Page 55 of How a Vampire Falls

He pressed his thumb against one eye. How did he keep doing this to himself? In preparation for Leslie’s weekend visit, he’d planned to sleep last night. But he had worked through the night instead. This case had higher stakes than his last one as well as more convoluted paper trails, but Leslie had cared about none of that when he’d confessed this morning. She had cared only about him.

And thanks to her, he could no longer convince himself he wasn’t tired.

“But I don’t need a break,” he said to his quiet condo. “I’m fine.”

He kept at it for another half hour. Notes. Math. Cross-references. Looking back over data he’d already checked, just to be one-hundred-percent sure—

“Wait a minute.”

The words burst from his mouth as he checked his math against the bookkeeping numbers in front of him. He did the math again.

“That’s it,” he whispered. Then he tilted back in his chair again and shouted at the ceiling. “That’s it!”

Notes. Cross-references. He checked everything a final time, and then he picked up his phone.

“Kim here.”

“Detective, it’s Ryker Maddox. I’ve got what you need.”

The detective’s intake of breath was a little sharp, unguarded. Everyone working this case was wearing thin. “Talk to me.”

Ryker filled him in on the numbers, where the money had been funneled and how. “And two of these documents have Angstrom’s name on them. He just lost his deniability.”

“Maddox, are you sure? Really sure?”

“Sure enough to go to court, sir.”

“You’ve made my month. Maybe my year.”

That might not be an overstatement. The organization they’d been tracking had been defrauding people out of supposed insurance payments for years, and the financial damages were high. Families with ill young kids were a primary target, promised bundled deals that only stole more.

“We did it,” Ryker said. He couldn’t hold back a grin.

“Well, as far as this part goes,youdid it, man. I knew you’d find it, if anybody could. Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

“I know it’s past six, but if you can send me that stuff tonight, I’d really appreciate it. Unless you’re at the end of your vampire reserves or whatever.”

“Does that sound like me?”

“No, but this puny human still can’t figure outwhenyou rest, so I didn’t want to assume you don’t need to.”

He almost laughed as his mind conjured an image of Leslie overhearing that and glaring at him. “I’ll get everything over to you in a few minutes.”

“Great. Thank you, Maddox.”

“You’re welcome, Detective.”

The call ended, and Ryker allowed his eyes to close for a moment. Then the conversation replayed in his weary brain, and he sprang out of his chair. After six? No. No. No.

He had to finish the job. He worked as quickly as he could without missing anything. Passcode-protect the documents, attach to his secure email, send to Detective Kim’s work email. Send separate email containing the passcode. There. Done for the night.

It was 6:26. On Leslie’s first visit, she’d have to wait at the airport. He speed-typed a text.

On my way. So sorry. Was working and lost track of time. ETA 7:45.

Her plane hadn’t landed yet, so she’d see his text later. Ryker darted out of the house to his car and did his best not to break any speed limits for the next hour and twenty minutes. He was entering the pickup loop when his phone vibrated in the console cup holder. As soon as he pulled into the arrivals lane, he snatched it up and tapped the new text message.

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