She related the story to him for the first time and to the boys for a second, leaving out the graphic details for their benefit and Doreen’s death for Ted’s. The soldier listened intently, angry at first at Charlie’s hardheadedness but taking in her every word, even inspecting the rest of the silver service she had brought back. When she was finished he said, “Well, I’ll be damned.” He looked at her and smiled, and pulled her into his arms. “You know, I ought to kick your ass for not checking with me first.”

She nuzzled against him. “Would you have been worried?”

“Who me? Are you kidding?” He kissed her, unconscious of the stares and smirks around them.

“OKAY IN THERE. CUT OUT THE HAPPY HORSESHIT.”

They all jumped. Bean was standing in the doorway with a speakerphone in one hand. “Nice to see you up, Mr. Stiles,” he grinned.

“How did the meeting go?” Billie asked.

“See for yourself.” He motioned toward the window.

A small crowd of fifteen to twenty people, men, women and children, were milling in the street below: Many carried shotguns and axes and shovels and any other weapon they could get their hands on. Others carried boxes and sacks of supplies. Like silver. “They actually believed you?” Billie was astonished.

“It wasn’t easy. A few still wanted to run, so we had to lock them up down at the jail. We’re going from street to street now. If anyone comes out they can join us. We’re also rounding up silver and taking it over to Pete’s Radiator Shop. He’s got some acetylene tanks we can use to melt this stuff down and flux out the alloys to get it as pure as possible.” He tapped Stiles on the shoulder and said softly, “You and me and Billie, outside. Okay?”

They went out onto the stairway and closed the door. “Did Billie tell you what happened?”

“Not about Doreen,” she was quick to say. Then to Stiles, “We found Ted’s girlfriend there. Larson had been feeding on her.”

“Christ.”

“She was dead. Charlie made sure she stays that way.”

“Temporarily,” the deputy interjected. “That’s what I wanted to tell you. Some of the others wouldn’t believe me at first. So, I took them over to Dutch’s house to prove it.” His face was pale with the memory. “He wasn’t there, Billie. Him or Doreen. I found the broken pool stick on the floor. And this.” He drew a bundle from inside his coat and unwrapped the cake knife. “Look at the handle.”

Stiles held it up with two fingers to avoid the gore-stained point and inspected the hilt. It was coated with a blackened, gauze-like substance. “Skin?”