Circus of the Damned Read Online Free PDF Page A

said.
    â€œEverybody is already maxed.”
    â€œListen, Bert, you’re the one who said yes to the police. You’re the one who put me on retainer to them. You thought it would be great publicity.”
    â€œIt has been great publicity,” he said.
    â€œYeah, but it’s like working two full-time jobs sometimes. I can’t do both.”
    â€œThen drop the retainer. I had no idea it’d take up this much of your time.”
    â€œIt’s a murder investigation, Bert. I can’t drop it.”
    â€œLet the police do their own dirty work,” he said.
    He was a fine one to talk about that. Him with his squeaky-clean fingernails and nice safe office. “They need my expertise and my contacts. Most of the monsters won’t talk to the police.”
    He was quiet on the other end of the phone. His breathing came harsh and angry. “You can’t do this to me. We’ve taken money, signed contracts.”
    â€œI asked you to hire extra help months ago.”
    â€œI hired John Burke. He’s been handling some of your vampire slayings, as well as raising the dead.”
    â€œYeah, John’s a big help, but we need more. In fact, I bet he could take at least one of my zombies tonight.”
    â€œRaise five in one night?”
    â€œI’m doing it,” I said.
    â€œYes, but John isn’t you.”
    That was almost a compliment. “You have two choices, Bert; either reschedule or delegate them to someone else.”
    â€œI am your boss. I could just say come in tonight or you’re fired.” His voice was firm and matter-of-fact.
    I was tired and cold sitting on the bed in my bra and undies. I didn’t have time for this. “Fire me.”
    â€œYou don’t mean that,” he said.
    â€œLook, Bert, I’ve been on my feet for over twenty hours. If I don’t get some sleep soon, I’m not going to be able to work for anybody.”
    He was silent for a long time, his breathing soft and regular in my ear. Finally, he said, “Alright, you’re free for tonight. But you damn well better be back on the job tomorrow.”
    â€œI can’t promise that, Bert.”
    â€œDammit, Anita, do you want to be fired?”
    â€œThis is the best year we’ve ever had, Bert. Part of that’s due to the articles on me in the Post-Dispatch .”
    â€œThey were about zombie rights and that government study you’re on. You didn’t do them to help promote our business.”
    â€œBut it worked, didn’t it? How many people call up and ask specifically for me? How many people say they’ve seen me in the paper? How many heard me on the radio? I may be promoting zombie rights, but it’s damn good for business. So cut me some slack.”
    â€œYou don’t think I’d do it, do you?” His voice snarled through the phone. He was pissed.
    â€œNo, I don’t,” I said.
    His breath was short and harsh. “You damn well better show up tomorrow night, or I’m going to call your bluff.” He slammed the receiver in my ear. Childish.
    I hung up the phone and stared at it. The Resurrection Company in California had made me a handsome offer a few months back. But I really didn’t want to move to the west coast, or the east coast for that matter. I liked St. Louis. But Bert was going to have to break down and hire more help. I couldn’t keep this schedule up. Sure, it’d get better after October, but I just seemed to be going from one emergency to another for this entire year.
    I had been stabbed, beaten, shot, strangled, and vampire-bit in the space of four months. There comes a point where you just have too many things happening too close together. I had battle fatigue.
    I left a message on my judo instructor’s machine. I went twice a week at four o’clock, but I wasn’t going to make it today. Three hours of sleep just wouldn’t have been enough.
    I dialed the