Ditto.

Grabbing three bottles and the bag of bowls, Eve knocked the lid back down with her elbow and handed a water to Linda. Then, she filled a bowl and set it down on the floor for Freddy.

"So, when will you know if you're staying?" Linda asked.

"We're waiting for Gadara to get back from a meeting with the post commander."

There was a pause as they all drank, then Linda said, "Honestly, this place gives me the creeps."

"You hide it well."

Isn't she a gem? The others freak out, but not Linda. She's always got it together.

"I'm left-brained," Linda explained. "My imagination is dull and boring, so I don't think about zombies chasing me or ma.s.s murderers leaping out of dark corners. I don't believe locations can be haunted by those who once occupied them. People once lived here, and now they don't. It's just that simple. That's why the vibe from this place really bothers me."

"You say that," Eve smiled to soften the sting of her words, "but if you didn't believe at all, why would you dedicate so much time to researching the validity of other people's claims?"

"I don't believe, but people close to me do."

"So you want to prove them wrong?"

"I want to help."

"I'm intrigued." And hopeful that there was an exploitable hot b.u.t.ton in the story somewhere. Linda set her half-full bottle on the counter. "Do you have any siblings?"

"A sister."

"Are you close?"

Eve nodded. "She's younger, but she married before me and has two beautiful children. She lives out of state, so I don't see her as much as I'd like to, but we talk often and she sends lots of pictures."

"That's wonderful."

"And you?"

"Only child. But I had a best friend who was like a sister to me. We were inseparable until after high school. I was all set to go to college; Tiffany joined the Army."

"Brave girl."

"Practical. Her parents died when she was young and joining the military was the only way she was going to get college money." Linda sighed. "When word came back that she was killed in action, I was devastated. My grades suffered. I dropped out of school. My boyfriend and I broke up. Everything fell apart."

"I'm sorry."

Linda accepted the condolences with a grim nod. "Have you lost someone close to you, Eve?"

"I recently lost my neighbor, who was also a dear friend."

"Then, perhaps you can understand how difficult it was to learn that Tiffany wasn't dead at all."

Eve frowned. "You lost me."

"It was all a great big cover-up, including a letter from the Department of Defense and a military-provided funeral service." Her voice hardened. "I should have known something was wrong when they couldn't produce a body."

"Why would the government fake her death?"

Freddy moved from his spot by the cooler to sit at Linda's feet. She stroked the top of his head with a distracted rhythm. "I don't know for sure why they did it, but my guess is that she was exposed to some whacky chemicals out in the desert. Something that really messed with her head and they didn't want us to find out about it because of the scandal that would ensue."

"But you figured it out?" Eve suddenly had an inkling of what she must sound like to Reed when she went off about Gadara being shady.

Linda nodded. "My parents took me to Europe in the Spring, hoping the change of location would help my grief. We weren't there a week before I spotted Tiffany at a bakery in Munster, Germany. I called out her name, but when she caught sight of me, she ran. I've never seen anyone move that fast until you. Today."

Eve shifted her gaze away to avoid revealing her dawning unease.

"Fact was, Tiff wanted us to believe she was dead. Whether she was protecting her grandmother and me, or the government, or all of us . . . I have no clue. It took me a week to track her down after that incident in the bakery. I looked for her everywhere, haunting the neighborhood until I finally spotted her again. She didn't run that time. She knew I wouldn't let it go. I'm too stubborn."

"What was her explanation?"

"She swore she had been chosen by G.o.d to save mortals, like Joan-of-f.u.c.king-Arc or something. She said there were demons among us, hunting us, and it was her mission to kill them."

Eve reached out to the counter to steady herself. "Yikes."

"That's an understatement," Linda muttered. "She was completely delusional, pointing at normal people and saying they were evil, that she could smell their souls rotting. She saw marks and tattoos on her skin that weren't there. She said I couldn't see them because I'm not one of the chosen."

"Lucky you," Eve said sincerely.

Someone has to fight the good fight.

Eve wrinkled her nose at Freddy.

Just sayin'.

