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"The police are the ones who investigate randfather’s desk, neither angered nor aate disappearances as well"

"What are you talking about?" she asked

"As of today, up to seven people have disappeared in the past feeeks, reported to the main station in Paris"

"Disappearances--of who? And what do the disappearances in Paris have to do with a brutal e? Jean-Luc didn’t disappear His body was butchered and left for discovery"

"Paula Denton, British student, a beautiful young wo theht Next, reported about ten days ago, John Bryner, an American He was due at a school in Nice, and never showed up Jillian Grieves, a Parisian prostitute, hasn’t been seen in nine days Barbara Nie nearly a week The list goes on--the known list God kno many people have disappeared who don’t have family members who track them--or street sisters who are still able to prove their love by looking for their friends"

"Students have disappeared--young students, running around Europe And prostitutes," she said

Brent raised a brow "Oh? They don’t deserve your concern?"

"Don’t be absurd!" she lashed out "Naturally, they are hus, and deserve everyone’s concern

But students roah Europe all the ti probleh

She stared from one et it They’ve all disappeared because of-- va or moved a muscle

"Vampires are supposed to drink blood, they don’t consume every inch of a body," she said "If vampires had taken these people, their pathetic, blood-drained bodies would have been discovered

Their grieving faain and there would beout of the walls like cockroaches"

"Vampires drink blood, yes," Brent said

"There, you see?" she told Jacques

"They also mean to survive, and therefore, they don’t leave discarded bodies lying about They’re also territorial, and seldom fond of competition They rarely create new members of their own kind There is actually a code by which they survive," Brent said

"A code A rule book The Vampire Rule Book Sorry, I haven’t read it yet"

"It’s not a book, Tara, and you can’t read it But there is a society, and it’s ancient and there are codes and laws by which the creatures exist--and have existed throughout ti up this countess, and now she’s a va her up But yes, now she’s loose," Brent said

She stared at hirandfather before you caan

She interrupted him "You carandfather’s head with a lot of rubbish You got hi, and because of you, the police are going to wind up questioning hiator of this nonsense, this fantasy, you’ve convinced him that he’s part of soed an ailinglady!" Jacques said with level dignity

She still couldn’t look at Jacques She thought she was beginning to piece it together "I don’t knohat your game is, Mr Malone Maybe you’re a writer, too

Son Jacques, or aht back to the police and tell the I know"

"I can’t let you do that, Tara," Brent said His voice held either a softto kill me? Do you, perhaps, think that you’re one of the at her, he blinked, but his eyes didn’t fall from hers "No," he said

"Oh, well, thank heavens for that, at least What a relief I’ve yet to see one of these creatures"

"But you have seen one"

"I have?"

"Yes, the other night Countess Louisa de Montcrasset was here, at this door, when you and Ann returned ho to adh to let her into the house"

She wanted to protest instantly, to assure hirandfather

But so had settled over her

A chill