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  When I hung up, I looked at Tuesday. “This must be his way of attempting to regain control of the situation.”

  “He knew I was staying with you,” she said.

  “Well, you’re a thorn in his ass, too.”

  “That son of a bitch,” she hissed.

  “Do you need to call Zachary?”

  “Well,” she picked up her phone. Then she set it down. “No. Let them think I burned. It will be more heat on him, in the long run.”

  “He hasn’t called you?”

  “No. But you know, we should call Levi.”

  “Will he keep this under wraps?”

  “He hates Delgado now,” she said. “He wasn’t a fan before, but he hates him now.”

  “Call him, then.”

  “You want to get going again?”

  I shook my head, knowing she could see me even in the dark. “No. Let him think that we’re just somewhere else. No need for him to know we’re still in transit.”

  She dialed his number.

  “Tuesday! Are you well?” He sounded excited.

  His accent thickened when he was excited. The thought brought a flush to my face. I really needed to get my girl crush on this guy—vampire—under control.

  “I am.”

  “Where is Deana?”

  “She is with me.”

  “You both are safe?”

  “We are. We felt that we needed to remove ourselves from public view for a time.”

  “It’s a good thing you did. Is Deana there now?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “I’m sorry about your home, Deana. But I’m very glad you both are all right.”

  “We are.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Safe and somewhere else,” I said before Tuesday could answer. “Does everyone think we were still there?”

  “Yes,” he said. “I got a call from Delgado himself.”

  “I’m sure you did,” anger dripped from my voice. “Can you please not tell anyone any different, if everyone thinks we were in the house?”

  “With pleasure,” Levi said. “Contact me when you get to where you’re going.” He hung up.

  “He’s going to kick Delgado’s ass,” Tuesday said.

  “Well, he deserves it. That house was unique. It was special.”

  “But you’re still alive,” Tuesday said. “That’s the important thing.”

  I sat with shaking hands, then as they started to calm, I laughed out loud.

  “Are you losing it?” Tuesday asked. “I can drive if you need to have a breakdown.”

  “No,” I said, between laughing. “I’m laughing because I’ll bet you money that my mom will be calling me and lamenting about the cappuccino machine.”

  “It is a really nice machine,” Tuesday said. “While I no longer drink coffee, I enjoyed the scent of it being made.”

  “I have it,” I said, laughing harder. “I took it, and I was debating how I was going to make it up to my mom and Gran, because we all love that thing.”

  She laughed with me, and finally, I was able to start the car and get back on the road. Delgado was going to pay. Between spinning fantasies in my head about how to make that come to pass, I wondered what my aunts were planning.

  Chapter Nineteen

  We pulled into Bisbee a little after two in the morning. I drove slowly, looking around. This was my new home.

  “I feel like a gunfighter is about to step out and start shooting,” Tuesday said.

  “You watch too many movies,” I chuckled. “This is a nice, respectable tourist town. They focus on art and creativity now. We’ll fit right in.”

  That made her laugh. “Perhaps you will.”

  “No, you will as well. It’s one of the reasons I asked you. There’s a funky vibe here that I think will make it easy for you to blend in. Here, you’ll just be eccentric.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to reopen my place. Maybe under a different name, though.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not going to advertise my own name.”

  “Probably a good call,” she agreed. My GPS told me we were there, and I looked over to the left. There it was, just as it looked in the pictures.

  Well, maybe a little worse for wear.

  “This is a far cry from your previous home,” Tuesday said. “I think you’ll need to do some work on it.”

  “Maybe, but it has the important thing,” I said. I went up the street to make a u-turn, and then came and parked on the sidewalk. Taking out the bundle of keys I’d gotten from the attorney, I sifted through them until I found one that looked like it matched the garage lock.

  “Would have been nice to have labels,” I muttered.

  “I could just break it,” Tuesday offered.

  “No. I want to use the lock after we get the car in there.”

  I had to try a couple of keys until I found the right one. When I opened the doors, I saw that the garage when all the way through the building.

  “Let’s get the trailer unhooked. I think we can back it in ourselves,” I said.

  “I could probably do it on my own,” Tuesday said.

  “Oh, right. All the strength.” Duh. “Well, good. “Let’s get them in, and then we can pull the car in.”

  I unhitched the trailer, and Tuesday lifted it up. “You’ll need to move your car. This won’t be a problem.”

  I pulled forward, and before I’d even gotten out of the car, she had it backed in. I inspected her work—she was good. “There’s plenty of room for Baby,” I said happily. “Let’s get her in, and then we can unload her.”

  I backed Baby in. “Well, why don’t we check out the new digs?”

  Tuesday looked dubious, but she nodded. I had a feeling she was reserving judgement. That was all right with me—I loved it. It reminded me—albeit with more dust and in dire need of a good cleaning, maybe two or three—of Deadwood. To me, that was a good thing. It wasn’t the house on Pearl Street, but I could make it my own.

  “There’s a door back here,” Tuesday called out.

  “What?”

  “There’s a door back here. Why don’t we see if it leads indoors? Then we can close the garage and move things in peace.”

