Companions Of The Night Part 7

"My father?" she asked incredulously, not knowing whether to be relieved or if this was further bad news "Your father's car," Ethan corrected "Is your father in his mid-to-late fifties with a receding hairline and a tendency to wear flannel shirts?"

"No"

"Good" Ethan read, " 'Witnesses say the Skylark side- swiped the bus, driving it off the road near the comer of Brockport Townline Road and Route Thirty-one The bus skidded along the guardrail for a hundred and fifty feet, with the Skylark remaining in position alongside the bus so that d.i.c.kerson couldn't get the vehicle back up on the shoulder At the point where the guardrail ended, the bus's right front wheel went up over the concrete divider, causing the bus to tip over onto its side and fall into the drainage ditch along the side of the road Meanwhile the Skylark came to a stop after hitting a fire hydrant' There s a diagram "

He held the paper up so she could see, but it was hard to focus "Was anybody"-she couldn't say killed-"hurt?"

His blue eyes moved rapidly back and forth as he skimmed the article "Cuts, bruises, a couple broken arms and cracked ribs Most of the people were treated at Lakeside, then re- leased One kid, Kurt Wilmier"-Kerry nodded to show she knew who he meant-"was. .h.i.t by flying gla.s.s and he was taken to Strong Memorial in Rochester The rest afl seem to be in satisfactory condition at Lakeside They say the bus nor- mally transports forty-five students but most had been dropped off already, so there were only seven stil! in the bus The driver of the Skylark took off on foot during the confusion"129 They're saying," Kerry asked, "that it was intentional?

The driver of my father's car purposefully Ethan was nodding Kerry sat back in her seat, stunned.

The police checked the registration on the car," Ethan said, "and when they went to your house, they found it as we found it- Your neighbor"-he glanced again at the paper-"Mrs. Annendariz thinks your father and brother may have been missing since Friday evening, based on a phone call from you."

Kerry nodded.

"Either they haven't caught on yet-or they just didn't mention-that that's your bus "

"1 don't take that bus home on Fridays," Kerry said. "Be- cause of working at the store But Brockport Townline Road and Thirty-one, that's right before my stop Do you think this had anything to do with"-Ethan raised his eyebrows at her-"us?"

"If not, I would say that's a fairly incredible coincidence.

Our pursuer is beginning to get a face- Or at least a hairline."

This is not something to take lightly."

"Oh, I'm not taking it lightly," Ethan a.s.sured her "One thing we've learned over the years, the number one rule- after You can neper have too many covers w a wma.ow-is Don'I mes with kids."

She remembered the very first night, when he had talked her into not going to the police, arguing that the people from the laundry would never mention her. . . . "People go crazy when other people hurt fcnfs," he'd said. It was to lessen their chances of being found out, but still, she thought, it was onepoint on the side of the vampires.

This is awful," she said. "Whoever this is, he risked killing 130.

a school bus-load of kids to get at me What kind of a person would do something like that?"

"Not a very smart one," Ethan said, "if he's after you because he thinks you're a vampire, and he rammed the bus in the afternoon "

Kerry picked up her fork and Jabbed it into her omelet several times before she realized what she was doing She mushed what was left of her food into a soupy mix "Now what?" she asked "We need another car," Ethan said Kerry looked at him in shock "We'll rent it," he a.s.sured her "It's just at this point I don't know if my name has gotten tangled up in all this "

"You mean because of"-she finally remembered that they were in a public place-"the people from the laundry dis- appearing?"

He was obviously startled at the suggestion. "No. They didn't disappear Regina and I made it look like it involved drugs and prost.i.tution "

"What?" Kerry asked "Why^"

"Because that's the kind of thing the police see so often they're the least interested in it And to keep the families off track."

"The poor families, though" Kerry thought of shocked parents and spouses spending the rest of their lives thinking they'd never really known their loved ones Like she'd realizedshe'd never really known her mother.

