The Night Beat

a realtor. I’d be happy to show you around if you’re not already represented.” He whipped a card out of the pocket of his jogging pants. It was only a little damp.
    “Bill Bennett, Realtor for all seasons,” I read aloud as Ralph sniffed him openly and I sniffed surreptitiously. “Great. We’ll definitely give you a call.”
    “I’ll look forward to it. Beautiful dog,” he added, as he did the manly pet the dog thing. I got the distinct feeling Bill was hitting on me. “What breed is he?”
    “Russian Wolfhound. Very highly trained. I paid a fortune for him, but he’s worth it, aren’t you, baby?” I said in that nauseating way pet owners talk to their animal friends.
    Ralph got into the act, doing the happy doggy dance that begged for more attention. He got it from Bill. I was getting tired of the act. Besides, the canine part of me sort of wanted to go all wiggy, too -- Bill was clearly either a dog lover or pathologically lonely, because he seemed ready to take Ralph home.
    “Well,” I said as regretfully as I could manage, “we’d probably better get going.”
    Bill nodded and gave Ralph one last enthusiastic pet-rub combo. “Bring your dog along when you’re ready to house hunt,” he said as he started jogging off around the perimeter of the Estates. “You should be sure he likes it, too.” Yep, definitely a dog lover. He waved to our cars’ occupants as he trotted off, which reminded me that they were still there. Acting human took a lot out of me when I hadn’t had food or sleep for a while.
    We went to the car and got in. “Something’s odd about the Hellfire.”
    “Your new boyfriend didn’t seem to notice it,” Jack said sourly.
    “More to the point,” Ralph said before I could work up a suitable comeback, “he didn’t smell of it.”
    “Of what?” Jack asked.
    “Of Hellfire, of sulfur, of anything other than laundry detergent, sweat, and a little more cologne than necessary to go jogging,” I replied.
    “He probably picks up girls all along his jogging route,” Jack muttered.
    “What’s him not smelling of Hellfire mean?” Freddy asked.
    Ralph beat me to this answer, too. “That it’s not Hellfire we’re seeing.”

Chapter 48
     
    “What do you mean?” Sexy Cindy asked. “You said it was Hellfire, we can see it. You said humans can go through it safely, so maybe that’s why he didn’t smell.”
    “He smelled. He just didn’t smell like he should have. Humans can’t feel Hellfire if they can’t see it, so Bill was safe jogging through it.”
    “Bill?” Jack asked.
    “Bill Bennett, Realtor for all seasons. I told him we were thinking of moving in. Anyway, even though most humans can’t sense Hellfire, going through it should leave traces, one of the easiest to spot being smell. And there was none.”
    “There’s a smell of Hellfire when you’re close to the flames,” Ralph added. “But there was none on Bill, and I got some good, intense sniffs in.”
    “Meaning?” Jack asked.
    I thought about it. “They knew we were coming.” I thought some more. “The Hellfire’s an illusion. Designed to send us away, keep us out, make us waste time, effort and materials to get rid of it. But it’s not really there.”
    “And if you’re wrong and we go through it, then what?” Jack asked.
    “We’re dusted.”
    There was dead silence in the car. Ralph broke it. “I’ll go through.”
    I resisted the urge to mention that he always grandstanded when I was nearby. One of us actually had to test it. But he wasn’t the one in charge. “No, it should be me.”
    Ralph actually bared his fangs at me, which I was pretty sure was the first time, ever. “No. If anyone’s going to risk getting dusted, it’ll be me, and not you. Ever.”
    “I agree,” Jack said. He got out of the car and held his door for Ralph.
    “Ralph, what if we’re wrong?” I asked as he again scrambled over the front seat.
    He looked at me. “Then the pack goes down by one.”
    “You sound awfully cavalier.”
    Ralph closed his eyes. When he opened them again he looked sad. “No. I just think we’re right. And even if we’re not and I get dusted, well….” He sighed. “I’m alone anyway. No one’ll miss me, not really.” He turned and quickly jumped out of the car.
    I sat there with a variety of feelings running through me. Guilt was really high on the list. I knew Ralph liked me and I didn’t like him back. But it wasn’t just that. As I sat there and thought