Page 4 of The Vampire and the Case of the Baleful Banshee

I moved lightning fast and had him on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back before he could blink. Vampire speed had its advantages – that and Gunnar’s hours of training. Getting someone down safely was a big deal, but after practising felling my boss, Ezra was a breeze.

His little cohort was gaping at me. ‘Fanged Flopsy,’ one of them whispered loudly. I glared at the ridiculous nickname then took advantage of their dismay. ‘Leave!’ I barked. They turned tail and scarpered, leaving me with Ezra. Lucky guy.

I hauled him to his feet. The smirk was gone and he glared at me. ‘You can’t do this! I have rights.’

‘You have the right to protest peacefully,’ I agreed. ‘But you were inciting violence and there’s a difference.’ I tugged him towards the Nomo vehicle. He clearly intended to drag his heels but Fluffy growled sharply and he rapidly changed his mind.

I was shoving him in the SUV as Stan appeared with two other men in tow. ‘Show off,’ I muttered.

Stan smirked and sent me a blinding smile. Stupid sharp supernatural hearing.

With the three ringleaders taken care of, the protest died a rapid death. Sidnee rocked up looking glum. ‘Looks like things are cooling down. Colour me disappointed.’

‘Sorry to have hauled you out for nothing,’ I apologised. ‘I was worried taking these three down would stoke the fires.’

‘No biggy. It could have gone the other way. For what it’s worth, I’m glad it went this way.’

‘You can’t do this! This is still America,’ a greasy-looking man objected. His white T-shirt was decorated a handwritten word, BARRIER, surrounded by a red circle with a slash through it. It was covered with the remnants of his last meal.

‘Shut up, Grayson,’ Stan rebuked him.

‘You are entitled to peaceful protests, not brawling in the streets,’ I told him.

I secured the three men in the back then closed the door so I could talk to Stan and Sidnee without being overheard. ‘What do we do with them?’ I asked. ‘We could arrest them, but I think that will add more fuel to the protestors’ fire.’

Stan shrugged. ‘Removing them de-escalated the situation. It was the right call,’ he said approvingly. ‘I’d say giving them a verbal warning and letting them go is also the right call. Tension is ramping up, and a lot of it is over the expense of the barrier. This is something the council will need to address sooner rather than later. I’ll raise it – but everyone has their own agenda.’

Wasn’t that God’s own truth? In a town full of every type of supernatural, was it any wonder that tempers were reaching boiling point? I hoped we could cool things down before the inevitable explosion came.

Chapter 3

Having let the three ringleaders go with a warning, I returned to the office. I was amused to see Shadow curled up in Gunnar’s lap, his happy purr filling the office.

Yet again Sidnee cancelled our lunch date. I could hardly blame her after I’d hauled her out after hours but I couldn’t deny the sting of disappointment; I’d been really looking forward to seeing my bestie. Although I knew she was dealing with a lot of crap, I missed my friend. Even though I’d only had a friend for such a short while, I’d grown accustomed to having someone to laugh and joke with. Things were a little flat without Sidnee in my life.

I showed Gunnar the photographs and he gave me a list of names for the protestors that he recognised. We made an unofficial file and I attached the photographs, ready to start to build a case if one was needed.

The phone rang yet again. I answered, feeling a hot lick of foreboding in my tummy. The caller didn’t identify himself but went straight into it. That was always a bad sign. ‘Someone needs to come to…’ The man rattled off an address, his tone urgent and slightly panicked.

‘What’s the issue?’ I asked, pen poised.

‘We’ve had a break-in. Tell Gunnar that the fire gemstone has been stolen! Hurry!’ He hung up. What was it with these people and hanging up after only giving the most minor details? I grumpily scrawled down the address, not because I couldn’t remember it but for the official records. Contemporaneous notes were important in legal cases.

I knocked on Gunnar’s door before entering. ‘Someone called and said the fire gemstone has been stolen,’ I announced.

All the colour drained from Gunnar’s usually ruddy face. ‘Fuck,’ he said. I blinked; it was rare for him to swear.

‘What does it mean?’ I asked. ‘Why is the gemstone a big deal?’

‘For one, it’s cursed. For two, it powers the barrier.’

‘Fuck.’

‘Indeed. We can talk in the truck.’ He stood up. ‘Get Fluffy’s vest, I’ll put Shadow in his carrier while we’re out.’ He gently cradled the sleeping kitten.

I did as I was told. The theft was definitely a big deal if Gunnar was risking Sig’s wrath by going out. I secured Fluffy’s K-9 vest, Gunnar put some food and water in Shadow’s crate and we headed out back. ‘Won’t you be in trouble with Sig?’ I asked nosily.

‘She’ll understand,’ he grunted.

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