THIS IS THE BIG NEWS? I BARELY CONTAIN THE snicker.

"Someone has been killing vampires since the dawn of recorded history. Tell me something I don't know."

My sarcasm is not well received. Williams has the look of a spoiled kid ready to take his ball and go home. At the same time, I pick up on the vibe that he's not being over-dramatic in his concern.

"Okay, okay. Tell me. What is this about?"

Williams' thoughts darken. Vampire corpses are showing up drained of blood. There have been six in the last week alone.

It's not easy to kill a vampire.

The Revengers? I ask. They're a group of human vampire slayers.

He shakes his head. No. The Revengers don't leave corpses. They don't want to attract attention to themselves any more than we do. This is something else-something different. These corpses are left in plain sight, for the human community to find.

By the human community, I know Williams is referring to the police. I also know Williams was recently forced to resign as chief of police-a position he held for many years until a case I was involved in turned public opinion against him.

It wasn't my fault and it wasn't his.

He follows my train of thought. It diffuses some of his anger and when he comments, it 's surprisingly without bitterness. "It was time I resigned. The position was too high profile. It's not the first time I've found myself in this situation. It won't be the last."

Vampires, like humans, are creatures of habit. Williams has been in law enforcement of one kind or another for two hundred years. He'll undoubtedly follow that same path when it comes time for him to move on from San Diego.

"You know how the police are handling it?" I ask.

Old habits are hard to break. He goes into cop mode to answer.

"So far, the vamps have all been young females newly turned. Exsanguination is the cause of death. A small wound at the jugular made by a weapon of indeterminate origin. The bodies have been found in different jurisdic tions throughout the county. The only reason we know they are vampires at all is because our contact in the coroner's office recognizes what the total absence of food in a digestive tract means."

He doesn't expound on any of these things, but I understand. Especially that the vamps are all newly turned. If a vamp is destroyed by stake or fire, he leaves nothing behind but ash. If he is killed any other way, by draining, for instance, his body reverts to its human age and an autopsy would reveal nothing but intact human organs. They no longer function, which would not be obvious, but neither do they shrivel or disappear. A newly turned vampire would appear normal.

"I haven't seen anything in the newspapers about bodies turning up."

"Not yet," Williams replies. "The police are playing it quiet. So far, the victims all seem to have been young people who have fallen off the radar. No missing reports filed, no families have come forward to claim the bodies. Whoever is doing it is choosing his victims carefully.

That will change the first time he fucks up and a victim turns up who has been reported missing."

Williams stands up. "I've done what I came here to do," he says. The civility is gone from his tone. "I thought you should know what's been happening. You may be in danger. You are slightly older than the others, but you fit the profile. You are newly turned and you have a penchant for pissing people off."

"You're telling me to watch my back?"

"I know your partner is out of town and your family is gone. I'd like to think you'll live long enough to get over your childish refusal to integrate into your real community. Maybe you will, maybe you won't. Frankly, I don't care one way or the other." But there are others who do. The thought is squelched the instant it forms in his head.

He watches to see if I caught it. I did. Same tune, different song. He puts his hand on the doorknob and twists. "You know where to find me."

He walks out and I'm right on his heels. I'll think about what he's told me later. Right now, it's one pain in the butt down, one to go.

Time to find out what put the bug up Sandra's ass.

There's a human behind the bar-a guy I've seen here before. One of Culebra's gofers.

"Where's Sandra?"

He shrugs. "Errands. She told me to tell you not to wait. She didn't know when she'd be back."

Terrific.

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