The Dead Girls' Dance (The Morganville Vampires 2)

Easy, Detective Hess said, and stepped in beside her to take her by the elbow. He managed to make it feel like escorting, instead of arresting. Theres still time. The law says that the convicts have to be displayed on the square for two nights so that everyone can see them. Theyll be in cages, so theyll be safe enough. Its not the Ritz, but it keeps Brandons friends from ripping them apart without due process.

How Claires throat closed up on her. She cleared it and tried again. How are they going to?

Hess patted her hand. He looked tired and worried and grim. You wont be here when it happens, he said. So dont think about it. If you want to talk to him, you can. Theyre putting them in cages now, at the center of the park.

Oliver said take them back, Gretchen said from behind them. Hess shrugged.

Well, he didnt say when, did he?

The Founders Park was a large circle, with walkways like spokes in a wheel, all leading to the center.

And at the center were two cages. Cells just big enough for a man to stand up, not wide enough to stretch out. Shane would have to sleep sitting up, if he slept, or curled in a fetal position.

He was sitting, knees up, head resting on his arms, when Eve and Claire arrived. The biker was yelling and rattling his bars. Not Shane. He wasquiet.

Shane! Claire almost flew across the open space, grabbed the cold iron bars in both hands, and pressed her face between them. Shane!

He looked up. His eyes were red, but he wasnt crying. At least, not now. He managed to move around in the small, cramped cage until he was sitting closer to her, and reached through the bars to lay his hand against her cheek, stroking it with his thumb. It was the cheek that Oliver had slapped, she realized. She wondered if it was still red.

Im sorry, Shane said. My dadI had to go. I couldnt let him do this. I had to try to stop it, Claire, I had to

She was crying again, silently. With his thumb, he wiped away the tear that fell. She could feel his hand shaking. You didnt do anything, did you? To Brandon?

I didnt like the son of a bitch, but I didnt hurt him, and I didnt kill him. That was already done when I got there. Shane laughed, but it sounded forced. Just my luck, huh? Charging off to be the hero, I get to be the villain instead.

Your dad

He nodded. Dadll get us out. Dont worry, Claire. Itll be okay.

But the way he said it, she knew he didnt believe it, either. She bit her lip to hold back a fresh wave of sobbing, and turned her head to kiss his palm.

Hey, he said softly. He moved closer to the bars, pressing his face between them. I always said you were jailbait, but this is ridiculous.

She tried to laugh. She really did.

His smile looked broken. Im going to consider this protective custody. At least this way, I cant do anything thatd get me in real trouble, right?

She leaned forward to kiss him. His lips felt just the same, soft and warm and damp, and she didnt want to move away. Not ever.

He sat back first, leaving her stranded there tingling and once again on the verge of tears. Dammit! Shane could not be blamed for this. It wasnt fair!

Ill talk to Michael, she said.

Yeah. Shane nodded. Tell himwell, hell. Tell him Im sorry, okay? And he can have the PlayStation.

Stop it! Stop ityoure not going to die, Shane!

He looked at her, and she saw the bright spark of fear in his eyes. Yeah, he said softly. Right.

Claire clenched her fists until they ached, and looked at Eve, whod been standing quietly in the background. As Eve came toward the cage, Claire turned away and went to Detective Hess. How? she asked again. How are they going to kill him?

He looked deeply uncomfortable, but he looked down and said, Fire. Its always fire.

That nearly made her cry again. Nearly. Shane already knew, she thought, and so did Eve. Theyd known all along. You have to help him, she said. You have to! He didnt do anything!

I cant, he said. Im sorry.

But

Claire. He put both hands on her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. She realized she was trembling, and then the tears came, a huge flood of them, and she held to the lapels on his coat and cried like her heart was breaking. Hess stroked her hair. You bring me proof that he had nothing to do with Brandons death, and I swear to you, Ill do everything I can. But until then, my hands are tied.

The idea of Shane burning in that cage was the most horrible thing she had ever imagined. Get hold of yourself, she thought furiously. Youre all he has! So she pulled in deep, shaking breaths and stepped back from Hesss embrace, scrubbing the tears from her face with the sleeve of her T-shirt. Hess offered her a tissue. She took it and blew her nose, feeling stupid, and felt Eves hand on her shoulder before she even knew Eve was there behind her.

Lets go, Eve said. Weve got things to do.

Chapter Seventeen

It had been Michael in the doorway when theyd driven by on their way to Founders Square, and it was Michael in the doorway when the car pulled to a halt at 716 Lot Street. Gretchen opened the back door to allow Eve and Claire to scramble out. Claire looked back; Hess was still in the backseat, watching them go. He wasnt making a move to get out with them. Detective? she asked. Eve was already halfway up the walk, moving fast. Claire knew that the first rule of Morganville was Never hang around out in the dark, but she did it anyway.

Im going back to the station, he said. Hans and Gretchen will drop me off. Its okay.

She didnt like the idea of leaving anybody alone with Hans and Gretchen, but he was the adult, and he had to know what he was doing, right? She nodded, backed up, and then turned and ran the rest of the way up the steps and into the house.

Michael had pulled Eve inside, but not far in; she nearly ran into the two of them when she charged over the threshold. She slammed the door and locked itShane or Michael had replaced the locks again, and added moreand spun around to see that Michael had Eve in a bear hug, pressing her against him so tight that she nearly disappeared. He looked at Claire in total misery over Eves shoulder. What the hell is going on? Wheres Shane?

Oh God, he didnt know. Why didnt he know? What happened? she blurted. Why did you let him leave?

Shane? I didnt let him do anything. Any more than I let you go running off unprotected in the middle of the dayhis dad called. He justleft. It was still daylight. There wasnt anything I could do. Michael pushed Eve back a little and looked at her. What happened?

Brandons dead, Eve said. She didnt try to soften it, and her voice was as hard as an iron bar. Theyve got Shane in a cage on Founders Square for his murder.

Michael sagged back against the wall as if shed punched him in the stomach. Oh, he whispered. Oh my God.

Theyre going to kill him, Claire said. Theyre going to burn him alive.

Michael closed his eyes. I know. I remember. Oh, crap, hed seen it done before. So had Eve. She remembered them saying so before, though theyd spared her the details. Michael just breathed for a few seconds, and then said, We have to get him out.