That wasn’t going to be easy. I didn’t know how many people were buried in Columbus and the surrounding suburbs each year, but I didn’t imagine it was a small number. When you factored in all of the deaths over the last few hundred years, you were left with a mind-boggling amount of people to investigate.
“That is going to be impossible,” I said.
“Any additional information you can gather would help narrow the search.”
“Guess I’m going back into the field then.”
This task seemed impossible. I wasn’t a detective and it felt like I was bumbling around hoping to trip over a clue. It didn’t give me a good feeling as to my chances of remaining a free agent. That plus the vampires closing in combined to make everything seem that much more difficult.
I caught a glimpse of the clock and groaned. Any more research would have to take place tomorrow after dinner with my family. It was too late to head out again tonight. I might not be at risk of going up in flames at my first exposure to sunlight, but I still wasn’t able to stay awake or protect myself once dawn hit. Finding shelter took precedence. I’d continue the search tomorrow.
“Any chance I can get this off?” the sorcerer said, holding his wrist up and giving me a hopeful smile.
“Any chance you’ll take this thing off?” I held up my own arm.
“Can’t. It’s on until the task is complete. I couldn’t remove it even if I wanted to.”
“Then guess the answer to your question is no,” I said sweetly.
He dropped his arm and grimaced. “I had a feeling that was going to be your response.”
I probably wouldn’t have taken the cuff off just yet even if he had removed the mark. There was no guarantee that once the thing was off he wouldn’t use his power to incinerate me where I stood.
“One last question. Why didn’t the charm you gave me summon you?”
“What charm?”
I gave him a look.
“Ah, that charm. I felt it break, but I was in the middle of something and didn’t have time to drive all the way to that side of town to answer it.”
“Drive? I thought it summoned you. As in you appeared right then and there.”
He snorted. “What movies have you been watching? No, it simply acts like a flare, letting me know where you last were. Do you have any idea how much power would be needed to pull my corporeal body across time and space to your side? I wouldn’t waste that kind of power on a vampire and a weak one at that.”
I inhaled. Then exhaled. Then repeated the breaths. Killing the sorcerer would probably land me in more trouble than the temporary satisfaction it would provide. It was tempting, though. So tempting. I’m sure I could turn his face into a lovely shade of red if I could just get my hands around his neck.
“That would have been useful information to know before I used the charm,” I said.
“I thought it was obvious.”
It was not.
“Right. Give me your phone number.”
“What? Why?”
Because I said so was probably not an appropriate answer.
“I’ll call you when I find relevant information so I don’t have to come back here.”
“Fine, fine,” he grumbled. He waved his hand. When nothing happened, he spat out a curse then stalked over to a cabinet and pulled out a drawer, slammed it shut and pulled open another one. His goal achieved, he pulled out a pad of paper and pen and scribbled the number on a sheet before tearing it out and handing it to me. “Just make sure you only use it to report back. I don’t want you eating into my minutes.”
What was this? The early 2000’s? Who had a plan that relied on minutes anymore?
“Yes, grandpa. I’ll make sure to limit my calls to only the necessary.”
*
