Page 2 (1/2)
WE RETURNED to the hotel at the end of another long, disappointing night We’d stayed at the sa to the city We hadn’t meant to - the plan had been to switch every couple of weeks - but the search for the vampaneze had left us so exhausted, we hadn’t been able tofor fresh accommodation Even the sturdy Harkat Mulds, who didn’t need to sleep veryoff for four or five hours each day
I felt better after a hot bath and flicked on the TV to see if there was any news about the killings I learnt it was early Thursdayvampires, and I rarely took any notice of them - and no new deaths had been reported It had been almost teeks since the last body was discovered There was the slightest hint of hope in the air - n of terror had come to an end I doubted we’d be that lucky, but I kept ers crossed as I turned the set off and headed for the welcohly shaken awake A strong light was shining through the thin material of the curtains and I knew instantly that it was midday or early afternoon, which ay too soon to be even thinking about getting out of bed Grunting, I sat up and found an anxious-looking Harkat leaning over rains of sleep fro at your door," Harkat croaked
"Tell theo away," I said - or words to that effect!
"I was going to, but" He paused
"Who is it?" I asked, sensing trouble
"I don’t know I opened the door of my room a crack and checked It’s nobody connected with the hotel, although there’s a staffbriefcase, and he’s" Again Harkat paused "Coot up as there was a round of fresh knuckle raps I hurried through to Harkat’s roo soundly in one of the twin beds We tiptoed past hiures in the corridor was faer of the hotel - but I’d never seen the other He was se black briefcase He earing a dark grey suit, black shoes and an old-fashioned bowler hat He was scowling and raising his knuckles to knock again as we closed the door
"Think we should answer?" I asked Harkat
"Yes," he said "He doesn’t look like the sort who’ll go away if we ignore him"
"Who do you think he is?"
"I’ officious about hiht be a police officer or in the army"
"You don’t think they know about?" I nodded at the sleeping vampire
"They’d send ht about it for a o see what he wants But I won’t let hi around in here while Mr Crepsley’s resting"
"Shall I stay here?" Harkat asked
"Yes, but keep close to the door and don’t lock it - I’ll call if I run into trouble"
Leaving Harkat to fetch his axe, I quickly pulled on a pair of trousers and a shirt and went to see what theit, I cleared my throat and called out innocently, "Who is it?"
In i’s bark, the man with the briefcase said, "Mr Horston?"
"No," I replied, breathing a s room"
"Oh?" The man in the corridor sounded surprised "This isn’t Mr Vur Horston’s roootten the false naned in as Vur Horston and I’d said I was his son (Harkat had crept in when no one atching) "I ain, "this is my room, not my dad’s I’m Darren Horston, his son"
"Ah" I could sense his sh the door "Excellent You’re the reason I’m here Is your father with you?
"He’s" I hesitated "Why do you want to know? Who are you?"
"If you open the door and let me in, I’ll explain"
"I’d like to knoho you are first," I said "These are dangerous tiers"
"Ah Excellent," the little ain "I should of course not expect you to open the door to an unannounced visitor Forgive me My name is Mr Blaws"
"Blores?"
"Blaws," he said, and patiently spelt it out
"What do you want, Mr Blaws?" I asked
"I’m a school inspector," he replied "I’ve come to find out why you aren’t in school"
My jaw dropped about a thousand kilometres
"May I come in, Darren?" Mr Blaws asked When I didn’t answer, he rapped on the door again and sung out, "Darrrrennn?"
"Um Just a minute, please," I ainst it, wildly wondering what I should do
If I turned the inspector away, he’d return with help, so in the end I opened the door and let hi was OK, leavingMr Blaws The little man set his briefcase down on the floor, then removed his bowler hat and held it in his left hand, behind his back, as he shookht layer of bristle onand scruffy, and my face still carried small scars and burn marks from my Trials of Initiation seven years before
"You look quite old," Mr Blaws co asked "Very mature for fifteen Maybe it’s the hair You could do with a triht I was fifteen, and I was too bewildered to correct hie briefcase across his lap "Your father - Mr Horston - is he in?"
"U it hard to string words together
"Oh, of course I forgot he was on night shifts Perhaps I should call back at a more convenient" He trailed off, thu out a sheet of paper and studied it as though it was an historical docue - I’ht schedule You’ll have to wake hio see if he’s" I hurried through to where the va and anxiously shook hi - he’d heard everything and was just as confused as I was
Mr Crepsley opened one eye, saw that it was daytiroaned
"No"
"Then go away and-"
"There’s a man in my room A school inspector He knows our names - at least, the names we checked in under - and he thinks I’m fifteen He wants to knohy I’h he’d been bitten "How can this be?" he snapped He rushed to the door, stopped, then retreated slowly "How did he identify himself?"
"Just told me his name - Mr Blaws"
"It could be a cover story"
"I don’t think so The er of the hotel ith him He wouldn’t have let him up if he wasn’t on the level Besides, he looks like a school inspector"
"Looks can be deceptive," Mr Crepsley noted
"Not this tiet dressed and come meet him"
The vampire hesitated, then nodded sharply I left him to prepare, and went to close the curtains in my room Mr Blaws looked at me oddly "My father’s eyes are very sensitive," I said "That’s why he prefers to work at night"