Make Me (17 page)

“On the area. For a book.” Then in case he didn’t get what I was trying to say, I added, “I’m a writer.”

NICE SAVE, Fang complimented me.

“Really?” Ben’s face lost its tension and he looked more interested. “What kind of book?”

“Oh, a novel. A horror novel.” My life certainly resembled one.

“Have I ever heard of you?”

How the blazes would I know who he’d heard of? “No, I’m sure you haven’t. This is my first book and I need to do some more research on exactly what kind of foliage and stuff are in the park.” There. That ought to explain why I was examining the bush.

“Maybe I can help,” he said, grinning. “What do you need to know? I know a lot about the park.”

Maybe he
could
help. “Well, you see, I have this girl who’s been kidnapped right here and dragged away by a monster.”

“What kind of monster?”

“A vampire.”

Jack made an abortive movement, evidently out of surprise that I’d said the
v
word, but kept his mouth shut.

“Like Dracula?” Ben asked.

Sheesh, was that the only vampire he’d heard of? “Kind of, but this one is scarier and meaner.” Trying to keep him on my track, I said, “So, picture this. It’s nearing daylight and the vampire has to find somewhere to hide away from the sun. Are there any caves nearby where he might hide out? I want to get the details right.”

Jack looked at me like I’d just grown a brain he didn’t know I had.

Fang said, GOOD ONE.

I thought so.

The guy thought for a moment. “Couldn’t you put the story near Bee Cave or the Inner Space Caverns?”

“No, it has to be right here—the book is almost done so I can’t change it. And the cave needs to be close.”

He scratched his chin. “I don’t know of any caves near here, but do you think he might be able to hide under a rock overhang?”

“Good thinking. Do you know of such a place?”

“Maybe. Most people come here for the swimming, hiking and biking in this part of the park, but a few get off the path. You think a vampire would?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay, then follow me.”

We followed Ben and thrashed our way through the brush as he led us toward an outcropping of rocks. “On the other side,” he said.

So, we clambered over the boulders while Jack and Fang went to find a way around. Fang wasn’t made for climbing rocks, and since Jack had the leash, he had to follow the hellhound.

Ben jumped down on the other side of the rock and grinned, gesturing at the area underneath. “Will this work?”

“It just might.”

WHAT DO YOU SEE? Fang asked.

A
big gray rock with an overhang,
I told him
. The area underneath is tall enough for several men to crouch under. And it looks like it goes back a ways.

“Think a vampire could hide out here?” Ben asked.

“Yes, I do.” Several, in fact. “If you don’t mind, let me go in alone to get the feel of the space.” And keep him out of Lola’s proximity.

“Sure. Do your thing.”

I wasn’t sure what kind of
thing
writers did, but Ben probably didn’t know either. I crouched down and went as far underneath as I could, trying to look like a writer taking note of all the details. Crap. I just hoped there wasn’t a vampire there now.

There wasn’t, but there was enough space farther in for several people to lie down where the sun wouldn’t reach them. And I recognized the smell. Wes and Ronald had been here, all right. I felt around for clues, but the only things under this rock were dirt, twigs and dead leaves.

My backpack bumped against the rock above, making it difficult to go farther, so I slipped it off and felt around in the dark. Wait—there was something. Two somethings. One felt like a piece of fabric and the other was something small, smooth and flat. I wanted to get a good look at it, but if I took it into the sunlight, Ben might see it and take it away from me.

So I stuffed it in my backpack and made my way out of the space.

Jack and Fang had evidently found a way around, because they were waiting there.

WE FOUND SOMETHING, Fang said.

So did I. What did you find?

ANOTHER PILE OF ASH. AND A BELT BUCKLE.

Maybe the other missing vampire?

“Well?” Ben asked. “Did you get what you were looking for?”

I brushed the debris off my clothes. “Yes, I did. Very spooky. Perfect for my book. Thanks so much for showing it to me.”

“No problem. Anything else you need to see?”

“No, that’s it.” He might get suspicious if we hung around, and I wanted to get rid of him so I could get a good look at what we’d found. “You ready to go, Jack?”

He nodded wordlessly, apparently taking Fang’s zipping instructions to heart.

We went back to the stream, Ben following us all the way. He’d turned from being a hard-ass into a burr I couldn’t shake. On the way back to the parking lot, he asked me tons of questions about my story, and I made things up with Fang’s help. The hellhound watched a lot of television, so he gave me a plausible plot.

When we got back to the parking lot, I dumped the backpack in the back seat. “I know it sounds confusing, but it makes sense when you read it. Thanks for your help, Ben. I appreciate it.”

“Sure, no problem,” he said genially. “Say, what’s the title? I’ll be on the lookout for it.”

I opened the door and sat in the driver’s seat, hoping to give him a hint. “I don’t have a title yet.”

“Oh. Well, then, I’ll just look for your name. What is it? You didn’t tell me.”

My inventiveness was tapped out. What was a good horror writer’s name? “It’s Steph—Stephanie. Stephanie Queen.” I closed the door in his face so he couldn’t ask me any more questions.

