Kitty and the Silver Bullet

'It's not really up to us, is it? She's a big girl.'

Cheryl started pacing. 'I know, but she's going to need help, we're going to have to help her, if she has to have more surgery and chemotherapy we're going to have to look after her, aren't we?'

'I think you're jumping the gun here. Why don't we wait until we know how serious it is before we start freaking out.'

'So we can make important decisions while we're freaking out?'

'Bridges, Cheryl. We'll cross them when we get to them.'

'We have to be ready for the worst, we have to be ready to help.'

'We will be,' I said. 'We totally will be, whatever it takes.'

'Then you're staying? That means you'll be around, you won't go zipping off across the country at the drop of a hat, without telling anyone.' She didn't ask this casually; she leaned in, glaring with a kind of desperation, almost but not quite jabbing her finger at me.

This wasn't about Mom at all, I realized.

'Cheryl, what are you asking? You want to make sure that if Mom needs help it won't all be you? Is that it?'

We stayed like that, staring at each other. It was almost wolfish.

The door opened, and Mom's voice called, 'Hello, Cheryl? Kitty? Is that your car out there?'

How could she sound so damned cheerful? She ought to be mentally curled up and quivering like the rest of us.

All smiles, Cheryl went out to meet her, our conversation forgotten. 'Hi, Mom! We're in here!'

Jeffy was on his feet, leaning on the rail of the playpen, talking at me, but I couldn't understand a word he was saying. I regarded him a moment and said, 'She's still crazy after all these years, isn't she?'

Nicky had stopped Mom—Grandma—in the living room, and the two of them were gushing at each other about toys when Cheryl and I arrived. Now the whole house was filled with hugs and greetings. It was all very girly and domestic. Mom seemed to have recovered from the surgery. And why wouldn't she? Perfectly routine, everyone kept saying. As if the words 'perfect' and 'surgery' belonged in the same sentence. She was sore, though she tried to hide it. She managed to hug us without using her right arm. If she was nervous about waiting for the results, she hid that as well.

Cheryl had sandwiches waiting in the kitchen, and we settled down to eat. Nicky peeled the crusts off hers. Mom helped her.

The whole time, Mom talked about nothing in particular, filling the silence so the unspoken worry couldn't be mentioned. Cheryl kept glancing at me, her expression prompting me, like she wanted me to say something. Wanted me to ask Mom if she needed help. But I wasn't going to bring up anything. She was the oldest, that was her job. I didn't care if I was the self-help guru in the family.

When she got the test results, Mom wouldn't even have to tell us. I didn't know why Cheryl was so worried about helping her—the more I thought about it, the more I thought Mom wouldn't want our help. She'd get through as much of this as she could all by herself.

That was what I'd have done. At least, I'd have tried.

For this afternoon, at least, I pretended that nothing was wrong and enjoyed the day with my mom and sister. The last time we'd done a girls' day like this, Nicky had been a squirming baby.

I was the one who broke up the party, since I had to get home and get ready for this evening. I said good-bye to the kids—Nicky seemed to remember me from the hospital—and hugged Cheryl while trying to transmit don't worry vibes. I couldn't tell if it worked. Then Mom and I hugged, careful of her right side.

'You'll let me know if you need anything, right? If there's anything I can do to help?'

She pulled back and gave me a wry look. 'You never let me help you, why should I be any different?'

Called that one, didn't I? 'Because…I don't know. I just wanted you to know you could call me.'

'I know. Thank you, dear.' Smiling, she kissed my cheek, and that was that.

Chapter 5

The Brown Palace Hotel was a downtown icon. Built during the gold rush days when Denver was filled with nouveau riche who wanted a taste of high society, it was a landmark and a status symbol. Presidents stayed here. Really posh. I'd have expected nothing less from Mercedes.

The clerk at the front desk directed me to Mercedes's suite. I dragged Ben to the elevator. He'd been waiting in the lobby, hands shoved in his trouser pockets, gazing around at the artwork, fireplaces, stained glass, and foliage. He wore a jacket but no tie. Edging more toward scruff than polish, but he still looked great. For my part, I wore a skirt, dress shirt, and heels. Felt pretty good, even though it wouldn't measure up to whatever Mercedes was wearing.

