Mercy Thompson 01-05 - THE MERCY THOMPSON COLLECTION

The dark one.”
    Adam.
    â€œTomorrow will be fine, Mrs. Hanna. What brings you out so early?”
    She looked around as if bewildered by the question. Then relaxed and smiled. “Oh that was Joe. He told me I’d better change my route if I wanted to keep visiting him.”
    I smiled at her. When she’d been alive, she’d talked about John this and Peter that. I never had been sure if she really had boyfriends, or just liked to pretend that she had.
    She leaned forward confidentially. “We women always have to change for our men, don’t we.”
    Startled I stared at her. That was it exactly. I felt as though Adam was changing who I was.
    She saw that her words had hit home and nodded happily. “But they’re worth it, God love them. They’re worth it.”
    She puttered off in her usual shuffle-shuffle step that covered a surprising amount of ground.

Chapter 10
    â€œNo, sir, she’s not—” Gabriel looked up as I walked into the shop. “Wait. She’s here.”
    I took the phone, thinking it might be Tony or Elizaveta. “This is Mercy.”
    â€œThis is John Beckworth, I’m calling from Virginia. I’m sorry, I forgot how much earlier you are than we.”
    The voice was familiar, but the name was wrong. “Mr. Black?” I asked.
    â€œYes,” he sounded a little sheepish. “It’s Beckworth, actually. I just got off the phone with a Bran Cornick. He suggested that there is some trouble in the Tri-Cities.”
    â€œYes, we have something of a…situation here.” Either Adam had called Bran yesterday, or Darryl had remembered the Blacks/Beckworths and talked to him this morning.
    â€œSo Mr. Cornick said. He suggested that we fly to Montana early next week.” He paused. “He seemed less intense than Adam Hauptman.”
    That was Bran, quiet and calm until he ripped out your throat.
    â€œAre you calling to make sure he’s safe?” I asked.
    â€œYes. He wasn’t on the list of men you gave me.”
    â€œIf I had a daughter, I’d have no qualms leaving her with Bran,” I said sincerely, ignoring the question of why Bran’s name wasn’t on the list. “He’ll take good care of you and your family.”
    â€œHe talked to Kara, my daughter,” he said, and there was a world of relief in his voice. “I don’t know what he said, but I haven’t seen her this happy in years.”
    â€œGood.”
    â€œMs. Thompson, if there is ever anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to call.”
    I started to automatically refuse, but then I stopped. “Are you really a reporter?”
    He laughed. “Yes, but I don’t cover celebrity sex lives. I’m an investigative journalist.”
    â€œYou have ways of finding out about people?”
    â€œYes.” He sounded intrigued.
    â€œI need as much information as you can get on a man named Cory Littleton. He has a website. Fancies himself a magician. It would be particularly helpful if you could find out if he owns property in the Tri-Cities.” That was a long shot, but I knew that Warren had checked out all the hotels and rentals. If Littleton was here, he had some place to stay.
    He read the name back to me again. “I’ll get what I can. It may take a few days.”
    â€œBe careful,” I said. “He’s dangerous. You don’t want him to know you’re looking.”
    â€œIs this connected to the trouble Mr. Cornick was telling me about?”
    â€œThat’s right.”
    â€œTell me how to contact you—probably an e-mail address would be best.”
    I gave him what he needed, and thanked him. Hanging up the phone, I noticed Gabriel’s eyes on me.
    â€œTrouble?” he asked.
    Maybe I should have worked harder to keep Gabriel out of my world. But he had a good head on his shoulders, and he wasn’t stupid. I’d decided it was easier to tell him what I could—and safer than if he went looking.
    â€œYes. Bad trouble.”
    â€œThat phone call last night?”
    â€œThat’s part of it. Warren’s hurt badly. Samuel and Adam are missing.”
    â€œWhat is it?”
    I shrugged. “That I can’t tell you.” The vampires didn’t like people talking about them.
    â€œIs he a werewolf?”
    â€œNo, not a werewolf.”
    â€œA vampire like Stefan?”
    I stared at him.
    â€œWhat?