Page 15 (1/2)

By the tiroped inside to extricate the phone,I checked the number, and toto get in touch with me I called the nuht buttons, but no one answered

Crap Well, if he wasn’t picking up, there wasn’t anything I could do about it But I had other es: one from Dermot, one from Alcide, and one from Tara

Dermot’s voice said, "Sookie? Where are you? You didn’t co okay?"

Alcide Herveaux said, "Sookie, we need to talk Call me when you can"

Tara said, "Sookie, I think the babies are going to co to dilate Get ready to becoiddy with excitement

I called her back first, but she didn’t pick up

Then I called Derave hiht before He asked me to come home immediately, but he didn’t offer an explanation I told him I’d start back within the hour unless the police arrived to delay me What if they wanted to coht? They had to have a warrant But the house was a criet into Eric’s downstairs bedroom, and I reuest pod What if the cops decided to open it? I needed a set of those "DO NOT ENTER VAMPIRE AT REST" coffin hangers I’d seen advertised in Eric’s copy of American Vampire

"I’ll be there as soon as I can," I told Der a bit worried about Der at my house?

With great reluctance, I returned Alcide’s call He’d only try to get in touch about so pretty important, since eren’t exactly buddies anymore We weren’t exactly enemies, either But we could never seem to be happy with each other at the same ti?"

"I’m okay I don’t know if you’ve heard what happened here at Eric’s last night "

"Yeah, I heard so about it"

No surprise there Who needed the Internet, when you had the supes around? "Then you know Mustapha is "

"Too bad he’s not pack We’d find him"

Pointed, much? "After all, he’s a olf," I said briskly "And the police do want hi if he’d just come in to talk to them So maybe if someone in the pack sees him somewhere, you could lethis phone did I missed the call, and I’m really worried about hi," Alcide proh"

I waited to hear what he had in mind

"Sookie, you still there?"

"Yes, I’ a co last ti Alcide naked in my bed had not endeared him tohad never matchedthere We had a good result fro to ask you to do it, and I freely acknowledge that" Alcide said that kind of proudly

Had he joined Werewolf Manipulators Anonymous? I looked at myself in the mirror and widened ht about the conversation

"Good to hear that," I said "What’s up?"

Rueful chuckle Charht, Sookie, I do have a favor to ask you"

I showed myself Amazed in the mirror "Do tell," I said politely

"You knowout with your boss for a while"

"I know that" Cut to the chase

"Well, she wants you to help her out with so, and since you two have had your differencesfor whatever reasonshe asked me if I’d call you"

Sneaky Jannalynn This was like a doublefake so It was true I liked Jannalynn h perhaps Alcide didn’t know this) that Jannalynn suspected my relationship with Sam was far more than it should be between an employee and her boss If this were the fifties, she’d be checking Sam’s collars for lipstick stains (Did people do that anymore? Why did women kiss collars, anyway? Besides, Sam almost alore T-shirts)

"What does she wantto propose to Sae"

I sat down on the end of the bed I didn’t want to make faces in the mirror anymore "She wants me to help her ask Sam to marry her?" I said slowly I’d helped Andy Bellefleur propose to Halleigh, but I couldn’t i in a basket of French fries

"She wants you to get Sam to drive down to Mie down there, and she wants to surprise Sauess she’d spring the question there" Alcide sounded oddly unenthusiastic or perhaps unconvinced that he should be relaying this request

"No," I said iet Sa that I wanted hio out to the lake with ht of as a roether, maybe The whole scenario er creeping up my neck

Alcide said, "Sookie, that’s not "

"Not helpful or obliging? I don’t want to be, Alcide There’s just too much room for disaster in that plan Plus, I don’t think you understand Jannalynn too well" What I wanted to say was, "I think she’s trying to get e souilty" But I didn’t

There was a long silence

"I guess Jannalynn was right," he said, letting his dismay into his voice "You do have it in for her What, you don’t think she’s good enough for Sam?"

"No As a matter of fact, I don’t Tell her I " I autoe her, and then I realized that would be a big fat lie "I’m justunable to be of assistance She can do her own proposing Good-bye, Alcide" Without waiting to hear his response, I hung up