I’d almost forgotten about Marissa’s little red book until I arrived back at the office. The red light on my machine was blinking, so I hit play.
“Hey, Shane. It’s Richard. Just wanted to let you know I got those names you asked for. Sent them to the e-mail you gave me. You owe me three pints of O-neg. Later.” Beep.
Striping off my jacket I turned on the computer and checked my e-mail. Sure enough, there was a message from ladykillr74. I rolled my eyes. Vampires were so unoriginal. I clicked on it and brought up a list of names.
One name on that list was all I needed to see. Pastor Charles Marlowe. Pulling the phone from the cradle, I quickly dialed Shane’s cell.
“Hello?” he answered on the first ring.
“I know who the killer is. We need to find some proof. Can you meet me at—?”
There was a click, and the line went dead. I glanced at the clock; it was a little after midnight. Hanging up the phone, I tried again. The line was still dead.
I rose from the desk chair, heading for the hallway where my purse hung when the cell inside it started to play the Buffy theme. I got two steps before the lights went out, plunging the house into total darkness. Taking another step, I tripped over the ottoman I’d just moved earlier that day. I scrambled to the wall and pulled myself up. For a second, I wondered if it were a power outage, then I realized the soft glow from the streetlight outside was coming through my blinds. The blood was pounding in my ears as I strained to listen for movement in the house. Even my quick, shallow breaths sounded so loud I felt like every one was a blinking light pointing to me, to where I hid in the darkness.
Mentally, I cursed myself for leaving my gun out in the glove box. That was when I heard it, a creak on the stairs. The sound of boots on wood, someone walking up from the basement. That was all I needed, a location. The basement access door was in the kitchen. If I hurried, I could make it to the front door before whomever it was made it up the stairs. I bolted, grabbing my purse as I ran by. As soon as my hand was on the doorknob, I felt a sharp pain in my back, and then a blast of electricity ripping through my body before everything went dark.