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"You home?" I asked
"Of course I&039;odda"
"Don&039;t sound so dra I sound tired"
"I&039; over Where do you live?"
There was a long pause I wondered if Kingsley had fallen back to sleep Then a thought occurred to me, maybe he had a woman with him If so, I didn&039;t care I wanted to talk, and not with a ht had been the full sley should be his old self
"Okay," he said, and gave et here that there&039;s so I need to talk to you about"
"That sley lived in Yorba Linda, just a few cities over At a quarter to three, I drove east down Bastanchury Blvd The night was still and quiet Tohills Beyond was the county dump, well hidden from curious eyes and sensitive noses
Here on Bastanchury was soe County had to offer Beautiful hohtly removed from the hustle and bustle of the county
I turned left into a long driveway, drove through a tangle of shrubbery along a crushed seashell drive The seashell drive, reflecting the near full ht as a yellow brick road to hth of a mile, until it curved before a massive estate house
I parked in front of the portico, and briefly ade structure It was a Colonial revival, complete with two flanker structures on either end Nearly the entire facade was covered in dark clapboard, and the ere enclosed with paneled shutters All in all, a fitting ho the bell, a porch light turned on and a very tall and dour man appeared at the door, who looked down atProbably wasn&039;t in his job description to be receiving guests at 3:00 a disjointed and odd about the man It took er than the other
"This way," he said "Master Kingsley is waiting in the conservatory"
"With Professor Plu Ear was not a on a leather sofa with a drink in hand
He looked like hell: scruffy beard, hair in disarray, serious bags under his eyes
"Uood," I said
"Like hell I do"
"Just what I was thinking"
The conservatory was octagon-shaped and faced the expansive backyard which spread out into the hills beyond like a vast estate Through the French , I coulda naked nyh her cupped hands The sculptor went a little crazy with her breasts Men and breasts Sheesh
"Would you like a drink?" Kingsley asked
"Sure I&039;ll have whatever you&039;re having"
Kingsley motioned to his butler A moment later, a drink appeared before me
"Thank you, Jeeves," I said
Kingsley grinned "His name is Franklin"
"Franklin the butler?"
"Yes"
"Doesn&039;t have quite the sasley said, "but he&039;s a good butler, and can pour a hell of a drink"
"It&039;s true," said Franklin "I almost never spill" His enunciation was clear and precise with a slightly lilting accent that could have been English When he spoke, his face appeared completely still, as if the muscles were inert, or deactivated I couldn&039;t help but notice an ugly scar that ran along his chin and extended back to his hairline, as if Franklin had at one tisley said, "Thank you, Franklin That will be all Sorry to rouse you out of your sleep in the dead of night"
"I am o Good night"
Franklin the Butler nodded and left Curious, I watched his were disproportionate to his body
"Franklin is an interesting fellow," I said when he was gone
"You don&039;t know the half of it"
"Must have survived a hell of an accident, scarred like that"
"Yeah, so like that"
"Where did you find him?"
"He was recommended by a friend"
I sipped the alcohol It had no flavor at all, and no effect The ice rattled in the tumbler
"What do you know of vasley blinked, then thought about it "Not a whole hell of a lot, I&039; up lately"
"I see"
"So, can vahed, "They can indeed turn intothings"
My heart slas?" I asked
"You really don&039;t know, do you?"
"Would I be asking if I did?"
"And you&039;ve never tried shape-changing?"
"I wouldn&039;t knohere to begin"
"You could always try ju off a tree branch and see what happens"
"And think like a fruit bat?"
"Is that the gay bat?"
"You&039;re not helping"
"That&039;s just it I don&039;t kno to help My own transforly"
"I understand So back to the question: what sort of things can vampires turn into?"
"Vari ugly and hideous Sos A sort of hybrid between man and bat"
"You&039;ve seen one?"
He hesitated "Yes"
"And?"
"And that&039;s all I know"
"Who was the vaht now"
"Why?"
He inhaled His handsoh that posed little problems for me I could see the fine lines of his nose and jaw