“For the love of God, Jay, will you never learn?” Her voice rose and once again he heard someone walk past his door as the phone momentarily cut out, heralding an incoming call.

“I gotta go. Another call.”

“You’re seeing her! Goddamn it, Jay, I was right, wasn’t I? The least you could do is admit it. You’re still in love with her!”

“Good-bye, Gayle,” he said, and clicked off, but her accusation rang through his head, echoing and sharp: You’re still in love with her.

“Damned straight,” he said to himself. Okay, there it was. He was still fascinated as all get-out with Kristi. More than ever. “Shit.”

He clicked to the other call. “Hello?”

“McKnight?” Rick Bentz’s voice caught him off guard.

“Yeah.”

“I need a favor.” No beating around the bush with Bentz.

“What?”

“Kristi needs her bike. If I run it up there she’ll accuse me of butting into her personal life. I know you’re teaching a class at All Saints and that you’ve got a truck. Maybe you could run it up to her.”

Sometimes fate had a funny sense of humor, Jay thought. “Sure.” He considered confiding in the detective; after all, Bentz was Kristi’s father and she seemed poised to get herself into trouble. Thinking of her, he held his tongue. For the moment.

They made arrangements for Jay to pick up Kristi’s fifteen-speed at the station later in the day and Jay didn’t mention anything about the fact that Kristi was his student, that she’d confided in him, that she was digging into vampire cults, or that Jay intended to see more of her.

He hung up and wondered if he’d made the right choice. What would he tell Bentz if Kristi got herself into real trouble? Danger? What if she ended up abducted? How would he feel then?

He swore under his breath. Kristi would kill him if she found out he confided in her father and that would be the final straw. They would never reconcile.

“Shit.” So that’s where all this was going. What a mess! He clicked off the computer and got to his feet. Maybe it was time to head back to Baton Rouge.

Nothing!

Kristi didn’t find one damned thing in Tara’s belongings that helped her figure out what had happened to the girl.

“Damn it all to hell.” Rocking back on her heels, Kristi studied Tara’s things, all of which were strewn over the tarp she’d laid across the floor. If she’d hoped the jewelry box had contained a necklace with a vial of blood attached to it, she’d been sorely disappointed. If she’d thought she’d find a treasure map leading to a secret meeting place of a vampire cult, she’d been wrong there, too.

“There has to be something here,” she said out loud. “Just find it.”