a little. "Dad'll say not very, but they were serious. Real serious." He glanced at the door again.
"We can go somewhere else to talk," I said. "Your choice of rooms."
He looked at me. "You're really a vampire hunter?" If the circumstances had been different, he would have been enjoying himself. It's hard not to think it's cool to put stakes through people's chests.
"Yeah, and we raise zombies, too."
"Both of you?" He sounded surprised.
"I'm a full-fledged animator," Larry said.
Jeff shook his head. "We can talk in my room." He led the way up the stairs. We followed.
If I'd been a cop, questioning a juvenile without a guardian or lawyer present would have been illegal, but I wasn't a cop. And he wasn't a suspect. Just gathering information, folks. Just grilling a sixteen-year-old boy about his sister's sex life. Murder investigations are never pleasant, and some of that unpleasantness has nothing to do with the corpse.
Jeff hesitated at the head of the stairs, peering down the hallway. Deputy Coltrain was standing outside Ellie's room, back stiff, hands behind his back, alert for intruders. The door was open. Too hard to stand in the room with the body, I guess. He saw Jeff and closed the door, still standing in front of it. Nice of Coltrain to make sure Jeff didn't see the body. But standing outside the closed door was not the best idea. A vampire, if it was old enough, could have come in the room behind him and opened the door before he could have drawn his gun. The undead make no noise.
I debated on whether to tell him that. I let it go. If the vamp had meant to take out more people, it could have. He could have taken out the entire family. Instead, when the dog barked he panicked and ran. This was not an ancient bloodsucker. This was someone who was new at the job. I was betting on the boyfriend, Andy, but I'd keep an open mind. Andy might have just driven to California to find fame and fortune, but I doubted it.