“You’re a priest?” I ask in disbelief.
“I was.” He turns, looking out the window. If I wasn’t in a life-or-death rush to kill the vampires, his brooding might be sexy. But right now, it’s just annoying. “Being cursed has stripped me of whatever connections I once had.”
“Holy water,” Hasan suggests, looking at Jacques. “Soaking the stake in holy water should work.”
Jacques considers it. “Yes, it should. As long as the wood retains the water. Once it dries out, I’d imagine the power would be gone.”
“Good to know. And, if all else fails, I’ll cut off their heads.”
“Have you ever cut off a head?” Hasan asks, completely serious.
“I can’t say I have.” I let out a breath and take a bite of my taco.
“The neck is hard to cut through. Swing hard the first time.”
* * *
“This one,”Gilbert says, pointing to one of the missing persons reports.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” He looks at Thomas, who nods in agreement.
“It was him.” Thomas slides the paper across the coffee table. We’re in the living room, and my back is to the fire. With proper firewood, the fire is roaring and brings much-needed warmth into the house. “I remember his face clearly.”
“And the rest?”
“None look familiar.” Gilbert hands the papers to Hasan, whose large hands crinkle the pages as soon as they are in his grasp.
“No,” he says.
“Two out of three is really good.” I tap the screen of my phone and log onto Facebook.
“Technology.” Jacques looks at the glowing screen of my cellphone. “Are you using radio waves?”
“Not quite, but I am using up all my data.” I enter the name “Gavin Black” and filter through several profiles before I find the right one. It’s set to private and there’s nothing more I can do until I get into work tomorrow. I consider explaining Facebook and the basics of social media to the gargoyles, but stop, not having the energy to start.
“You can contact anyone with that,” Jacques tells Hasan, and for some reason, the sentiment is absolutely charming.
“It’s a phone,” Gilbert says.
“How do you know?” I ask.
“I don’t know. But I do.”
Thomas leans in, resting his large hand on my shoulder. “It looks familiar.”
“You two were on the front porch. You were around people more than the others who were on the roof. If my sleep theory is correct and you were able to process and retain info you heard while sleeping, it makes sense you’d know more.”
“Hear that?” Thomas shoots a look at Jacques. “We’re the smart ones.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Jacques retorts dryly, making me wonder about their relationship before they were cursed. He turns his attention from Thomas to me. “Can the phone tell you if Gavin was at the vampire bar?”
“No, I’m limited to what I can access from my personal account. I’ll start by questioning the person who reported him missing and go from there.”
“And if he was there, you’ll go in. Alone?”
“I think that’s my only choice.” I bite my lip and lean back toward the fire. “It’s not like I can bring backup.”
