Blood Pact

personal and no one's business but hers. "And because Donald's dead.”

    "So's that kid and so's my mother!”

    "The kid was an accident. Your mother was dying. Donald had everything to live for.” For an instant her face crumpled then it smoothed again. "What's more," she continued, pouring the final dregs from the bottle, "I liked Donald.”

    "You liked my mother!”

    Dr. Burke looked placidly across the desk at Vicki. "You said you had two questions. What's the second?”

    How could this creature sit there so calmly and admit to such horror? Caught up in an emotional maelstrom, Vicki was unable to speak. Realizing that the next time she broke, Celluci wouldn't be able to stop her, she spread her hands and stepped back from the desk.

    He recognized the signs and moved forward.

    "Where," he asked, "is Henry Fitzroy?”

    "With Catherine.”

    He took a deep breath and ran both hands up through his hair. "All right. Where is Catherine?”

    Dr. Burke shrugged. "I haven't the faintest idea.”

Thirteen
    "All right. Let's see if I understand what you're saying." Vicki drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Screaming and throwing things would contribute nothing to the situation. "Your graduate student, Catherine, who is crazy, has murdered your other graduate student, Donald. When you went back to the lab, late this afternoon, you discovered she'd hidden Henry and you don't know where she is, they are.”

    Dr. Burke nodded. "Essentially.”

    So much for good intentions. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN, ESSENTIALLY?”

    Alcohol-induced remoteness cracked as Vicki grabbed the lapels of Dr. Burke's lab coat and nearly dragged her over the desk. ”If you could loosen your grip," she gasped, "I might find it easier . . . to answer your question.”

    Vicki merely snarled inarticulately.

    "Detec . . . tive!”

    Celluci shifted his gaze to a point about six inches over the doctor's head, expression aggressively neutral.

    Collar cutting into her windpipe, Dr. Burke realized further hesitation would only make things worse. "She's in the old Life Sciences building. Your vampiric friend is locked in a big metal box. Trying to maneuver that out the door and into her van would’ve attracted a bit of attention. Where in the building . . ." Considering her position, the shrug was credible. "...I have no idea.”

    Vicki didn't so much release her hold as shove the older woman back into the chair. "Your lab is in there? In the old building?”

    "Yes." Rubbing the back of her neck where the fabric had dug in, Dr. Burke snapped, "And so is your mother. Somewhere." She shot a superior look up over the edge of her glasses. "Your dead mother. Walking around.”

    My dead mother. Walking around. Anger couldn't stand under the weight of that pronouncement.

    "Vicki?”

    She fought free of the image of her mother flattened against the window and met Celluci's worried gaze.

    "We have a confession. We can call in Detective Fergusson now. You don't have to have anything more to do with this.”

    "Nice try, Mike." She swallowed, trying to wet a throat gone dry. "But you're forgetting about Henry.”

    "Mustn't forget Henry." Above the hand still rubbing at her throat, Dr. Burke almost grinned. "I'd love to hear you explain him to the local police. Until you find Henry, you've got to keep this quiet. And after? What about after?" She shook her head at their expressions and sighed, placing both hands flat on her desk. "Never mind, I'll tell you. There won't be an after. Until Catherine contacts me, you haven't a chance of finding your friend. There's a million stupid, useless cubbyholes in that building and she could've stuck him in any of them. You're just going to have to sit here with me and wait for her phone call.”

    "And then?”

    "Then I play along, she tells me where she's stashed him, you get him out, call the police, and she pays for Donald.”

    Vicki's eyes narrowed. "And you'll pay for my mother.”

    "Ms. Nelson, if it makes you happy, I'll even pay for dinner.”

    "What if she doesn't call?" Celluci demanded, cutting off Vicki's response.

    "She said she would.”

    "You said she's crazy.”

    "There is that.”

    "Mike, I can't wait." Vicki took four steps toward the door, turned on one heel, and took three steps back. "I can't base everything on what a crazy woman may or may not do. I'm going to find him. She . . ." A toss of her head indicated the doctor. ". . . can take us to the lab. We'll work a search