FYI-vampires don't have to sleep during the day. We could stay awake if we wanted to, but our body usually rebelled. It needed the deep, rejuvenating sleep of the undead as much as it needed fresh blood.

Otherwise ...

The word cranky didn't even touch it.

I killed the light, crawled back into bed and buried my head beneath the pillow to escape the noise outside. The clip-clop of horse hoofs. The steady mooooo of the calves. The clang of tools as Elmer tried to fix the ice machine.

Sleep swallowed me again, sucking me down the way the sand had sucked at Esther.

Her frantic Help! followed me and I knew deep down inside that the striptease hadn't been the only part of the nightmare that had been real.

She was dying.

I knew it. I felt it. And despite several centuries of cultivated optimism, I was starting to think that maybe-just maybe-I might not reach her in time.

Barry was singing again.

I covered my ears and tried to drown out the constant drumming. The rocking voice. The cool mix of synthesizers and- Wait a sec. Forget Barry.

I fought my way through the blackness until recognition dawned and I realized it was Katy Perry. She wailed about hot and cold and yes and no and in and out and-sheesh.

Now, I like Katy as much as the next ultra-trendy, five-hundred-and-holding-year-old vampire, but I was trying to friggin'

sleep here.

"... up then you're down ..."

I groped for the noise. My hand closed over my cell and I forced my eyes open long enough to kill the sound. My gaze snagged on the caller ID. Guilt spiraled through me and my finger paused on the OFF b.u.t.ton. A split second of indecision (and a few He loves me/He loves me nots) and I pressed TALK.

"Yeah?" I mumbled.

"Rise and shine," Ty's deep voice echoed in my ear, and my hormones gave a squeal of excitement.

Bad hormones. "Easy for you to say. You didn't have a stampede outside your window." Not to mention the all-day attempt to fix the ice machine. The spray of gravel as the pickup trucks and animal trailers moved out.

I pushed to my feet and walked over to peek around the blinds. Sure enough, there wasn't a calf in sight. Back to normal.

Elmer's voice echoed in my head and I realized that the rodeo must have opened their temporary holding pens for the animals.

The last few rays of sun sizzled across one of my fingertips. A wisp of black smoke spiraled up into the air and pain bolted through me. I s.n.a.t.c.hed my hand away. Normal. Sure.

"What are you talking about?" Ty's voice drew me away from the window.

"Nothing." I sank back down on the bed. "It's my neighbors," I heard myself say. "They must have been having a party."

"Funny, but I thought you were the one having the party."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." That's what I said. Meanwhile my brain scrambled for a very lengthy and painful death for my not-so-fave brother.

"You're the only one. You could hear the music down the block. Rob is one h.e.l.l of a host."

Uh-oh.

"He and Nina broke up, so he's at my house mourning the loss."

"Sugar, he didn't mourn the entire time I was there. He danced a lot. And fell on his a.s.s a few times. And annihilated a few of your lamps. And I even saw him stand on your coffee table and do several AB+ shots. But that was it. No crying. No depression.

Nothing." He grew silent for a long moment while his news sent me into a complete mental freak-out.

My coffee table?

My lamps?

Oh, no, he didn't. "Why don't you tell me what's really going on," Ty finally said.

"I think they're both just really stubborn," I blurted before I lost it and launched into a description of exactly how big an ungrateful, inconsiderate, clueless a.s.shole my brother really was. "She loves him even if he is an ungrateful, inconsiderate, clueless a.s.shole." What? I can't vent? "But she doesn't realize it and he loves her but he doesn't realize it, and neither one of them will say it." Not unlike someone else I know, I added silently.

"I'm not talking about Nina and Rob. What's going on with you? Where are you?"

My stomach tied itself into several knots and guilt crept through me. "Didn't you, um, get my message? I'm in Arizona."

"See, that's the funny thing. I'm in Arizona and you're nowhere around."

I contemplated the possibility all of five seconds. "You're not in Arizona," I finally told him.

"And neither are you. You lied to me."

"I did not. I mean, technically, you might call it a lie but I 'm supposed to be escaping from the world. This retreat is really important to me. I want to get the full experience, so I figured it was better if I kept my actual whereabouts a secret. That way I won't have any distractions."

"This doesn't have to do with Esther, does it?"

"Esther who?"

"I'm serious, Lil. You need to stay out of it. Merlin and his men already have the situation under control."

"By under control you mean he's sitting around on his a.s.s, waiting for the ax to drop, while Esther suffers."

"The ritual doesn't call for an ax. It's a knife. An ancient Mayan dagger used to sacrifice victims to the G.o.ds."

My stomach pitched. "What ever. The point is, n.o.body cares what happens to her."

"They've got rules to follow. That's the way it works."

"That stinks."

