Page 27 of Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters
“Um, okay? What’s this about?”
“We need to trap the snapping turtle.”
“Right. We talked about that. And?”
Vikash leaned a shoulder against the wall. “It’ll help me think this through.”
“All right.” Kyle sat nearby, turned to face his partner. He still felt ungodly tired. “You know about Gatling and Virago. And Loveless, more or less.”
“I know Carrington’s a vampire and he faints in full sun. No vampire superpowers?”
Kyle snickered. “Poor Carr. Good thing he’s not here for that assessment. He does better in the dark. Great night vision. Scary fast. Stronger than human. No turning into bats or mist, though.”
“All right. Wolf? Is he a werewolf? Does he even have a first name?”
“Um, no. To both.” Kyle hesitated. He’d never figured out if Wolf was delusional or the stuff of fantasy novels. “He claims that heisa wolf. That some curse or spell turned him into a human. Trapped him in a stupid human body, he says. I’m not sure it’s true. But he’s stronger than even Carr is at night. Super good hearing and sense of smell, sosomething’sgoing on with him.”
“Krisk?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. No one talks about Krisk. He just…is.”
Vikash blinked, his only show of surprise, before he went on with his interrogation. “Greg Santos?”
“Please don’t laugh.”
Now Vikash’s eyebrow shot up. “I’ll try not to.”
“Greg hears the unhappiness of waterfowl.”
“Don’t even know what to say to that.”
“Most people don’t.” Kyle held up his hands. “Don’t get me wrong. He’s a good cop.”
“Amanda? I know she has visions. But of what?”
“Ha. Well, Amanda calls herself a site-specific post-cog.”
Vikash shook his head slowly. “I obviously haven’t had enough coffee yet.”
“It’s like being a precognitive, but she only sees visions of things that have already happened relative to the spot she’s standing in. On. Around. You know what I mean.”
“That must be…confusing.”
“She says she’s used to it. Like having a heads-up display on a dashboard.”
The questions stopped, Vikash’s eyes glazing over, and Kyle knew enough to leave him alone while he processed. Finally, he twitched and came back. “One more. Virago’s problem. Can heexpandflame in humidity even if he can’t call it?”
“Don’t know. Not asking him. He really can’t stand me, Kash.”
“Any idea why?”
“Maybe he’s a bitter closet case? Maybe because I’ve gotten him chewed out a couple times? He hates redheads? He’s jealous ’cause I’m better looking? Hell if I know.”
Vikash’s smile warmed Kyle from the heart out, the subtle heat in it just for him, a secret intimacy where they couldn’t acknowledge more. “I’ll ask Jeff.”
An unusual sight greeted them as they left the meeting room. The badass leather jacket, flanked by Virago and Gatling, was floating down the hall toward the front door. In the set of its shoulders and the swinging of its arms, it managed to look smug.
“Cutting him loose?” Kyle asked in surprise.