"Tiff could tell I didn't buy a word she was saying. I begged her to come home with me. I told her how much her grandmother missed her. How much I missed her. I promised to help her get back on her feet. But she wouldn't budge. She said it was better if she was dead to us, because the demons would hurt us if they thought they could get to her that way. She said the only thing I could do was believe. 'When you believe,'

she said, 'then I'll come to you for help.' "

"Wow."

"No kidding." Linda straightened. "I never saw her again after that. We stayed in Germany another two weeks, but she didn't contact me at the hotel, even though I gave her the information. I came back to the States and hired a private investigator to find her, but he never did. Sometimes I wonder if I dreamed up the whole conversation in some sort of grief-induced delirium. Then I remember that I have no imagination. I couldn't make that stuff up. So I've been trying ever since to believe her, or at least give the impression that I believe her. I have a blog detailing our investigations, hoping she'll find it and realize I am trying. I figure the show is another way to reach Tiff, too."

"You're a good friend."

Eve couldn't help but consider her own obligation to Mrs. Ba.s.so. Her friend and neighbor had died because of Eve's connection to her. What had she done since then to justify that sacrifice? Nada, aside from making a sorry, half-a.s.sed attempt at going through the motions. She was shamed to realize how little she'd done to honor the memory of such a wonderful woman.

Shrugging, Linda said wearily, "I wouldn't go that far. Tiffany always did more for me than I did for her and that hasn't changed. Because of her I began researching paranormal investigations, which is how I met Roger. I think he's the love of my life. And we receive letters every week telling us how much Ghoul School helped someone in one way or another. It's very rewarding."

Eve wondered where Tiffany was now. Was she still alive? Was she still marked? "What's her last name?"

"Tiff's? Pollack. Tiffany Pollack." Linda polished off her water and screwed the top back on. "I need to take a nap or I'll be worthless tonight. Thank you for the water."

"Any time." Eve smiled. "Or at least as long as we're here."

Linda hooked her thumbs through the belt loops of her shorts and smiled. With the empty water bottle tucked between the palm of one hand and her hip, she looked like a Wild West sheriff with gun at the ready.

"I will be seriously disappointed if you don't join us tonight, you know."

"I'm still working on Gadara," Eve said, "but you can count on me tagging along if you end up going."

Her mind was set; she wasn't leaving McCroskey without Linda, Roger, Freddy, and the rest of the GS gang. Not unless she knew-without a doubt-that it would be safe to leave them behind.

"Oh, we're going," Linda insisted. "This is the first time a military installation has requested our services. We wouldn't miss it." Linda did a little victory hop. Then she hugged Eve. "You won't be sorry, and I will be eternally grateful. Whether Mr. Gadara comes or not."

"I can't say I'll be good for anything more than screaming inconveniently," Eve warned. "Anytown gives me the chills in the daylight."

And that was before Molenaar had been killed there.

"I'll protect you from the bogeyman," Linda promised with a wink. "Don't worry."

"Keep her safe for me, Freddy," Eve said, giving the Great Dane a quick rub behind the ears. He woofed in reply. Watch your back, too.

Eve gave him the thumbs-up. Then she followed them into the living room to resume the search for her gun.

CHAPTER 13.

Alec was exiting the bathroom when his cell phone rang. He sprinted the short distance to the bed where he'd tossed it. Glancing at the caller ID, he winced.

"s.h.i.t." He ran a hand through hair he'd just finished dousing in the sink, an ineffectual attempt to cool off his raging temper. He was ready to kill. Starting with Abel.

The last person he wanted to deal with was . . .

"Sarakiel," he bit out before the phone reached his ear.

"Sorry, mon cheri, " Sara purred. Forbidden to use her archangel gifts at G.o.d's suggestion, she relied heavily on the power of her feminine wiles to make up the lack. "I can hear your disappointment, and I do sympathize. Your brother has not been answering his phone, so I, too, have been waiting to speak with someone."

He really didn't give a s.h.i.t about Sara's issues with his brother, but that wasn't something he could say to an archangel arbitrarily. It wasn't her fault that he was infuriated by the distance between him and Eve, and the closeness he sensed between her and Abel. He was confused by the singular connection between all three of them. How common were such meldings? How long did they last? What were the ramifications?

