The Holy Death

Chapter 11

"Could you help arrange a meet between myself and the elves?"

"Huh, let's see, you're a vampire, that's strike one. You work for Ministry, that's strike two. That's two strikes, bubby. You're almost out."

"You are right about that. That would make us, as they say, hosed."

"Sucks to be you, I guess."

"And there's nothing else you know about him?" Cressida asked, her hand touching Jesse's knee. Jeremiah frowned as he noticed this. He knew she was only trying to get Jesse's compliance, but still, did she need to do that in front of him?

Jesse smiled. "Well, uh, hey, you know, maybe I... hey, wait a minute! I see what you're tryin' to do, and it ain't gonna work, not on me, sister!"

"Jesse," Jeremiah said, "If you know anything, anything at all!"

"Okay! Jesus, you guys are persistent. Fine. Like I said, I don't know much. All I know is that once upon a time, there may have been a local elf who may or may not have been mixed up in some serious shit. I mean, big-time operators, capisce? And since elves are known to be tight-lipped, he was a perfect go-between, between himself and whoever he was working for. Whoever that might be, which I don't know."

"Are you quite sure you have no idea?"

"Not only do I have no fucking clue, I don't want no fucking clue. If these guys had an elf and a succubus in their pocket, then they're pretty badass, meaning big time trouble. Meaning they scare even me, and I'm a vampire!"

"Beyond that, you know nothing."

"Didn't I say that already? Beyond that, I don't know shit. Sorry."

Jeremiah looked at Cressida. "Let us go. Sadly, this has been a waste of time."

"Hey," Jesse said, "No waste of my time, in fact, it was pretty lucrative. But, hey, any time you need more info, drop me a line, why don't you?"

Jeremiah and Cressida stood then walked away, leaving the Vermin sitting on the brick steps in the rain. As they moved across the Square, Cressida came close to Jeremiah. "Sorry about that, Jeremiah. I really wanted to help."

Jeremiah stopped and sighed. "Sadly for Scott, I will have to tell him we have hit a dead end. We have nowhere to go!"

Cressida looked into Jeremiah's deep brown eyes. "I think of a few places we could go, Jeremiah." A sly smile appeared on her face. Jeremiah likewise smiled.

*

"So! How was your weekend with Dawn?" Irene Campbell asked Scott as he stumbled out of his bedroom that Monday morning. "Was it romantic?"

Scott rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he joined his mother in her kitchen. "You are so chipper in the mornings, mom. Why?"

"Lots of coffee!"

"Not how, mom, why!"

She shrugged. "Some people are morning people. I always have been. You, on the other hand, take after your father. He never was a morning person either. He always needed his morning coffee."

"I remember. What would he have said? Oh yeah! 'Give it to me blacker than midnight! And no sugar or cream, that'll only dilute it'!"

Irene giggled. "Now that does sound exactly like your father! So, anyway, tell me all about your weekend!"