Page 16 of Midlife Vampire Unexpected

“Got it,” I said as she stepped forward and unlocked the door.

We stepped into the room and opened the curtains, switching on the light so we could see what was going on.

“Holy fuck,” Heather said.

The entire inside of the room was almost totally singed. Every surface: the bedspread, the sheets, the pillows. The room had a faint tinge of smoke, as if something had been smoldering in the fireplace all day. Only there was no fireplace.

“He’s done a lot of damage,” Heather said. “I have to report this.”

“Consider it reported,” I said.

“Aren’t you going to take notes or anything?” she asked.

“I don’t think so,” I replied as I watched Antonio move around the room stealthily. He walked into every corner of the small dingy space, sniffing it out and looking around. I could tell he was doing crime scene investigation, only with his nose. “Give us a moment in the room.” I motioned for Heather to go out.

She took one look at me for a moment and then glanced back around the room. “My boss is going to be so pissed when he finds out,” she said.

“Why don’t you go call him,” I said.

“Oh hell no. I think you need to let him know,” she said. “This type of news is much better coming from the police than coming from me. He’ll think it’s my fault.”

I tried to look at her. “Is it?” I asked. She blushed a bright red and I realized there was something going on she hadn’t told me about.

“No, ma’am, I didn’t do this,” she said.

“But you know who did.”

“I checked him into the room,” she said.

Antonio walked up behind her and began sniffing over her head and shoulders in a way that was invasive and clearly unnecessary.

“You had sex with him,” he said.

“What’s it to you?” she asked Antonio. “I don’t know him, and I didn’t see him again after. He’s been in and out of his room, just like every other fucker who comes and stays here. Another good-looking city guy who got his kicks it in Cougar Creek for the weekend and visits the hot springs.”

I took out pen and paper. “Can you give me a description?” I asked.

“He’s compact,” she said. “But loaded in all the right areas, bastard.”

“What’s his name?” I asked.

“Something weird. Rar’goth. There was a lot of stuff about him that was cool. Except his body temperature. I don’t know what he was doing in here, but his body temperature was so hot I could feel it, you know, inside me.” She looked at me as if I would understand, but my eyes were wide with shock.

“OK I think that might not be relevant to the conversation,” I said.

“Yeah, but I had to tell someone,” she said. “When you look around this room, it’s crazy¬, what do you expect.”

“Why would he come and stay at a hotel?” I asked Antonio.

“He’s recently corporeal, so he’s investigating what it means to be corporeal. You know, have sex, stay in a bed, things like that.”

“But he doesn’t seem to have it under control.”

“He was freed by witches’ magic,” Antonio said. “Demons are responsible to a portal in answer to Thrain. They’re not allowed to leave their portal and they’re not allowed to come and live on earth. Somehow, he’s used the witches’ magic to break free of his fealty to Thrain.”

“Okay fine. I’m just going to go with this.” I walked around the room. “So, you’re a demon who’s in a physical body and you’re interested in experiencing everything available to you. You assume he’s eaten, assume he drank. So, he came here, he had sex with our friend Heather, and then what would he do?”

Antonio and I looked at each other at the same time, connecting on the same thought.

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