Blood Lines

imagine."
    Oh, yes, I can…
    'Nelson Investigations. No one is available to take your call, but…"
    'Damn it, Vicki, where the fuck are you?" Celluci slammed down the receiver and slammed out of the phone booth.
    Vicki never used her answering machine when she was home. So she wasn't home. So where was she? He'd left a message on Fitzroy's machine and called Vicki's apartment half a dozen times from half a dozen different areas in the city.
    She was probably out working; tracking the mummy, gathering information; maybe even doing her laundry or the grocery shopping. He had no reason to believe she might be in danger.
    Cantree's looking for me. Dave would've mentioned it if she'd been pulled into this as well . Trouble was, Cantree, not to mention a good part of the force, knew about their relationship. And if Fitzroy had found something out about the mummy that Vicki thought she could use, and then she had, Cantree and the Metro Police could be the least of her worries. She was a good cop. One of the best. You don't get to be one of the best without learning not to throw yourself at a superior force .
    So that takes care of Cantree and the mummy , Celluci told himself. Vicki's fine. There's no reason to believe she's in any danger just because she didn't call you when she said she was going to. You're the one up shit creek without the paddle .
    He lit a cigarette, shoved his hands back into his pockets, and slouched down the street, trying not to inhale-a haze of cigarette smoke made an almost impenetrable camouflage when people thought they were looking for a non-smoker. It had been one of Vicki's tricks for going undercover and he suddenly realized how much he'd been counting on her help. Sure, she rushes right over when Fitzroy needs her, but when my balls are in the fire where is she… ?
    Chapter Fourteen
    There were four messages on Henry's answering machine. Two were from Mike Celluci for Vicki. One was from someone named Dave Graham for Celluci; apparently nothing had changed. With a growing sense of unease, Henry wondered just what nothing referred to. The fourth message was from Tony, for him.

    ' Look, Henry, I know Victory says you're okay, but I want to hear it from you. Call me. Please. "
    He'd barely hung up after reassuring the younger man when the phone rang.
    'Fitzroy? Celluci. Have you heard from Vicki?"
    Henry's grip tightened on the receiver. The plastic groaned. "No," he said quietly, "I haven't. Why?"
    'I've been trying to get her all day. When she contacts you, warn her to lay low. Cantree's got a warrant out for my arrest and he might have one for her."
    Cantree. The man Henry had watched ensorcelled. According to Vicki, Celluci had been vocal about his belief in the mummy around the station so it wasn't surprising Tawfik had decided to silence him. Henry frowned. Tawfik had no contact with Vicki though.
    'What does Vicki have to do with this?" he demanded.
    'Cantree knows how close we are, Vicki and I." The emphasis was unmistakably a deliberate dig. "He won't believe for a minute that I didn't give her all the details on something I felt that strongly about."
    Henry fought his way through a wave of jealousy and barely made it out the other side. "How do we know he doesn't already have her?"
    'I gave Dave Graham, my partner, your number. If she's picked up, he'll let me know."
    'Graham left a message. He says nothing's changed."
    'Okay. Cantree doesn't have her. You stay put in case she calls. I'll stay in touch. Once we know she's safe, we can make plans."
    'Do not presume, mortal…"
    'And don't bullshit me, Fitzroy. Can you find her?"
    Could he track the call of her blood, with so many other lives around? "No."
    'Then stay put! Look," Henry heard the effort it took for Celluci to force reason into his voice, "if you hit the streets, we'll have no way to pull together again. Vicki can take care of herself."
    'Not against Tawfik."
    'God damn it, Fitzroy, she's not up against Tawfik. He's using Cantree now to…"
    'What about Trembley?"
    'He didn't have his bully boys in place then. I know how these guys work. Once they have an organization set up, they don't dirty their own hands anymore."
    'Tawfik is not some petty crime boss, Detective." Henry bit the words off and spat them into the phone. "And you have no idea of how the mind of an immortal works." Ignoring anything further Celluci had to say, and that seemed to be a great deal, Henry very carefully hung up the phone. Vicki lived. He