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Someone else shouted, "I din’ hear no shots What kill dem peoples?"

Another one of the crowd shouted, "Tell us what goin’ on!"

"Is she in there? You gots to tell me Is my baby in there?"

"Damn cops!"

Under all the sry catcalls, I scented a hint of aggression, not ugly, not yet, but on the edge For now the words were e But it would all change Soon As soon as ent out that a vamp had done this

I opened my eyes and found ht Eli had elected to wear black dress pants and a starched black shirt, no tie, shiny shoes, like a civilian And no weapons Without even talking about it, ere on the sae, my partner and I, in sync, which was one reason that orked so well together, that mental consciousness of each other, like soldiers in battle, with situational awareness and comrade-in-arms mindfulness Not that he eaponless Eli could kill with his bare hands For that matter, so could I

Eli’s eyes flicked h this, Janie?"

"Yes," I said But I heard the feeble note in "

I shook estured him into the street

The sounds of our footsteps were lost beneath the crowd noise and the squeal of a siren pulling away, allowing us to h the dark As we neared the commotion, Eli’s head went up, his shoulders back, and he led the way down theside by side on the potholed blacktop He looked like what he was Dangerous And so did I People seemed to sense that ere trouble, or ers-on, the curious, the partygoers rubbernecking at disaster, parted as we neared, leaving a wide gap straight down the block to the sawhorses and crime scene tape that blocked the road

We were closer to the old woots to tell me Is my baby in there? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"

My lips parted and my breath came fast and shallow

"Is my baby in there? Tell me!"