He took it in stride and waved as I started the car and pulled out of the lot. “I’ll watch for it,” he yelled to my retreating car.

“You do that,” I muttered.

STEPHANIE QUEEN? Fang asked, snickering. HOW ORIGINAL.

I shrugged.
Hey, it worked, didn’t it?

Jack reached down to unhook Fang’s leash. “Fang said you found something. What is it?”

“I don’t know, but when we get far enough away so I’m sure Ben isn’t following us, I’ll take a look.”

A couple miles later, we went through a drive-through for some drinks, then parked in the back of the lot. “Let me see the buckle you found.”

Jack handed me a metal belt buckle that looked like a skull with a cowboy hat being choked by a snake. It was certainly distinctive. Maybe it would help identify someone. “Let me see what I found.” I pulled the pack out from the back seat and rummaged inside, then came out with the two things I’d found under the rock—a wallet and a scrap of fabric. “Well, well. You think this might be a clue?”

DON’T GLOAT, Fang said. OPEN IT.

I did, and the young face that stared back at me from the driver’s license was one I’d never heard of. “Adam Bukowski. Do you know that name?” I asked Fang.

NOPE.

I rifled through it, but it contained only the normal stuff you’d find in a wallet. Nothing saying “Member of the New Blood Movement” or “Bloodsuckers-R-Us.” Though he did have an expired University of Texas student ID.

“Nothing,” I complained. “What was it doing under the rock?”

“What about that?” Jack asked, pointing at the fabric.

Ah, now it made sense. The scrap of fabric was denim, with the imprint of the wallet outlined in faded white where it had rubbed against the material. “He must have ripped his pocket off on the rock without realizing it.”

“You think it belonged to a vampire?” Jack asked.

MAYBE. OR MAYBE IT BELONGED TO SOME GENERIC SCHMUCK FOOLING AROUND WHERE HE SHOULDN’T BE. Fang snorted. WOW. SOME CLUE YOU FOUND THERE, BABE.

But I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel yet. “Maybe. Maybe not. Let’s do some checking.”

By the time we got back to the blood bank, it was almost sunset. I waited until the sun was fully down, then knocked on Austin’s door, leaving Jack and Fang-the-Cynical behind.

This time, Austin was fully dressed, thank goodness. “Hi,” I said brightly. “Have a computer?”

He raised his eyebrow but ushered me in. “In the corner.”

Of course. Lisette would provide her special guests with all of the latest toys. I crossed the room to the laptop and switched it on. Right about now, I sure wished Shade was with me. He was a real whiz with electronics.

“Why do you need one?” Austin asked, sitting down near me. Thankfully, not too near. Didn’t want to get Lola all riled up.

I told him what I’d learned and showed him what we’d found. “Do you know if Lisette has a vampire with this kind of belt buckle, or one named Adam Bukowski?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll ask.”

Austin went into the other room to call and I sat down at the computer. I might not know as much as Shade, but I could do a simple search. I found several people named Adam Bukowski on social networking sites, but I didn’t belong to any so I couldn’t check them out. I tried a few other search words along with it, but nothing seemed to pop up. And he no longer lived at the address on his license.

Austin came back in. “Any luck?” I asked him.

“No, she doesn’t know anyone by that name. How about you?”

“No, but I’m not very good at this,” I admitted.

“Move over,” he said, careful not to come too close. “Let me try.”

He tried the same things I did, and had a few tricks more, but didn’t turn up anything useful.

I tapped the wallet against my chin. “Hmm. Is it normal in this day and time to have nothing on the Internet about you?”

Austin shrugged. “It is for someone like me. You, too, I bet.”

I nodded. “Good point. Maybe Adam’s a demon.”

“Just what I was thinking.”

“How’s Lisette’s relationship with the local Demon Underground? They know each other well enough to share membership rosters?”

Austin shook his head. “I doubt it. They tolerate each other but don’t socialize. How about Micah? Would he know?”

“Maybe. But I know someone who definitely would.” Tessa, as Micah’s assistant, had all of the information on the Underground at her fingertips. “I’ll call her.”

I pulled out my phone and noticed that I had a voice mail from Micah. I rarely turned the ringer on since I didn’t want my
Thriller
ringtone belting out my location to any baddies looking for me.

Well, Micah could wait. I needed to call Tessa first.

“Hi, Tessa. Can I ask you a favor?”

“Uh, sure,” she said, sounding distracted. “What is it?”

“Do you know of a demon named Adam Bukowski in Austin or San Antonio?”

“Not offhand,” she said. “But I can look it up and call you back if I find out anything.”

“Okay, good. Or you can text me if I don’t answer.”

“Sure, sure. Say, Val, do you know where Micah is?”

“No. Why?”

“It’s probably nothing,” the soothsayer said. “He left last night to check on Gwen, but he didn’t come back to do his last set.”

“I have a voice mail from him. It probably explains everything. Let me call you back.”

“Okay, please do, right away.”