"How can I help you, Sara?" She wouldn't be calling him unless she wanted something. Sara laughed softly. "Do you know why there is an emergency conference call in a few hours?"

His brows rose. Considering the events of the last two days, he didn't know where to start, and he d.a.m.n well wasn't going to take a stab in the dark. He liked to keep his cards hidden. "Who initiated the call?"

"Uriel. Who else would have something worthy of bothering all of us?"

"It must have something to do with that new cla.s.s of Infernal." He didn't bother to answer her question. Moving to the table in the corner, Alec began connecting the various cords that would power up his satellite videophone. He needed to talk with Raguel about the h.e.l.lhounds before the archangel spoke with the others and since the archangel was playing his power games and refusing to answer his summons, Alec was forced to reach him the secular way. He also wanted to touch base with Uriel. Uriel would explain what happened to him, Eve, and Abel this afternoon without withholding vital information, as Raguel and Sara were likely to do.

"Yes." She didn't sound pleased. "That is what I suspect, but I was hoping for confirmation."

"Well," he drawled, "I imagine that's why you are having a meeting."

"Do not toy with me, Cain."

"Of course not, Sara. I would never do that." The mark on his arm burned in reprimand for the lie. "Listen, I have my own s.h.i.t pile to shovel through at the moment, but I can tell you that Raguel a.s.signed Abel and Mariel to investigate the most recent sighting in Australia. That guarantees they're the two most knowledgeable malakim. If you want to stay one step ahead, you might want to stick close to one of them."

"That might be possible, if your brother ever bothered to answer his phone. Where is he?"

Alec had known Sara would disregard contacting Mariel. The archangel had never gotten along well with other women, even easygoing ones.

"He's with Eve," he replied, knowing what the answer would do to Sara. h.e.l.l hath no fury like a woman scorned. While Alec couldn't agree with that statement absolutely, he did concede that the two had their comparative qualities and he wasn't above using jealousy to get his brother out of the way. "Considering the danger involved, he's keeping a close eye on her."

"I bet he is." Sara's voice was tight. "I never took you for a trusting soul."

"I trust Eve." And that hadn't changed. She was certain that she was in love with him, regardless of her infatuation with Abel. While that didn't alleviate the feeling that he'd been sucker punched in the gut by a rakshasa demon, Abel had f.u.c.ked himself six ways to Sunday by messing around with the blonde. As usual, his brother had no idea how to put someone else's feelings before his own.

"Where are they?"

"Fort McCroskey."

Sara made a disgusted noise. "A dreadful place."

"Lucky you're in France." But not for long, he'd bet.

"Actually, I am on a plane."

His smile turned into a grin. "Where are you headed?"

"California."

Beautiful. "When do you arrive?"

"I have only been in the air thirty minutes." Her frustration at her inability to use her gifts was evident in her disgruntled tone.

She wasn't as far along as Alec would like, but it was better than nothing. Sara would keep Abel on his toes and away from Eve. She would also have a contingent of guards with her. Security was never tighter then when two archangels were in close proximity. Eve would be in the safest spot in the world.

"They were planning on pulling out of McCroskey," he advised. "They should be back in Anaheim by the time you arrive."

"Thank the Lord for small favors. I will check in with you in a few hours. Find out where they will be when I land. And keep your phone on."

"If it won't get me killed." Alec snapped the phone shut.

It behooved him to help her, but he only took orders from G.o.d. Presently, his latest order was to kill the Alpha, and that took precedence over everything else-including his need to deal with his relationship with Eve.

If he had his way, he'd be on Grimshaw land by nightfall. He definitely wouldn't have his phone powered on then, although he would have it with him. Charles was the reason Alec wasn't with Eve, so sending the Alpha to h.e.l.l had to happen as soon as possible. He certainly wasn't waiting for a call from Sara to get things started.

Pulling out a chair, Alec sat and used his cell to call Raguel, inwardly cursing the unnecessary inconvenience. The phone rang longer than usual, then, "Montevista."