"Lil-"

"I mean, it would stink if I weren't a self-centered, narcissistic vampire who didn't give a s.h.i.t about anyone or anything except my fantabulous self. But I am, so it's all good. I could care less and there's no way in the world I would take matters into my own hands," I rushed on, "and look for Esther on my own. Not this vamp."

"Merlin and his men will destroy anyone who tries to stop Mordred from making the sacrifice. They want to put him away for good and this is the only way to do it."

"Which is exactly why I'm staying far, far away from Texas and minding my own self-centered business."

"Yeah."

"Really. Geez, would you look at the time? I 'm late for Dieting Tips to Slim Down Your Overweight Clients. Can't miss that. Gotta run." I killed the connection before he could ask me any more questions.

And before he could add anything like Please be careful or I miss you or I love you. If he'd wanted to, that is.

No sooner did I switch my phone to vibrate than the dial-up on the nightstand started to ring. I had to hand it to Ty. He was fast and per sis tent.

A tiny thrill went through me and I barely resisted the urge to s.n.a.t.c.h up the phone. Come on. It 's not like he was calling to declare his devotion. He was going to chew me a new one.

I knew that and so I was not picking up the phone.

Then again, it might not even be Ty. It might be someone with a tip about Mordred. I'd handed out cards to dozens of people.

Maybe it was finally paying off.

I s.n.a.t.c.hed up the receiver. "Lil Marchette."

"Meatloaf sandwiches and fried pickles," Elmer said. "Just delivered. You in?"

"Pa.s.s."

"Best meatloaf in town," he added.

According to the Lonely Fork Gazette, no doubt.

"I'm not really hungry."

"City folk," he murmured. "It just ain't natural living on carrot sticks and whole wheat and all them fancy schmancy protein shakes and such. Gimme real food any day."

And gimme a friggin' break.

"Just so's you know," he went on, "the lobby will be closed tonight. I'm playing Bingo over at the VFW."

My worry faded in a rush of excitement. "You have a date?"

"Does Tallulah Pierce count?"

"That depends on the circ.u.mstances. Did you ask her out?"

"Not exactly. I have to pick her up on account of I'm the only one at the VFW who'll let her sight dog ride in the front cab of their pickup. He's old and a little incontinent."

"Aren't we all?"

"That's what I always say. Anyhow, I give her a ride every week to Bingo, so I guess you might consider it a date."

"Do you kiss her good night?"

"I shake her hand and sometimes I sc.r.a.pe p.o.o.p off her shoe if she steps the wrong way before the dog can stop her."

"That doesn't really qualify her as a love interest."

"Then I guess I'm flying solo."

Not for long. I slid the phone into its cradle and reached for my cell. I entered my pa.s.sword and checked my voice mail.

Tonight was the night. I was going to get a break in Esther's case. A witness who'd seen someone fitting Mordred's description. A concerned neighbor who smelled rotting vampire. An innocent bystander who'd heard screams or crying or something. I held tight to the hope as the first message echoed in my ear.

"I'm at Pollo Loco," Mandy said. "Where are you?" I ignored a spiral of guilt and hit DELETE.

Message two. "I'm at Crazy Jimmy's," my mother said. "Where are you?" Delete.

Message three. "I'm still at Pollo Loco. I'm giving you fifteen more minutes. In the meantime, I think I'll have the nachos."

Message four. "I'm still at Crazy Jimmy's and I'm drinking b.l.o.o.d.y Marias all by myself. I've tried calling Mandy, but she must be on the phone because it's going straight to voice mail." Delete.

Message five. "I know you're up to something-" Ty started. I hit DELETE before he could finish.

Message six. "You're getting in way over your head-" Delete.

Message seven. "Stay out of it-" Delete.

The end.

So much for helpful tips.

I punched in the number for Golden Acres and asked for Tara.

"Sure, she's here. But she can't come to the phone. She's playing Bridge and she gets real mad when anyone interrupts her. I can have her call you when she's finished."

I'd already gone that route yesterday. "Why don't you just give me directions instead?"

I was through waiting around for a return phone call. I would fly up to Austin and talk to Tara in person.

Not that I had any illusions that it was going to bring me any closer to finding Esther, but I had to do something. The waiting for someone to call with a tip and the worry over Esther was driving me nuts.

I walked into the bathroom, peeled off Ty's T-shirt and climbed into a hot shower. I was just rinsing shampoo out of my hair and envisioning a ma.s.sive break in Esther 's case (finding Mordred playing Bridge with Tara while Esther crouched in a nearby closet) when I heard the rattle of the dead bolt and the twist of the doork.n.o.b.

What the- The thought struck just as a hand gripped the shower curtain and ripped it to the side. A scream burst past my lips as I whirled.

Shampoo ran in my eyes, but I forced them open anyway, to see Nina One standing on the bathmat.

Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she had no makeup on. She wore a rumpled Juicy sweat suit and flip -flops (we're talking the plain, plastic kind). I knew right then that something bad had happened.

"What's wrong?"