‘Don’t worry,’ Alan said to me softly. ‘Captain Montgomery saw me yesterday to discuss his plans and to check with me first. As you have already visited us once in the past, you are the best person to do so again.’
Ah. He knew about the way I’d stumbled into the Understream when I’d been searching for Nicholas MacTire, and he was doing what he could to limit others finding out about the tunnels’ existence by suggesting to Montgomery that I would be an appropriate swap. Fair enough.
I gazed at him. ‘You don’t seem … unhappy with this turn of events,’ I said. The rest of the class continued to pout and bicker but Alan looked unperturbed.
‘I know this course wouldn’t exist without you. After all, it was you who suggested it to the good captain.’
‘Montgomery told you that?’
The vampire shrugged and nodded. ‘Besides, I like Danksville. I look forward to investigating whatever problem you deem important.’ He smiled. ‘Neither am I averse to cats.’ He appeared to be telling the truth.
Unfortunately, I was somewhat averse to vampires; I found them cold creatures. I’d killed the last fanged bastard I’d come across – with good reason, of course – but in my opinion even the best vampires were heartless. Their attitudes were a by-product of their long life span and living for centuries; sadly, compassion seemed to have a time limit. Still, I felt a small thrill at the thought of spending more time in the Understream. It might be a dubious honour but it was also an exciting one.
Captain Montgomery cleared his throat. ‘I will accept nofurther complaints. If you wish to complete this course and be granted leeway to act as a minor investigator within the confines of Coldstream, you will complete your assignment. You have the rest of the evening to share details of your cases and to discuss them with your partners. We will meet here in seven days’ time when I expect you to share your findings. That is all.’
I mademyself a mug of strong tea using water from a nearby urn then settled into a corner next to Alan. I took a few tentative sips and established that I was unlikely to burn my tongue given that the water was distastefully lukewarm, then watched the vampire reach into his rucksack and pull out a small bag containing a gloopy, dark-red substance. No prizes for guessing what it was.
‘Do you mind?’ he asked.
I waved a hand. ‘Not at all.’ The dietary habits of vampires were the least of my concerns where their kind was concerned – although I was somewhat surprised. Most vamps preferred to take their blood in a more direct fashion, although using one’s fangs to pierce an artery was considered terribly gauche.
He smiled and appeared relieved that I wasn’t running for the hills and screaming. Perhaps I had carried my prim cat-lady persona a touch too far; after all, thiswasColdstream. Then again, he must have realised that I was more than I appeared. He knew that I’d been to the Understream and he likely knew the reason why. I wondered if he also knew that I’d killed Brassick, the vampire involved with the Umbra cult that had kidnapped Nick MacTire. Probably.
‘So.’ He ripped the corner of the bag neatly and swallowed a mouthful of blood. ‘Tell me about your case.’
‘It’syourcase now,’ I said. I folded my arms and told him what I knew of the graffiti. ‘Obviously it’s a low-level crime but the graffiti is detracting from the neighbourhood aesthetics.’
To his credit, Alan maintained a straight face. While I loved Danksville with all my heart, it wasn’t the prettiest part of Coldstream and its aesthetics tended towards ramshackle buildings and rundown streets. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘The broken-window theory.’
He was referring to the idea that visible signs of minor crime and disorder, and neglect of one’s environment such as broken windows and graffiti, encouraged more serious crime. As far as I was aware that theory had been strongly contested but this wasn’t the time to mention it.
‘Anyway, judging by the style and tags, I think there are three main culprits. I want to identify all three and,’ I said firmly in a bid to avoid an over-zealous approach on Alan’s part, ‘encourage them to put their skills to use elsewhere.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Vandalise other suburbs instead?’
Careful, Kit, I warned myself. ‘No. I wanted to seek out areas where such artwork would be welcome. Create designated walls for graffiti, speak to business owners who want to individualise their properties, that kind of thing.’ I smiled earnestly. I had only proposed investigating the Danksville graffiti because I knew it was the sort of issue that would keep Montgomery calm and would avoid most situations where I’d need to use violence; this wasn’t the time or place to flex my ex-assassin muscles. I certainly didn’t want Alan to charge in gung-ho and create problems in Danksville where there were none.
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘I think I have enough to go on for now.’
I eyed him. For a vampire, he was remarkably mild-mannered. ‘Your turn,’ I said cheerfully. ‘What’s your case?’
He lifted his head and glanced around to check that nobodywas in earshot. ‘We have some … pack animals within our community who help us move around.’
Pack animals? That was quite the euphemism for the giant blind worms that conveyed the vamps through the various sections of the Understream. I nodded to indicate that I knew what he was referring to.
‘Their numbers are carefully controlled and breeding is very selective.’ Alan smiled faintly. ‘We do not wish to be over-run.’
I shuddered as I had a sudden mental image of hordes of gigantic brown worms swarming through Coldstream. ‘Indeed.’
‘Usually there are twenty such animals in total – occasionally one or two more or one or two less, depending on their natural cycle.’ He grimaced. ‘But now their numbers have dwindled to sixteen, which is unheard of.’
‘Four worms have died?’
‘Four worms have vanished. We don’t know where they have gone or what has happened to them.’ He gestured helplessly. ‘The Understream is vast and they may simply have wandered off, but it’s highly unusual.’
‘Uh-huh.’ My brow furrowed as I considered his words. It was the first time he’d mentioned the Understream by name but that wasn’t what gave me pause. ‘Surely you could use a tracking spell and…’
‘We’ve tried but so far we’ve had no luck.’
