Blood Lines

them.
    Of course, there was another number he could call. Fits Roy himself would have long ago crawled back into his coffin for the day, but Vicki might still be at his apartment.
    Celluci snorted. "No, at his condominium ." God, that was such a yuppie word. People who lived in condominiums ate raw fish, drank lite beer, and collected baseball cards for their investment potential. Granted Fitzroy did none of those things, but he still played at the lifestyle. And romance novels? Bad enough for a man to write the asinine things but for a… a… for what Fitzroy was…
    No. He wasn't calling Fitzroy's place. It was a big city, Vicki could be anywhere. Very likely she was taking young Tony home and tucking him in. The thought of Vicki in such a maternal role brought a sardonic smile and the thought that followed lifted his eyebrows almost to his hairline.
    Tucking Tony in?
    No. Celluci shook his head emphatically. Thinking about Fitzroy was driving his mind right into the gutter. He shrugged into his jacket, grabbed his keys up off the kitchen table, and headed for the door. Vicki no doubt had a good reason for not calling. He trusted her. Maybe Tony's fears hadn't been completely unfounded-Fitzroy had been hurt facing the mummy, and she'd taken him wherever one took a hurt… romance writer. He trusted her innate good sense not to have used the information Fitzroy may have brought back and gone out after the mummy herself…
    'And if there isn't a message waiting for me at the office, I'm going to take her innate good sense and beat her to death with it."
    The phone rang.
    'Great timing, Vicki, I was just on my way out the door. And where the hell have you been anyway? I told you to call me first thing!"
    'Celluci, shut up for a minute and listen."
    Celluci blinked. "Dave?" His partner didn't sound like a happy man. "What's wrong. It's not the baby, is it?"
    'No, no, she's fine." On the other end of the line, Dave Graham took a deep breath. "Look, Mike, you're going to have to lay low for a while. Cantree wants you picked up and brought in."
    'Say what?"
    'He's got a warrant for your arrest."
    'On what charge?"
    'There doesn't appear to be one. It's a special…"
    'It's a fucking setup." Celluci grinned, suddenly relieved. "You didn't actually believe it, did you?"
    'Yeah. I believed it. And you'd better, too." Something in Dave's voice wiped the grin off his face. "I don't know what's going on around here today, but they've shuffled a couple of departments around, no warning, and that warrant'll stand.
    I've never seen Cantree so serious about anything."
    'Shit." It was more of an observation than an expletive.
    'You can say that again, buddy-boy. I'm not sure I should ask, but just what have you done?"
    'I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I found out something I shouldn't have." Celluci considered what Vicki had told him about the Solicitor General's Halloween party. Cantree. God damn it! The son of a bitch has subverted one of the few honest cops in the city . He had to assume that Fitzroy had been an accurate witness, but the thought of Cantree, of all people, blindly dancing to another man's tune made him feel physically ill. And he's dancing right over me. The next time I think there's a mummy on the rampage in Toronto, I'll keep my fucking mouth shut . "Are you calling from headquarters?"
    'Do I look like an idiot?" Dave's voice was dry. "I'm at the Taco Bell around on Yonge Street."

    'Good. Look, Dave, this is bigger than just me. Watch your back and, for the next little while, keep a very, very low profile."
    'Hey, you don't need to tell me. There's something majorly weird going down around here and I've never been keen on being strip searched. How do I stay in touch?"
    'Uh… good question." He could access messages off his machine by remote and as long as the messages were short enough there wouldn't be time to trace the line back; but they'd be monitoring and that would put Dave right in the toilet with him. Odds were good they'd also be monitoring Vicki's line. Cantree was well aware how close the two of them had been and how close they'd stayed. Best to keep away from Vicki's place completely and that included keeping Dave away from Vicki's answering machine.
    'You could call me."
    'No. Even if they don't suspect you warned me, they'll be monitoring your lines. You're the logical person for me to call. Damn it all to hell anyway!" He slapped his palm against the table and stared at the scrap