Ethan shrugged "What about Regina's house? Has that been tied in to this?"

"A different article entirely" Ethan turned to the lo- cal section Kerry could read the headline upside down: l3t SINGLE-FAMILY HOME COMPLETELY DESTROYED BY BLAZE,.

and underneath that, in smaller print. Fire of Suspicious Or- igin Ethan read aloud "' arson suspected no one hurt in the blaze The owner wasn't home at the time of the fire. and the police are seeking her for questioning "So," Kerry said, "nothing specific has you worried, but you're just going to"-she suddenly realized, halfway through the sentence-"drop Ethan Bryne and pick up a new ident.i.ty"

He didn't answer "It must be tough," she said, "living through eternity al- ways having to look over your shoulder "

There was a flicker of annoyance across his face, but before he had a chance to say anything, his attention suddenly shifted to the front door Kerry saw a policeman had just walked in For a moment she thought about Jumping up, asking him for help But how likely was a policeman to believe in vampires? And besides, who was better suited to rescue her father and lan from vampire hunters-a policeman or a vampire?

Ethan, she was sure, read all of these conflicting thoughts on her face He gave her a second to be sure of her choice, then "So," he said breezily, opening the newspaper to the last page, "which is your favorite comic?"It took Kerry a moment to catch up " 'Calvin and Hobbes'"

"That's the morning paper How about 'Peanuts'?"

"Fine"

The policeman seemed to know the woman who was the hostess, and the cook, who came out from the kitchen wearing a chefs hat and a white ap.r.o.n Ethan spread the paper out on the table, and they both leaned over it to read "Peanuts" "Cute," Ethan said 132.

"Mmm-bmm," she agreed, though she was too distracted for the words to make any sense Police, or even mall security guards, always made her fee! guilty-even when she hadn't done anything She hoped she didn't look guilty The policeman was looking around the restaurant, and she was sure he paused an extra few seconds on her "1 don't get 'Doonesbury,'" she said "1 never get 'Doonesbury,'" Ethan said The policeman was definitely heading toward them "Excuse me"

Ethan looked up, and if she hadn't known better. Kerry would have sworn he was startled to find a policeman standing there wanting to talk to them Startled, but not worried Curious-the way a perfectly innocent person would be "We're looking for a young girl," the policeman said He even had a picture "My G.o.d," Ethan said, "she looks just like you, Sterne"Kerry reached for the picture It was a copy of the one in the paper Hesitantly, as though thinking about it, she said, "Naw Maybe our eyes arc the same "

"Oh, the nose, too," Ethan said "She definitely has your nose " He took Kerry by the chin and tilted her head so she was in profile for the policeman "Don't you think?" he asked The policeman nodded "The hair's different, of course, curlier and lighter" That had been a side effect of the perm "May I ask your names?"

"Tim," Ethan said, then corrected it to 'Timothy Davm, and my sister"

"Steffie Davin," Kerry said "Do you know this girl?" the policeman asked "Her name's Kerry Nowicki"

133.

"Do we have any Nowickis in the family?" Ethan asked her "What's the name of Aunt Fern's daughter's family-the one in Sodus^"

"Noland, i think," Ethan said "Well," the policeman said, "then I take it you haven't seen her/"

"I don't think so," Ethan said "I don't think so," Kerry repeated Thanks for your trouble " The policeman went back to the hostess and asked if he could set the picture up by the cash register"What do you think she's done?" Kerry asked "fain away," Ethan answered with a knowing nod.

The policeman left " or arson, accessory to murder, grand theft auto, and obstructing justice," Ethan finished Kerry pushed her plate away She was becoming an ac- complished liar-just as her mother had been those last sev- eral months "What? No credit card frauds" she asked "Ah," Ethan leaned in close to whisper, "that comes when we rent the car "

134.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

L THAN USED ANOTHER name to rent the car, charging i-< p="">

"In a few days," Ethan said "By then, if all goes well, 111 have had a chance to return and cover my tracks If not 135.

