name is Joe Laszlo. He was an American from someplace called Gresham, Oregon.” It was Carol who spoke. She dropped down next to her sister putting her backpack between her feet and leaning towards the others. “I talked to someone who had gone on another tour with him. I guess he thought he was a weredog. He turned into a black lab , but get this—he hated dogs. What a strange world we live in—where people believe in things like magic and changing shape. I feel like more people should be required to read non-fiction and less allowed to read novels.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Cathy said. “Novels don’t make people crazy. Some people just need help.”
“Well this man needed a lot of help,” Carol replied. “It’s unfortunate that he was failed so thoroughly.”
Ingrid snorted, but didn’t look up from her phone. She felt like it would be in her best relationship interest to be the one who informed Gabe he’d be getting a call from Presidium cops about the suspicious American and a murder rap. By the time she’d rewritten it seventeen times, Emily had returned and was watching over Ingrid’s shoulder as she sent the fateful text. Hopefully Gabe was sleeping.
Ingrid had no idea what time it was on Sage Island, but she was absolutely certain, she wasn’t in the mood to explain herself right now. She felt the eyes of the two sisters on her and glanced up.
“You don’t think he needed help?”
Ingrid paused, trying to understand that question and realizing that the sisters referred to the dead guy. Yes, you need help if you can turn into a dog and hate dogs. She searched for answers that might work and then said, “Everyone needs help sometimes. But Gresham can’t be a real place,” Ingrid said. “It can’t be. It sounds stupid.”
“I think I might have been there,” Emily replied. “I got lost in Portland with Mary. I think Gresham is over there.”
“Stop telling lies,” Ingrid said, looking at Carol who seemed to be enjoying having found things out too much. “How do you know about this guy, Carol?”
“I talked to Igor who had talked to Katie who is his wife. She’s the little woman who is crying on him.”
“Igor the cop?” Ingrid asked.
“No, Igor is the name of the guy pretending to be a vampire for the tour. He says he is one when I asked him. He’s staying in character even though the murder happened. I am going to fill out a comment card saying how impressed I was with him. Even though he should probably set aside the act to honor the dead.”
Cathy nodded and then seemed to think better of it. She hedged and then said, “I don’t know, Carol. If I were Joe, I wouldn’t like someone pretending to be a vampire over my body.”
“I don’t think he’d mind,” Ingrid said dryly, “seeing as how he thought he could become a dog at times.”
“I suppose…” Cathy didn’t seem to agree, but she was too nice to start an argument when the dead guy’s wife had just walked into the room.
“I wonder what she can do,” Ingrid said to Emily but Carol was the one who answered.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I would think that any person who was married to someone who believes they can shapeshift might just have her own version of reality. Did you hear what she thought she was?”
“It’s ridiculous. It doesn’t seem nice to say,” Carol said, but without further prodding she leaned forward to whisper, “She told Igor that her father was a necromancer but her mother was a shapeshifter. She says she can turn into a humming bird.”
“That’s probably why she flits about like she does.” Emily said, “It has been bugging me. How she doesn’t seem to walk. It’s like she just disappears and then appears across the room.”
“You know what’s bugging me,” Ingrid said, “How it’s cold in here, and they won’t use the obvious tools to bring this to an end. They should at least just use those obvious tools on the willing and let them get back to
“That’s ridiculous,” Cathy said. “Novels don’t make people crazy. Some people just need help.”
“Well this man needed a lot of help,” Carol replied. “It’s unfortunate that he was failed so thoroughly.”
Ingrid snorted, but didn’t look up from her phone. She felt like it would be in her best relationship interest to be the one who informed Gabe he’d be getting a call from Presidium cops about the suspicious American and a murder rap. By the time she’d rewritten it seventeen times, Emily had returned and was watching over Ingrid’s shoulder as she sent the fateful text. Hopefully Gabe was sleeping.
Ingrid had no idea what time it was on Sage Island, but she was absolutely certain, she wasn’t in the mood to explain herself right now. She felt the eyes of the two sisters on her and glanced up.
“You don’t think he needed help?”
Ingrid paused, trying to understand that question and realizing that the sisters referred to the dead guy. Yes, you need help if you can turn into a dog and hate dogs. She searched for answers that might work and then said, “Everyone needs help sometimes. But Gresham can’t be a real place,” Ingrid said. “It can’t be. It sounds stupid.”
“I think I might have been there,” Emily replied. “I got lost in Portland with Mary. I think Gresham is over there.”
“Stop telling lies,” Ingrid said, looking at Carol who seemed to be enjoying having found things out too much. “How do you know about this guy, Carol?”
“I talked to Igor who had talked to Katie who is his wife. She’s the little woman who is crying on him.”
“Igor the cop?” Ingrid asked.
“No, Igor is the name of the guy pretending to be a vampire for the tour. He says he is one when I asked him. He’s staying in character even though the murder happened. I am going to fill out a comment card saying how impressed I was with him. Even though he should probably set aside the act to honor the dead.”
Cathy nodded and then seemed to think better of it. She hedged and then said, “I don’t know, Carol. If I were Joe, I wouldn’t like someone pretending to be a vampire over my body.”
“I don’t think he’d mind,” Ingrid said dryly, “seeing as how he thought he could become a dog at times.”
“I suppose…” Cathy didn’t seem to agree, but she was too nice to start an argument when the dead guy’s wife had just walked into the room.
“I wonder what she can do,” Ingrid said to Emily but Carol was the one who answered.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I would think that any person who was married to someone who believes they can shapeshift might just have her own version of reality. Did you hear what she thought she was?”
“It’s ridiculous. It doesn’t seem nice to say,” Carol said, but without further prodding she leaned forward to whisper, “She told Igor that her father was a necromancer but her mother was a shapeshifter. She says she can turn into a humming bird.”
“That’s probably why she flits about like she does.” Emily said, “It has been bugging me. How she doesn’t seem to walk. It’s like she just disappears and then appears across the room.”
“You know what’s bugging me,” Ingrid said, “How it’s cold in here, and they won’t use the obvious tools to bring this to an end. They should at least just use those obvious tools on the willing and let them get back to
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