Page 79 of The Vampire and the Case of the Baleful Banshee

Alaska had earthquakes but not this many, and they were definitely getting worse. This was the strongest yet; things were falling off of shelves and out of cabinets. The crashes from the kitchen told me that my mugs were suicidal, smashing themselves against the hard floor. It felt a bit like Beauty and the Beast: the furniture was coming to life and all but walking across my floor.

From under the bed, I watched the wooden dresser bounce ever closer to us and stared at Connor, wide-eyed. ‘This can’t be normal.’

He shook his head. ‘No,’ he agreed. ‘This isn’t normal.’

Three earthquakes within two weeks, all progressively larger and without the promised aftershocks? No, this wasn’t normal. And if it was abnormal, I was betting it had a supernatural cause: the earth gem. That bastard Vogler was involved in this somehow. Either the real gem had been stolen or he was taking the gem out of its protective box for kicks – tectonic kicks.

The judders finally stopped. ‘I’m calling Gunnar. We’re going to go see Vitus Vogler.’ I thought for a moment. ‘I suppose I’d better call Liv, too.’

‘I’ll go with you.’

‘Thanks. I think I’ll need two council members. I swear Vogler’s lying to us and I might need an onsite warrant.’

‘I’ll swing by the council chambers and get the paperwork ready.’

We started to get dressed. Connor dug out my bulletproof vest and held it out to me pointedly. I didn’t argue and put it on under my shirt. He, meanwhile, was wearing yesterday’s clothes; even though they were clean, it still felt like a walk of shame. Everyone would know he’d stayed at mine. Maybe I could persuade him to leave some clothes here in future, just in case.

I bit my lip and started to panic at the thought that I might actually be committing to something – someone – but then I pushed the fear aside and put it in a small box to look at later. Or maybe never.

Connor went to sort out the warrants whilst I sent messages to Gunnar and Liv. I was getting ready to leave – and that’s when the tsunami sirens started to blare out.

Chapter 50

A tsunami. Wonderful. That was all I needed now. ‘For fuck’s sake,’ I groused.

I tried to get Shadow into his carrier but when I reached under the bed he swiped at me, claws extended. ‘Ow! Fine, be like that. But you better go all smoky if a tsunami comes your way,’ I muttered.

I set out food for him, then grabbed Fluffy and his lead and set off – not to the school this time but to the office. I had a feeling that the alarm would be shut off soon; I was certain that the shake was localised and unnatural, like the other two, in which case no tsunami for us. Although it would be my luck if this time it was a ‘boy who cried wolf’ scenario and a tsunami really did crash into Portlock.

Gunnar was already at the office and the tsunami alarm had been shut off. ‘Hey,’ I greeted him. ‘That was a wobbly wake-up call.’

‘I prefer a cup of joe,’ he agreed.

‘Let’s go and see what Vogler has to say for himself,’ I suggested. ‘This isn’t normal. Either he’s been waving that thing around or it’s been stolen and the thief has.’

Gunnar nodded. ‘I had the same thought. Come on.’

We climbed in the SUV and drove off. Liv and Connor were meeting us at Vogler’s residence. If Vogler had kept the theft of the earth gem from us, I was afraid of what Liv would do to him. She’d possibly kill him and raise his corpse to be her eternal slave; she seemed powerful – and vindictive – enough.

When we parked up, she was pacing and scowling at the same time. ‘Bunny, you better get the truth from Vogler fast. There won’t be enough of him left if I get a hold of him,’ she promised grimly.

‘There’s an outside chance none of this is his fault,’ I said mildly. I didn’t believe that, but it felt like someone should point it out.

Gunnar grunted agreement. ‘It’s possible but it’s not likely.’ He knocked on the door.

Vitus Vogler had the decency to go pale when he saw us standing there. He swallowed hard and let us in, his head bowed.

‘Do you want to explain why we’ve had three earthquakes with increasing intensity so close together?’ I asked.

He opened his mouth. I could see he was about to lie but he closed it again and his shoulders rounded.

I felt Liv’s scorching anger as the hot desert wind of her magic blew in with shocking ferocity. The temperature in the room rose rapidly. I put up a hand. ‘Hold on, Liv. He’s going to tell us the truth.’ I stared at Vogler. ‘Aren’t you?’ It was barely a question. He had two council members and the Nomo’s office in his home: lying would be a very poor decision. Then again, his track record wasn’t exactly great.

He ushered us into his living space and we sat down. We maintained our silence, though Liv was vibrating with impatience. Finally Vogler took a deep breath and stared at a point somewhere beyond Liv’s shoulder. I couldn’t blame him for not meeting her eyes – they were currently very fiery indeed. He licked his lips. ‘It talks to me.’

‘What talks to you, Vitus?’ I asked, keeping my tone brisk but friendly. I was good cop – for now.

‘The earth gem,’ he murmured reverently.

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