Blood Hunt

10

Maggie left typing reports that evening to follow Garreth into the locker room, face tense. “I woke up last night when I heard someone in the driveway and saw you getting my father out of your patrol car. What did he do?”

“Nothing wrong.” Garreth buckled on his gear belt. “He had a few too many in honor of Rich Wiltz and I gave him a ride home.”

Her face relaxed but still reflected uncertainty. “You could have called me.”

“Why bother waking you?”

“What about the van?”

“After my shift I drove it to your place. Martin thought you’d worry not seeing it there in the morning.” Garreth settled the belt more comfortably on his hips. “He says you worry too much about him.”

Her face tensed again. “What else did Dad say about me?”

Before she finished the question, Garreth had a lie and innocent expression ready. “Nothing. Why?”

She let out her breath. “No reason. Thank you for helping him.” After a moment of hesitation, she smiled and added, “Let’s be careful out there.”

The mantra they all had now, thanks to Hill Street Blues, but not what she first considered saying, he thought. Still, watching her hurry out, the warmth in that smile was enough, reassuring him the last frost had melted.

Though what he really wanted, he decided as the week wore on, was the key to dealing with Duncan. No need to be buddies but working together would be more comfortable without this intermittent flare of resentment.

As on Wednesday, when Sue Ann dispatched Duncan to a domestic between a mother and daughter. Duncan radioed back, “I’m not getting between those two wildcats again. Let Seven work his voodoo on them.” And later he pulled up beside Garreth outside Gfeller Lumber to say, “Were the Ketzners fun? Though I don’t suppose they gave you any trouble.”

In fact they had, being so angry they fought his control. It had been a tightrope walk, focusing alternately on mother and daughter, always on the edge of losing them…until the daughter obeyed his suggestion to go to her room. A retreat punctuated by a slamming door as she left his control.

“You know,” Duncan said, “you’re so good at this, you’re probably going to end up handling all the domestics. Unless you teach me the secret, too.”

Garreth sighed. “I’ve told you, I don’t know why people and dogs respond to me the way they do. Maybe I have an authoritative voice.”

“Okay.” Duncan spread his hands. “Keep it to yourself. But that’s going to come back and bite you in the ass.”

After Duncan left, Garreth banged his head on the steering wheel in frustration…and went off to take a report on Halloween decorations stolen from a yard. Something they would probably have to deal with several times in the next two weeks. The up side: the address let him cruise past Anna Bieber’s house afterward.

Anna stood on her porch talking to a neighbor woman at the bottom of the steps.

Garreth pulled to the curb and climbed out. “Hello, Mrs. Bieber. How are you doing this evening?”

Anna peered at him. “Do I know — oh, you’re the young man looking for his grandmother.” Her brows rose. “What are you doing in a police uniform?”

He smiled at her. “I like Baumen so well I decided to settle here.”

Her forehead furrowed. She seemed about say something when his car radio came on. “Baumen Seven, we need a welfare check on Hattie Cromer at 203 East Maple. Her daughter in Victoria has been trying to call her for several hours without getting an answer.”

“Excuse me, ladies.” Garreth touched the brim of his cap and hurried back to the car.

Hattie Cromer proved to be fine, just minus her hearing aids…taken out to change the batteries and left out because she had not thought she needed them the rest of the night.

Sue Ann sent him from there to the Lutheran Church for a fender bender. Like the other churches in town, St. Marks had a Wednesday evening service. Tonight, unfortunately, Christian forgiveness had not extended past the service for the choir soprano shrilling at the baritone who backed into her T-bird.

While radio traffic indicated Duncan took a report at the Phillips station on a customer who used the self-service pumps and drove off without paying, Garreth answered a noise complaint and without vampire compulsion, had the young man working on his motorcycle shut it off for the night. Then he listened to Duncan go on high band behind the Co-op while he refereed neighbors over the one neighbor’s dog, whose barking the other neighbor claimed was keeping her baby awake.

The next time he passed Anna’s, her house had gone dark.

Not that he had any excuse to speak to her again tonight. His hope lay in tomorrow.