  This time, it took a little more testing to find the right key. “I’m going to need to label these things,” I grumbled.

  “I think that would be a good idea,” Tuesday said. She was covering a smile.

  “Shut up,” I said. “Nobody needs your commentary right now.”

  We walked in, and we were on a landing. Straight ahead was the ground floor, and to our right was a staircase leading down. “I knew this would have a cellar,” I said.

  “That’s important?”

  “I thought it would be a safe place for your room.”

  I was gratified to see a look of pleasure on her face. “Shall we see if I need to evict anyone first?”

  “Sure.” I turned on the flashlight on my phone, and we walked down the stairs. There was just enough room to stand up, and the far wall was lined with shelves. There were a lot of canned goods. “Oh, eww. I wonder how long those have been there? We’ll need to go through them. That looks like botulism city.”

  “There’s room for a bed, and a dresser,” Tuesday said.

  “There’s also another room in the back,” I pointed to a doorway that was blacker than night. Moving closer, I shined my flashlight through it. “It’s a bathroom.” Peering around the doorway, we could see a commode and a narrow shower.

  “This is perfect,” Tuesday said happily.

  “Is it?”

  “I have not had my own dwelling since I became vampire,” she said.

  Oh. Well. I didn’t know what to say to that. “Well, this is all yours. We’ll definitely fix it up for you so you’re comfortable.”

  “Let’s go see the rest.”

  Heading back up the stairs, the ground floor had obviously been used as some kind of office. Whi
ch was fricken perfect. There was even a large window in the front where my sign could hang. The thought made me smile.

  Past the landing where we’d entered, there was another stairway that led to the second story, and that was set up as a small apartment.

  “This definitely needs updating,” Tuesday said, her nose wrinkling.

  “Yeah, but that’s fun.”

  “Did you buy this sight unseen?” She asked.

  “It was a gift,” I said, not willing to go any further.

  “I suppose it is a gift.”

  “Snotty!” I laughed. “It’s not that bad.”

  My cell rang, and I saw that it was Desdemona calling.

  “Hey,” I said.

  “We have contacted some… friends. They’ve put a body in the ruins. Didn’t you tell me that a vampire was sleeping there? Where was she?”

  “In the old wine cellar area.”

  “I can make sure there’s some clothing, and something that will alert the vamps that someone was there. No problem. Are you safe?”

  “We are. We may die of dust or botulism, but we’re safe for the moment.”

  “I’m dying to ask for more info, but I think I’ll refrain,” she said. “I’m glad you’re okay, Deana. Your mom is sleeping, or I’d let you talk to her. She’s been worried.”

  “She’s been right to, but I think I’ve sorted it. You adding a body will make things even better. But—”

  “What?”

  “You didn’t go out and get a body, did you?”

  “Yes, but it was a body that was already gone before anything like this happened. We’ll throw a big funeral for you. It will be epic.”

  “That feels weird,” I said.

  “Well, I don’t doubt it. But the longer that vamp thinks you’re dead, the better it is for you. We might even fly out for the funeral.”

  “Don’t,” I said. “That will make you too vulnerable. And I would venture a guess that my enemies are now your enemies. Why don’t you have the body flown to Deadwood? Bury me in the family plot that Granny bought?”

  “What a good idea,” she said. “We can really do it up that way, and no one is going to mess with us here.”

  “Are Mom and Gran going to stay with you?” I asked, getting to something that had been worrying me since I’d heard about the canal house.

  “Yes. They’re dithering right now, but this is the best place for them. They just haven’t accepted it yet. They are going to need time to mourn.”

  “I’m glad they’re with you.”

  “We’ll take care of them. And of you, Deana.”

  “Thank you,” I said, feeling the tears welling in my eyes. I’d cried more in the last two weeks than I had since Derek died. “Hey, quick question. Why is there a zombie in the basement of the shop?”

  Tuesday glanced over at my words.

  “Oh, these things happen.” Desdemona was breezy. “It’s not the big deal your mom is making it out to be.”

  “Maybe not for you,” I said.

  “That’s true. But look, they’re already settling in. DeAnna even cusses at least once a day.”

  “Good. She needs to loosen up.”

  “I have a favor to ask.”

  “What, like getting a body double for you wasn’t enough? Take, take, take. Kids these days,” she said mockingly.

  “Can you find out more about my great grandfather?”

  “DeAnna’s father?”

  “Yes.”

  “I can, but why?”

  “Because I have it on fairly good authority that he wasn’t quite human?”

  “Really?” Desdemona’s voice sharpened.

  “Yes.”

  “What is he?”

  “The suspect was leaning toward the Ashlar type.”

  Desdemona was silent. “Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting. Damn you, Deana. Not you,” she hastened to add. “The first one. My damn sister.”

  “She didn’t tell you anything?”

  “No. She stayed close with Meema, but Meema never breathed a word, and I can’t even call her ghost to ask her.” Desdemona’s voice broke a little. That was because Meema had been dragged to Hell—the actual Hell—and tossed into the River of Souls. There was no coming back from that.

