The Sookie Stackhouse Companion

looks, and she resolves to take action. When he leaves after the funeral to go with the family to Belle Rive, she sneaks into his home and steals a CD of his vampire database, determined to locate the living child of his sire and save his life.
    SATURDAY, APRIL 29. Sookie is able to read the CD and discovers that Lorena’s only other child, Judith Vardamon, lives in Little Rock. An e-mail address is included, and after some soul-searching, Sookie decides that Bill’s illness is more important than other considerations and that the vampire should be given the opportunity to help him if she can. Sookie sends an e-mail explaining Bill’s situation and then leaves to return the CD to Bill’s home. As she is crossing the cemetery, she sees Andy by Miss Caroline’s new grave. When he comments that he hates that the family received charity from Bill, Sookie tells him that it was not charity, that Bill was simply a man who cared for his family and wanted to help them. A bemused Andy then tells her that Miss Caroline has left her famous chocolate cake recipe to the town and that it was received with great excitement at the newspaper office. He visibly brightens at Sookie’s equally thrilled response to the news. Sookie hurries on to Bill’s home to return the borrowed CD.
    As Sookie works the afternoon shift at Merlotte’s, she is stunned when she accidentally reads the thoughts of the cook, Antoine, and discovers that he is a government informant. When he realizes she knows, he begs her to talk to him before she does anything, but Sookie goes directly to Sam. Antoine tells them that he had gotten in trouble with the law over the theft of a car when he was desperate after Katrina and that Agent Weiss came to see him in jail, bringing Agent Lattesta, who offered him a deal. Lattesta already knew that Antoine’s uncle was a Were, and the agent was convinced not only that the shifters would come out, just as the vampires did, but that there were other things out there as well. Not quite certain of Sookie’s nature, Lattesta sent Antoine to Merlotte’s to keep an eye on her. After Lattesta was ordered to leave Sookie alone, he continued to expect Antoine to report the activities of Sam and all the other supes that came into the bar. Antoine tells them he had already decided not to spy anymore and is relieved when Sam believes him and lets him keep his job. When Antoine goes back to the kitchen, Sam and Sookie begin to share their personal troubles, and both agree to go out to dinner again the next night if they don’t hear from their significant others.
    Sookie is surprised to see her brother waiting for her on her front porch after work. She calls out a greeting before realizing that the man is actually Dermot. A terrified Sookie wonders if he has finally come to kill her. Dermot tells her not to be afraid and that he only wants to get to know her and Jason better. He claims he had nothing to do with the death of her parents and that Breandan had lied to him and told him that Niall had killed his brother. As they converse, Sookie realizes that her uncle is desperately trying to warn her of something but has somehow been bespelled, so he is confused and crazed. He is able to tell her of another fairy who wishes her ill and that he will be looking over her, and then he vanishes. She calls Jason, letting him know to be especially vigilant.
    Going through the past few daily newspapers while her dinner is cooking, Sookie realizes that there is still a great deal of tension about the shifters. She also reads about two especially brutal gang killings in Shreveport. She receives a message from Alcide with the time and date of the pack meeting and calls Jason again to give him the information. Finally giving in to the desire to contact Eric, from whom she has not heard a word in several days, she telephones him about the upcoming pack meeting, and he asks her to come see him.
    Arriving at Fangtasia, Sookie is shocked by how few customers are in the vampire bar. She finds Eric sitting with Alexei and Appius. Alexei begins to speak of his human family, taking Sookie’s hand and showing her his memories of all that was done to him and his family in order to justify his current sense of entitlement and desire to be allowed to go his own way. Sickened, Sookie tells him he still has a responsibility to live the right way. Pam interrupts them with the unwelcome news that the new area BVA representative has arrived in the bar, and