Page 46 of Top Secret Vampire

“The days of vampires doing things like that have long since fled,” he said. “Your neck is safe from me.”

“Yeah, okay.” Her frown didn’t fade until she looked my way. “Good seeing you again, Reese. I’m at . . .” She gave me her email, which was her name with a period between the first andlast, plus a yahoo dot com. “I imagine you still use the same one, so I’ll reach out.”

“I do. Are you married?” I asked, since she was still using her maiden name for her email. Although, many chose not to change their names any longer.

“I hope I’ll find the right guy one day. I just haven’t yet,” she said with an easy smile. “But my Prince Charming is out there somewhere, and I’m sure he’ll soon stroll into my life, a glass slipper in his hand.”

Cute, since she’d once played Cinderella.

With a wave, she strode down the walkway and got into her car, backing out onto the road and driving toward town.

“I’ll ask around town about Charmaine’s brother—and her,” Wolf said as I shut the door and went to retrieve my laptop case.

“Because she stepped into my life again?” I asked.

“She said she’s been in town for a while, and you’ve been home for months. Why come see you now and not earlier?”

“Maybe she wasn’t sure I’d want to see her. It was bad back then. She was incredibly angry, and I was hurt that she kept pushing him on me when I told her I wasn’t interested.” I stared forward, lost in thought. “She seems to have gotten over her irritation now, but it’s been years. I doubt he even remembers my name.”

“We’ll see,” was all Wolf said.

I grabbed my laptop and drove into town, parking my SUV in the lot across from Monsters, PI. Inside, we waved to the yeti covering the desk, who must be Blake, back from vacation, and strode down the hall to Thain’s office.

“Hey,” the tall, muscular ogre with golden skin and warm brown eyes said, standing when Wolf poked his head through the partly opened doorway. His attention traveled to me, and he nodded politely. “What can I do for you two?”

We stepped inside and sat, me grinning at the black and white pug mix asleep on a dog bed to one side of the desk. The pet looked up, its tail flopping on the cushion.

Wolfram introduced us before he lifted the garbage bag and placed it on Thain’s desk. “I’d love to get your opinion on this.”

“It’s not a body, is it?” he said with a laugh that quickly faded. Wolf explained about the doll, and Thain grew serious. “I’d be glad to take a look.”

He unknotted the bag and slid the plastic wide enough to expose the doll’s gruesome face. I mean, she wasn’t truly gruesome. I was sure a child had loved her at one time and kissed that face to show her adoration. But still. We were talking creepy china doll here.

“I assume you’d like me to see if she can tell me anything.” Thain’s gaze remained on the doll.

Wolf grunted. “If you can.”

Thain pressed his palms together and closed his eyes. I didn’t understand whatever he whispered. Was he speaking in ogre-ish or a language older than his species?

His eyes opened, but he appeared to be staring at nothing.

Reaching forward, he placed his fingertips on the doll’s cheeks.

His guttural groan echoed in the room, echoed by the howl of his pet.

Chapter 22

Wolfram

Istiffened.

The dog stopped howling only to slink off its bed and slide beneath Thain’s desk.

Thain lifted his hands off the doll and shoved his chair back. “That was an interesting experience.” His gaze met mine before gliding to Reese. “This doll was purchased for a little girl long ago. I don’t sense that the child ever received the doll. I didn’t catch the child’s name, but her mother was called . . .” His frown deepened. “Josephine? Joelle?” He shook his head. “Not those, but—”

“Jolene?” Reese asked, glancing at me. “A woman named Jolene used to live in my house, though it was eighty or so years ago. She died there, though we don’t know if it was from natural causes or . . .”

“You suspect murder?” Thain asked, his calm voice lifting. “Is all this related to a ghost issue?”

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