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"He was not my favorite vampire," Felipe said, after what seemed like about five hours "But he was very useful"

"I’m sure you’ve noticed," I said, "that in Victor’s case, ’useful’ was a synonym for ’money pit’ Cause I’ve heard from people who serve at Vic’s Redneck Roadhouse, for example, that they were underpaid and overworked, so there’s a big staff turnover That’s never good for business And some of the vendors haven’t been paid And Vic’s is behind with the distributor" (Duff had shared that with reat and pulled business fro the repeat custo place, and I know that revenue’s fallen off" I was only guessing, but I was accurate, I could tell by Horst’s face "Sa for his vampire bar Why pull custotasia? Dividing doesn’tme a lesson in economics?" Felipe leaned forward, picked up one of the opened TrueBlood bottles, and drank froBut I knohat’s happening on the local level, because people talk toall this about Victor doesn’t ently You lying sack of shit

"Eric, did you enjoy the young woh this room, she said she’d been called to service you," Felipe said, not taking his eyes off me "I was surprised, since I was under the i woe of pace for you She had such an interesting odor If she hadn’t been earht have taken her for myself"

"You would have been welcome to her," Eric said in a completely empty voice

"She told you she’d been called?" I was puzzled

"That’s what she said," Felipe said His eyes were fixed on h he were a hawk and I were afor supper

On one level ofwoman had said she’d been called specifically for Ericbut on another level, I was busy regretting I’d saved Felipe’s life when one of Sophie-Anne’s bodyguards had been well on the way to killing hi Eric, too, and Felipe had been a by-product, but stillback to level one, and I realized that none of this was adding up I shtly

"Are you simple?" Horst asked incredulously

I’ myself to speak

Felipe said, "Horst, don’t mistake Miss Stackhouse’s cheerful looks for any mental deficiency"

"Yes, Your Majesty" Horst tried to look chastened, but he didn’t quite make it

Felipe looked at him sharply "I must remind you-unless I’m much mistaken-Miss Stackhouse took out either Bruno or Corinna Even Pam couldn’t have handled both of the

"Which one was it, Miss Stackhouse?"

There was another fraught silence I wished we had backgroundwould be better than this dead air

Paetically "Bruno," Pam said "Sookie killed Bruno, while I took care of Corinna"

"How did you do that, Miss Stackhouse?" Felipe said Even Horst looked interested and i

"It was kind of an accident"

"You are toomurmured skeptically

"Really, it was" I re rain and the cold, the cars parked on the shoulders of the interstate on a terrible dark night "It was sure pouring buckets that night," I said quietly Tu with chilly water, a desperate pawing to find the silver knife, sliding it into Bruno

"Was this the saebert? Or the Were woman?"

Wo’d he know about Debbie? Or maybe he meant Sandra? And his list was by no h I can hardly coebert, since he would have killedabsolutely fair

Finally! "I wondered if you remembered that part," I muttered I reat service," he said "I’ to decide how much of a thorn you are in my side now"

"Oh, co to you that you couldn’t have taken care of before it even happened"

Pam and Horst blinked, but I saw that Felipe understood me "You maintain that if I had been er from Bruno and Corinna? That Victor would have stayed down in New Orleans, where the regent should be, and that, therefore, Eric could have run Area Five the way he has always run it?"

He had it in a nutshell, as randmother would have said But (at least this tiid as a statue

I’m not sure ould have happened next, but Bill appeared suddenly from the kitchen He looked as excited as Bill ever looked

"There’s a dead girl on the front lawn," he said, "and the police are here"

A variety of reactions passed on Felipe’s face in a few seconds

"Then Eric, as the hoood officers," he said "We’ll set things to rights in here Eric, be sure to invite them in"

Eric was already on his feet He called to Mustapha, who didn’t appear He and Pa at me, Eric reached back, and I stood to slide my hand into his Time to close the ranks

"Who is the dead woman?" he asked Bill

"A skinny brunette," he said "A hureen and pink?" I asked, et that close," Bill said

"How did the police find out there was a body?" Pam said "Who called them?" We moved toward the front door Now I could hear the noise outside With the drapes shut, we hadn’t been able to see the flashing lights Through the gap in the heavy fabric, I could see them

"I never heard a scream or any other alarhbor would have calledbut someone did"