Bound to Shadows Read Online Free PDF Page B

call,” she continued. “I wasn’t arguing.”
Five hundred dollars seemed like overkill to me, and I wondered if it was deliberately done to

attract interest. Although why would a killer want to bring attention to his crime? Unless, of

course, he was one of those freaks who liked notoriety. “And did you get the cash?”
“Sure.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a wad of bills. “I made him pay me

first.”
“Did it cross your mind that you might have been taking money from a killer?”
She frowned. “Of course he wasn’t the killer. There was no blood on him.”
I didn’t bother pointing out the obvious flaws in that logic. I mean,

it wouldn’t have been hard to change clothes before he came into the club. I reached out

telepathically and scanned her memories. Images flitted—insubstantial wisps of faces and fangs

mixed in with resonance of pleasure. She’d talked to several men over the night and had taken

enjoyment from many more. I withdrew, then asked, “Was there anything else about him that stood

out? Anything odd?”
She was shaking her head even before I’d finished. “He was average. It was his eyes that made me

remember him.”
“Do you think you’d remember enough about him to work up an image?” Given what I’d seen in her

mind, I doubted she’d remember more than what she’d already said, but it was worth a

shot.
“Maybe.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not much of an artist, though.”
I smiled. “We’ll send someone over to you. All you have to do is describe what you

remember.”
“That I can manage,” she said, nodding.
“Do you know a man named Grant Haven?” I couldn’t help adding.
She shook her head. “Why? Is he the one who lost his head?”
“I’m afraid so. He apparently used to work here.”
“He might have done. I don’t ask their names, you know?”
If it was me, I’d want to know the name of the man I was trusting to provide fulfillment in the

form of a bite. But then, regular junkies often didn’t know the names of their suppliers. All

that mattered was the hit.
“That’s it for now, then. We’ll be in contact with you to get the image.”
She nodded and sprang to her feet. “So I can go?”
“You certainly can.” I waited until she’d opened the door before adding, “Oh, there is one more

thing.”
She paused and raised an eyebrow as she glanced around at me. “Yes?”
“Why this place? You obviously can afford to go to one of the better establishments.”
Surprise flitted across her features, then she smiled ruefully. “If I go to the other places, I

might run into people I know.” She shrugged, and there were shadows of unhappiness in her eyes.

“I can’t seem to give this craving up. I want to, but I can’t. So I come here, where no one I

know would ever come.”
“Thanks, Mandy.”
She nodded and traipsed out, though I fully expected her to get one more pleasure hit before she

left the club. She had that hungry look in her eyes, despite the sadness I’d glimpsed.
The remaining two patrons couldn’t tell me anything more. Neither of them recognized the victim’s

name, and they didn’t even seem to care that someone had been murdered close by. The only thing

they cared about was the inconvenience we were causing them.
I let them go, then switched off the recorder and shoved the phone back into my pocket. It was

time to go home and catch up on some sleep.
I pushed to my feet and headed out the door. The interior of the club was still dark, despite the

fact it was close to eleven. Obviously all the windows had been blacked out.
I walked over to the bar and motioned to the bartender. Business had to be slow, because he was

still chewing gum and polishing glasses.
“Your boss was going to leave me the address of a Henry Gateway.”
He raised an eyebrow and, after a heartbeat, said, “The boss is on his way down again.”
Damn. I did not need another confrontation with that