Vampire$

Adam shook his head. “He took a cab. Felix?”

“Yeah?”

“He didn’t look good.”

“Like how?”

“Like… like crazy.”

Great. Felix looked at the other two. They were still crying.

Great.

Davette had finally gotten Cat to go to sleep in the main bedroom of the hotel suite. His sullen silence on the way from the hospital had been almost as unnerving as his weeping. She had fallen asleep watching him, curled up on the edge of the bed. Adam lay dozing on the lounge beside the bed. Felix sat in a chair by the great picture window that overlooked the Galleria Shopping Mall. The ashtray beside him was full.

And the sunset was lovely.

Shit.

He looked at his watch. Five hours now. No sign of Jack. No call. No word. No clue.

He looked over at the sleeping trio. He didn’t blame them. If anything, be envied them. He was tired, too. But he was more worried than anything else. He bad brought them to this hotel because it had been the place they were planning to go and because…

Because he didn’t know what else to do.

No one had heard from Crow. He had called the hospital half a dozen times. He had called the bishop’s — the late bishop’s — office and home and church. He had called the Team’s new house three’ times without answer. Each time he had imagined the phone ringing in Carl’s destroyed workshop.

He stood up slowly, thought about sneaking into the other room to try calling everyone again. But he knew better. Crow wasn’t at any of those places. Not now and not later.

I even managed to get her killed.

And the sleeping three looked mighty small without him there.

They look like I feel, he thought, and sat back down and added to the ashtray and stared at the blasted sunset.

“Where’s Jack?” came from behind him a moment later.

Felix turned and looked. It was Cat. He looked better. Still pale and drawn and.., hurting. But better. The sleep had done its deed.

“Where’s Jack?” he repeated, sitting in the chair beside Felix’s.

“I don’t know,” Felix replied.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean he’s gone. He left from the hospital. No one’s seen him since.”

“But it’s almost nighttime!”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t understand!”

Felix looked at him. I don’t understand either, he felt like saying.

At least I hope I don’t.

But he didn’t say that. Instead, he gave Cat what little he knew from the beginning. When he told him what Adam had said Jack had said, he checked the other man’s face closely for a reaction.

But there was none. Just the same confusion. And concern.

Davette and the priest, he noticed, were up and about once more. Listening.

“I was hoping,” Felix said next, “that you might know something.”

Cat frowned. “No. I’ve been sorta…”

Felix nodded. “Yeah. But you know Jack better than anyone. In fact, you’re the only one here,” he added without thinking, “who’s known Jack for any…”

And then he stopped, shut up, as the realization hit him. As it hit Cat. As it hit the rest of them.

Two months ago, a full Team Crow. With soldiers and money and Carl and Annabelle and Cat and the monsters on the run.

And now… just Cat left. In this room anyway.

Felix held his breath watching Cat, but the smaller man came through the moment. It took a few deep breaths, a little concentration, but he stayed on top.

Good for you, Cherry, Felix thought.

But they had things to do.

“Where do you think he might go?” Felix continued. “After Annabelle. Would he go get drunk or…”

Cat was silent a moment. But when he spoke his voice was clear enough.

“He might. He… we all… loved her. He might just get drunk.”

“Where?”

“Huh?”

“You know his favorite joints. Where would he go?”

Cat nodded, thought a bit. Then he stood up and went over to the bed and sat down next to the phone and rummaged under the end table until he found a phone book. He opened it and started thumbing through it, his other hand resting on the phone. Then he stopped.

“The thing is, the only places I know where he’d go… Well, they might know about them, too. And he wouldn’t go there in case they came looking for him. The only places he’d go would be the places no one knows he goes. And that could be anywhere.”

He put down the phone book.

“I guess we’ll just have to wait for him to find us. He knew we were supposed to wait here until the plane leaves.”

The plane? Oh, yeah, Felix remembered. The plane for Rome.

But Jack Crow wasn’t thinking about that plane.

“Where,” Felix asked casually, “is his favorite spot?”

“Huh? Well, the Adolphus. He loves the place, the rooms, the service. He loves the bar. But he couldn’t go there. That’s the one place they’d be sure to look for him.”

“Give ’em a call,” suggested Felix, his voice still casual.

Cat frowned. “C’mon, Felix. He wouldn’t go there! They know about the Adolphus.”

Felix shrugged. “It’s worth a try.”

Cat shook his head. “That would be asking for it and Jack—”

“You want me to call?” This time his voice was as strong as his mood.

Cat eyed him a moment. Then he picked up the phone and started dialing. Cat seemed to know this number. And he seemed to know the voice that answered.

“Terry? This is Cat. Mr. Catlin. Hi. I’m looking for Mr. Crow. I just thought… What? You’re kidding. Ring him for me, would you? But Terry. You know me. This is an emergency. I… Okay. Okay. Never mind.”

Cat hung up and stared at the others in amazement.

“He’s there. In the Governor’s Suite. He’s turned off his phone.”

Felix just sighed and turned away and puffed on his cigarette.

“I don’t get it!” Cat cried next. “Does he want to die?”

“I think,” said the Gunman quietly, “that’s the idea.”

Chapter 29

By the time they got to the Adolphus, Felix’s only remaining emotion was disgust.

Disgust with the whole damned deal. Disgust with the loss, with the waste. Carl Joplin and the bishop and the bishop’s people and poor, brave redheaded Kirk and Annabelle and…

And disgust with Jack Crow and, come to think of it, disgust with himself for being a part of it all.

But mostly disgust for the two cowboys in the back of the Blazer wearing their full chain mail and toting