Page 3 of The Vampire and the Case of the Cozy Christmas

She gave me a flat look and a desert heat swept into the room. I shifted in my seat.

She continued speaking as if I hadn’t. ‘I figured the perfect gift for this season’s festivities would be to let him know that I’m truly penitent. And it’s Christmas Eve, so it’s now or never. I need your help. I need you to convince him to speak to me.’ She looked at me hopefully.

I stared at her. ‘You almost killed his wife. She’s his world, something you never seemed to understand. So, this…’ I waved a hand ‘…is a waste of both of our time.’ She shrank down in her chair and I wished I’d sugar-coated my words. ‘Sorry,’ I mumbled. I stood up and reached for my coat.

Her voice behind me was wobbly and sincere. ‘Please help me, Bunny. I’ve got no one.’ Her voice caught.

I froze; Liv was never vulnerable yet here she was baring her soul. And I knew what it was like to have no one. Oh, I’d had ‘friends’, but when I’d been made into a vampire they’d melted away like snow on a hot morning. She had no one. My heart twanged and my conscience pricked.

I moved my hand away from my coat and sat back down. As I studied her I told her honestly, ‘I don’t know what I can do. I’m a Nomo officer, not a miracle worker.’

Liv’s eyes sparked with unshed tears. ‘Please… Tell me how I fix this. He was my only friend.’

I didn’t tell her that he’d never seen her that way; there was no need to rub salt into an already gaping wound. I scratched around for something to suggest. ‘A sincere apology wouldn’t hurt.’

‘I tried that.’ She looked away. ‘He shut the door in my face before I even got a word out.’

My phone buzzed in my pocket. ‘I guess you need to speak to him when he’s a captive audience, then.’ I had a message coming through the office software: 11-82, the code for a fender bender with no injuries. The message also told me the address of the accident.

I stood and put my coat on for real this time. ‘Look, Liv, I’ve got to go out on a real call.’ Her shoulders slumped. I knew I would regret my next words. ‘Tell you what, why don’t you come up to Connor’s house in half an hour or so, then you’ll have Sigrid and Gunnar’s undivided attention?’

For a second she looked uncharacteristically nervous but then she threw back her shoulders and nodded graciously before standing up and sweeping out of the office like she owned it. Thank goodness; I couldn’t handle too much of a soft Liv.

I wondered if she’d come to Connor’s. It would take a set of big brass balls for her to show up to the Christmas party – but I was pretty sure Liv was packing a pair.

Chapter 3

Since the accident was listed as a minor fender bender, I didn’t really need to attend the scene but it was on my way back to Connor’s so I figured I might as well. Besides, it had given me a good excuse to end the awkward conversation with Liv. Seeing her vulnerable had somehow made me feel icky. I thought of her as one of the true unstoppable forces in the world, and being confronted with the fact that she had a heart was uncomfortable.

Liv had found and wielded four gemstones that used to belong to the archangels. She’d resisted their pull for centuries, maybe even millennia, but she had become vulnerable to them after a powerful air witch had unleashed their power. In my eyes, Liv was strength personified and not someone to trifle with. I treated her like a mountain: a solid, immovable force. Knowing she actually had some warmth in her cold black heart unsettled me.

I shook my head to clear it. I could see the accident up ahead; it looked like more than a minor ding, so whoever had reported it had definitely underplayed it. I groaned. At this rate, I’d never get back to my perfect Christmas.

I sighed then pulled myself together. I’dchosento be a detective and sometimes that meant missing time with loved ones. I consoled myself with the fact that I was out in the world, doing good; that was more important than snaffling an extra gingerbread, even if it didn’t feel like it right now.

I parked safely off the road, got out and lifted the first-aid kit from the back of the SUV. It was icy as heck, and I slipped and slid my way to the scene. A large red truck had smashed into the back of a blue sedan and was currently resting on the boot of the smaller vehicle. Both drivers were still inside, which not a good sign. I called for an ambulance as I scrambled forwards.

I nearly landed on my ass a couple of times. The problem with snow in the temperate rainforest is that the second it’s followed by a tiny drop of rain it becomes an ice fest. I should have grabbed the cleats that Sidnee had insisted I buy; now I knew why she’d been so pushy. Live and learn – ornot dieand learn.

I gave in and pretty much skated to the vehicles; I was a decent enough ice-skater, I just didn’t have blades. I looked in the sedan first. The female driver was in her seat, belt still on, obviously dazed. Thankfully there was no one in the back seat. ‘Hey. I’m from the Nomo’s office. Are you alright, ma’am?’ I asked.

She looked up at me slowly and blinked. ‘Yeah. I just need a moment.’ I looked her over but couldn’t see any visible wounds except for a red mark on her forehead. She was definitely in shock, maybe concussed. ‘What’s your name?’

‘Anna Lee.’

‘Okay, Anna. Did you call in the accident?’

‘Yeah.’ She winced. ‘Charlie isn’t going to be thrilled about this.’

‘Your husband?’

She nodded and sighed. ‘He only got the car back from the mechanic a week ago.’

‘I’m sure he’ll be happy that you’re fine – this could have been a lot worse.’ Like, alotworse. I was glad there wasn’t any need for a body bag. ‘Okay, Anna, I’m going to check on the occupants of the other vehicle. You sit tight – the ambulance is on its way.’ To support my point, sirens filled the air.

I slid back to the truck. The driver was still in his cab, also alone, and I rapped on the window. Frank Wakefield, the town drunk, looked up at me. I narrowed my eyes. Had he been drinking? He was on the banned booze list and if hehadbeen drinking I was going to grab Lenny and Larry Grimes and knock their heads together for selling him ’shine.

As Frank rolled down his window I sniffed the air for the tell-tale scent of alcohol on his breath. Nothing. ‘Hi, Frank. Are you okay?’ I asked, checking him over for injuries. A huge gash was dripping blood down his face.

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