Dead-tective (Book 1): Vampire Dead-tective Read Online Free PDF Page B

opinion. "She isn't competent enough to manage the business," he spoke up.
    Batholomew shrugged. "Perhaps not, but you can teach her."
    Both Vincent and I jerked back in surprise. "No!" we shouted in unison.
    The old man sat down in his chair and grinned at us over his entwined hands. "You two are getting along famously already. This should make your partnership much easier," he quipped.
    "Are you listening to either of us?" I asked him. "I don't know what this business was, but if it had anything to do with Tim's death I don't think I want to work in it."
    "I believe it was exactly why Tim was killed, or shall we say murdered," Batholomew replied. I flinched. That's how the cop had phrased it. "I see I hit the hammer on the nail. What can you tell us about his death?"
    I cringed and hesitantly shrugged. "Only that the cops think he was murdered."
    Batholomew leaned back in his chair and nearly fell over. "How interesting that the police would be involved. Tim's dealings were outside their capacity as enforcers of human laws."
    I'd had enough with this talk of humans, vampires and werewolves. I nervously smiled and backed up away from the desk. "You probably have a lot to think about with Tim-well, with Tim not being around." I felt a lump in my throat at that thought. "So I'll leave you two guys alone to deal with this and just be on my way." I spun around and found myself staring into Vincent's coat. I jumped back and threw up my arms. "Come on! I have no idea what you guys are talking about or what you want from me, okay? I'm just a stupid office girl who had a strange roommate. That's it! Nothing special about normal old me!"
    "Tim evidently thought you were special enough to room with," Bat countered.
    I spun around and glared at Bat. "Tim's dead!" I shot back. I cringed at my own words and at the hurt expression on the old man's face, but I wouldn't give up my chance to leave Crazy-ville. I sighed and my shoulders drooped. "Please just let me go. I promise I won't tell anyone about this place or Vincent, or anything I saw tonight." Bat pursed his lips together, but nodded.
    "Very well. We will let you return to your normal life," he agreed.
    I narrowed my eyes and leaned my head toward him. "You're not fooling me, are you?"
    "Fooling you?" he repeated.
    "Yeah, tricking me. Making me think I can get out of here and then WHAM! You drag me back kicking and screaming and convince me to stay."
    Bat chuckled. "No. You're free to go, and we won't stop you from returning to your old life."
    I backed up away from the desk and my eyes flickered between the pair. "All right, then. I guess I'll be going."
    "It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Stokes," Bat bid me farewell.
    "The pleasure was all yours," I mumbled. I knocked my back into one of the research tables, and sheepishly grinned at him. "Um, being seeing you."
    I swung around and sprinted toward the front door. There were no hurried footsteps behind me, no shouts to stop. I hit the door, flung it open, and burst out into the cool, clean night air. I took a deep breath of the city air and choked on some exhaust. Yep, I was free.
    Unfortunately, I was also totally lost. I had no idea where I was, and with all the creepiness of that night I even doubted when I was. The stars would have been useful if I knew how to read them, but since I didn't know the Ursa Major from a C Minor I took off in a random direction. There were only four cardinal directions to go. How wrong could I be? Apparently very wrong.
    I managed to get out of the forest of dilapidated factories and into one of the less luxurious parts of town. There were abandoned cars without tires, or even rims, and every window in the tall apartment buildings were broken. The roads were potholes with short strips of broken concrete. Walls that weren't spray-painted with graffiti were-wait, there were no walls that didn't have graffiti. Shop doors were ajar because thieves had already stolen everything of value, and on the