The helicopter returned us to Wlodek's manor, the only sound that of the chopper flying us through a misty night. None of us spoke. Where were their lofty laws now? Were babies considered collateral damage if they happened to be in the way? I gathered my things, threw them into my bag and marched angrily out of the house. If it weren't Wlodek's home, I imagine I'd be cursing. Merrill wisely didn't attempt to speak to me on the drive home. The roof of his manor was the first place I went and I stayed there until nearly dawn.
* * *
"Charles," Wlodek said quietly after Merrill had taken Lissa away. "Find Sebastian. I wish to speak with him."
"Of course, Honored One," Charles replied, pulling out his cell.
* * *
Sebastian ignored the vibrating of his mobile phone. He was busy digging a hole far from the child's home. Lifting the bag that held tiny remains, he tossed it in first, heaving other items in after. He'd drained the baby before removing all evidence of it inside the home. Clothes, shoes, toiletries, everything that Sebastian could find went into the hole. A crib had been the only furniture involved, so it had been reduced to splinters in his hands, making it easier to carry. Sebastian was careful not to leave evidence behind that might reveal his indiscretion.
A large boulder over the covered hole was the final touch and Sebastian shook crumbs of earth from his claws before retracting them. Pulling the phone into his hand, he checked the message. Wlodek's number was displayed. Day was coming and Sebastian had to find cover. The Head of the Council could wait.
* * *
"Your package came," Franklin tapped a large box sitting on the kitchen island when I walked downstairs the following evening. He and Greg were preparing an evening meal. I was still depressed over the previous night's revelations, so I moved listlessly toward the box, slit it open with a slightly extended claw and peered inside. My wigs had come. Holding back a sigh, I pulled them from the box and checked them over.
"I found something to put them on," Greg grinned, hauling out three wig heads. Well, he and Franklin didn't need my depression. I made an effort to be more cheerful.
"Those wig heads resemble me greatly," I said, patting my hairless head. There was a bit more stubble, I suppose. My eyelashes and eyebrows were also making progress. Perhaps in three months I'd have something to be proud of, but there wasn't much there now. The wigs went on the heads first and I played a little with the hair.
"Here," Greg said, lifting one of the wigs off. He nodded for me to sit down and proceeded to place the wig on my head. "That looks good," he said. Franklin turned from his cooking to take a peek.
"It does," he agreed and went back to what he was stirring. The wig felt like a tight hat to me. Greg found a mirror and held it up so I could examine my new look. Turning this way and that, I arranged the hair a bit. It was a little coarser than my own but I couldn't complain; the color was good and it looked natural.
"I'm ready for my close-up," I quoted, fluffing wig hair. Greg hugged me.
We spent the evening, Franklin, Greg and I, shopping on the internet for clothes. Somehow, Frank knew I was upset—Merrill must have told him something. He and Greg were attempting to chase away my depression by teasing me and spending money. Greg had bought jeans and tops for me in London earlier as a late Christmas present, all in size four. Since I'd lost something after my bout with the sun, they fit. Franklin also ventured to tell me I was five feet tall instead of five-one, as I was before. They weren't kidding, I guess, about sunbathing making me smaller. Therefore, now that we had a proper size, we went looking for all sorts of clothing. We guessed at bra sizes; what I had still worked if I fastened them in the last hooks.
Franklin didn't even blink when our total for the evening turned out to be in the fourteen thousand dollar range; we hadn't gone to any of the cheap websites and Greg cheerfully added anything to the shopping cart he felt I needed. After they'd gone to bed, I broke down and called Gavin but it went to voice mail. He'd told me once that if he didn't answer, he was either busy or dead. I was hoping for the former. After leaving a short message telling him I missed him, I turned to other things. I did miss Gavin, although we didn't have the most perfect relationship ever. And if he and the entire vampire race would stop treating me like an infant, I might miss him more.
Merrill had gone out according to Franklin, so there was no lesson for the evening. I watched a movie on television instead—an old Hitchcock thriller. The early morning news came on afterward and the first article covered the kidnapping of three small children from a daycare in Wales. Parents were obviously distraught; the children were the last to be collected at the end of the day and someone had killed one of two attendants and knocked the other unconscious in order to take the children. The unconscious attendant was now recovering in a local hospital. She'd described her assailant as having blond hair and a small scar above his right eye. The police were searching for leads but hadn't come up with anything solid on the missing children, who ranged in age from one to four years. This was awful. The dead attendant had been strangled and there were no other witnesses. No vehicle had been sighted either, leaving investigators baffled.
The abduction bothered me very much, coming so soon after the baby incident with Sebastian. The house fire hadn't made it into the news, thanks to the kidnappings. Shutting off the television, I stood and yawned. Dawn was coming and if I didn't hurry, I'd be dropping in the bathroom floor while trying to brush my teeth.
* * *
"I left instructions for Sebastian to come tomorrow evening," Wlodek informed Merrill and Flavio. All were on a conference call set up by Charles; Wlodek was explaining that he'd contacted the Assassin. "We'll get to the bottom of this quickly. Lissa was wrong; I didn't find anything amiss at the home."
Merrill listened impassively. He was struggling with this and trying not to jump to conclusions where Lissa was concerned. Flavio was agreeing with his sire, sure that it was all a mistake. After all, Lissa's emotional state was still fragile; he'd spoken with Charles. Wlodek promised to keep them informed, the call was terminated and they all went looking for beds.
* * *
"Cara, I was very happy to get your message." Gavin called me back. The phone was ringing before I was fully awake for the evening.
"Honey, I just woke up," I mumbled after fumbling to answer the call. Sleep was keeping me from articulating a better answer.
"I know, love," there was a smile in his voice. "I wish I were there to see it."