Chapter Twenty-Three
In one of those “saved by the bell” moments, my phone rang. The rookie cop pointed his revolver at me, as if my cell phone were a concealed weapon. I ignored him and answered the call.
The urgency in Sheyenne’s voice was palpable. “Beaux, get to the Full Moon right away! There’s an emergency—it’s Travis! He’s in bad shape. An ambulance is already heading there, and I’m going now.”
“Travis at the Full Moon? Spooky, what happened?” But she had already hung up. I turned to McGoo. “I’ve got to go to the brothel.” That wasn’t what he’d expected me to say.
The rookie cop kept his gun pointed at me. “You can’t just leave, mister. You’re a murder suspect! What if you skip town?”
“Officer McGoohan will keep an eye on me. Come on, McGoo, I might need your help. I think somebody’s hurt. No time to lose.” What are BHFs for?
McGoo decided that sounded preferable to a gremlin homicide. “I had a car cruise by there a few times today, as you requested, but I’ve been meaning to check out the Full Moon in person—strictly for professional reasons, of course.”
“Of course,” I said.
He barked at the rookie cop. “Lock down the scene and call in the evidence techs. Meanwhile, I’ll keep interrogating the suspect. He’s got a lot of explaining to do.”
By the time we got to the brothel, the ambulance had arrived with flashing lights and full siren, Code 3. Crowds of onlookers gathered in the streets, and the scantily clad vampire princesses struck poses; they didn’t look overly concerned, nor did the sleek-furred werewolf Cinnamon. The Full Moon’s new golem security guards stood like statues. So, this wasn’t a security issue.
Neffi stood outside on the sidewalk, her face even more withered and pinched than usual, annoyed rather than frightened by the ruckus. “Can we take care of this as quickly as possible?” she asked the emergency medical technicians. “These are my peak business hours.”
The EMTs hauled a gurney through the large front doors and down the porch steps. A weak-looking, gray-skinned man lay on the stretcher, his cheeks sunken, his eyelids fluttering. He seemed drained and shriveled. At first, I thought it was an old mummy customer who had over-extended his abilities with one of the vigorous ladies. Then I realized it was Sheyenne’s brother.
I rushed forward. “Neffi, what the hell happened here?” McGoo did his best to keep up.
The madam clenched her sticklike fingers into a gnarled fist. “Damned fool got in over his head. We warned him. Ruth isn’t for just anybody.”
Sheyenne’s ghost appeared over the crowd and swooped toward the stretcher as the EMTs loaded it into the back of the ambulance. “Travis! What have you done now?”
He couldn’t respond. He looked utterly and completely spent, but thankfully still alive.
That was when I saw the emerald-eyed, waifish succubus sitting on the porch, her back against the rail. Her shoulders were wracked with sobs. “I didn’t mean to!” She began weeping. “I’m sorry! I didn’t think I was getting carried away. Why does this always happen to me?”
“I told you,” Neffi said to her in a stern voice, “never overestimate human customers. They’re fragile.”
Ruth moaned. She looked absolutely miserable.
The back doors of the ambulance slammed shut. The EMTs hopped inside and fired up the lights and siren again—I think they liked to draw attention to themselves—and roared off toward the hospital. The golem security guards waved goodbye to them.
Keeping poor Ruth back and out of sight, Neffi hustled the other girls out onto the street. “Go talk to the onlookers—there’s a whole crowd of potential customers. See if you can make new friends.”
Sheyenne appeared before me, distraught. I told her, “Go after him, Spooky. You should be with your brother. I’ll follow as soon as I can.”
“Thanks—I really need you right now.” Her translucent expression was an atonal symphony of anger and deep concern. “Travis better have a good explanation for what he was doing there.” She flitted off.
McGoo watched her go, then turned to me. “Does she really need someone to explain things to her?”
“She’ll figure it out. Too soon, I suppose.” My heart was heavy, because she would also figure out where penniless Travis had gotten the money to hire a succubus, rather than using it to solve his problems.
Neffi turned to McGoo. “Don’t let this color your opinion of my business, Officer. It’s just one girl. And that young man—he’ll be just fine, if he gets a restorative spell soon enough. I’ll even pay for … part of it. Maybe we don’t need to fill out the paperwork? We can just forget about this whole thing.” She stroked McGoo’s arm. “I could give you a special discount. Some of our ladies love men in uniform. I certainly do.”
“As tempting an offer as that may be,” McGoo said, “I am on duty.”
“You told me you were going home for the night,” I said.
“You called me back. How much more trouble are you going to cause in one night, Shamble?”
“That’s what friends are for.”
Neffi had an edge to her voice as she reprimanded the succubus. “Any fines I have to pay are coming out of your cut, Ruth. It’s hard enough to find clients willing to hire you, but I kept you on as a specialty item. Now how are you going to earn your keep?”
Ruth continued sobbing. “I’m sorry!”
My heart went out to her. “Neffi, it’s not her fault. Travis is the one who made the mistake—I have no doubt about that. He makes a lot of mistakes.” I turned to McGoo, reminding him of the harassment the Full Moon had been suffering. “Let’s see how Travis recovers at the hospital before we make a big incident out of this. They don’t need any more trouble.”
McGoo frowned. “If the man wants to press charges, I’ll have no choice but to follow up, but I suppose I can put this on the back burner … for now.” He added in a pointed tone, “You’re right—a murder investigation should have higher priority. Now, are you going to tell me what you were doing in the pawnshop with a dead gremlin?”
“I didn’t expect him to be dead. In fact, I was hoping not to see him at all.”
“Beside the point, Shamble.”
“The cases don’t solve themselves. I needed to have a look at the ledger book Snazz kept in the credenza behind his counter—as a favor to Mrs. Saldana.”
McGoo let out a disbelieving sigh. “So you made yourself a prime murder suspect for something that’s not even a paying case?”
I answered sarcastically, “Yes, McGoo, I would feel a lot better about finding a dead body if it wasn’t pro-bono work.” I sighed. “I risked a lot, but it was for a good cause. Do you think I could have a look at that ledger, just a quick glance, while you’re processing it into evidence?”
He looked at me in disbelief. “You’ve got balls, Shamble! If I hadn’t interceded, you’d be in jail right now.” He shook his head, hardened his expression. “No, you can’t have a look, not until it’s released from evidence, and not until you’re cleared of the murder rap.”
I decided to ask again later. Now wasn’t the time.
Neffi strolled among the crowd with her ladies. Many of the spectators shrank back after having seen the man hauled out on a gurney; others, though, seemed intrigued, like a squirrel showing inappropriate curiosity about a rattlesnake. The mummy madam made light of the incident. “That shows my girls are enthusiastic and vigorous, if nothing else! Don’t let this little disturbance scare you off. Is anybody man enough to have a try for himself? Fifteen percent discount until dawn, certain conditions apply.”
I turned to McGoo. “I’d stay, but I promised Sheyenne I’d meet her at the hospital.”
I had planned on a quiet night breaking and entering at the pawnshop, looking up a name in a ledger, and going home satisfied. Now, I was potentially framed for a murder, and Sheyenne’s brother was in the hospital.
I was supposed to be solving cases, but more often than not I spent my time cleaning up messes.