Page 24 (1/2)

Drawing a ragged breath, I forced myself back to the task at hand I had calls to ht not have made it to the press yet, but it would soon I didn’t want Kevin, Bruno, or--oh, God--Alex to find out that way They deserved a call So, even though I knew he should be out hunting, I dialed the number for Kevin and Amy’s apart

"Kevin?"

His voice was livid Words spilled out of him in a flood of emotion that left me stunned "Where the hell have you been, Celia?! We’ve been worried sick! Don’t you ever answer your fucking phone?"

After everything, it was just too much To have Kevin screa up on hi-tiression issues My being pissy wouldn’t help But how the hell was I supposed to answer? I mean, so much had happened in the past few hours

"Don’t you? I’ve been trying to call I keep getting your voice s on, slow breath "I’m sorry I orried The last tio, so to Birchwoods Did Vicki help you find out anything?"

I paused, not quite sure how to proceed Then I just said it "Vicki’s dead, Kevin She died last night, at nearly the saht doave of tears

There was stunned silence and then the sharp bang of the receiver hitting the table I pulled the phone away fro He scraain and I could hear hihts "Oh, shit Celie Hon, I’m so sorry Are you okay?"

Hell no, I wasn’t okay What kind of stupid question was that? And did he just callwith Dr Scott about it They don’t know the cause yet, but apparently it was sudden I hope ‘sudden’else While I was there …" I struggled to find the right words to describe what had happened but came up blank Words just seemed totally inadequate for the situation Besides, hoas I supposed to tell a man who turns into a monster for three days of the month how terrified I’d been athiured out what Iand started to swear When he had himself under control he asked, his voice taut with strain, "Did you kill anyone?"

Wow Okay then Talk about thinking in terms of worst-case scenarios But I’d probably ask the saed to control h of relief echoed down the phone line "Thank God for that You have no idea hoorried we’ve been Everything we’ve been able to find says an abomination acts very much the same way as a newly turned olf or va is alhed "I swear I didn’t know Jones didn’t tell me If he had, I wouldn’t have just let you run loose like that God, you could’ve--"

"Well, I didn’t," I snarled He wouldn’t have let me run loose? I didn’t like the tone this conversation was taking Yeah, he probably could’ve knockedback in the lab Having gone through it now, I probably wouldn’t have even let uard But hearing it put that bluntlyin his voice, as if he’d sensed my irritation Maybe he had Subtle is not, after all,

"Look, Vicki’s death hasn’t been made public yet, but it probably will be soon Can you call Dawna, Ehed "It’d be better if Dawna heard it from you But I’ll tell Emma and Dad"

I barely heard hi "I’d do it myself"--I took a shaky breath--"but I need to tell Alex I really don’t want to, but I don’t knoho else would--"

There was a stunned silence "Oh fuck Alex"

"Yeah"

"I’ll make the calls" I could hear his hair brush across the speaker as he undoubtedly shook his head "But Celia, you need to get somewhere … less public And sooner rather than later"

"Thanks I know And I will I proht, and I was in no condition to do it And while I have a lot of faith in o to the estate and lock ht, with lots of weapons to protect ot here "Look, there are things we need to discuss that we shouldn’t talk about over the phone If you’re not going out to the desert, can you meet me at my place in two hours?"