  “Well, see what Gran might know, since she doesn’t consider you ‘the damned Deadwoods’ anymore.”

  We both laughed.

  “All right. I’ll let your mom know that you’re safe. But that you haven’t told me where, and that you’re not going to.”

  “Hey, did Deirdre find the hedge witch?”

  “You know about that?”

  “I saw it on the boards.”

  “No, but that’s not quite a dead end either. We can talk later, when things are calmer.” Her tone indicated this was not up for discussion. “Love you,” she said.

  “Love you,” I said.

  We hung up.

  “Your aunts sound nice,” Tuesday said.

  “They are. Completely nuts, fond of yelling, and awesome. Now, let’s get a bed for you and drag it downstairs. It’s going to be dawn before we know it.”

  We spent the rest of the night moving things, getting things sorted. My cappuccino maker took up an entire side of the limited counter space in the kitchen. I’d need to get it its own table, but it would bide for now. When the sun was nearly rising, Tuesday went down to the cellar, and I fell into the bed in the room upstairs. I slept the entire day, not waking until Tuesday was standing over me.

  “Oh, god, coffee. And food. I haven’t even thought of shopping.”

  “There’s a grocery store here in town. And you had a package delivered already.”

  “I did?” It must be the sign.

  “Yes,” she said. “What first?”

  “Food. And then the grocery store. And then we need to do some shopping.”

  “I don’t know that we’ll have much of a selection here.”

  “Online shopping,” I said. “They bring it to us.”

  “Very well. I’m going to go out and see what the feeding situation looks like,” she said.

  “Okay,” I said. I needed to get one more thing from Baby into the house. I’d left it in the car, not sure what to do with it. I’d gone through the notes Caleb had left me, and he mentioned that there was a false wall in the office area, big enough for a safe. At least, I hoped it was.

  When Tuesday left, I hustled down to the garage, thanking my lucky stars we didn’t have to do our moving out on the sidewalk. I got the safe I’d bought off the classified inside, and went looking for the false wall. After a couple of false starts, I found it. The safe fit, barely. I opened it, making sure my cash stash was still there, and the Volcanic.

  The temptation to kill Delgado was strong. But if I did that, the entire supernatural world would be looking for me. And the very thing that Caleb feared most would happen—it would end up in the hands of someone who shouldn’t have it.

  I’d have to find another way to off the obnoxious prick.

  Remembering what had happened back in my office, I pulled the safe out. Then I went digging through the desk in the office, a monster of metal and wood that weighed about a thousand pounds, and found some brown manila envelopes. I wrapped the Volcanic in three of them, and returned to the false wall. Inspecting the inside, it went back deeper into the wall than the safe. I thought this must be over the stairway that led to the cellar, and made up the wall of the garage. I crawled in, dug around a little, and made a hole for the Volcanic. Then I tucked it in, covered it with rock, and then some more rock, and then even more. I stopped only because I wanted to be able to snug the safe back in, and thought I might be getting a little overzealous.

  The Volcanic had that effect on me, though.

  The safe fit, and I locked it after taking out a decent sized wad of cash for the upcoming shopping. I fitted the wall slats of the chair rail back into place. Thank god for bead board. The seams were barely noticeable.

  On i
nspection, I moved the monster desk, sweating my ass off in the process, in front of the false wall. It covered it up well.

  When Tuesday came back, she was surprised to see me. “What have you been doing? You’re a mess.”

  “Just some work here in the office.”

  “Now? What about food?”

  “Let me go get the spiders out of my hair, and I’m off.” I didn’t want to field her questions. I didn’t want to explain anything about Caleb, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell her about the Volcanic. But the desk and false wall were right over her bed, so I’d need to open it when she was out.

  That was something to make a note of. Maybe someday I could tell her, but not today.

  Chapter Twenty

  I headed out fifteen minutes later, stopping at a tiny café to get the best green chili burrito I’d ever had, and then went to the grocery store. Even though I was full to waddling, I still bought more than I probably needed, given that I was the only one eating.

  I didn’t care. I hadn’t thought about food as more than something I needed to do from time to time for the last two weeks, and given that I love to eat, that was a hardship.

  When I got back, Tuesday helped me bring in the groceries. Just as we finished putting them away, my phone rang.

  It was Mom. “Deana, you’re on speaker.”

  “Okay, I’m doing the same. I want Tuesday to be up to speed as well.”

  “Is that the vampire who has been helping you?” Deirdre asked.

  “Yes,” Tuesday said.

  “Thank you,” Deirdre replied. “We appreciate it.”

  “Deana is a good person. I am glad to,” Tuesday said.

  “Thank you,” I said to her.

  She nodded.

  “Enough with the love fest,” Daniella said. “We’ve got the body on the way home. We’re posting online about the injustice done to our family, so you can read it, but don’t you dare respond in any way. It’s a bit over the top,” she finished. “Deirdre wrote it.”

  “It’s perfect,” Gran said. “We’re throwing the most amazing wake Deadwood has ever seen.”

  “Someone will need to video it for me,” I said.

  “And we’re buying a new cappuccino maker,” Mom said.

  Tuesday and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.