He had a point, but I wasn’t buying it. “Don’t even.”

Through the rip I could see the trees of Griffith Park and the shimmering view of the city below through the crack. Billy stopped at the opening and looked up at me.

“Man, what am I gonna do? They’re gonna fry me.”

“Just tell them the truth. Tell them the devil made you do it.”

I’d like to tell you there was a grand reunion outside the rip, but if there was I’m not the one to ask. I fell out of the hole and hit the grass naked and unconscious. Mo’Lock told me later the only word I said was “Ow.”

I woke up in a hospital bed three days later with twenty-three broken bones, four hundred and seventeen stitches, and more bruises, contusions, twists, and pulls than any doctor could count. Both legs and one arm were in a cast, as was my pelvis. They had me in one of those steel halos with the screws. On the upside, I had a morphine dispenser that I drained daily.

Because of the strange nature of the crimes and no solid evidence linking him to any deaths, Billy Fuller was sent to an institution for mental observation until a trial could be held. Evidently the kid was following my advice; he’d told them the truth.

Of course, they thought the kid was fucking nuts.

Good for him. I hoped he took advantage of his second chance. If he didn’t, I’d kill him. I sent him a little note saying so.

When I woke the first time, Sam and Mo’Lock were there waiting for me. Sam was picking a scab next to the nub on the left side of his head he called an ear. Mo’Lock was sitting there, watching me. If it had been anybody but a ghoul, it would have been sweet. Instead, it freaked me out.

“How are you feeling, Cal?” he said the nanosecond my eyes opened.

“I’ve been better.” I reached for the IV and gave the button a push. “Better now.”

I felt fine.

“Look at you lying there, you big pussy!” Sam walked to the side of the bed. “I got hurt too, ya know. You don’t see me lying in bed!”

I laughed. Mo’Lock didn’t get that he was joking and glared at the old man.

“How’d everything work out?”

“Like nuthin’ ever happened. The cops cleaned up all the bodies and intercepted most of the reports. A few stories snuck under the radar. The networks reported that an unexpected eclipse occurred and a gang of toughs attacked some folks. Once again we’re in the clear because people would rather keep their heads in the sand.”

“What about . . . ,” Mo’Lock struggled to find the words, “. . . the werewolf?”

“Gone. Whatever that freak did to me in there, he stripped me of the power.”