'You're sure about this?' he said as we went down the hallway. He'd been muttering about walking into the spider's parlor.

'Why wouldn't I be?'

'I don't trust vampires.'

'And how many vampires do you actually know? That you didn't stake?'

'I haven't staked that many vampires.'

I stopped and stared at him. I'd been joking. I'd known he'd sometimes helped Cormac on vampire hunting jobs before Cormac went to jail. But we'd never talked about it.

'How many have you staked?'

After a pause, he said, 'Two. That's it.'

'That's enough, don't you think?'

'And I helped with four of Cormac's.'

'Exactly how many has Cormac staked?'

He just smiled.

Those guys drove me crazy. I huffed and stalked on ahead. He'd caught up by the time I knocked on the door to the suite.

From within, Mercedes called, 'It's unlocked, come in!'

I opened the door and stepped into a spacious sitting room, furnished with big, velvety armchairs and chaises, grouped around a fireplace and mahogany coffee table. Rich carpets and crystal lamps gave the place a warm, opulent atmosphere.

Directly across the room, Rick stood up from a brocade-upholstered chair. He was suave and polished as ever, but held himself tautly, like he was nervous. His hands clenched at his sides, but his face was neutral.

'Shit!' I glared at him, frozen.

'That's quite a greeting. I assume you two know each other?' Reclined on an antique sofa, Mercedes regarded me calmly.

I should have known, I should have expected. She couldn't be here without drawing the attention of the local vampires. I was so focused on her I forgot about the big picture. I even forgot about looking after my own ass. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath to try to collect myself. Then I studied Mercedes Cook. She wore a smoke-colored, slinky dress made of a lacy fabric that seemed modern and antique at the same time.

'Uh, yeah,' was all I could manage. My secrecy was well and truly blown, it looked like. I wondered who else knew I was back in Denver?

Rick recovered from what I took to be shock—clearly he'd been as surprised to see me as I was to see him. Which meant that for some reason Mercedes hadn't told him I was coming. But what was he doing here?

Regaining his usual calm, he returned to his seat. 'Back in Denver, I see.' Flat statement.

I could argue, make excuses, play dumb. Or play it straight. Really, this was none of his damn business. 'Looks like it,' I said, smiling as amiably as I could manage.

'Interesting,' was all he said. No why or how or when.

'How long have you two known each other?' I asked. They exchanged one of those glances that suggested a long association—the suppressed smiles and questioning looks in the eyes. Trying to decide how much to tell, whether to tell anything at all.

Mercedes took the initiative. 'Oh, we've known each other quite some time, haven't we?'

'Come on, you're vampires,' I said. 'What does that mean? A decade, or a century or three?'

'You and Rick are friends,' Mercedes said. 'Do you know how old he is?'

I studied Rick, who remained impassive. Were we friends? I wasn't sure I'd go that far. I knew him without knowing anything about him. I felt like I'd stumbled into some kind of game, or long- running joke. 'Two fifty,' I said. Meaning two hundred fifty years.

Mercedes glanced at him, her smile widening. 'Oh, my, we are keeping secrets here, aren't we?'

I blinked. 'How old is he? How far off am I?'

'I told you, Kitty, it's not polite to talk about age.' She smoothed out her already perfect skirt and changed the subject. 'At some point I suppose I'll pay my respects to Arturo. Are you friends with him as well?'

I frowned. 'I know him. I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell him I'm back in Denver.'

'Sounds like there's a story behind that,' she said. No assurances that she'd keep my secret. I had to reassess my impression of her completely. I'd taken her at face value— she came across as a young, vibrant, successful performer. That was a persona, the one she wanted me to see—and to be fair, that was exactly what she was. An actress. And I'd fallen for it. Underneath was something else, manipulative and dark. Vampire. Ben was right—again. He stood close to me, our arms touching.

'It's really not that interesting. If I'm interrupting, I can leave.'

'Oh, no, please,' Mercedes said, looking genuinely put out. But I didn't trust the expression. I didn't trust her anymore—and she knew it. I could see it in her glittering eyes. She'd played me and been happy to do so.

I should have walked out of there right then.

'Come and sit with us. Rick was telling me about the situation here, among our kinds. I'd like to hear your opinion as well.' She gestured at chairs near Rick.