Vampire Dead-tective (Dead-tective #1), Page 3

  Chapter 2

  I obediently followed him out into the hall and downstairs to the lobby where I glanced around looking for some chance to get away. My eyes fell on the public restrooms, and I stopped and pointed at them. "I need to go to the bathroom."

  He turned to me with a deep frown. "Can't you hold it?"

  I shook my head. "No, but this won't take more than a minute."

  Before he could argue I rushed into the girl's bathroom, leaned against one of the stalls and clutched at my heart. Something was seriously wrong here, and Timothy's letter proved he knew I'd be in danger. The big problem I had was what was dangerous and what was safe. Timothy wanted me to go to the warehouse, and the cop wanted me to go to the precinct. As a law-abiding citizen I wanted to go to the station, but the officer lied to me about Timothy's ring. I pulled out the paper and ring from my pocket. Who was I going to believe me, my dead friend or a cop I'd never met who'd already lied to me?

  Yeah, not much of a contest there. If the cop really did just want to question me he could pick me up later. Right now I had a warehouse to get to, so I looked around the bathroom and saw a ventilation window at the end of the stalls. It was only four feet above the floor and I wasn't that fat, so I stuffed the letter back into my pocket and, for safety's sake, put the ring on my finger and went over to the window.

  I hefted myself up over the sill and pulled myself through the open, angled window. I was nearly out when I heard a knock on the door. "You almost done?" the officer shouted.

  "Almost!" I shouted back. Unfortunately, because my head stuck out of the building my voice sounded off, and that alerted the cop. He rushed into the room just as I slipped my legs through.

  "Hey, stop!" He dashed over to the window, but I climbed to my feet and sprinted down the alley toward the street.

  I dashed around the corner and saw my car parked on the curb. Unfortunately, I skidded to a stop when I noticed the police car and the cop's partner sitting inside. I did an about-face in the other direction and was halfway down the alley when I heard shouts from the front of the building and glanced over my shoulder. Two cops raced after me, one of them being Officer Sutton. Fortunately I was in better shape than them, and I had fear and adrenaline to get me going.

  I lost them a few blocks down, and stopped for a breather in an alley. "I. . .am. . .so. . .dead," I gasped. I'd just ditched a couple of cops, and they were going to tell all their uniformed friends about me. I pulled out the letter from Timothy and sighed. "I hope you're right about this, Tim," I whispered.