Midnight Lover. Rosemary Laurey

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СКАЧАТЬ not? “Go ahead. I’ll have a look at what bothered you so.” Might give him a clue to the perpetrators. Harassing a defenseless woman—perhaps not totally defenseless, but she was alone—was unacceptable in his book. “Out the back, you said?”

      She nodded. “On the path below the back porch steps, look…” She met his eyes. “It’s nasty, but I suppose blood doesn’t bother you quite as much as it does me.”

      Not usually, but this did. The bloody, mangled remains of a large dog lay on the cracked concrete. It had been dead when dumped. There had been no bleeding, at least not here, but…Toby crouched down to look closer. It had been a shaggy, long-limbed sheep dog sort of cross. The throat being ripped out must have killed it. He guessed the leg had been torn off afterward, and at some point, something had ripped open the animal’s gut and now flies buzzed over the spilled entrails.

      No wonder it turned Adela’s stomach. He tamped down the anger at the unknown person who’d dumped this here. And who—or rather what—in the name of Abel had so mangled the creature’s carcass?

      He noticed the stench right away. Not the sick, sweet smell of a freshly killed corpse, but the rank, foul stench of…He had no idea, but it was a definite clue to something. From the corner of his eye he noticed the note tucked under a rock. The message was clear and to the point. “First it kills my hens, then my dog. You called this creature up, witch. You have it coming. We’ve all had enough.” Underneath was the aforementioned Bible verse.

      The devil wasn’t the only one who could quote scripture for his own purposes. Leaving the dog on the path—he’d bury it later—Toby went back into the house, note in hand. Adela looked up from opening a tin of tea bags. “You saw it?”

      He nodded. “And I found this.” He handed her the note.

      She glanced at it and shook her head. “They blame me for it coming. Hell, I didn’t bring it. I’ve never even seen it.”

      “Seen what?” Shock made mortals more obtuse than usual.

      She snapped the lid back on the tin and dropped a tea bag into a mug before looking straight at him. “You believe mythical creatures can be real?”

      “Since I’m one of those mythical creatures, yes.”

      She let out a dry chuckle. “Should have anticipated that, shouldn’t I?” She shook her head, moved the mug to the side of the stove and pulled out a bentwood chair. “Have a seat. This will take a minute and might just test your ability to suspend disbelief.”

      That he doubted. He might be young by vampire standards, but he could give her a century and a good bit more. He took the chair. “Go on.”

      “Have you ever heard of a chupacabra?”

      So far she was winning. He shook his head. “What is it?”

      She got up as the kettle boiled, and filled the mug. “What I believed to be a mythical creature or the product of a deranged imagination but”—she sat back down, clasping the mug in both hands—“it’s a vicious creature. I’ve done a fair bit of research since the trouble first started. Seems they come from Central America and Mexico. One was supposedly seen in Kalamath Falls a year or so back. They hide out in caves and holes, savage animals, and generally cause mayhem in quiet rural parts.”

      Was that the rank smell he’d noticed? Perhaps. “And you’ve seen one here? One killed that dog?”

      She sipped the tea and put the mug down. Had to be too hot for a mortal palate. “I haven’t seen it to know if it exists, but people ’round here claim to have. And yes, they believe it responsible for the recent killings of animals.” She paused, looking at the steaming liquid—mint, by the smell wafting up. “They also”—she looked up, a frown between her eyes—“are convinced it’s my familiar.”

      “What?”

      She nodded. “My familiar. No black cats or toads in these parts. I supposedly have a creature I’d never heard of until I came here. They think I brought it with me, or summoned it, and that I send it out to savage livestock!”

      If animals were being found in the same condition as that poor hound, he understood the locals’ anxiety, but…“Why blame you?”

      She shrugged. “Why not? I’m a newcomer and I made the grave mistake of being open about my calling.” She picked up the mug and sipped. “I promised Gertrude I’d take care of her house. So far, I’ve had flower pots smashed, windows broken, shrubs vandalized and now her car is ruined. It’s just too…” She jumped as the front door bell rang. “Who the hell is that?”

      One way to find out. “I’ll see. You stay here. If they try any funny tricks with me…”

      She gave a wry smile. “Thanks.”

      It was a sheriff’s deputy, all official and self-important with his star and gun belt and sweat circles under his arms. Toby rather enjoyed the man’s shock at seeing a tall black man instead of a slender white woman.

      “What are you doing here? I came to see Mrs. Whyte.”

      “I’m visiting Mrs. Whyte. She asked me to come after the unsettling incident today.”

      “Yes, well.” He glanced across at the damaged vehicle. “It’s about that that I came.”

      At least the local law were on top of things. “Come in. She’s in the kitchen.” Toby stood aside as the man ambled over the threshold, hands on his belt. A big mistake, to judge by the look on Adela’s face as he walked into the kitchen. She stood, lips tight and eyes hard.

      “Officer Johnson,” she said, obviously not relieved the law had arrived.

      “You had more trouble up here, Mrs. Whyte, I notice. How come you didn’t call me?”

      Her chin lifted. “I decided not to bother you.”

      “Major damage, by the look of things. Should have been reported.”

      “Oh, I don’t know about that.” Her voice took on a deceptively casual note, vastly different from a few minutes earlier.

      “How come, Mrs. Whyte?” He stood, legs apart, one hand on the butt of his gun.

      “Well, Officer, as your colleague said after the broken windows and the shed catching fire, out here it’s impossible to keep track of things. I decided you were right and left the insurance to handle it.”

      Toby’s senses went on alert. The local law had brushed off earlier troubles, had it? What now?

      “Well, I heard about it. Saul Grady told me about his bird dog being savaged. Valuable dog, it was too.”

      “Did he tell you where he dumped it, Officer?” Toby asked.

      The interruption was patently unwelcome. “That’s not what I’m here about. A valuable dog was killed and I was asked to investigate. We all know that Mrs. Whyte brought that creature with her and we’ve had enough of it.” He shifted his hips and drew his shoulders back. “I need you to come downtown with me and answer a few questions, Mrs. Whyte.”

      Enough was enough! One glance at Adela’s СКАЧАТЬ