He shook his head "I don't like to just drop out of sight- unexplained disappearances generate too much interest-but on the other hand, there won't be anybody pressing the police for answers on my behalf"Ifbttfth falW, Kerry realized He was saying what would happen if they succeeded in tracking down the vampire hunter-or if the vampire hunter found them-and he didn't survive the confrontation So she wasn't the only one who was womed Or afraid?

"And what does 'covering your tracks' mean?" she asked "Fabricating evidence that Ethan Bryne was killed in a drug- related execution?"

She didn't think he was going to answer, but he said, "Possibly Although I'd prefer to make it look like Gilbert Marsala killed him, probably as part of a Satanic cult ritual That would explain the message on your living-room wall The paper didn't mention it, but I'm sure even the Brockport police had to notice it"

Kerry didn't ask what he had against the Brockport police Instead she asked, "Who's Gilbert Marsala'"

"He's the one who's after us"

She looked at him in stunned silence before managing to ask, "What makes you say that?"

"1 recognized his picture in the paper" Before she had a chance to ask, he added The police composite Of the man who rammed the school bus Didn't 1 tell you that?" he asked innocently "No, you didn't," she snapped "In fact, you purposefully led me to think otherwise You made some comment like 'He's just beginning to get a face "It's hard to resist a good punchline," Ethan said 136.

"You described him You didn't say anything about a picture""1 was summarizing"

Kerry sighed "Where is the paper?"

"I left it at the restaurant Tmst me," Ethan said "I'm sure it's him He was Regina's-" He cut himself off "What?" Kerry didn't know what to make of his expression "He was Regina's whatf"

Ethan glanced over at her but didn't answer A moment later, he pulled over to the side of the road He crossed his arms over the steering wheel and buned his face in them If it had been anybody else, she would have a.s.sumed he felt faint or was about to be sick Which was an unsettling thought Goiwf m bis second nufht without blood, she calculated He had indicated he could survive longer than that without ad- verse effects, but since when had she had reason to believe him? "Ethan"?" she whispered, not sure she wanted to attract his attention Cars whizzed by them She could feel the Monte Carlo sway with the air of their pa.s.sing Ethan sat back, his eyes unfocused But then he blinked.

He looked at her as if he was about to say something, then changed his mind, and he pulled the car back into the flow of traffic Regina again The mention of Regina always did strange things to him It was amazing to realize-with what she knew of both of them-that his reaction could still unsettle her Stop tbmkm) of him as human, she warned herself Every action, every word, every look he gave her was calculated137 And the fact that she couldn't guess what they were calculated to do only proved that she was in over her head And what about my family? she wanted to ask. / keep playiwf by your rules, and I've bem patient. AND WHAT ABOUT MY FAMILY?

But she could picture him, in the mood he was in, whirling around and slapping her and telling her to stop whining.

Mile after silent mile they drove. They were once again on the road between Brockport and Rochester. Kerry was beginning to actively and pa.s.sionately hate that road.

Just outside of the village, Ethan pulled into a minimart parking lot, stopping the car at the phone booth tucked in the comer.

"Who are you calling?" she asked, breaking the silence that had hovered between them like an ominous third person.

Like the ghost of Regina Instead of answering, he said, Take off your jacket," She did, and he tossed it into the backseat and gave her his.

"Why?" she asked, "The police here will be searching for you more actively than the Rochester police were, and the description they have says you were wearing a pink jacket."

"Yeah, but it also says I'm wearing black pants."

"I don't want them noticing you," he said. "I don't want them looking that closely at you."

"Yeah, but-"

"Would you take the d.a.m.n jacket?"

She took it, though she thought people would be more likely to notice him without any jacket at all-it was aboutthirty degrees, and alt he had on was a white dress shirt and jeans, He got out of the car and she followed him to the phone.

"Who are you calling?" she asked again.

J38.

