The Night Beat

side.”
    I felt myself flush. Either Jack had acquired mind-reading abilities from hanging with Black Angel One for ten minutes or I hadn’t kept any emotion off my face when we were with Jude and probably wasn’t doing too great a job right now, either. “I don’t still have the hots for him. We just broke up kind of strangely. Besides, in case you’ve missed it, I have the hots for you now.”
    Jack grinned and I felt him relax. “Good to be sure.”
    “If you’re feeling all better, we need to get addresses on all the recently dead’s relatives and probably the relatives of the recently hospitalized as well.”
    Jack pulled out his cell phone. “Decided not to leave this in the car.” He dialed and started talking to Darlene.
    While he was occupied I sidled over to Black Angel Two. “What, exactly, are we waiting for?”
    Miriam shook her head, Magdalena heaved a martyred sigh. Nothing coming from them. Did the same with Black Angel One. Got charming smiles, but in the “go away little girl” way.
    Decided to give Martin a try. “Want to share? At all?”
    “Psychic attack. Really, Victoria, we all need to concentrate.” He didn’t sound angry, just very, very focused.
    I sidled away. Jack was off the phone and Sexy Cindy and Freddy were standing near him. Huddled near him, really. “You two picking something up?”
    Sexy Cindy shook her head. “Just that the angels are really focused.”
    “They do seem intent,” Freddy agreed. “But I don’t understand. If there is an attack, why don’t we see anyone or anything?”
    “Martin said it was psychic. Which begs the ‘why aren’t there any other angels arriving’ question.”
    “Begs another one,” Jack said. “What’s being attacked? As in, are our favorite big-winged buddies defending themselves or someone else?”
    “And from what?” Sexy Cindy added.
    “And why did they bring us here, if they’re not going to tell us what’s going on or ask us to help?” Freddy asked.
    I considered all these questions. They were good questions. The beings with the answers weren’t sharing, however. Therefore, it was time to act like a cop. I sniffed. Nothing smelled off. I looked carefully at where the angels were standing. Roughly where Black Angel Two had been when they’d resurrected the recently dead.
    I looked at the graves. The earth was moving. Not like it had when Miriam had done the raising. It looked more like the earth was heaving up and being shoved back down, but in a small way, which is why I figured none of us had noticed it.
    The others saw where I was staring and stared there also. “I’m just betting that’s not good,” Sexy Cindy offered.
    “Right you are.” I took a deep breath. “Well, now I know why we’re along for this ride.”
    “Why’s that?” Jack asked.
    “One or more of the minions is trying to raise these dead. Probably as a test run, but who knows, maybe for more nefarious purposes. Our side’s working to keep that from happening.”
    “What happens if they fail?” Freddy asked quietly.
    I shrugged. “To prevent the Prince’s minions from forming the Army of the Damned, we dust them.”

Chapter 41
     
    My dusting comment was greeted with horrified stares from all three of them. “What?”
    “You’d send them to nothingness?” Sexy Cindy asked, clearly appalled. I had to remind myself that the dead were, for all intents and purposes, the closest friends she and Freddy had probably had in the past few years.
    “Look, they went into the ground and stayed there.” I tried to speak as patiently and kindly as I could. “Ken checked them all before they were interred. None of them could become an undead. None of them ascended.”
    “We didn’t ascend,” Freddy interjected. “And according to all of you, we were angel material.”
    “Angel material and ascension aren’t the same thing. In many cases, yes. Black Angels One and Two, Martin, Jude, and so forth. But in other cases, souls ascend and don’t become undeads.”
    “What do they become?” Jack asked.
    “Well, they’re still them, but they reside with the Gods, so to speak. They don’t fight in the War. I think some of them act as advisors. Others I think really get their version of heaven.”
    “You want to explain that?” Freddy sounded thoughtful.
    “I can’t. It’s complicated and the only undeads who ever go up to visit with the Gods and those who have ascended are angels. They don’t share much, as a rule.” I