Still he didn't answer, but he called Information, since vandals had cut the chain where a phone book should have been attached. "I'd like the phone number and address of Gilbert Marsala," he said Kerry was standing close enough to hear the operator say she could give out the phone number but not the address "Al! right," Ethan said reasonably, "! just wanted to make sure 1 got Gilbert Marsala Junior and not Gilbert Marsala Senior"

The operator said, "We have only one listing, sir, which doesn't specify 'junior or 'Senior.' The address is on Ga.n.a.l Street."

Ethan winked at Kerry, and in a very concerned voice said. The old man lives on Ga.n.a.l Street, too."

This is at one-forty-seven Ga.n.a.l Street," the operator said She was beginning to sound a bit impatient, Kerry thought She was probably supposed to handle calls in a certain number of seconds, and Ethan was dragging this out.

ruining her average That's the one," Ethan said. Thank you very much."

He didn't bother writing down the phone number, which meant either he had a very good memory or he didn't care Back in the car, Kerry finally, warily, asked what she'd been wondering since Rochester "Ethan, just who is this man?"Ethan looked startled, then fl.u.s.tered and at a loss for words, a first for him "I'm sony," he said, another first. "I forgot that I"-Fnufen/ out at the mention ofRofitid? Kerry supplied mentally-"never told you- He's a professor at the col- lege. He teaches English composition, both day cla.s.ses and CE"

Kerry looked at him blankly *39.

"Continuing Ed" Her look must not have improved "At night"

"Oh," she said Then, "Oh You mean Regina really was a teacher"

* She hadn't meant to bring up Regina yet again, but Ethan was grinning at her "Yes And I realty was a student Neither of us full-time, of course Anyway, Marsala was the adjunct coordinator for CE and Regina had to report to him She pointed him out to me one night when there was a blizzard warning and all the other teachers were letting out early He was the only one who insisted on his students staying for the full lecture Boring little man-should have just let them go"

"You don't like English composition?"

Ethan shrugged Kerry took a deep breath and asked the important ques- tion "Do you think he has my family?"

"Yes"

Finally, an unequivocal answer She pressed on "At his house or someplace else?"

"Hard to say"

"What arc we going to do," Kerry asked, "when we get to his house?"Ethan gave her another grin "You're not going to tell me because I'm not going to like it?" she guessed His expression softened to a more honestly amused smile.

but he still didn't answer "I hate when you do that," she told him She put her back to him, determined not to answer any of his questions-if he asked her any-and stared out the window till they reached Ca.n.a.l Street It was just after 6 30 Lights were on, most people were 140.

probably still preparing for or cleaning up after dinner Num- ber 147 turned out to be the one house that had no lights It was a single-story house, much too ordinary looking a place for its owner to have chopped off someone's head and run a school bus off the road.

Ethan slowed almost to a stop, then cmised past "What are we doing?"

"Circling the block "

The next time around, he pulled up in front of the house The lights were still off "n.o.body's home," Ethan said "Was the plan to knock on the door and ask to go in^"

Kerry asked He looked at her but didn't answer "My father and brother could be in there Prisoners He wouldn't have left a light on for them He'd leave themin the dark." She didn't add that ian was afraid of the dark "I'd hear their heartbeats," Ethan said "From out here? With the engine running?" If they weren't here, when wen they?

"Yes," Ethan said "Even if they're in the bas.e.m.e.nt^ Even if they're in a closet in the bas.e.m.e.nt? You know, maybe one of those cedar-lined closets with big, thick walls, so-"

'Kerry, they're not there n.o.body is " He pulled away from the curb "No'" she said He grabbed hold of her by the shoulder, perhaps thinking that she was planning on opening the door and jumping out Which wasn't a bad idea, she thought "Well park farther down the street," Ethan said l4t It took a few moments for the meaning to sink in: They were going in.

"All right?" He looked at her apprehensively "We'll leave the car where he won't see it when he comes home and get suspicious"